JANUARY 1, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

THEY FOLLOWED HIM

MODERN UNWILLINGNESS
TO HEAR GOD'S MESSAGE
LEADS TO CALAMITY
THE REPORT OF THOSE SENT
TO HARVEST
WHERE IS GOD?
W TB &TS

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JEHOVAH.Isa.43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F T H E W A T C H T O W E R * *
Every watchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w hat is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er7* this magazine Justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W atch tow er* began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e Watchtower**
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w er* is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ich one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H oly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G ods promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N . H . K n orr , President
G r a n t S uiter , Secretary
They w ill all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54 :13

A v e r a g e p r i n t i n g e a c h is s u e : 4 ,8 5 0 ,0 0 0 F i v e c e n t s a c o p y
The Watchtower Is Published in the Following 7 0 languages

CONTENTS
W here Is God?

"T h ey Followed H im

Modern Unwillingness to Hear Gods

Message Leads to Calamity

13

The Report of Those Sent to Harvest

21

Have You Read Your Copy?

28

Cooperate as a Flock
with Servant Leadership

30

Do You Remember?

30

Questions from Readers

31

The Bible translation used in The Watchtower is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 61 edition. When other translations
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'T ^ T z n o u r i c ir i q r

J E H O V A H S
KINGDOM

Where Is 1. 0 (1?

AR in Vietnam. There soldiers and

civilians die alike. The religious
people pray for help. But where is God?
In Iran floods kill forty-two. Epidemics
strike densely populated areas of the
Congo, and thousands suffer and die. The
religious people cry to heaven for mercy
and help. Doctors respond in great num
bers. Emergency agencies rush in aid. But
where is God?
Two world wars have scarred this gen
eration. Jews have been massacred by the
millions. Christian witnesses of Jehovah
have suffered in concentration camps and
died. Crime is on the increase. Morals have
broken down. These deplorable conditions
prompt many to ask: If God is, then
where is he?
Just because some claim that God is
nonexistent, that does not make it so. We
must look in the right places for things,
even for God. Not having found Him does
not alter the fact that God lives, that he
is! It may be that many people have been
looking in the wrong places for him.
People down through the ages have
been accustomed to picture their gods as
having the same needs as humans. This is
because their gods were of their own in
vention, based solely upon an imaginary
foundation. So the Chinese built joss

houses in which they housed their gods;

the Arabians constructed mosques; the
Japanese designed shrines and the people
of Christendom built churches. But do
they find God in these structures?
The Christian apostle Paul quite frankly
told the Athenians that the God that
made the world and all the things in it,
being, as this One is, Lord of heaven and
earth,
doesnot dwell in handmade
ples,Acts 17:24, 25.
Think about those inspired words: We
are not going to find God in handmade
cathedrals, temples, churches, shrines or
in other physical edifices of worship. The
Great Creator of the universe is not to be
confined to lifeless human structures, no
matter how lavish they may be. King Solo
mon, at the time of the dedication of the
temple he had built in Jerusalem, prayed:
Will God truly dwell upon the earth?
Look! The heavens, yes, the heaven of
the heavens, themselves cannot contain
you; how much less, then, this house that
I have built! (1 Ki. 8:27) Solomon wisely
recognized the relationship of God to
earth and buildings.
Moreover, has it not become apparent
that many religious institutions today
have turned away from the Bible and have
become increasingly worldly, even centers

SFEeWATCHTOWEFL

for promoting social or political issues?

How can God be found by going to these
places?
Some religious leaders today in these
institutions deny the very existence of
God. A modern Jewish rabbi, a leader of
a synagogue, quite boldly admits he is an
atheist. Is this man capable of leading his
parishioners to the true God? Are those
who go to his place of worship going to
find God? Hardly.
And many religious leaders, among
them Protestants and Catholics, deny the
Bible to be the inspired Word of God.
Some clergymen, bishops and other prel
ates make light of the Bible account of
Adam and Eve, discredit the Scriptural
record of the Flood, scoff at the virgin
birth of Jesus Christ, his resurrection
from the dead, and so on
infinitum.
How can these men inspire faith or even
point to God when, by their own admis
sion, they themselves have no faith in God
or his Word?Jas. 3:11, 12.
GOD LIVES AND IS NEAR I

Nevertheless, the apostle Paul refresh

ingly assures us that God lives, that he
himself gives to all persons life and breath
and all things and that he is not far off
from each one of us. (Acts 17:25, 27)
Yes, God lives, as his prophet stated: Are
you not from long ago, O Jehovah? O my
God, my Holy One, you do not die. (Hab.
1:12) How unreasonable it would be to
accept Gods sun, rain and the air we
breathe and then say he does not exist or
is dead! Instead, we should do as Jesus
Christ said: Prove yourselves sons of
your Father who is in the heavens, since
he makes his sun rise . . . and makes it
min. (Matt. 5:45) And not only has the
true God given us sun, rain, life and
breath, but he has given us all things. Je
hovah the Creator lives and is not far off.
But where is he? Jesus Christ said he

B rooklyn,

N.Y.

is in the heavens. So Gods dwelling

place is in heaven: The heavens are my
throne. (Matt. 6:9; Isa. 66:1) Solomon
stated that God is above the earth, that
the heaven of heavens themselves cannot
contain Him. How, then, can he be not
far off from each one of us, as the apos
tle said?
God is near because knowledge about
him can be obtained near at hand, in his
Word, the Holy Bible, the Only Book
through which we can come to know him,
with everlasting life in view. There we
learn why the earth is filled with woe, why
even Gods servants are persecuted, and
when it will end.John 17:3.
God is near because God dwells with
his people on earth. Not that he dwells
personally in people. How could he, if the
heaven of the heavens cannot contain
him? But by means of his holy spirit or
invisible active force, God motivates them
to a living hope and to a course that is
pleasing to him. He sustains them when
they undergo trial. The apostle Paul re
veals this fact, in these words: Do you
not know that you people are Gods tem
ple, and that the spirit of God dwells in
you? (1 Cor. 3:16) For we are a temple
of a living God; just as God said: I shall
reside among them and walk among them,
and I shall be their God, and they wifi be
my people. 2 Cor. 6:16.
So, it can be said that the dwelling place
of God in earth is also with his anointed
people, people who have his spirit and
bring forth the fruitage of his spirit,
which is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, selfcontrol. Gal. 5:22, 23.
So
if anyone is interested in knowing
where God is, the first thing to do is to
determine who Gods people are. There, in
their lives, in their work, in their conduct,
you will find the spirit of God at work.
There you will find God.

* *

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H I M 99

HERE must have been something nights, then he felt hungry. (Matt. 3:16about this man walking along the 4:2) Now three temptations were cleverly
shore of the Sea of Galilee to make four put before Jesus by Satan. However, Jesus
hardworking fishermen leave their occu Christ remained true to his heavenly Fa
pation and follow him. Had these fisher ther and finally said: Go away, Satan!
men ever seen or heard of this man be For it is written, It is Jehovah your God
fore? Did they know who he was? Indeed you must worship, and it is to him alone
they did! They were well prepared to go you must render sacred service. Matt.
when the call came: Come after me, and 4:10.
3
Now after this experience Jesus came
I will make you fishers of men. How was
this?
walking toward John the Baptist, and it
2
This man, Jesus, had been baptized thewas quite natural for him to point to Jesus
preceding year (29 C.E.) by John the and say: See, the Lamb of God that takes
Baptist. At that time John saw the holy away the sin of the world! The next day
spirit coming down out of heaven and re two of these Galilean fishermen met Jesus.
maining on this Jesus. So later he told How? That day John was standing with
his hearers: I have borne witness that two of his disciples, and as he looked at
this one is the Son of God. (John 1:34)
John spoke right, for the record tells us:
After being baptized Jesus immediately
came up from the water; and, look! the
heavens were opened up, and he saw de
scending like a dove
Gods spirit com ing
upon him. Look! Also,
t h e r e w as a v o ic e
from the heavens that
said: This is my Son,
the beloved, whom I
have approved. Then
Jesus was led by the
spirit up into the wil
derness to be tempted by the Devil. Af
ter he had fasted forty days and forty

1. Because those to whom Jesus spoke, as recorded

at Matthew 4: 19, 20, at once abandoned their fishing
nets, what questions logically come to mind?
2, 3. (a) Who did John the Baptist say Jesus was, and
how could he have known this to be true? (b) How
did John identify Jesus to two of his disciples, and
how did Andrew identify Jesus to his brother?
5

f&eWATCHTOW ER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

6Now it is Passover time in the spring

Jesus walking he said: See, the Lamb of
God! And the two disciples [of John] of the year 30, and Jesus goes to Jerusa
heard him speak, and they followed Je lem. In this holy city he showed his in
sus. Fisherman Andrew was one of the dignation toward those who were turning
two that said to Jesus: Rabbi, . . . where the house of his God into a business place.
are you staying? And they stayed with He found in the temple those selling cat
him that day. Andrew then found his tle and sheep and doves and the money
own brother, Simon, and said to him: We brokers in their seats. So, after making
have found the Messiah (which means, a whip of ropes, he drove all those with
when translated, Christ). . . . When Jesus the sheep and cattle out of the temple, and
looked upon him he said: You are Simon he poured out the coins of the money
the son of John; you will be called Cephas changers and overturned their tables. And
(which is translated Peter). The next he said to those selling the doves: Take
day Jesus desired to depart for Galilee. these things away from here! Stop mak
So Jesus found Philip. He was from the ing the house of my Father a house of
same city as Andrew and Peter. John merchandise! His disciples called to mind
that it is written: The zeal for your house
1:29, 35-44.
4 From this we see that Johns disciples will eat me up. John 2:13-17; Ps. 69:9.
7Then one night Jesus received a visitor,
wanted to get acquainted with Jesus and
Nicodemus,
a Pharisee who was anxious
did. At least two of the fishermen, to
whom Jesus later said, I will make you to hear what this teacher from God had
fishers of men, met him first at the Jor to say. Among other things, Jesus pointed
dan River. Many people knew what John out that God loved the world so much
had said about Jesus, that he was the Son that he gave his only-begotten Son, in
of God, the Messiah. It was quite natural, order that everyone exercising faith in
then, for them to want to hear what Jesus him might not be destroyed but have ever
had to say. Let us travel a little while lasting life. For God sent forth his Son
with Jesus and see what he does after first into the world . . . for the world to be
getting acquainted with Andrew and Peter saved through him. (John 3:16, 17) He
and Philip and other disciples.
further showed that faith in the true God
5Jesus left the upper Jordan valley and is necessary and that the one that does
came to Cana of Galilee, where a marriage what is true comes to the light, in order
feast took place. The mother of Jesus was that his works may be made manifest as
there and Jesus and his disciples were also having been worked in harmony with
invited to this wedding celebration. It so God. (John 3:1-21) After this most in
happened the wine ran short, and here teresting night meeting Jesus and his
Jesus performed his first miracle, turning disciples went into Judean country, and
water into wine. This miracle was the there he spent some time with them and
beginning of his signs, and he made his did baptizing. But John also was baptizing
glory manifest; and his disciples put their in Aenon near Salim. When . . . the
faith in him. (John 2:1-11) All these Lord became aware that the Pharisees had
things had happened during the first six heard that Jesus was making and baptiz
months since Jesus baptism in the Jordan ing more disciples than John although,
River.
6. What does the Bible record say Jesus did at Pass4. With whom did Johns disciples wish to get ac
quainted, and why?
5. How did Jesus manifest his glory to his disciples
at Cana in Galilee?

over time of 30 C.E. in Jerusalem?

7. (a) What interesting information did Jesus relate
to the Pharisee Nicodemus? (b) What is next reported
as taking place in Judean country?

Ja n u a r y

1, 1967

7
ffceWATCHTOWER.
indeed, Jesus himself did no baptizing but Jesus immediately took up the message
his disciples didhe left Judea and de concerning Gods kingdom. Then he went
parted again for Galilee. John 3:22, 23; to Nazareth and read his commission
4:1-3.
from Isaiah, the sixty-first chapter, to all
8The people and religionists observed in the synagogue on the sabbath day. So
this great activity because now Jesus dis the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was hand
ciples were baptizing and John the Baptist ed him, and he opened the scroll and
was still baptizing. But they observed found the place where it was written: Je
many more were now following Jesus. In hovahs spirit is upon me, because he
fact, some of Johns disciples said all were anointed me to declare good news to the
going to Jesus. John very carefully ex poor, he sent me forth to preach a release
plained that he was not the Christ but to the captives and a recovery of sight to
that he was sent forth in advance of the the blind, to send the crushed ones away
Christ. Then John made a very significant with a release, to preach Jehovahs ac
statement, which showed his real, true ceptable year. With that he rolled up the
love for Jesus, the Christ or Anointed scroll, handed it back to the attendant and
One: He that has the bride is the bride sat down; and the eyes of all in the syna
groom. However, the friend of the bride gogue were intently fixed upon him. Then
groom, when he stands and hears him, has he started to say to them: Today this
a great deal of joy on account of the voice scripture that you just heard is fulfilled.
of the bridegroom. Therefore this joy of Luke 4:17-21.
11Not being accepted in his own terri
mine has been made full. That one must
go on increasing, but I must go on de tory, he went down to Capernaum, a city
of Galilee. And he was teaching them on
creasing.John 3:25-30.
9Jesus did increase his disciples and the sabbath; and they were astounded at
many Jews were following him. Now his way of teaching, because his speech
after John was put under arrest Jesus was with authority. (Luke 4:31, 32) By
went into Galilee, preaching the good this time in Jesus Christs ministry there
news of God and saying: The appointed must have been many very attentive lis
time has been fulfilled, and the kingdom tening disciples, learners, but none as yet
of God has drawn near. Be repentant, you were called to do the work Jesus was do
people, and have faith in the good news. ing. He was carrying on a real teaching
(Mark 1:14, 15) Matthew confirms this, program, instructing his disciples to be
for he says: The people sitting in dark ready to take on responsibility. Now the
ness saw a great light, and as for those time came to select and train certain ones
sitting in a region of deathly shadow, for future work. Whom did Jesus choose
light rose upon them. From that time on first?
Jesus commenced preaching and saying:
DID THEY KNOW W HO HE W A S?
Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens
12 So Peter and Andrew and their com
has drawn near. Matt. 4:16, 17.
panions had gone back to fishing. While
10Now Johns public work was done. He
Jesus was walking alone along the Sea of
had announced the one who must go on Galilee near Capernaum, well after Passincreasing, and after Johns imprisonment
8,9. How did John the Baptist testify that the fol
lowers of Jesus must go on increasing, and what
important message did Jesus now begin proclaiming?
10. How did Jesus show the people in the synagogue
of Nazareth what his work on earth was to be?

11. Up to this time, how many were doing the work

Jesus was carrying on, and so what reasonably would
be the next step?
12. (a) How does Matthew 4:18-22 relate the call of
Jesus to certain ones to follow him? (b) What was
the response of these men?

SKeWATCHTOWER.

over of 30 C.E., he saw two brothers, Si

mon who is called Peter and Andrew his
brother, letting down a fishing net into
the sea, for they were fishers. And he said
to them: Come sifter me, and I will make
you fishers of men. At once abandoning
the nets, they followed him. Going on also
from there he saw two others who were
brothers, James the son of Zebedee and
John his brother, in the boat with Zebe
dee their father, mending their nets, and
he called them. At once leaving the boat
and their father, they followed him.
(Matt. 4:18-22) There was not the slight
est hesitation to respond on the part of
these four fishermen. Like the prophet
Isaiah, centuries previously, in their
h e a r t s th e y sa id :
H e re I am ! S end
me. (Isa. 6:8) They
were ready to go be
cause they knew who
Jesus was. This was
not the first time they
had seen him or heard
his word.
13
Rem em ber, An
drew and a companion
stayed with him one
evening, almost a year
before, and Peter met
him when Andrew his
brother said to Peter:
We have found the Messiah. They could
have been some of his disciples who were
at the marriage feast in Cana. If not with
him, surely they heard about Jesus clean
ing out the money changers in the temple
at Jerusalem the following Passover sea
son (30 C.E.). The news about his reading
Isaiahs prophecy at Nazareth a little
while before now and his being run out of
town surely got to their ears. Without
13. (a) How could Andrew, Peter, James and John
be sure of who Jesus was? (b) What thought-provoking
questions now can be asked?

B rooklyn,

N .Y.

doubt they listened to his teaching with

authority at Capernaum. These four dis
ciples knew who he was and were ready
to follow him. They did not go into this
new work as ministers of God without
knowing what Jesus was preaching and
without believing the kingdom of the
heavens was at hand! They were ready
and anxious to get into the ministry, as
every man and woman should be today
who has heard the Word of God and be
lieves in the kingdom of God as the only
hope for mankind. Do you have knowledge
of Gods Word and faith that qualifies you
to be a minister? Have you responded to
the call to service? You should if you have
studied Gods Word and associated with
Jehovahs witnesses
for a year or more.
M any men and
w om en tod a y have
seen the light of Gods
Word and, in effect,
they have abandoned
their nets and have
followed him. Peter,
Andrew, James and
John stayed with Je
sus in the full-tim e
ministry because these
men loved the truth
and saw th e g r e a t
need to do the work
Jesus was doing. They had listened with
ears anxious to hear when John the Bap
tist told them to repent and be ready for
Messiahs coming. Now they had come
to know the Messiah and believed that he
was the one sent by God and was the Son
of God. They had traveled with him from
time to time, but now at the Sea of Gali
lee the big opportunity came. The ques
tion then was, Would they answer the call
as Isaiah did and say: Here I am! Send
14. How had these first disciples of Jesus been pre
pared for taking up the call to follow Jesus?

Ja n u a r y

1, 1967

MeWATCHTOWEFt

me ? They did, and we today are grateful

for it because we have their fine example
to follow.
15Jesus was still looking for sincere men
even though these four fishers definitely
accepted the call to be his followers. While
Jesus was in Capernaum he saw a man
named Levi sitting at the tax office, and
he said to him: Be my follower. And
leaving everything behind he rose up and
went following him. (Luke 5:27, 28) Lat
er Levi (or, Matthew) spread a big recep
tion feast for Jesus, and reclining at the
table with him were many other tax col
lectors. His disciples were there too and
Jesus used this opportunity to give a fine
witness to all present. He said: I have
come to call, not righteous persons, but
sinners to repentance.Luke 5:32.
16 Now, after a year and a half of
preaching and teaching his disciples and
after attending his second passover since
his baptism, Jesus selected from his many
disciples twelve to be his apostles. He
made this matter of selecting men for such
an important position a subject of prayer,
and Luke tells us: In the progress of
these days he went out into the mountain
to pray, and he continued the whole night
in prayer to God. But when it became day
he called his disciples to him and chose
from among them twelve, whom he also
named apostles: Simon, whom he also
named Peter, and Andrew his brother,
and James and John, and Philip and Bar
tholomew, and Matthew and Thomas, and
James the son of Alphae'us, and Simon
who is called the zealous one, and Judas
the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who
turned traitor. Luke 6:12-16.
17 How interesting all this information
is! It took Jesus well over a year and a
15. Who else was now called to follow Jesus, and what
was his occupation?
16. Outline the next important selecting work Jesus had
to do, and how do we knew this was a very serious
work?
17. How much time was involved in selecting the
twelve apostles, showing what to be necessary for them?

half to select these twelve men as his

apostles. He had gathered many disciples
around himself, many followed him, many
put faith in him, but out of all of these,
after a year and a half of work, he de
cided on twelve men that he taught, called
and prepared for a special work. He did
not appoint them to this work of apostleship on his first calling them to follow
him, even though they at once left their
fishing or tax collecting work. First the
implanting of knowledge was necessary!
18
So it is today. Jehovahs witnesses
find many persons in their house-to-house
work who become interested in the mes
sage of Gods kingdom. Studies in the Bi
ble are often started and conducted in the
homes of the people, sometimes for a year
or much longer. A Christian teacher
should not be discouraged because some
do not make their minds up to walk in
the footsteps of Christ Jesus in a short
period of time, say a year. Consider, if you
are an active Christian, how long it took
you to make up your mind to go from
house to house in the ministry. If you are
not an active Christian, ask yourself, Am
I a Christian? Maybe you are one in name
only and, of course, then you do not even
deserve the name.
18In the case of the four fishermen, they
already had a profession. It was fishing
for fish in the Sea of Galilee. They prob
ably were doing a very good business.
James and John were working with their
father Zebedee and they had hired men.
So if they hired men to work along with
them they must have had a big thriving
business. But despite this fine, lucrative
business, the two sons of Zebedee left their
father and followed Christ. They wanted
to be Christians! (Mark 1:19, 20) The
fishing business is a very healthy, out-of18. In our day, what view should we take of those
with whom we study the Bible?
19. What better work than the fishing industry did
Jesus have in mind for the disciples?

10

fiieW ATCHTOW ER.

doors occupation. As for pleasant sur

roundings, what could be better than the
Sea of Galilee? But Jesus had something
much better in mind. That is why he told
Peter: From now on you will be catch
ing men alive. (Luke 5:10) Jesus wanted
live men, devoted men, to handle the mes
sage he had. They must truly love his
Father in heaven, just as he did, and his
followers must love one another.John
13:34, 35.
20 Jesus Christ was starting the Chris
tian work, and these twelve men in their
turn must make disciples of Jesus Christ,
instructing them in Christs teaching. He
was opening up the only way of everlast
ing life for all mankind. At his last Passover celebration, the one he kept with his
disciples, and at which time he introduced
the Memorial of his death, he said, in his
final prayer: This means everlasting life,
their taking in knowledge of you, the only
true God, and of the one whom you sent
forth, Jesus Christ. (John 17:3) What
a comprehensive statement! To get ever
lasting life for oneself it is necessary to
take in knowledge, and get understanding
of the works and purposes of Jehovah God
and his Son, Jesus Christ. Where can you
get such knowledge? In Gods written
Word, the Holy Bible. It takes time to read
the Bible, but much more time to study
it. It even takes more time to be a teacher.
That is why these men at once abandoned
everything and followed Jesus so as to be
his full-time disciples and learn about God
and Christ Jesus and so prove to be bet
ter teachers.
21 Now, after he had chosen the twelve
apostles, Jesus continued to give them
more knowledge of God and to show them
the course of life that all men must faith
fully follow if they would gain everlasting
life. His twelve apostles along with great
20,21. (a) What opportunity was Jesus now opening
up to his followers? (b) How could these followers
learn about this wonderful gift?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

crowds of people who followed him heard

his sermon on the mount, as recorded in
the fifth to the seventh chapters of Mat
thew. This was sound teaching.
TRAINING AS EVANGELIZERS

22 The apostles always stayed close to

Jesus Christ now as learners, taking in
knowledge, asking questions, observing
the miracles he performed, traveling from
city to city with him, always listening
with open hearts and minds so as to take
in the good news. Jesus knew that the
apostles needed special training for their
future work and that the best way to give
it to them was to send them out on a
speaking tour. After their tour, all on
their own, and preaching the good news to
others, the apostles gathered together be
fore Jesus and reported to him all the good
things they had done and taught. And he
said to them: Come, you yourselves, pri
vately into a lonely place and rest up a
bit. (Mark 6:30, 31; Luke 9:10) While
Jesus was primarily interested in the
twelve apostles and getting them ready to
handle the great work that lay ahead of
them, still he kept on making disciples of
many others and with good success. Con
tinually great crowds of people were com
ing to him. At one time he spoke to and
fed 5,000 people on the northeast side of
the Sea of Galilee.Matt. 14:14-24; Mark
6:30-44.
23 By the year 32 C.E., around the time
of the festival of tabernacles in Jerusalem,
people were truly amazed at this man, Je
sus, because, when by now the festival
was half over, Jesus went up into the tem
ple and began teaching. Therefore the
Jews fell to wondering, saying: How does
this man have a knowledge of letters,
22. Why did the apostles stay close to Jesus, and
what was Jesus' primary interest as far as these men
he had chosen were concerned?
23. (a) What caused those who heard Jesus speak to
be amazed? (b) What were those who listened called
upon to do, and is the same thing true in our day?

Ja n u a r y

1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

when he has not studied at the schools? kill Christ would not be heard until the
Jesus, in turn, answered them and said: Passover of the year 33 C.E. By that time,
What I teach is not mine, but belongs to though, there were at least 120 who had
him that sent me. If anyone desires to do full faith in Christ Jesus, and forty days
His will, he will know concerning the after his resurrection Jesus gave to them
teaching whether it is from God or I speak through the apostles the orders: Do not
of my own originality. (John 7:14-17) withdraw from Jerusalem, but keep wait
So those people listening had to make de ing for what the Father has promised,
cisions either to accept the message as about which you heard from me; because
from God or reject it. The same is true John, indeed, baptized with water, but
today. Some hearers put faith in Jesus you will be baptized in holy spirit not
words and make progress and prepare many days after this. (Acts 1:4, 5) Sure
themselves to preach the same message, ly they would get further direction as to
namely, The kingdom of the heavens is what they should do now that Jesus had
at hand. The least one can do is tell oth died upon the torture stake and had been
ers what one hears about God, in ones resurrected from the dead and had ascend
daily conversations with other persons. All ed to heaven. These 120 disciples, eleven
of us can do that much, can we not?
of the original apostles and 109 other dis
ciples, were awaiting in an upper room in
24
In two years time after Jesus began
preaching, many more Jews had enough Jerusalem for some sign from Christ Je
knowledge to go from house to house and sus. The sign came! They all became
preach. Luke tells us: The Lord desig filled with holy spirit and started to speak
nated seventy others and sent them forth with different tongues, just as the spirit
by twos in advance of him into every city was granting them to make utterance.
and place to which he himself was going (Acts 2:4) These now spoke fearlessly
to come. Then he began to say to them: about the things they learned in but a
The harvest, indeed, is great, but the few years because they followed Jesus. As
workers are few. Therefore beg the Mas for Peter himself, he certainly would be
ter of the harvest to send out workers in made a fisher of men.
to his harvest. Go forth. Look! I am send
23 On that day of Pentecost Peter stood
ing you forth as lambs in among wolves. up and raised his voice and spoke to a
(Luke 10:1-3) His apostles and these sev great crowd of people, thousands. When
enty disciples, totaling eighty-two teach he finished, 3,000 embraced the word
ers, knew that for them to go out into the heartily and were baptized. Undoubtedly
world and preach as they were now in many of these three thousand had listened
structed to do would bring upon them to Jesus and had been taught by him. Je
many problems, persecution and trials, but sus was well known throughout Jerusalem,
they had faith in Jehovah and his Son, Judea, Galilee and all the land of Palestine,
Christ Jesus, to take this forward step. for he was a great preacher of truth.
26
The life Christ led brought results. His
These ministers sent to preach still had
preaching
produced ministers of God. What
the time and opportunity of learning more
from Jesus. The cry to Pontius Pilate to has your ministry for God produced?
Have you been a good student of the
24. (a) After two years, how many disciples could be
sent forth to preach by Jesus? (b) By 33 C.E., how
many had full faith in Christ? (c) What did Jesus
promise his disciples, to ensure further instruction
and guidance?

25. At Pentecost, how many embraced the word and

were baptized?
26. What timely questions are asked for our con
sideration ?

12

ffteWATCHTOWER.

Scriptures and a hearer of the Word and

thus equipped yourself to be a good teach
er? If you call yourself a Christian, you
should be doing what Jesus did or the dis
ciples did. The early Christian congrega
tion showed zeal for God and his kingdom
and walked in Jesus footsteps. How many
men and women of the Catholic, Orthodox
and Protestant faiths today believe like
Christ Jesus followers? How many have
ears even to hear? How many preach that
the kingdom of God is at hand?
27 In his zeal for the Jews religion Saul,
a Jewish Pharisee, breathing threat and
murder against the disciples of the Lord,
opposed the work of the Christians. He
was stopped by blindness on his way to
Damascus by the heavenly resurrected
Christ Jesus. Jesus chose this man, the
worst persecutor of Christians, to be his
follower and be used to bear his name to
the nations as well as to kings and the
sons of Israel. Ananias, a Christian, was
sent to the house where Saul was suffering
blindness, and at Christ Jesus direction he
laid his hands on Saul in order that you
[Saul] may recover sight and be filled
with holy spirit. Saul recovered sight;
and he rose and was baptized. He spent
some days with the disciples at Damascus
and, when he learned the truth and under
stood what his work was to be, immedi
ately in the synagogues he began to preach
Jesus, that this One is the Son of God.
He had the spirit of the prophet Isaiah,
when he said: Here I am! Send me.
Acts 9:1-22.
28 Once Saul appreciated the truth he
started to preach and kept at it. It was
not a spasmodic matter with him. One
time when he was traveling with his mis
sionary companion Silas, he ordered a de27. Describe the events leading up to Saul's conversion
and what he did after becoming a follower of Christ.
28. How did Paul help a jailer, who had him and his
companion under guard, to become a believer in Jesus?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

mon to come out of a bothersome girl. He

caused an uproar and both these Chris
tians were jailed after being beaten. Dur
ing the night they prayed and praised God
with songs, and file prisoners heard them.
Then suddenly a great earthquake oc
curred and the jailer feared that all his
prisoners had escaped, but Paul assured
him that such was not the case. Then Paul
spoke to the jailer on what to do for the
jailer to get saved. Here is what hap
pened: They spoke the word of Jehovah
to him together with all those in his
house. And he [the jailer] took them
along in that hour of the night and bathed
their stripes; and, one and all, he and his
were baptized without delay. (Acts 16:
32-34) Any circumstance was a good oc
casion for Paul (the onetime Saul) to
speak the word of Jehovah, and he got
results.
29
Please observe that the jailer and his
family, after hearing the word of Jehovah,
without delay took their stand for the
truth. As far as ones becoming a Chris
tian is concerned, things are no different
today. A person must dedicate himself to
the service of Jehovah God as Paul did
and as the jailer did; then become bap
tized and take up Christian activity, if he
wants everlasting life. Just as Paul walked
in the footsteps of Christ Jesus and as the
eleven other apostles chosen by Jesus did,
so we must prove ourselves faithful to
Gods real worship. We cannot be like Ju
das Iscariot, who became a betrayer and
put material gain first. We, today, must
prove ourselves just as faithful as all the
early disciples of Christ Jesus in taking
up the ministry. This good news of the
Kingdom would not have been spread
throughout the world today if it had not
been for Christians like these.
29. What requirements for life today are the same
as in the days of Christianitys beginnings?

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HAT an advantage the world of about it, and they followed him. The
mankind has today with the Word twelve apostles, the seventy evangelizers,
of God printed in many languages and and the 120 at Pentecost, and Paul and
distributed to the ends of the earth! And, thousands of other Jews became active
in addition, Jehovahs Christian witnesses Christians in those early days of Chris
of today are anxious and willing to come tianity. These delighted to do the will of
into the homes of the people of all nations their God Jehovah and walk in the foot
and help them study and understand their steps of Christ Jesus. But how about the
own Bibles. But by far those people in millions upon millions of so-called Chris
Christendom are just like the people in the tians today? Are their ears and eyes shut?
prophet Isaiahs day; the more you speak
3
Christendom of this twentieth century
to them about the goodness of God and says that it is the follower of Christ Jesus,
the gift he gave to mankind in his Son, but do you believe it is? Listen to, and
Christ Jesus, the more they prefer not to read, if you will, about the so-called repre
understand. Even though they see and sentatives of Christ Jesus. They certainly
hear Jehovahs witnesses again and again, do not show the faith in the Word of God
they refuse to get any knowledge. They that Jesus showed. Today many of the
do not want to! So, like Isaiah, true Chris leaders of Christendom want to speak of
tians preaching the only worthwhile mes their own originality and are drawing the
sage, The kingdom of the heavens is at greater number of people away from the
hand, will make the heart of this people faith in true Christianity, the faith that
unreceptive, and make their very ears un Jehovah God lives and faith in Gods Son,
responsive, and paste their very eyes to Christ Jesus. They try to make the great
gether, that they may not see with their message that Jesus taught concerning the
eyes and with their ears they may not kingdom of the heavens as of no account.
hear, and that their own heart may not And as for the Bibles moral code, they
understand and that they may not actually would make it as no guide for man today.
turn back and get healing for themselves. The Pensacola Journal of Friday, Decem
ber 3, 1965, reported: The winds of
Isa. 6:10.
2
When Jesus was on earth preaching,change sweeping through the Roman
he said the same thing about the people Catholic Church are also buffeting the
of his day: The heart of this people has house of Protestantism. Frighteningly for
grown thick. (Matt. 13:13-15) A few, like many Protestants, the basic tenets of the
the apostles, listened and did something Christian faith are being questionednot
by hard-core atheists but by theologians.
1. (a) What advantages do people have today when
it comes to hearing the truth? (b) Yet what mood are
most people found to be in?
2. Was the situation similar in Jesus time on earth?
13

3. (a) Looking at Christendom today, do we find the

faith in Gods Word Jesus had? (b) How do many
feel about the Bibles moral code?

14

2FEeWATCHTOWER

For want of a better phrase, the new

school of Christian humanism has become
known as the God is Dead movement.
4 We would like to ask: How can these
theologians say that they are Christians,
or even represent Christianity? Or, for
that matter, how can there be a religion
if there is no God or if God is dead? Some
theologians think that by the flip of the
tongue they can kill God, get rid of him,
and wipe out the Bible, Gods Book,
where we learn what men have said to
God and what God has said to them. Chris
tian men and women with faith in their
Creator, God, will not agree with Thomas
J. J. Altizer, associate professor of reli
gion at Atlantas Emory University, a
Methodist-owned school, who says, as also
reported in the Pensacola Journal of De
cember 3, 1965: We must recognize that
the death of God is a historical event.
5Such theologians strongly encourage
men and women who at one time may
have had faith in God and in his beloved
Son, Christ Jesus, to discard the Bible and
make up their own religion, develop their
own belief and do this without a God.
They had better call it something other
than religion, because Websters New In
ternational Dictionary (1927 edition) says
concerning religion: The outward act or
form by which men indicate their recog
nition of the existence of a god, or of gods
having power over their destiny, to whom
obedience, service and honor are due; the
feeling or expression of human love, fear,
or awe of some superhuman, overruling
power, whether by profession of belief, by
observance of rites and ceremonies, or by
the conduct of life; a system of faith and
worship; a manifestation of piety.
6Under the heading, God, this same die4. What does it appear that some theologians think
about God?
5, 6. (a) What interesting information does Websters
New International Dictionary present for consideration
by those who would do away with God? (b) What does
the same source say in defining God ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

tionary says: The Supreme Being; the

eternal and infinite Spirit, Creator and
Sovereign of the universe; Jehovah. God
is a spirit and they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth. (John
4:24). It also says: A being of more
than human attributes and powers; espe
cially, a superhuman person, conceived as
dominating nature . . . and to whom wor
ship is due and acceptable.
7These theologians who think they have
killed God by teaching their theory should
admit they are no longer representing a
religion and that they are trying to de
stroy the worship of all people toward the
true God of the universe. They have noth
ing to worship except themselves, and
they surely are no gods. So if there is
nothing to worship, there is no religion.
8If anyone is going to practice religion
he must believe in God; otherwise it is not
a religion. Why not close down all the
churches that have ministers who believe
God is dead, because they surely do not
want their parishioners to believe in God?
Maybe their parishioners will turn to an
cestor worship or self-worship, or perhaps
they are gradually turning their minds
over to the Buddhist religion, where peo
ple hope eventually to gain nirvana, the
great nothing which they believe is God.
W ebsters New C ollegiate D ictionary
(1961 edition) defines nirvana : The
dying out in the heart of passion, hatred,
and delusion. This emancipation involves
a beatific spiritual condition and freedom
from the necessity of future transmigra
tion. Oblivion to care, pain, or external
reality. Are we to believe we came from
nothing and go back to nothing?
9Many of the leading religionists of
7, 8. (a) What should the God is dead theologians
be honest enough to admit? (b) What might the
adherents of such movement well come to worship
and believe?
9-11. (a) What view does one theologian take of some
Bible accounts? (b) What conclusion does one reach
by carrying such arguments to their logical ends?
(c) How does the apostle Paul outline the Christian
view for us to follow?

Ja n u a r y 1 , 1 9 6 7

SHeWATCHTOWER

15

Christendom are trying to destroy all faith of the Bible are myth and which are not.
in the Great God of the universe and in If Paul were here today he would say:
his written Word. One example of this is Let God be found true, though every man
an Associated Press wire of February 13, be found a liar. Rom. 3:4.
1961. It attributes this statement to the
11 Paul believed there was an Adam who
auxiliary Episcopal Bishop of California, violated Gods law in the garden of Eden,
the Right Reverend James A. Pike: He and he knew there was a need for a ran
spoke of the myth of the Garden of Eden, som sacrifice in order to take away the
which he said has value in explaining what sin of the world, and he believed Christ
he called the complicated truth of the Jesus was that one who did redeem man.
nature of man but added: Yet I do not So did all the apostles and the faithful
know a single member of the Anglican followers of Christ Jesus back there 1,900
CommunionBishop, Presbyter, Deacon years ago. The question is, Do you?
or Laymanwho believes this story liter
12 What do some of your clergymen say?
ally. Continuing, in a pastoral letter A rector told the government of the An
which he ordered all rectors and vicars of glican church of southern England Thurs
his diocese to read today, he described the day the Old Testament contains passages
virgin birth as a myth which churchmen of spiritual junk and poison for the peo
should be free to accept or reject.
ple. Reverend J. C. Wansey of Woodford,
10
If there was no creation of man andnear London, called the attention of the
woman in the garden of Eden and the Convocation of Canterbury to some of the
Great God of the universe, Jehovah, had lessons set down for reading in church for
nothing to do with putting man here, then daily use and on Sundays. (Reported
there was no sin to be taken away by the from London by Reuters in the Ottawa
second Adam, Jesus Christ. There was no Citizen of Friday, May 10, 1963.)
need of a redeemer and the virgin birth
13 The Buffalo Courier Express of Au
of Jesus Christ. However, the apostle Paul gust 13, 1962, had a headline that read:
did not agree with or teach this present- Minister Cites Need to Censor the Bible.
day skepticism. He was a great Christian The article reads, in part: London (AP).
evangelizer, a man of faith who said: Dr. Leslie Weatherhead, former president
For, indeed, Christ, while we were yet of the Methodist Conference, would like to
weak, died for ungodly men at the ap censor the Bible. In an interview with cor
pointed time. (Rom. 5:6) He knew that respondents of three London newspapers,
mankind needed a redeemer to save them he said he would like to go through the
from sin and death. That is why he said: Bible and be very free with a blue pencil.
Just as through one man sin entered into . . . His main target was the Old Testa
the world and death through sin, and thus ment, which he described as completely
death spread to all men because they outmoded.
had all sinned. (Rom. 5:12) But he also
14The lack of faith in the Bible on the
preached: I have hope toward God, which part of the clergy of Christendom is very
hope these men themselves also entertain, noticeable. Mike Engleman, editorial staff
that there is going to be a resurrection of writer of the Dallas Morning News, exboth the righteous and the unrighteous. 12, 13. How do two clergymen view the Bible, as re
(Acts 24:15) Do you believe these things? ported by newspapers in Ottawa, Canada, and Buffalo,
New York?
If you do, you will not agree with clergy 14. Give the substance of a report from the Dallas
Morning News about the concern of many Protestant
men who say that they know which parts laymen regarding the Bible.

16

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
SEeWATCHTOWER
pressed himself in his column on Tuesday, ter of homosexuality. The Associated
May 31, 1966: Within the United Pres Press gives this report from London, with
byterian Church is a new organization the headline: Cleric Asks Homosexual
called the Presbyterian Lay Committee Legalization. The Archbishop of Canter
and behind it lies a fundamental worry of bury joined other members of the British
Protestant laymen throughout America: House of Lords Wednesday in urging the
Is the Bible being stressed enough? Is legalization of homosexual practices be
there too much talk from the pulpit these tween adult males.
days on social questions and politics, and
16 Of course, these clergymen of Chris
not enough on the word of God? Declared tendom think that, if they can stamp the
one prominent Dallas Presbyterian lay immoral acts of man in the law books as
man recently: Most ministers are so mis lawful, that will make it moral even
guided, so completely off base and so full though it is contrary to Gods moral law.
of liberal and humanistic thought that The apostle Paul would not agree with the
they are proving more worthless to their Archbishop, because Paul wrote: What!
parishioners each day. He went on to Do you not know that unrighteous per
say in this article: Modern man today sons will not inherit Gods kingdom? Do
is taking the Bible apart, discarding what not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor
it wishes to discard in the Hebrew Scrip idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for
tures, and in the Greek Scriptures and so unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with
they will adjust Gods moral code or law men . . . will inherit Gods kingdom.
to please themselves.
(1 Cor. 6:9-11; Rom. 1:24-32; Lev. 18:22)
15
This statement is so true. ProminentWhy do you not follow the advice in Gods
clergymen of Christendom are destroying Word? It says: Get out of her, my peo
the peoples belief in the Bible. Is it a ple, if you do not want to share with her
myth to you and do you think the Bibles in her sins.Rev. 18:4.
code for moral conduct is outmoded? Are
17The Associated Press dispatch from
you gradually being weakened in your Vancouver, B.C., of May 11 informs us:
faith to a point where you will agree with A bishop of the church of England has
such men as Reverend John W. Wood, said he believes there are circumstances
a minister of the United Church of Christ, when sexual intercourse outside marriage
a body formed in the United States by a is not immoral. Such a circumstance could
union of Congregational, Evangelical and occur with a couple seriously contemplat
Reformed churches, who said: Homo ing marriage, the Rt. Rev. Wilfred A.
sexual love may reach a sacramental level Westall, Bishop of Crediton, Devon, En
and thus become as moral as heterosexual gland, told an interviewer. He said he
behavior. Is it proper for two of the same could not condone promiscuity. I dont
sex to enter the institution of marriage? think that just because a boy and girl have
This is an important question to which had premarital intercourse they are unfit
I must reply Yes ? (Toronto
of for marriage. Of course, clergymen of
June 15, 1963) Of course, the Reverend Christendom with this view do not agree
John W. Wood is in full agreement with with the apostle Paul who said: Neither
the Archbishop of Canterbury in this mat- fornicators . . . nor adulterers . . . will in
herit Gods kingdom. Paul constantly ad
15-17. (a) To what extreme viewpoint have clergymen
monished Christians to flee from forni
gone in their thoughts about morals and immorality?
(b) What guiding principle in these matters does the
cation. 1 Cor. 6:18.
apostle Paul give us?

J a n u a r y 1,

1967

SfceWATCHTOWER,

18There is plenty of evidence to read

that shows that the clergy of Christendom
are guiding the minds of the people away
from the Word of God, the Bible. Here we
find the teachings of Christ Jesus, which
are the expressions of his Fathers will.
Jehovah God the Sovereign Ruler of the
universe knows what is the best course
for man to follow. He created man and
gave him the correct moral code to live by.
By their not following Gods Word, look
at the delinquent state men are in today.
19 The situation is very similar to that
existing in the prophet Isaiahs day. Isaiah
was a vigorous, faithful servant of God.
He desired to prove his loyalty to his God
when asked: Whom shall I send? Isaiah
said: Here I am! Send me. Jehovah told
Isaiah: Go, and you must say to this peo
ple, Hear again and again, O men, but do
not understand; and see again and again,
but do not get any knowledge. (Isa. 6:
8, 9) Isaiah, by his preaching and con
tinually going to the people, certainly
proved to this people that they did not
want to understand. They did not want to
have ears that would listen. The people
were too self-centered, too selfish to want
to understand. People forced themselves
not to hear. They did not want news that
disturbed their way of life. So they kept
18. Whom should we look to for guidance in living
upright lives?
19,20. How was Isaiah's day much like Jesus day
and our day?

17

their eyes shut and their

ears deaf.
20
The same things
true in Jesus day. The
Jews had become a delin
quent nation. They were
forgetting their God. John
the B a p tist tried to get
them to repent. Some did,
and Christ Jesus opened
their hearts and minds to
the truth. But it seems that
the more he spoke to them
about the real life the more people would
close their eyes, and they would not hear.
When there were loaves and fishes with
which to feed them, multitudes followed
Jesus; but, finally, even after Pentecost of
33 C.E. only three thousand showed faith
in him. Jesus explained to his disciples
what was happening due to his talking to
the people:
21 This is why I speak to them by the
use of illustrations, because, looking, they
look in vain, and hearing, they hear in
vain, neither do they get the sense of it;
and toward them the prophecy of Isaiah is
having fulfillment, which says, By hear
ing, you will hear but by no means get
the sense of it; and, looking, you will look
but by no means see. For the heart of this
people has grown thick, and with their
ears they have heard with annoyance, and
they have shut their eyes; that they might
never see with their eyes and hear with
their ears and get the sense of it with
their hearts and turn back, and I heal
them. Matt. 13:13-15.
22 What an obstinate people they were
with such a fine teacher! But Jesus did not
stop preaching, even as Isaiah did not.
This prophecy is being fulfilled today, for
this same situation exists with Christian
21. What did Jesus say the attitude of people would be?
22. (a) Nevertheless, did Isaiah or Jesus quit preaching?
Will Jehovah's witnesses today? (b) How do the
majority of people feel about Jehovahs witnesses
calling at their doors?

18

3freWATCHTOWER.

B rooklyn,

N.Y.

23 Jehovahs witnesses have asked God

in prayer: How long must this unrespon
sive condition of the people toward the
message of Gods kingdom continue on,
for they do not have ears to hear and
their hearts have grown thick? But they
always get the same answer from God,
namely, that the people will refuse to hear
and soften their hearts till calamity comes,
until the cities crash in ruin and the
houses have no inhabitants. So Jehovahs
witnesses keep right on calling despite the
unresponsive ears.
24 Many, in fact, most, of the clergy, the
priests, the bishops of Protestant, Greek
Orthodox and Catholic religions, which
make up Christendom, along with all the
other so-called Christian organizations,
have taken a definite stand against the
work of Jehovahs witnesses because they
are so zealous in preaching Gods kingdom

as the only hope for mankind. Listen to

what Greeces Orthodox Primate, Arch
bishop Chrysostomos, has to say about
Jehovahs witnesses: The Greek Ortho
dox Church regard the members of this
heresy as enemy No. 1. . . . We have re
peatedly appealed to the authorities to in
tervene and prosecute or arrest those of
them who engage in proselytism. (New
York Times, Monday, August 22, 1966)
Talk of this kind by the leading clergy
men, along with talk that God is dead
and the Bible is a myth by the different
divisions of Christendom, shows that they
are trying to kill the preaching of true
Christianity.
25
Where do you readers stand? Will you
listen to what the Christian witnesses of
Jehovah have to say or will you make
your ears unresponsive and paste your
eyes together so you cannot see and your
heart cannot understand the Bible? Just
what kind of a Christian or person are
you? Are most of you so self-satisfied with
conditions in this world that you have no
time to study Gods Word so as to hear
what God has to say about present condi
tions and the future? Paul found an in
different attitude like that in this day. He
tried diligently to preach the good news
to all sorts of people, but it seems the more
that he did the more people would not lis
ten. That is why Paul said to Jewish un
believers: The holy spirit aptly spoke
through Isaiah the prophet to your fore
fathers, saying, Go to this people and say:
By hearing, you will hear but by no
means understand; and, looking, you will
look but by no means see. For the heart
of this people has grown unreceptive, and
with their ears they have heard without
response, and they have shut their eyes;
that they should never see with their eyes

23. How long will the people prove unresponsive to

the preaching of Jehovahs witnesses?
24. What view do Christendoms clergy have toward
Jehovahs witnesses?

25, 26. (a) What personal questions are now asked of

readers of this magazine? (b) What does Paul say
on the matter of those preached to about the truth
of Gods Word, and thus what can logically be asked
of all?

witnesses of Jehovah. They still go from

house to house, city to city, country to
country declaring the good news of Gods
kingdom, but not too many people have
an ear to hear. Even so, Jehovahs wit
nesses will do what Jesus said, preach the
good news of the kingdom in all the in
habited earth for a witness to all the na
tions; and then the end will come. (Matt
24:14) A few people out of billions living
are thirsting for truth and righteousness
and are listening to the Word of God, and
they believe. But the vast majority of
mankind feel that this calling by Jeho
vahs witnesses at their doors regularly is
not worthy of their time, and they hear
with annoyance. The more Jehovahs wit
nesses speak to them concerning the Word
of God, doing this in all sincerity, the less
the people want to hear.
HOW LONG?

Ja n u a r y

1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

and hear with their ears and understand

with their heart and turn back, and I
should heal them. Acts 28:25-27.
26 Is that the way most of the people
want to be, not healed? Or do you want
to know Gods will, be healed and gain life
everlasting? If so, study your Bible with
Jehovahs witnesses.
27The terrible situation existing in
Christendom today is due to the clergy.
They are responsible because they have
turned the hearts and minds of their pa
rishioners away from the true teaching of
Jehovah God the Creator of man. Many
religionists no longer believe in the need
of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and now
they are trying to make people believe
that God is dead. Furthermore, they are
trying to remove the fine high standard
of morality set out in the Bible and make
the Bible of no account. Is it any wonder,
then, as Jehovahs witnesses go from
house to house, that they are having a
hard time trying to establish the peoples
faith in the Bible again? The majority of
people today do not want to see the light
of Gods message; so the people are past
ing their eyes shut, and with their ears
they no longer hear.
28 What are Jehovahs witnesses going
to do about it? Quit? Slow down? Not at
all! Their eyes are not pasted shut and
they have heard the call, Come after me,
and I will make you fishers of men. From
1919 C.E. till now over a million of Jeho
vahs witnesses have responded, and they
followed him. It is very important that
Jehovahs witnesses continue to declare
this good news of Gods kingdom, because,
when the full end of this system of things
comes, this people who do not hear will
have put themselves in such a definite po
sition against God that they may not
27. Who is to blame for todays situation in Christen
dom, and why?
28. Why is it important that Jehovahs witnesses con
tinue preaching the Kingdom good news?

19

hear, and that their own heart may not

understand and that they may not actually
turn back and get healing for themselves.
(Isa. 6:10) They do not want to be healed,
even if healing were offered to them on a
golden platter. Christendom has hardened
its heart against God. People want this
world, and they think they can preserve
it by loving and showing affection for the
United Nations organization.
29The clergy of Christendom are help
ing to gather the kings of the entire in
habited earth together to the war of the
great day of God the Almighty. (Rev.
16:14) The Devil, who is the god of this
system of things, along with his demons
will see to it that mankind in the great
majority will line itself up on the side of
the unholy organizations of the world and
that he has gathered them together to
the place that is called in Hebrew H arMagedon. (Rev. 16:16) Surely those who
refuse to hear the message of Gods king
dom and put faith in Jehovah God and his
Word now are hardening their hearts so
much that they will not be able to turn
back, but will be completely destroyed
when the cities actually crash in ruins,
to be without an inhabitant. (Isa. 6:11)
Why not break away from Babylon the
Great, the world empire of false religion,
and study Gods written Word?
30The religious leaders of Christendom
seldom agree among themselves as to how
the wonderful message of Christ is to be
presented to the people of Christendom.
Even high-ranking church officials admit
that evangelistic methods employed by
some are not having much success. The
New York Times of Wednesday, Septem
ber 28, 1966, made this report: Billy
Graham Evangelism Deplored by Canter29. What is Satan the Devils purpose at this time,
and who help him in this work?
30, 31. (a) How did one clergyman feel about certain
kinds of emotional evangelistic preaching carried on
in England? (b) What is it time for peoples of all
nations to do?

20

SEeWATCHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

bury, Vancouver B.C., Sept. 27 (A P ) going to church? Why should there be

The Rev. Dr. Michael Ramsey, Archbishop churchgoing when all one gets there are
of Canterbury, said yesterday that the mens theories, such as God is dead, the
Christian church needs some updating, but ransom sacrifice of Jesus is of no value
not the type practiced by the Rev. Billy and the Bible is not the Word of God?
Graham. The recent Graham crusade in This is the time for peoples of all nations
England won some converts, yet it made to wake up, tear away from false teach
no significant changes in basic English re ers and listen to the message of Christ Je
ligious habits, Dr. Ramsey said after step sus and his true Christian witnesses of Je
ping off a plane from Kamloops. The Billy hovah who believe the Word of God and
Graham type of evangelism is not the kind are happy to spend time teaching Gods
we need in these trying times. We need Word to others.
an intellectual, thoughtful approachnot
RESPOND TO THE CALL
bursts of emotionalism. Asked if the
32 If you still have a love for God and
church is out of date, the Archbishop re
plied: Not generally speaking. I have believe he lives and have a desire to know
seen that in both Canada and England the truth as set out in his written Word,
there are aspects that are antiquated, oth then study it. Remember, Jesus taught
ers that are virile and growing. In many his apostles for some time before they
cases, there is less conventional church followed him. But when they learned
going yet stronger convictions among they responded. Christ Jesus then made
them fishers of men. Jehovahs witness
those who do go.
es are happy to arrange home Bible stud
31
It is good to hear that the Arch
ies
with anyone who is seeking the truth
bishop admits that these are trying
from
Gods Word. If you are not already
times in which we live. But he also
studying
with one of Jehovahs witnesses
points out that his fellow workers are not
or
attending
the Kingdom Hall meetings
doing much to help the situation with
with
Jehovahs
witnesses, then for your
their bursts of emotionalism. It is in
own
good
get
in
touch with them. If you
te re stin g to n ote th at he says B illy
cannot
find
someone
to teach you, write to
Graham won some converts, but made no
the
Watch
Tower
Society,
117 Adams
significant change in basic English reli
Street,
Brooklyn,
New
York,
and
we will
gious habits. The Archbishops observa
tions of England and Canada are that arrange for someone to conduct a Bible
there are aspects in the church that are study with you in your own home. Now
antiquated. This is undoubtedly true. is the time to learn about God and his will
Their doctrines and theories are based on concerning you.
creeds brought over from heathen reli
33 Jehovahs witnesses know the call was
gions that existed from even before the not to follow Jesus in his ministry for a
time of Christ. If the updating of religion
short duration. Yet, they feel like Isaiah,
is what other clergymen are doing by
who said: Here I am! Send me. He was
calling many parts of the Bible a myth
not
sent for a short period of time, but
and by saying that we must accommodate
the present generation, then the Bible had to keep preaching for the rest of his
standard is no longer satisfactory to such
clergymen. With such thinking, is there
any wonder that most people are no longer

32. How can one who wants to love and serve God
do so, and what help is offered by Jehovahs witnesses?
33, 34. How do Jehovahs witnesses feel about the
ministry, and for how long do they desire to preach
about Gods Word?

J a n u a r y 1,

1967

SHeWATCHTOWER.

21

life despite the unresponsiveness of his kingdom of God. And still another said:
own people.
I will follow you, Lord; but first permit
34
How long do Jehovahs witnesses
me to say good-by to those in my house
think they must serve Jehovah God so as hold. Jesus said to him: No man that
to gain life everlasting? Is it for just a few has put his hand to a plow and looks at
years of their lives? No! They want to the things behind is well fitted for the
serve like the apostles and the early kingdom of God. After these things the
Christians who followed Christ Jesus, and Lord designated seventy others and sent
that meant being faithful until death. them forth by twos in advance of him into
They want to work and continue to catch every city and place to which he himself
men and gather them together into Gods was going to come. Then he began to say
congregation so they, too, can follow to them: The harvest, indeed, is great,
Christ Jesus and bring eternal praise and
but the workers are few. Therefore beg
honor to the Creator of man, Jehovah
the Master of the harvest to send out
God. No finer work than being a minister
of God has ever been offered to any hu workers into his harvest. Go forth. Look!
man creature. Seize it! Do not be like the I am sending you forth as lambs in among
man to whom Jesus said: Be my follow wolves. (Luke 9:59-62; 10:1-3) Would
er. The man said: Permit me first to you not rejoice to be like the seventy oth
leave and bury my father. But he said ers who followed him and were sent by
to him: Let the dead bury their dead, the Master of the harvest? You still have
but you go away and declare abroad the time to do so.
ness to share in the work
Jehovahs witnesses are do
ing. They have declared
th em selves p u b licly as
wanting to be harvesters,
working under the Master,
Christ Jesus.
2 In the 199 lands where
Jehovahs witnesses have
been preaching during the
past service year, 58,904
individuals have dedicated
their lives to the doing of
Jehovahs will and symbol
ized this dedication by wa
ter immersion. It is true,
there were 5,489 fewer in
dividuals who dedicated
their lives to Jehovah in
year before, but when one
that 58,904 persons made

T MAY be we are get

ting near the end of the
harvest years, but while
there is yet time we should
all work zealously. Jeho
vahs witnesses around the
world have worked dili
gently during the 1966 ser
vice year. They spent mil
lion s o f hours tr y in g to
make disciples of men and
women of all nations, peo
ples and tongues, and with
good success. Those who
studied the truth in home
Bible studies for a period
of time, even several years,
and who finally appreciated
the wonderful work that
Jehovah wants done in the ;arth in these
last days have expressed their willing-

1966 than tl
stops to thi:

1. Even though the harvesttime may be nearing its

completion, what have Jehovahs witnesses continued
doing?

---------2. How many were baptized during the past year, and
what will they now be doing?

Those Sent
to Harvest

22

fEeWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

4 If all those who dedicated their lives

the big step in their lives, it is marvelous.
From now on they, too, will be ministers to the Most High God Jehovah in former
going from house to house preaching that years had stayed in his organization right
the kingdom of the heavens has drawn up to and during the year 1966, there
near, just as Jesus did. They will also be would have been a greater increase in the
giving the warning concerning the destruc number of regular publishers than we have
tion of this devilish world and of the in had. While the annual report shows there
coming new order of things under Christ were 1,058,675 regular Kingdom publish
Jesus. What an opportunity is theirs of ers engaging in the field ministry each
now teaching the truth to others concern month of the past service year, still this
ing everlasting life gained through the is an increase of only 24,407 over last
merits of Christs sacrifice! These new year. But 58,904 were baptized. Where
Christian ministers have now joined the were the other 34,497 that cannot be ac
many other harvesters so that the last counted for? Allowing for one percent of
great gathering of people who are seeking the population dying in a years time
meekness and righteousness might take would mean a drop of about 10,000 per
place. Remember, Noah gathered his fam sons. But where are the others? Has ma
ily into the ark, and they were saved. Do terialism attracted them? Has the loose
living and immoral conduct of the world
you want to be saved?
3
Were you one of the more than a milensnared some of them? Where is that
lion Christian witnesses of Jehovah who love for Jehovahs organization and his
devoted his time and energies to the service that they once had?
5As we analyze the report for the world,
preaching of this good news? How many
of the 170,664,897 hours devoted to as set forth in the chart on pages 24-27,
preaching last year did you devote to the you will see that some countries had no
spreading of the good news by going from increase at all. Are we to believe that the
house to house and conducting Bible stud harvest is over in such countries? No! Be
ies in the homes of the people? Or, were cause there were some persons being bap
you one of those who, after putting his tized. Even if that baptism were not the
hand to the plow, looked back at the case, Jehovahs witnesses cannot stop
preaching, because Christ Jesus said:
things behind ? Or, did you find some ex
This good news of the kingdom will be
cuse for not being one of Jesus disciples?
preached in all the inhabited earth for a
It is evident from the years report that witness to all the nations; and then the
a number of persons who used to be Jeho end will come. (Matt. 24:14) This means
vahs witnesses found reasons sufficient to we are not done yet with the preaching
convince themselves that they need no work, and, furthermore, in many nations
longer worship and serve Jehovah and at there is still a tremendous ingathering go
tend meetings at the house of their God. ing on. Check the report on Argentina,
Such ones drifted away. However, there is Brazil, Chile, Congo (Kinshasa), Domini
still an opportunity before one dies to ask can Republic, Japan, Nicaragua, Portugal,
for forgiveness and share in Gods good Puerto Rico and Spain. Even some of the
4. While 58,904 were baptized, what facts are brought
ness by returning to the ministry.
to our attention?
3. (a) What interesting questions are asked of Je
hovahs witnesses about their ministerial activity?
(b) What sobering conclusion is reached with regard
to some who have put their hand to the plow ?

5. (a) Just because some countries report no increase,

are we to conclude that the harvest is finished in such
places, and why? (b) What has been happening in
some countries, showing that the harvest still continues
at a rapid pace?

J a n u a r y 1, 1 9 6 7

SEeWATCHTOWER

23

countries behind the Iron Curtain had 3- day of fiery trials. Paul said: The day
or 4-percent increases. Of course, we will show it up, because it will be revealed
have not published the figures of how by means of fire; and the fire itself will
many publishers are in these nations, due prove what sort of work each ones is.
to the heavy hand of persecution upon Je (1 Cor. 3:12, 13) It would be most disap
hovahs witnesses there. But the ingather pointing to a harvester to see his ingathing is on and the harvest must continue. ered crop going up in smoke. What kind
It is not yet completed.
of builder are you? Do you try to pro
6Because Jehovahs people believe the duce real Christians?
harvesttime contin
8
ues everywhere they
tian witnesses cer
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
have devoted 170,tainly want to pre
M aking G rate fu l Use of a Penny.
664,897 hours to the
sent the truth clearly
T h e Modern F u lfillm en t of the P enny.
field service, preach
when co n d u ctin g
Heavens and E arth D eclare:
<God Is A liv e !
ing to as many per
their Bible studies
H ow to Be a W ife Y ou r Husband Loves.
sons as p o s s ib le ,
and show the people
and with good suc
the r e sp o n s ib ility
cess. In fact, people are so interested in that goes with being a Christian, so that,
their message that it was necessary for when they do dedicate their lives to God
60,902,000 back-calls, or return visits, to and symbolize it by water baptism, they
be made to help those who wanted to know will continue in the truth, firm to the very
more about the Bible. There were 802,- end. What joy this brings to faithful fol
473 regular Bible studies conducted in the lowers of Christ Jesus!
8
The printing of the book Things in
homes of the people each week. This
means that there were over 31,000 more Which It Is Impossible for God to
Bible studies conducted in 1966 than dur in many languages made it possible for
ing the previous year. What are Jehovahs Jehovahs witnesses to place 5,382,371
witnesses going to do with all the people bound volumes. The interest Jehovahs
witnesses showed in distributing this book
attending these 802,473 Bible studies?
7We do well to ask ourselves this ques took away some from the time normally
tion: If we are conducting a home Bible spent in obtaining new subscriptions for
the Watchtower and Awake! magazines.
study, with what kind of material are we
So,
while the distribution of bound books
building? In teaching the truth to these
people, are we building with good solid increased by more than 900,000 copies,
materials, like gold, silver and precious the new subscriptions obtained for The
stones? Or, are we, rather, careless, in Watchtower and Awake! dropped by about
different, in our teaching and are we us 140,000. However, by the end of the ser
ing building materials like wood, hay or vice year the Society found it necessary
stubble? A good Christian will not build to print more copies of the Watchtower
with combustible materials because then and Awake! magazines than during the
his works would go up in smoke in the previous year. The total p rod u ction
amounted to 230,175,323 magazines, of
6. What shows that Jehovahs people world wide
which 118,770,627 were copies of The
have a great interest in the harvest work?
7,8. How important is a solid foundation in our
spiritual building work, and so what do Jehovahs
witnesses want to do?

9. How active were Jehovahs witnesses in distributing

Bible literature?

Jehova

1965
Av.
Country
Pubs.
U.S. of America
302,450
Bermuda
98
Guam
54
Ponape
2
Saipan
3
Truk
2
Alaska
508
10,648
Argentina
16,156
Australia
Austria
7,505
Bahamas
Barbados
Bequia
Carriacou
Grenada
St. Lucia
86
St. Vincent
82
Belgium
7,832
Bolivia
536
Brazil
33,267
British Honduras
348
British Isles
48,982
Aden
4
Malta
18
Burma
243
Cameroun
7,209
Tchad
13
Canada
39,293
Central Afr. Rep.
691
Ceylon
237
Chile
3,370
Colombia
3,504
Congo (Brazzaville)
951
Gabon
73
Congo (Kinshasa)
3,737
Costa Rica
2,644
Cyprus
399
Dahomey
951
Denmark
10,264
Faroe Islands
27
Greenland
20
Dominican Republic
1,605
Ecuador
1,301
Eire
238
El Salvador
892
Fiji
243
American Samoa
28
7
Cook Islands
6
Gilbert & Ellice Isis.
82
New Caledonia
New Hebrides
Niue
Tahiti
Tonga
Western Samoa

1966
Av.
Pubs.
305,481
97
50
4
4
2
545
11,475
16,588
7,762
295
705
20
23
159
95
82
8,370
566
37,546
347
49,073
5
23
245
7,476
15
39,554
755
255
3.776
3,805
981
84
4.777
2,581
394
1,088
10,225
25
23
2,040
1,421
254
959
1,578
44
45
230
362
37
8
181
106
17
106
316
7
4
205
160
96
75
ininrH xtf

g00O5O5g

No. of
Total
Congs Literature
5,242 6,793,119
1
2,302
2,007
1
547
136
148
13
10,850
270
276,128
400
271,680
176
129,497
10,775
6,283
239
173
1,513
2
2,520
2
1,127
157
152,829
20
24,838
811
528,191
12
8.438
896
804,735
30
1
844
9
16,719
196
50,078
1
193
897
495,090
25
5,369
8
9,030
93
135,160
101
78,554
20
6,810
2
6,606
58
58,316
19,231
3,819
10,208
79,438
766
2,002
68,965
37,540
10,687
19,869
14,959
3,533
339
51
5,767
372
122
7,208
166
1,469
Total
Hours
48,647,551
12,229
9,406
3,681
3,203
2,414
90,737
2,149,858
2,842,065
1,127,589
59,263
87,150
6,096
6,803
29,317
25,446
21,350
284,996
167,814
885,326
79,972
804,437
140
8,193
102,893
924,919
3,611
107,630
178,520
85,290
725,956
953,992
199,118
28,705
079,333
413,093
61.307
289.980
1,262,645
11,244
5,220
535,389
398,481
164,977
230,420
63,069
11,368
1,084
793
17,641
2,042
2,203
26,876
898
14,683
t-T

C
N

t>

rH

in

5
51
474

11
9
258
75
1,464
34
2,806

No.
Public
Meetgs
269,495
158
28
69
3
3
503
7,367
13,306
4,806
211
599
36
13
81
133
51
4,655
599
28,787
329
43,123
6
23
466
5,491
49
35,271
1,066
180
2,276
3,643
744
128
5,593
1,194
142
1,965
9,367
49
52
1,514
1,667
354
1,159
Av.
Pio.
Pubs.
14,323
4
4
2
2
1
29
635
758
230

r~oococo inchooincs o
rH t^toco
rH
toCOtoCOO

% Inc. Peak
over
Pubs.
1965
1966
1
318,559
-1*
107
-8*
55
100
10
33
6
3
594
11,951
17,449
8,205
324
759
21
24
179
103
88
8,996
624
40,340
385
50,599
25
9
28
28
1
252
8,181
18
41,042
836
269
4,112
4,002
1,153
101
5,958
2,665
438
1,234
10,872
30
26
2,254
1,575
268
995

no

rH <D

05rH

minnow
rH

*#
?T S

*
in o t-oo
**7
T

525
1
38

00

5,998

Individual
Magazines
56,191,950
19,321
13,858
2,253
1,437
719
91,689
2,044,667
2,764,438
1,406,543
75,556
60,683
2,760
1,763
13,688
20,002
7,006
1,539,259
136,191
3,950,872
82,989
8,840,122
139
1,279
90,975
170,749
540
5,665,186
10,200
79,913
688,520
567,916
18,523
17,772
166,514
151,854
26,362
33,018
1,534,349
15,589
4,405
448,872
278,352
61,866
188,044
45,741
10,059
630
207
7
894
1,746
27,451

Av. Bible
Back-Calls Studies
16,874,977 233,588
5,312
114
3,021
43
1,551
28
1,207
14
1,149
25
30,886
424
921,478
11,461
900,357
11,216
485,765
4,899
23,177
372
31,015
553
2,556
36
2,474
36
9,726
154
147
9,328
118
8,313
4,892
456,383
776
56,908
28,950
2,122,145
403
26,424
36,793
2,946,668
2
50
36
3,261
441
39,851
8,184
742,225
20
1,289
23,880
1,950,899
942
70,915
371
29,919
4,338
285,702
4,633
370,306
889
76,686
133
9,864
5,355
381,191
146,599
24.018
82.019
532,181
4,025
23
2,578
3,453
236,075
152,698
2,050
39,481
275
86,279
1,265
20,625
305
4,223
53
454
7
437
7
7,451
114
804
16
904
14
9,649
152
214
2
4,606
73

3EeWATCHT0WER

5
25

46
753
1,228
7
50,949
116
1,738
5,116
3,342
168
83
2,649
413
283
282
3,119
60
55
4,321
2,210
368
1,431
479
272
1

244
78
10,709
1,380
35,726
508
41,316

New
Subs.
877,643
410
174
10
2
2
1,652
18,014
23,686
3,451
1,208
561
13
9

24
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8,236
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3,830
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6,344

20
127
1,936
2,175
100

1,959
2,653
61
989
374

SEeWATCHTOW ER

610
57
289
1,641
841

1967

2,439
7,619
245
784
5,151

5,162
15,964
85
24
38,831

Ja n u a r y 1 ,

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217
9
148
5

1,326
385
7
59
247

403
502
2,293
33,607
2,539

Norway
Okinawa Gunto
Sakishima Gunto
Pakistan
Afghanistan

Panama
Papua
Manus Island
New Britain
New Guinea

Solomon Islands
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Portugal

3<oin corn

85T S

CO
ggrs
248
44
166
566
4,644

203
37
152
545
4,302

204

220
39
150
495
3,810

Bechuanaland
St. Helena
South-West Africa
Swaziland
Spain

Gambia
Mali
Mauritania
Sierra Leone
Guinea
191
149
20,407
1
266

3,594
17
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11,273
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2
178
2
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17
238

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174
134
18,652

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Malaysia
South Africa
Ascension Island
Basutoland

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14
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118
94
2
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12,174
17,583
295
7,476
109
611,788
3,160
22,682
1,885,306
36,385
6,750
3,426
132
195,393
30,393

141
979
56
846
21
164,806
484
8,155
91,492
6,921
1,149
405
34
21,609
2,790

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30
41

3"

39,933
51,005
4,023,495
73
72,638
60,988
5,099
28,417
149,098
913,255

7,774
62,580
371,007
51
4,500
8,249
285
7,354
7,056
85,899

176
241
21
127
865
3,406

29

1,197
118

4
7
528

24
3

52
4

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110
109
17,150

3,056
31
110
13,573
41

35

91,049
128,632
639,612
6,521,275
505,976

313,919
68,943
520
16,333
75,223

27,451
4,560
66
2,527
3,481
1,400
9,254
135,394
162,044
36,672

526,990
83,041
12,690
37,674
960

55,353
13,277
2,130
3,687
90

9
19
63
1,233
56

182,613
9,441,999
38,830
5,682
1,799

Total
Hours
3,687
5,034,855
31,469
3,852
1,742,861
39,273
21,055
4,051
117,719
627,737

18,438
294,580
1,803
337
9

No. of
Total
Congs Literature
224
1,090
359,205
6,596
6
1
599
223
98,720
4
6,075
2,068
3
1
151
34
11,219
53,654
116

r-l'ct* iH

766
347
3,658
20,078
1,701

1,348
362
4
90
311

2,098
206
38
118
17

527
36,909
7
26

No.
Public
Meetgs
15
16,366
109
40
10,885
178
118
32
705
3,831

113,336
23,784
263
6,395
36,179
44,208
40,898
226,995
1,675,533
240,421
6,938
8,029
125
3,674
54
223,117
1,042
9,387
599,297
15,040
3,027
958
36
68,187
9,616
14,376
18,032
1,212,106
46
19,591
15,732
1,751
8,268
41,431
443,948

242,738
20,368
144
7,028
16,631
102,878
575,880
2,589,948
2,974
30
326
4
300
853,250
3,112
35,284
252,131
34,759
6,171
828
79
106,452
6,301
48,853
5,284
1,763,018
124
5,581
8,738
2,997
33,080
36,272
351,881

763
6,230
18,624
1
<N<Nr-
17,606
44
1,170
3,514
678
74
37
2
1,786
53
1,239
1,140
27,617
95
88
29
586
276
16

13
60

1,307
28

2,859
2,127
525
1,068
21

215,116
29,823
5,197
14,774
313

277
33
125
588
6,148

223
271
16,666
3
272

40
10
1
854
117

3,657
16
151
8,217
186

171
111
2
46
4

1,719
357
10
128
371
413
466
2,997
23,540
3,587

1,985
349
60
176
1

Av. Bible
Individual
Magazines Back-Calls Studies
1,190
25
1,243
1,561,480
25,179
3,039,412
11,867
108
32,044
2,604
46
2,155
637,334
6,414
1,556,203
16,094
194
41,115
7,084
93
21,733
1,938
17
3,294
36,225
414
134,371
211,398
2,558
760,883
64,661
976
155,651
2,762,099
38,185
951,245
16,827
196
4,161
2,066
20
477
490
13
24
729,097
132,999
21,891
27,350
792

839
9,363
117
26
10

7,013
1,111
668
58
1,574
5,063

New
Subs.
2
24,905
996

SReWATCHTOWER

16
25
1,264

161
2
5
488
16

CO <M

3,050
Puerto Rico
16
Tortola
138
Virgin Islands (U. S. )
9,471
Rhodesia
66
Senegal

122
20

443
595
2,530
36,925
3,292

COb-rH
1CO1
3
28
26
55
233
2,742
82

150
43
7
16
1

4,054
225
19
154
5
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t-)05O
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371
528
2,406
33,787
2,968

<OtH JhtH

1,365
383
7
72
271

64
2,643
9
4

822
43,738
178
13
11

439

Av.
Pio.
Pubs.
2
1,705
15

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101
83
3
45
3

755
39,751
132
7
7

626
37,392
79
2
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Nicaragua
Nigeria
Fernando Poo
Niger
Rio Muni

Peak
Pubs.
1966
5
33,518
108
36
14,570
247
151
24
660
4,730
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Angola
Azores
Cape Verde Isl.
Madeira
S&o Tom

1966 % Inc.
over
Av.
1965
Pubs.
3
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30,261
3
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101
OA
26
13,758
1
224
138
20
604
4,391

1965
Av.
Pubs.
4
29,332
114
27
13,579
211
137
20
609
4,335

Country
Rodrigues
Mexico
Morocco
Gibraltar
Netherlands
Neth. Ant. (Curasao)
Aruba
Bonaire
Newfoundland
New Zealand

26
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27

Watchtower and 111,404,696 were copies of AwaTce!

10 Jehovahs Christian witnesses had a very de
lightful year in spite of the fact that it was more
difficult to convince people to take a definite stand
on the side of Jehovahs kingdom and enter into the
ministry. In many lands, like Cuba, Spain, Portugal
and especially countries behind the Iron Curtain,
the Witnesses had to put up with much persecution
and harassment, but they are thankful for their op
portunity to serve Jehovah God. In Burma all the
missionaries were ordered to leave the country. But
none of these happenings discouraged Gods ser
vants. They have continued to press on with joy in
all these lands. But it is more and more difficult to
find people with ears to hear and eyes to see and
with hearts that can be turned back to Jehovah. The
time of decision is here and it appears that a definite
decision is being made by the majority of the people
world wide. Even though they have ears with which
to hear, they will not do so, and though they have
eyes with which to see, they refuse to see, because
they do not want their own hearts to understand,
and they do not want actually to turn back and get
healing for themselves from Jehovah. But even
though this be the attitude of mind of the majority
of people who make up the many nations, tribes and
tongues of the world, Jehovahs witnesses have the
responsibility of going forth as Gods workers into
the harvest. They remember Jesus words: Look!
I am sending you forth as lambs in among wolves.
(Luke 10:3) They do not flinch and turn back. It is
their prayer that during the 1967 service year they
will find more persons who want to know what Je
hovahs will is concerning them and who will want
to get out of this wicked system of things. Millions
of people know that the situation cannot continue to
exist as it is, for, if it goes on this way, mankind
will destroy itself. The witnesses of Jehovah want to
aid all those they can to know what the Bible has
to say on the vital subjects of life and death in order
to help men to choose life.
10. (a) Outline some of the difficulties Jehovahs witnesses have met
in their worldwide preaching work, (b) What does it appear that
most of the people of the world are doing as. regards hearing Gods
truth?

fHeWATCHTOWER,

28

B r o o k l y n , N.Y.

11
Those of you who have read this reis similar to the work that was carried on
port and who want to know what the Bible by Jesus. Jesus went about the land teach
says about our times should feel free to ing and preaching the truth and he found
write to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract disciples who wanted to learn the truth.
Society in your own country and ask that In those days, too, many people believed
one of Jehovahs witnesses be sent to talk what they heard but did nothing about it.
to you about Gods Word. Or, if you know What will you do? Will you investigate?
where Jehovahs witnesses meet in your The time must come in each ones life for
city or village, why not get acquainted him to make a decision, especially after
with them and study the Bible? Through reading and studying the Holy Scriptures.
When you hear the call, Come after me,
out the world there are 24,910 congrega
and I will make you fishers of men, what
tions of Jehovahs witnesses. The work
will your answer be? All of Jehovahs bap
being done by them in all the earth today tized witnesses have made this decision;
11. (a) What steps can one take to get acquainted
with the Bibles message? (b) What conclusion have
Jehovahs witnesses come to in this time of harvest?

they want to be fishers of men, and they

will be if they follow him.Matt. 4:19.

H ave You Read Your Copy?

EAD my copy of what? you
ask. Why, your copy of
Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of
God! It has been four to six months since
most of you in the United States, Canada
and Great Britain received your copies. If
you have not already read it, do so now.
Why? Well, if you do not, you are miss
ing out on a spiritual treasure. That Biblestudy aid contains a wealth of Scriptural
information designed to aid you as one of
Jehovahs witnesses both in facing the
problems of life and in instructing others.
True, in due time it will be a textbook for
congregational studies, but do not wait un
til then to gain this precious information.
Get an overall, birds-eye view of it, as it
were, right away by reading it from cover
to cover.
Of course, this book is not only for Je
hovahs witnesses. Are you studying the
Bible with one of Jehovahs witnesses?
Then you will want to read it through on
the side, so to speak; it will hasten your
progress in learning Gods will. Really,
reading this book is strongly recommend

* XV

ed for all before they dedicate themselves

and get baptized.
A WEALTH OF INFORMATION

This new Bible-study aid contains a

wealth of information. Typical is the chap
ter Heavens Way of Ruling the Con
gregation of God. To mention but one
point: By reading it carefully you will ap
preciate that in the Christian congrega
tion
episkopos[overseer] and
[ministerial servant] are mutually exclu
sive terms, whereas presbyteros [older
man] can apply to either an episkopos or
a didkonos.
In particular have many expressions of
appreciation been heard and received for
the chapter The Lords Evening Meal
A Liberation Supper. For, in addition to
treating the subject doctrinally in all its
aspects, it makes clearer than it has ever
been made before just who should partake
of the Memorial emblems and how one can
judge with certainty for himself.
In other chapters the book makes clear
just what Jesus Christ meant by saying

Ja n u a r y 1 , 1 9 6 7

SEeWATCHTOWER

that Christians are no part of the world,

also what is meant by Pauls saying that
Christians present their bodies to God,
and how these principles should affect
choice of employment and your attitude
toward political activities in your
community as well as conflicts be
tween nations.John 17:16; Rom.
12: 1.
Among the many fine points on
which new light is shed in this
new Bible-study aid is the prop
er application of 1 Peter 3:21,
which reads, in part: That
which corresponds to this is
also now saving you, namely,
baptism. What is the bap
tism to which this refers?
What is the salvation? Is it
being saved at Armageddon?
Then, again, why is it not correct to
say that Jesus baptism symbolized his
dedication to do his Fathers will? And did
Jesus going down into the water and com
ing out of it picture his death and resur
rection? If not, why not? Read the book
and find out.
But, without a doubt, nothing has cre
ated more interest in this textbook than
the first chapter with its chart and fine
information regarding the 7,000 years of
Gods rest day. The observation that 1975
may well mark the beginning of man
kinds great Jubilee has intrigued many.
The question, however, remains: How
can you find time to read this fine Biblestudy aid? It may be said to be large
ly a matter of appreciation and orga
nization. Some managed to read the
book through on their vacations this
past summer. For others the problem may
be solved simply by buying out time from
watching television for reading the
Everlasting book. (Eph. 5:15, 16) Or it

29

may be that you can make better use of

certain time in your busy schedule. For
instance, do you travel to and from work
each day by bus, subway or train, or sev
ered times a week to and from congrega
tional meetings? Then why not take
a pocket-sized edition of Life
Everlasting with you and
read it?
Or could you and your
family spend ten or fifteen
minutes right after the eve
ning meed each day reading it?
Regarding this, the president
of the W atch Tower Society,
N. H. Knorr, recently received
the following letter:
My family and I wish to thank
you for the wonderful suggestion
you gave this summer at our Dis
trict Assembly in Montreal, concerning
reading the Life Everlasting book while
still seated at the supper table. This new
found time enabled us to finish the book
in two months, giving us a wealth of
knowledge, and being more fully equipped
for our ministry. We are now using this
time reading other publications of the So
ciety, which have been neglected by us in
the past. Thank you, Brother Knorr, for
having brought this new-found time to our
attention time which was otherwise idled
away.
Time is precious, use it wisely. If you
have a copy of L ife Everlasting in Free
dom of the Sons of God you have a mar
velous book in your possession. Time used
to give it at least a quick preliminary
reading is time well spent. When you come
to something new to you, you may want to
slow down and make it your own, but do
not put off your first reading of the book
for lack of time to study it thoroughly.
Make time to read it now!

COOPERATE AS A FLOCK WITH SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Then there is the opportunity to cooperate
in the matter of assignments for parts on
the program for the various meetings, the
theocratic ministry school, service meetings
and others. W hen scheduled to have a part,
are you always on hand or do you fail to
show up at tim es? Do you do your best to
make your part on the program interesting
and upbuilding? 1 Tim. 4:13-16.

H A T many responsibilities fall to the

shepherds comprising the servant leader
ship in the congregations of Gods people!
These shepherds have the obligation of taking
the lead in the field ministry, of setting a fine
example in conduct and in caring for their
fam ilies; and they have the obligation to feed
and protect the flock of God. 1 Pet. 5:2, 3.
For both shepherds and sheep to be truly
happy, not only must the servants properly
discharge their duties, but the individual
sheep of the congregational flock must fully
cooperate. They must heed the counsel of the
apostle Paul: Be obedient to those who are
taking the lead among you and be submissive,
for they are keeping watch over your souls as
those who will render an account. In so doing
you are showing regard for the Great Shep
herd, Jesus Christ, who said in regard to his
followers response to him : The sheep listen
to his voice. Heb. 13:17, 20; John 10:3.*
How can you fully cooperate with the ser
vant leadership? By being thoughtful, alert
and ready to do your part. For example, there
is the simple matter of coming to meetings
on time, also preparing for meetings in ad
vance and then giving others the benefit of
your preparation by freely speaking up as
opportunity affords. Willingness to cooperate
is also shown by engaging regularly in the field
ministry and reporting promptly. Nor to be
overlooked is contributing financially to the
upkeep of the Kingdom Hall, as well as helping
to keep it clean. Heb. 13:7.

There is also the matter of your conduct.

Do you cooperate with the servant leadership
by never giving them concern because of being
careless about your m orals? Since the servants
have the obligation to give personal attention
to the spiritually weak, immature or sick, as
well as those physically incapacitated, do you
cooperate by doing your part to aid and com
fort these needy ones? Rom. 15:1, 2.
A n occasion in which there especially is a
golden opportunity for all the flock to co
operate with the servant leadership is when
the W atch Tower Societys traveling represen
tative, the circuit servant, visits the congre
gation. Do you give him full cooperation? Do
you volunteer to work with him in the field?
Do you volunteer to extend to him Christian
hospitality? Do you attend all the meetings?
1 Pet. 4:9.
Love, as well as
to do these things.
vidual members of
can cooperate with
hovahs praise and
of all.

* For details see The Watchtowerj March 1, May 1,

1966.

empathy, will enable you

In all such ways the indi
the congregational flocks
servant leadership, to Je
to the mutual happiness

Do You Remember?
H ow carefully have you read recent issues
of The Watchtower? Do you recall these
outstanding points?

r
^

If someone gets involved in an act of

serious sin, why should he seek mature Christian help?
Primarily because the Bible wisely counsels
him to do so. Additionally, if he fails to do
this he may become irreformable or may, out
of fear of being discovered, draw away from
Jehovahs organization. Pp.540, 541.*

\
\

W hat type of sins definitely ought to be

* All references are to TheWatchtowerfor 1966.

\
\
/
\
(

/
/
30

brought to the attention of the congregation

committee, even though some counsel has
already been given by another mature Chris
tian brother?
Any sin of the type mentioned at 1 Corin
thians 5:11, if it has been committed repeat
edly. Sexual immorality involving other per
sons, whether committed by adults or bap
tized minors, even if committed only once.
Any serious sin that has become public
knowledge. P. 541.
W ho were foreshadowed by the ancient
patriarch Job?
A s his name showed, Job was an object

Ja n u a r y

1, 1967

f&eWATCHTOW ER,

of hostility. Jesus Christ, the Greater Job,

became the object of hostility from religious
groups in his day. The modern-day remnant
of spiritual Israel, because of their integrity
to God, have come under similar reproach
from religious enemies. Pp. 553, 554.
In the modern-day fulfillment, who are
pictured by Job's three false comforters?
The religious clergy and leaders of Chris
tendom who have misrepresented and opposed
God's servants. P. 557.
W ho bears the primary responsibility for
making decisions as to activity in which
minors may or m ay not engage?
God has assigned that responsibility to the
father; if there is no father in the home, then
the mother bears that load. O f course, what
Gods Word says about right conduct should
always be followed. P. 573.
W hat fine results can come about when a
Christian endures under persecution?
It can strengthen the individual spiritually,
be a source of strength to fellow believers
and serve to honor Jehovah's name. Pp. 598,
599.
W h at has God's kingdom been doing since
1914?
It has taken action against its heavenly
enemies, resulting in Satans ouster from

W hat qualifications should a person have

in order to qualify as a book study conductor
in a congregation of Jehovah's witnesses?
A. S., U.S.A.
The Bible sets the standard. Whenever a
brother is being recommended by the congre
gation service committee as a servant, they
ought to open the Bible and view the individual
in the light of what it says. First Timothy
chapter 3, verses 1 through 7, discusses the
overseer; then, starting in verse 8 is informa
tion about ministerial servants, who include
the congregation book study conductors.
Notice what it says: Ministerial servants
should likewise be serious, not double-tongued,

31

j heaven; it has caused worldwide proclamation

( of its installation to be made and protected
f the anointed ambassadors making that procj lamation; it has gathered willing subjects
\ who have joined in preaching the good news
f of the Kingdom. Pp. 620-625.
\ W hat are the precious fire-resistant ma\ terials with which Jehovah's witnesses en/ deavor to build true Christians?
i
v

/
\
\

They are godly qualities such as spiritual

discernment, devotion to Bible principles,
respect for Jehovah's laws, and fearless willingness to witness about the Messianic kingdom. P. 661.

/ W hat truth is it that Jesus meant when

f he said, The truth will set you free, and in
what way could people be free?
\
It is not truth in general, but it is the truth
f that comes from Jehovah through Jesus. The
j freedom he spoke about was freedom from
\ sin and death. Pp. 716, 717.
/
^

f
^

W hat did Isaiah want to know when he

asked, How long, O Jehovah?
He was not asking as to how long he must
preach, but, rather, how long Jehovah would
permit the bad spiritual condition o f Israel
to continue. The answer was, Until the cities
actually crash in ruins. Pp. 750, 751.

not giving themselves to a lot of wine, not

greedy of dishonest gain, holding the sacred
secret of the faith with a clean conscience.
If, as the apostle Paul says here, the man is
serious and holds the sacred secret of the
faith with a clean conscience, he will be a
person who is conscientious about the ministry,
one who manifests exemplary spirituality.
This is important, because it is the responsi
bility of the book study conductor to help build
up the spirituality of each one in the group to
which he is assigned.
In verse 10 the apostle Paul goes on to say:
Also, let these be tested as to fitness first,
then let them serve as ministers, as they are
free from accusation. It is not wise to be in a
hurry about recommending anyone about whom
there is any doubt. Let him be tested as to
fitness first ; before he is appointed, let him
show that his decisions are always firmly
based on the Scriptures. If there is some doubt
about whether his secular work sets a good
example for others, or if there is some other
situation that raises questions, it is not neces-

SHeWATCHTOWER.

32

sary to write to the W atch Tower Society to

ask if it is permissible to recommend him.
Just follow the Scriptural admonition that he
should be 'Tree from accusation. If he is not,
then he should not be recommended for ap
pointment by the Society to shepherd the flock
of God.
The next verse says: W om en should like
wise be serious, not slanderous, moderate in
habits, faithful in all things. N ot that they
were the ones who would be appointed as minis
terial servants, however; because in the twelfth
verse Paul says that the ministerial servants,
if married, would be husbands. So this com
ment in verse 11 is simply pointing out that
the sisters in the congregation too should en
deavor to measure up to this fine Bible stan
dard. W hile sisters are not appointed as minis
terial servants, they m ay be asked to serve as
substitutes until such time as there are quali
fied men available in the congregation.
Continuing in verses 12, 13, we read: Let
ministerial servants be husbands of one wife,
presiding in a fine manner over children and
their own households. For the men who minis
ter in a fine manner are acquiring for them

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

selves a fine standing and great freeness of

speech in the faith in connection with Christ
Jesus.
So, you see, a high standard is set for these
ministerial servants. When a brother is being
recommended, then, it is evident that the com
mittee is obligated to do more than simply
review the report on his Publishers Record
card and have a casual chat about the individ
ual. Gods W ord must light the way. It is
a fine thing to keep the congregation book
study groups moderate in size, but mere num
bers in attendance are not the primary con
sideration in determining whether a new
group should be formed. It is of fa r greater
importance to be sure that there is a Scripturally qualified brother available to care fo r the
new group. For a time the group m ay be larger
than we might prefer, but the time can be well
used to train as assistants those who show good
potential until they meet the Bibles standard.
Though there are a variety of factors to con
sider in organizing the congregation book
studies, what the Bible says about who is quali
fied to serve always outweighs other consider
ations.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

Jehovahs witnesses carry on their ministry

in an organized way, under the direction of
their Fine Shepherd and Jehovahs Principal
Servant, Jesus Christ. In harmony with Jesus
own instructions, those in the congregations
of Jehovahs witnesses who take the lead are
not an exalted clergy class, but the servants
of their Christian brothers. Together, as a
united group, they cooperate in announcing
Jehovahs kingdom. During January they will
be doing this from house to house by offering
to interested persons this Bible magazine,
The Watchtower, which, as its front cover
shows, is devoted to Announcing Jehovahs
Kingdom. A years subscription, along with
three Bible booklets, will be offered for $1.
ARE YOU GATHERED TO THE RIGHT HAND?

Did you know that Jehovahs judgments

are filling the earth in our day? A ll individuals
are being gathered to the right hand of favor
o f his King-Son or are being abandoned at
his left for destruction. Those who have re

ceived favorable estimate are commissioned

to share in the program of proclaiming Jeho
vahs judgment message. You will want to
know how far this dividing work has pro
gressed and what still lies ahead for us. Send
for the report of worldwide activity of Jeho
vahs witnesses as contained in the 1967 Year
book of Jehovah}s Witnesses. Send for the
1967 calendar colorfully depicting the response
to Jesus call for preachers. Yearbook, 50c;
calendar, 25c. Send today.
r.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

January 29: They Followed H im ,

Page 5. Songs to Be Used: 3, 4.

fll-25.

February 5: They Followed H im , 1126-29,

and Modern Unwillingness to Hear Gods
Message Leads to Calamity, 111-22. P age 11.
Songs to Be Used: 10, 9.
February 12: Modern Unwillingness to Hear
Gods Message Leads to Calamity, 1123-34,
and The Report of Those Sent to Harvest.
Page 18. Songs to Be Used: 24, 11.

JEHOVAHS
JANUARY 15, 1967

KINGDOM

Semimonthly

MAKING GRATEFUL USE

OF A PENNY
THE MODERN FULFILLMENT
OF THE PENNY
HEAVENS AND EARTH DECLARE:
GOD IS ALIVE!
AS AGE-OLD INSTITUTIONS CRUMBLE,
IS SURVIVAL POSSIBLE?
W TB& TS

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JE H O V A H -lsa .43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F T H E W A T C H T O W E R
Every watchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide~awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w hat is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to acL
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Bock o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now.
"T h e W a tch to w e r is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true God.
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our many
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N . H. K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They w ill all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

CONTENTS
How to Be a W ife Your Husband Loves

35

Heavens and Earth Declare: God Is A live!

37

Making Grateful Use of a "Penny

41

The Modern Fulfillment of the Penny

50

As Age-Old Institutions Crumble, Is

Survival Possible?

57

W h y So Much to Do?

61

Disciple-making District Assemblies

63

The Bible translation used in The Watchtower is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols will appear behind the citations:

A S - American Standard Version

A T An American Translation

A V - Authorized Version (1611)

D y - Catholic Douay version

J P - Jewish Publication Soc.

L e Isaac Leesers version

M o - James Moffatts version
R o - J. B. Rotherhams version
R S - Revised Standard Version
Y g - Robert Youngs version

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at least two issues before subscription expires. _______________________
CHANGES OF A D 0 R ES S should reach us thirty days before your moving
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Printed in U.S.A.

signed them for

their roles as hus
band and w ife.
So he knows best
w hat m akes a
wife appealing to
her mate. And
notice where Gods Word says a wife
should place emphasis relative to her ap
pearance: Do not let your adornment be
that of the external braiding of the hair
and of the putting on of gold ornaments or
the wearing of outer garments, but let it
be the secret person of the heart in the
incorruptible apparel of the quiet and
mild spirit. 1 Pet. 3:3, 4.
Can wives actually put on this priceless,
precious garment the incorruptible ap
parel of the quiet and mild spirit ? What
is required to do so? The Bible shows by
next saying: For so, too, formerly the
holy women who were hoping in God used
to adorn themselves, subjecting themselves
to their own husbands, as Sarah used to
obey Abraham, calling him lord. And you
have become her children, provided you
keep on doing good and not fearing any
cause for terror. 1 Pet. 3:5, 6.
What particularly endears a wife to her
husband is her willing subjection, cooper
ating with him and supporting his deci
sions. Although beloved Sarah may not
have personally liked her husbands fre
quent decisions to move from place to

low lo be

1 WIFE YOIIR HUSBAND LOVES

NE of the greatest human needs is
to be loved. Observed one perceptive
physician sifter forty years of medical
practice: Whether they think they do or
not, all people, you, I, every human being
wants love.
This desire and need for love is par
ticularly strong in women. They thrive on
love, and usually look forward to marriage
in order to realize its fulfillment. Unfor
tunately, however, many wives are disap
pointed. The love of their mates soon cools
off; husbands cease to heed the Bibles
counsel: Continue loving your wives.
(Eph. 5:25) What can you, as a wife, do
to prevent this from happening? How can
you be a wife that your husband loves?
Beauty of face or form, while perhaps
a factor in attracting your husband, will
not alone make you desirable to him. Of
greater importance are unseen qualities
that spring from a good heart. A cheerful
disposition, an even temper, modesty,
friendliness, gentle kindness, sympathetic
understanding these are things that will
endear you to your husband.
God created man and woman and de

35

36

3TieWATCHTOWER.

place, she supported Abraham in what

ever he did. This cooperative, helpful spirit
is more beautiful in a husbands eyes than
any costly, bejeweled clothing that a wife
might wear.
Women were designed by God for this
role as assistants and supporters of their
husbands. After creating man and giving
him an assignment of work, God said: I
am going to make a helper for him, as a
complement of him. (Gen. 2:18) How be
loved and precious is the wife that fulfills
her role by working along with her hus
band, helping him to accomplish what he
has to do!
Today a wife generally is not directly in
volved in her husbands secular work.
Nevertheless, sympathetic understanding
of the problems, trials and tensions your
husband experiences in todays highly
competitive world can be of tremendous
aid to him. You can supply him invaluable
emotional support by being a willing lis
tener to his triumphs, his disappointments,
his mistakes and his fears. He will love
you for the understanding and interest
you show.
What will also make you a wife your
husband loves is capableness in handling
the many tasks necessary for the smooth
operation of a household. Of such a capa
ble wife, the Bible says: Her value is far
more than that of corals. In her the heart
of her owner has put trust, and there is
no gain lacking. She has rewarded him
with good, and not bad, all the days of her
life. (Prov. 31:10-31) Skill in cooking, in
managing a household and in keeping a
clean home these are things greatly ap
preciated by a husband, and they are cer
tain to endear you to him.
But there is a need for caution, for feel
ings of love can turn to resentment if a
wife assumes too much and operates in
dependently of her husband. A young

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

wife observed: I used to congratulate

myself for the smooth way things were
going. The children came to me for all de
cisions and permissionsit was just sec
ond nature to them. I was so accustomed
to it that I wouldnt think to say, Ask
Daddy.
What was the result? Why, her hus
band began to feel more and more left
out. Finally, he exploded, and I was
shocked to find out how bitterly he re
sented it, the surprised wife explained.
Wisely, she took corrective measures. I
made an abrupt effort to change, she
said, directing the children on more im
portant issues to look to their father as
head of the house, and relations in the
family soon improved. Underneath, I was
really glad, she concluded.
This underscores the fact that a wifes
role is properly that of helper to her hus
band. She should not push ahead and han
dle family matters without his approval,
or independent of his direction. For you to
be truly loved by your husband you must
imitate godly Sarah, who subjected her
self to her husband Abraham. Should a
husband tend to shirk his manly responsi
bilities, a discreet wife will tactfully help
him see that it is his place, and not hers,
to be the man of the house.
A wife who desires her husbands love
will especially keep in mind the impor
tance of God in her life: The woman that
fears Jehovah is the one that procures
praise for herself. (Prov. 31:30) This
fear of God does not involve fanatical, su
perstitious worship, nor will it allow your
ministering to others to prevent the per
formance of family obligations. Rather, it
means living a Bible-based faith being
kind, considerate, generous, forgiving, and
helping others to know and serve Jehovah
God. Such genuine expressions of love for
other persons will usually be returned, and
that by your husband, too.

ROMINENT theo
logians and cler
gymen of today assert:
God is dead. Some be
lieve that he has actually
died; that he no longer
exists. The God of the
Bible was once alive,
declared Thomas J. J.
Altizer, a professor of
religion at a Methodist
s c h o o l in th e U n it e d
States, then he died.
Other theologians ap
parently mean that God
is absent, he does not
see, he has left the land
and is no longer concerned with man and
the earth. Explained William Hamilton of
Colgate Rochester Theological School:
We are not talking about the absence of
the experience of God but about the ex
perience of the absence of God.
Although such God is dead views are
considered revolutionary, resulting in
much discussion and debate, they are by
no means original. Over 2,500 years ago,
just prior to the fall of the Judean king
dom to Babylon, many were saying prac
tically the same thing. Note how the Bible
closely links their God is dead philosophy
with the immorality and wickedness then
practiced: The error of the house of Is
rael and Judah is very, very great, and
the land is filled with bloodshed and the
city is full of crookedness; for they have
said,
Jehovah
hasleft the
vah is not
seeing.
Ezek. 9:9.
Years later, while Rome was still at the
zenith of power, similar views and atti
tudes were popular among people of that
immoral and wicked city. The Christian
apostle Paul was, therefore, prompted to
condemn the detestable sexual immorality
and other forms of unrighteousness prac
ticed by those people. And, at the same
time, he argued against their God is dead

philosophy, saying: For [Gods] invisible

qualities are clearly seen from the worlds
creation onward, because they are per
ceived by the things made, even his eter
nal power and Godship, so that they are
inexcusable. Rom. 1:20-32.
DECLARATION OF THE HEAVENS

Is the Bible correct? Do the things

made, for example, the heavens, with
their billions of glistening, jewellike stars,
declare that God is alive? Long ago the
appreciative Bible psalmist answered, Yes.
The heavens are declaring the glory of
God; and of the work of his hands the ex
panse is telling. One day after another day
causes speech to bubble forth, and one
night after another night shows forth
knowledge. Ps. 19:1, 2.
But Jeho
skeptics may argue that the psalm
and
ist David was not a trained scientist and,
therefore, was not in position to interpret
properly the evidence of the heavens. Yet,
one of the greatest scientists to live, Sir
Isaac Newton, agreed with the psalmist,
saying: This most elegant system of suns,
planets and comets could only arise from
the purpose and sovereignty of an en
lightened and mighty being.
Today scores of trained scientists,
37

38

SfieWAT CHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

equipped with far greater knowledge of declare merely that God once lived. Is this
the heavens, also marvel at the orderliness conclusion based on sound reasoning?
and precision with which the starry bod
HEAVENS DECLARE GOD STILL LIVES
ies move. Cecil Boyce Hamann, an out
Think
about the significance of this for
standing scientist and a research partici
a
moment.
They say that the One who
pant, Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Stud
created
the
billions of galactic systems
ies, commented:
with
their
innumerable
stars and orga
Lifting our eyes to the heavens, we
nized
them
so
that
they
orbit
in such splitsurely must exclaim with wonder at the
second
precision
that
man
sets
his time
orderly sweep of the stars. Night after
pieces
by
themthis
One
died.
Is it
night, season after season, year after year,
reasonable
that
someone
so
powerful
could
century after century the worlds of outer
die?
What
do
you
think?
space have followed their courses through
Undoubtedly you will agree with the
the sky. They return so regularly in their
orbits that eclipses may be predicted cen prophet of old who, under inspiration of
turies in advance. . . . If they were sub God, declared: Art not thou from of old,
ject to no laws, would men put their faith O L ord, my holy God? Thou diest not!
A T ; N W ; Mo; Ro)
in them to guide them across the seven (Hab. 1:12,
cannot
die!
He
is
immortal,
the King of
seas or through the unmarked paths of the
eternity.
(1
Tim.
1:17)
The
psalmist Mo
sky?
Another scientist, Marlin Books Kreider, ses exclaimed: Before the mountains
a member of the American Society of were brought forth, or ever thou hadst
Professional Biologists, reasoned soundly formed the earth and the world, even from
regarding the testimony of the heavens, everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
(Ps. 90:2, AS) It is simply unreasonable,
saying:
as
well as unscriptural, to believe that the
Evidences of the existence of God
God
who created this marvelous universe
equally as strong as those often accepted
died
sometime in recent history!
as proof in many fields of rational, scien
The law and order that continue to gov
tific thought can be found . . . Our first
body of evidence is found in cosmology, in ern the movement of the heavenly bodies
the existence of a universe which is gov testify that God still exists, that he now
erned by precise forces of Nature and an lives. This is so because, when laws are
orderliness which suggests an arranger or in effect and being enforced, a sovereign
organizer. This precision is so great that or government must still be operating.
the path of planets and, more recently, Consider, for example, traffic laws that
the artificial satellites can be predicted in control and direct the movement of vehi
advance. . . . Such order, according to cles through a citys streets. What does
common human experience, is a result of their existence prove? Why, that there is
an orderly mind. Chaos rather than order a civil authority in existence that estab
emerges unless a designing or controlling lished and is sustaining or enforcing these
force is functioning.
laws!
Yet some prominent God is dead theo
Well, then, is the One who established
rists would claim that this proves only the laws that control the movement of
that the God of the Bible was once alive ; heavenly bodies still sustaining and en
he created the heavens, but then he forcing these laws? He definitely is! Every
died. They would argue that the heavens time scientists shoot off a rocket into

Jan u a r y 15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

space they are counting on the fact that

these laws will be sustained and perform
according to the exact specifications of
their Maker. And when a rocket goes off
course, it is always due to some human
failure, never because the laws governing
the universe failed to function consistent
ly. The heavens most certainly declare:
God is alive !
DECLARATION OF EARTHLY THINGS

But what about things upon the earth?

Do they also declare that God is alive? Do
they indicate that he is concerned with
humankind and is interested in their
welfare?
Yes, indeed! The Christian apostle Paul
was moved to exclaim: God, who made
the heaven and the earth and the sea and
all the things in them . . . did not leave
himself without witness in that he did
good, giving you rains from heaven and
fruitful seasons, filling your hearts to the
full with food and good cheer. (Acts 14:
15-17) Also, Jesus Christ said that God
makes his sun rise upon wicked people
and good and makes it rain upon righteous
people and unrighteous. Matt. 5:45.
Gods provision of the sunshine, the
rain, the delicious foods to eat, and even
life and breath and all things, testifies
that he is alive. (Acts 17:25) Daily he is
furnishing things for the sustenance and
good cheer of humankind. He is not ab
sent from the earth or man; he is not
without witness that he is a living God.
Consider the marvelous way that He
feeds and sustains life on earth. All our
food comes as a result of His wonderful
food-making process that man calls photo
synthesis. Although it appears so basic,
so simple, the most learned human scien
tists are amazed at it. Green plants com
bine energy from light with water and
carbon dioxide, and thus miraculously pro
duce food. Marvelous laws beyond human

39

perception and comprehension control the

process. Science News L etter of April 6,
1957, describes the steps involved in this
way:
Carbon dioxide in the air enters a leaf
or other green part of a plant through
minute openings. Once inside, the carbon
dioxide dissolves in the water lying be
tween the cell walls of the plant. The solu
tion now readily passes through the cell
walls to small bodies within the cells which
contain chlorophyll, the substance that
gives plants their green color.
It is here that the deities perform
their miracle. Sunlight provides energy
for the great chemical change, and chloro
phyll acts as the switchboard that con
trols the reaction. Under the influence of
these two, the carbon dioxide and water
now combine to create the basis of all
food, a simple sugar. All the numerous
fats, proteins and carbohydrates used by
plants and animals must be created later
from this sugar.
How incredible! In what a simple, and
yet wonderful and efficient way God pro
vides! Consider also that in this miracu
lous food-making process oxygen is manu
factured in the plants and released to the
atmosphere. Man and beast take in this
oxygen they require it to live and move
and exist and, in turn, give off carbon
dioxide, a key material used in plants for
food-making. What a marvelous cycle in
which both plants and animals cooperate!
Acts 17:28.
Many other wondrous processes for the
sustenance of life have been provided by
God for mankinds benefit. For example,
the nitrogen cycle.
Nitrogen is one of the substances nec
essary for life in plants and animals. It is
a gas that comprises about 78 percent of
the air we breathe, but, unlike oxygen,
we cannot assimilate it from the air into
our bodies. However, in the nitrogen cycle,

40

SheWATCHTOWER.

thunderstorms, as well as certain bacteria,

introduce nitrogen into the soil in the form
of nitrates that can be absorbed by plants.
We then get the necessary nitrogen by eat
ing the plants, or by eating animals that
have eaten them. As plants and animal
matter decay they release nitrogen to the
atmosphere, thereby completing the cycle.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

the Bible statements that God lives, that

he is King of eternity, that he does not
die, that he is from everlasting to ever
lasting. ! Tim. 1:17; Hab. 1:12; Ps. 90:
2,

AS

.
W H Y THEIR SKEPTICISM?

What, then, is the reason for the foolish

claim that God is dead? No doubt there
are a number of factors involved. A prom
GOD LIVES!
To what does this amazing order and inent one is that such persons do not wish
harmony that we see all around us testify? to be accountable to Gods laws. They want
Merlin Grant Smith, a prominent mathe to be free to pursue their selfish, inde
pendent course with
matician and univer
out the restrictions
sity professor, point
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
th a t G o d s la w s
ed to the marvels of
F ru itfu l C hristians M anifest Godly
cr e a tio n that con
w o u ld p l a c e u p o n
Contentm ent.
S ervants of God Fu ll T im e.
found skeptics and
them. Like the wick
H ow God Speaks to Us Today.
observed:
ed immoral peoples
Men W ho Really Are Head of the House.
All Nature func
of times past, they
tions a c c o r d in g to
say, God has left the
fixed laws. New laws are being discovered land, he is not seeing, yes, he is dead.
right along. . . . Shall we accept the theory (Ezek. 9:9) But in taking this position
that they are of material origin? The mul they show themselves to be fools. The
titude of them, the harmony of them, the fool hath said in his heart, There is no
very nature of them, make that completely God.Ps. 14:1,
AS.
impossible. These laws are of higher origin
Another factor is that skeptics, in their
than the universe in which they operate. pride, usually want God to act as they see
There is, to my ordinary, common-sense fit. And when he does not, they presump
mind, but one plausible answer, and that tuously criticize, find fault with God, and
is that these laws demand belief in a Law even attack his existence. They are not
giver, which I again call God.
willing patiently to learn how and when
Many God is dead theorists may agree God will remedy mans ills, in His own
that God did initiate these laws, but would time and in His own way. By their lack of
claim that he is now either out of exis faith and Bible knowledge, they reveal
tence or completely uninterested in man themselves to be counterparts of the reli
kind. Yet, how could this be? If he is dead, gious leaders to whom Jesus Christ said:
then what force or power is sustaining the You know neither the Scriptures nor the
intricate laws and incomprehensible food- power of God. Matt. 22:29.
producing processes? For these laws and
Yet, no matter how many people may
processes to continue to function, there ignore the evidence in the Scriptures and
must logically be someone enforcing and the power and majesty of God so apparent
supporting them.
in his material creations, the fact remains,
Although it is popular to assert that God HE LIVES. The heavens and earth do in
is dead, all the evidence, instead, supports deed declare:
God
isalive/

HO are the ones

3
The Jewish
that have made
of the year 33 C.E. was
"And when they came
grateful use of this valu
approaching. The great
that were hired about
able penny ? They are
Preacher of the kingdom
the eleventh hour, they
the last ones on earth
of God, Jesus Christ, was
received every
that the first-class reli
on his way to that festi
man a penny.
gious leaders of Chris
val at Jerusalem, but at
Matt. 20:9, AV; Dy.
tendom would expect!
the time he was on the
Reliable records since
east side of the Jordan
the year 1919 indicate
R i v e r in t h e r e g i o n
this. Though this was against the general called Perea. A young man came running
expectation, it was in full accord with the up to him. He was a rich man, and also a
rule prophetically laid down long ago: In ruler among the Jews. As such, he was
this way the last ones will be first, and among the first or foremost ones of his
the first ones last. Matt. 20:16.
people, especially as he was such a consci
2
What has taken place in our time realentious keeper of the Law of Gods cove
ly finds its pattern in what took place nant with the nation of Israel. What was
nineteen hundred years in the past. What his problem? This, as his words to Jesus
occurred back there fulfilled this rule disclosed: Teacher, what good must I do
about the reversal of the positions of the in order to get everlasting life? In an
first and the last. Also, that fulfillment swering, Jesus showed that God is really
was an illustration of what was to take the embodiment of goodness, of generosi
place in our times as a double fulfillment ty. He said to the young ruler: Why do
of this prophetic rule. Naturally, if we ex you ask me about what is good? One there
amine how the rule worked out the first is that is good. Jesus meant Jehovah God.
time that it was applied, it helps us to
4
After reminding the rich young ruler
understand what has occurred in the ap of who the Good One is, Jesus proceeded
plication of this rule during our day of to say: If, though, you want to enter into
strange happenings and surprises. We are life, observe the commandments contin
enabled thus to see who are the ones ually. The rich young ruler asked Jesus:
whose positions were reversed, in accord Which ones? Jesus now referred to the
with the rule. So let us turn back the pages Ten Commandments as given to the nation
of history.
of Israel through the prophet Moses. He
said: Why, You must not murder, You
1. Who since 1919 have gratefully used the penny,

and In accord with what prophetic rule has this

occurred ?
2. What has taken place finds its pattern where, and
how does our examining this pattern help us to
understand how the rule was applied In our day?

3, 4. (a) What was the problem of the rich young

ruler who ran up to Jesus over in Perea? (b) What
did Jesus say about goodness, and what commandments
did he tell the young man to keep?
41

42

SfieWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N.Y.

must not commit adultery, You must not

steal, You must not bear false witness,
Honor your father and your mother, and,
You must love your neighbor as yourself.
5 The rich young ruler replied: I have
kept all these; what yet am I lacking?
Jesus suggested to him that all his good
efforts at Law keeping had not brought
him human perfection, by answering: If
you want to be perfect, go sell your be
longings and give to the poor and you will
have treasure in heaven, and come be my
follower. Thus he would distribute the
money to the poor who could not repay
him and then come and be a disciple of
Jesus. Instead of continuing to be a highly
respected rich man, one of the first peo
ple among the Jews, he would alter his
situation and become a materially poor
follower of the generally despised Jesus.
6That was too high a cost for gaining
the perfection of which Jesus spoke.
When the young man heard this saying,
he went away grieved, for he was holding
many possessions. But Jesus said to his
disciples: Truly I say to you that it will
be a difficult thing for a rich man to get
into the kingdom of the heavens. Again
I say to you, It is easier for a camel to get
through a needles eye than for a rich man
to get into the kingdom of God.
7Well, now, if a law-observing person
like this rich young ruler, one of the first
people of the land, could not get into the
kingdom of God, who else could, especially
common, ordinary persons like the twelve
apostles of Jesus, such as Simon Peter the
former fisherman? No wonder that there
was surprise! When the disciples heard
that, they expressed very great surprise,
saying: Who really can be saved? Look
ing them in the face, Jesus said to them:

With men this is impossible, but with

God all things are possible. This was so,
not only because God is almighty, but also
because he is the Good One, generous,
loving.
8The rich young ruler had refused to
leave all material things behind and follow
Jesus as one of his disciples, but Simon
Peter and the others of the twelve apos
tles had done so, and they had already
had some experiences with Jesus. But
what would be the final outcome? Simon
Peter was anxious to know. Then Peter
said to him in reply: Look! We have left
all things and followed you; what actually
will there be for us? Jesus said to them:
Truly I say to you, In the re-creation,
when the Son of man sits down upon his
glorious throne, you who have followed
me will also yourselves sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Is
rael. And everyone that has left houses or
brothers or sisters or father or mother
or children or lands for the sake of my
name will receive many times more and
will inherit everlasting life. But many that
are first will be last and the last first.
Matt. 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke
18:18-30.
9 There you have the prophetic rule ap
plied from this standpoint. The rich young
ruler was among the first people among
the Jews. Moreover, he was such a faith
ful observer of the commandments of God
as contained in the Law covenant into
which the nation of Israel had entered
with God. He was, therefore, such a prom
ising young man; much was to be ex
pected in regard to him.
10But in his observing of the Law he
was trying to justify himself, to work out
merit for himself as a righteous Jew. He

5. As stated by Jesus, how could the young man be

come perfect?
6. At the young mans reaction to this, what did Jesus
say about rich men?
7. At this, what question did the disciples ask, and
what did Jesus reply about the possibility of getting
into Gods kingdom?

8. As regards those who had left all to follow Jesus,

what did he say that they would have, and then what
rule did he announce?
9, 10. (a) How did that rule apply to the rich young
ruler? (b) How would that rule apply with regard to
Jesus disciples?

Jan u ar y 15, 1967

was also materialistic. Under such circum

stances it was easier for a camel to get
through the eye of a sewing needle than
for him to get into Gods kingdom and sit
on a throne with Jesus Christ, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel. In reverse of this,
Peter and his fellow disciples were the
last ones that a self-righteous Jew would
think of as gaining a throne in Gods
kingdom. Yet the disciples of Jesus Christ,
who belonged to the people of the land, the
' amha-arets, as the superior Jewish Phar
isees called them, would gain a foremost
position, namely, a throne in Gods king
dom. That would be in the coming system
of things. Besides that, in the present pe
riod of time they would get a hundred
fold more than what they had left behind,
along with persecutions, of course. (Mark
10:29, 30; Luke 18:29, 30) What a rever
sal of matters this was!
11
Now, is that the way Jesus meant
when he said: Many that are first will be
last and the last first ? Yes, because at
once he went on to illustrate this pro
phetic rule with a parable. He tied in this
parable with the stated rule by beginning
the immediately following parable with
the conjunction for. He said:
the
kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that
is an householder, which went out early in
the morning to hire la
bourers into his vine
yard. And when he had
agreed with the labour
ers for a penny [the R o
man penny] a day, he
sent them into his vine
yard. (Matt. 19:30 to
A V ;D y) The fact
20:2,
that the parable is meant
to illustrate the prophet
ic rule is further proved
11. What did Jesus tie in with
the stated rule, and why finally
did he repeat the rule?

43

S&eWATCHTOWER

by Jesus finishing the parable and then

adding the words: So the last shall be
first, and the first last. Matt. 20:16, AV.
12 Since the parable of the vineyard was
called forth by the circumstances and ex
periences of Jesus Christ at the time, it
is evident that the parable had a fulfill
ment in the days of the twelve apostles to
whom Jesus stated and illustrated the rule.
Otherwise, it would have meant nothing to
them, and they would not have had the
rule actually work out in their own per
sonal case. How, then, did it work out ac
cording to Jesus parable?
THE VINEYARD

13 The householder of the parable of

the vineyard is Jehovah God, the Owner
of the great symbolic vineyard. The vine
yard is the nation of Israel, which was
then in a national contract with Jehovah
itGod through the covenant of the Law that
the prophet Moses had mediated at Mount
Sinai in the year 1513 B.C.E.
11When speaking of this symbolic vine
yard, Jesus doubtless had in mind the
words of Isaiah 5:1-4, 7, where Jehovah
God says: Let me sing, please, to my
beloved one a song of my loved one con
cerning his vineyard. There was a vine
yard that my beloved one came to have
on a f r u it fu l hillside.
And he proceeded to dig
it up and to rid it of
stones and to plant it
with a choice red vine,
and to build a tower in
the m iddle of it. And
there was also a wine
press that he hewed out
12. Why did that parable come
to mean something to the dis
ciples ?
13, 14. (a) Who was the house
holder of the parable, and what
was the vineyard? (b) As to the
identity of the vineyard, what
prophecy of Isaiah may Jesus
have had in mind?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
SfceWATCHTOWER
in it. And he kept hoping for it to pro vineyard to work there by bringing them
duce grapes, . . . And now, O you in into the Law covenant as mediated by the
habitants of Jerusalem and you men of prophet Moses and assigning to various
Judah, please judge between me and my ones their duties. What was to be the pay
vineyard. What is there yet to do for my or reward for serving as the fruitful vine
vineyard that I have not already done in yard of the Most High God? Jehovah God
it? . . . For the vineyard of Jehovah of ar mentioned this at the time that he pro
mies is the house of Israel, and the men posed this Law covenant to the forefathers
of Judah are the plantation of which he of the Jews of Jesus day, for God said:
Now if you will strictly obey my voice
was fond.
15 Jesus may also have had in mind and will indeed keep my covenant, then
Psalm 80:8-11, in which the psalmist you will certainly become my special prop
Asaph addresses himself to Jehovah God, erty out of all other peoples, because the
who delivered the nation of Israel from whole earth belongs to me. And you your
slavery in Egypt, and says: You pro selves will become to me a kingdom of
ceeded to make a vine depart from Egypt. priests and a holy nation. (Ex. 19:5, 6)
You kept driving out the nations, that you Thus, by keeping the Law covenant the
might plant it [in Palestine]. You made Jews would not only gain everlasting life
a clearing before it, that it might take as human creatures but also become a
root and fill the land. The mountains were kingdom of priests for Gods use in
covered with its shadow, and the cedars blessing all the rest of mankind.
of God with its boughs. It gradually sent
17
Jesus, the Son of God from heaven,
forth its boughs as far as the sea, and to was born into the Jewish nation and under
the River [Euphrates] its twigs. In Je the Law covenant. He was the only Jew
sus day the Jews were still occupying that kept it perfectly. Therefore, he was
their God-given land, but subject to the not condemned by the Law of that cove
Roman Empire. So the Roman penny or nant as all other Jews were, but he was
(literally) denarius began marked by that Law as a perfect man,
to circulate throughout absolutely free from sin, one who had not
the land, this denarius forfeited the right to everlasting life. For
e q u a l i n g a b o u t e ig h t his keeping that Law covenant perfectly,
pence and two farthings he deserved to be a king and priest in an
in British money in the earthly way. Because, by birth, he be
days of King James I of longed to the Jewish vineyard planted
A Denarius
E n g la n d o r 17 c e n ts by Jehovah God, it was quite appropriate
American money. In Jesus day this for Jesus to compare his heavenly Father,
amount of money had such a value that it Jehovah God, to a vine cultivator, saying
was paid as a wage for the work of a day to his apostles: I am the true vine, and
of twelve hours. Consequently, in the ful my Father is the cultivator. Every branch
fillment of Jesus illustration the penny in me not bearing fruit he takes away,
pictures a value of no little worth.
and every one bearing fruit he cleans, that
16 Jehovah God brought laborers into his it may bear more fruit. I am the vine, you
are the branches. (John 15:1, 2, 5) How15. (a) Where did Jehovah plant the vine that he took

44

out of Egypt? (b) How did the Roman penny

(denarius) come to circulate there, and what value
did it then have?
16. What was to be the reward for their serving as
the fruitful vineyard of Jehovah God?

17. (a) What relationship did Jesus have with the

Law covenant, and how was he marked by it? (b) Why
was it fitting for Jesus to speak of his heavenly Father
as a Vine Cultivator?

Ja n u ar y 15, 1967

SfteWATCHTOWER.

45

ever, unlike the imperfect Jews under the the ones first hired. They would also be the
Law covenant, Jesus and his branches foremost or first-ranking people of the na
are a spiritual vine that does not fail to tion. That they looked upon themselves as
bear much fruit to the great Cultivator being such is indicated by Jesus words:
Jehovah God, that he might be glorified.
2 The scribes and the Pharisees have
18 The Jews of Jesus day were brought seated themselves in the seat of Moses.
into the Law covenant by descent from They like the most piominent place at eve
their forefathers, whom Jehovah God ning meals and the front seats in the syna
brought out of Egypt and planted in the gogues, and the greetings in the market
land of Palestine. Since Jesus parable of places and to be called Rabbi by men.
the vineyard had its first fulfillment in the Matt. 23:2, 6, 7.
days of Jesus twelve apostles, it could
21 They expected full pay for a full days
not apply to those ancient forefathers
with whom the Law covenant was
"You too go into the viney
personally made through Moses. Con
...* J .
sequently, those whom the great
H ouseholder h ired e a rly in the
morning to work for twelve hours
in his vineyard could not be those
Jewish forefathers of the
sixteenth century B.C.E.
So the laborers who were
hired at sunrise or about
six oclock in the morning
pictured Jews living in the
days of the apostles.
19T h eir being twelvehours-a-day laborers would
mean that they were full
work, and on this ba
time laborers at the things
sis they agreed to
of God, unlike the apostles
Peter, Andrew, James and John, who had serve in Jehovahs vineyard of the nation
been fishers up till the spring of the year of Israel. All others brought into the ser
30 C.E. Those full-day laborers would vice of Jehovah God after them, or in a
therefore picture the religious leaders of rank lower than that of the full-time
the nation of Israel, such as the high workers, would be merely part-time work
priests Annas and Caiaphas, and the un ers. Hence their likelihood of receiving
derpriests, also the temple Levites, the of the full reward was not made certain. That
ficial scribes, those of the sects of the is why Jesus parable of the vineyard says
Pharisees and the Sadducees, and those of the Householder:
22
Going out also about the third hour,
versed in the Law of Moses. Because of
being occupied continually in the Jewish he saw others standing unemployed in the
religious service in Israel, they would be market place; and to those he said, You
also, go into the vineyard, and whatever
18-20. (a) Did those hired first into the vineyard
live in Moses day or in whose days? (b) Who spe
cifically were those hired first, and what words of
Jesus show they considered themselves to be such
first ones?

21,22. (a) Who, then, were the part-time workers?

(b) How did Jesus parable show that how much pay
the part-time workers would receive was uncertain?

B r o o k l y n , N.Y.
SBeWATCHTOWER
is just I will give you. So off they went. yard Owner knew that, and through rep
Again he went out about the sixth and the resentatives whom he sent to Israel he
ninth hour and did likewise. Finally, about called those eleventh-hour laborers into
the eleventh hour he went out and found service in his vineyard. In the spring of
others standing, and he said to them, Why 29 C.E. he sent John the Baptist to get
have you been standing here all day un ready for Jehovah a prepared people.
employed? They said to him, Because no (Luke 1:13-17) About six months later
body has hired us. He said to them, You the great Householder sent his own Son
too go into the vineyard. Matt. 20:3-7. Jesus, who became like a steward, fore
man or man in charge with reference
THE LAST OR ELEVENTH HOUR LABORERS
to Gods vineyard.
23 Those hired at the eleventh hour, or
25
Jesus received the disciples gathered
about five oclock in the afternoon (an by John the Baptist and also did further
hour before sundown), were the last to be gathering of disciples, whom he set to
hired. By the religious leaders of the na work in the Israelite vineyard. For in
tion of Israel, those pictured by the stance, besides the twelve apostles, Jesus
eleventh-hour laborers were considered Christ also sent seventy evangelizers into
the last ones whom God would employ in the vineyard work. He instructed them
his service. They would be the ones the all to go preaching the heavenly kingdom
least likely to be called into Gods service. of God, telling the people: The kingdom
So, up till that eleventh hour, as far as of God has come near to you. (Luke 9:
the religious leaders of Israel were con 1-6; 10:1-11) Even women came along
cerned, nobody had hired them. The con with Jesus and his apostles in their preach
temptuous attitude of the religious leaders ing work and offered help by ministering
toward those lowly people was betrayed in to them from their belongings. (Luke 8:
their saying: Not one of the rulers or of 1-3) In this way they spent some time in
the Pharisees has put faith in him [Jesus], Jehovahs Kingdom service while the na
has he? But this crowd that does not tion of natural circumcised Israel was still
know the Law are accursed people. (John the vineyard of Jehovah God. They were
7:48, 49) They were willing to work in the last vineyard laborers to be employed
Gods service, but because of the blinded by the Owner, and they labored in Israel
religious leaders they were not told the till Jesus death in the year 33 C.E.
right things to do nor put to work at them.
23The work under the Law covenant in
After wasting practically all day, they had
the vineyard of natural Israel came to
to look for someone to come who saw
a close, like the work of a twelve-hour day.
how they could be used in Gods service
Then came pay time for the laborers. Be
and who would assign them to some ser
cause of the immediate daily needs of the
vice in Gods religious vineyard.
common people, it was Gods law under
24 The day of working in the vineyard
the old Mosaic covenant that workers
of Israel under the terms of the Mosaic
Law covenant was nearing its end. Jeho should be paid at the close of the days
vah God the great Householder and Vine- work, not at the end of the week or end
of the month. (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15)
23. Who were the eleventh-hour laborers, and why
Those who had put in full time, working
had nobody hired them prior to that hour?

46

24, 25. (a) When and how did the great Householder
call the eleventh-hour laborers into service? (b) How
was Gods Steward used to send laborers into the
vineyard, and for how long did they work in it?

26. (a) At the close of the days work the time came
for what, according to God's Law? (b) At all events,
what would the part-time laborers get?

Janu ary 15, 1967

47
SReWATCHTOWER.
EVENING AND PAY TIME
in the vineyard during the twelve hours
28In the first fulfillment of the parable
of daylight, were sure of receiving a pen
ny according to the agreement made the evening came and brought the work
with the Householder. What would the lat day to a close when Jesus Christ was ar
er, part-time workers get? Whatever it rested on Passover night of the year 33
would be, it would be whatever is just, C.E. and died on the torture stake at Cal
according to what the Householder told vary the following afternoon. Jesus had
those whom he engaged for work at the prophetically indicated this when, about
third hour of the workday. Ordinarily, six months before his death, he said to
the laborers employed for only the twelfth his apostles: It was in order that the
hour of the day could expect to receive works of God might be made manifest in
his case. We must work the works of him
very little pay.
that
sent me while it is day; the night is
27
Well, pay time turned out to be a
coming
when no man can work. As long
time of surprises, and the unusual rule
as
I
am
in the world, I am the worlds
enunciated by Jesus was put into opera
light.
(John
9:3-5) When Jesus was dead
tion. Note this fact, as Jesus parable goes
for
parts
of
three
days (Nisan 14-16, 33
on to say: So when even was come, the
C.E.),
he
could
not
work
as a man in Gods
lord of the vineyard saith unto his stew
vineyard
of
Israel.
(Eccl.
9:5, 10) Nei
ard, Call the labourers, and give them
ther
could
his
eleven
faithful
apostles, for
their hire, beginning from the last unto
they
were
scattered
like
sheep
without a
the first. And when they came that were
shepherd.
When
they
met
together,
it was
hired about the eleventh hour, they re
behind
closed
doors,
for
fear
of
the
hos
ceived every man a penny. But when the
tile
Jews.
(John
16:32;
Matt.
26:31;
Mark
first came, they supposed that they should
have received more; and they likewise re 14:27; Zech. 13:7; John 20:19, 26) They
ceived every man a penny. And when they did not resume any public work until Pen
had received it, they murmured against tecost came.
29 Jesus Christ was put to death at the
the goodman of the house, saying, These
last have wrought but one hour, and thou instigation of the Jewish religious leaders,
hast made them equal unto us, which have the first people of the nation. Then the
borne the burden and heat of the day. But nation of Israel ceased to be Gods vine
he answered one of them, and said, Friend, yard. Jesus death on the stake was Gods
I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree means for bringing the Law covenant
with me for a penny? Take that thine is, with the nation of Israel to an end. By
and go thy way: I will give unto this last, means of his death as a ransom sacrifice
even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me the Law of commandments consisting in
to do what I will with mine own? Is thine decrees was abolished. The handwritten
eye evil, because I am good? So the last document against us, which consisted of
shall be first, and the first last. Matt. decrees, was blotted out; it was taken
out of the way by being nailed, as it were,
20:8-16, A V ;
y*
D
to Christs torture stake, in cancellation
* The words for many be called, but few chosen,
thereof. (Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14) True, for
found in Matthew 20:16 of the Authorized Version and
the Douay Version, are not found in the Fourth
Century Sinaitic and Vatican No. 1209 Bible manu
scripts and are therefore omitted by modern Bible
versions.
27. In what order were the workers in the parable
paid, how much, and with what reactions by some?

28. In the parables first fulfillment, when did the

evening come, to close the days work?
29. (a) At Jesus death natural Israel ceased to be
what, and why? (b) Despite extended favor to Israel
for three and a half years time afterward, what did
the great Vineyard Owner now have?

48

5iieWAT CHTOWER

three and a half years after that, Jehovah

God continued his special favor to natural
Israel, giving them the first opportunities
for the Kingdom, but the nation ceased to
be His vineyard. God now had begun a
spiritual vineyard, in which his Son Je
sus Christ was the Vine and his disciples
were the branches. (John 15:1-8) Indeed,
then, the twelve-hour workday in Gods
vineyard of natural Israel came to a close
at Jesus death at Calvary.
80 This being so, when did pay time
come? At Jesus resurrection from the
dead on the third day, Nisan 16, 33 C.E.?
No, even though Jesus did appear exclu
sively to his disciples for forty days there
after, making exclusively them witnesses
of his resurrection. (Acts 1:1-8; 10:4042) But there was no open display of these
favored disciples of Jesus, even for ten
days after he ascended to heaven. Then
came the festival day of Pentecost, 33
C.E., and with it pay time. It was then

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

that the lord or master of the vineyard,

namely, Jehovah God, told his steward,
foreman or man in charge, to pay the
workers. God used the glorified Jesus
Christ in heaven as his steward or man
in charge, for God used him to pour out
the holy spirit upon the workers on the
Pentecostal day. (John 1:32-34; 14:16,17;
15:26; 16:7; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 2:
32, 33) In paying the workers their wage,
Jesus Christ up in heaven followed the
unusual rule that he had declared down
here on earth.
31
Who, then, were the first ones to be
paid at Pentecost? The outpouring of the
holy spirit upon those who were there in
Jerusalem on that Pentecostal day of the
firstfruits of the wheat harvest revealed
this. It was the last ones who had been
sent into the vineyard of natural Israel,
and who had worked with the man in
charge, the Steward Jesus Christ. These
were also the last ones whom the reli
gious leaders of the nation of Israel would
expect to receive a full days wage, a sym
bolic penny, from the great Householder
and M aster o f
the vineyard, Je
hovah God.
32
Jewish expecta
tions, the fir s t
ones paid w ere
the d e s p i s e d
twelve apostles
o f Jesus C hrist
and the rest o f
the congregation
of 120 disciples
that were meet
ing quietly together in an upper room,
withdrawn from the multitude of Jews
and proselytes who were celebrating Pen31. At Pentecost, who were the first ones to be paid,
and how had they till then been ranked?
32. The proof of who had been paid first of the workers
was made known how, and who came together to
witness this?

Ja n u a r y 1 5 , 1 9 6 7

ffteWATCHTOWER.

tecost at the temple of Jerusalem. Never

theless, the proof of who was paid first
of the workers in Gods vineyard was
made known by a miracle. It occurred in
conjunction with the outpouring of the
holy spirit upon the 120 disciples, and over
three thousand Jews and proselytes came
to the place to witness this strange spec
tacle. Acts 1 : 5 ; 2 : 1 - 1 3 , 4 1 .
33Well, different ones laughed at them
and began to say: They are full of sweet
wine. So the apostle Peter was first to
get up and explain that Christs disciples,
filled with spirit, were not drunk but that
this was the fulfillment of Joels prophecy
( 2 :2 8 , 2 9 ) . Also, that the resurrected Je
sus Christ, exalted to Gods right hand
in the heavens, had received the promised
holy spirit and had poured it out upon his
disciples on earth in fulfillment of Joel 2:
2 8 , 2 9 . Then all twelve of the apostles ex
plained that this promised gift of the holy
spirit was available also for the rest of the
Jews, if they repented and got baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ and became his
disciples. About three thousand of the ob
servers and hearers did so and became
part of the congregation of spiritual Is
rael, Gods new vineyard. Acts 2 : 3 7 42.

34 Thus the symbolic penny was not

the gift of the holy spirit in itself. It was
the privilege that went with the receiving
of the holy spirit, namely, the privilege of
being a member of spiritual Israel, author
ized to prophesy in fulfillment of Joel 2:
2 8, 2 9 , anointed to preach the good news
of Gods Messianic kingdom. Thus they
would be fruit-bearing branches in Jeho
vahs spiritual vine, the Lord Jesus Christ.
They were taken into the new covenant,
which Jesus Christ mediated between Je
hovah God and the congregation of these
33. How did Peter explain what they were beholding
taking place, and how many sought to avail them
selves of the gift of the spirit?
34. What, then, was the penny, and when and where
was it to be used by the receivers?

49

symbolic vine branches. (Jer. 31:31-34;

1 Tim. 2:5, 6; Heb. 8:6 to 9:15) The sym
bolic penny was, therefore, something
that meant their livelihood, their everlast
ing life in Gods new order. It was some
thing for their use here on earth, not up
in heaven.
35 How about those who were hired first,
early in the morning, as it were, to work
in Gods vineyard of natural Israel? These
first ones, the Jewish high priests, un
derpriests, Levites, scribes, lawyers versed
in the Mosaic law, soon heard and ob
served that Jesus disciples had been paid
for their late work in Gods vineyard of
natural Israel. They saw them using the
symbolic penny. The full days wage was
available for them also, particularly since
Jehovah God continued to deal with the
nation of Israel exclusively for about three
and a half years after that.
36 However, such religious leaders had
to accept the full days pay, the penny,
through Gods Steward, namely, the glori
fied Jesus Christ. But to do this would
mean their doing what the Lord Jesus
Christ had told the rich young ruler to do.
(Matt. 19:21) It would mean their giving
up their places of honor, importance, pow
er and material income in the temple of
Jerusalem, in the synagogues and in the
sanhedrins, their sitting in the seat of
Moses, their being called Rabbi, and their
having a place and position that was rec
ognized and allowed by the Roman gov
ernment. Such things had been coming to
them as good pay for their services in
Gods vineyard of Israel down till Pen
tecost of 33 C.E. True, they had agreed
with the great Householder, the Owner of
the vineyard, for the gift of the holy
spirit in fulfillment of Joel 2:28, 29. But
35. What did the ones hired early in the morning
hear and see, and how was the penny available
for them also?
36. (a) Through . whom, however, would they have to
accept the penny ? (b) Accepting it thus would cost
them what things hitherto enjoyed?

50

SEeWATCHTOWER.

now, to give up all their hitherto religious

advantages in Israel and to receive the
holy spirit outpoured by Jesus Christ and
thus be anointed to do the work of dis
ciples of Jesus Christ along with his apos
tles, people of the last rank, eleventhhour workers, all this would cost them
too much.
37 In their pay from God they wanted
more than the holy spirit and its miracu
lous gifts and its associated Kingdom priv
ileges. So they wanted more than the sym
bolic penny. Hence these first laborers
murmured against the Owner of the vine
yard and were loath to accept just the
penny, just as doubtless the rich young
ruler did in contrast with the apostle Pe
ter. Their murmuring and objections took
the form of persecuting Christs disciples,
the last laborers to be engaged in the
vineyard. Matt. 20:10-12.
38 Of course, there were some temple Levites, like Joseph Barnabas of Cyprus, that
accepted the penny. (Acts 4:36, 37) And
even after the twelve apostles were im
prisoned and tried by the Jerusalem San
hedrin for using the penny in Gods ser
vice, the report in Acts 6:7 informs us,
37. So were they satisfied to receive just the penny,*
and how did their attitude express itself toward the
last laborers?
38. What shows whether all those first laborers
refused the penny, and at what did some prefer to
keep working?

OMETHING similar to the experience

of the workers in the vineyard of
1. Because of what happened on the day of Pentecost
in 33 C.E., why must there be a final fulfillment of the
parable of the penny ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

the word of God went on growing, and

the number of the disciples kept multi
plying in Jerusalem very much; and a
great crowd of priests began to be obe
dient to the faith. Even Saul of Tarsus,
a personal friend of the Jewish high priest,
accepted the penny, even though he had
been a Pharisee. (Acts 9:1-22; Phil. 3:4-6)
But most of these first laborers, these
religious leaders of Jewry, kept on work
ing at their hitherto religious privileges in
natural Israel and getting their regular
pay for this as allowed by the Law of Mo
ses, refusing the penny.
39 They kept up this type of religious
service until the year 70 C.E. Then their
temple in Jerusalem was taken away from
them. They lost their jobs there and the
Romans came and took away both their
place and their nation, not because of ac
cepting Jesus Christ, but because of re
jecting him and refusing the penny.
(John 11:47, 48) Their eye was wicked
because Jehovah God was good toward
the disciples of Jesus Christ. As for these
disciples, including the apostle John, they
continued using their penny to accom
plish Gods Kingdom service and to gain
their own everlasting life, despite the per
secution.Mark 10:29, 30; Rev. 1:9.
39. How long did they keep at this type of religious
service, but what did Jesus disciples keep using?

the ancient nation of Israel nineteen cen

turies ago has happened in these last days
with regard to what is called Christendom.
The ancient vineyard, the nation of Is-

Jan u a r y 15, 1967

51
fiieWATCHTOWER.
rael in the Mosaic Law covenant, was typi just like the religious organization of Is
cal; many of its experiences were pro rael in the days of Jesus Christ and his
phetic shadows of things to come. apostles. Christendom has claimed to be
(1 Cor. 10:1-6, 11; Col. 2:16, 17; Heb. 10: the spiritual Israel of God and therefore
1) Moreover, the prophecy of Joel 2:28- to be in the new covenant with God by
32, which the apostle Peter quoted on the the Mediator Jesus Christ. She has like
day of Pentecost, when the symbolic pen wise claimed to be the spiritual vineyard
ny was paid, was not completely fulfilled of God, with her many religious sectarian
back there nineteen hundred years ago. churches serving as branches in the
Hence there must be a larger and final Vine Jesus Christ. Thus Christendoms re
fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32. This would ligious clergy, made up of her ordained
mean that there would be a further and priests and preachers, claims to be work
final fulfillment of Jesus parable of the ing in the vineyard of the Most High
penny in these last days of this sys God. By their respective religious denomi
tem of things. (Acts 2:17, 18; 1 Tim. 3: nations they have been ordained formalis1-5) There are facts to prove this.
tically to their clergy posts over the reli
gious
flocks of the laity. They have made
2As foretold in the prophecy of Isaiah
their
positions
and responsibilities of cler
5:1-7, Jehovah God rejected his typical
gymen
their
profession,
a full-time job, so
vineyard of natural, circumcised Israel
that
they
have
considered
themselves to
nineteen centuries ago. He has since been
be
in
the
full-time
service
of God. And
cultivating a spiritual vineyard of which
once
ordained,
they
have
considered
them
Jesus Christ is the Vine, the central stock,
selves
as
remaining
clergymen
for
the
rest
and his true followers are the branches.
of
their
lives,
even
after
being
retired
(John 15:1-8) He now has a spiritual Is
rael of God, not under the old Law cove from active work.
4
By their religious claims the clergy
nant that was abolished at the time of
Jesus death, but under the new covenant have been first to be hired for work in
of which Jesus Christ is the heavenly Me Gods vineyard of spiritual Israel, for a
diator. (Matt. 26:26-28; Luke 22:19, 20; full day. Persons taking up part-time ser
1 Tim. 2:5, 6) After the death of all the vice in religious circles have been con
apostles of Christ by the end of the first sidered inferior to them and deserving of
century C.E., the use of the symbolic pen less pay. Any dedicated, baptized Chris
ny paid out at Pentecost began to dis tians who have taken up the preaching of
appear. In the first half of the fourth cen Gods kingdom without being schooled in
tury C.E. the religious organization of their seminaries and ordained by them
Christendom was established. It has since with a title and degree and an assign
grown to worldwide proportions, with ment to their pulpits have been despised
many religious denominations presided by these first-ranking clergymen. Losing
over by religious leaders or clergymen, sight of the fact that all individual dedi
Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant.
cated, baptized Christians are branches in
3This Christendom has a clergy and a the Vine Jesus Christ and are to bear fruit
laity and is split up into religious sects, as spiritual priests of God, those or2, 3. (a) When did use of the penny begin to fall
off? (b) What has Christendom claimed to be, and in
what service have its clergy considered itself to be,
and why so?

4. By their claims, where have Christendoms clergy

put themselves in being hired into Gods vineyard, and
where have they put dedicated, baptized Christians
not of clergy rank?

52

SlkWATCHTOWER

dained clergymen of Christendom have

looked down on them. They have consid
ered these to be the last ones to have
any valid assignment in Gods service, to
work in Gods spiritual vineyard. The
pulpits of Christendom were generally
barred to such dedicated ministers of God,
who were viewed as being mere untrained,
unschooled laymen.
5 Among those thus viewed by the or
dained clergy of Christendom was a dedi
cated Christian group that has kept itself
separate from Christendom and yet has
become very prominent in this twentieth
century. In the last half of the nineteenth
century they got organized, at first a small
group. In 1884 they established what is
now the Watch Tower Bible & Tract So
ciety of Pennsylvania as their publishing
and administrative agency. They came to
be known as International Bible Students.
Christendoms clergymen despised these
Bible students as preachers and expound
ers of Gods Word, and opposed and hin
dered their zealous preaching of Gods
kingdom. This continued on until finally,
during the frenzy of World War I, they
succeeded in having the president and
secretary-treasurer of the Watch Tower
Society and a number of their editorial as
sociates imprisoned in a Federal prison of
the United States of America. Also, their
religious literature was banned, in whole
or in part, in various places.
NOT THE PENNY

6Because of their late, unorthodox ap

pearance on the world stage of religious
affairs, these dedicated Christian Bible
students appeared to be the last ones
whom the great Householder, Jehovah
God, hired for work in his spiritual vine
yard of the real, true organized Chris5. Among those thus viewed was what Christian group
recently organized, and what did the clergy succeed
in having done to them during World War I?
6. Why did these Christians appear to be the last
ones* hired, and what did they themselves think
about the eleventh hour ?

B r o o k l y n , N.Y.

tianity. Especially was this so in view of

the fact that the Gentile Times ended in
the year 1914, in which year World War I
broke out. (Luke 21:24) In harmony with
their understanding of prophecy regard
ing the end of this system of things, and
in view of the worsening conditions of
mankind during World War I, it seemed
to these Christian international Bible stu
dents that the last hour, the eleventh
hour, for work in the spiritual vine
yard of Jehovah God was ending. They
had long been interested in Jesus parable
of the vineyard and the penny, reference
having been made to this parable and the
eleventh hour away back in the issue of
Zions Watch Tower as of April of 1881,
on page 7, under the heading Wanted
1,000 Preachers, which called for work
ers.
7
So in July of the midwar year of 1917
the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society
published (only in English)* the book en
titled The Finished Mystery, this book
being the seventh and last one of a series
of seven volumes of Studies in the Scrip
tures. Because the heavenly glorification
of the faithful remnant of the Christian
church was believed near, this Bible-study
aid The Finished M ystery along with ac
companying service privileges was thought
to be the symbolic penny, coming as a
reward to the faithful vineyard laborers
before they departed from this earth. In
* In its issue of December 15, 1917, page 373, The
Watch Tower said: We are pleased to announce
that the translation of the Seventh Volume into
Swedish and French has already been accomplished,
and both are to be off the press this month, in Europe.
As soon as we can fill orders in these or other
languages, announcement will be made in these col
umns. It is being translated and published by install
ments in the German, Polish and Greek Watch Towers.
It is being translated into four other foreign languages,
and doubtless will be translated into many more soon.
Then The Watch Tower, in the following paragraph,
goes on to comment on the Penny of Matthew 20:2-17.
By the year 1924 The Finished Mystery was advertised
as being published in English, Dano-Norwegian, Fin
nish, French, German, Greek, Polish, Swedish.
7. What book did the Society publish in July of 1917,
and what relationship was it said to bear to the
symbolic penny ?

Ja n u a r y 15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

53

fact, on page 2, the Publishers page, of

8However, when that meaning of the
this book there was printed an enlarge penny was given to The Finished Mys
ment of a coin like a penny. The inscrip tery, the Seventh Volume, no one expected
tion on it read: To the King of Kings and or foresaw that World War I would end
the Lord of Lords This Work Is Dedicated in the following year (1918) and that
in the Interest of His Consecrated Saints there would be an extended peace period
Waiting for the Adoption and of all that thereafter with the anointed remnant
in every place call upon the Lord, the down here on earth, instead of up in heav
enly glory. An orga
household of faith
and of the groaning
nization of 7,000 Bible
creation; travailing
students was built up
and w aiting f o r the
fo r distributing The
manifestation of the
Finished Mystery
sons of God. Also, in
from house to house.t
that same year, the
But by the spring of
October 1, 1917, issue
1918 this b o o k was
banned both in the
of
TheWatch Tower,
United States and in
on page 293, carried
C a n a d a . Y e s, t h i s
a heading that said
book was used by the
The Penny and it
United States govern
spoke of the book The
ment, then at war
Finished M ystery and
with Germany, to put
the associated hon
the leading ones of the
or as the symbolic
From The Finished Mystery
In tern a tion a l Bible
penny. *
Students in Federal prison in Atlanta,
* The two paragraphs under the heading The
Georgia.
Penny read: Explaining the parable of the Penny
(Matthew 20:1-16), Brother Russell set forth in Scrip
9Thus the work of these Christian Bible
ture Studies, Vol. Ill, page 223, that the Penny is
students was badly crippled by govern
Kingdom honors. In Psalm 149:5-9 we read, Let
the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud
ment action, clergy opposition, religious
upon their beds; let the high praises of God be in
their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hand;
persecution and wartime disruptions. In
to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punish
the spring of 1919 the imprisoned repre
ment upon the people; to bind their kings with chains
and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon
sentatives of the Watch Tower Society
them the judgment written; this honor have all the
saints. Commenting upon this Psalm, Brother Russell
were
permanently released from Federal
stated that the honor here referred to would be
conferred upon the saints on this side of the veil;
that the sword, likewise, would be used by the saints
on this side the veil. It is a great and wonderful
honor to have part in wielding the sword now (the
message of truth) that is binding the kings, rulers,
nobles and systems of this world. Everyone who
joyfully receives and uses the point of the sword,
to wit, the Seventh Volume (Ezek. 21:14, 15), thus
receives Kingdom HonorsThe Penny.
For many years we have been promised the
Seventh Volume. All have looked for it, expecting
the last coming into the truth would be classed equally
with the first in receiving it. The parable shows that
some would murmur and complain. In harmony with
this parable we see some murmuring and rejecting
Volume Seven. Hence they are not satisfied with the
pennythe honor that the Lord has offered them of
having part in this wonderful closing work of the
harvest. Such are not engaged now in the harvest, but
are more particularly engaged in murmuring, in finding
fault and in trying to hinder the work.

t On page 281 The Watch Tower, under date of

September 15, 1919, referred to the work with the
Seventh Volume that had been carried on to a limited
extent on account of world war conditions and, in
paragraphs two and three, said, in part: Every
reader of The Watch Tower has wanted to pass on
the message of glad tidings. Now will you avail your
self of this opportunity?
How to Proceed
The organization that handled the Seventh Volume
work proved a wonderful success. Seven thousand of
the friends were engaged in that special work. We
are asking the classes everywhere to revive that
organization and put it in proper form.
8. (a) However, when this meaning was given to the
penny, what did the Publishers not foresee?
(b) What events in Canada and the United States
followed the publication of The Finished Mystery?
9. After World War I, what occurred in connection
with The Finished Mystery, and finally what became
apparent about it in connection with the penny ?

54

SEeWATCHTOWER

prison, connections with the Watch Tower

Societys branch offices were reestablished,
and in 1920 the ban was removed from
Fin
the Seventh Volume and thus
ished M ystery was allowed to be circulated
again in the United States of America. But
in 1927 The Finished M ystery and the oth
er six volumes of the Studies in the Scrip
tures ceased to be published, and they
were replaced by new, postwar Bible-study
aids. So in ten years time it became mani
fest that the Seventh Volume and the hon
orable service that went with it was not
really the penny.
10
In the meanwhile, in the year 1925
began to be appreciated by these Chris
tian Bible students that the vindication of
Gods name Jehovah by means of his new
born Messianic kingdom was Gods leading
purpose. In fact, from 1922 onward refer
ence was repeatedly made to Isaiah 43:1012 to prove that they must be witnesses of
the Lord God during the remainder of
their days on earth.* The work of bearing
witness to his name became more domi
nant among them. This reached a grand
* On Friday, September 8, 1922, which was desig
nated The Day of the second international con
vention of the International Bible Students at Cedar
Point, Ohio, the president of the Watch Tower Society
gave an unforgettable speech based on the Bible text
of Matthew 4:17, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
In the fifth and sixth paragraphs from the end of his
speech President J. F. Rutherford said:
Why, then, deliver the message to those who do
not understand? Will any one hear? The Prophet of
the Lord answers: Bring forth the blind people that
have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the
nations be gathered together, and let the people be
assembled: who among them can declare this, and
show us former things? Let them bring forth their
witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them
hear, and say, It is truth. Ye are my witnesses, saith
the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen; . . .
therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that
I am God.Isaiah 43:8-12.
Thus we see that those of the temple class are
clearly designated as the Lords witnesses at this time,
to bring a message of consolation to the people that
the kingdom of heaven is here, and that millions now
living will never die. Thus it is seen that God purposes
that his name shall be magnified, that the people
shall know that he is Lord. Thus we see that God
purposes to have a people in the earth in this time
of stress, clearly marked as separate and distinct from
all others, standing as his witnesses, fearlessly crying
out the message: The kingdom of heaven is at hand!
10. By 1925, what began to be appreciated about
Jehovahs name, and how did this appreciation reach
a climax in 1931?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

climax in the year 1931, when, at the in

ternational convention in Columbus, Ohio,
these much-maligned Bible students adopt
ed a resolution by which they embraced
the name suggested by Isaiah 43:10-12
(AS), namely, Jehovahs witnesses.
The work of gathering the anointed
remnant of the heirs of Gods heavenly
kingdom appeared to be nearing comple
tion. Hence, this bestowal of a Biblically
supported name upon them in 1931 seemed
to come as a reward for having engaged
in twelve years of hard Christian work
since 1919. The book The Finished Mys
ittery and the honor of distributing it had
proved not to be the penny. So now,
then, could not the conferment of the new
name upon the International Bible Stu
dents be the penny ?
12In the year 1933, in the November 15
and December 1 issues of The Watchtower
and Herald of Christs Presence there ap
peared the leading article (in two parts)
entitled Laborers Wages. This dealt
with Jesus parable of the vineyard. The
second paragraph of Part One of this ar
ticle said: The laborers are those at the
temple for judgment, and who engage in
the service of the kingdom; the hire or
penny is the honor of being given the new
name which Jehovah gives to his people.
(Page 339) Paragraph 21, on page 344,
said: No greater wage could be paid to
creatures on earth than that of receiving
a name at the mouth of Jehovah God, and
which name shows the close and confi
dential relationship between Jehovah and
his faithful people. Never before has he
given such a wage to creatures.
13 However, in the year 1937 it became
11. Since matters regarding The Finished Mystery had
proved not to be the penny, what now began to be
thought regarding the conferment of the name Je
hovahs witnesses, and why?
12. Near the close of the year 1933, what did The
Watchtower say with regard to the penny ?
13. By 1937, what began to be appreciated about the
matter of being witnesses of Jehovah, and with whom
did The New World of 1942 class the great crowd
of the other sheep of today?

Ja n u ar y 15, 1967

SReWATCHTOWER.

more fully appreciated that the faithful

prophets and men of integrity from John
the Baptist back to the first martyr Abel
were also witnesses of Jehovah, so great
a cloud of witnesses. (Heb. 11:1 to 12:1,
AV) Later the book entitled The New
World, published in 1942, indicated that
the great crowd of the other sheep
foretold in Revelation 7:9, 10 were also
witnesses of Jehovah. (Pages 368, 369,
375) Today the great crowd of these
other sheep that have been gathered
into association with the anointed rem
nant are regularly included among Jeho
vahs witnesses. If, since the year 1935,
they have not proved themselves to be Je
hovahs witnesses, then by all the facts of
history what have they proved themselves
to be? Who are they, if not Jehovahs wit
nesses of modern times?
14 Thus the title Jehovahs witnesses
is now seen as not applying exclusively to
the anointed remnant, and so this new
name for Christians could not be the sym
bolic penny of Jesus parable. The new
name was not the penny back in the
year 33 C.E. on that day of Pentecost, in
asmuch as those Jewish disciples of Jesus
Christ were already Jehovahs witnesses
by being from birth members of Jehovahs
chosen people of Isaiah 43:1-12.
15 It is now thirty-four years since 1933
and the beginning of the terrible persecu
tions of Jehovahs witnesses under the Na
zi regime of Adolf Hitler. Today our un
derstanding of the penny can be cleared
up by looking back at the first fulfillment
of Jesus parable of the vineyard in the
days of his apostles nineteen centuries ago.
In the modern-day fulfillment of the par
able, the evening and the close of the
14. Thus what came to be seen regarding the title
Jehovahs witnesses, and what about such a new
name on Pentecost of 33 C.E. ?
15. (a) How can our understanding of the penny
be cleared up today? (b) Modernly, when did the
even and close of the days work in the vineyard
come, and how?

55

twelve-hour days work came during

World War I, which war marked the close
of the Gentile Times in the autumn of
1914. The full-time laborers, the ones
first hired, the clergy of Christendom,
turned their efforts to the war activities
of the nations at war. The work of the
ones hired last was crippled and prac
tically stopped in 1918 by the banning of
Watch Tower literature and the imprison
ment of the official representatives of the
International Bible Students. This stop
page corresponded with Jesus death and
scattering of his disciples.
USE OF THE PENNY TILL N OW

16
World War I stopped on November 11,
1918, and now world attention turned to
peace and reorganization in the postwar
period. The League of Nations was pro
posed as an instrument for preserving
world peace and security. As regards re
ligious affairs, evidently pay time had
come for those who had either professedly
or actually labored in Jehovahs spiritual
vineyard! What would be the penny giv
en to them in the postwar epoch? The
spring of 1919 was like a day of Pente
cost for those hired last to work in the
vineyard. For the Christian internation
al Bible students it was like a resurrection
of the dead. On March 26, 1919, their of
ficial and editorial representatives were
released from prison, the postwar work
was at once planned, the vineyard la
borers were reorganized world wide, the
first convention at Cedar Point, Ohio, was
held September 1-8, 1919, and was attend
ed by 7,000 at the public meeting, and, be
sides
TheWatch Tower, a new magazine
The Golden A ge (today known as Awake!)
began to be published October 1, 1919.
Such a reactivation of the International
16. (a) When, therefore, was pay time to be expected?
(b) How was the spring of 1919 like a day of Pente
cost for the hired ones?

56

SBeWATCHTOWER.

Bible Students in the religious field caused

amazement and dismay in Christendom.
17 Here, then, as on the day of Pente
cost nineteen centuries ago, was the pay
ment of the penny to those last hired in
Jehovahs spiritual vineyard. Gods Mes
sianic kingdom had been born in the heav
ens at the close of the Gentile Times in
1914, and the penny paid to the vine
yard laborers was the privilege and honor
of serving as anointed ambassadors of
Gods newborn Messianic kingdom from
that time on till the coming battle of the
great day of God the Almighty at Arma
geddon. This ambassadorial service was
carried out with the help of Gods holy
spirit. In harmony with this, they were
ushered into the privilege of fulfilling Mat
thew 24:14, preaching this good news of
Gods newborn Messianic kingdom in all
the inhabited earth for a witness to all the
nations before the end of this system of
things comes. (Rev. 16:14-16; Mark 13:
10) What a wonderful value such a pen
ny has meant to them!
18 The clergy of Christendom, which
17. What, then, did the penny" prove to be for the
laborers hired last"?
18. At that development, who murmured, and finally
to what extent?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

claims to be Gods vineyard, murmured at

this way of paying spiritual wages, and
their murmuring took on the form of per
secuting these Kingdom preachers. The
clergy could have joined in this Kingdom
witness, but they rejected Gods newborn
kingdom by preaching in favor of the
League of Nations as the political expres
sion of the kingdom of God on earth.
They kept up friendly relations with
worldly politicians.
19The anointed remnant of Kingdom
heirs, including those whom Jehovah God
has added since 1919, are grateful for
the penny paid to them. Since the pay
ment of it in the year 1919 they have used
it with growing appreciation of its value.
The clergy of Christendom are proving to
be the last ones to accept the precious
penny, if they accept it at all before
Babylon the Great (including Christen
dom) is destroyed at that great and fearinspiring day of Jehovah now near. Joel
2:31, 32; Acts 2:20, 21.
20 Particularly since the year 1935 the
penny has been used in gathering the
great crowd of sheeplike persons fore
told in Revelation 7:9-17. These have ac
cepted the Kingdom message as preached
by the anointed Kingdom ambas
sadors, and to date around a mil
lion of them all around the earth
have separated themselves from
Babylon the Great and are join
in g the anointed rem nant in
praising Jehovah God and his
Messianic King, Jesus Christ.
What a reward this has already
been to the Kingdom ambassa
dors for their grateful acceptance
and use of the penny at Jeho
vahs hands!

MAKING USE OF THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING AMBASSADORS OF THE KINGDOMOF GOD

19. Who are proving to be the last ones"

to accept the penny"?
20. How have these paid laborers already
been rewarded for their grateful use of the
penny" down till now?

..^ JL

X-

i ^

it o f d oin g just
what one desires
without any re
straint or conside r a t i o n o f the
rights of others.
D o n a l d T horman, publisher of
th e N a t i o n a l
Catholic Report
er, described the
attitude of Roman Catholics today to be
free to deny or ignore doctrine and yet
to count themselves as good members of
the church;* he said this is an age of
unbelief that has finally begun to hit
the church in America. Philosopher
Michael Novak believes that the Roman
Catholic Church faces a cultural crisis
of the first order of magnitude. We see
similar attitudes expressed by students of
universities and colleges, also by the pro
fessors and teachers, lawlessness increas
ing in greater percentages than the popu
lation and governments falling or being
changed often and almost overnight. Old,
established standards of morality are for
saken for loose morality. Coups detat,
that is, unconstitutional changes in gov
ernment, take place about once a month.
God is, of course, displeased with the
spirit of this world. The Bible book of
Revelation shows that he expresses his
indignation against it by pouring out one
of the seven plagues or bowls of his anger
upon it. This is bound to stir up Satan
and also to stir up the spirit of the world,
to cause it to become more active, more
violent and destructive and more obvi
ously and definitely against God. The
plague reveals how God views men in
fluenced by the spirit of the world and
also portrays the actual results to them
of his anger carried out against them.
At Revelation 16:17-21 we read: And
the seventh [angel] poured out his bowl
I

AS ACE-OLD INSTITUTIONS
:?V

r7W ~ Ju
HEN the spirit of the people is
affected it has a shaking effect
upon governments, educational institu
tions, religions and established ways and
customs. No matter how old and venerable
they may be, they are seriously altered
or crumble into ruin.
In previous issues of
Watchtower
the spirit of the world has been defined
as the frame of mind, the inclination of
the mind, the persistent tendency that con
trols the world of mankind. It moves the
world to certain characteristic conduct,
namely, to speak, to think and to take
certain attitudes and viewpoints and to
decide and act in a certain way that fol
lows a definite pattern.
The Bible speaks of the Devil, the source
of this spirit, as the spirit that now op
erates in the sons of disobedience, and
shows that the ruler of the authority of
the air motivates people to act disobedient
ly toward God. (Eph. 2:2) This ruler is
described as the god of this world, as
the wicked one in whose power the whole
world lies and as the Devil and Satan, who
is misleading the entire inhabited earth.
2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 5:19; Rev. 12:5.

WHAT THE SPIRIT OP THIS WORLD

PRODUCES

There is no doubt that the spirit of the

world has lately been stirred up to bring
about sweeping changes. We find it ex
pressed in the spirit of uncertainty, the
spirit of unbelief and of rebellion, the spir

* Time, September 16, 1966.

57

58

SHeWATCHTOW ER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

upon the air. At this a loud voice issued when the address on the subject New
out of the sanctuary from the throne, say World Society Attacked from the Far
ing: It has come to pass! And lightnings North was delivered to an audience of
and voices and thunders occurred, and a 112,000. It revealed that Gog of the land
great earthquake occurred such as had of Magog, foretold in Ezekiel, chapters
not occurred since men came to be on the 38 and 39, is Satan the Devil. Since he has
earth, so extensive an earthquake, so been thrown out of the heavens, as de
great. And the great city split into three scribed in Revelation 12:5-10, his spirit
parts, and the cities of the nations fell; has violently affected the spirit of the
and Babylon the great was remembered in whole world. He can fight God by fighting
the sight of God, to give her the cup of those on earth who represent His king
the wine of the anger of his wrath. Also, dom. He is foretold to make a final assault
every island fled, and mountains were not upon the peaceful New World society of
found. And a great hail with every stone Jehovahs witnesses. This will bring Gods
about the weight of a talent [around a invisible protective hosts in full fury
hundred pounds] descended out of heaven against Satans organization on earth, to
upon the men, and the men blasphemed destroy it completely. Satan is very busy
God due to the plague of hail, because the cultivating his spirit among the nations
in order to lead them to this fight, which
plague of it was unusually great.
will prove so disastrous to them.
GOD MAKES KNOWN HIS ANGER
EARTHS MOST TREMENDOUS SHAKE-UP
When Jehovahs witnesses are used to
The description of the effects of the
announce or declare these plagues they
have no part in enforcing the effect of plague continues: And a great earth
them or of carrying out Gods judgments; quake occurred such as had not occurred
God himself does this. At a convention of since men came to be on the earth, so ex
Gods people in Detroit in August 1928, a tensive an earthquake, so great. Earth
marked declaration of this plague upon the quakes are the most destructive of the
spirit of the world was expressed.* Rev natural forces that man has experienced,
elation says in connection with the seventh and they are increasing in frequency in
plague:
times. One of more than average in
Andlightnings and voicesourand
thunders occurred These were, of course, tensity took place at noon on September 1,
not literal lightnings, thunders and heav 1923, and left Tokyo, Japan, and adjacent
enly voices, but symbolic ones. On August cities in ruins. The death toll was 100,000,
1 of the Detroit convention the Societys and 43,000 remained missing. The violence
president delivered a Bible talk on Gods was such that in some fields potatoes were
Lightnings. Since then there have been thrown out of the ground. The depth of
other flashes of spiritual enlightenment, Sagami bay was increased in places a max
other thunderings of divine judgments and imum of 690 feet and decreased as much
other voicelike proclamations or publica as 820 feet. The earthquake that destroyed
tions of Bible truth.
Lisbon, Portugal, in 1903 was said to have
A prominent fulfillment of this occurred shaken an area four times as large as
at the 1953 international assembly of Je Europe.
hovahs witnesses at Yankee Stadium,
What, then, would happen to mans
New York city, on Thursday, July 23, works if an earthquake should shake the
entire earth? Revelations earthquake,
* Se e T h e W atch tow er, D e c e m b e r 15, 1966.

Ja n u a r y 1 5 , 1 9 6 7

3TieWATCHTOWER~

however, is sym bolic, though literal

quakes may well be used by Jehovah in
the final part of the shaking. Revelations
vision therefore symbolizes a colossal
shaking to come. It is more than a shaking
of institutions merely because of the spirit
of the world being stirred up. It is a shak
ing from the Almighty God as an expres
sion of his anger against that spirit in the
people.
The shaking is greater than the shaking
now taking place due to the proclamation
of the Kingdom message. The publication
of the established kingdom of God does not
destroy this world. It causes consterna
tion, especially in Babylon the Great, shak
ing its member religious organizations,
shaking out from the nations the desir
able things. That is, it causes to come
forth from the world to Jehovahs orga
nization the people who love God and who
fear him and want to serve him. God is in
terested in lives, and these right-hearted
persons are the really valuable things in
Gods eyes. (Hag. 2:6, 7, 21, 22) The
earthquake here described will bring the
cities of the nations crashing down in
ruins and the national governments of this
world will be shaken to destruction with
them. Only Gods heavenly kingdom and
the kingdom interests in the earth will re
main standing. This earthquake pictures
the worlds final trouble, the climax of the
great tribulation such as has not occurred
since the worlds beginning until now, no,
nor will occur again.Matt. 24:21; Heb.
12:20-28.

59

the great city that has a kingdom over

the kings of the earth. It is a religious
kingdom and represents the world empire
of false religion. The number three is used
in the Bible many times, representing em
phasis. Babylons being split into three
parts symbolizes a very serious, thorough
breaking up of it.
From this we can see what a tremen
dous shaking the world empire of false
religion will undergo and how it will be
torn apart and will fall beyond repair or
recovery. While the rulers, as the Bible in
dicates, will have to do with the destruc
tion of false religion, yet it is really from
Jehovah God that this destruction comes,
for the Revelation says that it is God who
gives her the cup of the wine of his wrath.
This cup of his wrath first exposes her,
then causes her to be destroyed. It will
make her so drunk with woe and shame
that she will never recover from its effects
and wake up. God has not ignored her
centuries of wickedness. He has seen and
has kept a record. All the wickedness
that she has done has been in the sight
of God and he pays her back with de
struction.
Also, every island fled, and mountains
were not found. To destroy a mountain
or an island would be greater than de
stroying a city, but the coming world
earthquake of trouble at Gods hands will
affect the sea and land tremendously.
Nothing will be too distant or isolated, as
an island in the sea, or too lofty and sturdy
like a mountain in Satans visible organi
zation, to escape destruction. The age of
BABYLON THE GREAT IRREPARABLY SMASHED
institutions will make no difference.
And
thegreat city split into the
three
parts, and the cities of the nations fell; Some institutions have been able to sur
and Babylon the great was remembered in vive turbulent times and the raging of the
the sight of God, to give her the cup of sea of revolutionary, radical, nihilistic ele
the wine of the anger of his wrath. Hie ments for hundreds of years. But in this
great city has reference to Babylon the earthquake there will be no escape, none
Great, spoken of in Revelation 17:18 as able to withstand the shaking at God's

60

f&eW ATCHTOW ER

hands. Only those supporting his Kingdom

will find refuge. Ps. 46:2, 3.
AT THE LAST, A DEVASTATING HAILSTORM

The seventh plague poured out upon the

air or spirit of this world accomplishes
these things and also much more, because
it affects the atmosphere itself. Therefore
Revelation continues:
a great hail
with every stone about the weight of a
talent descended out of heaven upon the
men, and the men blasphemed God due
to the plague of hail, because the plague
of it was unusually
So from the
atmosphere there crash down hailstones
on men, hailstones of tremendous size,
weighing ninety-six pounds avoirdupois.
They fall with great speed and cause stu
pendous destruction. Since hailstones are
congealed water, this hailstorm pictures
that heaven would send down upon world
ly mankind a barrage of hard Biblical
truths. Jehovahs witnesses are now
preaching a message of deliverance and
salvation for those who will take refuge in
the Kingdom, which cannot be shaken. But
the hailstones picture, not a message of
deliverance, but the hard, unyielding proc
lamation of Gods vengeance against Sa
tans visible organization. Jehovahs wit
nesses will at the last deliver this stinging
message, presaging the destruction of the
men upon whom it falls.
The men who are affected by this hail
storm are those who did not call upon the
name of Jehovah for salvation, but who
blasphemed him at hearing the judgment
messages and the execution of these. They
refused in the past to hear the message
that would have meant salvation for them
and now they especially hate this con
demning declaration. (Joel 2:32; Rom. 10:
13) The fact that the plague of it was un
usually great foreshows that at the last
there will be an unusually great procla-

Brooklyn, N.Y.

mation of Gods vengeance by Jehovahs

witnesses.
That the seventh plague will indeed fin
ish the anger of God upon the world is
illustrated in the picture here given in
Revelation. It indicates that those who
survive the symbolic earthquake will with
out fail be destroyed by the accurately
aimed executional hailstones from the
heavens. Not that the truths themselves
kill them, but the judgments that God ex
ecutes in harmony with the truths ex
pressed. Job 38:22, 23; Ps. 148:7, 8; Isa.
28:2-17.
CAN ANYTHING REMAIN?

But what about survival? Is it possible

to live and experience something better
than the present situation? It is true that
this judgment will be severe indeed on
those who hate God and who blaspheme
him, but it will be good for those who love
God and who want to see righteousness in
the earth. Such persons will escape this
last plague by studying his Word. They
must now apply themselves to the cultiva
tion of Gods spirit to produce the fruitage
of the spirit, which constitutes the things
that bring good into the lives of men. They
are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kind
ness, goodness, faith, mildness, selfcontrol. (Gal. 5:22, 23) They are the ex
act opposite of the things produced by
the spirit of this world, which things do
good to no one, namely, the works of the
flesh: fornication, uncleanness, loose con
duct, idolatry, practice of spiritism, ha
treds, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, con
tentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunken
bouts, revelries, and things like these.
Gal. 5:19-21.
The questions clearly set for decision
before each one who hears the proclama
tion and reads and understands these
things are, Which fruitage do you want?
Do you want to live a short time in a

Jan u a r y 15, 1967

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

world filled with works of the flesh and

then die forever, or do you want everlast
ing life in a world filled with the fine
fruitage of Gods spirit? Right now, when
this seventh and last plague is being
poured out, the time is fast being reduced
during which there is an opening for one

61

to receive salvation from the earthquake

and the unusually great rain of hailstones.
Act quickly to escape the final crash. Even
though you may look upon a religion, a
government or an institution or ideology
as age-lasting, forsake it now for the only
lasting thing, Gods kingdom by Christ.

WHY SO MUCH TO DO?

O QUESTION about it, today the
Christian witnesses of Jehovah
have much to do. There is reading and
studying of the Bible and Bible literature.
There are five weekly meetings of the con
gregation to prepare for and attend. There
are all the various features of the Chris
tian field ministry, preaching from house
to house, making return visits and con
ducting Bible studies in the homes of the
people. There is also the need to assist
their Christian brothers, as well as pre
paring for parts on the various programs,
and so forth. And those who are servants
in the congregations have still more du
ties to discharge.
Much to do? No doubt about it! But
have you ever considered the fact that in
having much to do Christian ministers are
not altogether unique? Such professional
men as general practitioners, the GPs, of
ten have much to do. A conscientious gen
eral practitioner may devote as much as
seventy hours or more a week to his pro
fession, all because of the demands made
upon him by his patients. And, additional
ly, he has much reading to do so as to
keep up with progress made in medicine.
If the conscientious medical practitioner
has reason to be busy, has much to do,
Jehovahs Christian ministers have even
more reason to be busy. How so? Because
theirs is a far more important work, that
of spiritual healing, which leads to ever

lasting life, and, what is more, everybody

is in need of the kind of healing that they
offer. However, their work requires much
time and patience because they must first
show the people how sadly they are in
need of spiritual healing and how serious
spiritual sickness is, for most persons are
not conscious of their spiritual plight.
THE URGENCY OF OUR TIMES

Another reason for such ministers be

ing so busy, having so much to do, is that
there is so little time left in which to do
spiritual healing. We are, indeed, living in
urgent times. Jesus likened our urgent
times to the days of Noah, and we know
that Noah had much to do, caring for his
household, preaching, building the ark,
gathering the animals and storing away a
years supply of food for all. (Gen. 6:137:5; Matt. 24:37-39) And remember Gid
eon and his band that put the Midianites
to flight? They had an urgent task before
them if they were to clinch the victory,
and so we read of their being tired but
keeping up the pursuit. Judg. 8:4.
As Christians we are in a spiritual war
fare, opposing the forces that cause spiri
tual sickness. It keeps us busy and at times
we get tired; but we keep up the pursuit,
as it were. We keep on going because we
know that lives are involved.
Jesus said on one occasion: We must
work the works of him that sent me while

62

SEeWATCHTOWER

it is day; the night is coming when no

man can work. Such a night came upon
Jesus. But today Armageddon is coming,
which cannot be far away, since the 1914
generation will not pass away before it
comes! No question about it, time is run
ning out! Is it not fitting, then, that we
have much to do as Armageddon gets clos
er? John 9:4; Matt. 24:34.
A PROTECTION FOR US

Actually, having plenty to do in the

work of the Lord is a protection, a bless
ing for us. (1 Cor. 15:58) In what way?
In that, since we are no part of the world,
having much to do protects us from its
temptations and snares that beset us on
every hand. It is thoughtful on the part
of the faithful and discreet slave to pro
vide us with plenty to read and study,
with many meetings to attend and with
much to do in the field ministry. By keep
ing busy with these things we will find
our minds filled with the things that
are upbuilding. This protects our minds
against the spirit of this world, and our
selves from being occupied with the works
of the flesh. Gal. 5:19-23; Phil. 4:8.
Take a lesson from King David. He
would never have made the most heinous
mistake of his life had he kept busy. Once
King David stayed at home, apparently
deciding to take it easy. Had he been
busy fighting the sons of Ammon at Rabbah, along with his general, Joab, David
would never have been exposed to that
temptation to which he succumbed, after
ward to regret it O so bitterly! Can you
not look back and see how at times hav
ing much to do may have kept you from
making a serious mistake?2 Sam. 11:1;
Psalm 51.
PROVISIONS TO ACCOMMODATE EVERYONE

The fact that the faithful and discreet

slave provides us with so much to do in

rooklyn

N.Y.

the field ministry does not mean that each

one is expected to do all that everyone else
does. For example, the local congregation
may provide for Tuesday evening pre
study field service; for Wednesday night
back-call activity; for midweek daytime
witnessing and Saturday magazine work
as well as Sunday house-to-house and
back-call service. These arrangements are
not made with the thought that everyone
must get out in service practically every
day in the week. The meetings for ser
vice are for our convenience, to help us.
For Christian housewives whose hus
bands are not believers and who want
them home Sundays, there is the midweek
witnessing. Then, again, one may be able
to share in the Tuesday prestudy activity;
another may not, but is able to get out on
Wednesday evening. Then, again, another
may be able to engage in the Saturday
magazine work, but another may only be
able to get out Sundays for the field min
istry. By our having many arrangements
there is opportunity for all to have a
share according to their conditions and
circumstances, and no one needs to feel
pushed or pressured to get out at a time
not possible for him to do so.
Then, again, not all have the same
strength or energy. Some may be able to
devote only one or two hours instead of
three on Sunday mornings or afternoons.
Better to spend that one hour than not to
go out at all. Here one can take encour
agement from the widow with her coins of
very small value. The point is that she
gave all she had; she did not give little
because of lack of desire to give more.
Luke 21:1-4.
So each one of us can examine his own
position. If we are wholehearted in Jeho
vahs service, we have reason to rejoice.
But if we hold back on service because we
prefer other activity, then we need to im
prove our spiritual outlook.

Ja n u a r y

15, 1967

W ATCHTOW ER

ENOUGH SPIRITUAL FOOD FOR ALL

The same principle applies to our read

ing the publications of the Watch Tower
Society. Some have more time to read
than others; some read faster than others;
some can grasp things more quickly than
can others. We might liken our spiritual
provisions to a great banquet being spread
for many guests, old and young, large and
small. Not all can eat the same amount of
food, but there is an abundance for all. So
it is with our spiritual food.Isa. 25:6.
Not everyone may be able to read all
that the Society publishes. But certainly
all should endeavor to find time to read
the Bible regularly and to read the Soci
etys official journal, The Watchtower,
from cover to cover. If we find that we are
not doing this we may well ask ourselves,
Are we making the best possible use of
the time at our disposal? Could it be that
we are spending time reading worldly
magazines that could be spent reading The
Watchtower? Or are we spending more
time than we should with the daily paper
or watching television?
What about reading the Awake! maga
zine? So as to appeal to many different
kinds of people it contains a great variety
of different articles. A sister may not be
interested in what it has to say about
mechanical care for autos and a brother
may not be interested in an article about

63

sewing. But there is something for every

one, a wide variety of subjects for per
sons in varying circumstances.
However, do not minimize the value of
Awake! If you can, read each issue from
cover to cover. Awake! protects us from
the creature worship that worldly maga
zines encourage by featuring personali
ties, and at the same time it gives us the
theocratic perspective on everything it dis
cusses. For example, worldly magazines
may tell of the rise of situational ethics,
but they do not give us Gods view re
garding these. They may have interesting
accounts about haunted houses but they
have no idea what is back of it all. Awake!
articles are prepared by Gods organiza
tion, which is interested in our spiritual
welfare. Rom. 8:6.
As Christian witnesses of Jehovah, we
do have much to do in the way of per
sonal Bible reading and study of Bible
literature, meetings to attend and field
ministry to perform. But if we appreciate
why we have so much to dobecause of
the importance of our work and the ur
gency of our times we do not complain.
Having so much to do is a real safeguard
for us. And by using the spirit of a sound
mind we can strike a happy balance be
tween what there is to do and what we
are able to do, to Jehovahs praise and to
our own well-being.

Disciple-making District Assemblies

Memories of the Gods Sons of Liberty
District Assemblies held during 1966 have not
yet faded. In fact, in South America and the
Caribbean those assemblies are still in prog
ress. Those who attended any of these assem
blies were deeply moved by the things that
they saw and heard and they are looking
forward to the next assemblies arranged by
the Watch Tower Society. So the question is
already being raised: W here will we have
our assemblies during 1967?

Arrangements for these assemblies have

been under way for some time now, and we
are glad to pass on to you the details now
available concerning the dates and cities. The
assemblies will be spread throughout the entire
period of the northern summer, and they are
conveniently located so that every reader of
The Watchtower should find it possible to
attend. W e encourage you to make plans now
to be sure that your vacation dates include one

SKeWATCHTOWER.

64

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

of the 1967 Disciple-making District Assem

blies.
Each assembly will open on Thursday after
noon and conclude on Sunday evening at about
6 p.m. W ill you be present all four days? W e
encourage you to do so. Those who came to
the assemblies only for the weekend last year
were disappointed to find that they had missed
some of the choicest portions of the program.

W e feel confident that, with Jehovahs blessing,

the program this year, right from the first day,
will be just as delightful and spiritually up
building as was the one in 1966.
Unless otherwise indicated, the programs for
the assemblies listed below will be in English,
but, as you will note, some of the assemblies
in the United States will provide a program in
Spanish.

U N IT E D S T A T E S
June 2 2 -2 5 : K a l is p e ll, M o n t .; S to c k to n , C a lif .
June 29 -Ju ly 2: A b e rd e e n , S . D . ; A m a r illo , T e x . ( S p a n

B R IT IS H IS L E S
June 29-July 2: R o m fo rd , E s s e x ; C h a r lt o n , L o n d o n ;

is h a ls o ) ; G a lv e s to n , T e x .; S e d a lia , M o .; U t ic a , N .Y .
Ju ly 6-9: A lle n t o w n , P a . ; A s h e v ille , N . C . ; L a n s in g ,
M i c h . ; S a lin a , K a n s . ; T a u n t o n , M a s s . ; T u c s o n , A r i z . ;
W a c o , T e x .; W e s t P a lm B e a c h , F l a . ( S p a n is h a lso )
Ju ly 13-16: L a r e d o , T e x . ( S p a n is h o n ly ) ; S a n Jo se ,
C a l i f .; S a v a n n a h , G a . ( t e n t a t iv e ) ; T r e n to n , N .J .
Ju ly 20-23: M a n c h e s te r , N .H . ( t e n t a t iv e ) ; O gd en, U t a h ;
S p rin g fie ld , M o .; T u s c a lo o s a , A la . (t e n t a t iv e )
Ju ly 27-30: F r e s n o , C a l if .; M a d is o n , W i s . ; P it t s b u r g h ,
P a .; Y a k im a , W a sh .
A ugust 3-6: E u g e n e , O r e .; G r a n d Is la n d , N e b .; J e r s e y
C it y , N .J . ( S p a n is h a ls o ) ; P o m o n a , C a lif . ( S p a n is h
a ls o ) ; R a le ig h , N .C .
A ugust 10-13: C o lu m b u s , G a . ; P e o r ia , 111.; S a u lt S te .
M a r ie , M ic h .; S o u t h B e n d , In d . (t e n t a t iv e )
A ug ust 17-20: C o s t a M e s a , C a l if .; O rla n d o , F l a . ;
W o rce ste r, M ass.
A ugust 24-27: J a c k s o n , M ic h , ( t e n t a t iv e ) ; L a u r e l,
M d. (t e n t a t iv e )
T e n ta tiv e ; No Dates Set: C h ic a g o , 111. (S p a n is h o n ly ) ;
E a s t S t . L o u is , 111.; E v a n s v ille , In d .; H a tt ie s b u rg ,
M is s .; L a f a y e t t e , L a . ; R o c h e s t e r , M in n .; V ic k s b u r g ,
M is s .

July 6-9: R e a d in g , B e r k s .

T o rq u a y , D e v o n .
J u ly 13-16: O x fo rd , O xo n .
J u ly 20-23: S w in d o n , W i l t s . ; P e te rb o ro u g h , N o r t h a n t s .
J u ly 27-30: B a r n s le y , Y o r k s .
August 3-6: B la c k b u r n , L a n c s .
A ugust 10-13: N e w c a s t le - o n - T y n e , N la n d ; B r ig h t o n ,
Su sse x .
August 17-20: D u n d e e , A n g u s , S c o t la n d ; H a m ilt o n ,
L a n a r k s , S c o tla n d .
A ugust 31-Septem ber 3: W o o d G re e n , L o n d o n .
Septem ber 7 -10: S w a n s e a , G la m s ., W a le s .
Note: I t is h o p ed t h a t tw o m o re a s s e m b ly lo c a tio n s
w ill be a d d e d to t h is lis t .

CANADA
July 6-9 : S a s k a t o o n , S a s k .
July 27-30: S a r n ia , O n t.
August 3-6 : T r u r o , N . S.
A ugust 10-13: B a r r ie , O n t .; O s h a w a , O n t.
A ugust 17-20: M o n cto n , N . B .
Note: I t is ho p ed t h a t e le v e n m o re a s s e m b ly lo c a tio n s
w ill be a d d e d to t h is lis t . P la n s a r e b e in g m a d e fo r
tw o a s s e m b lie s in F r e n c h .

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

Jehovahs witnesses carry on their ministry

in an organized way, under the direction of
their Fine Shepherd and Jehovahs Principal
Servant, Jesus Christ. In harmony with Jesus
own instructions, those in the congregations
of Jehovahs witnesses who take the lead are
not an exalted clergy class, but the servants
of their Christian brothers. Together, as a
united group, they cooperate in announcing
Jehovahs kingdom. During January they will
be doing this from house to house by offering
to interested persons this Bible magazine,
The Watchtower, which, as its front cover
shows, is devoted to Announcing Jehovahs
Kingdom. A years subscription, along with
three Bible booklets, will be offered for $1.
H O W DO YOU VIEW THE BIBLE?

H ow long has it been since you heard some

one belittle the Bible or try to minimize its
value? More and more such expressions are

becoming commonplace. But if you are one

of the many sincere persons whose faith has
remained unshaken by the materialistic trend
of this world, you will be glad to know that
this magazine you are holding, The Watchtower, is still an outstanding champion of the
Bible and of our Creators Godship. The Watchtower remains steadfast in its determination
to bring you the truth from Gods W ord and
to help you appreciate this Book of Books
practical value in our day. Read it regularly.
Send now and receive free three timely book
lets on vital Bible subjects. One year, $1.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

February 19: Making Grateful Use of a

Penny. fll-34. Page 41. Songs to be used:
58,103.
February 26: Making Grateful U se of a
Penny, H35-39, and The Modern Fulfill
ment of the Penny. Page 49. Songs to be
used: 55, 34.

FEBRUARY 1, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

FRUITFUL CHRISTIANS MANIFEST

GODLY CONTENTMENT
SERVANTS OF GOD FULL TIME
HOW GOD SPEAKS TO US TODAY
IS IT RELIGIONS DUTY TO ENTER
THE POLITICAL FIELD?
W TB& TS

YO U A RE MY W ITN ESSES, SAYS J E H O V A R -lsa .43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F " T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very w atchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h at is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tc h to w e r " this magazine Justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch to w e r" began to be published in Ju ly o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad*
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious n ew order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h to w er"
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tc h to w e r " is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true God.
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G ods promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N . H . K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13
Average p rin tin g each issue: 4,850,000 F ive cents a copy

CONTENTS
Men W ho Really Are Head of the House

67

How God Speaks to Us Today

69

Fruitful Christians Manifest

Godly Contentment

73

Servants of God Full Time

79

Have You Thought About Bethel Service?

86

Is It Religion's Duty to Enter the

Political Field?

87

Offering M yself W illingly

92

Questions from Readers

95

Making God's Service Our Chief

Joy

96

The Bible translation used in The Watchtower is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols w ill appear behind the citations:

A S American Standard Version

A T - An American Translation
A V - Authorized Version (1611)
D y - Catholic Douay version
JP - Jewish Publication Soc.

L e Isaac Leesers version

M o - James Moffatt's version
R o - J. B. Rotherhams version
R S - Revised Standard Version
Y g - Robert Youngs version

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Printed in U.S.A.

M
y 4 rv n o u n c iriQ r

J E H O V A H S
KING DO M
February 1, 1967

tt A

Number 3

the other hand, nei

ther are they weak
and irresolute, al
lowing their wives
to assume the role
that is rightfully
the ir s. A p r o p e r
h e a d is, as W e b
s t e r s N ew Third
International Dic
tionary describes,
one who stands in relation to others
somewhat as the head does to other mem
bers of the body . . . one in charge of a
division or department. Thus, as the
physical head directs the movements and
operations of the body, or the head one of
a department supervises the organization
and work of his staff, so the head of the
house should assume charge of the house
hold, having jurisdiction over its activities.
What would happen if the head of a
staff of workers knew little or nothing
about the work of his department? If he
took little interest in what his staff was
doing, gave them no directions or instruc
tions, put off making decisions, failed to
shoulder responsibility, and forced his sub
ordinates to take charge in order to get
anything accomplished, what would they
think of him? Why, they would consider
him to be a mere figurehead, not a real
head. Under such circumstances relations
can deteriorate fast.
The situation is similar in a home. If
a man turns over leadership and all

h u sban d

\ . is head of
his wife, the Bible
explains. (Eph. 5:
23) Yet, according
to reports of social
scientists and wives
themselves, many
m odern -day hus
bands have abdicat
ed their rightful po
sition as head of the house. Many of my
clients complain of the weakness and ir
resolution of their husbands, one promi
nent marriage counselor in New York city
reported.
The failure of many men to exercise
proper headship is clearly responsible for
a large portion of todays marital prob
lems. What, therefore, is involved in being
a proper head of the house? What role
should the husband assume in the family?
How should he treat his wife?
Some men interpret headship to mean
that they should be dictators to their
wives. In fact, it has long been the prac
tice in some places for husbands to treat
their wives as slaves or worse. But this
is not in harmony with the above Scrip
tural principle, for notice that it says: A
husband is head of his wife as the Christ
also is head of the congregation. And
Christ definitely did not treat his congre
gation of followers in an unloving manner!
So men who really are the head of the
house are not dictatorial bosses. Yet, on
l

who
really are

HEAD OFTHE HOUSE

67

68

SfHeVv'ATCHTOWER

decision-making to his wife, she quickly

loses respect for him as her head. A man
that says, Go ask your mother, when
ever the children ask permission to do
something; or, You decide, whenever a
family decision has to be made, reveals
that he is not really the head of the house.
And such a home is generally an unhappy
one.
What, then, does proper headship in
volve? Does it mean making all decisions?
Does it include directing every activity and
movement of ones wife and children? Not
at all! God created humans, including
wives and children, to enjoy relative free
dom. People are discontent and rebel when
their every move and moment of time is
directed and scheduled for them.
So proper headship is not a matter of
making every decision, but of exercising
oversight of all the activities and business
of ones family. It is the mans responsi
bility to set the guidelines according to
which the household is run. Yet, at the
same time, there can be a great latitude
of freedom within the bounds set.
For example, a husband may grant his
wife almost total freedom to decide how
the furniture is to be arranged, what to
purchase in the way of food for the family,
or to make decisions in other similar mat
ters. Still the husband exercises jurisdic
tion and, as he sees fit, can issue direc
tives to improve the way things are being
handled. Usually, however, kind words
of encouragement and well-placed compli
ments do the most to inspire cooperation
and support. A good family head will not
withhold praise.
Genuine concern for the welfare of his
staff of workers distinguishes a really fine
departmental head. Sometimes persons are
heard to say about such a one: Id do
anything for him, meaning they would
cooperate to the fullest extent. Similar ex
pressions are heard concerning men who

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

heed the Bible exhortations: Husbands,

continue loving your wives. (Eph. 5:25)
And: Fathers, do not be irritating your
children, but go on bringing them up in
the discipline and authoritative advice of
Jehovah. (Eph. 6:4) To such a consid
erate, helpful and loving head it is a joy
to be subject.
Such a family head is humble. He real
izes he does not know it all. He acknowl
edges that his wife and, at times, even his
children may know more about certain
matters than he does. So he often discusses
things with them before making decisions.
In this way his wife and children are
made to feel close to the family arrange
ment. Yet, at the same time, they feel
secure in knowing that the head of the
house is assuming his responsibility.
A man who is really head of the house
has initiative; he is not a lazy person. It
is understandable that after a hard days
work he appreciates a little peace and
quiet when he comes home, perhaps in
perusing the evening newspaper. Never
theless, he shows initiative by planning
and organizing family activities, even as
he might plan his business schedule. He
sees to it that there are occasional week
end outings with the children and evenings
that include some form of family relax
ation. He also considers the needs of his
wife, perhaps planning an evening out
alone with her at times. Such a father and
husband is really appreciated and loved.
Still there is another area in which a
man who is truly head of the house must
take the lead, and that is in teaching his
family love and respect for Almighty God.
He prays with his family; they regularly
attend Christian meetings together, and,
as a family, they take an active part in
sharing with others what they know about
God and his purposes. A man who does
this not only is loved by his family but
is pleasing to Jehovah God as well.

could a wise, just and loving

God speak so many contradic
tory things?
The fact is that the Bible
warns us against the fallen,
imperfect human heart: The
heart is m ore treacherous
than anything else and is
desperate. Who can know it?
(Jer. 1 7 : 9 ) T h a t is w h y
G o d s Wo r d counsels us:
Trust inJehovah with all
'H E confusion, strife
your heart and do not lean
and lawlessness that
upon your own understand
mark our day cause some
ing. In all your
to conclude that God no
ways take no
longer cares what happens
t i c e o f hi m ,
to mankind. If he cares,
and he himself
why doesnt he speak out?
w ill m ake
Why doesnt he help us to
you r paths
How does God help us to cope with
solve the problems that
s t r a i g h t.
problems of modern-day living? Is
face us? they ask.
(Prov. 3:5, 6)
he speaking through humans today?
Really, the problem is
But how can
not that God does not
humans take
speak out but that people in general are notice of God? Does God speak to men
confused as to how God speaks to us today. today?
This is evident even in the effort of one
HOW DID GOD SPEAK IN TIMES PAST?
of Americas clergymen, Harry Emerson
It will be enlightening for us first to
Fosdick, to explain the matter. He recent
ly said: Gods word does not come to examine how Jehovah God spoke to men
man through magical handwriting on the of early times. One of the ways God spoke
wall, or spelled out on stone tablets, but to mankind was by means of angels. This
from the inner counsel of the heart. But is clear from the Bible record, such as in
the account of Abraham, for Genesis 22:
is this really the answer?
If Gods word comes from the inner 11 plainly says that Jehovahs angel be
counsel of the heart, it may well be asked, gan calling to him out of the heavens.
From the counsel of whose heart? The Also, the Mosaic Law given to Israel is
heart of the atheist, the agnostic, the referred to as the word spoken through
Communist, the Hindu, the Buddhist, the angels. (Heb. 2:2) The most prominent
Moslem, or from the hearts of those ad of angelic mouthpieces used by God was
hering to any one of the hundreds of con the one later identified in the Bible as
flicting sects of Christendom? Is it not for the Word, or representative spokesman
the very reason that men follow the inner of God, Jesus Christ in his prehuman ex
counsel of their hearts that the world is in istence. John 1:1, 14.
God also spoke in ancient times by
such a sorry state today? Besides, how

GOD

Sneaks
foils

Today

69

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
flieWATCHTOWER.
means of his prophets. In this regard one way, Jesus Christ appearing to him. Yet
of the apostles of Jesus Christ said: God in spite of thus supernaturally receiving
spoke through the mouth of his holy Gods word, Saul needed help from Gods
prophets of old time. (Acts 3:21) And visible organization. The Lord sent the
the Bible, at Hebrews 1:1, says: God . . . disciple Ananias to Saul; he taught Saul
spoke on many occasions and in many the truth about Jesus. At the prompting
ways to our forefathers by means of the of Ananias, Saul was at once baptized,
prophets. Much of what God spoke and he became the apostle Paul. (Acts 9:
through those prophets has been preserved 1-19; 22:16) This very apostle later wrote
these words, showing that God speaks to
for us in the Holy Bible.
The most important way that God has mankind through humans who belong to
spoken to mankind is by means of his own His organization: When you received
Son, sending him to the earth as a man Gods word, which you heard from us, you
to speak the words God had given him. accepted it, not as the word of men, but,
The inspired account at Hebrews 1:1, 2, af just as it truthfully is, as the word of
ter stating that God spoke in times past by God. 1 Thess. 2:13.
the prophets, explains that God has at the GOD SPEAKS THROUGH HIS WORD, THE BIBLE
end of these days spoken to us by means
What God spoke through the prophets
of a Son. This Son when on earth ac and through his Son he has had recorded.
knowledged that the words he spoke were As a result, all Scripture, from Genesis
not of his own originality: What I teach through Revelation, is inspired of God,
is not mine, but belongs to him that sent just as the apostle Peter testified: No
me. If anyone desires to do His will, he prophecy of Scripture springs from any
will know concerning the teaching wheth private interpretation. For prophecy was
er it is from God or I speak of my own at no time brought by mans will, but men
originality. Jesus followers well knew spoke from God as they were borne along
that he spoke Gods words, words of divine by holy spirit. (2 Pet. 1:20, 21) So when
truth. In fact, on one occasion Jesus de we hear the Bible read, we are hearing the
scribed himself as a man that has told words of God.
you the truth that I heard from God.
What God had recorded was not merely
John 7:16, 17; 8:40.
for people of generations past. No, it was
So God spoke in times past, not only written for our admonition, as the apostle
through angels and prophets, but, most Paul wrote: All the things that were
importantly, through his own Son. (Heb. written aforetime were written for our
2:1-3) Now, having done this, did God instruction, that. . . we might have hope.
stop speaking to men? No, indeed.
(Rom. 15:4) What the Bible says reaches
God now spoke to mankind through his far beyond the days in which it was re
organization of followers of his resurrect corded. It speaks of future days; in fact,
ed Son. For example, when a certain Ethio it describes in detail the times in which
pian official was reading the prophecy of we live. (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Luke 21:10, 11, 25,
Isaiah and could not understand it, God 26) It shows the course that we should
sent a representative of his organization, pursue now. Yes, through it God is speak
Philip, to help this truth seeker under ing to us today.
stand what he was reading. (Acts 8:26-40)
Gods Word is not out-of-date in this
There is also the case of Saul of Tarsus. modern scientific world. The facts show
Gods word came to him in a miraculous that it is sound. Concerning this, Earl

70

F ebruary

1, 1967

SKeWATCHTOWER

Chester Rex, a mathematician and author

of the textbook Vector Analysis, says:
As a scientist I find my conclusions con
cerning God and the universe confirmed
by the sacred Scriptures. I happen to be
lieve those Scriptures. I believe all they
say about the origin and direction of this
universe. . . . [Critics] have been caught
in errors too often for us to accept their
flippant assertions. * Even as the Bible is
scientifically accurate and contains reli
able history, as archaeologists have con
firmed, it also contains Gods perfect prin
ciples to guide us through these hard-todeal-with times.
COPING WITH PROBLEMS
OF MODERN-DAY LIFE

God has not left us in the lurch in these

modern times; what he has spoken to us
is even more helpful in these critical, wick
ed days than ever before. Why, the coun
sel given in the book of Proverbs for us
not to associate with wicked ones, with
hot-tempered people or with talebearers
but, rather, to associate with persons who
love divine wisdom could never be more
up-to-date. The book of Proverbs, once
said American educator William Lyon
Phelps, is more up to date than this
mornings newspaper. ! Prov. 1:10-19;
4:14-19; 13:20; 20:19; 22:24, 25.
Yes, God, by means of his Word, speaks
to us today words of wisdom to help us
cope with modern-day problems. In this
materialistic age, are we tempted by the
love of money? God speaks to warn us
against it: Those who are determined to
be rich fall into temptation and a snare
and many senseless and hurtful desires,
which plunge men into destruction and
ruin. For the love of money is a root of
all sorts of injurious things. (1 Tim. 6:
9, 10) Yes, what unhappiness, what frus* In The Evidence of God in an Expanding Universe
J. C. Monsma.
f Treasury of the Christian Faith, 1949, edited by
Stuber and Clark, p. 48.

71

trations people bring upon themselves and

what crimes have been committed all be
cause of the love of money, of material
possessions! How wise this warning that
God speaks to us today!
Are we concerned with preserving a
happy marriage? Human nature is no dif
ferent today from what it was 1,900 years
ago. Gods counsel for husbands and wives
that he caused to be recorded back there
is as applicable to us today as when it
was first written, and so God speaks to
us today regarding these things also: Let
wives be in subjection to their husbands
as to the Lord . . . as the congregation is
in subjection to the Christ, so let wives
also be to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, continue loving your wives . . .
husbands ought to be loving their wives
as their own bodies. Surely this counsel
gets at the chief causes of marital difficul
ties: wives failing to be in subjection;
husbands failing to love their wives as
themselves. Eph. 5:22-28.
Furthermore, God gives wise counsel on
the relations between the individual and
the governing authorities, between em
ployers and employees, and between Chris
tians and their presiding ministers. All of
it fits our circumstances today. Rom. 13:
1-4; Col. 3:22-4:1; Heb. 13:7, 17.
And God speaks to us, not only with
regard to modern-day individual problems,
but also as to present world problems. His
Word shows the only solution to the over
whelming problems facing mankindthe
kingdom of God. It explains how that
heavenly kingdom will solve them and
bring in everlasting peace and make pos
sible everlasting life in Gods righteous
New Order. And when does God say that
this is to take place? In this generation.
Indeed, God is speaking to us today by
means of the Bible. Dan. 2:44; Isa. 9:7;
1 Cor. 15:24, 26; Rev. 21:2-4; Matt. 24:
32-34.

72

SEeWATCHTOWER.

B rooklyn,

N. Y.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord,

Lord, did we not prophesy in your name
Of course, not everyone listens to God . . . ? And yet then I will confess to
by reading the Bible. But this does not them: I never knew you! Get away from
muzzle God. No, because he sends his me, you workers of lawlessness. (Jer. 14:
Christian witnesses to the homes of the 14; Matt. 7:21-23) Then how can one iden
people, to tell them about his kingdom, tify the organization through which God
even as Jesus Christ foretold for our day: is speaking to mankind today?
He must examine their claims in the
This good news of the kingdom will be
light of Gods writ
preached in all the
ten Word. Do they
inhabited earth for a
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
stick to Gods Word
witness to all the na
Jehovah Makes Full M ig ht Abound.
the Bible and faith
tions. (Matt. 24:14)
From a W eak State . . . Made P o w e rfu l.
fully teach what it
This is being done in
Fulfilled Prophecy Testifies th a t God
Lives.
says? Do they live in
199 lands and prin
Meeting the Problems of Your C hildren.
harmony with it? Is
cipal island groups.
it true of them, as
What they are tell
ing people is what God in his Word says; Jesus said, that they are no part of the
world, steering clear of involvement in its
he is the one talking.
So, too, God uses men to speak to those social and political strife? Do they produce
within the congregation of believers. For the fruits of Gods spirit in their lives? Are
example, when overseers in the Christian they known for their unity, believing and
congregation counsel their fellow believ teaching alike wherever they are, so that
ers, who really is speaking? Well, who des Gods message through them is the same
ignated them as overseers? It is Gods to people everywhere? Are they readily
Word that set out the qualifications. If identifiable as distinct from all others be
they are serving because they meet those cause they love one another as Jesus said
qualifications, they are designated by God. would be true of those who really are in
When they give counsel in harmony with union with him and God his Father?
the Scriptures, it is God who is speaking John 17:16, 20, 21; 13:35; Gal. 5:22, 23;
1 Cor. 1:10.
by means of them. 1 Tim. 3:1-7.
However, God is not speaking by means
There are such persons today through
of everyone who takes up the Bible and whom God is speaking. By means of them
uses the name of his Son. Just as there you received this magazine. Prove to your
were prophets in ancient times of whom self whether they meet the Scriptural
God said, I have not sent them, nor have qualifications set out above; associate
I commanded them or spoken to them, with them in the Kingdom Hall nearest
so it is in our time. Jesus Christ said con you. Do not delay. Your life depends on
cerning the time of reckoning that Not finding out who today are truly Gods ser
everyone saying to me, Lord, Lord, vants that speak his Word and becoming
will receive approval. He explained: one of them.
GOD SPEAKS THROUGH

HIS ORGANIZATION TODAY

Bible
those people who
Christians
apathetically took
are not persons who
no n o t e of the
simply go to a place
warning that God
of worship once in
issued through No
a while, and then
ah before the flood
live like the rest of
and who, as a re
the world. Their en
sult, went on eat
tire outlook on life
in g and drinking
is deeply influenced
and m arrying and
b y th e f a c t t h a t
giving their daugh
they are followers
ters in marriage in
of Jesus Christ;
a manner that in
so they take to
dicated that they
heart the things
did not take seri
that he and his
ously what Noah
apostles taught
preached. (Matt.
and did. As Jesus
24:38, 39) They
said, t h e y are
showed by their
no part of the
actions that they
world, and, for
did not really be
that reason, if
lieve that global
they are mature
destruction was
Christians, they
impending. Jesus
do not share the
said that the
outlook of the materialistic
same
attitude
would prevail
'Having sustenance and cover
world around them. (John
in our day, and it does. Such
ing, we shall be content with
these t h in g s ." - ! Tim . 6 :8 .
17:16) They do not put ma
ungodly apathy about spiri
terial p o s s e s s i o n s above
tual matters is not to be con
spiritual values. Is that true of you? If you fused with godly contentment. Luke 17:
are one who professes to be a Christian, 26-30.
have you taken to heart the counsel re
3
Nor does the inspired counsel of the
corded in the Bible at Hebrews 13:5, apostle Paul to be content with the
which says: Let your manner of life be present things mean that one should be
free of the love of money, while you are satisfied with the present wicked system
content with the present things ? NW;
of things. This system of things is per
Yg; Ro; ED.
meated with sin and is marred by sickness,
2
Being content with the present
suffering
and death, which are the fruits
things does not mean that one is indif
of
sin.
It
is characterized by men who
ferent about his situation in life. Certain
are
lovers
of money and who indulge in
ly it does not mean that he is complacent
about spiritual matters. He is not like the dishonesty that such love breeds. It
1. (a) How should ones being a Christian affect his is filled with those who are lovers of
attitude toward material possessions? (b) What pointed
pleasures rather than lovers of God.
counsel on this matter is recorded at Hebrews 13:5?
2. (a) Before the Flood, how did people manifest
(2 Tim. 3:1-5) How could any true Christheir indifference toward the message Noah preached,

rue

FRUITFUL
CHRISTIANS
MANIFEST

and is the same attitude evident today? (b) Is such

apathy what is meant by being content with the
present things ?

3. Why could no true Christian be content with the

present wicked system of things?
73

74

SfteWATCHTOWER

tian be content with such a state of af

fairs? Gal. 1:4.
4Then, just what is the contentment
that the Bible encourages us to have? It
is contentment with the material necessi
ties of life. This does not mean that any
one is being told to be lazy, expecting
others to provide for him while he takes
it easy. (2 Thess. 3:10, 12; Acts 20:33,
34) But it does mean that we are being
urged not to get trapped in the material
istic way of life of the world, constantly
endeavoring to add to our material posses
sions, as if life itself depended on doing
so or as if such possessions were the
source of true happiness. For this reason
Paul said with unmistakable clarity to his
fellow Christian Timothy: We have
brought nothing into the world, and nei
ther can we carry anything out. So, hav
ing sustenance and covering, we shall be
content with these things. (1 Tim. 6:
7, 8; Eccl. 5:15) Can you, in all honesty,
say that that is true of you?
LIFE DOES NOT RESULT
FROM MATERIAL POSSESSIONS

5 On one occasion when Jesus was

preaching in the territory of Judea, a situ
ation arose that gave him the opportunity
to emphasize the proper attitude toward
material possessions. One of the crowd
said to him: Teacher, tell my brother to
divide the inheritance with me. Jesus did
not agree to mediate that family dispute
over inheritance, but he did discern what
the difficulty was and so replied: Keep
your eyes open and guard against every
sort of covetousness. Jesus warning
against covetousness seems to indicate
that the man was really seeking to get
4. (a) So, what is the contentment that the Bible
encourages us to have? (b) In this regard, what
question should each one ask himself?
5. What situation provided a fine opportunity for Jesus
to point out the proper attitude toward material
possessions, and what was basically wrong with his
inquirers outlook on life?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

something that was not due him; appar

ently the dispute had arisen over failure
to respect the Law requirement that two
parts of everything go to the eldest son.
(Deut. 21:17) But the mans difficulty was
not only that he was covetous; it went
deeper than that. What made him think
that way in the first place was that he
felt that material possessions are the big
thing in life, and Jesus made it plain, both
for his benefit and ours, that such think
ing is not sound, when he said: Even
when a person has an abundance his life
does not result from the things he pos
sesses. (Luke 12:13-15) Life is from God.
As the apostle Paul explained to men of
Athens, the God that made the world and
all the things in it . . . himself gives to all
persons life and breath and all things.
Acts 17:24, 25.
6
Developing the matter, Jesus used an
illustration: The land of a certain rich
man produced well. Consequently he be
gan reasoning within himself, saying,
What shall I do, now that I have no
where to gather my crops? So he said,
I will do this: I will tear down my store
houses and build bigger ones, and there
I will gather all my grain and all my good
things; and I will say to my soul: Soul,
you have many good things laid up for
many years; take your ease, eat, drink,
enjoy yourself. But even if he got all
his riches stored away, was there any as
surance that he would live long enough
to enjoy it? Did he really have security?
No, as Jesus went on to show. God said
to him, Unreasonable one, this night they
are demanding your soul from you. Who,
then, is to have the things you stored
up? (Luke 12:16-20) And is that not
just what so often happens in life? A man
works hard for many years so that when
6. (a) With what illustration did Jesus develop the
point he was making on that occasion? (b) Why is
a course like that of the man in Jesus illustration a
vain one?

F e b r u a r y 1, 1 9 6 7

3freWATCHTOWER

he retires he will be financially secure,

only to die before he even enjoys what he
has saved up. What vanity!Eccl. 2:1719.
7Jesus did not charge the man of whom
he spoke with dishonesty in business, nor
did he say that he had no interest in God.
But his big mistake was that he had the
wrong viewpoint toward life. He was busy
acquiring material possessions and was
not rich toward God. (Luke 12:21) How
well that describes the situation of the
majority of people today! They may be
lieve in God, as they put it, but they
feel that, when all is said and done, money
will do more for them than faith. So they
devote most of their lives to acquiring and
enjoying material possessions, but, for in
surance, as it were, they may include a
little religion in their lives. They are per
sons having a form of godly devotion but
proving false to its power, and the Scrip
tures urge us: From these turn away.
(2 Tim. 3:5) Do not be like them.

75

8 What is your outlook on life? Have

you set your heart on acquiring material
things, or does the service of God come
first? There are countless persons in this
world who are like that man of whom
Jesus spoke in his illustration. Concern
over material wants and needs comes first
in their lives. They are busy earning a
living, buying a home or redecorating one,
entertaining guests or making trips here
and there. They may say that they like
the message of Gods kingdom, but it is
always in second place. It happens to them
as Jesus said the anxieties of this sys
tem of things, the deceptive power of
riches and pleasures of this life domi-

nate their lives and choke the word about

the Kingdom, so it cannot grow and be
come fruitful. (Mark 4:18, 19; Luke 8:
14) Such a course brings no glory to God.
9On the other hand, there are those
who have taken to heart the words of the
Lord Jesus, who said: My Father is glo
rified in this, that you keep bearing much
fruit and prove yourselves my disciples.
(John 15:8) They may be men who are
secularly employed, providing for their
families. They may be mothers caring for
their children. They may be students at
tending school. But they are, first of all,
servants of God. They manifest the fruits
of Gods spirit in their lives, and they also
bear Kingdom fruit, sharing in the proc
lamation of Gods kingdom. They do not
shove spiritual interests into second place
but always offer to God a sacrifice of
praise, that is, the fruit of lips which
make public declaration to his name.
(Heb. 13:15) Is that true of you? Jesus
showed that it is true of those with a
fine and good heart, because they are the
ones who favorably receive the word of
God, retain it and bear fruit with endur
ance. (Luke 8:11, 15) Their course glo
rifies God and leads to everlasting life.
Rom. 6:22.
10 Some persons who have been bearing
godly fruit, however, turn aside from that
right course, and this is often because they
are no longer content with the present
things. Young people, for example, are
easily influenced by the materialistic out
look of the world around them, and espe
cially is this true if their parents are
inclined to value highly the ability to com
mand a big salary in the business world.
As a result, they may set their hearts on
the education that is offered by the worlds
institutions of higher learning. Their de-

7. How do people today frequently show themselves to

be like that man of whom Jesus spoke?
8. (a) In what way do many persons show that spiritual
interests do not come first in their lives? (b) What
prevents them from being fruitful Christians?

9. Of whom is it true that they keep bearing much

fruit, and with what results?
10. Why do some young folks who have shared in
Jehovahs service seek a college education, and what
are the pitfalls in such a course?

DO SPIRITUAL INTERESTS COME FIRST

IN YOUR LIFE?

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sire is not simply to learn a trade so that to devote again to materialistic pursuits.
they can work with their hands and not At first they missed a few meetings of
be a burden on others; no, they want to the congregation, then many. Participa
be in an upper-income bracket. (1 Thess. tion in the field ministry became irregular,
4:10-12) But what is wrong with that? and finally stopped. In so doing, some
Jesus frankly said that it would be more have been led astray from the faith and
difficult for a rich man to get into the have stabbed themselves all over with
Kingdom than for a camel to get through many pains. (1 Tim. 6:10) This is not
the eye of a sewing needle. (Luke 18:24, what they planned, but it is what hap
25) Rather than being content with sus pened. They came to be materially pros
tenance and covering, those who devote perous but spiritually impoverished. (Rev.
themselves to getting a higher education 3:15-17) It emphasizes the truthfulness of
usually want to be able to enjoy the rest Jesus words: You cannot slave for God
of the things that money can buy. (Mark and for Riches. Matt. 6:24.
4:19) If they are going to succeed in the
12
Many are the individuals who, even
education they have set out to get, they in their quest for what might be consid
have to work hard at it. Study of the ered just the normal requirements of life,
Bible, association with the Christian con allow their production of fruitage to Gods
gregation and participation in the Chris praise to be stifled. They associate with
tian ministry are curtailed. Worldly asso Jehovahs people, but they are not really
ciations predominate; worldly philosophy rich toward God. Overtime secular work
fills their minds. What happens? Perhaps frequently crowds out attendance at the
not what they expected, though they congregation meetings, because fear of
would have known if they took seriously displeasing their employer is stronger than
what the Bible says. (1 Cor. 15:33; Col. their fear of displeasing God. They may
2:8) It may even come as a shock to their have a token share in the field minis
parents. Why, just recently a man who try because they know it is a Christian
wanted his boy to have a good education requirement, but their principal efforts
so that life would be easier for him found are channeled into other interests. What
that, in just one year at college, the boy will be their position when Armageddon
had lost his faith something that no
strikes? Will Jehovah, who examines the
amount of money can buy.
heart, really find that they are persons
11
Others, too, may at one time have
who have loved him with all their heart
prized the truth of Gods Word and set
and mind and soul and strength? (Luke
aside time to teach it to others. They ap
plied what the Bible said at Colossians 10:25-28) Will he preserve them into his
4:5: Go on walking in wisdom toward new system of things? This is a matter for
those on the outside, buying out the op serious consideration. Not just next month
portune time for yourselves. But they or next year, but today, while we are yet
did not guard their hearts. They knew the alive and able to do things, is the time
truth in their minds, but in time their to prove that we want to be wholehearted
hearts began to long for more in the way praisers of Jehovah from now on and to
of material possessions. Time that they time indefinite. Ps. 115:17, 18.
had bought out from the world they began 12. (a) In what way does the course of some persons
11. How have some others who at one time were active
in Gods service lost their spirituality?

demonstrate that they are not truly rich toward

God ? (b) Why is this a matter for serious considera
tion now ?

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CONFIDENCE IN GOD AS PROVIDER

13 Obviously, when one puts material in

terests first in life, spirituality suffers. A
person cannot produce fruit that is really
an honor to God if he does not view things
in Gods way. What is the proper view
of this matter? Jesus Christ when on
earth made it clear that he never spoke
of his own originality, but that he ex
pressed the will of his Father in heaven.
(John 14:10) So it is with interest that
we read his words on the matter. Imme
diately after Jesus illustration emphasiz
ing that ones life does not result from the
things he possesses, Jesus turned to his
disciples and showed them how this prin
ciple applied in their lives. He spoke, not
of piling up great riches, but of obtaining
the necessities of life, saying: On this
account I say to you, Quit being anxious
about your souls as to what you will eat
or about your bodies as to what you will
wear. Does not God provide food for the
birds? Does he not clothe the vegetation
of the field ? Then how much rather will
he care for you who are his servants! So
quit seeking what you might eat and what
you might drink, and quit being in anxious
suspense; for all these are the things the
nations of the world are eagerly pursu
ing. Christians are not to be like the na
tions of the world. Their whole life is
not to be a mere struggle for material
necessities. (Eccl. 6:7) It is not that they
need these things less than unbelievers. As
Jesus went on to say: Your Father knows
you need these things. Nevertheless, seek
continually his kingdom, and these things
will be added to you.Luke 12:22-31.
14 Take note that Jesus did not say that
no one on earth would go hungry. As a
matter of fact, he foretold food short
ages for our time. (Mark 13:8) Nor is
13. What attitude toward obtaining the necessities of
life did Jesus urge his disciples to have, and how is
this different from that of worldly people?
14. For whom did Jesus show that this provision would
be made by God, and what would it include?

77

there any assurance that professed Chris

tians who simply do not like to work or
refuse to do work that they consider too
lowly would be cared for. (2 Thess. 3:10)
Those who may be skeptical about the
whole situation are given no reason to be
lieve that they, with their lack of faith,
will be thus favored by God. (Jas. 1:6-8;
Heb. 11:6) Rather, the provision is made
by God for workers, those who seek
continually his kingdom, those who are
seeking first the kingdom. (Matt. 10:9,
10; 6:33) He did not promise material
luxuryjust sustenance and covering.
1 Tim. 6:8; Luke 12:22, 31.
15
There are many thousands world wide
who are keenly aware of the heavenly
Fathers blessing on their efforts to ob
tain lifes necessities while putting King
dom interests first. For example, a Chris
tian overseer in Brazil who has a wife and
four children was invited to the Watch
Tower Societys special training course for
overseers. He regularly works to care for
his family, but, being of limited means
from a material standpoint, he had no way
to support them while he would be away.
Shortly before he was to leave for school,
he prayed about the matter to God. That
prayer was answered when several in the
congregation volunteered to care for his
family materially while he was away be
coming better equipped to care for all of
them spiritually. In scores of cases the
faith of such overseers was put to the test.
Request for a leave of absence to attend
the school was refused by their employers
but later was granted, and frequently
with pay, when it was realized that the
employee would quit the job if necessary
and look for another one later, because he
was a man who was seeking first the
kingdom. Certainly such overseers have
15. How has the heavenly Father blessed many Chris
tian overseers for seeking first the kingdom,' and
who can benefit from their example of faith?

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a faith that others who worship Jehovah all things I have the strength by virtue
of him who imparts power to me. (Phil.
can beneficially imitate. Heb. 13:7.
10 Particularly have those who are in the 4:11-13) Paul was not one who quit when
full-time service as pioneers experienced the going got hard. Even there in prison
fulfillment of the promise that the mate he kept on seeking the interests of Gods
rial necessities of life would be provided kingdom. He preached to the guards, and
if they put the service of God first. In one to others that he could arrange to have
instance, a pioneer arrived back in his ter visit him. (Acts 28:16, 30, 31; Phil. 1:13)
ritory assignment after a Christian con During the time he was in prison he wrote
vention, with very little money and no six letters of marvelous spiritual counsel
lodging. In deciding how to spend his first that have become part of the Bible. Yes,
day back, he called to mind Jesus words even under adverse conditions, whether
at Matthew 6:33. All day long he worked due to persecution or economic difficulties,
in the field ministry, and as he went along one can continue to produce godly fruit
he mentioned to householders that he was age. As Jeremiah 17:7, 8 says: Blessed
looking for a room to rent, but nothing is the able-bodied man who puts his trust
was offered. Late in the afternoon, after in Jehovah, and whose confidence Jeho
witnessing to a favorably disposed wom vah has become. And he will certainly be
an, he again mentioned his need of lodg come like a tree planted by the waters,
ing. A boarder in the home who had been that sends out its roots right by the water
listening from the next room called to the course; and he will not see when heat
lady of the house and told her: See that comes, but his foliage will actually prove
this man has a place to sleep, and invite to be luxuriant. And in the year of drought
him to eat with us. If he cannot pay, I he will not become anxious, nor will he
will. He is doing Gods work. The ex leave off from producing fruit. Having
perience is not an isolated one; it is com full confidence in Jehovah, he continues to
mon among those who have left behind put spiritual interests first. Heb. 13:5, 6.
homes and possessions, that they might
REACHING OUT FOR SOMETHING BETTER
devote their entire lives to the service of
1
8
When they pursue such a course the
God. Acts 16:14, 15; Mark 10:29, 30.
modern-day
Christian witnesses of Jeho
17
This does not mean that one who
vah
prove
that
they have faith like that
seeks continually the kingdom will al
of
those
men
of
old times who are named
ways have an abundance of provisions, but
with
approval
in
Gods Word. Abraham
he will find contentment. Concerning his
moved
out
of
the
materially prosperous
experiences the apostle Paul, then in pris
city
of
Ur
in
ancient
Chaldea at Gods
on in Rome, wrote to the congregation at
command
and
became
a
temporary resi
Philippi in Macedonia: I have learned,
dent
in
the
land
of
Canaan.
By faith he
in whatever circumstances I am, to be
resided
as
an
alien
in
the
land
of the prom
self-sufficient [content]. I know indeed
ise
as
in
a
foreign
land,
and
dwelt
in tents
how to be low on provisions, I know in
deed how to have an abundance. . . . For with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him
of the very same promise. For he was
16. What has been the experience of pioneers when
awaiting the city having real foundations,
they put the ministry ahead of their efforts to satisfy
their material needs?
the builder and creator of which city is
17. (a) What attitude on the apostle Pauls part
enabled him to be productive under difficult circum
stances? (b) What confidence on our part will enable
us to continue to produce godly fruitage even in
times of economic hardship?

18. How can we today show that we have faith like

that of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and why should we
desire to do so?

F ebruary

1, 1967

SfieWATCHTOWER

79

God. Away back then, in the twentieth and hearts fixed on the hope ahead. In
century B.C.E., they were willing to forgo stead of finding contentment with sus
many of the comforts the world offered, tenance and covering along with godly
because their hearts were set on a per devotion, they are being sucked down into
manent city that God would build, a heav the worlds materialistic whirlpool. Their
enly government under which they could pursuit of the pleasures of the world is
live. If they had kept thinking about the more ardent than their service to God.
place they had left behind, they could That is why Jesus warns: Pay attention
have returned to it. But they did not. to yourselves that your hearts never be
Hence God is not ashamed of them, to come weighed down with overeating and
be called upon as their God. (Heb. 11: heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and
8-16) Is God just as pleased with the suddenly that day be instantly upon you
course in life that you have taken?
as a snare. For it will come in upon all
19
We today live in critical times. Thesethose dwelling upon the face of all the
are the last days of this wicked system earth. Keep awake, then, all the time mak
of things. Already over fifty-two years ing supplication that you may succeed in
have passed since the Kingdoms estab escaping all these things that are destined
lishment in heaven in 1914. The end of to occur, and in standing before the Son
six thousand years of human history is of man. Luke 21:34-36.
very close. The physical facts that mark
20
If our love for God abounds, and we
our time as the conclusion of the system have accurate knowledge of his Word, we
of things are unmistakable. (Matt. 24:3) will not allow ourselves to be drawn aside
It is a time of great urgency. Do we be to worldly pursuits, but will keep our lives
lieve it? The fact is that some who pro oriented around the more important
fess to believe it may lose out on the bless things. In this way we will prove to be
ings of Gods new system of things fruitful Christians, filled with righteous
because they are not keeping their minds fruit, which is through Jesus Christ, to
19. (a) Why is ours a time of great urgency? (b) What Gods glory and praise. Phil. 1:9-11.
may cause some who know these things to lose out
on the blessings of Gods new system of things, and
what timely warning does Jesus give?

20. In what way will we be able to continue to prove

ourselves to be fruitful Christians?

Semnfs ofGodFullTime
LL of Jehovahs witnesses, who are
baptized Christians, are full-time
ministers. They have dedicated their lives
to God to do his will, and, having studied
1. (a) How many of Jehovahs witnesses are full-time
ministers? (b) What is Gods will for true Christians
as shown by Jesus, and how did the early Christians
respond to it?

the Bible, they know what that will is.

Jesus Christ, as Jehovahs Chief Witness,
set the example for them. (Rev. 3:14) He
was a preacher of the good news of the
kingdom of God, and he took that mes
sage to the people wherever they were.
(Mark 1:14, 15; Luke 8:1; 4:15, 16; 5:27)

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* Celsus, whose writings are referred to in The

History of the Christian Religion and Church, During
the Three First Centuries (New York; 1848), by
Dr. Augustus Neander, translated by H. Rose.

ministry. They may be secularly employed

as laborers, farmers, office workers or in
some other business, but they are, first of
all, ministers of God. It is what they be
lieve and teach as ministers that influences
their choice of secular work, and this is
what makes them conscientious workers.
(Col. 3:22, 23) Their secular work may
change, but not the ministry. Whatever
they do is with an awareness that they
are ministers of God. It influences their
training of their children, their conduct
when shopping in the market, when at
tending school, when engaging in recre
ation or sitting down to a meal. Whether
you are eating or drinking or doing any
thing else, do all things for Gods glory.
(1 Cor. 10:31) Not only in speech, but
also in conduct, they endeavor to let their
light shine, that others may, as a result
of what they observe, glorify God. (Matt.
5:14-16; 1 Pet. 2:12; 2 Cor. 6:3, 4) So
their being full-time ministers means that
they are ministers of God twenty-four
hours a day, every day. Is that the way
you think of yourself as a full-time min
ister of God?
4
Of course, some may be in position to
do more in certain ways to advance the
interests of pure worship than others. Not
all qualify to be overseers, nor do all excel
as public speakers, but each one does make
a valuable contribution to the spiritual
welfare of the congregation if he does in
real earnest what he is able to do. (Rom.
12:6-8) So, too, not all are able to devote
the same amount of time to the field min
istry, but if we publicly praise the name
of God, not grudgingly or under compul
sion nor because we are seeking to please
men, but because our hearts overflow with
gratitude to our loving Father in heaven,
this is well pleasing to God. 2 Cor. 9:7;
Heb. 13:20, 21.

2. What evidence is there that that spirit is yet alive?

3. How is it true that each baptized witness of Jehovah
is a full-time minister?

4. (a) Are all of us able to do the same things, and to

the same extent, to advance the interests of pure
worship? (b) What motive in service on our part is
well pleasing to God ?

He trained his disciples to share in that

work. Before leaving them he commis
sioned them to be witnesses of him to the
most distant part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
They did not conclude that only a select
few were to do this work, while the oth
ers looked on. Even secular historians
who ridiculed Christianity testify that ear
ly Christians who supported themselves
as labourers, shoemakers, farmers were,
nevertheless, zealous preachers of the gos
pel.* The book A History of Civilization
(by C. Brinton, J. Christopher and R.
Wolff) reports: The Christian was by no
means content with the prospects of his
own salvation. His acceptance of the will
of God was not passive. He was from the
first an ardent missionary, anxious to con
vert and save others.
2That spirit has not died out; it is yet
alive among the modern-day Christian
witnesses of Jehovah. They take note of
Jesus prophetic declaration for our day,
namely: This good news of the kingdom
will be preached in all the inhabited earth
for a witness to all the nations; and then
the end will come. (Matt. 24:14) In near
ly two hundred lands Jehovahs witnesses
devote upward of 14,000,000 hours each
month to this very work that Jesus fore
told. And, in addition to their preaching,
they also regularly attend and participate
in congregation meetings.
3 Yet the preaching of the good news
and the attending of meetings, even along
with all the personal study and reading
that one may do at home, does not fill the
day of each one of Jehovahs witnesses,
does it? So how can it be said that they
are all full-time ministers? Because every
aspect of their lives is affected by their

F ebruary

1, 1967

SHeWATCHTOWER.

81

IS PIONEER SERVICE FOR YOU?

best spiritual condition for all in the
5
Since the preaching of the Kingdom
household and so will bring the greatest
message is a prominent part of the life glory to God.
of a Christian minister, and one of which
6 Some, on examining their situation,
he keeps a record so as to make a report realize that the course that is truly con
to the congregation, some may be inclined sistent with their dedication to God is for
to judge whether they are pleasing to God them to be sharing in the field ministry
simply in terms of the hours they devote full time, as pioneer ministers, devoting a
to the field ministry. It is fine that they hundred hours to preaching the good
see the importance of that work; we all news each month. They have completed
should. We need to buy out time from their secular schooling, are young, in good
other pursuits to devote to this vital work. health and without family obligations or
The apostle Paul wrote to the congrega other responsibilities that have a prior
tion at Ephesus: Keep strict watch that claim on them. (Eccl. 12:1, 13) They do
how you walk is not as unwise but as not choose to get established in a career
wise persons, buying out the opportune in the business world, because they can
time for yourselves, because the days are not see throwing in their lot with a system
wicked. But from what should we buy that Gods Word plainly says is going
out the time? Are we to sacrifice our own out of business in the near future. So how
spirituality, cutting out personal Bible do they react to attractive offers from
study and meeting attendance in order to the world? During his last year of high
preach? Are fathers to neglect their fami school one young brother, just a short
lies? Are mothers to neglect their respon time ago, was offered scholarships that
sibilities to their husbands and their chil would have completely paid for a college
dren in order to preach more? No; that education. But he knew that success he
is not the point. It may be that these nec might enjoy in the world would be, at
essary things can be better organized to most, short-lived. He called to mind the
make more room for the field ministry, Bibles counsel: Do not be loving either
but do not forget that all these other re the world or the things in the world . . .
sponsibilities are part of ones life as a the world is passing away and so is its
Christian minister. Paul goes on to say: desire, but he that does the will of God
On this account cease becoming unrea remains forever. (1 John 2:15-17) Love
sonable, but go on perceiving what the for Jehovah and faith in His word of
will of Jehovah is. (Eph. 5:15-17) And promise moved him to enroll as a pioneer.
then in the following verses he show's
7On the West Coast of the United States
that the will of Jehovah includes prop
a married man was busy paying for his
er attention to the physical, emotional home. It required regular, full-time secu
and spiritual needs of the members of lar work, but he spent some time in the
ones family. (Eph. 5:21-6:4) So, in as field ministry. Yet, being honest with him
certaining what one can do in the field self, he realized that he was more conministry, one needs to take into consid
6. (a) Why is it the right decision for most young
eration his entire life as a Christian and people who have completed their secular schooling to
enter the pioneer service? (b) How did one young
ask what course will truly result in the brother recently respond to offers of scholarships for
5. (a) On what basis may some be inclined to judge
whether they are pleasing to God, and why? (b) What
ought to be taken into consideration in determining
how much time one can devote to the field ministry?

a college education, and why?

7. (a) Why did a brother on the West Coast of the
United States sell his home to enter the pioneer work?
(b) What blessings have he and his wife enjoyed since
then?

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3fteW A TC H TO W ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

cerned about his secular work and his on Jehovah at all times. Having a mother
home than he was with Jehovahs service. who was a pioneer minister proved to be a
He knew that, to please Jehovah, he had rich blessing to these families. Would that
to improve his spirituality. (Matt. 19:21; also be true in your case?
5:3) After careful consideration, he sold
8 In the case of a Witness living in Ohio
his home and he and his wife became pio the situation was different. She had the
neers. They began to enjoy the service as desire to pioneer, all right. But she be
they never had before. Soon they were in came a Witness two years after her hus
vited to share in special pioneer service band had left her with four youngsters to
where the need was greater, then to the raise. She did not sidestep that responsi
Watchtower Bible School of Gilead for bility, but diligently raised all four of those
missionary training, and now they are children to love and serve Jehovah God.
serving in Colombia. Jehovah has richly Though she could not pioneer, she instilled
blessed them for the faith they showed in the desire to share in full-time preaching
enlarging their share in the preaching in each one of her children. Each one of
work.
them spent between five and seven sum
8
Others who have enrolled as pioneersmer vacations in that full-time service and,
have children to consider. In some cases on graduation from school, each one be
it would not be possible to take on the re came a pioneer minister. Having faith
sponsibilities of a full-time pioneer min fully cared for those family responsibili
ister and at the same time properly care ties, the mother too rejoiced to have the
for children. There are a variety of fac opportunity to enroll as a pioneer.
10The problem facing another Kingdom
tors involved, including personal organi
zation, ones health, and the ages and publisher was different from that. He felt
traits of the children. But, in examining that he could pioneer if he could only ar
her own circumstances along with her hus range for adequate part-time secular work.
band, one mother felt that her becoming For two years he tried in vain to make
a pioneer, even for a time, would be a such arrangements with his employer. Fi
good thing for the spirituality of their nally, he realized that he would never pio
entire family, and she reported that that neer if he did not put his full trust in
is the way it turned out. Her preschool-age Jehovah. He turned in his resignation; but
boy went with her in the service and thor almost immediately his boss called him
oughly enjoyed it and her seven-year-old into the office and said that he thought
began asking when he could pioneer. An he ought to get a sizable salary increase.
other mother who also has pioneered said: Determined not to let materialistic pres
Knowing that pioneering doesnt excuse sures curtail his service to Jehovah, he
one from other obligations has made me a stood firm. After four years he is still pio
more conscientious wife and mother as neering, still has the needed sustenance
well as a better housekeeper. In order to and covering, and has had the joy of
be fruitful in the ministry, pioneering has seeing a new congregation with fifty pubtaught me that one must lean heavily up- 9. How did a mother with four children to raise by
8. (a) Mention some of the factors that might influence
a mothers decision as to whether she could pioneer
and still properly care for her children, (b) What was
the effect on their families in the case of two mothers
who pioneered?

herself properly shoulder that responsibility and at

the same time show how she felt about pioneer service?
10. After trying for two years to arrange for con
venient secular work so he could pioneer, what did one
brother do, and what has been his experience since
then?

F e b r u a r y 1, 1 9 6 7

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

lishers grow up in the territory where he

serves.1 Tim. 6:8.
There are many who, after honestly
appraising their personal circumstances,
do not find that they can be regular pio
neer ministers, devoting one hundred
hours each month to the field ministry.
But this does not necessarily mean that
they love God less. If their being minis
ters of God truly affects all their activi
ties in life, they, too, are full-time minis
ters. When faced with pressures from the
unbelieving world, they are just as firm
for what is right as are their brothers and
sisters who are able to devote more time
to the field ministry. Their hearts are in
Jehovahs service, and they have a zealous
share in it every month. They, too, are
grateful to God that he has counted them
worthy by permitting them to have a
share in the ministry, and they buy out
the opportune time from other pursuits
to seek first Gods kingdom.
12Periodically, large numbers of these
zealous ministers of the good news enroll
as vacation pioneers for a period of two
weeks or a month or more. It takes careful
planning on their part and extra effort.
They cherish that month in which they
are able to devote a hundred hours to the
field ministry, or seventy-five hours for
the month if they are two-week pioneers.
They may not be able to keep that pace
all the time, but their love for Jehovah
moves them to do it when they can. Many
share in this activity during the month of
April each year, when there is much spe
cial activity in the congregation. Others
may do it during their vacation time or
at regular intervals all year long. What
blessings they enjoy as a result!
11. How do many who are not able to pioneer never
theless demonstrate their wholehearted devotion to
Jehovah God?
12. (a) For what special service do many of Jehovahs
witnesses periodically enroll, and why? (b) When may
a person share in vacation pioneer service?

83

ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE

OF MISSIONARY SERVICE

13
In the first century of our Common
Era there were some in the Christian con
gregation who were able to arrange their
affairs to share in foreign missionary
work. Among such were the apostle Paul,
and his companions Barnabas, Mark, Silas,
Luke and Timothy. It was not easy work,
but there were rich spiritual rewards. In
Philippi two of them were thrown into
jail, but they were able to help both the
jailer and his family to become believers.
(Acts 16:25-34) Frequently travel in their
territory wets perilous, and Paul was en
dangered by highwaymen, flooding rivers
and shipwreck. But he was grateful for
Gods undeserved kindness to him, and
he had deep love for those whom he was
able to instruct in The Way. (1 Thess. 2:
8, 19, 20; 4:1) His attitude was as record
ed at Acts 20:24: I do not make my soul
of any account as dear to me, if only I
may finish my course and the ministry
that I received of the Lord Jesus, to bear
thorough witness to the good news of the
undeserved kindness of God.
Similarly, there are those in modern
days who, putting the ministry ahead of
everything else in life, have become mis
sionaries. One such missionary couple
moved from the Caribbean islands to
West Africa at a time when there were
none of Jehovahs witnesses there, and
they stayed on for twenty-seven years,
until there were over ten thousand active
ly praising Jehovahs name. Many others
have faithfully served for ten, fifteen or
twenty years in missionary assignments.
Those who have taken up missionary ser
vice might have chosen easier fields in
13. (a) In the first-century Christian congregation, who
were some that shared in foreign missionary work?
(b) What experiences did they have, and how did they
view their ministry?
14. (a) In modern times, what privilege did a mis
sionary couple enjoy in West Africa? (b) Why did
not those who are now missionaries choose easier
fields in which to serve Jehovah?

84

SSeW ATCHTOW ER.

which to serve Jehovah, but their heart

felt gratitude to God for his undeserved
kindness to them moved them to say, as
did the faithful prophet Isaiah: Here I
am! Send me. (Isa. 6:8) They knew that
the Kingdom good news yet had to be
preached in other lands, and that the peo
ple there could never put faith in Jehovah
and his kingdom if no one preached to
them. (Rom. 10:13-15) On examining
their circumstances in life, they realized
that they could make the necessary ad
justments to take up that service. Lack
of faith did not deter them; they knew
that Jehovah would fulfill his good prom
ise to provide the things they needed. In
difference did not make them reason that,
after all, God could use someone else to
do the job; they were grateful to God for
the privilege to be used by him. Love for
Jehovah dispelled any fear, and they re
sponded. Said one brother, many years
after graduating from the Watchtower So
cietys missionary school and taking up a
foreign assignment: When decisions have
to be made, it is proper to count the cost,
but he who decides for the Kingdom and
its interests will never be disappointed.
SERVING AT BETHEL

15 Some who have made that decision to

put first the interests of Gods kingdom
have been invited to serve at one of the
Bethel homes, branch offices or printing
plants of the Watch Tower Society. Here,
too, they do work like that of their Chris
tian brothers in the first century. Tertius
was privileged to do scribal work, writing
the inspired letter to the Romans at the
apostle Pauls dictation. (Rom. 16:22) Silvanus also recorded part of the Bible, at
the apostle Peters direction. (1 Pet. 5:12)
Today, instead of making just one copy
at a time, brothers in Bethel service print
15. How is some work performed by those in Bethel
service like that done by Tertius and Silvanus in the
first century?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

and bind millions of copies of the Bible in

many languages; and some are privi
leged to run printing presses on which
Scriptural counsel provided through the
faithful and discreet slave is turned out
by the tens of thousands of copies every
hour.Matt. 24:45-47.
16
Others serving in Bethel homes do
work like that of Stephen, who, as a wait
er, distributed food to the tables of those
early Christians who were serving close
together. That was no unimportant as
signment, to be given to someone who
could not do anything else. No, the Bible
tells us that Stephen was appointed to that
necessary work because he was full of
faith and holy spirit. He was a trustwor
thy man who could be counted on to do
the job well. But at the same time, Ste
phen was zealous in the field ministry and
a powerful defender of the Word of God.
When opponents tried to dispute with him,
they could not hold their own against the
wisdom and the spirit with which he was
speaking. (Acts 6:1-10) Members of
Bethel families around the world appre
ciate that fine example set by Stephen.
They, too, are glad to do whatever work
is assigned, and they realize that it is a
great privilege to serve Jehovah and their
brothers in this way. At the same time,
they endeavor to have a full share in the
field ministry, preaching from house to
house and conducting Bible studies. Many
of them are appointed servants in the con
gregations and public speakers. In such
a theocratic atmosphere as exists at Beth
el homes there is marvelous opportunity
for spiritual growth. Grand privileges of
service open up for willing servants. What
a fine privilege to be serving in such a
place during the remaining years of this
old system of things!
16. (a) In what respects is some Bethel service like
that of faithful Stephen? (b) How does Bethel service
prove to be a marvelous blessing for those who lay
hold of it?

F ebruary

1,

1967

SfteW A T CH TO W ER

ENCOURAGE OTHERS

love for Jehovah that they are willing to

be used more fully by him. Encourage
them to move ahead, with full faith in
Jehovah.

17 It should be the earnest desire of

every dedicated Christian to see Jehovahs
name praised to the fullest possible extent
in all the earth. We individually can have
a share, and we can do much to encourage
others to be praisers of Jehovah. The
world is never going to offer such encour
agement, because it lacks love for God.
(Jas. 4:4; 2 Tim. 3:4; Matt. 24:12) But,
in faithfulness to God, we owe such en
couragement to others. Therefore the
apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at
Thessalonica: Keep comforting one an
other and building one another up, just as
you are in fact doing. (1 Thess. 5:11)
As we study the Bible with others, we en
courage them to become active praisers
of Jehovah. Within the congregation, too,
there are those who might have a fuller
share in the service if they were given
loving encouragement, perhaps in the
form of an invitation to go along with you.
18 In like manner, when there is oppor
tunity to encourage anyone in our midst
to enlarge his privileges of service, it is
a matter of faithfulness to God on our
part to offer such encouragement. Is some
one thinking about pioneer service? By
all means commend him. Is he talking
about applying for Bethel service or mis
sionary work? Build him up. Do not be
like those brothers in Caesarea to whom
Paul had to say: What are you doing by
weeping and making me weak at heart?
(Acts 21:13) Nor be like Peter on that
occasion when Jesus turned to him and
said: Get behind me, Satan! You are a
stumbling block to me, because you think,
not Gods thoughts, but those of men.
(Matt. 16:23) Rather, rejoice that the
hearts of your brothers are so filled with

19If you are a baptized Christian, never

lose sight of the fact that your entire life
has been dedicated to God. It is not merely
a few hours a week that you have vowed
to devote to the doing of Gods will. Your
entire life ought to reflect the fact that
you are a minister of God. Changes in
your way of thinking and doing things
were required when you became a Chris
tian, and it was love for Jehovah that
moved you to make those changes. But
that was only the start. As one continues
to study Gods Word and personally ex
periences his goodness, ones own love
grows and is expressed more fully. Unless
he becomes dull in his hearing of Gods
Word, he is going to press on to maturity.
(Heb. 5:11, 12) Bible principles will more
deeply influence all his decisions, and his
desire to share to the full in the preach
ing of this good news of the Kingdom
will grow stronger. Is this happening to
you? To stay in the faith one must keep
on growing spiritually. Keep testing
whether you are in the faith, keep proving
what you yourselves are. 2 Cor. 13:5.
20 Remember, the progress that you are
able to make spiritually, and what you are
able to accomplish in the service of the
heavenly Father, do not depend solely on
your ability. (2 Cor. 4:7) They are far
more directly tied in with your willingness
to be used by Jehovah. Have you learned
to look to him for guidance in all that

17. Why should we encourage others in Jehovahs

service, and what opportunities are there for all of
us to do so?
18. If any in our midst express a desire to pioneer, or
to take up Bethel or missionary service, what should
we do, and why ?

19. (a) To what extent should our lives be influenced

by our dedication to Jehovah? (b) What evidences of
advancement to maturity should we look for in
ourselves ?
20. What attitude on our part will make possible the
accomplishing of the greatest good in Jehovah's service?

KEEP PROVING W HAT YOU

YOURSELVES ARE

86

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

you do? Do you have full faith in his

ability to sustain you as his servant? Do
you appreciate fully that, while it is your
privilege to plant and water in the min-

B r o o ic l y n , N . Y .

istry, it is God who makes it grow? (1 Cor.

3:6-9) If so, you will continue to respond
to his leading. You will prove yourself to
be a servant of God full time.

Have Vou Thought About Bethel Service?

O W does a young man feel after spend ing four years at Brooklyn Bethel, the
IJJ headquarters of the W atch Tower So
ciety? Does he feel that he has wasted his
life, that he has forfeited a college education?
W hat are his thoughts?
A brother, who was a bundler on a Cottrell
press used in printing Awake! magazines,
after four years of Bethel life, personally
wrote to N . H. Knorr, president of the Watch
Tower Society, the following:
I am very grateful to Jehovah to have
tasted of these few years of Bethel service.
O f course, I have appreciated the clean,
cheerful room, the abundant supply of good,
wholesome food, the close proximity of wellequipped libraries, the laundry and shoeshop,
the chance to learn something about printing,
the Primary School Course for new members
of the Bethel family, the text discussions each
morning and the Watchtower study on
Monday nights, the privilege of being on the
Public Speaking List, having association with
the Gilead students from many lands, the
thrill of being busy every minute in Jehovahs
service, of being able to work on Bibles, books
and magazines that serve to bring vindication
to his Name, and the unspeakable privilege
of close association with mature anointed
brothers who form the nucleus of the New
W orld society.
I have enjoyed very much also the privi
lege of being assigned to a New York City
congregation and working with the local
brothers as a study conductor and Ministry
School servant, and helping cover the terri
tory assigned to the congregation.
Also, many little considerations shown to
us at Bethel have been received with appre
ciation, such as a desk of my own for
personal organization and study, and our
treatment as mature adults, shown by each
possessing his own key. Also the provision for
us to be able to show hospitality when guests
come to visit and the assurance that well be

II

taken care of when we are sick contributed to

the feeling of security one gets at Bethel.
W ith regard to learning something at
Bethel, I must admit, Brother Knorr, that
your statement: 'Bethel service will prove
far better than any secular education you
could g e t/ was met, not with disbelief, but
with some skepticism when I received your
invitation four years ago. That skepticism
was unfounded. Not only have I learned much
about the Bible from the Primary School
Course and the three-year coverage we are
about to complete in the Theocratic Ministry
School, but Ive attended a full-fledged meet
ing every day at the morning text discussions.
I ve learned the application of Bible principles
to daily life such as 1 Thessalonians 4:11,
which has helped to keep life simple and
enjoyable. I ve learned a lot about getting
along with my brothers and how to associate
with sisters, in groups, in an upbuilding way.
Yes, too, I finally learned to enjoy singleness
with its freedom for the ministry, its measure
of independence, the chance for travel and
occasional solitude. Ive learned something
of the art of printing. Ive learned to listen
more and speak less; the need for punctuality
and personal organization, and other lessons
in life too numerous to mention. Appreciated
too was the firsthand education concerning
life in other countries by association with
Gilead students.
Ill never forget the daily prayers at Bethel
for the brothers in the field and, in turn, Ill
keep you in my prayers with the memory
of the good friends at Bethel and in many
countries around the world.
Not many people have the privilege of re
ceiving so pleasant a letter. But any dedicated
Christian young man who diligently applies
himself after coming to Bethel w ill find
reason to express himself in a similar manner.
The viewpoint of parents whose sons have
served at Bethel is also of interest. For

F ebruary

1, 1967

example, a circuit servant, a father of two

sons who served at Bethel, wrote to the
Watch Tower Society, saying:
W e no longer have our sons at Bethel.
Our older son left Bethel three years ago to
get married. Our younger son left Bethel
the first of October for the same reason, after
six years of Bethel service. . . . Our older son
was there for five years. . . . It might be said
we have had a member of our fam ily in
Bethel for the past seven and a half years.
W e thought we would like to let you know,
from a parents standpoint, we have appre-

N ANCIENT Babylon, where false re

ligion got its start after the flood,
prostitution was a part of religious prac
tice. Every female had to give up her
virginity at the temple of Ishtar, goddess
of fertility, called queen of heaven and
mother of the gods. The price paid by
the male worshiper enriched the temple
coffers. Many other religions having this
Babylonish background practiced temple
prostitution. Even in the days of the apos
tles, in Corinth, the chief goddess, Venus,
the goddess of sexual love and licentious
passion, was worshiped by prostitution. A
commentator writes: Public prostitution
formed a considerable part of their reli
gion; and they were accustomed in their
public prayers, to request the gods to
multiply their prostitutes! and in order to
express their gratitude to their deities
for the favours they received, they bound
themselves, by vows, to increase the num

87

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

ciated the Bethel life that was offered our

sons. The training and association they re
ceived while at Bethel will be of great value
to them for all of their lives. W e feel our
sons went to Bethel as boys and came out as
capable men.
Many parents feel the same way about
having their sons at Bethel. There is no finer
place on earth where they could be. Young
ministers who avail themselves of this privi
lege will cherish the experience the rest of
their lives. H ave you thought about serving
at Bethel?

ber of such women; for commerce with

them was neither esteemed sinful nor dis
graceful. *
While prostitution formed a part of the
worship of Babylonish religions, in Gods
law to the nation of Israel no girl was al
lowed to be a prostitute. An Israelite girl
who in this way brought reproach upon
her fathers house was to be put to death.
(Lev. 19:29; Deut. 22:21; 23:17) Money
obtained by prostitution was an abhorrent
thing. (Deut. 23:18) In the Christian con
gregation, prostitution is an abhorrent
thing. Fornication and adultery are listed
as things that would prevent one from
entering into the kingdom of God. Gal.
5:19-21.
SPIRITUAL ADULTERY

There is also a symbolic, or spiritual

aspect to this matter. Christians, the spiri* Clarkes Commentary, Volume VI, page 187.

88

SKeWATCHTOWER

tual sons of Jehovah God, are spoken of

as being espoused to Christ. (2 Cor. 11:2)
As a body of followers they are considered
his bride. (Rev. 19:7, 8; 21:9) Their al
legiance has been transferred from the
kingdom of darkness to Gods kingdom.
(Col. 1:13) Jesus himself said that his
followers were no part of the world. (John
15:19) A Christian who would become a
part of the world or who would violate
his allegiance to Jehovah God and to
Christ by entering into political connec
tions with the world would be engaging
in spiritual fornication. The Bible writer
James says: Adulteresses, do you not
know that the friendship with the world
is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore,
wants to be a friend of the world is con
stituting himself an enemy of God. (Jas.
4:4) A religious organization, therefore,
that dabbles in politics and interferes in
the political affairs of the governments or
tries to reform the social order and make
over this world is engaging in prostitution,
showing itself to be a part of Babylon the
Great, the world empire of false religion.
Today we see the religious systems of
Christendom practicing spiritual fornica
tion just as it was in places like Babylon
and Corinth, doing so as an integral part
of their religion, their form of worship.
Dr. James A. Pike, while still Episcopal
bishop of California, went on record as
claiming that the church ought to be
passionately involved in political struggles,
bent on transforming the world. * Donald
Soper, one of Egypts leading ministers,
expressed himself on the matter: I be
lieve that Socialism is the political ex
pression of the Kingdom of God on earth.
I believe that though the Labour Party is
not Socialist, it could be and it will be if
Christians for Jesus Christs sake enter
it, transform it, and use it as a vehicle
for the fulfillment of our Fathers good
* Awake!, August 8, 1966.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

pleasure to give us the Kingdom. f The

Houston, Texas, Post devoted almost an
entire page to the subject Organized Re
ligion Fights for Political Power. !
Interference in political affairs is true,
not only of Christendom, but also of the
so-called pagan religions; for example,
German correspondent G. Bonn reported
in Atlas, October 1965, with regard to
Narada Thero, a monk active in the politi
cal affairs of Ceylon: It is political and
militant Buddhism which keeps South
east Asia in ferment today.. . . The letters
that Narada Thero dictates here are more
concerned with diplomatic strategy than
with spiritual wisdom.
THE MOST INFAMOUS HARLOT

There is no question that much turmoil

and suffering have been caused by these
things, but does God look with a smile
of approval upon religions involvement
in politics as her duty and commission?
God went to the pains of providing a spe
cial vision to the apostle John, giving his
official viewpoint and judgment. John de
scribes the vision in these words: And
one of the seven angels that had the seven
bowls came and spoke with me, saying:
Come, I will show you the judgment upon
the great harlot who sits on many waters,
with whom the kings of the earth com
mitted fornication, whereas those who in
habit the earth were made drunk with the
wine of her fornication. Rev. 17:1, 2.
First of all, Jehovah speaks of judg
ment upon her. She sits upon many wa
ters which represent the people of the
earth, as shown at Revelation 17:15. This
harlot is shown to be no ordinary harlot,
for she has as her customers kings, in
cluding todays kings of the entire inhab
ited earth who are now being gathered
by demon-inspired expressions to the batt The Methodist Magazine, August 1959.
t Awake!, August 8, 1966.

F ebruary 1, 1967

S&eWATCHTOWER.

tlefield of Har-Magedon. Hers is a long

career of harlotry or fornication. By sell
ing herself to kings and rulers, the wine
of her fornication has affected all the
earths inhabitants, making them drunk,
crazed, falling down and dying as a con
sequence.
John gives us further information about
the harlot: And he carried me away in
the power of the spirit into a wilderness.
And I caught sight of a woman sitting
upon a scarlet-colored wild beast that was
full of blasphemous names and that had
seven heads and ten horns. And the wom
an was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and
was adorned with gold and precious stone
and pearls and had in her hand a golden
cup that was full of disgusting things and
the unclean things of her fornication. And
upon her forehead was written a name,
a mystery: Babylon the Great, the moth
er of the harlots and of the disgusting
things of the earth. And I saw that the
woman was drunk with the blood of the
holy ones and with the blood of the wit
nesses of Jesus. Rev. 17:3-6.
John makes it clear that this harlot is
not the ancient Babylon on the Euphra
tes River that fell from world power in
539 B.C.E. and finally after centuries of
decline went down to everlasting destruc
tion. No, it is Babylon the Great, the
worldwide empire of false religion. She is
pictured as being in a wilderness, where
wild beasts belong. True to the picture,
she sits on a wild beast.
THE HARLOT RIDES A BEAST

What is the scarlet-colored beast upon

which Babylon the Great rides? It is dif
ferent from the wild beast of Revelation
13:1, 2, which was spotted like a leopard,
although in general shape it is like this
wild beast that ascended out of the sea.
Its color is different. This scarlet beast is
not said to have ascended out of the sea

89

but it has seven heads and ten horns and

is full of blasphemous names to resemble
the original wild beast, which had upon its
heads blasphemous names. The scarletcolored beast also has ten horns though
not with ten diadems, which the horns of
the first wild beast had. It is an image
of the wild beast that came out of the
abyss of the sea. Revelation 13:14, 15 re
veals that the two-horned wild beast that
ascended out of the earth was the one
that proposed the making of the image of
the beast. Revelation 17:3 shows what the
image looked like. It copies the outline
of the wild beast of the sea. When did the
scarlet-colored wild beast appear and when
did the harlot get upon its back?
The two-horned wild beast was most
prominent at the peace conference in
France in 1919 when the leading repre
sentatives of Britain and America, com
posing this beast as the Seventh World
Power, argued for an international peace
keeping organization, the League of Na
tions, and won. The peace conference
signed the peace treaty into which the
covenant for a League of Nations had
been incorporated. This took place on
June 28, 1919, and by October the re
quired number of governments had rati
fied the treaty with its covenant, and the
treaty went into effect in France.
In 1919 religious organizations of Chris
tendom came out in favor of the League,
advocating its adoption. On January 10,
1920, the signatory powers ratified the
treaty in Paris and the League of Nations
went into effect. King George V of Great
Britain as supreme go v e r n o r of the
Church of England was in favor of the
League, and Greece, of which the Eastern
Orthodox Church is the state church, en
tered the League on March 30, 1920.
The Pontifex Maximus of the Roman
Catholic Church had no official say at the
peace conference. This was because of the

Brooklyn, N.Y.
SEeWATCHTOWER
These names attached to it are blasphe
apparent connections of the Papal Vati
can with the Teutonic Allies during World mous in that they attributed to the League
War I. So the pope of Rome was not per and the United Nations that which only
mitted to intervene by diplomatic acts in Gods kingdom can do. These names re
regard to peace or to questions arising proach God, they turn the hopes and con
from the war.* But Roman Catholic ex fidence of the people to a man-made thing
pressions of support of the League came and make an image to be worshiped in
place of Jehovah God and to trust in in
later on.
So it is seen that Babylon the Great stead of Jehovahs Messianic kingdom.
lost no time in getting a seat on the beast.
The woman is shown as being arrayed
She had already made steps toward it in in purple and scarlet and adorned with
1919. To her the beast was attractive. It gold and precious stone and pearls. By
was a scarlet color, which to her repre means of her fornication this international
sented royalty, which she so much loves. harlot has enriched herself. By her false,
It was a mark of luxuryshe herself is misleading doctrines she has deceived peo
arrayed in purple and scarlet. Matt. 27: ple and made them easy prey of the po
28-31; 2 Sam. 1:24.
litical rulers and in turn has received from
the politicians riches and special favors.
RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS WORSHIP THE BEAST
She can control the people by means of
Babylon the Great thereby committed her religion and thus can turn over for
further fornication with the kings of the gain all their support to the kings of the
earth. She worshiped this image of the earth and the rulers. The cup in her hand,
wild beast and induced others to do so. which means that it is something she
The blasphemous names it has are such holds out for her religious adherents to
as the only light there is, the hope of drink, is of gold. In other words, on the
the world, and Babylon the Great her
outside it appears beautiful and fit only
self gave it the name the political expres
for containing the best of drinks, but, as
sion of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The United Nations, which is the present Jesus told the religious leaders of his day,
name of the international peace organiza the cup, inside, is full of disgusting things
tion, was visited by the pope on Monday, and the unclean things of her fornica
October 4,1965. During his visit he labeled tion.Compare Matthew 23:25, 26.
it with further blasphemous names, say
As a result of drinking the wine of her
ing this organization represents the ob cup and because of her fornication with
ligatory path of modern civilization and the rulers, the people have been made to
of world peace, and peoples of the earth suffer untold hardships through religious
turn to the United Nations as the last wars, economic backwardness, illiteracy,
hope of concord and peace. He encour
low morals, and lack of faith in the Bible,
aged worship of the beast by saying, We
with consequent opposition to Gods Mes
presume to present here, with their trib
ute of honor and of hope, our own tribute sianic kingdom.
90

also and the edifice that you have con

structed [the UN] must never fail; it must
be perfected. !
* T h e Encyclopedia Am ericana, e d itio n of 1929, V o l
u m e 17, pages 632, 633.
t N e w Y o r k H erald-Tribune, O cto b e r 5, 1965, page B ,
s p e c ia l e d itio n .

ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN OF THE HARLOT

The harlot has her name written on her

forehead for all to see. While it has been
a mystery, a religious secret, just what
she symbolized, Jehovah God has unveiled

1, 1967

91
ffHeWATCHTOWER.
DO
NOT
BECOME
DRUNK
WITH
THE
HARLOT
her and exposed her so that all can see
Babylon herself is an old drunkard, but
that she is the world empire of false re
her
drink is a more disgusting one than
ligion. She is identified clearly now, just
alcoholic
drinks, for she loves to get drunk
as Jehovahs Christian witnesses are iden
on
human
blood, especially blood that has
tified as the slaves of God and Christ by
been
shed
in religious persecutions. Even
the stand they take and by their activity,
before
the
apostle Johns day she had be
as shown at Revelation 14:1. She identi
come

drunk
with the blood of the holy
fies herself by her activities as being like
ones,
and
was
responsible for shedding
ancient Babylon, dominated by false reli
the
blood
of
Jesus
Christ, the Holy One.
gion that stems from Nimrod the mighty
(Acts
3:14,
15;
4:27,
30; Mark 1:24;
hunter in opposition to Jehovah God. She
Luke
4:34)
But
even
to
this day she has
is actually a slave of the Devil.
drunk
her
fill
with
the
blood
of the wit
Although the woman is a harlot, she is
nesses
of
Jesus,
as
Gods
most
bitter
a mother. She has many daughters. These
earthly
enemy.
Urged
on
by
Satan
she
are the various religious sects, both in
has
made
a
fanatical
effort
to
deaden
the
Christendom and in pagandom, that com
voices
of
these
witnesses
who
are
preach
pose her as an international organization,
the world empire of false religion. All ing Jehovahs Messianic kingdom and has
these daughters or harlot organizations therefore caused the death of many of
are copying their mother in committing them. Rev. 17:6; 6:9-11.
So, then, the question, Is it religions
fornication with the kings of the earth.
She has tried to induce the true Christian duty to enter the political field? is im
congregation under Jesus Christ to be portant to all, but especially to those who
come a harlot, but she has failed in her are members of religious organizations,
because who wants to become a drunkard
efforts.
Babylon the Great is a mother also in with Babylon the Great, particularly
another sense, that is, the mother of the drunk on blood because of supporting and
disgusting things of the earth. She has being allied with the bloodguilty, murder
claimed to represent God but has brought ous organization? Who wants to be guilty
forth illegitimate children, such as idola of blasphemy against God and of wor
try, both literal and figurative, contrary shiping an image that opposes God and
to Gods law. (Rom. 2:22; Matt. 24:15; his kingdom? (Rev. 18:3, 4; 6:10, 11) Re
1 Ki. 11:5, 7; 2 Ki. 23:13) Also, she has member that the vision given to John in
brought forth illegal persons, spirit me Revelation was of the judgment of the
diums, fortune-tellers, astrologers, and she harlot. Surely we do not want to come into
has even instituted and carried on the of judgment with the Almighty God by in
fering of human sacrifices. (2 Ki. 23:24; citing him to anger. As the apostle Paul
Isa. 66:3; Ezek. 20:7, 8, 30; Hos. 9:10) says, We are not stronger than he is, are
Instead of cultivating the fruitage of the we? 1 Cor. 10:22.
spirit and encouraging her religious ad
In succeeding issues of this magazine
herents to do so, she has practiced and
more
details about the scarlet-colored wild
promoted among her supporters the works
beast
according to the Revelation given to
of the flesh, such as obscene practices,
John
will be discussed and also the exe
loose conduct, even temple prostitution
with its immorality; also drunkenness is cution of Gods judgment upon the infa
indulged in to the honor of a false god. mous harlot, Babylon the Great.
F ebruary

b l e s truth. My
AM eightybrother-in-law,
three years
knowing my love
old but very hap
py. My happiness
f o r th e B ib le ,
gave me a copy
arises l a r g e l y
of one of Charles
f r o m the f a c t
T. Russells print
that over f i f t y
ed sermons en
years ago I o f
As told by Malinda Z, Keefer
fered myself as a
titled W here
willing volunteer in
Are the Dead? Great
was my joy in knowing
the full-time service of
Jehovah now called the pio
that the Bible taught that the
neer ministry. From that time till now dead are asleep and not conscious some
I have liked to think of the words of the where in torment. This was just the be
psalmist: Your people will offer them ginning of the light that would shine
selves willingly ; and how grateful I am in my life brighter and brighter. How
that I offered myself willingly as a pio happy I was to learn that the earth and
its beauty would never be destroyed! I
neer! Ps. 110:3.
I was born in Eden, Pennsylvania; my was willing and eager to learn more of
parents being of the old-order Amish faith Gods Word, and how grateful I was to
of Lancaster County. These Amish folks Jehovah for letting me see his truth!
are very plain in their way of living and
LEAVING THE AMISH CHURCH
dress, and some of them still travel about
Others in the same Amish church be
with horse and buggy.
Due to my fathers death when I was gan to see Gods truth. But some said we
four years old, our farm was sold; and were going crazy on religion. When my
in time I went to live with my sister on brother-in-law handed me The Divine Plan
A g e s t, he first volume of the Studi
a Lancaster County farm, where one could of the
enjoy the beauties of Gods creation. Often in the Scriptures, he said, If you dont
I would stroll through the apple orchard, want to be called crazy, dont read it. Of
so beautiful in the spring, with the tree course, he knew I would read it, as he was
trunks whitewashed and the branches just eagerly reading it himself. I was reminded
filled with fragrant pink blossoms. What of what Festus said to the apostle Paul:
a wonderful Creator and Provider! I You are going mad, Paul! Great learning
would say to myself; but in the Amish is driving you into madness! Paul said:
Church I was taught that someday all I am not going mad . . . but I am uttering
these things God created would be burned sayings of truth and of soundness of
up. I was also bothered by the teaching mind. (Acts 26:24, 25) I, too, had to
that the wicked would suffer forever in make my mind over to Gods will and way
torment. This all seemed so unreasonable, for true Christians, and at that time I
and was this really what the Bible taught? discarded the Amish garb I was then wear
I was always interested in the Bible and ing.
The Amish minister called different
longed for a better understanding of Gods
Word, but it was not until the year 1906 times to get me to come back to church.
that I came in contact with the Bi When I knew the day of his coming, I

92

F ebruary

1, 1967

ffieWATCHTOWER

93

would get up at three oclock in the morn you know it all you will never get started,
ing to study my Bible so I could defend the but you will learn as you go along. Then
truth, as the apostle Peter said Christians he told me of a sister in Ohio who wanted
should be always ready to make a defense a companion. While waiting to hear from
before everyone that demands a reason her, arrangements were made for me to
for their hope. (1 Pet. 3:15) For me the stay in Pittsburgh. Here I was just a
Bible was now a meaningful book.
little country girl in a big city! Yet I was
There was quite a stir in the church mindful of the blessings Jesus foretold for
when, not just I, but twenty-four other those who offered themselves willingly:
persons also left the Amish Church. The Everyone that has left houses or broth
rules of the Amish Church are that if ers or sisters or father or mother or chil
one leaves the church the members must dren or lands for the sake of my name will
not eat with him. I was shunned by them receive many times more and will inherit
in many ways, but no intimidation or fear everlasting life. (Matt. 19:29) I will
of man could turn me back from offering never forget the encouragement I received
myself to Jehovah as a willing volunteer and the kindness shown me by the Watch
for Gods work. Jehovah had now shown Tower Societys headquarters family.
All arrangements were now made, and
me a new way of life. How well I remem
I
was
on my way to Zanesville, Ohio, my
ber the last time I went to church, and
first
assignment
in the pioneer ministry.
Revelation 18:4 (AV) kept going through
My
prayers
were
answered, and I could
my mind: Come out of her, my people,
say
with
the
apostle
Paul that a large door
Come out of her, my people. That I did.
that
led
to
activity
had been opened to
I began meeting with a little group of
me,
and
through
this
door I willingly en
Bible Students, as Jehovahs witnesses
tered.
1
Cor.
16:9.
were then called, and there I learned more
I had never met the sister I was to work
of Jehovahs wonderful purposes. The ac
with;
but when I did, she showed me much
tivity we engaged in then was the leaving
kindness
and help. Now, through the
of tracts, copies of
Bible Students
strength
of
Jehovah, I was knocking on
Monthly, at the doors on Sunday morning
in the hope that some would read them my first door to explain Bible truth to
and seek further knowledge of Gods others. Little did I realize that this would
be my privilege for fifty-nine years! What
Word.
a privilege from Jehovah!
OFFERING MYSELF AS A PIONEER
I was now looking forward to my first
However, this limited activity did not convention, to be held in Niagara Falls,
satisfy me, as I wanted to share full time New York, August 29-September 5, 1907.
in the service. I was willing, but how What a thrill it was to be there with so
could I get started in the colporteur work, many others of like faith! It was my first
as the pioneer work was then called? A opportunity to symbolize my dedication
way was opened up. On June 1, 1907, a by water baptism. The Watch Tower of
few others and I went to Pittsburgh to October 1, 1907, described that baptism:
hear Brother Russell, the Watch Tower It was decided to use a lagoon or byeSocietys president. I talked to him of my water off the Niagara River for the water
desire to enter the full-time service but immersion, and hold the service on the
said that I felt in need of more knowledge. bank where the hillside formed a natural
His reply was, If you want to wait until amphitheatre. An audience of about 1,500

94

SKeWATCHTOWER.

gathered at the appointed hour, and after

an address explanatory of the true bap
tism and its water symbol, 241 were im
mersed. What a joyful time that was!
I will always remember that Niagara
Falls assembly also for the talk given by
Brother J. F. Rutherford, later to become
the Watch Tower Societys president. He
gave a convention talk on the importance
of prayer, and it was especially helpful to
me to know that Jehovah always provides
the help we need, if we look to him. It
certainly was true, as
Watch Tower
described that convention: As for spiri
tual profit and manifestation of the Mas
ters love we cannot imagine how it could
have been improved upon but this was
true also of the Indianapolis convention
and others. It seems true of our conven
tions . . . that The last always seems the
best. And that has been true with the
many other assemblies I have attended.
My next pioneer assignment was in the
State of Delaware and along the eastern
shore of Maryland, where we found the
people very friendly and much literature
was placed. Later, in 1914, we went back
to work the same territory, during World
War I. In a small town in Delaware my
companion and I were taken to the office
of the Justice of the Peace by a secret ser
vice man. The office door was locked and
the secret service man asked many ques
tions. We showed them the purpose of our
work. Eventually the Justice of the Peace
pulled out the fourth volume of the Stud
ies in the Scriptures, entitled The Battle
of Armageddon, and said he had read it
and found nothing wrong with it. They de
cided to let us go. We were thankful to
Jehovah to continue in the service dur
ing those trying times.
The pioneer work has taken me into
fifteen states. While working around Wil
liamsport, Pennsylvania, I met Nathan J.
Keefer, who was reared in a Christian

Brooklyn, N.Y.

home. When I met him he was congrega

tion servant of the Williamsport congre
gation. He was also a member of the
Brooklyn Bethel or headquarters family
of the Watch Tower Society for several
years. In 1928 Nathan and I were mar
ried, and then we enjoyed our willing ser
vice together.
In 1929 came the financial collapse and
depression; banks were closed. During a
depression could we make ends meet? We
never doubted, knowing that Jehovah was
our Provider. It was a joy to bring the
good news of the Kingdom to the de
pressed people in the southern state where
we were working. There was very little
money to be had. We could often trade a
five-cent booklet for a spool of thread. We
also traded our Bible literature for soap
coupons, vegetables, eggs, chickens, and so
forth. One day a chicken got away from
us and it struck out for home across a
plowed field, but it had to be captured, and
it was, as it was needed for a trade-in on
gasoline for our car. We pioneered in iso
lated territory most of the time.
SPECIAL PIONEER PRIVILEGES

In 1939 the door of activity opened still

wider. The Watch Tower Society asked
Brother Keefer to serve as a zone servant
in Virginia and West Virginia. This in
volved visiting about twenty small con
gregations in the area. It was a real privi
lege to work with these friends and we
were like a big family. When the zone
work ended, we became special pioneers.
Our first assignment as special pioneers
was in Harrisonburg, Virginia. A Watchtower study was started with the interest
ed ones, and we celebrated the Memorial
of the Lords death with this little group
in the spring of 1942.
Our next assignment was Mahanoy City,
Pennsylvania, a mining town of many lan-

F ebruary

1, 1967

SfieWATCHTOWER.

guages. This was the last assignment for

Nathan and me together, as he passed
away before we finished this assignment.
Many times, as we would be leaving
friends, he would say, Keep up the good
work! I felt he would say the same to
me, and this I was willing to do with the
help of Jehovah.
In 1943 the Society assigned me to
Trenton, New Jersey, with ten other spe
cial pioneers. There were about twenty
publishers in Trenton at that time; now
there are four congregations. I was glad
to have a little share in this expansion.
After serving there as a special pioneer
for twenty years, with blessings too nu
merous to recount, my eyesight began to
fail due to the development of cataracts;
so in 1963 the Society gave me an as
signment in my home territory, Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania.
There have been a few problems over
the years, but by my sticking close to Je
hovahs organization they soon melted
away. My one cataract has been removed

W hy, after pardoning Adonijah, did King

Solomon have him put to death when he re
quested Abishag as his w ife? R. F., U.S.A.
In order to understand Solomons actions,
first consider the background. W hen David
was in his old age and apparently greatly
weakened by his long, vigorous life, his
servants chose the beautiful virgin Abishag
to serve as his nurse and companion. (1 Ki.
1:1-4) Even though David had no intercourse
with her, she was evidently viewed as being
his wife or concubine. A s such, according to

95

and the operation was successful. I am

still offering myself willingly as long as
this door of activity remains open to me.
And, while putting Kingdom interests first,
I have never lacked any of the necessities
of life.
Jehovahs provisions have been so won
derful all down through the years, and the
encouraging letters I have received from
the Society from time to time have been
a great blessing too. My years of pioneer
ing have been full of joy and blessings. In
recent months I have had to conserve
strength and so now devote most of my
ministerial time to making back-calls and
conducting home Bible studies. I am pres
ently blessed with some good studies and
find great joy in teaching these sheeplike
ones Gods truth.
Now, at eighty-three years of age, I
have enjoyed fifty-nine years of pioneer
ing. How thankful I am that I offered my
self willingly as a pioneer when a young
woman and always put Kingdom interests
first!

ancient Oriental custom, she would become

the property of his heir when David died.
The account concerning Abishag directly
precedes the details o f the abortive attempt
to gain the crown by Davids oldest surviving
son, Adonijah. It would seem to be so placed
to shed light on Adonijahs actions during the
early part o f Solomons reign. A fter ascending
the throne, Solomon extended to would-be King
Adonijah a conditional pardon. Later Adonijah
cunningly persuaded Solomons mother, Bathsheba, to ask her son to give him Abishag as
a wife. Solomon concluded that Adonijahs
request indicated a subtle effort by this usurper
to strengthen his false claim to the throne
of Israel, not simply a desire for a beautiful
wife. The king reacted by revoking Adonijahs
pardon and ordering his death. 1 Ki. 2:13-25.
Hence, Solomon did not act out of wild or
irresponsible jealousy, but in such a w ay as
to protect his rightful position as the anointed
king on Jehovahs throne. 1 Chron. 29:23.

taking Gods Service Gur Chief Joy

How do we show that we are m aking Gods
service our chief joy? By thinking about it, by
talking about it whenever opportunity affords,
by seeking first Gods kingdom. (Matt. 6:33)
W e also show it by buying out time from world
ly pursuits and pleasures for it for meetings,
for personal study and for the field ministry.
(Eph. 5:15, 16) W e show it by taking good
care of our physical powers, avoiding overindulgence in food and drink, the keeping of
late hours, undue excitement, all o f which are
so likely to rob us of our vital powers that we
could otherwise use in Gods service and to
the upbuilding of our brothers and ourselves.
1 Cor. 9:25.

H E R E are many activities that result in

a measure of joy to those who engage in
them, especially if done from humanitarian
motives. But none of these, nor all of them
put together, can compare with Gods service
or worship when it comes to giving one rich
and enduring joy. Yes, as foretold, m y own
servants will cry out joyfully. Isa. 65:14.*
A Christians joy is a pleasurable feeling
o f satisfaction in knowing that he is doing
the right thing, pleasing God. It comes from
knowing that we are doing good work that
benefits others, furthers Gods interests and
magnifies his name. The realization of such
things brings us a joyful sense of contentment
and inner tranquillity that can always be ours.
Phil. 4 :4 .
To be able to make Gods worship or service
our chief joy we must dwell on the things
that will give us joy. W e cannot expect to have
this joy if we dwell on unpleasant things or
experiences. Rather, we must look at our minis
try positively, at what it all accomplishes in
fulfilling Gods purposes, in separating people,
in witnessing to his name and kingdom and in
proving our integrity.

And, of course, we show we make Gods

worship our chief joy by freely contributing
of our means according to what we have, cheer
fully, remembering that the more we give pro
portionately, the greater our joy. Luke 21:1-4;
Acts 20:35; 2 Cor. 8 :12; 9:7.
Finally, let us never forget how important
a good condition of heart is toward making
Gods worship our chief joy. Isa. 65:14; Prov.
4:23.

* For details see The Watchtower, June 1, 1966.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
1966 WATCH TOWER PUBLICATIONS INDEX

others in the lives of Jehovahs witnesses.

W hat is that? Sharing in Jehovahs service.
Not that the preaching work is always easy,
but there is abiding satisfaction in knowing
that one is doing the will of God and is aiding
his fellowmen to lay hold of eternal life. It is
this joy that Jehovahs witnesses will have
during February as they call at the homes of
people to discuss the Bible and to offer, as an
aid to interested persons, a years subscription
for The Watchtower for just $1.

the new Watch Tower

Publications Index 1966 containing subject and
scripture indexes to all issues of The Watchtower and Awake! for 1966, the book Life
N ow

available

is

Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God,

1967 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, What
Has God's Kingdom Been Doing Since 1914?,
and Kingdom Ministry for 1966. Available for
10c. Also available, Watch Tower Publications
Index 1961-1965 (50c). and Watch Tower Publi
cations Index 1930-1960 * ($1). Send today.
'

WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

March 5: Fruitful Christians M anifest Godly

Contentment. Page 73. Songs to Be Used:
30, 35.

FIELD MINISTRY

There are many things in life that may

bring a person a measure of joy, but there is
one source of joy that stands out above all

March 12: Servants of God Full Time. Page

79. Songs to Be Used: 52, 63.
96

FEBRUARY 15, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

JEHOVAH MAKES FULL

MIGHT ABOUND
FROM A WEAK STATE
. . . M A D E POWERFUL
FULFILLED PROPHECY TESTIFIES
THAT GOD LIVES
AVOID THE SNARE
OF SAVING FACE
W TB &TS

YO U ARE MY WITNESSES SAYS JE H O V A H .-lsa.43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F "T H E W A T C H T O W E R
Every watchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w hat is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tch to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now.
"T h e W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the many nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true God.
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch tow er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H oly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G ods promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.
*

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H. K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

CONTENTS
Meeting the Problems of Your Children

99

Fulfilled Prophecy Testifies

that God Lives

101

Jehovah Makes Full Might Abound

105

"F ro m a W eak State . . . Made Powerful

112

An Abortive Attempt to Establish

a New Order

120

Avoid the Snare of "Saving Face

125

Questions from Readers

128

Th Bible translation used in The Watchtower is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols w ill appear behind the citations:

ASATAVDy JP -

American Standard Version

An American Translation
Authorized Version (1611)
Catholic Douay version
Jewish Publication Soc.

Le M oRo RSYg -

Isaac Leeser's version

James Moffatt's version
J. B. Rotherhams version
Revised Standard Version
Robert Young's version

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CHANGES OF AD D RESS should reach us thirty days before your moving
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Second-class postage paid at Brooklyn. N.Y.

Printed in U.S.A.

'T ^ rtn o iiT zc iriq /

J E H O V A H S
KINGDOM
F e b ru ary 15, 1967

N um ber 4

T H E 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAflAA/l/,'?/7^

of YOUR CHILDREN
'fr\K UII II l/ IIUIIIIIIU UIIIIIIIIUIIIIU Him HIIIIU HIIH V ll HIIIIH mi li ti ii immi imm/immi in/ win n n n n n n n n n n n i ii imi innnniiMi immmmi i/\i\V^>

E WAS sick when he came age-group, 2 } million, or about one in

at 2 a.m., his mother ex every eleven, has a police record! Indeed,
plained. I just put him to bed and waited the troubles in which modern youth are
until this morning to ask him what hap involved stagger the imagination. New
pened. With his hands holding his throb York
Times,O ctober 19, 1966, front page.
bing headlike any other repentant
Parents in other countries, too, are ex
morning-after drunk he told me that hed periencing problems with their children.
been down at the d riv e-in w ith his In Japan, for instance, the number of
thirteen-year-old friends, and three older lawbreakers under twenty years of age
boys shared some beer with them.
tripled between 1953 and 1963. And the
Not just a few mothers and fathers have frightening thing, notes a prominent po
had a similar experience with their young lice official, is that the crimes are tend
sters. However, excessive drinking is only ing more and more toward violence . . .
one of the problems that parents often and the average age of the offenders is
getting younger.
face today.
The modern-day emphasis on sex has
How can you, as parents, successfully
also resulted in skyrocketing cases of ve meet the problems of your children? First,
nereal diseases, unwanted pregnancies and you must be convinced that they need your
forced marriages. The adult world has attention and help. Do not assume that the
adopted a new morality of sexual free wild parties, the drinking, reckless driv
dom, and youth copy it. This unquestion ing, and other escapades of youth cannot
ably has resulted in a great increase of possibly involve your children. They can,
as Mrs. Arnold Washton, president of the
problems among young people.
Last fall a United States Senate study Parents League of New York, observed:
said that, in its opinion, four and a half We have received so many letters and
million [one in every ten] American chil telephone calls from parents who want to
dren need psychiatric treatment to cope know how to help children who have be
with seriously undesirable behavior pat come involved in these problems that we
terns. The study also revealed that, of the know they can exist in the most careful
29 million children in the ten to seventeen families and schools.

(J JLhome

99

100

SHeWATCHTOWER

There is no question about it; children

vitally need understanding, loving parents.
A baby comes into the world helpless and
ignorant, with little knowledge other than
how to suck and to cry. Therefore Al
mighty God provided the marriage ar
rangement, so that the child could receive
necessary guidance and instruction from
ones who would truly love it. And the Bi
ble emphasizes the importance of parents
regularly giving this instruction.Deut.
6:4-9; Eph. 6:4.
However, to do so requires setting aside
time to be with your children. This time
together should be planned, so that it real
ly does build up and strengthen family
ties. Make it fun, and yet instructive.
At mealtimes, for instance, experiences,
ideas, activities, hopes and plans can be
shared. Keep in mind things heard during
the day that are humorous or of common
interest, and share them at the meal table.
This communication and interest can draw
the family together, giving the children a
sense of security, of belonging.
Parents should never underestimate the
importance of communication with their
youngsters. The fundamental complaint
of young Americans, notes one wellknown writer, is that they cannot talk
with grown people. . . . the very great ma
jority of our kids have never enjoyed an
intimate friendship with even one grown
person. Little wonder that newspapers
and magazines every year receive thou
sands of letters from children who say
they want someone with whom to talk
over their personal problems.
But how is it that parents and their
children drift so far apart, making con
versation on vital matters almost impos
sible? According to the above writer:
Their efforts to communicate with us are
invariably and completely squelched. Un
fortunately, this is often true. Parents fre-

Brooklyn, N.Y.

quently push off their inquiring child, Go

away; cant you see Im busy? How much
better if the parent, when really busy,
would promise to discuss the matter later
and, when free, ask the child what was
on his mind. In this way the child will
sense that his parents are really interested
in him and will more readily confide in
them.
Youngsters need someone to talk with,
a person who appreciates their problems
and who will help them to meet them by
providing needed counsel. Illustrating how
parents often fail to satisfy this need,
two physicians recently wrote: The sto
ry is told of the mother with an unin
formed thirteen-year-old pregnant daugh
ter. When asked if she had explained the
facts of life to her daughter, she replied,
Oh, no, I thought she was too young for
that.
The doctors then observed: Too fre
quently, such parents send their ten- to
twelve-year-olds to unchaperoned parties
with dates wearing silk stockings, high
heels, adult-style clothes and lipstick, and
then wonder how they get into trouble at
fifteen years of age. It is true that young
sters may at times pressure for freedom
to do such things. However, as parents you
must stand firm and enforce necessary
rules. It is your responsibility to do so!
And, really, your children will be grateful
if you do.
If you maintain healthy family ties so
that your children feel free to talk with
you, and if you anticipate the problems
they will face and prepare them to meet
them, the bond of love between you and
your children is certain to grow. At times
they may resent what they consider un
due restrictions. But eventually they will
undoubtedly voice the sentiments of one
teen-ager: Now I finally know what I
can and cant do and its taken a terrific
load off my mind.

t ^ T e s f if ie s * h ^ 0l '
G
O
r \ j f ANY persons
C/VJL f e e l th a t a
living God would have
interfered long ago in
human affairs to cut
short this era of wick
edness and woe. And
now that some clergymen have put forth
the idea that God is dead, many wonder
where they can find the truth about the
matter. The truth can be found in the Holy
Bible, and especially pertinent to this con
troversy of whether God lives is the testi
mony of fulfilled prophecy.
When prophecies of the Bible are seen
being fulfilled, it is evidence that God lives.
Humans cannot accurately foretell events
and give precise details concerning them
even a few years in advance, but God has
done so centuries in advance. For example,
centuries before the arrival of Jesus Christ
on earth, God foretold in detail many
things in connection with him.
WHAT PROPHECIES CONCERNING JESUS
TESTIFY

Consider Jesus birth. About seven hun

dred years in advance God inspired his
prophet to foretell that it would take place
in Bethlehem. (Mic. 5:2) And how re
markably this was fulfilled! It was, in fact,
as a result of a royal decree of the Ro
man Caesar himself! The Jewish virgin
Mary and her husband Joseph were living
in Galilee, in Nazareth, some sixty or more
miles north of Bethlehem, a long journey
over rugged terrain in those days. How
101

V
ever, Augustus Cae
sars registration de
cree req u ired them
to tra v el to B ethle
hem to r e g is te rat
ju st the rig h t tim e
for Jesus to be born
th ere!Luke 2 :1 -7 .
Consider, also, the prophecies that were
fulfilled at Jesus death. In the inspired
Psalms it was foretold that not one of his
bones would be broken, and that those
present would cast lots for his clothing.
(Ps. 34:20; 22:18) Did this occur? Since
the day following the execution was a holy
one to the Jews and bodies were not to be
left on the torture stake overnight, the Ro
man soldiers proceeded to break the legs
of the men to hasten their death. But since
Jesus had just died, his were left unbro
ken. (John 19:31-36) As for Jesus inner
garment, it was woven with no seam, so
the soldiers decided to determine by lot
whose it would be, rather than to tear it
up and divide it. How miraculously these
prophecies were fulfilled!John 19:23, 24.
Prophecies regarding Jesus time in the
tomb and his resurrection likewise were
astonishingly fulfilled. In the Psalms it was
foretold that God would not leave his holy
one in hell, or the grave. (Ps. 16:10, AV)
And Jesus himself explained that he would
be killed, and on the third day be raised
up. (Matt. 16:21) Was he? Yes, he was!
Testified the apostle Peter: This Jesus
God resurrected, of which fact we are all

102

SBeWATCHTOWER,

witnesses. The prophecies were fulfilled!

Acts 2:30-32.
Think now. Did all these many details
just happen automatically simply because
they were prophesied to occur? Was it
merely by chance that Augustus Caesar
made his registration decree at the exact
time to maneuver Mary to Bethlehem
when she was nearly ready to give birth?
Was it just by accident that the soldiers
proceeded to break the legs of the men
after Jesus had died? Was it only by
chance that Jesus inner garment was of
such a kind that the soldiers decided not
to divide it into separate parts among
themselves, as they had done his outer
garments, but to cast lots over it? And
how was it that Jesus body was removed
from the tomb on the third day without
human intervention? It was accomplished
by a living God! He intervened actively in
human affairs to see that His prophecies
were fulfilled! Luke 24:1-7.
The fulfillment of those prophecies tes
tified, not merely that God had lived in
the past, but that he was alive then, at
the time of their fulfillment.
WHAT DO WORLD WOES TESTIFY?

But what about today? A number of

persons argue that the terrible increase
of wickedness and woes upon the earth
in our day is evidence that God is dead.
They feel that God has absented himself
from earths affairs and, unlike in times
past, he is not doing anything in behalf
of mankind upon earth. Is this true?
Such persons certainly are correct in
saying that this generation has experi
enced a tremendous increase in woe and
distress. Two destructive global wars, dis
astrous famines, unprecedented disease
epidemics, a concentrated number of dev
astating earthquakes, a terrible increase
of lawlessness yes, all of such things
have turned this generation into an Age

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

of Violence. As the New York Times

Magazine of May 2,1965, observed: Most
historians now agree that . . . it was not
the organized festivities of 1900 but rather
the organized hostilities of 1914 that de
cisively concluded a chapter in human
history.
But should this terrible change for the
worse in human affairs be unexpected by
us? Did Almighty God leave mankind
without warning of the coming of these
distressing times? Turn, please, in your
Bible to Matthew chapter twenty-four,
Mark chapter thirteen, Luke chapter
twenty-one and Second Timothy chapter
three. What do you read there? Why, is
it not that these exact woeful conditions
presently being experienced were fore
casted to occur as a sign of the last
days ? Yes, since the year 1914 Gods
prophecies regarding the conclusion of
the system of things have been in the
course of fulfillment!
So of what is the present increase of
woe really an evidence? That God is pow
erless to alleviate the troubles? That he
is not concerned enough with mankind to
do anything in their behalf? Do present
woes indeed indicate that God is dead ?
Or, rather, do they prove that he is very
much alive?
For an answer, we can turn in the Holy
Bible to the book of Revelation, chapter
twelve. Here the apostle John is given, by
the glorified Jesus Christ, a vision of
things to come. John sees in vision a great
war, not on earth, but in heaven. This war
is prompted by the birth of Gods kingdom.
Gods enthroned Son, Jesus Christ, and the
holy angels fight against the Devil and his
demon angels, hurling them out of heaven.
But in what direction are these wicked
spirits hurled? In our direction toward
the earth! The Divine Record says:
So down the great dragon was hurled,
the original serpent, the one called Devil

F ebruary

15, 1967

SKeWATCHTOWER.

103

and Satan, who is misleading the entire of operation. Truly world conditions tes
inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the tify, not that God is dead, but that Gods
earth, and his angels were hurled down kingdom now rules in the heavens and
with him. And I heard a loud voice in that God lives!
heaven say: Now have come to pass the
salvation and the power and the kingdom
KINGDOM PREACHING TESTIFIES
THAT GOD LIVES
of our God and the authority of his Christ,
because the accuser of our brothers has
Now that Gods kingdom is in operation
been hurled down, who accuses them day in heaven, God is doing something else on
and night before our God! . . . Woe for behalf of mankind, testifying that He
the earth and for the
indeed lives and is
sea, because the Dev
interested in the welCOMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
il has come down to
f
are of lovers of
A God of Loving-K indness.
Showing Kindness to Others.
you, having grea t
righteousness. What
H ow W e Know th a t God W ill P ut
anger, knowing he
is this? He is having
an End to Wickedness.
W ere You Once a Kingdom Publisher?
has a short period of
carried out a global
E arth 's Final H um an Governm ent.
witnessing campaign
t i m e , t h a t is, a
regarding his estab
short time before he
and his demons are put out of operation. lished kingdom, as foretold at Matthew
24:14: This good news of the kingdom
Rev. 12:9, 10, 12.
Woe for the earth! Yes, this is ex will be preached in all the inhabited earth
actly what we have experienced during the for a witness to all the nations; and then
past five decades. And what does this ful the end will come.
Under what circumstances would Gods
filled prophecy testify to? That God is
dead? By no means, but just the opposite, established kingdom be preached through
that God lives! For it is evidence that God out all the inhabited earth for a witness
has asserted his kingly power in heaven to all the nations ? Would the nations re
and that his kingdom has taken action joice in hearing this good news ? On the
against the Devil and his demons, hurling contrary, Jesus Christ said: People will
deliver you [Kingdom witnesses] up to
them to the earth.
tribulation
and will kill you, and you will
Therefore, seen in the light of fulfilled
be
objects
of
hatred by all the nations.
prophecy, world conditions today testify
Matt.
24:9.
to the fact that the Devil has been hurled
Has a Kingdom witness been given
out of heaven and down to the earth, and
world
wide despite opposition and hatred
his violent ouster from heaven shows that
by all the nations ?
God is very much alive and taking steps
Consider the facts of history. For exam
to put an end to wickedness. Instead of
ple, a professor of history, Charles Samuel
being helpless to do anything about the
Braden, wrote in his book These Also
situation, or being uninterested in man,
Believe: Jehovahs Witnesses have literal
God has made the necessary provisions for ly covered the earth with their witnessing.
wiping out wickedness and blessing man . . . It may be truly said that no single re
kind eternally by establishing His king ligious group in the world displayed more
dom in the heavens. Soon that established zeal and persistence in the attempt to
kingdom in the hands of Christ will put spread the good news of the Kingdom
the Devil and his forces of wickedness out than the Jehovahs Witnesses.

104

SfceWATCHTOWER

And what has been the reception given

to these Kingdom witnesses? A noted con
stitutional lawyer, Leo Pfeifer, surveyed
the scene and wrote about Jehovahs wit
nesses in his volume Church, State and
Freedom: Their aggressive missionary
tactics are reminiscent of those employed
by the early Christians, and the reception
accorded them by the nonbelievers is like
wise reminiscent of that visited on the
early Christians.
In country after country political au
thorities, religious leaders and mobs have
tried to stop the Kingdom preaching, as
Jesus foretold. But the opposers have
failed. The American Civil Liberties Union
reported that, in six months alone in 1940,
1488 men, women and children were vic
tims of mob violence in 335 communities
in 44 states. . . . Nothing parallel to this
extensive mob violence has taken place in
the United States since the days of the
Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s.
During World War II, these Christian
witnesses were banned in thirty-four lands.
But despite mob violence in the United
States, Canada, Great Britain and other
lands the work has not stopped.
The Nazis tried to wipe out these King
dom preachers, Hitler even screaming
with clenched fists: This brood will be
exterminated in Germany! And wrote
Professor Ebenstein of Princeton Univer
sity in his book The Nazi State: A cam
paign of terror was launched against
[Jehovahs witnesses] which surpassed
anything perpetrated against any other
victims of Nazism in Germany. Yet the
preaching work spread and Hitler and the
Nazis could not stop the good news of the
Kingdom from going to the people. Why?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Because the living God is behind this work.

In Communist lands throughout the
world great efforts have been put forth to
stop the Kingdom witnessing. The Toronto
Daily Star of July 2, 1960, said: All reli
gion is anathema to the Soviets. Unac
countably, however, nothing infuriates
them quite as much as do Jehovahs Wit
nesses. . . . Pravda reports that the Wit
nesses are becoming increasingly active.
. . . Faith is spreading, and all the mighty
resources of the state seem unable to de
stroy it.
Why have powerful governments been
unable to stop the work of this small group
of Kingdom witnesses? This Kingdom
preaching in the face of worldwide oppo
sition clearly testifies to the fact that this
preaching work is not of man. If it were,
it would have collapsed long ago because
of the opposition to it. As an esteemed
doctor of Law in the first century said:
If this scheme and this work is from men,
it will be overthrown; but if it is from
God, you will not be able to overthrow
them. (Acts 5:34-39) The fact that the
earth-wide Kingdom preaching continues
is proof that it is of God, that God is
backing it upyes, that God lives!
Faced with such telling testimony of ful
filled prophecies of the past and even
those presently undergoing fulfillment, is
it sensible to believe those who claim
that God is dead? For all who approach
the Bible with reverent mind there is am
ple evidence that God lives. Our confidence
can indeed be the same as that of the
apostle Paul, who long ago said: We have
rested our hope on a living God. 1 Tim.
4:10.

gD
IIISIIIIQPEICd
Makes Full Might Abound
Those who are hoping in Jehovah will regain power. They
will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run
and not grow weary; they will walk and not
tire out." Isa. 40:31.
EXCLUSIVE DEVOTION
MONG many powerful dramas re
3The name Samson is generally translat
corded in Jehovahs Word is that
concerning Samson. Down through the ed to mean Sunny; Sun-like; Sun-man,
ages, the thrilling events of Samsons but others give it the meaning Desolator;
action-packed life have gripped the atten Destroyer. Both meanings are most ap
tion of young and old. The affair of Sam propriate. During Samsons twenty-year
son and Delilah has become one of the judgeship in Israel, probably shortly be
great love stories of history, and has fore the beginning of Sauls reign in 1117
been told and retold in song and play, with B.C.E., he showed exclusive devotion to
varying accuracy. However, it is in the Jehovah, both as a sun-like savior in
Bible book of Judges, chapters 13 to 16, Israel and as a devastating desolator of
that we read in faithful detail the real-life the oppressing Philistines. (Judg. 13:5;
story of the strongest man of human his 16:30) His was an irenic work, in that it
tory. And as we read this stirring record, brought refreshing deliverance to Israel,
we may ask ourselves: What was the and a polemic work, in its execution of
source of Samsons great strength? How Gods judgments on his enemies.
do we benefit by this life story today?
4 This pattern of an irenic and a polemic
2
Speaking of historic events in ancientwork is to be seen also in the devoted min
Israel, Romans 15:4 assures us: For all istry of Jesus Christ while on earth. To
the things that were written aforetime the meek, Jesus declared: Come to me,
were written for our instruction, that all you who are toiling and loaded down,
through our endurance and through the and I will refresh you. And that he did!
comfort from the Scriptures we might
But to the wicked religious oppressors of
have hope. And having hope in God,
we will come to realize, as did Samson, the people he cried out: Woe to you,
that the secret of real strength is to be scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because
found in Jehovah alone. He is giving to you resemble whitewashed graves, which
the tired one power; and to the one with outwardly indeed appear beautiful but in
out dynamic energy he makes full might side are full of dead mens bones and of
abound. Isa. 40:29.
every sort of uncleanness. In that way you
1. What drama is here discussed, and where is it ac
curately recorded?
2. Why was the drama written down, and what lesson
does it convey?

3. How are the meanings of Samsons name appro

priate?
4. What pattern is seen in Jesus earthly ministry?
105

106

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

SffieWATCHTOWER

also, outwardly indeed, appear righteous growth is seen in the development of the
to men, but inside you are full of hypoc Catholic and Protestant religious systems
risy and lawlessness. . . . Serpents, off of Christendom, which have substituted
spring of vipers, how are you to flee from the pagan philosophies of ancient Babylon,
the judgment of Gehenna?Matt. 11:28; Greece and Rome for Christs Bible teach
ings. This system has invaded the realm
23:27-33.
5
The Lord Jesus Christ set in motionof Gods pure worship in the same way
a powerful work of Kingdom witnessing. that the Philistines invaded the realm of
For this very purpose he organized the Gods people in Samsons day.Matt. 13:
Christian congregation on earth as a 24-30.
8But wheat Christians of the faith
"faithful and discreet slave, made up of
devoted, anointed witnesses, and it serves ful and discreet slave class were also
to this day as the Masters appointee in growing up through the centuries. These
giving "his domestics . . . [spiritual] food were like the young Samson, of whom the
at the proper time. (Matt. 24:45) This record says, Jehovah continued to bless
slave organization of true, devoted him. Then, as Samson reached adulthood,
Christians, particularly the remnant there Jehovahs spirit started to impel him.
of in modern times, was well typified by (Judg. 13:24, 25) Likewise, in modern
times, Jehovah began to regather and or
Samson of old. How so?
* Jehovah instructed Samsons mother, ganize wheat Christians under their
even before this divinely arranged preg Master, Christ Jesus, as the faithful and
nancy, that the child to be born must be discreet slave for getting his will done
devoted as a Nazirite from birth, and un on earth at the time of the end. After
til the day of his death. (Judg. 13:2-7) he tested these Christians as to their loy
This required that Samson practice absti alty to fundamental Bible truth, he set his
nence, that he wear his hair long and that spirit upon them, impelling them to do a
he refrain from defiling himself by touch work of witnessing that has involved
ing a dead body. (Num. 6:1-21) Similarly, Samson-like spiritual warfare against the
when Jehovahs long-barren woman wicked Philistine-like organization of false
his heavenly, universal organizationat Christians.
last brought forth spiritual sons, exclusive
9 The time was fast approaching when
devotion was required of this slave class. the Son of man, Jesus Christ, would
7
The Master, Jesus Christ, stated thatgather all lawless ones out of his kingdom,
at the conclusion of the system of things for their destruction, and when the righ
he would appoint this devoted slave over teous ones would come to shine as bright
all his belongings, his Kingdom inter ly as the sun in the kingdom of their Fa
ests on earth. (Matt. 24:47) But he spoke ther. (Matt. 13:36-43) In preparation for
also of a counterfeit organization of apos this, the Samson class had a work to do!
tate Christians weedssown by the
Devil, and said that it would try to choke
out true, wheatlike Christians. Just such a
5. What group did Jesus organize on earth, and for
what purpose?
6, 7. (a) What instruction did Jehovah give to Sam
sons mother, and what did this involve? (b) What
similar requirement has Jehovah laid upon true Chris
tians, and in what environment have these grown up?

AGAINST THE PHILISTINES

10 Samsons

first

exploits

were

per-

8. What is pictured in Jehovahs spirit being with

Samson ?
9. What time was approaching, and what lay ahead for
the Samson class?
10. (a) Why did Samson show interest in the Timnite woman? (b) How did this have modern-day ful
fillment ?

F ebruary

15, 1967

SHeWATCHTOVVER.

107

formed in connection with a woman in 4:6, 7; 5:5) Here the young lion ap
Timnah of the daughters of the Philis pears to picture Protestantism, which in
tines. When he asked for her as wife, its beginnings came out boldly against
his parents rightly protested. What! Marry some of the abuses perpetrated by Catholi
a Canaanite a woman under Gods curse cism in the name of Christianity. For ex
of destruction? But it was not really mar ample, there were the ninety-five theses
riage that Samson had in mind. Rather, that Luther nailed to the church door of
that was from Jehovah, that he was look Wittenberg in 1517 C.E., described by The
ing for an opportunity against the Philis Encyclopaedia
Britannica*as ninety-fi
tines. (Judg. 14:1-4; Deut. 7:3, 4) And sledge-hammer blows directed against the
it appears to have been from Jehovah most flagrant ecclesiastical abuse of the
that, in the years from 1879 to 1919, age . . . the sale of indulgences. However,
P rotestan tism
wheat Christians
f a i l e d to clea n
mingled free ly in
house doctrinally,
the p a g a n i s t i c
continuing to hold
church systems of
fast to many false
Christendom, with
Babylonish teach
a view to finding
ings that had been
and releasing sin
adopted into apos
cere p ersons en
tate Christianity by
trapped therein. It
Catholicism. It kept
was like Elijah go
lurking in vine
ing among the Baal
yards of its own lik
worshipers of his
ing, f a r d o w n in
day, in order to find
Philistine terri
an occasion for vin
tory.
dicating Jehovahs
12
F
name. (1 Ki. 18:17th a t the W a t c h
40)
T h eW a t c h
Tower magazine be
T o w e r o f 1894,
gan to be published
pages 140-141, ad
in 1879, the spiritvocated doing this.
impelled faithful
And just as Sam
and discreet slave
sons parents finally
went along with him to Timnah, so Jeho showed itself forthright in its support
vah and his holy angels appear to have of Bible truth. This proved too much
given support to the modern-day faithful for the clergy of Protestantism, who sum
and discreet slave in such witness work. moned enough courage to pounce out from
11
What followed? When [Samson] gottheir hideouts of false doctrine and roar
as far as the vineyards of Timnah, why, lustily against Jehovahs witnesses, even
look! a maned young lion roaring upon to advocating the burning of their Bible
meeting him. (Judg. 14:5) In Bible sym literature. But how did this Protestant
bolism, the lion is used to represent jus lion fare? Jehovahs spirit became optice, as well as courage. (Ezek. 1:10; Rev.
* Volume 17, under Luther.
11. What is pictured by the
and how?

maned young lion,

12,13. What modern-day parallel is there to Samsons

contest with the lion? Give an example.

108

SflkWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

erative upon [Samson], so that he tore it with the Philistines. It came about
in two, just as someone tears a male kid through Samsons propounding the riddle:
in two, and there was nothing at all in his Out of the eater something to eat came
hand. (Judg. 14:6) Prior to World War forth, and out of the strong something
I, the triumph of Jehovahs slave over sweet came forth. Unable to find the an
Protestantism was just as decisive. It was swer in the prescribed time, the Philistines
surreptitiously wheedled it out through
by Gods spirit.
13
A forceful example of this was theSamsons betrothed. So, they answered
series of debates held in 1903 between the him correctly: What is sweeter than hon
Watch Tower president of that time, C. T. ey, and what is stronger than a lion?
Russell, and a Pittsburgh clergyman, Dr. Samson paid his debt over this riddle in
E. L. Eaton. As a result, not only did many the kind that the Philistines deserved, by
of Dr. Eatons congregation leave him to slaying thirty of their number and hand
become Jehovahs witnesses, but a num ing over their garments to the tellers of
ber of clergymen acknowledged the cor the riddle. Judg. 14:10-20.
rectness of
TheWatch Towers stand
on the years 1879-1919, religion
During
fundamental issues. After the last debate, ists of Christendom were unable to fath
during which Brother Russell clearly om the secret of the strength of the
showed that eternal torment is unscrip- little band of Jehovahs devoted witnesses.
tural, one of these clergymen told him: They could not appreciate the sweetness
I am glad to see you turn the hose on that Gods slave finds in doing his will,
hell and put out the fire.
nor could they understand how God makes
Spiritual warfare on behalf of Gods full might abound by his spirit. The spiri
truth and righteousness has always tual slaying and exposing of false religion
brought great joy to the modern-day Sam ists continued. And those of the clergy
son class. Doing Gods will is food to them,
who persisted in their opposition to the
and especially their sharing in the vin
Samson class received, as it were, addi
dication of Jehovahs name against his
enemies. (John 4:34) Samson, on return tional Philistine garments, identifying
ing past the lair of the lion, turned aside them as dyed-in-the-wool adherents of
to look at the carcass of the lion, and false religion. Samsons righteous anger
there there was a swarm of bees in the continued hot, reaching a climax in the
lions corpse, and honey. So he scraped it publication, in 1917, of the polemic book,
out into his palms and walked on, eating The Finished Mystery.
as he walked. (Judg. 14:8, 9) Down to
17
What of Samsons further feats?
this day, the Samson class find sweet sus There was his superhuman accomplish
tenance as they reflect on Jehovahs use ment of catching three hundred jackals,
of them in theocratic warfare, even to
and dispatching them with torches be
exposing and slaying the Protestant lion
tween their tailsto burn up the standing
with his Word of truth.Eph. 6:17; Ps.
grain,
the harvested sheaves, the vine
77:11, 12.
yards
and
the olive groves of the Philis
This very sweetness became the fo
tines.
Likewise,
in the pre-World War I
cal point of Samsons first test of strength
activity of Jehovahs slave, the claimed
14. How was Samson refreshed, and how was this
spiritual provender of Christendoms refulfilled today?
15, 16. (a) What happened in connection with Samsons
riddle? (b) What did this foreshadow?

17. What do Samsons further feats picture?

F ebruary 15, 1967

5EeW A TC H TO W E R

109

ligions was badly scorched. It was shown the crushing of a thousand thick Philistine
to be valueless, being set on fire and skulls! In modern times, Jehovah has simi
burned upgutted by millions of fiery larly sustained and empowered his wit
tracts, booklets and books. Days of fam nesses, as they meekly use their jaws in
ine, a famine . . . for hearing the words speaking out against false religionists, and
of Jehovah, came upon Christendom. in bringing comfort to other meek ones.
(Amos 8:11) In Jehovahs strength, the Isa. 61:1, 2; 50:4.
Samson class went smiting and exposing
19 In need of refreshment, Samson now
the false religionists, piling legs upon called on Jehovah, and God caused a mi
thighs with a great slaughter. It was a raculous spring of water to flow forth. So,
time for aggressive spiritual warfare. the place came to be called En-hakkore
Judg. 15:1-8.
[The Fountain of the Crier], which is
18
Coming under enemy pressure, Samin Lehi down to this day. In like manner,
son took refuge in the crag Etam. Like Jehovah has made abundant and neverwise, the Samson class today have found failing provision today, through The
their refuge and consolation in Jehovah, Watchtower and other Bible-study helps,
the rock of salvation. (Ps. 89:26; 144: as well as through congregational meet
1, 2) At Etam, cowardly fellow Israelites, ings, so that his witnesses, ever conscious
Judeans, tried to trap Samson and to turn of their spiritual need, may be constantly
him over to the enemy. But when they stimulated for further theocratic warfare.
thought they had him bound, Jehovahs We do well always to drink deeply of this
spirit became operative upon him, so that provision. Judg. 15:9-19; Matt. 5:3, 6;
he tore his bonds asunder, and, taking a Isa. 41:17, 18.
moist jawbone of a male ass, he struck
FROM GAZA TO HEBRON
down a thousand Philistines. By a miracle
20 Once Samson went to Gaza, a Philis
of Jehovah, that frail jawbone stood up to
tine city, and lodged for the night in the
house of a prostitute woman.
Was this for an im
moral purpose? No,
f o r he w as a g a i n
looking for an op
portunity against the
Philistines. These
now surrounded him
and lay in wait at the
city gate. Gaza
w as r e n o w n e d
f o r its massive
walls, a challenge
in later years to
conquerors, even
such as Alexan
d e r th e Great.
20. What feat did Samson perform at Gaza,
and by whose power?

110

SEeWATCHTOWER

How ponderous its gateposts must have

been! But miracle of miracles! Samson
rose at midnight and grabbed hold of the
doors of the city gate and the two side
posts and pulled them out along with the
bar and put them upon his shoulders and
went carrying them up to the top of the
mountain that is in front of Hebron.
(Judg. 16:1-3) That was all of forty miles
out of enemy territory clear up to a
peak in Judah, the land of Jehovahs
praise! Only Jehovahs sustaining power
could strengthen Samson for so colossal a
feat!
21 This humiliating blow to Philistine
pride has a modern-day parallel. From its
first year of publication, in 1879, Zions
Watch Tower,* official journal of the
faithful and discreet slave, consistently
proclaimed the year 1914 as the date for
the end of the Gentile times and the
establishment of Gods kingdom by Christ.
(Luke 21:24, AV) Lets lie in wait until
1914, declared the Philistine religionists,
and when the forecasts of these Bible
students prove wrong, we will have them
trapped! But they reckoned without Jeho
vahs determination to fulfill the prophe
cies he had long previously recorded in
his Word. Isa. 46:9-11.
22 Right on time, in the fall of 1914, the
kingdom of our God in the hands of his
Christ began ruling in the heavens. As
visible evidence thereof, the nations be
came wrathful in their first world war,
and other sorrows marking the conclu
sion of the system of things began to
afflict mankind. (Rev. 11:18) It was just
as Jehovahs spirit had moved his devoted
slave to warn in advance. A leading New
York newspaper, The World, acknowl* Now The Watchtower.
21. How did the clergy expect to trap Gods slave,
but what did they fail to reckon with?
22. What happened in 1914, and how did a New York
newspaper comment on this?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

edged this in a long feature article in its

issue of August 30, 1914, which included
the following:
The terrific war outbreak in Europe has
fulfilled an extraordinary prophecy. For a
quarter of a century past, through preachers
and through press, the International Bible
Students [Jehovahs witnesses] . . . have
been proclaiming to the world that the Day
of Wrath prophesied in the Bible would
dawn in 1914. Look out for 1914! has been
the cry of hundreds of traveling evangelists
who, representing this strange creed, have
gone up and down the country enunciating
the doctrine that the Kingdom of God is
at hand. . . . And in 1914 comes war, the
war which everybody dreaded but which
everybody thought could not really happen.

23 In Jehovahs power, the faithful and

discreet slave thus tore the enemys trap
like gate from its foundations, posts and
all, and carried it high up into the land
of Jehovahs praise. Truly, the Samson
class was vindicated in its support of Je
hovahs Word of prophecy, and, to this
day, Jehovah is being praised more and
more, as the evidence continues to mount
that his kingdom by Christ was indeed es
tablished in 1914, and is here to stay!
Rev. 12:10, 12.
SAMSON AND DELILAH

24 Remember that Samson was a Nazirite. His divinely provided strength was
dependent on his continuing in unswerv
ing devotion to Jehovah, and of this his
long hair was a symbol. His strength lay
in what that unshorn hair represented. In
the same way, the strength of Jehovahs
slave today rests in its unwavering de
votion to Jehovah. Just as long hair . . .
is a dishonor to a man, so the Samson
class must continue to suffer the worlds
reproaches, fearlessly and without com
promise, in maintaining integrity to God.
1 Cor. 11:14.
23. How was the Samson class vindicated, and with
what praise to Jehovah?
24. What was represented in Samson's long hair?

F ebruary 15, 1967

SKeWATCHTOWER.

Ill

25 And it came about after that that April 15,1917, The Watch Tower unequiv
he fell in love with a woman in the torrent ocally declared: There is no middle
valley of Sorek, and her name was Deli ground for a Christian. He can be true to
lah. (Judg. 16:4) Who was Delilah? Her the Lord . . . only by taking one course,
name means Languishing, and it ap namely, a refusal to engage in the war.
pears she was an Israelitess. The modern
27The efforts of Gods slave to accom
history of Jehovahs witnesses reveals a modate these lover rebels may be com
spirit-begotten class like Delilah. These be pared to Samsons permitting Delilah to
came offended at not being caught away weave the braids of his hair so precious
immediately into the heavenly kingdom in in symbol of his devotionwith a warp
1914, and grew slack in zeal. During the thread. Integrity was endangered! And
years 1917-1918, they tried to grab con just as Samson slept on the treacherous
trol of the Watch Tower Society and to Delilahs knees, so the Samson class con
force a soft pedal compromise with the ciliatory attitude toward languishing apos
modern Philistines. Though they had no tates finally brought weakening, and a be
real love for the devoted Samson class, the ginning of compromise. That the dedicated
Samson class did indeed express genuine witnesses fell into just such a trap in 1918
love toward these associates whose lamps is shown by an article appearing in The
were about to go out. (Matt. 25:8) They Watch Tower of June 1 of that year. This
were trying to recover them. Taking ad came out in support of the day of prayer
vantage of this, the Delilah class used a and supplication proclaimed by the presi
series of approaches in an attempt to have dent of the United States for May 30,1918,
the Samson class bound with ropes of stating: Let there be praising and thanks
compromise, so that they could be handed giving to God for the promised glorious
over to the religionists of Christendom. outcome of the war . . . and the mak26 These erstwhile lovers wanted the de 27. How was the
voted Samson to soften down the polem in te g r ity of the
Samson class en
ic utterances against false religion. They dangered, and into
what
did they
wanted the God-fearing Bible Students finallytrap
fall?
to jump on the bandwagon of patriotic
sentiment over World War I, which was
now supported fiercely by Christendoms
religionists on both sides of the fighting.
However,
Samson did
n ot im m e
d i a t e l y fa ll
victim to De
lilah s blan
dishments. In
it s i s s u e o f
25, 25. (a) Who was
Delilah, and whom
did she foreshadow ?
(b) How did this
class try to influ
ence Samson, but
with what result?

112

SEeWATCHTOW ER

ing of the world safe for the common

people.
28 worldly compromise resulted in loss
of Jehovahs spirit. The hair of the Sam
son class was shorn off in a symbolic way,
and their power kept departing from
them. The Philistine religionists succeeded
in grabbing Gods slave. They bored out
his eyes of discernment of Gods will, and
made him a grinder in the prison house
down in Philistine territory. For a short
season, the slaves bold witnessing for
Gods kingdom ceased. Religious pressure
also brought about the imprisonment, un
der false charges, of the second Watch
28, 29. (a) What was the result of the slaves " com
promise? (b) What questions are therefore asked?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Tower president and seven other respon

sible brothers, for terms of up to eighty
years each. The enemy caused a closing
down of the Societys headquarters at
Brooklyn, New York. During these dark
est days of Samsons imprisonment,
however, The Watch Tower continued to
be published from Pittsburgh, Pennsylva
nia, spreading, if faintly, a ray of com
fort and hope. Judg. 16:5-21.
29Would Jehovah leave his slave in
this imprisoned condition? Would the
Samson class awaken to the reason for its
plight? Would Jehovah again empower
his servant for theocratic action? The fol
lowing article will tell.

?torc\ aweak siaie

EHOVAH is the true
Source of life and
strength, the Creator of
the heavens and the
grand One stretching
them out; the One laying out the earth prepared to serve him again in Nazirite
and its produce, the One giving breath to devotion. There was no delay in this. As
the people on it, and spirit to those walk soon as he had been shaved, the hair of
ing in it. (Isa. 42:5) And by his spirit, his head started to grow luxuriantly. As
or active force, Jehovah strengthens his his strength returned, he was again look
servants on earth as they cry to him for ing for an opportunity against the Philis
direction and help in time of need.Ps.
tines. (Judg. 16:22; 14:4) In the same
34:8, 15.
2
It was even so with Samson. No soonerway, from 1919, Gods slave, fully re
had his enemies shorn him of his power, pentant and resolved to serve Jehovah to
than he awoke to his senses. Realizing his the death, experienced a return of
error, he repented before his God, and strength. The spirit of life from God en
tered into them, and they stood upon their
1. Of what is Jehovah the Source?
2. What is pictured by Samsons awakening to his
feet, ready for vigorous activity in the
senses?

F ebruary 15, 1967

SfreWATCHTOWER.

time of the end. Rev. 11:8-12; Dan.

12:1-4.
3The time had come for the fulfillment
of Isaiah 43:8, 10, 11: Bring forth a
people blind though eyes themselves ex
ist . . . You are my witnesses, is the
utterance of Jehovah, even my servant
whom I have chosen, in order that you
may know and have faith in me, and that
you may understand that I am the same
One. Before me there was no God formed,
and after me there continued to be none.
II am Jehovah, and besides me there is
no savior. Though temporarily blinded
due to the influence of false religionists
during World War I years, Jehovahs peo
ple must now be brought out of captivity
to serve unequivocally as His witnesses.
If any blindness remained, it was that
they were now blind to doing anything
other than the will of Almighty God. They
were resolved to forget the things behind.
Phil. 3:13, 14.
4The lords of the Philistines gathered
to offer a great sacrifice to their fish god,
Dagon. It was to be a religious feast, like
that sponsored by Belshazzar at Babylon
some 600 years later, when he made sport
of the holy vessels from Jehovahs temple.
(Dan. 5:1-4, 30) But in the Philistines
feasting, it was Jehovahs devoted servant,
Samson, who became the center of mock
ing and reviling. And they kept saying:
Our god has given into our hand Samson
our enemy! When the people got to see
him, they at once gave way to praising
their god, because, said they, our god
has given into our hand our enemy and
the devastator of our land and the one
who multiplied our slain. Judg. 16:23,
24.
5O the clergy of Christendom delighted
3. How were a people blind now brought forth,
and for what purpose?
4. For what did the feasting Philistines praise their
god?
5. In what did the Philistine-like clergy of today unite?

113

in the captivity of Jehovahs witnesses

during the closing days of World War I!
Thinking that they had silenced the Wit
nesses for all time, the clergy did just as
Revelation 11:10 foretold: They rejoiced
over them and enjoyed themselves, and
sent gifts to one another. They proceeded
to make sport of Jehovahs downtrodden
slave. And since those days, while con
tinuing to heap mockery on Jehovahs wit
nesses, the clergy of Christendom, and in
deed of the entire world empire of false
religion, have gathered in their house of
false worship, drawing closer in their in
terfaith movements, and identifying them
selves as anti-God and against Jehovahs
established kingdom by Christ Jesus. Al
ways they are united in their combined
opposition to Jehovahs witnesses.
6As the Philistines reveled in their idol
atry before Dagon, it came about that be
cause their heart was merry, they began
to say: Call Samson that he may offer
us some amusement. So they called Sam
son out of the prison house that he might
make sport before them. Judg. 16:25.
7Jehovah was directing the course of
the drama back in Samsons day. And like
wise it was by Jehovahs arranging that
his devoted slave was brought forth
from religious bondage in 1919. The mod
ern Philistines, though they may not have
immediately realized it, had no further
power over Jehovahs witnesses. These
came forth to serve and to work. With
symbolic hair growing luxuriantly, they
have continued to bear the reproaches and
shame heaped upon them by ecclesiastical
leaders. Down to this year 1967, the
faithful and discreet slave, the anointed
remnant of Jehovahs witnesses, has
served loyally in Jehovahs strength, and
has testified to his sovereignty, while at
the same time being exposed as in a
6, 7. (a) Why was Samson called out of the prison
house? (b) What did Jehovah arrange with regard
to his modern-day slave ?

114

SfteWATCHTOWER.

theater both to reproaches and tribula

tions. Heb. 10:33.
BETWEEN THE PILLARS

8 And they proceeded to stand him be

tween the pillars the main supporting
pillars of the house of Dagon. These pillars
must have been immense, to support so
large a house, and indeed archaeological
diggings at Gaza in recent years have un
covered huge stone bases, set side by side,
on which the center pillars of just such
a Dagon-house may have rested. Judg.
16:25.
9 Since 1919, false religionists have con
tinued their efforts to make sport of Je
hovahs witnesses, in connection with their
keeping integrity before their God. They
try to corner them between the main props
upon which the world empire of false re
ligion, and Christendom in particular, have
built their hopes. But what are the pillars
upon which the religious leaders rely for
support of their house of false religion?
10Particularly from the year 1914, when
Christendom launched World War I, na
tionalism has become a major factor in
human relations. Unreasoning patriotism,
a fanatical loyalty to the country in which
one happened to be born, has been
spawned throughout the earth. The major
religions have willingly fanned the flames
of nationalism, placing loyalty to the na
tion above loyalty to the God and Creator
of all mankind. They have even blessed the
guns that have been used for the wanton
slaughter of their fellow religionists in
other nations. In return, they have relied
on the political rulers to prop up their re
ligious house in its position of dominance
over the people.
11 An example of this is to be seen in
the Catholic churchs partnership with
8, 9. What is pictured by their standing Samson be
tween the pillars?
10,11. (a) What major issue has arisen in the earth
since 1914? (b) What are some examples showing this
to be so?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

dictator Mussolini, resulting in the resto

ration of much power and authority to
the Vatican. Also, there was Catholicisms
making of a concordat with Hitler and
supporting his crusade for world domina
tion, as when prelates at the German
Bishops Conference in Fulda, in August
1940, expressed gratitude to Hitler for the
German troops victorious advance and
defense of the German homeland. * The
Protestant churches, too, have gone right
along with the Catholic in supporting the
two world wars, and in providing chap
lains to build up the morale of the fighting
men on both sides.
12But is nationalism the only prop in
which false religionists have placed their
trust? In addition thereto, and in direct
opposition to Gods kingdom by Christ
His instrumentality for bringing real
peace and prosperity to mankindSatan
has brought forth a supranational body.
It is described in Revelation 17:8, 11 as
the peace beast that appears first be
tween the two world wars, goes into
eclipse during World War II, and is there
after reactivated for a season. It is the
now-defunct League of Nations and its
successor, the United Nations.
13At the Leagues inception, Christen
doms Protestant branch of the world em
pire of false religion described it as the
political expression of Gods Kingdom on
earth. f And have modern-day religionists
looked upon the successor United Nations
as a pillar of their hopes for bringing
peace and prosperity to this earth? On the
occasion of the twentieth birthday cele
bration of the United Nations, it was re
ported by the Associated Press of June 27,
1965, from San Francisco:
* Philadelphia Record, August 28, 1940.
t Declaration by Federal Council of Churches of
Christ in America, December 12, 1918.
12, 13. (a) On what other pillar does religions house
seek to support itself? (b) What evidence shows that
the world empire of false religion looks to this support?

F ebruary 15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

Seven international leaders of religious

faiths with more than 2,000 million world
wide members joined prayerful hands under
one roof today in support of the UN quest
for world peace. Pope Paul VI sent his
blessings from Rome. They were conveyed
by a Syrian archbishop to the convocation
for Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Hindus,
Buddhists, Muslims and Eastern (Greek)
Orthodox Christians. . . . Rabbi Louis Jacobs
. . . described the UN as the sole hope for
lasting peace in a world whose survival
depends on it.

It is clearly apparent, therefore, that the

worlds religious organizations regard the
United Nations as a pillar of their hopes
for human progress, and indeed for sur
vival itself.
14 This was underlined by the remarks
of Pope Paul VI during his United States
visit of October 4, 1965, when he de
scribed the United Nations as that great
est of all international organizations. He
went on to declare:
The peoples of the earth turn to the United
Nations as the last hope of concord and
peace. . . . The edifice that you have con
structed must never fail; it must be per
fected.

15But how does Jehovah God view the

rise of nationalism and of the supranation
al United Nations, which has gained such
ardent praise from the religious leaders of
this twentieth century? Speaking of the
political kings that rule earth in this
time of the end, Jehovahs prophet de
clares: And in the days of those kings
the God of heaven will set up a kingdom
that will never be brought to ruin. And
the kingdom itself will not be passed on
to any other people. It will crush and put
an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself
will stand to times indefinite. (Dan. 2:
44) Thus the nationalistic governments on
which the various religious systems de
pend so heavily for support are destined
to be crushed by Gods heavenly kingdom.
14. How does the pope of Rome view the U.N.?
15,16. What does Gods Word say as to the future of
nationalism and of the U.N. peace beast ?

115

18 As for the U.N. peace beast, Reve

lation 17:5, 14-17 describes how it will be
conquered by the Lamb, Christ Jesus,
after it has thrown off the system of world
religion that is at present making such
ardent overtures of love to it. Yes, the
prophecy indicates that radical powers
from within that world body, its ten
horns, will actually turn on the world em
pire of false religion, the harlotrous Bab
ylon the Great. These will hate the har
lot and will make her devastated and
naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and
will completely burn her with fire. For
God put it into their hearts to carry out
his thought. In vain does world religion
put its trust in the United Nations as a
prop for its survival.
STRENGTHEN ME . . . THIS ONCE

17 Where do Jehovahs witnesses stand

with regard to these world issues? Let us
return to the prophetic drama: Then
Samson said to the boy that was holding
him by his hand: Do permit me to feel
the pillars upon which the house is firm
ly established and let me lean against
them. (Judg. 16:26) Samson was again
seeking an occasion against the Philis
tines. Likewise, Jehovahs witnesses of
modern times have taken their stand fair
ly at the center of the controversy and in
forthright support of Gods kingdom and
His sovereignty. They have exposed the
worldly religionists reliance upon nation
alistic policies and wars, and upon the
inept League and United Nations.
18As early as their international con
vention at Cedar Point, Ohio, in 1922, Je
hovahs slave proclaimed:
That all of the worlds present organization
constitutes the visible part of Satans empire
or organization, and that Satans empire
17. What is foreshadowed by Samsons taking his
stand ?
18. How did the modern Samson start to put pressure
against the pillars ?

116

SHeWATCHTOWER

must now fall before the forward

march of the King of glory; . . .
That all international conferences
and all agreements or treaties
resulting therefrom, including
the League of Nations com
pact and all like compacts,
must fail, because God has
decreed it thus; . . . That
all efforts of the denomi
national church organiza
tions, their clergy, their
leaders and their allies, to
save and reestablish the order
of things in the earth and to
bring peace and prosperity
must of necessity fail, because
they do not constitute any part
of the kingdom of Messiah. . . .

So, the modern Samson was in fact

beginning to proclaim a polemic mes
sage, putting strong pressure against
the pillars supporting Satans idola
trous house of religion.
19The Bible record continues: (Inci
dentally, the house was full of men and
women and all the Philistine axis
were there; and upon the roof there
were about three thousand men and
women who were looking on while Sam
son offered some amusement.) (Judg.
16:27) It was a complete roll call, with
none missing. And so, in modern
times, the full complement of
worldly religious leaders, with
Christendoms clergy out in front,
assemble in their house of reli
gion to make sport of Jehovahs
faithful slave, the remnant
of his anointed witnesses. But
how do these act in the face
of mounting reproaches?
20 Samson now called to
Jehovah and said: Lord J
vah, remember me, please, and
strengthen me, please, just this
19. What did the assembly of the
Philistines picture?
20. What prayer did Samson make, and
what did this portray?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

F ebruary 15, 1967

SReWATCH TO W ER

117

once, O you the true

God, and let me avenge
myself upon the Philistines with vengeance for one
of my two eyes. (Judg. 16:28) Samson thus charged
the loss of one of his eyes to his own lack of wakefulness
in the affair with Delilah. But sincere repentance had
now brought Jehovahs forgiveness. The loss of his other
eye he charged to the Philistines. And like Samson, the
anointed remnant of Jehovahs witnesses uttered fervent
prayer to Jehovah on their release from prison bonds in 1919.
They asked to be used mightily by Jehovah in connection with
the vengeance he would bring upon the modern Philistines for
their part in hatefully blinding the discernment of Gods slave, and
the consequent reproach this brought upon Jehovahs holy name.
Did Jehovah answer that prayer? How wonderfully He has made
full might abound!
81 With that Samson braced himself against the two middle
pillars upon which the house was firmly established, and got a
grasp on them, one with his right and the other with his left hand.
And Samson proceeded to say: Let my soul die with the
Philistines. Then he bent himself with power, and the
house went falling upon the axis lords and upon all the
people that were in it, so that the dead that he put
to death in his own death came to be more than
those he had put to death during his lifetime.
Judg. 16:29, 30.
22 What grand assurance this gives that Jehovah
will strengthen his devoted slave down to the end
of the work, irenic and polemic, that he is having
done in the earth today! While Satans demonic
propaganda continues to go forth, rallying all peo
ples to support fanatical nationalism and the U.N.
peace beast, Jehovahs spirit is upon his slave,
in order to empower him in proclaiming the year of good will
on the part of Jehovah and the day of vengeance on the part of
21. How did Samson meet his death?
22. (a) What assurance did Jehovah thus give his devoted slave ? (b) What
message does he now empower them to declare?

118

3HeW ATCHTOW ER.

our God. (Isa. 61:2) Just such a procla

mation was made during the Around-theWorld Assemblies of Jehovahs witnesses
in 1963, when a Resolution adopted by
454,977 persons in twenty-four widely
scattered cities declared forthrightly that
Satans organization faces an earthquake
of world trouble the like of which it has
never known, and all its political institu
tions and its modern religious Babylon will
be shaken to bits.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

ing total relief and everlasting blessings to

obedient mankind.*
TRUST IN JEHOVAHS SPIRIT

25 Splendid as Samsons physique must

have been, the real source of his strength
lay, not in human might, but in the allconquering spirit of Jehovah God. Have
you ever felt that the road is long, and
that you might take it easy for a time,
or even quit? Remember that even the
most zealous of Jehovahs servants meet
23Many individuals of the anointed rem up with discouragements, as Samson did
when he found his hair was shorn off, and
nant are now finishing their earthly course
he was blinded. But has it not been true
in faithfulness. Like Samson of old, they
that, when we go to Jehovah in prayer,
are fighters for Gods righteousness to the he makes new energy abound? The truth
end, sharing to the full in the vindication has become so much a part of us that we
of Jehovahs great name. They do not look can never let it go! And so, year after
to be pensioned off, like Christendoms year, we go on acquiring power in the
clergy. Rather, they prove themselves Lord and in the mightiness of his
faithful even to death, and so the prom strength. Eph. 6:10.
26 There is a pioneer brother, still serv
ise is sure to them: Happy are the dead
who die in union with the Lord from this ing in the south of New Zealand at eightytime onward . . . for the things they did seven years of age, and his faithful pio
go right with them. Rev. 2:10; 14:13. neer wife is even a few years older. He
sold his business in 1914, so that he could
24However, Gods slave, as a class, ex enjoy at least a few months of colpor
pects to survive the end of Satans system. teur pioneer service before the expected
But there will be finis to their work of big crash came in the autumn of that year.
proclaiming Jehovahs judgments when He is fond of quoting Jeremiah 20:7:
the house of false religion and all other You have fooled me, O Jehovah, so that
parts of Satans organization actually I was fooled. For though he had expected
crash in ruins. (Isa. 6:11) As surely as his pioneer service on earth to be for a
Samson was vindicated in the suggested brief season only, it has stretched out
meaning of his name Destroyerjust through more than fifty rewarding years,
so surely will Jehovah bring upon this together with trials and reproaches. And
at last reports, he is still going strong,
earth his destructive judgments as now be
like Samson. Would he have had it any
ing proclaimed by his slave. And as
different? No! Moreover, he encourages
surely as Samsons judgeship brought sal young people to have the same viewpoint
vation to Israel, so the rule of Gods king
* For further appropriate details on the drama of
dom by Christ will be Sun-like in bring- Samson,
see the series of five leading articles thereon
23. How have many individuals of the remnant re
sembled Samson?
24. How will the Samson work come to its end, but
with what blessing?

in the issues of The Watchtower from November 1,

1935, through January 1, 1936.
25. What fine encouragement do we find in the account
of Samson?
26. What blessings result from devotion like Samsons?

F ebruary 15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER

that he had back there in 1914. Make the

most of the golden opportunity of pio
neering the good news NOW! And wheth
er the remaining time be long or short,
Jehovahs sustaining spirit will assuredly
bring untold blessings.
27 Like many of Gods people today, the
prophet Jeremiah also had hard testings
as the years stretched out, even to be
coming an object of laughter all day
long. Do you, too, sometimes find your
territory unresponsive over the years?
Jeremiah tried even to desist from speak
ing in Jehovahs name, but then it was
that the word of Jehovah exerted ir
resistible power in moving him to further
bold activity. And in my heart it proved
to be like a burning fire shut up in my
bones; and I got tired of holding in, and
I was unable to endure it. (Jer. 20:
7-9) For Jehovahs name and its vindica
tion, he continued to serve zealously in
integrity.
28 Likewise
today, Jehovahs people
have become a theatrical spectacle to the
world. (1 Cor. 4:9) Eyes, ready to re
proach, are watching continually for any
weakening, or limping, that they may
find occasion against Jehovahs slave.
But will they ever again succeed against
Gods witnesses? From 1919 on, the
faithful and discreet slave has answered
an emphatic Never! Joined now by more
than a million companion worshipers, the
slave can make the same fervent dec
laration as did Jeremiah: But Jehovah
was with me like a terrible mighty one.
That is why the very ones persecuting me
will stumble and not prevail. . . . But you,
O Jehovah of armies, are examining the
righteous one; you are seeing the kidneys
and the heart. May I see your vengeance
upon them, for to you I have revealed my
case at law. (Jer. 20:11, 12) With a con27. What irresistible power does Jehovahs Word exert?
28. Will there be any further weakening of the Samson
class? Why?

119

fidence like that of Jeremiah, Samson and

other faithful men of ancient times, Jeho
vahs witnesses today rest their case with
Him.
29 Samson is listed at Hebrews chapter
eleven among those ancient men of faith
who effected righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
stayed the force of fire, escaped the edge
of the sword, from a weak state were
made powerful. (Vss. 32-34) He is there
fore included as one of that so great a
crowd of witnesses whose deeds of valor
are recorded as encouragement for us to
run with endurance the race that is set
before us.Heb. 12:1.
30 Let us endure, then, in proclaiming
Gods kingdom by Christ as mans sure
hope for peace, and for everlasting life.
The day is fast approaching when nation
alistic political powers and that supra
national body, the United Nations, will be
found at odds with Philistine religion.
The supporting pillars of the house of
false religion will fail it, just as Jehovah
has caused his slave to declare down
through the years. Satans great organi
zation on earth, first its religious struc
ture and then its political powers, will go
crashing to destruction. Though we con
tinue to be set as a reproach in the midst
of this mounting crisis that involves all
peoples of earth, we will bend might and
main to make known Jehovahs polemic
judgments and to perform the irenic work
that will result in saving both ourselves
and those who listen to us. 1 Tim. 4:16.
31 So, may we press on toward the prize
of everlasting life in Jehovahs new order,
confident that his spirit will continue to
sustain the faithful and discreet slave,
along with the hundreds of thousands of
29. In what record is Samson included, and what
encouragement do we find in this?
30. (a) Why should we continue to endure? (b) To
what work will we show devotion?
31. What confidence and determination will we have
to the end?

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SKeWATCHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

the great crowd who are coming for

ward in ever-growing numbers to share
in this grand work! And as we all heed
the timely message of the prophetic dra-

ma of Samson, may we also be determined

to follow closely Pauls admonition: Stay
awake, stand firm in the faith, carry on
as men, grow mighty. 1 Cor. 16:13.

to be a permanent new order in which

men can live on earth forever. But what
does the Bible say about it?
First of all, the Bible says that those
trying by governmental and social reform
to bring about such a new order incor
porating the things that the kingdom of
God will accomplish have taken hold of a
wild beast. It is no ordinary wild beast,
either, for it is a monstrosity having seven
heads and ten horns on its heads. It rep
resents the worldwide human political or
ganization under control of the Devil.*
The beast is ferocious and has proved over
the past several thousand years to be un
tamable. Well, then, maybe they can make
something that would reflect the beast,
perhaps an image of the beast. It would
be something that the people could look
to as authoritative as far as bringing
peace and unity among the nations is con
cerned, something that the nations could
work through. They need not give up their
individual sovereignty but at the same
time they could cooperate on the matter
of world peace with a view to arriving at

ILL a peaceful new order of things

ever come about? If so, who do
you think is going to establish it? Will it
be God himself or will it be men having
God as a helper? Also, is there a timetable
for it? Is the time for its establishment
unalterably set or is there a sliding scale,
a flexible schedule, depending upon what
the rulers of the earth, political and reli
gious, can accomplish and when they can
accomplish it?
The answer to these questions is no in
consequential one, for it means the differ
ence between blood, sweat and tears,
and pleasurable work; between wearing
oneself out with frustration, and refresh
ing, upbuilding activity; in fact, between
life and death. Ps. 127:1; Hab. 2:13;
Hag. 1:6.
Should we not look to world rulers and
leading clergymen? Can they not alter and
reform the governments so that the prin
ciples of the kingdom of God will be ex
pressed through them? Well, we surely
should be able to find the answers to these
questions in the Bible because it is from
the Bible and not from any other source
that we get the information that there is

* For a further discussion of the beasts mentioned

here, see the book Babylon the Great Has Fallen!
Gods Kingdom Rules! by the Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society.

F ebruary

15, 1967

SHeWATCHTOWEFL

last at a condition of peaceful coexistence.

This action of more or less playing the
horns of the beast against one another
and inducing them, instead of fighting out
their differences, to arbitrate them and
give the organization enough power to en
force the decisions made, looked like the
only logical course for them to follow.
PEACE EFFORT AND RESULTS FOREKNOWN

Amazingly, Jehovah God, the Author of

the Bible, foreknew the very line of think
ing these world leaders would pursue and
foretold that they would do just this very
thing. In his Word he describes exactly
what they would do, showing that they
would make an image to the wild beast
and set it up for the people to look to for
the good things that the kingdom of God
would bring. Ah, but in doing so they
would create something just as formidable
as the first wild beast and as hard to make
peaceful and righteous! John describes the
vision God gave to him on this matter:
Well, on catching sight of her [the
woman Babylon the Great] I wondered
with great wonderment. And so the angel
said to me: Why is it you wondered? I
will tell you the mystery of the woman
and of the wild beast that is carrying her
and that has the seven heads and the ten
horns: The wild beast that you saw was,
but is not, and yet is about to ascend out
of the abyss, and it is to go off into de
struction. And when they see how the wild
beast was, but is not, and yet will be pres
ent, those who dwell on the earth will won
der admiringly, but their names have not
been written upon the scroll of life from
the founding of the world. Rev. 17:
6- 8 .
The woman riding the beast is a harlot
and is named Babylon the Great, which
has already been explained in previous is
sues of this magazine as symbolically rep
resenting the world empire of false reli-

121

gion. She has a very prominent role in

setting up the peace organization. The
beast on which she rides is also like her,
a mystery, it is a secret, something not
understandable until Gods due time to ex
pose it. This scarlet-colored wild beast is
the same as the image of the beast told of
in Revelation 13:14, 15, but not fully de
scribed there. Being an image, it is pleasing
to Babylon the Great, for she is very fa
miliar with images and the use of them.
Idolaters often say that the images they
use are not worshiped by them but are
merely aids in the worship of the gods
pictured by the images or idols, which
idols receive only a relative worship. This
is contrary to Gods law, which condemns
idols in any form and forbids relative wor
ship even through men. (1 John 5:21;
Rev. 19:10) In this case the people are
turned toward the image to look for the
things that Gods kingdom will bring and
therefore are led to support it whether it
is truly representative of Gods kingdom.
DEATH AND REVIVAL
OF NEW ORDER BEAST

The scarlet color of the beast represents

royalty. When did it come into being and
when was this royalty attributed to it? At
first in 1920, when the League of Nations
was ratified. Up until World War II it
was. Jehovahs witnesses were, like
John, observing matters at the time, pro
claiming the fact that the League was
standing as a counterfeit substitute for
Gods kingdom. In the vision to John the
angel says the wild beast was, but is not.
When does it become not ? This was
when the Catholic-Nazi dictator Hitler
touched off the explosion of World War II
in September of 1939.* The League here
* The General Assembly of the League of Nations
ceased to meet after December 14, 1939, when it ex
pelled the Soviet Union from membership because of its
attack on Finland, in undeclared war, on November 30,
1939. When the League's Assembly met again on
April 8-18, 1946, it was to close out the League of
Nations and to declare it nonexistent. It was like a
funeral service for the League.

122

SReWATCHTOWER

failed of its chartered purpose and ceased

to function with proper effect, going down
into the abyss of raging, roaring humanity
in the worlds greatest war until then, into
a state of inactivity, suspended animation.
Jehovahs witnesses observed it when it
went into the abyss of inactivity, when it
is not.
Just as John was told that the beast
would again be present, coming up out
of the abyss, Jehovahs witnesses were
watching for this to take place. In 1942,
at the middle of World War II, this was
forcefully pointed out by the president of
the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
in the public talk Peace Can It Last?
at a national convention meeting in fiftythree cities, tied in by wire to the key
city, Cleveland, Ohio. He said:
. . . Though forty members still profess
to adhere to the League, the League is in
effect in a state of suspended animation, and
needs to be revived if it is ever to live
again. It has gone into the abyss of inaction
and ineffectiveness. It 'is n ot/
aW ill the League remain in the pit? . . .
The association of worldly nations will rise
again. . . . The necessities of meeting the
totalitarian aggressions and stopping them
are forcing the nations to that final con
federation of nations for the new order,
whatever its form. . . .
'* . . . The repeated cries and demands of
politicians and religionists for 'More reli
gion ! make certain that religion will ride
the peace beast. The personal envoy sent
by the president of the nation to the Vatican
to work together with the religious chief
for peace is another forerunner of the cour
tesy and deference that will be paid to the
woman named Babylon when the total
war ends. Her intercourse then with the
rulers of the world will satisfy her worldly
desires, and she will pronounce the peace
arrangement a 'peace of Christianity/ anoth
er one of those 'names of blasphemy tacked
on the 'beast. *

The Seventh World Power, the dual

* See pages 20-26 of PeaceCan It Last? published
by the Watch Tower Society, September 20, 1942.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

world power of Great Britain and Ameri

ca, had worked to bring the League of
Nations into existence. Now this same
dual world power worked to get this in
ternational peace-and-security organiza
tion out of the abyss of apparent death.
On June 26, 1945, fifty nations (not in
cluding Vatican City and the Axis Pow
ers) signed the Charter of the United Na
tions in San Francisco, California. It was
ratified on October 24, 1945, the number
of nations being twenty-nine, including the
Big Five; it became part of international
law. Then the United Nations became
existent.
CHRISTIAN DECLARATION AGAINST IT

Jehovahs witnesses were looking for

further fulfillment of this prophecy and
they recognized that now the scarletcolored wild beast had ascended out of the
abyss. But Jehovahs witnesses did not
wonder admiringly or worship the scarletcolored beast, the image of the wild
beast. In the above-quoted lecture given
in 1942 the speaker said:
. . . Suddenly those ten horns and the
beast will go into perdition, not peacefully,
but violently, at the battle of Armageddon.
This time the beast and its heads and horns
will go, not into the bottomless pit, but
into the lake of fire and brimstone, to be
utterly consumed and destroyed. Rev. 19:

20; 20: 10.

So Jehovahs witnesses today are pro

claiming to the people that the United Na
tions is the same old image as the League,
dressed up in a new name and that it will
not continue and that it will not bring
peace to the people. But many people feel
that, since the United Nations has been
established to maintain international peace
and security, as its charter states, this
new international organization will pre
serve peace and security for the wild
beast out of the sea and keep it existing.

F ebruary

15, 1967

SHeWATCHTOWER

PAPAL SUPPORT OF IT

What does the woman riding the beast

have to say about it? The head of the
leading sect of Christendom, which is the
dominant part of Babylon the Great, Pope
John XXIII,* spoke with considerable defi
niteness on the matter. In advance of pub
lic issuance of his encyclical an Associated
Press dispatch, datelined "R ome, April 5,
published by the New York Times as of
April 6, 1963, page 2, under the heading
U.N. Police Role Supported, said:
Monsignor Pisoni, writing in the Corriere
della Sera of Milan said that international
law has been made even more complicated
in our times by the presence of international
organs such as the United Nations, called
upon to undertake with autonomous military
forces the duty of international police/
He said that the encyclical would deal with
the duty of all peoples to accept the autono
mous force of the United Nations as an
international police as well as with the Cold
W a r and internal and civil war supported
from abroad.

During the following Holy Week Pope

John XXIII signed his encyclical entitled
Pacem in Terris ("Peace on Earth ).
The encyclical was addressed not only to
the Roman Catholic "clergy and faithful of
the whole world but also "to all men of
good will. Part IV thereof spoke of the
"public authority of the world communi
ty, not meaning, of course, the United
Nations, for Vatican City is not a mem
ber of the U.N. It went on to say:
. . . This means that the public authority
of the world community must tackle and
solve problems of an economic, social, politi
cal and cultural character which are posed
by the universal common good. For, be* Let no reader make the mistake of thinking that
Pope John XXIII reckoned that he was the twentythird in the Pontificate bearing the name John by
counting from the apostle John. The apostle was never
a pope, but, while he was on the prison isle of Patmos
receiving the apocalypse or revelation, a bishop named
Clement was supposed to be pope at Rome, 88-97 C.E.,
he being succeeded by Evaristus as Pope, 97-105 C.E.
No, but Pope John XXIII counted his number from
John 1, Martyr, pope 523-526 C .E See the 1963
National Catholic Almanac, pages 162, 163, under the
heading The Roman Pontiffs.

123

cause of the vastness, complexity and ur

gency of those problems, the public author
ities of the individual states are not in a
position to tackle them with any hope of a
positive solution.
The public authority of the world com
munity is not intended to limit the sphere
of action of the public authority of the
individual political community, much less to
take its place. On the contrary, . . .
A s is known, the United Nations Organi
zation (U.N.O.) was established on June 26,
1945, and to it there were subsequently
added intergovernmental agencies with ex
tensive international tasks in the economic,
social, cultural, educational and health
fields. The United Nations Organization had
as its essential purpose the maintenance and
consolidation of peace between peoples, fos
tering between them friendly relations,
based on the principles of equality, mutual
respect, and varied form s of cooperation
in every sector of human society.
An act of the highest importance per
formed by the United Nations Organization
was the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, approved in the General Assembly
of December 10, 1948. In the preamble of
that declaration, the recognition and respect
of those rights and respective liberties is
proclaimed as an ideal to be pursued by all
peoples and all countries.
Some objections and reservations were
raised regarding certain points in the decla
ration. . . .
It is our earnest wish that the United
Nations Organization in its structure and
in its means m ay become ever more equal
to the magnitude and nobility of its tasks,
and that the day m ay come when every
human being will find therein an effective
safeguard for the rights which derive direct
ly from his dignity as a person, and which
are therefore universal, inviolable, and in
alienable rights. This is all the more to be
hoped for since all human beings, as they
take an ever more active part in the public
life of their own political communities, are
showing an increasing interest in the affairs
of all peoples, and are becoming more
consciously aware that they are living m em
bers of a world community.

Pope John XXIII then tied in God's

kingdom with all the foregoing by saying

124

SEeWATCHTOWER.

in the sixth last paragraph of the en

cyclical:
. . .
In order that human society may
reflect as faithfully as possible the kingdom
of God, help from on high is necessary.*

On October 4, 1966, the anniversary of

Pope Pauls visit to the U.N. and his allout endorsement of it, 150,000 Roman
Catholics met in prayer in St. Peters
square in Rome and millions in a televi
sion and radio audience heard Pope Paul
as he led in prayers for peace in Vietnam.
President Johnson of the United States,
along with other high government offi
cials, joined in the special prayer services
at the Washington Peace Mass at St. Mat
thews Cathedral, while a peace bell cere
mony took place at U.N. headquarters in
New York city. Cardinal Spellman un
veiled two plaques commemorating Pope
Pauls visit and quoting his advocacy of
the U.N.f
Since the popes of the Roman Catholic
Church express such admiration for the
United Nations, does this mean that this
public authority of the individual politi
cal community will survive the war of
the great day of God the Almighty? No,
neither does it mean that the United Na
tions in any way reflects the Kingdom or
promotes the Kingdom, for as a matter of
fact it reflects the wild beast that came
out of the sea, Satans visible, political
organization, which has always opposed
God and now today opposes his kingdom
under his Messiah.
* Under a bold-type heading that read Kennedy
Hails Encyclical as a Guide to All, the New York
Sunday News as of April 21, 1963, published a dispatch
datelined Boston, April 20, and that said: President
Kennedy today hailed Pope Johns encyclical on peace
as a penetrating analysis of current problems which
demonstrated how one great faith and its traditions
could offer sound counsel to all men and women of good
will. . . . As a Catholic,' he said, I am proud of it,
and as an American I have learned from it.
For the first time in history the Department of
State of the American Government at Washington, D.C.,
commented on an encyclical of a pope of the Vatican.
t New York Times, October 5, 1966, Late City Edition,
pages 1, 5.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
A DECISION TO MAKE

What about us as individuals? Should

we give support to the international peace
arrangement? God says that he does not
write in his scroll of life the names of
those who give their worship to the wild
beasts image or who pin their hopes on it.
This, of course, is, not a literal scroll, but
a symbolic one, and in it Jehovah has been
writing the names of those worthy of life
since the founding of the world, that is,
from when he founded the human race,
the world of mankind. According to Gods
written Word, Abel the martyred son of
Adam and Eve appears to be the first one
written upon the scroll of life. (Heb. 11:
4; 12:24; Gen. 4:2-10, 25; Matt. 23:35)
The names of those idolaters are not writ
ten with that of Abel.
True Christians, therefore, will recog
nize the United Nations, the image of
the wild beast, or the scarlet-colored beast,
as a counterfeit and an abortive attempt
to establish Gods new order in the earth.
As to the means for bringing peace on
earth, Jesus Christ said his kingdom was
not of this world. Not by trusting in the
military might of nations or a combina
tion of nations that are against God can
peace be brought. As Jehovah says: Not
by a military force, nor by power, but by
my spirit. Zech. 4:6.
Political and religious leaders are mis
taken also as to Gods timetable. His king
dom is already established in heaven in
the hands of his Messiah, Christ. Through
the prophet Daniel God foretold that the
kingdom of God would break in pieces all
the existing kingdoms and it would stand
forever. (Dan. 2:44) Gods new order,
bringing fully to mankind the blessings of
his heavenly kingdom, will take place soon
in this generationbut it will not do so
before all images and idols, including the
United Nations, are destroyed. So they
lack faith in God, and their attempt to

F ebruary

15, 1967

3fceWATCHT0WEFL

take it upon themselves to set up Gods

kingdom and bring in a new order is abor
tive and ends in miscarriage, to the dis
appointment of all those who put their
hope in it. Let all who truly love righ
teousness hear what God says in his Word,
the Bible, and learn of his kingdom and

the stability and permanence of his new

order based, not on an uncertain, uncom
fortable coexistence, but on real righteous
ness. Let them forsake all image worship
and dedicate themselves to Jehovah God
through Jesus Christ and have their names
written in Jehovahs scroll of life.

AvoidtheSnare
O F

125

to face up to an issue. It
denies the need for correc
tion or discipline. Self is
right, no matter what the
circumstances. Face sav
ing is rooted in emotion,
not principle, and it often
causes its victim to with
draw into himself or to
shun association with the
ver y friends who could
really help in the hour of
need. How may we avoid
th i s s n ar e o f s a v i n g
face ?

F YOU were told to redeem your honor

NOT CONTINUE RUNNING WITH THEM
by committing
hahow DOwould
To
Christians who had turned from the
you respond? Of course, you would not go
thoughts
and way of life of their pagan
along with the idea. And yet, it is not so
neighbors,
the apostle Peter wrote: Be
long since this face-saving practice was
cause
you
do not continue running with
an everyday occurrence in the Orient. This
them
in
this
course to the same low sink
kind of suicide may be out of fashion
of
debauchery,
they are puzzled and go on
nowadays, but saving face continues to
speaking
abusively
of you. (1 Pet. 4:4)
be practiced extensively in many ways,
Running
with
the
crowd is the custom
both in the Orient and in Western coun
today,
also,
and
many
will go to any dis
tries. It is ungodly and unscriptural, and,
honest
ends
in
order
to
maintain an out
if practiced in the Christian congregation,
ward
appearance
of
respectability
in the
it brings disturbance, disunity and, in the
community.
They
must

save
face
and
case of the individual, even spiritual
keep
face
with
their
neighbors
at
all
suicide.
costs.
According to Websters New Interna
However, what of the Christian who
tional Dictionary, to save ones face
has
been delivered from the present
means to conceal ones defeat, discom
wicked
system of things ? He should have
fiture, or loss of prestige, by some pre
tense. It therefore amounts to a lie. Its put away the old personality, which con
basis is pride, a fear of having ones ego forms to his former course of conduct.
hurt. It refuses to acknowledge a fault or And now he is to live, think and act

126

ffteW ATCHTOW ER

according to the new personality which

was created according to Gods will in
true righteousness and loyalty. (Gal.
1:4; Eph. 4:22-24) Note those words,
true righteousness and loyalty. Je
hovahs righteousness not self-righteous
ness and loyally doing Gods will are
what count with him now. Rom. 12:1, 2.
What does he do, then, when it is the
local practice to save face and go along
with the crowd? For example, does he
have to maintain respectability by run
ning into debt? Does he have to conform
to the community in its showy celebration
of weddings, special feast days, childrens
days and religious holidays? Does he have
to save face with relatives by partici
pating in pagan wedding ceremonies, or
even consenting to taking an unbelieving
mate? Certainly not! And likewise, true
righteousness and loyalty will preclude
his absenting himself from the Christian
congregation, or even quitting altogether,
when faced with problems that could ac
tually be solved through the understand
ing help of his Christian brothers.
ACKNOWLEDGING AND COMBATING SIN

Prideful face-saving often arises from

a failure to recognize and cope with the
problem of sin. Many today refuse to
acknowledge sin as such. They square
themselves off in their own minds. They
cloud over issues, or try to throw blame
on others. As they keep justifying them
selves, their minds become seared as by a
branding iron, so that they are no longer
able to discern between right and wrong.
1 Tim. 4:2.
All of us are prone to sin. We all stum
ble many times. If anyone does not stum
ble in word, this one is a perfect man,
able to bridle also his whole body. (Jas.
3:2) What, then, if we commit some
sin? Should we seek the course of self
justification, glossing it over or trying to

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

cover up? Rather than try to save face,

we do better to follow James further ad
vice: Therefore openly confess your sins
to one another and pray for one another,
that you may get healed. (Jas. 5:16)
And having been healed, what need is
there for further torments of conscience?
That sin is in the past. Stretch forward,
now, to the things ahead.Phil. 3:13.
Let us face up to the fact that, as long
as we live in this imperfect flesh, we will
commit sin. If we make the statement:
We have no sin, we are misleading our
selves and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and righ
teous so as to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:8-2:2) If we are to be honest
with our God, with our brothers and with
ourselves, we will acknowledge our sins
and shortcomings. Never should we save
face by pretending that we do not sin.
UNEXPECTED SITUATIONS

A Christian may be suddenly caught in

some circumstances that test his integrity.
For example, he may be at a gathering
where someone calls for a toast a prac
tice that he knows to be of pagan origin.
Or at a funeral all in attendance may fall
in line to offer incense or bow toward the
picture of the dead personpagan prac
tices tied in with the false belief that the
soul is immortal. Or there may be the situ
ation in a crowd where all rise to the play
ing of the national anthem whereas the
Christian has declared undivided alle
giance to Gods kingdom. It is best to
avoid situations that could lead to com
promise. However, if caught on the spot,
as it were, the mature Christian will show
himself to be an integrity keeper in the
same way that Jesus Christ, the three He
brew youths, Daniel and others kept in
tegrity under trial.Matt. 4:1-11; Dan.
3:14-18; 6:6-11.

F ebruary

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

In the case of a serious sin, one that

brings deep reproach on Jehovahs name
and on the Christian congregation, the
healthful course is to confess ones wrong
doing to responsible brothers in the con
gregation. (Jas. 5:14-16) But how should
one view these servants in Gods organiza
tion? As fearsome judges? Far from it!
The congregation committee is there to
bear the weaknesses of others, to build up
and to encourage. Rom. 15:1, 2.
RESTORING . . . IN A SPIRIT OF MILDNESS

The overseers and ministerial servants

in the Christian congregation should be,
and usually are, approachable. This approachability itself should discourage
weaker members of the flock from trying
to save face. If someone in the congre
gation has a problem he should go imme
diately to the overseer or other mature
brothers, and not to some emotional, im
mature person who will pamper him. The
responsible brothers are the ones assigned
as gifts in men, to help all to grow to
oneness of faith, in order that we should
no longer be babes, tossed about as by
waves. (Eph. 4:8, 13, 14) They are our
hiding place from the wind in time of
stormy trouble. (Isa. 32:2) The true over
seer is ever watchful to help, and to build
up, in line with Pauls advice: Brothers,
even though a man takes some false step
before he is aware of it, you who have
spiritual qualifications try to restore such
a man in a spirit of mildness. Gal. 6:1.
So, overseers and ministerial servants
are charged, not to browbeat weak mem
bers of the flock, but to restore them,
to build them up. When counseling, even
where serious sins have been committed,
these servants are never to scold or grow
angry. Rather, they will be an example
in displaying the fruitage of the spirit,
which includes kindness, . . . mildness,

127

self-control. (Gal. 5:22, 23) Those of the

flock who realize this should be eager to
go to these servants for help, rather than
save face by absenting themselves from
the Christian congregation.
In most cases it is the unrepentant who
insist on practicing sin that are expelled,
disfellowshiped from Gods organization.
(1 John 3:4; 1 Cor. 5:11) A man who
takes some false step before he is aware
of it does not fall into the class of such
incorrigible sinners. However, there may
be occasions, due to the seriousness of the
sin, when the congregation committee
finds it necessary to place a person on a
probation of surveillance, as a helpful, cor
rective measure. Such probation is not to
be viewed as some adverse judgment,
something destructive of ones honor, a
penalty to be bucked against. Rather, it
is a loving provision affording him oppor
tunity to prove the sincerity of his re
pentance and at the same time to help the
repentant sinner recover his spirituality
and to make him strong again. Kindly
counsel given during the probationary pe
riod will build the person up so that he
will not make a practice of sin. Rather
than try to save face by protesting a
probation, and getting others involved
emotionally, one who has committed a sin
should welcome this loving arrangement
leading to his recovery.
All dedicated Christians should place
their complete confidence and trust in Je
hovah. It is Jehovah who says: Those
honoring me I shall honor, and those de
spising me will be of little account.
(1 Sam. 2:30) Those who honor Jehovah
will not seek self-honor among mortal
men. In place of holding to lofty, face
saving thoughts of men, true Christians
will seek out Jehovahs thoughts and be
guided by the principles he so clearly
states in his Word.

 W h o was the high priest during Davids

reign, Zadok or Abiathar? S. B., U.S.A.
W hen King Saul had Abiathars father,
High Priest Ahimelech, slaughtered, Abiathar
fled to David. (1 Sam. 22:9-23) David finally
gained the throne and made him the high
priest. Some have suggested, though, that
after Ahimelechs death King Saul had Zadok
installed as high priest, not recognizing Abia
thar, who was under Davids protection. They
hold that, following his ascension to the throne,
David made Abiathar an associate high priest
along with Zadok. Such a view is taken due
to the fact that Zadok and Abiathar are regu
larly mentioned together as having high
positions in the priesthood. 2 Sam. 15:29, 35;

17:15; 19:11; 20:25; 1 Ki. 1:7, 8, 25, 26; 4 :4 ;

1 Chron. 15:11.
However, the inspired record nowhere men
tions any appointment of Zadok as high priest
under King Saul. It is possible that Zadoks
prominence is due to his being a seer or proph
et, just as the priestly prophet Samuel received
greater mention in the record than did the
high priest of his time. (2 Sam. 15:27) The
evidence indicates that Abiathar was the sole
high priest during Davids reign and that
Zadok then occupied a position secondary to
him. 1 Ki. 2:27, 35; Mark 2:26.
The text at 2 Samuel 8:17 has caused some
question in this regard, since it says that
Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the
son of Abiathar were priests at the time. It
has been suggested that the names of Ahim e
lech and Abiathar were transposed by a scribal
error. However, the record at 1 Chronicles 18:
16; 24:3, 6, 31 confirms the order of the names.
So it appears that Abiathar had a son also
named Ahimelech, and that this Ahimelech,
along with Zadok, served as secondary priest
under High Priest Abiathar.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

There are many things in life that may

bring a person a measure of joy, but there is
one source of joy that stands out above all
others in the lives of Jehovahs witnesses.
W h a t is that? Sharing in Jehovahs service.
N ot that the preaching work is always easy,
but, there is abiding satisfaction in knowing
that one is doing the will of God and is aiding
his fellowmen to lay hold of eternal life. It is
this joy that Jehovahs witnesses will have
during February as they call at the homes of
people.to discuss the Bible and to offer, as an
aid to interested persons, a years subscription
for The Watchtower for just $1.
LORDS EVENING MEAL

The date for observing the Lords evening

meal in 1967 is Saturday, - March 25, after
6 p.m. Standard Time.; Each' congregation* of
Jehovahjs witnesses should start now to make
arrangements so that all who are regularly
associated with the congregation and other
interested persons can gather together for
this occasion. A qualified speaker, one of the

remnant of Christs anointed followers, if

available and capable, should be assigned to
deliver the discourse. In harmony with Jesus
instructions to his disciples while he was still
on earth, we urge all readers of The Watchtower to be present for this meeting: Luke
22:1 9 ,2 0 .
7'** V
TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH

The new book Life Everlasting in Freedom

of the Sons of God will help you to know, what
your relationship is to God, how mankind came
into enslavement to transgression.;and death,
how and when liberation is to come, what
this world will be like when that day of liber
ation is here. It will strengthen your faith
and hope in a truly free world. Sent post
paid for only 50c. Order today.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

March 19: Jehovah Makes Full M ight Abound.

Page 105. Songs to Be Used: 87, 116.
March 26: From a W eak State . . . Made
Powerful. Page 112. Songs to Be Used:
51, 81.
128

MARCH 1, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

A GOD OF LOVING-KINDNESS
SHOW ING KINDNESS TO OTHERS
HOW WE KNOW THAT GOD WILL
PUT AN END TO WICKEDNESS
WERE YOU ONCE
A KINGDOM PUBLISHER?
W TB & TS

I----------------- ------------------YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JE H O V A H .-lsa43:l2

T H E PURPOSE O F "T H E W A T C H T O W E R
Every watchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for whom he is a watchman w hat is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tc h to w e r " this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common world danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tch to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now.
"T h e W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. Vvhich
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true God.
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H oly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in God's promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

*8?
PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H . K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

CONTENTS
Filling "Lonely Hours with Enjoyment

131

How W e Know that God W ill Put

an End to Wickedness

133

A God of Loving-Kindness

137

Showing Kindness to Others

143

W ere You Once a Kingdom Publisher?

150

Earth's Final Human Government

154

Let the People Hear Through Preaching

158

Questions from Readers

159

The B ib le t r a n s la t io n used in The Watchtower is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols w ill appear behind the citations:

A S - American Standard Version

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D
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j py -__Catholic
. -*- Publication
Jewish
Soc.

Le M oRo R
Y Sg --

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J. B. Rotherhams version
Revised Standard Version
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Second-class postage paid at Brooklyn, N.Y.

Printed in U.S.A.

J E H O V A H S
K IN G D O M
Vol. L X X X V I I I

March 1, 1967

7| N I N E T E E N c / i YEAR-OLD wife of
a young A frican United
Nations diplomat, on Octo
ber 15, 1966, leaped from
the window of her luxu
rious apartm ent in

Number 5

th e w a r m t h o f hu m an
kindness.
What can be done to help
them? What can they do
to help themselves?
P u rp osefu l w ork is a
\
/
sa feg u a rd a g a i n s t
loneliness. A woman
Y
e7 J eighteen
orL city stories
1 her
death
\
s f 7j
/
who cooks and keeps
b elow . T h e p o l i c e sa id
t/ L/ /
v.
house
for an appreciative
there was no apparent reason
fam ily usually keeps herself
for the tragedy. But in the corridors
creatively busy and mentally healthy.
of the United Nations the talk was of The grandmother who helps her daughterloneliness.
in-law with the children, the grandfather
who
does repair work around the house
Loneliness is a common ailment today
feel
useful,
active, needed. The thought of
in the world. It produces definite physical
working
for
others or oneself helps pre
symptoms, such as feelings of melancholia,
vent
the
mind
from becoming depressed.
bewilderment and insecurity. These emo
It
keeps
people
from feeling sorry for
tions often arise from a loss of loving hu
themselves.
man companionship.
Single people especially need to fill their
Who are the lonely? They are persons
free
time with meaningful work, if they
who need the companionship of others
would
keep themselves from feeling lonely.
and for some reason cannot make con
Some
have
taken up useful, absorbing hob
tact. They are often shy, introverted
bies,
which
later turned into paying propo
teen-agers away from home; the balding
sitions,
such
as photography, growing
bachelors whose independence has turned
flowers,
oil
painting,
writing and other
into confinement; the widows who long
activity.
for affection; the spinster wanting mar
TAKING AN INTEREST IN OTHERS
riage; the aged father and mother left
One of the most effective ways of over
alone by children; the sick whom the
healthy have forgotten; married people coming loneliness is to take an interest in
who have permitted busy schedules to others. Lonely persons need to express
keep them from seeing the one they love. more love for other people. There must
These are lonely people who need to feel be not only a love for others but also an

wwi

131

132

3eWATCHTOWER

interest in others. And this is true whether

one is male or female, married or single.
Stressing this point, Proverbs 18:24, ac
cording to The Childrens Version of the
Holy Bible, says: A man who has friends
must show himself friendly. Having
many friends keeps one from becoming
self-centered and helps assure one happy
moments and happy thoughts, which, in
turn, are a protection against loneliness.
One way to show interest in others is to
do something for them, such as inviting
neighbors and friends over for dinner.
Planning for these occasions creates inter
est, activity and pleasure. Single girls have
found making candy for children an ab
sorbing outlet. Sewing and knitting for
others is also enjoyable.
There is a great need today for cheering
people up. One observer stated that almost
everyone he knew was either lonely or
afraid. Why not make a list of the aged,
the sick, the widows and widowers whom
you know that might need cheering up?
Then pay them a visit and scatter among
them the sunshine of hope. Call them up
on the telephone or send them a card or
a letter. Cheer up depressed souls and you
will be cheered. Prov. 11:25.
Even greater happiness is achieved
when we help people in a spiritual way.
This is where Jehovahs witnesses are in
an especially favorable position, because
the very nature of their ministry brings
them in touch with people who need com
fort and hope. When we lift the hopes of
others, when we strengthen their faith in
a brighter future and chart their course
in the direction of life everlasting, then we
are making happy not only them but our
selves as well. As Jesus Christ said:
There is more happiness in giving than
there is in receiving. (Acts 20:35) Giving
in a spiritual way is a safeguard against
loneliness. For happy people are seldom,
if ever, lonely.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Even the sick, who very easily are sub

ject to spells of loneliness, can help them
selves by helping others spiritually. For
example, a lady confined to a wheelchair
wrote letters about Gods kingdom to resi
dents of restricted apartment buildings.
She also used the telephone effectively.
She conducted Bible studies and made oth
ers happy.
A twenty-year-old cerebral palsy victim
not only was confined to a wheelchair but
his speech was not very intelligible. What
could he do to keep himself from becom
ing lonely? He learned to type, and his
typewriter soon began to speak for him.
He typed letters to relatives and friends,
as well as drawing upon the local press
and the telephone books for names. Is he
lonely? He could very easily be if he sat
there and did nothing. But now he is
much too busy to be lonely.
Bible reading is always enriching to the
mind. It is enjoyable and uplifting. How
ever, when we read Gods Word with the
purpose of aiding others, when we read
with the thought of telling others what
we read, then the experience becomes
doubly rewarding. Such reading causes
time to pass quickly, allowing no room for
loneliness.
When alone, there is always prayer to
God. Fellowship with God through prayer
knows no walls or boundaries. The aware
ness that God cares for us is comforting
indeed! (1 Pet. 5:7) Regardless of our
situation, there is always God, as Jesus
Christ lovingly let us know: Look! The
hour is coming, indeed, it has come, when
you will be scattered each one to his own
house and you will leave me alone; and
yet I
amnot alone, because the Father is
with me. (John 16:32) Remember this
during your lonely hours and the peace
of God that excels all thought will guard
your hearts and your mental powers by
means of Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:7.

How We Know that

Will Put

ILL God ever take deci

sive action to stamp out
wickedness from the universe for
ever? The urgent need for a con
clusive answer is pointed up by
the steadily deteriorating conditions of our
era. Disregard for the rule of law is every
where evident, in private as well as in
public life. A great upsurge of violence
and vicious crime baffles the sociologists.
As the current trend in human behavior
casts its ominous shadow toward the fu
ture, what basis is there for believing that
God will interfere to enforce righteousness
and peace?
The expectation that God will act to put
an end to all wickedness may be grounded
upon a knowledge of Gods own qualities.
He is the God of love and truth. One of
his own inspired servants writes of him:
Anyone loving violence His soul certainly
hates. (Ps. 11:5) And in another place
he informs us: I, Jehovah, am loving jus
tice, hating robbery along with unrigh
teousness. (Isa. 61:8) Would this God of
righteousness forever endure what he
hates?
In vindication of his own name the righ
teous God, Jehovah, is sure to act in his
own due time against every evildoer, and
that time is close at hand. He will not per
mit the wicked forever to get away with
giving the impression that God approves
of what they are doing. To the lawless, im
moral ones Jehovah gives this warning
notice: These things you have done, and
I kept silent. You imagined that I would
positively become like you. I am going to
reprove you, and I will set things in order
133

before your eyes. (Ps. 50:

21) The long-suffering of
God, intended to give full opportunity to
evildoers to repent, has been misconstrued
by some and they have lulled themselves
into a dangerous complacency. There has
been no swift retribution for their crimes,
so they imagine that nothing will ever
happen to them.
But God knows their inmost thoughts.
He knows what it is that keeps them going
on in the evil way, and he exposes their
erroneous thinking: Because sentence
against a bad work has not been executed
speedily, that is why the heart of the sons
of men has become fully set in them to do
bad. (Eccl. 8:11) By their attitude, too,
they betray a failure to consider the
many positive warnings of Gods purpose
to act.
GODS PROMISES POINT
TO END OF WICKEDNESS

True, we are living in days when wick

edness is rampant and evildoers multiply,
but Jehovahs promises point to a com
plete end of wickedness. To the meek ones,
for example, he gives this strong assur
ance: Do not show yourself heated up be
cause of the evildoers. Do not be envious
of those doing unrighteousness. For evil
doers themselves will be cut off, but those
hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will
possess the earth. And just a little while
longer, and the wicked one will be no
more; and you will certainly give attention
to his place, and he will not be. But the

134

SffieWATCHTOWER

meek ones themselves will possess the

earth, and they will indeed find their ex
quisite delight in the abundance of peace.
Ps. 37:1, 9-11.
Notice how thorough the cleanup that
Jehovah will conduct on this earth. Even
though the meek make diligent search
they will not be able to find even one
wicked person to mar the happy and tran
quil scene. Gone will be the wicked, but
the meek will survive.
Another promise of God that he will
ease righteously disposed persons of the
terrible burden of living indefinitely
among the wicked was expressed by the
patriarch Enoch. So realistic was the vi
sion that God granted him, he was moved
to exclaim about its future fulfillment:
Look! Jehovah came with his holy myri
ads, to execute judgment against all, and
to convict all the ungodly concerning all
their ungodly deeds that they did in an
ungodly way, and concerning all the shock
ing things that ungodly sinners spoke
against him. (Jude 14, 15) The magni
tude of that final execution work is indi
cated by the fact that myriads of angels
are involved and by the fact that
the
ungodly are to have execution visited
upon them.
Still another promise that points unmis
takably to the end of the wicked on an
international scale was voiced by Gods
prophet Zephaniah: Keep yourselves in
expectation of me, is the utterance of Je
hovah, till the day of my rising up to the
booty, for my judicial decision is to gather
nations, for me to collect together king
doms, in order to pour out upon them my
denunciation, all my burning anger; for
by the fire of my zeal all the earth will be
devoured. (Zeph. 3:8) At the same time
God offers protection and survival for
those meek ones of all nations who seek
him and his ways of righteousness.Zeph.
2:1-3.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

That Jehovah and his appointed Execu

tioner, Christ Jesus, will also strike direct
ly at the root of all wickedness is made
certain by the words of Jesus in his illus
tration about the symbolic sheep and
goats: Then he will say, in turn, to those
on his left, Be on your way from me, you
who have been cursed, into the everlasting
fire prepared for the Devil and his an
gels. (Matt. 25:41) Annihilation, repre
sented by everlasting fire, is the destiny
of the beginner and leader in all wicked
ness, for the apostle John so describes the
action in the prophetic vision given him
by God: The Devil who was misleading
[men] was hurled into the lake of fire
and sulphur. Rev. 20:10.
Thus the promises of God furnish ample
basis for anticipating an end of all wicked
ness, and the putting out of action of the
very leader in evildoing.
THE PATTERN OF ACTION GOD FOLLOWS

In addition to these and many other

promises to rid the universe of wicked
ones, the pattern of action God has fol
lowed in his past dealings with evildoers
offers some guide to us on how he will
deal with them now. Consider, for exam
ple, the conditions that developed in the
days of Noah. Angel sons of God forsook
their proper places in heaven, materialized
as men and mated with the beautiful
daughters of men to produce a hybrid race
of giants or bullies. An era of violence and
immorality resulted. The sacred Record
tells that Jehovah saw that the badness
of man was abundant in the earth and
every inclination of the thoughts of his
heart was only bad all the time. And
what was Gods determination? I am go
ing to wipe men whom I have created off
the surface of the ground. Gen. 6:1-7;
2 Pet. 2:5.
As Noah resolutely built the ark for the
saving of his family, we can imagine the
shouts of ridicule and derision of the mul-

March 1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

135

titude: It will never come in our day,

Lots warning of the impending catas
Noah. You are wasting your time. But the trophe upon the city and district was treat
ark came to its completion, its precious ed by his prospective sons-in-law as a big
cargo was loaded and the door was shut. joke. The population, now long accustomed
Then came the downpour. People rushed to getting away with wrongdoing, had
for shelter. The water level mounted been lulled into a false sense of safety from
steadily hour after hour, day after day. punishment. Yet, as soon as Lot and his
The people fled to higher ground, frantic, daughters were clear of the doomed dis
disorganized. Mountains were transformed trict, Jehovah made it rain sulphur and
into islands as the rising waters separated fire upon the whole area. Even from a
families. People on the highest mountains considerable distance Abraham could ob
could hear the cries and shrieks of trapped serve how thick smoke ascended from
multitudes as the lower heights became the land like the thick smoke of a kiln!
engulfed by swirling waters. The crazed Gen. 19:24-28.
scramble of crowds to occupy the topmost
All the inhabitants of the district, with
peaks was attended by great loss of life. their cities, their homes, their gardens
Eventually, not one peak was left, and the and all the well-watered fertile country,
only soundthe swish of waters piled high were overthrown in the fiery disaster.
above the tallest mountains. The last vain Three persons, God-fearing Lot and his
shouts for help were silenced. Gen. 7: daughters, lived to report the terrible ex
17-24.
perience. Again God had declared his pur
As the ark tossed to and fro on the sur pose to bring ruin to the wicked, and
face of the boundless waters, its occupants, again he displayed the pattern of de
Noah and his family, had time to ponder stroying the wicked but delivering the
the fact that Gods announced purposes righteous.
are always carried out. Even though
PROPHETIC PATTERNS FOR TODAY
wickedness had spread abroad and domi
These
examples of Gods pattern of ac
nated the earth, the Supreme Ruler had
tion
in
dealing
with wickedness surely con
swept the earth clean of wicked men.
stitute
object
lessons
to be read and un
Another striking example of Gods pat
derstood
by
all
who
have
lived since. They
tern of dealing with wicked ones is to be
tell
of
Jehovahs
abhorrence
of evildoing,
found in the Bible account of Sodom and
and
of
his
zeal
for
the
eradication
of wick
Gomorrah. Righteous Lot dwelt in Sodom,
edness.
But
they
go
farther.
They
were
and he was greatly distressed by the in
actually
recorded
as
prophetic
patterns
of
dulgence of the law-defying people in loose
things
to
take
place
on
a
vastly
larger
conduct. In order to satisfy their animal
istic passions, those men of Sodom were scale. And it is not left to us humans to
prepared to resort to violence against ap guess that those events were representa
parently defenseless strangers. The shock tive of a greater one to come in the future.
That drowning of a wicked race has
ing depths of their depravity reached
Jehovahs ears like a loud cry of com lived in the traditions of almost all tribes
plaint. The angels sent to rescue Lot and and nations to this day. But nineteen hun
his family delivered the urgent message: dred years ago it assumed new importance
Get up! Get out of this place, because as a pattern of things to come when Jesus
Jehovah is bringing the city to ruin! Christ declared: Just as the days of Noah
were, so the presence of the Son of man
2 Pet. 2:7; Gen. 18:20; 19:4-14.

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

will be. For as they were in those days

before the flood, eating and drinking, men
marrying and women being given in mar
riage, until the day that Noah entered into
the ark; and they took no note until the
flood came and swept them all away, so
the presence of the Son of man will be.
(Matt. 24:37-39) Just as they were cater
ing to the selfish desires of the flesh and
ignoring Gods warning back there, so it
is today.
Thus Jesus authoritatively warned that
the prophetic pattern is certain to be car
ried through to a destructive conclusion
for the wicked. And, referring to this
same prophetic pattern of the Flood, the
apostle Peter gives further detail on how
the end of international wickedness will
come: By those means [Gods word di
recting the unprecedented downpour] the
world of that time suffered destruction
when it was deluged with water. But by
the same word the heavens and the earth
that are now are stored up for fire and are
being reserved to the day of judgment and
of destruction of the ungodly men. (2 Pet.
3:6, 7) Again an entire world of wicked
creatures will be wiped out, but the righ
teous spared, as were Noah and his family.
Likewise the experience of Sodom and
her sister cities is no mere historical inci
dent unrelated to people living on earth
today. Under the direction of Gods holy
spirit the apostle Peter was moved to
write: By reducing the cities Sodom and
Gomorrah to ashes [God] condemned
them, setting a pattern for ungodly per
sons of things to come. (2 Pet. 2:6) Thus
God is certain to follow that pattern of
action in connection with the wicked gen
eration that encumbers the earth today.
Another Bible writer, Jude, adds his in
spired testimony as to the real purpose of
the record of the overthrow of Sodom and
Gomorrah: So too Sodom and Gomorrah

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and the cities about them, after they in

the same manner as the foregoing ones
[materialized angels] had committed for
nication excessively and gone out after
flesh for unnatural use, are placed before
us as a warning example by undergoing
the judicial punishment of everlasting
fire. (Jude 7) God will not tolerate the
wicked indefinitely.
Are there those today who ridicule the
idea that God will bring a complete end
to wickedness and deliver the righteous,
who treat any thought of an impending
destructive judgment as a great joke? God
foreknew there would be, and caused the
apostle Peter to prophesy: In the last
days there will come ridiculers with their
ridicule, proceeding according to their own
desires and saying: Where is this prom
ised presence of his? Why, from the day
our forefathers fell asleep in death, all
things are continuing exactly as from
creations beginning. (2 Pet. 3:3, 4)
The destructive events in Noahs day and
in Lots day point to the error of such
ridiculers and to the fact that Jehovah
will deliver the righteous. 2 Pet. 2:9.
The qualities displayed by the just and
loving God offer a strong guarantee that
he will rise up and bring an end to a gen
eration of evildoers who today misrepre
sent him and ruin his handiwork here on
earth. His promises, too, point to such de
cisive action, and it is impossible for him
to lie. (Heb. 6:18) His dealings with wick
ed men of the past and his deliverance of
the righteous point to the pattern he will
follow in our day. And perhaps most ex
plicit is the fact that in his Word the de
structive Flood of Noahs day and the
fiery overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
are specifically named as patterns of
things to come. There can be no doubt
that God will put an end to all wickedness.

O GIVE THANKS TO JEHOVAH, YOU PEOPLE, FOR HE IS GOOD?

FOR HIS LOVING-KINDNESS IS TO TIME INDEFINITE.PS. t07:t.

HAT is your conception of God?

4 Many persons in less severe circum
Do you view him as a kindly, stances have found fault with the Creator.
benevolent deity, but one who perhaps is They cannot understand why he does not
aloof from the affairs and problems of personally intervene in their cases, and
mankind? Or perhaps you think of him tend to blame all their troubles, regardless
as a partisan fighter in world affairs, one of the source, on God. But we do well to
who blesses the wars and bloodshed of consider what Jehovahs Word has to say
the nations if they are in a righteous about this. Is he a God of kindness and
cause, perhaps even as a God who arbi love, as David declared, or an unloving,
trarily snuffs out the life of a loved one bloodthirsty God, as even some clergymen
for his own inscrutable purposes.
have asserted?
2
This does not sound like the God of 5David was falsely accused and ha
whom the psalmist David said: Good and rassed by King Saul, whom Jehovah had
upright is Jehovah. That is why he in entrusted with the leadership of his peo
structs sinners in the way. He will cause ple. But David did not become bitter
the meek ones to walk in his judicial de toward Jehovah over Sauls jealous ac
cision, and he will teach the meek ones tion, and David refused to take matters
his way. All the paths of Jehovah are into his own hands to strike down the
loving-kindness and trueness for those ob anointed of Jehovah. He recalled the law
serving his covenant and his reminders. of Israel: You must not hate your broth
Ps. 25:8-10.
er in your heart. You should by all means
3
David had been a fugitive, fleeing forreprove your associate, that you may not
his life from his own countrymen, but he bear sin along with him. You must not
did not find fault with God for his trou take vengeance nor have a grudge against
bles. Instead he prayed: Make me know the sons of your people; and you must love
your own ways, O Jehovah; teach me your your fellow as yourself. I am Jehovah.
own paths. Make me walk in your truth Lev. 19:17, 18.
and teach me, for you are my God of sal
6 Later David took the lead in the fight
vation. In you I have hoped all day long. Israel waged against the Canaanites to
Remember your mercies, O Jehovah, and drive them out of the land that had been
your loving-kindnesses, for they are from promised to Israels forefather Abraham.
time indefinite. Ps. 25:4-6.

5. What counsel from Jehovahs Word did David wisely

follow?
6. (a) What did the wars of Israel foreshadow, but
what should we not conclude? (b) How did Jehovah
deal rewardingly with David?

1, 2. How do some view God, as compared with what

David wrote?
3, 4. What should be our attitude toward the Creator,
and why?
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This action was a prophetic pattern of Jesus as the heir of David and Jehovahs
how Jehovah in our time will cleanse the only-begotten Son was raised up to become
earth of rebels against his sovereignty and King of Jehovahs new order of things at
give the inheritance to those loving and the appointed time. Acts 13:32-34.
serving him, those observing his covenant
8From the very beginning a growing
and his reminders. However, there is no chain of events showed Jehovahs kindness
Scriptural indication that Jehovah in these and loving concern for mankind. Jehovahs
days fights for one nation or another. To purpose that righteous men live on earth
the contrary, Isaiah foretold that his peo in paradisaic conditions would not be
ple would beat their swords into plow thwarted. When Jehovah formed the earth
shares and learn war no more. David was as a beautiful home for men, he did not
denied the honor of erecting the temple provide just the stark necessities, but cov
to Jehovahs worship because he had been ered the terrain with fruit-bearing trees
a man of war. Yet David had carried out and flowering shrubs for their pleasure
Jehovahs will for his time and so Jehovah and delight. In the midst of the garden he
promised that the kingship would not planted the tree of life, looking forward
leave his line of descent. (Acts 13:36) to the time when the first couple would
Concerning this, Isaiah prophetically de prove their faithfulness and expand the
clared: Incline your ear and come to me. boundaries of the paradise garden to the
Listen, and your soul will keep alive, and ends of the earth. Even after their rebel
I shall readily conclude with you people lion and the execution of sentence against
an indefinitely lasting covenant respecting them, Jehovah in prophecy showed his un
the loving-kindnesses to David that are deserved kindness as he foretold the fu
faithful. No wonder David declared: As ture redemption of those putting their
for me, in your loving-kindness I have faith in him.
trusted; let my heart be joyful in your
9 How would this restoration to para
salvation. I will sing to Jehovah, for he disaic conditions come about? Jehovah had
has dealt rewardingly with me. Isa. 55: promised Abraham: By means of your
3; Ps. 13:5, 6.
seed all nations of the earth will certainly
7
The apostle Paul tied in the covenantbless themselves. This seed of Abraham
with David with the events in Jesus day, would prove to be a blessing by providing
explaining: And so we are declaring to the means for redemption. David had ex
you the good news about the promise pressed the need for this when he prayed:
made to the forefathers, that God has en The sins of my youth and my revolts O
tirely fulfilled it to us their children in do not remember. According to your
that he resurrected Jesus; even as it is loving-kindness do you yourself remember
written in the second psalm, You are my me, for the sake of your goodness, O Je
son, I have become your Father this day. hovah. For your names sake, O Jehovah,
And that fact that he resurrected him you must even forgive my error, for it is
from the dead destined no more to re considerable. (Gen. 22:18; Ps. 25:7, 11)
turn to corruption, he has stated in this David saw that something more them ani
way, I will give you people the loving mal sacrifices was needed to provide a
kindnesses to David that are faithful. satisfactory atonement, and he trusted in
So the promise to David was fulfilled and
7. How did Paul connect Gods loving-kindness to David
with Jesus time?

8. What are some evidences that Jehovah is a God of

loving-kindness ?
9. What need did David recognize, and how was this
prospect provided?

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Jehovahs loving-kindness to provide it. another; not like Cain, who originated
Jehovahs covenant with David was an with the wicked one and slaughtered his
other step forward in the outworking of brother. 1 John 3:10-12.
Jehovahs purpose. (2 Sam. 7:16) How
11
Nor is this love for ones brother to
was that? As Paul said, regarding Jesus: be understood to mean just those of ones
From all the things from which you own family or even ones own race. As
could not be declared guiltless by means Jesus said: My mother and my brothers
of the law of Moses, everyone who be are these who hear the word of God and
lieves is declared guiltless by means of do it. (Luke 8:21) So he did not make
this One. What a prospect for blessing distinctions due to blood ties or race. He
all nations this opened up, thanks to Jeho knew that his Father had shown unde
vahs undeserved kindness, even the for served kindness to all kinds of men and
giveness of sins and errors such as David that He is impartial toward all. He made
mentioned!Acts 13:38, 39.
all men of one blood, and has given all
10
Still down to this day mankind havethe same hope of life through his Son un
not accepted and applied the lesson of der his Kingdom rule. A scholar of the
kindness taught by Jehovah and his Son. Law, knowing Jehovahs command to love
Instead, throughout the world there is our neighbor as ourselves, asked: Who
hatred due to nationality, prejudice due to really is my neighbor? Jesus replied by
religious differences, abuse and unkind telling of a man on the road from Jeru
ness due to race. Those pursuing such a salem to Jericho who was robbed and
course show they are walking in darkness, beaten and left half-dead. Ignored by a
as far as the viewpoint of their Creator priest and Levite who passed by, he was
is concerned, and darkness has blinded finally given kindly attention by a Sa
their eyes. (1 John 2:9-11) Following the maritan. Jesus asked: Who of these three
course of kindness is to walk in union with seems to you to have made himself neigh
Jehovah, walking in the light. This light
bor to the man that fell among the rob
from his Word further reveals the con
bers? Certainly it was the man who acted
trast between those who are children of
God and those who are following the Sa 11. (a) What illustration of kindness did Jesus give?
(b) How did he show the same impartiality as his
tanic course of unkindness, division and Father?
hatred. The children of
God and the children of the
Devil are evident by this
fact: Everyone who does
not carry on righteousness
does not or iginate with
God, neither does he who
does not love his brother.
F or this is the m essage
which you have heard from
the beginning, that we
should have love fo r one
10. In what way have mankind
generally responded to Jehovahs
provisions, and what does this
indicate?

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mercifully who showed himself to be the

real neighbor. Jesus commended this ac
tion, saying to his inquirer: Go your way
and be doing the same yourself.Luke
10:29-37.
12 Despite the fact that many people not
only pass by and ignore their neighbors
when help is needed, but even act rebelliously toward their Creator, Jehovah has
continued to deal with long-suffering, pa
tience and kindness toward mankind. (Ps.
107:11-13) He is not to be blamed because
sudden death through accident, war or dis
ease strikes thousands of young and old
just when least expected. To the contrary,
he is the one opening the way to life for
those desiring it. Both he and his Son
advocate and practice undeserved kind
ness. Eccl. 9:11; Heb. 2:14.
13 However, Jehovahs loving expres
sions of kindness toward men through the
centuries do not mean that he overlooks
or will sentimentally forgive all wrong
doing. To Israel he described himself with
the words: Jehovah, Jehovah, a God
merciful and gracious, slow to anger and
abundant in loving-kindness and truth,
preserving loving-kindness for thousands,
pardoning error and transgression and sin,
but by no means will he give exemption
from punishment, bringing punishment for
the error of fathers upon sons and upon
grandsons, upon the third generation and
upon the fourth generation. (Ex. 34:6,
7) Israel in time became deserving of
chastisement. Hosea described the people
as having loving-kindness like the morn
ing clouds and like the dew that early
goes away. Judah had treacherously vio
lated their covenant with Jehovah. Instead
of practicing the loving-kindness of their
God, Gilead became a city of wrong12. (a) For what is God not to be blamed? (b) How
do the Scriptures show this?
13. (a) What condition had Israel fallen into according
to Hosea? (b) What kind of God would Jehovah show
himself to be if the people were repentant?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

doers, tracked with bloody footprints. Like

troops of men lying in wait, so the priests
hid themselves; on the way to Shechem
they committed murder, they practiced
vice. Israel was defiled. Surely with con
ditions like this in the land it was true
that what little loving-kindness there was
had vanished away in the early morning
like dew. With good reason Hosea pleaded:
Come, you people, and do let us return
to Jehovah, for he himself has torn in
pieces but he will heal us. He kept strik
ing, but he will bind us up. Jehovah
wanted their loyal love rather than sacri
fice, and that they recognize the impor
tance of knowledge of God rather than
burnt offerings. (Hos. 6:1-10, NW , AT)
If the people would repent, then Jehovah
would show himself to be a God slow to
anger and abundant in loving-kindness,
but by no means giving exemption from
punishment.
14
The apostle Paul centuries later com
mented on Jehovahs balance as a God of
kindness, yet one showing severity when
deserved. He quoted Jehovahs words to
Isaiah: All day long I have spread out
my hands toward a people that is disobe
dient and talks back. Elijah had even
pleaded with God against Israel, saying:
Jehovah, they have killed your prophets,
they have dug up your altars, and I alone
am left. But Jehovah did not reject his
people. He knew there were seven thou
sand men of faith remaining besides Eli
jah. So though the nation stumbled often,
they did not fall completely from Jeho
vahs favor, and, like the seven thousand
who refused to worship Baal in Elijahs
time, a remnant of Israel during Jesus
ministry proved faithful. Paul wrote: In
this way, therefore, at the present season
also a remnant has turned up according
14. What was the condition of Israel by the days of
the apostles, and what provision did Jehovah make
for the Gentiles?

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to a choosing due to undeserved kindness.

16 Jehovah has opened the door to life
However, the majority of Israel acted as through his undeserved kindness, balanc
though they were sound asleep, their eyes ing the scales of justice by providing his
closed and their ears deaf to the wonder Son as a ransom so that we can escape
ful opportunity Jehovah in his undeserved from the condemnation and death inherit
kindness was opening up to them. Their ed from Adam. Paul highlighted this at
failure opened the way for Gentiles, the Titus 3:4-7, saying: When the kindness
people of the nations, to come into the new and the love for man on the part of our
covenant that Jesus inaugurated. No long Savior, God, was manifested, owing to no
er were the Jews set off as a select people works in righteousness that we had per
from all the other nations, but the wall of formed, but according to his mercy he
partition had been broken down and now saved us through the bath that brought us
the way was open for others to come into to life and through the making of us new
Jehovahs favor as his covenant people. by holy spirit. This spirit he poured out
Rom. 10:21 to 11:11; 1 Pet. 2:10.
richly upon us through Jesus Christ our
15
Paul described this by likening JehoSavior, that, after being declared righ
vahs covenant people to the branches in teous by virtue of the undeserved kind
an olive tree. Since Israel as a nation ness of that one, we might become heirs
proved unfruitful, the spiritually dead according to a hope of everlasting life.
branches were broken off and new branch Jehovah truly is a God of loving-kindness.
es from a wild olive tree, representing men It is not because of our own righteous
of faith of Gentile nations, were grafted works that we become entitled to life, but
in, that they might receive the riches of because of Jehovahs showing undeserved
Jehovah and the blessings he would pro kindness in providing a ransom, which Je
vide. Paul warns that this was not due to sus made available by giving his human
any special works on the part of those life as a sacrifice. So the Word became
grafted in, but due to the lack of faith of flesh and resided among us, and we had
those to whom the opportunity was first a view of his glory, a glory such as be
extended. He reminds them: If God did longs to an only-begotten son from a fa
not spare the natural branches, neither ther; and he was full of undeserved kind
will he spare you. See, therefore, Gods ness and truth. For we all received from
kindness and severity. Toward those who out of his fullness, even undeserved kind
fell there is severity, but toward you there ness upon undeserved kindness. In this
is Gods kindness, provided you remain in Jesus mirrored the kindly qualities of his
his kindness; otherwise, you also will be Father. John 1:14, 16.
lopped off. (Rom. 11:21, 22) Faith and
17 Thus it can be clearly seen that it is
obedience are required to remain in Jeho due to no action on the part of the indi
vahs kindness. It is not a question of na
vidual that he has the hope of everlasting
tionality or race. As Paul put it, there is
life, because all have sinned; yet God
no distinction between Jew and Greek, for
there is the same Lord over all, who is grants this prospect of being declared
rich to all those calling upon him. For righteous through faith in the ransom
everyone who calls on the name of Jeho sacrifice of Christ Jesus as a free gift by
vah will be saved. Rom. 10:12, 13; 2: his undeserved kindness. (Rom. 3:23, 24)
7-11.
16. How was the hope of everlasting life made possible?
15. How did Paul illustrate
what warning was given?

Jehovah's

action,

and

17. In what way did undeserved kindness come to

rule as king?

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Up to the time of Christ the law that good news Christians today can share in
God gave stood as a reminder to Israel of the ministry and show they appreciate
their imperfection and sinfulness, but Je the undeserved kindness of Jehovah. As
sus ransom opened up the way to receive sons of God, we should reflect his quality
the benefits of Gods undeserved kindness. of kindness to others, and what better way
Until that time it was true that sin ruled can there be to do this than by bringing
as king with death, but then Jehovah them the truth that leads to life! Jesus did
opened up the way that undeserved kind this, sharing both undeserved kindness
ness might rule as king through righteous and truth through his ministry. John 1:
ness with everlasting life in view. (Rom. 17, 18.
5:21) Jesus had come as a leader and com
20 Jehovah himself is the original source
mander to bless all national groups, in ful of kindness. As the aged apostle John
fillment of Gods covenant respecting the wrote: Who will not really fear you, Je
loving-kindnesses to David. Isa. 55:3, 4. hovah, and glorify your name, because you
Today Christians are not in the Mo alone are one of loving-kindness? (Rev.
saic law covenant with God, but, being 15:4, edition of 1950) Even for those who
associated with the new covenant, are led have gone contrary to the direction of
by Gods spirit. (Rom. 6:14) Even so, our God, if they change their course of action,
prospects of righteous standing in Gods the opportunity of being reconciled and
sight do not come as a result of our works. obtaining the gift of life may still be open,
The apostle Paul spoke strongly about just as the prophet Joel invited the way
this, showing that no one could obtain life ward Israelites: Come back to Jehovah
through his own efforts: I do not shove your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
aside the undeserved kindness of God; for slow to anger and abundant in loving
if righteousness is through law, Christ ac kindness. Joel 2:13.
tually died for nothing. (Gal. 2:21) In
21 On the other hand, Satan is doing all
fact, Paul went on to say: You are parted he can to counteract the kindness of Je
from Christ, whoever you are that try to hovah, knowing that he has only a short
be declared righteous by means of law; time remaining to blind the minds of the
you have fallen away from his undeserved people to the good news. (2 Cor. 4:4) His
kindness. Gal. 5:4; Rom. 11:5, 6.
every effort is to defame the Creator as
19
However, although it is not by oura God who does not care and is not con
own efforts but rather by the merit of cerned with the problems and trials of
Christs sacrifice that we have the won mankind, a God taking sides in human
derful hope of everlasting life, whether in wars and thus being responsible for the
heaven or upon earth, that fact does not suffering and grief of the people. (John
mean that Jehovah has not given us an 8:44) But Jesus foreknew that before Je
assignment of service. So Paul reminded hovah finally brings an end to Satans de
the Galatians: God, who . . . called me ceit and troublemaking, a warning would
through his undeserved kindness, thought be given and the real position of Jehovah
good to reveal his Son in connection with as a God of loving-kindness would be made
me, that I might declare the good news clear, One who will bring blessings to his
about him to the nations. (Gal. 1:15, 16) people through his Kingdom under the
By also accepting this call to declare the
18. How do some shove aside the undeserved kindness
of God?
19. What privilege has Jehovah given Christians today?

20. Who is the true source of kindness, and what

invitation does he extend?
21. What effort is Satan making, but what can lead
to salvation?

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rule of Christ Jesus. To this end he has they will be cut down as in a harvest when
gathered together men of faith as his wit Jehovah cleanses the earth of all wicked
nesses in a worldwide organization to ness at the battle of Armageddon. As Isa
preach this good news of the kingdom. iah prophesied, men of faith will then ac
Sharing in this God-assigned work now tually go forth and look upon the carcasses
leads to salvation. Rom. 10:9-11.
of the men that were transgressing against
me.
Isa. 66:24.
22
During this interim period before the
final crushing tribulation comes against
23
Thus Jehovah in his righteous judg
Satans organization many are having the ments shows both kindness and severity
opportunity to hear the Kingdom message deserved severity toward those who op
and are in effect taking up the prayer of pose his Kingdom ambassadors and their
David: Make me know your own ways, message and who turn their backs on his
O Jehovah; teach me your own paths. righteous purpose, but kindness to men of
(Ps. 25:4) They come to know Jehovah faith with the prospect of everlasting life.
as a God extending undeserved kindness (Luke 20:9-18) Even during this time
to those observing his covenant and his of the end Jehovah continues to show
reminders. They no longer fall into the his patience, not desiring any to perish.
snare of lack of faith that Satan has laid, (2 Pet. 3:9) Each one by his course of
brooding over the barbaric acts of warfare action will determine whether he will re
of recent years and attributing such things ceive of Gods kindness or severity. Jeho
vah will actually be showing kindness to
to God. (Jas. 4:1, 2) However, Christen
all putting faith in him when he complete
dom generally, like Israel of old, displays
ly cleanses the earth of all wickedness.
loving-kindness that vanishes in time of (Heb. 10:26-29) Then as never before
trouble like a morning dew in a hot sun, undeserved kindness will rule as king
quickly dissipated because of not having through righteousness with everlasting life
real faith in Jehovah, his Word and King in view through Jesus Christ our lord.
dom. Unless such ones come back to Je Rom. 5:21; Ps. 107:15.
hovah and turn to the knowledge of God, 23. (a) How do the Scriptures show Jehovahs justice?
22. What fate awaits those who fall into Satans snare?

F YOU like to have kindness shown to

you, try making a practice of showing
kindness to others. The little thought and
effort it takes bring much happiness. Try
to put yourself in the other persons place.

1, 2. (a) Give some suggestions that will help in

showing kindness to others, (b) Why is kindness an
important quality to have?

(b) How does even Jehovahs severity prove to be a

kindness ?

If you are driving home at night and are

delayed by a stalled car, why honk and
get impatient? How much kinder to offer
help. Or at the breakfast table if your
child accidentally knocks over the milk, do
you think he likes to be told crossly that
he is clumsy? Try kindness. Treat others

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as you like to be treated, as this is the

real essence of kindness.
2 Kindness is refreshing. We appreciate
it especially because so many people we
meet are without kindness. We read of
parents beating children and violence of
all kinds, but rarely do we read any head
lines telling of an outstanding act of kind
ness. Since our natural inclination may be
to treat others as they treat us, we do well
to remember Jehovahs counsel: I desire
kindness, and not sacrifice. (Hos. 6:6,
AS, ftn.) It is much better to show kind
ness in the first place rather than to have
to atone for speaking harshly and offend
ing someone, for the unkindness is still
remembered.
3Just as Jehovah has shown wonderful
kindness to us, we want to show similar
kindness to others, even though they may
be unresponsive. This is possible by the
help of his spirit. Among those who have
no faith in God and consequently do not
have the fruitage of his spirit, we often
see an outward kindness, but it is some
times hypocritical. As soon as ones back
is turned, the flattery also turns to un
kindness. But Christian kindness must be
more than a thin veneer of politeness and
courtesy. True Christians want to show
real warmth, love and consideration, the
genuine kindness of Jehovahs spirit. Even
if this is difficult at times, there is no
need to get discouraged, for we have a
high priest, Christ Jesus, who can sym
pathize with our weaknesses. We are told
to approach with freeness of speech to
the throne of undeserved kindness, that
we may obtain mercy and find undeserved
kindness for help at the right time.Heb.
4:15, 16.
FRUITAGE OF THE SPIRIT

4Since kindness is described Scriptural3. Why should we show genuine kindness, and how is
this possible?
4. (a) How can kindness be cultivated? (b) In what
way is it linked with love?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

ly as the fruitage of Gods spirit, this

means it can be cultivated like any other
fruit. (2 Pet. 3:18) It can be encouraged
to grow if given the proper care and at
tention. Now particularly is the time to
have kindness grow in us by studying
Gods Word and the fine example that men
of faith in times past have set in showing
kindness, by associating with people who
manifest this fruitage of the spirit, and by
following the Scriptural example and in
structions of Christ Jesus, now on the
throne of undeserved kindness. Jehovah
requires kindness of us. Micah 6:8 says:
And what is Jehovah asking back from
you but to exercise justice and to love
kindness and to be modest in walking with
your God? Thus if we are real children
of God, we will not only show kindness,
but love to show kindness. The Hebrew
word here rendered kindness is the
same elsewhere translated loving-kindness.
Kindness is linked with love in the Scrip
tures because kindness stems from love. If
we have love for God and love for our
neighbor, then we will show kindness.
5 Kindness is mentioned fifth among the
fruits of Gods spirit. It indicates that one
has a desire to do good, a benevolent dis
position, inclined to be considerate and
helpful. The fruits of Gods spirit include
love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness,
goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.
There is no law against such things, for
they are all upbuilding and beneficial. We
find that kindness helps to solve problems.
It is the force behind tactfulness. It is the
basic essence of good manners and true
attractiveness. It makes it easier to for
give, but it also helps one to be firm for
what is right, and it will attract inter
ested ones to Jehovah and to the truth.
Gal. 5:22, 23.
6 Christian kindness includes being con5, 6. (a) What does kindness include, and how is it
shown? (b) What did Jesus say about kindness?

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siderate of all, being sympathetic and con

cerned about others. Kindness is not just
a matter of giving to get or showing
thoughtfulness to family or friends or
those with whom one works. Try showing
kindness to strangers also. Jesus said that
if someone in governmental service asks
you to go a mile, you should go two miles
with him. Kindness and consideration
should be shown, not only to friends, but
even to enemies. Continue to love your
enemies and to do good and to lend with
out interest, not hoping for anything back;
and your reward will be great, and you
will be sons of the Most High, because he
is kind toward the unthankful and wick
ed. Luke 6:35, 36.
7Kindness is a good way to overcome
indifference or opposition to the Kingdom
message. When a Christian shows a pa
tient, friendly and obliging spirit, after a
time it may have an effect on the other
person. Gods spirit will help one to re
spond in this way. We are instructed at
Colossians 3:12, 13: As Gods chosen
ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves
with the tender affections of compassion,
kindness, lowliness of mind, mildness, and
long-suffering. Continue putting up with
one another and forgiving one another
freely if anyone has a cause for com
plaint against another. Even as Jehovah
freely forgave you, so do you also. Kind
ness is not something to put on one day
and leave home the next. It is a Christian
requirement.
8So ask yourself, Do you make an ef
fort to show kindness? Or if someone is
unkind to you, are you unkind to the next
person you meet? Or do you take your
feelings out on your family? Do not be
surprised, then, to see your children treat
the household pet with meanness. Why
7. How can we clothe ourselves with kindness, and
with what results?
8. What is desirable for us to show, and how can we
do it?

145

not act instead as a solid reef to stop the

spreading waves of unkindness? The place
to start is at home, and the one to start
with is oneself. Remember, the desirable
thing in earthling man is his loving
kindness. Prov. 19:22.
KINDNESS IN THE FAMILY

9 In a family where kindness is shown,

each one, father, mother and children,
must have a part. Husbands should not
take their wives for granted, but look for
opportunities to give encouragement. Is
the spirit in your home such that, when
someone says something nice, the other
person says, All right, now what do you
want? How much better it is when the
wife shows appreciation for the hard
work of her husband and the husband lets
his wife know how much he enjoys the
meal and the neat home she keeps. Do you
do that? It is important not to have two
standards, speaking with consideration
and politeness outside the home, but un
kindly, bluntly and without feeling to
those who are close to you.
10 It is often true that actions speak
louder than words, so kindness can be
shown not only in speech but also by our
actions in the home. It may be something
little, something unexpected, but bringing
happiness or expressing sympathy. It is
not necessary but certainly kind if a hus
band brings flowers for his wife. Or per
haps the wife is not feeling well. It does
not take long to help with the dishes or
with the children, and she may appreciate
it more than a gift. Try letting kindness
be your gift.
11 The wife has an important part in es
tablishing a spirit of kindness in the fami
ly. If her husband does not yet have an
9. How can kindness be shown within a family?
10. Mention some everyday ways to show kindness to
your family.
11. What do the Scriptures tell us about kindness in
speech?

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35eWATCHTOWER
appreciation for the hope expressed in may well think the parents do not care
the Scriptures, she may draw him to the if this happens. While children, because of
truth by her kindly example. Proverbs 31: immaturity, may not appreciate the close
26 says of a good wife: The law of loving supervision, reproof given to a wise per
kindness is upon her tongue. Instead of son will cause him to love you for it, and,
being an exception, this should be a law in time, the same will be true of the child.
or rule of action for the wife. It means Some parents pamper their children by
thinking before speaking. And the hus giving them everything they can. But a
band wants to keep that law also. With survey at an Idaho school revealed that
this rule for the home, we will find that not a single straight A student owned a
kindness solves problems. As Ephesians 4: car, while 83 percent of those who failed
32 says simply, Become kind to one an did. Surely the parents providing the cars
other. Showing kindness in speech is im thought it was a kindness to the child,
portant. We should not think that when but it was not so from an educational
Abraham, Lot and even Jehovah said, standpoint.
please, it was a mere formality, but
13 Finally, be kind to yourself. Keep a
they took account of the importance of good schedule for study and service. This
kindness. Gen. 18:3, 4; 19:2; 22:2.
may mean turning off the television and
12
Kindness to children is important forgoing to bed to get some sleep to be fresh
a happy family. Cultivate this quality in to enjoy the next day. It may mean less
them as well, and remember that they do anxiety over material things and spending
as they see you do. So commend them more time on spiritual treasures. One who
when they do well in school or in their is kind to himself in this way will have
field ministry, or if they give a good com contentment and peace of mind and be
ment in your discussion of the days Bible happy with the blessings of the day. These
text. Parents should not be irritating their things will contribute to a happy individ
children, and it is a good thing for par ual and a happy family.Luke 12:19-21.
ents to organize their family in kindness,
KINDNESS IN THE CONGREGATION
so that the children know what is expected
1
4
Others
who deserve our kindness are
of them and so they will be built up spiri
our
spiritual
brothers and sisters. Even
tually by a good theocratic schedule. Chil
though
ones
own
family may be alienated
dren, of course, need encouragement and
even discipline to follow out a schedule to because of the message from Gods Word,
be prepared for their studies and to ful there are brothers and sisters a hundred
fill home chores that may be assigned. But fold in the Christian congregation. (Mark
kindness is not to be confused with senti 10:29, 30) We can show them kindness in
mentality or letting things slide. Mistaken many ways: perhaps stopping by to cheer
kindness can result in juvenile delinquen up someone who is sick, taking a tasty
cy. It is no kindness to children when par dish to an elderly pioneer in the congre
ents do not care about the company they gation, or doing a few chores for a sick
keep, about their attendance or deport sister. Others kindly help new ones pre
ment at meetings, about their study of pare talks for the ministry school. One
Gods Word, but just let the children drift brother goes out of his way to bring an
and do things their own way. The children 13. How can one be kind to oneself and receive a

146

12. What are some ways in which kindness can be

shown to children?

blessing?
14. What are some ways kindness can be shown within
the congregation?

arch

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SReWATCHTOWER.

147

invalid sister by wheelchair to the meet ness, knowing that kindness attracts but
ings. Many persons drive long distances to unkindness repels.
bring interested persons and friends by car
16
Each one in the Christian congrega
to the congregational meetings. Those re tion has the opportunity to manifest kind
ceiving such kindness may, in turn, show ness to others. Instead of being disturbed
their appreciation by offering to help with because a sister with several children can
the expenses. In the early Christian con not control them as she might like, per
gregation Dorcas was remembered and haps you can offer to sit with them to
richly blessed because she made a prac help. It is a kindness to ourselves as well
tice of showing kindness by good deeds as to others not to make a practice of com
and gifts of mercy. Acts 9:36-42.
ing late to meetings, thereby disturbing
15
In each congregation it is importantothers and missing important material; or,
for the servants to cultivate the quality of if late unavoidably, sit at the rear where
kindness. Paul, in writing to the Thessaas few as possible
lonians, showed that as a servant he had
will be disturbed.
A brother showing
been gentle in the midst of them as when
kindness would
a nursing mother cherishes her own chil
not severely criti
dren, or like a father, exhorting his chil
cize an older man
dren, so they would
but entreat him as
walk worthily of God.
a father. Younger
(1 Thess. 2:7, 11, 12)
ones can also show
This well reflects the
k in d n ess by a
attitude of a servant
fri en dl y word to
toward the congrega
the older ones, or
tion. At Ephesians 3:2
o f f e r i n g t o be
the apostle speaks
helpful. 1 Tim.
about the stew
5:1-3.
ardship of the un
deserved kindness
THE PURPOSE
of God that was
OF
UNDESERVED
given me with you
KINDNESS
in v i e w . P a u l
17 From time to
recognized that
time some have the
just as he had re
ceived the undeserved kindness of God, he opportunity to entertain visiting speakers
had the responsibility or stewardship to or a circuit servant and his wife. At 3 John
use it in behalf of others, particularly Gen 5-8, the aged apostle showed that we have
tiles. Peter also declared: In proportion an obligation to receive such persons hos
as each one has received a gift, use it in pitably, since doing what is good origi
ministering to one another as fine stew nates with God. If we sow kindness we will
ards of Gods undeserved kindness ex also reap kindness. Even the act of giving
pressed in various ways. (1 Pet. 4:10) one of Jesus disciples a cup of cold water
The overseer may have to exhort, repri would be favorably remembered by Jeho
mand and counsel, but he will do it in kind vah. (Matt. 10:41, 42) The Scriptures give
15. What counsel did Paul and Peter give Christian
servants ?

16. In what ways might kindness be shown at meetings?

17, 18. Why show kindness to strangers?

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many fine examples of showing kindness

to strangers, as when Elijah was kindly
received by the widow of Zarephath.
(1 Ki. 17:8-24) This poor widow offered
her last bit of food to the prophet during
a famine and was richly blessed as a re
sult. Jehovah kept her supplied with flour
and oil thereafter, and later restored her
son to life.
18 At Acts 28:2 Paul relates how he and
others were shipwrecked on the island of
Malta, where the foreign-speaking people
showed us extraordinary human kind
ness. They came out despite the cold and
rain and built a fire, receiving the ship
wrecked strangers with great helpfulness,
so that they were favorably remembered
in Gods Word. No doubt Paul returned
this kindness by leaving them a spiritual
blessing by the things he told them. (Acts
28:30, 31) We, in turn, do well to show
kindness to strangers. As Hebrews 13:2
(1950 edition) says, do not forget kind
ness to strangers, for through it some, un
known to themselves, entertained angels.
19 Today Jehovahs people outstandingly
show kindness by sharing the truth with
others. The apostle reminds us: We also
entreat you not to accept the undeserved
kindness of God and miss its purpose.
Now is the time when the Kingdom mes
sage is being preached, now in the day
of salvation. So we do not want to give
any cause for stumbling, that our min
istry might not be found fault with; but
in every way we recommend ourselves as
Gods ministers, . . . by kindness, by holy
spirit, by love free from hypocrisy, by
truthful speech, by Gods power. (2 Cor.
6:1-7) Regardless of the situation in
which we may find ourselves, we can still
recommend ourselves, not only by our
knowledge of his Word and the way we
react under difficulties, but also by show19. How can we show we are not missing the purpose
of Gods undeserved kindness?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

ing the fruitage of the spirit, including

kindness.
20 Our showing kindness means we are
imitating God. Jesus outstandingly set the
lead for us in this as he preached the
truth. After John the Baptist had pointed
him out as the Lamb of God, two of Johns
disciples followed Jesus and asked where
he was staying. Jesus invited them to
come and see. After spending the rest of
the day with Jesus, Andrew told his
brother Simeon: We have found the Mes
siah. Yes, Jesus showed hospitality and
kindness by talking about Gods Word.
John 1:41; 2 Cor. 8:9.
21 Jehovahs witnesses today regularly
show kindness by taking the message of
life to others, making return visits, con
ducting studies, asking nothing in return.
As we do this we show kindness in our
speech by being tactful and courteous, tak
ing time to listen to what the householder
wants to say. It would be easy to be sharp
or sarcastic in replying to a householder
who is rude, but remember that Jehovah
requires kindness. On more than one oc
casion a soft answer has opened the mind
of the householder to consider the truth.
While an immature person might give a
sour answer, one who is mature knows
that this would not properly represent the
God of kindness.
22 Of course, speaking with kindness
does not mean being wishy-washy or wa
tering down the truth, because speech can
be kind and yet to the point. Jesus spoke
strongly to the clergy class but kindly and
patiently to sheeplike ones. It is no kind
ness to withhold the truth, even though
it may hurt at first. Just as an operation
may cause pain for a blind person, when
his sight is restored, the joy that he gains
on seeing again makes up for all of it. So,
20. How did Jesus show kindness in his ministry ?
21. How can kindness be shown in the ministry today?
22. Why is it no kindness to withhold the truth?

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149

whether one is sick physically or spiritual

ly, kindness is appreciated and can open
closed ears to the truth. An experience
showing this was enjoyed by a Witness
who started a study with a woman living
with her aged Irish mother. The mother
was very hostile and told the Witness not
to come, but her daughter went to the
publishers home to continue the study.
The mother liked this even less, so she
finally agreed that the Witness could come
to their home again for the study. When
she returned, the sister took a few flowers
along, as she felt old people are often ne
glected and feel unwanted. After that the
lady gradually took an interest in the truth
and finally admitted: I was an old cat
to you, but you just gave me kindness in
return. I used to think that all that was
left for me was to grow old and die, but
there is a new life opening up for me
now. So kindness helped change this per
sons viewpoint toward the truth.
23Just as Jehovah shows kindness, giv
ing the rain and the sun, food and shelter,
even to those unthankful and wicked, we
can show kindness even to those now re
jecting the truth. By so doing we show
that we are not children of this system
but, rather, have the fruits of Jehovahs
spirit as his children. (Matt. 5:43-46) The
kindly conduct of Jehovahs witnesses at
assemblies has been a wonderful testimony
to Jehovahs honor. As a New Zealand
cafeteria manager said: I never before
met such courteous, kind and thoughtful
people.
24 Finally, kindness in the family and the
congregation can be shown by firmness for
what is right. Kindness is not weakness.
It does not mean condoning what is wrong.
Such mistaken kindness can result in ju
venile or adult delinquency, and spiritual

delinquency may result in the congrega

tion if the overseer views kindness as a
lack of firmness for right principle. It is
never kind to encourage others to do what
is out of harmony with Gods will; so, if
a Christian begins to drift away from Je
hovahs way, kindness would not be shown
by withholding counsel or even deserved
discipline. Peter at one time gave poor
counsel to Jesus when Jesus told him that
he was about to suffer and die. Peter said:
Be kind to yourself, Lord. But Jesus
turned his back, saying: Get behind me,
Satan! (Matt. 16:22, 23) Peter was re
buked and rightly so. His words that he
felt were spoken in kindness were not in
accord with Jehovahs purpose. So kind
ness must be linked with truth and with
love for Jehovah.
25 Satan wants to cause division and stop
the working of Gods spirit through fric
tion in Christian homes and congregations.
Divisions in Jehovahs congregation be
cause of personal differences or petty ar
guments would hinder the flow of Jeho
vahs spirit and hold back the fruitage of
the ministry, but Jesus disciples are
known by the love they show, and love
covers weaknesses and imperfection, even
a multitude of sins. However, all who
have the hope of living in Jehovahs new
system of things must also be on guard
to protect the congregation from those
who would let some turn the undeserved
kindness of God into an excuse for loose
conduct. Jude 4.
26 Kindness will help us to improve our
relations with others. Instead of getting
worked up and tense, we should let Jeho
vahs spirit operate. A gentle, friendly and
merciful attitude is associated with kind
ness, and it is certainly much better to
show kindness in the first place than to

23. How can we show ourselves to be children of

Jehovah?
24. What does kindness not include? Why?

25. What effort does Satan make to counteract kindness ?

26. In what way can kindness help us to get along
with others?

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Brooklyn, N . Y .

try to patch up unhappiness. So if you we are obeying Gods law of kindness. It

find in your family a tendency toward will be not only upon our tongue but on
friction or lack of love, even harsh, rude our mind and heart, and we will make it
talk, try cultivating this fruit of the spirit. a part of our new personality. We will find
Even though others in the household may that it helps to solve our problems and
be opposed to the truth, a kind attitude makes it easy to forgive. Kindness has an
on the part of a Christian will help, just upbuilding quality that prompts others to
respond in kind. It helps us to draw others
like oil on stormy waters.
27
It is by Jehovahs undeserved kindto Jehovah by our words and acts. As we
ness that we have the prospect of life; so display this fruit of the spirit, our hope
we should reflect like kindness to others. and trust in Jehovah will not lead to dis
(Eph. 2:5-8) Just as we endeavor to cul appointment. So, to walk with Jehovah,
tivate Kingdom fruitage in our field min we must love kindness, for Jehovah re
istry, so we want to cultivate the fruitage quires kindness, even in the midst of an
of Gods spirit. If we do this we will show unkind world. Kindness leads to life.
Rom. 2:4; 5:2.
27. Why is kindness so important to a Christian?

N THESE momentous last days it is

a privilege to assemble together in
Christian meetings and to share in preach
ing about Gods kingdom. (2 Tim. 3:1)
Yet, not all who start out in this Chris
tian activity continue in it. As happened
with certain disciples in Jesus day who
went off to things behind and would no
longer walk with him, so today circum
stances arise in the lives of some persons
that cause them to stop associating with
the Christian congregation and to quit
preaching. John 6:66.
In the last five years 323,986 new King
dom publishers symbolized their dedica
tion to Jehovah God by water baptism.
Yet, during that period, there was an
increase, on an average, of only 174,088
ministers. What happened to the other
149,898? When one subtracts the approxi
mately 1 percent who normally die each

year, it still leaves about 100,000 persons

who have ceased to preach in just the past
five years.* Are you one of these who
used to be a Kingdom publisher? If so,
what is the reason for it?
We are very much concerned about you
who have left the congregation and slipped
into inactivity. Jesus compared the situa
tion to a man with one hundred sheep.
When one sheep leaves the fold, how does
the shepherd feel? Does he feel there is
no great loss because he still has ninetynine sheep? Not at all! Jesus said that he
leaves the ninety-nine and travels into the
wilderness to recover the lost one. That
is how much the shepherd cares for it! We
have a similar loving concern for you who
have left the congregation fold. Luke 15:
4-7.
* One percent, each year, of the average number
of publishers, which increased from 884,587 to 1,058,675
in the past five years, amounts to about 50,000 Kingdom
publishers who have died in that period.

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You may have already had personal vis

its from ones in the local congregation.
The brothers call because they love you,
and want to see you back in the congre
gation again. All of us desire that you
enjoy Jehovahs blessing and gain life in
his new system of things. We understand
that problems can arise and that these can
make it difficult to serve God. But should
we not expect Satan the Devil to do every
thing he can to prevent us from serving
Jehovah? Yes, indeed! For he is like a
roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.
(1 Pet. 5:8) He repeatedly tried to turn
Jesus from the worship of God, so is it
any wonder that he makes similar efforts
to turn us away?
ANXIETIES OF LIFE

Perhaps it is difficult to pinpoint just

what caused you to stop regularly asso
ciating with the congregation and to quit
preaching the good news. It may simply
be the increasing burden of what Jesus
called the anxieties of life, including the
problems, the tensions and the frustrations
resulting from daily having to contend
with this worldly system of things. Luke
21:34.
In todays highly competitive society
you may have experienced increased re
sponsibilities and more and more demands
on your time. Perhaps added pressure has
been exerted on you by your employer.
Also, to meet rising expenses you may
have felt it necessary to spend more time
at secular employment. In addition, there
may be maintenance of the home and gar
den, and greater responsibilities in connec
tion with your family. Perhaps reduced
health and energy accentuate the pres
sures, causing discouragement and depres
sion. Has a similar set of circumstances
resulted in your forsaking Christian re
sponsibilities and slipping into spiritual
inactivity?

151

Increasing pressures may have made you

feel the need of relief from the weight
of responsibilities, but was cutting your
self off from the Christian congregation
the answer? Has it improved the situa
tion? Ask yourself: Am I really happier
and more content now that I have ceased
attending meetings and sharing in the
ministry? Are I and my family better
Christians? Is there more regular prayer
to God, study of His Word and manifes
tation of the fruits of the spirit in our
lives? Is the desire for Gods kingdom to
come and his will to be done on earth as
strong as before? Is my hope for life on
a paradise earth under Christs rule as
real and meaningful as it once was?
An honest consideration of such ques
tions will no doubt reveal that genuine
happiness and spirituality have dimin
ished. But, really, how could it be other
wise? Did not Jesus say, Happy are those
hearing the word of God and keeping it ?
(Luke 11:28) And would not failing to
comply with Gods injunction to assemble
with his people and to preach his Word
cause you to lose the happiness of which
Jesus spoke? (Heb. 10:25; 2 Tim. 4:2)
What, then, would be the wise and proper
course to take?
ACTION THAT IS N OW URGENT

It is clear: You need association with

Christians of like precious faith. So go to
the congregation meetings! Your brothers
will be so glad to see you. Do not hesitate.
Do not wait until next week, but go to
a meeting this very week. It is Satan the
Devil who weighs Christians down with
anxieties and endeavors to extinguish their
worship of God. He is the one who tries
to make persons think that relief from
burdens can come by forsaking Christian
meetings and responsibilities. But do not
listen to him; listen to Jesus.
Jesus says: Come to me, all you who

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SfteWATCHTOWER-

are toiling and loaded down, and I will

refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and
become my disciples. (Matt. 11:28, 29)
Being a disciple of Jesus should be re
freshing, not burdensome. Yes, it is pleas
ant, really delightful to assemble with
fellow Christians. (Ps. 133:1) The require
ments of Christianity do not weigh one
down as would a heavy yoke. Each one
does as he is able. Jehovah God and Jesus
Christ know what you can do, and they
are pleased with whatever willing service
you are capable of giving. Ps. 110:3.
Remember Mary, Lazarus sister. Short
ly prior to Jesus death she was criticized
because she anointed Jesus with some per
fumed oil. However, Jesus did not criticize
her for her simple, heartfelt service, but
said: Let her alone. Why do you try to
make trouble for her? . . . She did what
she could. (Mark 14:6-8) The day before,
Jesus had stationed himself in the temple
and observed those making contributions.
Instead of censuring a woman who of
fered very little, he praised her for her
contribution. (Luke 21:1-4) She, too, did
what she could. That is what Christianity
ceills for: Doing what you can.
Such Christian activity is not a burden
from which to seek relief. Rather, it is a
refreshment, for it brings contentment and
satisfaction; we can have confidence that
Jehovah is pleased with our efforts. So
have joy and gain refreshment for your
soul by doing what you can as a worshiper
of Jehovah God! It is vitally urgent that
you become an active Christian now!
Why? Because the time is short. The end
is near!
Note what Jesus said about it: But pay
attention to yourselves that your hearts
never become weighed down with over
eating and heavy drinking and anxieties of
life, and suddenly that day be instantly up
on you as a snare. For it will come in
upon all those dwelling upon the face of

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

the earth. Keep awake, then, all the time

making supplication that you may suc
ceed in escaping all these things that are
destined to occur, and in standing before
the Son of man. Luke 21:34-36.
This day of Gods judgment is at hand!
Time is quickly running out! Prompt ac
tion is necessary if that day is not to come
suddenly upon you as a snare. So bestir
yourself! Wake up spiritually! Regularly
make supplication to Jehovah to help you
escape adverse judgment. Then act in har
mony with your prayers. The first step is
to go to congregation meetings. Do not put
it off; go this very week! A warm welcome
awaits you.
STUMBLED OVER TEACHING

There are reasons why people leave the

Christian congregation and discontinue of
fering God praise. In the first century Je
sus presented some difficult-to-understand
teachings to an audience assembled in Ca
pernaum. What was the result? Why, the
Bible record says: Many of his disciples,
when they heard this, said: This speech
is shocking; who can listen to i t ? ' . . . Ow
ing to this many of his disciples went off
to the things behind and would no longer
walk with him. John 6:60-66.
Did these disciples benefit in any way
by leaving Jesus and quitting their Chris
tian activity? Of course not! For, as Peter
said when Jesus asked him if he, too,
wanted to go: Lord, whom shall we go
away to? You have sayings of everlasting
life. (John 6:67, 68) By cutting them
selves off from association with their
Christian brothers, those disciples cer
tainly lost true happiness and spirituality.
The same is true today.
Think about it. If you have ceased to
associate with the Christian congregation
because of stumbling over some teaching,
has it benefited you in any way? Have
you found another place where there is

M a r c h 1, 1 9 6 7

ffKeWATCHTOWER.

such a rich table of spiritual food? Really,

there is none! You need the Christian con
gregation and the association of those who
love God and want to do His will. Be as
sured that Jehovah will see that his or
ganization is properly directed, and that
anything that is amiss will be corrected
in his due time. So accept the invitation
back to the congregation meetings.
IMPROPER CONDUCT PROMPTS INACTIVITY

Another reason why some persons stop

attending Christian meetings and sharing
in the preaching work is that they have
committed some wrong, or have slipped
into a bad practice that is disapproved by
Gods Word. They may feel that if they
confess their improper conduct they will
be disfellowshiped, so what is the use in
returning to the congregation? However,
in this they are mistaken, for if they are
truly repentant and have demonstrated it
by having discontinued their unscriptural
practice, they will be warmly welcomed
back by the brothers, just as was the
prodigal son in Jesus illustration.
You will recall that that young man left
his fathers house, squandered his inheri
tance and lived with harlots. But when he
came to his senses, sincerely repented of
his wrongdoing and returned home, his fa
ther ran and fell upon his neck and ten
derly kissed him. There was much re
joicing, for, as the father said to his
older son, your brother was dead but has
become alive, and he was lost but has been
found. (Luke 15:11-32) We expect simi
lar experiences today.
Are you one of those who has engaged
in improper conduct? And have you, like
the prodigal son, come to your senses,
realized the error of your way and given
up such practices or are sincerely endeav
oring to do so? Then, humbly return to
your heavenly Father, Jehovah God. Have
confidence in his mercy, for he will for-

153

give in a large way. (Isa. 55:7) Come to

the congregation meetings. There you will
receive a warm welcome and needed as
sistance to live properly.
THE JOY WHEN ONE RETURNS

However, you may still dread returning

to the Kingdom Hall because you fear fac
ing the brothers again. You may feel that
they will act coolly toward you. But was
that the attitude of the shepherd when the
one lost sheep was recovered, or of the
father when his prodigal son returned?
Not at all! Rather, there was rejoicing.
Similarly today, persons who have re
turned to the congregation have been the
cause of much rejoicing. Recently a sister,
who had fallen away and seen very few
of the brothers for five years, wrote:
I became sick of the world and its lack
of anything spiritual. My children seemed
to grow more selfish every day and I was
concerned about the lack of spirituality in
the home. . . . [It was] arranged for me
to go along to the next public talk, but
at the last minute I could not face up to
meeting the brothers. . . .
Finally, I prayed for the first time in
years to Jehovah to give me a little cour
age to go down to the Kingdom Hall, and
on July 26 my sons and I eventually made
it. The brothers were wonderful. They
went out of their way to welcome us back,
and that day became the highlight of our
year. It was almost too much to take in
one day, and I was very moved by it.
You can be confident that a similar wel
come is awaiting when you return to the
congregation meetings. You will enjoy the
warm Christian fellowship of your broth
ers and experience their loving interest.
By gradually being built up spiritually
through regular Bible study and meeting
attendance, you will again find exquisite
delight in praising Jehovah God with his
people.Rev. 7:9, 10.

HE Bible uses the number seven

throughout to represent complete
ness. There are seven days to a week. The
time allowed for the Gentiles to dominate
the earth was to be a period of seven
times. There are seven plagues poured
out in Revelation to complete Gods anger
against the world. In Pharaohs dream he
saw seven fat cattle and seven lean ones.
These are just a few of the examples of
the use of the figure seven, of which there
are scores, showing it to signify complete
ness.
The Bible lists seven world powers as
successively dominating the earth. One
would think, then, that seven world pow
ers would be all that would exist, but
strangely there is to be an eighth one, as
the last and final one. How can this har
monize with the normal use of the num
ber seven, and how is there an eighth
world power? It is interesting to see. It
helps us to understand where we stand in
the stream of time and it aids us to know
the course of action to take in this par
ticular period.

THE EIGHTH WOKLD POWER

We find the Eighth World Power men

tioned in the Bible book of Revelation, in
the apostle Johns description of the vi
sion that was given to him by Jesus
Christ. He saw a scarlet-colored wild
beast having seven heads and ten horns,
and it had a woman as rider. John writes:
Here is where the intelligence that has
154

wisdom comes in: The seven heads mean

seven mountains, where the woman sits on
top. And there are seven kings: five have
fallen, one is, the other has not yet ar
rived, but when he does arrive he must
remain a short while. And the wild beast
that was but is not, it is also itself an
eighth king, but springs from the seven,
and it goes off into destruction. Rev.
17:9-11.
The intelligence that has wisdom would
not be mere human intelligence but would
be wisdom that is given from above. (Jas.
3:17) The scarlet-colored beast is called
a mystery, a secret, something not readily
understood but to be revealed at Gods
time for it. God gives his people who put
faith in him and who study his Word the
wisdom and good sense to understand the
things written in his Word and the things
necessary to maintain their integrity to
him as his servants. (Eph. 1:8; Matt. 16:
17) The things of the Bible are not under
stood by one who doubts their authenticity
and who tries to figure them out by hu
man reasoning.
The seven heads are those on the
scarlet-colored wild beast. But these heads
only image the seven heads of the wild
beast that ascended out of the ungodly
sea of mankind. (Rev. 13:1, 2,11-15) They
are mountains or kingdoms, seven po
litical heads that came one after the other.
The usage of this symbol can be under
stood clearly from Daniel 2:34, 35, 44, 45,
where the prophet likens the everlasting
world power of the future, Gods Messianic

1, 1967

155
SHeWATCHTOWEFL
kingdom, to a large mountain that religion, so that as a religious empire Bab
filled the whole earth.
ylon the Great of the Bible ruled all along.
She
did not pass away when the ancient
The Bible lists the seven world powers,
city
of Babylon fell in 539 B.C.E. to the
figuratively, seven kings, as such in the
Fourth
World Power of Medo-Persia, nor
sense that each is a king of kings, a
when
that
city finally perished during the
king dominating all other kings at a spe
time
of
the
Roman World Power. Babylon
cific time. For example, the prophet Dan
the
Great
survives
to this day as a reli
iel said to the Babylonian world ruler
gious
empire.
Nebuchadnezzar: You, O king, the king
When the apostle John had the vision
of kings, you to whom the God of heaven
that
he recorded in the book of Revelation,
has given the kingdom, . . . you yourself
he
was
told that five of the seven kings
are the head of gold. (Dan. 2:37, 38) The
had
already
fallen. In Johns day Rome
ruler of the Medo-Persian World Power
was
the
dominant
world power. The first
assumed the same title in the letter that
five,
f
rom
he gave to the Bible copyist Ezra to carry
up to Jerusalem, saying: Artaxerxes, the E g y p t t<
king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the copy
ist of the law of the God of the heavens:
Peace be perfected. Ezra 7:7-12.
M arch

THE MARCH OF WORLD POWERS

What was the First World Power? Was

it Babylon? No, although Nimrod did set
up Babylon and there gave a start to
what became the world empire of false re
ligion. Gods action prevented it
from becoming the first politi
cal world power. (Gen. 10:8-10;
11:8, 9) The Babylonish reli
gious empire reigned over or
sat on top of the first symbolic
mountain, the Egyptian World
Power, the first political world
power of Bible history. The sec
ond was Assyria; the third, Bab
ylon, which, while being reli
gious, also became at this time
the dominant political world
power; the fourth, Medo-Persia;
the fifth, ancient Greece or Mac
edonia; the sixth, Rome; the
seventh, Britain and America, a
combination or dual world pow
er. All these world powers were
very strongly influenced by reli
gion, which was Babylonish

156

3fieWATCHTOWER

Greece, had existed and passed off the

scene as world powers. When the angel
said, one is, he meant the world power
that had exiled John to the penal island
of Patmos, namely, the sixth or Roman
World Power, of which the pagan Roman
emperor was then the religious Pontifex
Maximus.
Now, we are particularly interested in
the seventh king, also the eighth. First of
all, when does the Seventh World Power
come upon the scene? Not at the capture
of Rome by the Teutonic king Odoacer,
of Arian faith, who became king of Italy.
At that time there was m ore to the Ro
man Empire than Rome and Italy. The
capital of the whole Roman Empire was
not Old Rome in Italy, but New Rome,
Constantinople, on the Bosporus, at the
crossroads of Europe and Asia and of the
Mediterranean and Black Seas. In that
commercial center of the Roman World
Power Emperor Zeno the Isaurian ruled.
He finally brought about the expulsion of
Odoacer from Rome in 489. That part of
the Roman Empire in the East came to
an end first in 1453, when Constantinople
fell to the Ottoman Turks.
In the West, by strategy of the pope,
what became the Holy Roman Empire
was established in the year 800; but Em
peror Napoleon I of France put an end to
it in 1806. Actually the Roman Empire
went through many changes but existed
as the Sixth World Power for many cen
turies. However, in 1763, the British Em
pire, with colonies then in North America,
gained the position of the foremost com
mercial and colonial power of the world,
as one historian remarks. It maintained
this position and brought about the down
fall of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814. By
then the United States of America had
become established on the basis of former
colonies of Great Britain. In many respects
and ways it became an ally of Great Brit-

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

ain, to form a dual world power, the

mightiest in human history, stronger and
more world wide than any of the preced
ing six world powers.
So, according to history and the Bible,
the dual feature of this world power ar
rived by the nineteenth century. John was
told by the angel: When he does arrive
he must remain a short while. (Rev. 17:
10) In view of the long duration of the
sixth or Roman World Power, the seventh
or British-American Dual World Power
can remain only a short while, now that
the kings of the entire inhabited earth
are being gathered to a place or situation
Biblically called Har-Magedon for their
destruction. Even if we measure from the
above-mentioned date of 1763, 204 years
ago, the time till the war of the great
day of God the Almighty is comparative
ly a short while. (Rev. 16:14, 16) By
far most of this short while is in the
past. Its marked end is near.
SEVENTH AND EIGHTH POWERS
CONTEMPORARY

All the seven Biblical powers existed one

after another, that is, each one was domi
nant for a time and relinquished its domi
nation to the succeeding world power. But
what about the eighth? Here lies a dif
ference that helps us understand why
world powers did not conclude with the
seventh one as the complete number of
world powers, for the Bible indicates that
the seventh and eighth world powers ex
ercise authority contemporaneously dur
ing the latter years of the term of the
Seventh World Power. But how is it pos
sible for these two world powers to exist
at the same time?
The Bible shows that the Seventh World
Power is the main promoter of the eighth,
which is existing today in the form of the
United Nations. Revelation 13:11-15 pic
tures the dual world power, represented
by a wild beast having two lamb horns,

1, 1967

157
fReWATCHTOWEFL
taking the lead in setting up the image of eighth king, the United Nations, mak
the earlier wild beast that came up out of ing a futile effort to bring these kings to
the sea. This wild beast out of the sea had gether for a genuine peace that will be
seven heads, representing Satans complete lasting. Dan. 11:40-45.
political organization on the earth, which
A DISGUSTING THING
has been dominated by seven successive
world powers. The image of the beast
The prophecy in Revelation tells us:
is the scarlet-colored beast, which has the The wild beast that was but is not, it is
same number of heads and horns and also itself an eighth king, but springs from
other similarities. The designers of this the seven, and it goes off into destruc
scarlet-colored wild beast intended it to be tion. (Rev. 17:11) Since God has foretold
a sort of suprana
the destruction of
tional government
Satans
entire politi
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
that would operate to
cal organization on
Learn by C ontrast to A ppreciate
T ru e Riches.
keep peace among
earth by his Messian The H au g h ty versus Th e Hum ble.

Th
e L ast D ays W h a t T h ey Mean
the nations without
ic k in g d o m , t hi s
to You.
making the Seventh
would o f necessity
A P olitical Union Doomed from
Its S ta rt.
World Power or the
include the eighth
other strong nations
king, for he is mere
give up their sovereignty or domination ly a reflection or image of the wild beast
over their own areas. This scarlet-colored that came up out of the sea, Satans
wild beast, called an eighth king, is said worldwide political organization. He more
to spring from the seven. (Rev. 17:11) or less constitutes a dummy that the other
The United Nations of today contains as nations, like a ventriloquist, use as a
members the Seventh World Power and sounding board for their ideas and ideolo
the national remnants of all previous gies. The eighth king contains all the
world powers. So it owes its existence to elements of the other world powers and
those seven world powers and it springs with them opposes Gods kingdom and at
from them. It has put its own military tempts to replace it.
police force into the field of action. For
The international peace-and-security or
these reasons it can be called an eighth ganization, therefore, is an abomination,
king.
a disgusting thing to Jehovah God, just as
Since the Bible pictures the Seventh much so as the golden image sixty cubits
World Power as existing right along with high and six cubits broad that Nebuchad
the eighth up to the battle of Har- nezzar king of Babylon set up for all prov
Magedon, does this mean that it will defeat inces of his empire to worship and that
the Communist world power to maintain he tried to get Gods servants, Shadrach,
its position of domination? No, and it Meshach and Abednego, to worship. (Dan.
shows that neither will the Communist 3:1-15) Just as these faithful men refused
world power defeat militarily the dual to bow to the image of Nebuchadnezzar,
world power of Britain and America, but so Jehovahs witnesses recognize the Unit
that both the Seventh World Power and ed Nations as disgusting to God, just as
the Communist bloc will be existing as an idol is, and realize that Gods anger will
strong rivals until the end,* with the blaze against them if they worship it. On
the other hand, the religious clergy of
* See the book Your Will Be Done on Earth
pages 264-307, published by Watch Tower Bible
Christendom imitate those who rejected
and Tract Society.
M arch

158

SfieWATCHTOWER,

Jesus Christ in 33 C.E. and who accepted

the abominable pagan thing instead of
their king, Jesus Christ, when they cried
out to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate:
We have no king but Caesar. (John 19:
15) The Seventh World Power, backed
by the clergy, became the instrument for
the god of this system of things, Satan
the Devil, in setting up the image of
the wild beast, as foretold symbolically
in Revelation 13:14, 15.
HUMAN RULE DISPLACED

Millions of people have suffered under

the domination of the wild beast with ten
horns and seven heads for centuries.
(Rev. 13:1) Now the image of the beast
is not helping the people or relieving them
from the terrible things taking place in
the earth, nor is it sheltering them from
the worst disaster ever to come, namely,
the destruction by Jehovah God at the
battle of Har-Magedon. Many honesthearted people see that man-rule has
brought increasing grief to the people. As
God foretells in the prophecy of Ezekiel,
chapter 9, these are sighing and groaning
over all the detestable things that are
being done. Men of this kind listen with
faith to the proclamation of the good news

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

of the Kingdom, telling of the relief God

brings by his kingdom, which will rule ^
the entire earth in righteousness after the
end of the last human government. Jesus
Christ loves such ones as his other
sheep and they come under his protective
hand. (John 10:16; Isa. 49:10; Rev. 7:1317) To such ones the Bible says: Seek
Jehovah, all you meek ones of the earth,
who have practiced His own judicial de
cision. Seek righteousness, seek meekness.
Probably you may be concealed in the day
of Jehovahs anger. Zeph. 2:3.
Soon, after the terrible holocaust that
will mean the wiping out of the last hu
man government, we will see the establish
ment of righteousness in the earth and,
while God will have princes in the earth,
men of tested faith and dependability, it
will not be human government, for these
men will merely carry out the decrees of
the heavenly government of Christ Jesus.
Then it will indeed take place that true
ness itself will sprout out of the very
earth, and righteousness itself will look
down from the very heavens. Also, Jeho
vah, for his part, will give what is good,
and our own land will give its yield.
Ps. 85:11, 12; 45:16.

LET THE PEOPLE HEAR THROUGH PREACHING

O W important it is to let the people
hear through our preaching! W ith Arm a
geddon drawing on apace, more than ever
before it is true that only those who 'call
on the name of Jehovah will be saved/ But,
as the apostle Paul so rightly observes, "H ow
will they call on him in whom they have
not put faith? How, in turn, will they put
faith in him of whom they have not heard?
How, in turn, will they hear without someone
to preach? Rom. 10:13, 14.*

Clearly, here is stated your commission as

* For details see The Watchtower, February 1, 1966.

dedicated Christians to preach so as to save

lives. Because someone else preached, you
have been able to get on the road to salvation
by calling on the name of Jehovah. Are you
now doing all you can so that others m ay
do the sam e? The apostle Paul certainly
did, and he him self urges us to 'become imi
tators of him, even as he is of C hrist/ 1 Cor.

11: 1.
Paul was an outstanding exam ple of zeal
in preaching. He made three extensive mis
sionary tours, traveled literally thousands
of miles in a day when travel on land was
chiefly by foot and travel on sea w as by sail,

M arch 1, 1967

f&eWATCHTOWER.

established a number of congregations, participated in the work of the early Christians'

governing body, wrote fourteen letters under
inspiration, repeatedly was imprisoned and
doubtless finally suffered martyrdom for his
faithful preaching. W hile in most of these
respects we could not think of imitating Paul,
there are ever so many ways in which we
can. 2 Cor. 11:23-33.
For example, Paul became all things to
people of all sorts, that he might win some.
Once a ruthless persecutor of Christians to
the death, he became as gentle as a nursing
mother in teaching others. W e today likewise
want to be gentle and become all things to
people of all sorts, meeting people on their
own level, and so win them by the good news
and not by our personality or learning.
1 Cor. 2:2-5; 9:16-22; 1 Thess. 2 :7 .
Though Paul was able to preach effectively
to learned philosophers and even kings, he
did not neglect preaching from house
to house" and wherever he could find people
willing to listen. Are we zealously doing the
same? Acts 17:17-34; 2 0 :20; 26:28.
More than that, we read that Paul preached
with boldness, and that he preached thor
oughly. (Acts 1 4 :3 ; 20:21) Are we ever
alert to preach with boldness, or do we at
times shrink back from an opportunity for
incidental witnessing because of the fear of
m an? And are we thorough in our preaching;
among other things, m aking faithful use of
the house-to-house record? One brother, wit
nessing in a Brooklyn apartment building
one Sunday morning last October, on the
top floor found only one out of seven families
home. Returning on Wednesday evening to

How could Jesus promise, as recorded at

John 11:26, that those exercising faith in him
would never die, since Christians do die?
M. F., U.S.A.
A s reported at John 11:25, 26 Jesus was, in
effect, promising everlasting life. H e said to

159

(4 call on the not-at-homes, he found five of the

six at home and one of these subscribed for
the Awake! magazine.
How do we respond to the usual run of
objections met at the doors? Do we let them
turn us aside or do we give a thorough wit
ness by offering some tactful reply?
There are still other ways in which the
apostle Paul set a fine example for us to
imitate as we let people hear through our
preaching. He worked night and day so as
not to become an expensive burden to others,
making tents to pay his expenses. More than
that, in spite of all the hardships he had to
endure, he never grumbled, complained or
rebelled. He learned in whatever circum
stances he might find him self to be selfsufficient, to be content. Do we avoid need
lessly burdening others in one way or
another? Have we learned to be self-sufficient,
content? Acts 18:1-4; Phil. 4:11-13; 2 Thess.
3:8.
Let us ever bear in mind as we let the
people hear through our preaching that if
the people believe the good news, not only
will it be a means of their eventually gaining
everlasting life, but, even now, by accepting
the truth they will gain many blessings;
they will find themselves living in a better
moral climate, will know greater happiness
and contentment, and will find that their
relations with others are improving. Prov.
10:22; Rom. 12:18; 1 Cor. 6 :1 1 ; 1 Tim. 6:6.
So let us be diligent to let as m any people
as possible hear through our preaching in
the few short remaining years before A rm a
geddon, and to do so in imitation of the
apostle Paul!

Martha, the sister of dead Lazarus: I am

the resurrection and the life. H e that exercises
faith in me, even though he dies, will come to
life; and everyone that is living and exercises
faith in me will never die at all. The import
of these words is similar to his earlier state
ment: Most truly I say to you, If anyone
observes m y word, he will never see death
at all. John 8:51.
The individuals hearing Jesus could, if they
faithfully served God, have the expectation
of reigning with Christ in heaven. (2 Tim.
4 :1 8 ; Rev. 20:4, 6) A fter Jesus' death and
resurrection the call for members of the king-

fHeWATCHTOWEFL

160

dom o f heaven class commenced. Of course,

Jesus could not tell such ones that they would
never see a physical death. If they were to
reign with him in heaven, their fleshly bodies
would have to die, just as he himself was
going to die. (M att. 16:21; Rom. 6 :5 ; 1 Cor.
15:42-50) Only if they were faithful until
death would they receive immortality. (Rev.
2 :10) A t the time, those hearers may not have
fully appreciated this. But Jesus, the resur
rection and the life, was at least assuring
them that they would come to life, or be
resurrected to everlasting life.
Then what death is it that they would never
see . . . at all ? They would never see or
experience second death. They would not
die forever as would some. (Luke 12:4, 5; Rev.
21:8) As stated in Revelation 2 0:6 regarding
those who would be with Christ in heaven:
Over these the second death has no authority.
Christ did not, at that time of mourning over
Lazarus, discuss all the details about the differ
ence between the Adamic death that his
anointed followers would suffer and the eternal
or second death. Yet, by his concise statement
he offered a sure promise of everlasting life
to those who exercised faith in him.
W hile Jesus did not specifically have in mind
persons living at the end of this system of

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

things who might survive Armageddon, it is

true that some alive now will never experience
a fleshly death. But even those with earthly
hopes who live through Armageddon w ill have
to prove faithful throughout the millennium
and the final test before they actually come
to life or receive the grant of everlasting
life. Rev. 20:5.
It was the firm promise of eternal life, such
as in Jesus words at John 8 :51 and 11:25, 26,
that gave Christians the courage to face a
temporary death. (2 Tim. 4:6-8; Phil. 3:8-11)
They knew they were not dying forever, but
just taking one more step on the way to ever
lasting life.
Religious pictures of Jesus* death often show
a sign over his head with various letters on it.
W hat do these letters m ean? A . D., U.S.A.
The most common letters appearing on such
pictures are I.N.R.I. This is an abbreviation
of the Latin Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudoeorum,
meaning Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.
A variation of this is I.N.R.J., Iesus Nazarenus,
Rex Judceorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the
Jews). This abbreviation is based on what the
apostle John says was on the sign placed on
the torture stake, Jesus the Nazarene the
King of the Jews. John 19:19.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

In order for people to put faith in Jehovah

God and his provision for salvation through
Christ they need to hear the Bibles message
and have opportunity to get their questions
answered. During March, if one of Jehovahs
witnesses calls at your home, it will be with
the desire to help you personally to get satis
fying Bible answers to your questions. He
will gladly take time to show you the answers
in your own Bible. A s a further aid, he will
encourage you to subscribe for this fine Bible
journal, The Watclitower, for a year, for just

can be found in the bad results of exaggerated

advertising, misleading political promises and
deceptive international relationships. H ow re
freshing it is, then, to encounter truth in a
form that can affect your future fo r /g o o d .
That is what you find in the Watchtower and
Awake! magazines. Are you availing yourself
regularly of the .benefits to be had from their
dedication to this outstanding virtue? You
can be! Receive both magazines fo r one year
for only $2. Send now and receive free six
timely booklets on Bible subjects.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

DOES THE TRUTH REALLY HURT ?

There is an old saying: The truth hurts.

But it really does not hurt nearly so much
as ignoring it or misrepresenting it does. Proof

April 2: A God of Loving-Kindness. P age 137.

Songs to Be Used: 37, 98.
April 9: Showing Kindness to Others. Page
143. Songs to Be Used: 50, 15.

MARCH 15, 1967

Semimonthly

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

LEARN BY CONTRAST
TO APPRECIATE
TRUE RICHES
THE HAUGHTY VERSUS THE HUMBLE
THE LAST DAYS
-WHAT THEY MEAN TO YOU
A POLITICAL UNION DOOMED
FROM ITS START
W TB &TS

------------

1jlp p jl
f i n

YOU ARE M Y WITNESSES, SAYS JE H O V A H .-lsa.43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F "T H E W A T C H T O W E R "

E very w atchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for whom he is a watchman w hat is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch to w e r" this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch to w e r" began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h to w e r "
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tc h to w e r " is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ich
Book? Th e Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

*8
PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H. K no rr , President
G ra n t S uiter , Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

CONTENTS
You Are Invited

133

The Last D ays"

W h at They Mean to You

165

Learn by Contrast to Appreciate

True Riches

169

The Haughty versus The Humble

175

A Political Union Doomed from Its Start

181

Happy Is the Nation

W hose God Is Jehovah"

186

Happy Those Having Part

in the First Resurrection7

190

Questions from Readers

191

The Bible translation used in The Watchtower is the New World

T r a n s la t io n o f th e H o ly Scriptures, 19 61 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols w ill appear behind the citations:

ASATAVjji ~

American Standard Version

An American Translation
Authorized Version (1611)
Catholic Douay version
Jewish Publication Soc.

Le M oRo RSYg-

Isaac Leesers version

James Moffatts version
J. B. Rotherhams version
Revised Standard Version
Robert Youngs version

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Printed in U.S.A.

 y 4 r t n o u 7 z c ir ia

J E H O V A H S
KINGDOM
Vol. L X X X V I I I

M arch 15, 1967

N um ber 6

YOU ARE INVITED

<^ e r ^Qeacler,
W e warmly invite you to attend the Lords supper. You no doubt recall that,
on the night before Jesus Christ died to open up the w ay to eternal life for believing
mankind, he instituted a memorial meal and instructed his faithful followers: Keep
doing this in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19) This very special occasion will be kept
this year on March 25, after 6 p.m., and we urge you to make every effort to be
present.
Last year nearly two million persons were in attendance in about 195 lands to
observe this commemoration of the Lords death. W hat makes this occasion important
to you as an observer or as a partaker is the fact that it is the only celebration that
Jesus commanded his disciples to keep each year. To miss it would be a serious over
sight indeed!
The manner in which this celebration is to be kept is plainly seen in the words of
the Christian apostle Paul, who wrote: The Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest, took
bread and, after giving thanks to God, broke it and said: This is my body, which is
for you; do this as a memorial of me. In the same way, he took the cup after supper,
and said: This cup is the new covenant sealed by my blood. W henever you drink it,
do this as a memorial of me.' 1 Cor. 1 1 :23-25, "N e w English Bible.
Since the day that took place, according to the Bible, was Nisan 14 on the ancient
Jewish calendar, faithful Christians have endeavored to keep it on that specific day
of the year and in the very w ay Jesus instructed. This year Nisan 14 corresponds to
our March 2 5, after sundown.
This night will be a memorable one for you. You will not be called on to say or
do anything, if you are a visitor, and no collections of any kind will be taken. How
ever, on your arrival at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses you will no doubt be
greeted warm ly and made to feel welcome. You will get to meet many happy
people people who have a deep appreciation for the provision made by Jehovah
God for their salvation through Christ. You will be privileged to associate with these
163

164

fEeWATCHTOWEFL

Brooklyn, N .Y.

people of faith and experience a rewarding hour of spiritual upbuilding and warm
companionship. Songs will be sung to G ods praise, and heartfelt prayers will be
addressed to the Most High God. An informative and faith-strengthening talk from
the Bible will be given. Unleavened bread and unsweetened wine, the same kind
of emblems that were used by Jesus, will be on hand, and those who have the
witness of G o ds spirit identifying them as heirs with Christ of the heavenly kingdom
w ill partake of those emblems, just as the apostles Matthew, John, Peter and others
did on the night that Jesus instituted this memorial meal.
There will also be many present who do not partake of those emblems. They are
not of the little flock called by God to share the heavenly kingdom. (Luke 12:32)
But many of them are devoted Christians. As related in Revelation chapter 7 , they,
too, earnestly declare: Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb. This portion of the Bible goes on to describe them as serving God
zealously in his tem ple, that is, in close association with those heirs of the heavenly
kingdom, whom the Bible describes as making up a holy temple . . . for God to
inhabit by spirit. Rev. 7:9-17; Eph. 2 :2 1 ,2 2 .
Although those who look forward to sharing in fulfillment of the Bibles promise of
eternal life on a paradise earth do not partake of the Memorial emblems, by their
close association with those who do, they show that they fit the description there in
Revelation of those who enjoy heaven's blessing and who will receive salvation from
God and the Lamb Jesus Christ. They appreciate that the Lords evening meal calls
attention to a marvelous liberation from sin and its penalty death, a liberation that
will come to them through the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ. Their respectful
attendance at the annual Memorial celebration shows their deep regard for this
divine provision. W e encourage you to be present with them.
As you can see, it is not only to a very happy occasion that you are being invited,
but also to a very meaningful one. This occasion affords you an opportunity to mani
fest the depth of your appreciation to God and Christ for the unspeakable prospect of
life eternal made possible by the ransom provision. It offers you a fine opportunity to
renew your appreciation of spiritual things. It presents a choice occasion to reflect on
ones own life course in the light of G ods requirements and a stimulus to do God's
w ill. This occasion, therefore, is rewarding to each and every one who is present. A
spiritual blessing awaits you.
So please accept our invitation to be present for this Memorial of the Lord's evening
meal at any Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses on March 25, after 6 p.m. If you
know of no Kingdom Hall near you, you might consult a telephone book or w rite an
airmail letter to us immediately, and we will be happy to supply you with the address
of the Kingdom Hall nearest to you.
Yours in the remembrance of the love of
Jehovah God and of Jesus Christ,

n d o u b t
e d l y you

THE

have heard the exp ression la st

days. Many per
sons are fam iliar
with it because of
its use in G od s
W ord the Bible.
But since the ex
pression has a foreboding tone and por
tends doom, it is often an unwelcomed
subject. Some persons even scoff at that
there could be such a thing and close their
minds when the Bible subject of the last
days arises. Yet, it is a fact that many
things do come to their end, and, hence,
experience their final days.
For example, people enter the last days
of their life, or of some aspect of their life.
If you were to visit a large library and
look in its card catalog, you would find
books on such subjects as The Last Days
of Charles II, The Last Days of Marie
Antoinette, The Last Days of General
Grant, The Last Days of Abraham Lin
coln, The Last Days of Hitler, and so
forth. Certainly no one doubts that people
experience the last days of human life!
Other things, too, experience their last
days. Thus at certain libraries you will
also find books entitled The Last Days
of Sevastopol, The Last Days of Pom
peii and The Last Days of Herculane
um. Devastating warfare at times brings
an end to the ordinary functions of a city,
as happened to the city of Sevastopol on
the Black Sea during the second world
war. Or a volcanic disaster can bury
a city and its population out of existence,
as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius did to
the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in
79 C.E.
Yet, not only persons and cities, but en
tire nations and empires have experienced
tfitfo final days of existence. Only a few
generations ago mighty Indian nations
165

What They Mean

to YOU

roamed the plains of the western United

States, living a simple nomadic life. But
now they are gone, stamped out of exis
tence by the westward-moving white men.
Robert M. Utley, in his recent book
Last Days of the Sioux Nation, describes
the final conflicts and events that brought
this once-powerful Indian nation to its
end.
It is not uncommon for old governments
or systems of rule to experience their last
days, and, in time, be replaced by new
ones. This is noted in the book The Last
Days of the French Monarchy. In Au
gust 1788, the author writes, the days
of the old [French] regime ended, and a
new order began. A more recent book,
The Last Days of the British Raj, dis
cusses the concluding days of British rule
in the country of India. And a widely pub
licized volume published just last year,
The Last 100 Days, describes the last days
of Nazi Germany.
SUBJECT TO MISUNDERSTANDING

Last days is clearly a common topic.

So to scoff because mention is made in the
Bible of the last days is certainly un
warranted. However, since the expression
can have various meanings, it is easy for
uninformed or misinformed persons to
draw wrong conclusions and have misun
derstandings.

166

afieWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

The last days here spoken of in the

For example, a person might assume
from the title of the book
Days Bible are obviously an important period in
of Richard Nixon that the man is dead. history that would be marked by unusual
But this is not true, for in this instance distress, yes, critical times hard to deal
the expression last days does not re with. Yet, the Bible shows that, in spite
fer to the final days of the mans life, of the evidence that the last days were
as is the general case, but to an episode at hand, people would not believe it. In
or phase of his life. The cities of Se stead, they would ridicule: Where is this
vastopol and Pompeii might be taken as promised presence of God? It will not
other examples. While both of them ex come in our day. All things are continuing
perienced last days, the results were as they always have been.
quite different. Pompeii and every single
Jesus Christ also spoke unmistakably
person that remained within the city were about the last days. When he was on
obliterated, and Pompeii still lies in ruins earth his disciples approached him pri
after nearly 1,900 years. On the other vately and asked: Tell us, when shall
hand, Sevastopol, while suffering great de these things be? and what shall be the
struction, was rebuilt and is now a thriv sign of thy coming, and of the end of the
ing city of well over 100,000 inhabitants. world? (Matt. 24:3, King James Version)
So people unfamiliar with the facts of Or, as a modern translation more accu
a matter can easily misunderstand the rately renders the latter question: What
significance of the expression last days. will be the sign of your presence and of
This is also true relative to the use of the the conclusion of the system of things?
term in the Bible. Many persons have an (New World Translation) By his answer
entirely wrong impression as to what the Jesus showed that his second presence
Bible means when it speaks of the last and the conclusion of the system of
days. However, it is very important that things, or end of the world, would in
we know the truth on the subject. What volve a period of time. This time period
are the last days ? The last days of corresponds with what the Bible also calls
what? Can they be avoided? Are they to the last days.
be viewed with horror? What do they
LAST DAYS OF W H AT?
mean to you?
Since last days and the end of the
world are thus linked in the Bible, many
W HAT ARE THE LAST DAYS ?
At Second Timothy chapter three, verse persons believe that the last days will
one, the Bible explains: Know this, that mean the end of the literal heavens and
in the last days critical times hard to deal earth. Somehow, they believe, a tremen
with will be here. Also, at Second Peter dous fire will ignite the earth and heavenly
chapter three, verses three and four, the bodies, and these will all be burned into
Bible says: For you know this first, that desolate cinders. It is claimed that the
in the last days there will come ridiculers Bible supports this view when, in speak
with their ridicule, proceeding according ing of the last days, it says: The heav
to their own desires and saying: Where ens and the earth that are now are stored
is this promised presence of his? Why, up for fire and are being reserved to the
from the day our forefathers fell asleep in day of judgment and of destruction of the
death, all things are continuing exactly as ungodly men. (2 Pet. 3:3-7) It is no won
from creations beginning.
der that persons with such a belief con-

March 15, 1967

167

SEeWATCHTOWER.

sider the last days a foreboding and un

welcome subject!
Well, then, do the last days mean the
last days of the planet earth? Does the
end of the world signify the end of the
literal heavens and earth? Certainly it is
unreasonable that this beautiful planet,
which God pronounced very good after
preparing it for human habitation, should
be completely destroyed, burned to a cin
der, because of the waywardness of some
wicked men. (Gen. 1:31) Not only is this
unreasonable, it is also unscriptural.
Note what Gods Word says on the mat
ter: For this is what Jehovah has said,
the Creator of the heavens, He the true
God, the Former of the earth and the
Maker of it, He the One who firmly es
tablished it, who did not create it simply
for nothing, who formed it even to be in
habited. (Isa. 45:18) God created the
earth, not simply for nothing, in vain, but
to be lived upon and enjoyed by righteous
inhabitants.
That this purpose of God will be carried
out is clearly shown in the Bible, where it
says: The righteous themselves will pos
sess the earth, and they will reside for
ever upon it. (Ps. 37:29) Yes, eternal
habitation of the earth by righteous per
sons will be possible, for as the Bible fur
ther says: God has founded the earth
upon its established places; it will not be
made to totter to time indefinite, or for
ever. Therefore, the last days do not
mean the end of the planet earth. This
earth, as well as the beautiful starry heav
ens, will last forever, even as the Bible
promises. Ps. 104:5; Eccl. 1:4.
So, then, the heavens and the earth,
spoken of at Second Peter chapter three,
that are stored up for fire at the
climax of the last days are obvious
ly not the physical heavens and earth.
(2 Pet. 3:7) This is shown in the pre
vious verses of that chapter, which ex-

plain that the destruction of an ancient

world occurred when it was deluged with
water. Certainly it was not the literal
planet earth that perished in the floodwaters in Noahs day, and so neither will
the conclusion of the present system of
things include the destruction of the literal
earth. Rather, Gods day of judgment, at
the conclusion of the last days, will re
sult in the wiping out of wicked people, the
destruction of the ungodly men.
This helps us to understand what the
expression last days refers to what it
is the last days of. It is the last days, not
of the physical world, but of the present
wicked system of things, which is made
up of all organizations of men that refuse
to submit to Gods direction. Yes, all earth
ly governments of mankind in opposition
to Gods kingdom will be destroyed, as the
Bible explains: The God of heaven will
set up a kingdom that will never be
brought to ruin. . . . It will crush and put
an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself
will stand to times indefinite. Dan. 2:44.
HEED THE W ARNING!

But when will this occur? Are we now

living in the last days of this worldly
system of things? Yes, we are! All the
physical evidence in fulfillment of Bible
prophecies points to that conclusion. Just
as cities, nations and even empires have
in the past experienced their last days, so
we have now reached the time when
nations and kingdoms are, at the same
time, in their last days! True, it may seem
unbelievable, but it is a fact! The evidence
is conclusive.
In recent years Christian witnesses of
Jehovah God have been sounding the
warning that time is running out, that
these last days will soon conclude with
a destruction comparable to the global
flood of Noahs day. Although many per
sons scoff, remember: The Bible foretold

168

SfceWATCHTOWER

that in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule. It is charac
teristic of people to ignore lifesaving
warnings.
For instance, when Mount Vesuvius was
sending forth warnings in 79 C.E., the
majority of people in the city of Pompeii
did not heed. While a few left the city at
the mountains first outburst, one histo
rian explained: Many Pompeians chief
ly the wealthyrefused to abandon pre
cious homes and possessions and took
shelter, hoping the horror would pass. The
decision cost them their lives. They real
ized that things were not right, yet they
did not flee. How foolish! Rather than
make a similar mistake, we today should
heed the warning of the ends approach.
But what action should be taken?
ACTION THAT IS URGENT NOW

Obviously the last days cannot be

avoided; for they are now here, accom
panied by all the calamities, distress and
moral decadence that were foretold to
mark them. Gods day of judgment and
of destruction of the ungodly men is fast
approaching! (2 Pet. 3:7) But should it
be viewed with horror and dread? Should
we consider the last days an unwelcome
subject, and refuse to consider what they
mean to us? Not at all!
Please note that Gods judgment will ad
versely affect only ungodly men. It is
only those who refuse to submit to Gods
laws that will suffer destruction. On the
other hand, for those who love righteous
ness and long for Gods kingdom to re
move wickedness from the earth, the last
days are indeed a time in which to re
joice. True Christians can rejoice because
Gods kingdom is near and deliverance

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

from this wicked system of things is at

hand. (Luke 21:28-32) But to be among
those blessed with survival when this en
tire system goes down in destruction, posi
tive action is urgent.
First of all, you must prove that, like
Noah and his family, you are walking with
God and love his ways. In that pre-Flood
era God separated persons either for sur
vival or destruction, and he is doing the
same today. Jesus Christ has been appoint
ed as judge, and the Bible explains that he
is separating people either as sheep to
his right hand of favor or as goats to
his left hand of disfavor. (Matt. 25:31-46)
What will you prove to be, a sheep or a
goat ?
You determine this by how you treat
Gods message carried by his ministers.
Sheeplike persons will listen to the instruc
tion that God gives in his Word and heed
it, patterning their lives in harmony with
Gods righteous principles. This action will
benefit, not only themselves, but other
members of their households as well. For
just as the heeding of the warning by par
ents before the destruction of Pompeii
meant preservation for their minor chil
dren, similarly at the end of this system
of things your conduct will directly affect
whether your children take up the service
of God, and, hence, whether they receive
his favor and blessing or not.
So with the last days speedily run
ning out, positive action is indeed urgent.
It is a time in which you can rejoice. For
these need not be the last days of your life,
but of only a particular phase of your life.
Yes, you may have the grand prospect of
living through the end of this system of
things with your family, and on everlast
ingly in Gods righteous new order.

ONTR
contrast, male and
make life in
female. Gen. 2:18.
teresting. Often they
3
help to deepen our
sharp con trast. A
appreciation. How
sin iste r sh a d ow
we w e lc o m e the
crosses the picture.
warm sunshine after
T h rou gh the ser
a cold and wet win
pent, a d iscordant
try season! G ood
note is heard. Gods
health, often taken
word is brought into
fo r gra n ted , be
question: Is it real
comes greatly prized after
ly so that God said . . . ?
recovery from a severe
G o d s w ord is then de
spell of sickness. Yes, con
nied: You positively will
trasts draw our attention "W h y do you people keep paying out money not die, if you eat the
for what is not bread, and why is your toil for
to the value and impor what
forbidden fruit. First the
results in no satisfaction? Listen intently
tance of things that oth to me, and eat what is good, and let your woman and then the man
delight in fatness itself."
erwise would be given but soul find its exquisite
decide to eat of that fruit.
Isa. 55:2.
little consideration.
Thus, instead of letting
2
Gods Word, the Bible, abounds withGod be their Instructor concerning the
contrasts, making it a most interesting knowledge of good and bad in his own
and lively book. More than that, these way and time, they take matters into
contrasts draw our attention to things of their own hands. By painful experience
vital importance and help us to appreciate they taste the bitter contrast between life
them at their true worth. For example, and death. By forsaking the Source of true
the opening account of creation in the knowledge, leading to the true riches of
book of Genesis quickly builds up in our endless life, they plunge themselves and
minds eye an inviting picture of the great their posterity into beggarly conditions,
preparations made for a beautiful home subject to bad leadership and false infor
for man, including the creation of man mation. Gen. 2:17; 3:1-6, 16-19.
himself as a masterpiece made in Gods
4
In the closing part of Gods Word we
own image. The picture is made complete,
find more contrasts, but in the reverse
also mans happiness, by describing the
creation of that perfectly lovely woman, order. We read of the defeat of the origi
given to the man as an ideal helper, as a nal serpent, the one called Devil and Sa
complement of him, making a pleasing tan, in a war in heaven, and then later

3.
to
4.
in

1. By making contrasts, what benefits can be gained?

2.
'Wfc&t part do contrasts play in Gods Word?
(b) What inviting picture is portrayed in the account
of creation?
169

How was this followed by a sharp contrast, leading

what result?
In the reverse order, what fine contrasts are found
Revelation, giving what prospect?

Th

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B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

of the binding and putting completely out in water. They must identify themselves
of action the original serpent'. . . for a with Gods other dedicated servants,
thousand years. This is done that he known as Jehovahs witnesses. This means
might not mislead the nations any more sharing with them in extending the invi
with false knowledge and bad leadership. tation to yet others, to anyone thirsting,
(Rev. 12:7-9; 20:1-3) After describing the to come and start quenching their thirst.
downfall and destruction of Babylon the Rev. 22:17; see The W atchtower as of
Great and then of all the other parts and August 15, 1934, pages 249, 250, para
supporters of Satans organization in the graphs 31-34.
war of Har-Magedon, we come to a vivid
INVITATION TO TRUE RICHES
and wonderful contrast. We read, not of
* How is such invitation extended to oth
the creation of a literal earth, but of Gods
new system of things, a new heaven and ers? Jesus said in his prayer: This means
a new earth. Instead of deaths coming everlasting life, their taking in knowledge
into the picture, death will be no more. of you, the only true God, and of the one
Built up in our minds eye is a picture, not whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ. In
of the first man and his wife and human anticipation of life in reality, we can and
headship, but a description of the heavenly must start now to take in that life-giving
government providing true headship, com knowledge by gaining an understanding of
posed of Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, Bible truth. As Jesus later said in that
with his Christian congregation, the holy same prayer: Your [Gods] word is
city, New Jerusalem, the true church, truth. It is the word of life, and by
prepared as a bride adorned for her hus conforming to it closely we learn how to
band. Then we read, not of a literal riv turn from the road leading off into de
er issuing out of Eden, but of a river struction, and, in happy contrast, to find
of water of life. On either bank are trees, the road leading off into life. We can
not laden with forbidden fruit, but trees then invite and help others to be instruct
of life . . . yielding their fruits each ed by God about his ways, and, with
month, symbolizing Gods provisions for true Christians, to walk in his paths,
giving eternal life with all its riches to leading to true riches. John 17:3, 17;
believing, obedient mankind in a restored Phil. 2:16; Matt. 7:13, 14; Isa. 2:3.
7
Early in his ministry Jesus commenced
Paradise. Gen. 2:10; Rev. 2 1 : 1 - 4 ; 2 2 : 1 , 2 .
giving
out this invitation, using the same
5
Finally, we read, not of losing Gods
favor and of expulsion from the garden illustration as found at Revelation 22:17.
home, but of the invitation to let anyone He did not limit this to the Jews, but to
that wishes take lifes water free. Life a Samaritan woman he spoke of living
itself in perfection cannot yet be gained, water as the free gift of God. He then
but the way thereto has been clearly in invitingly said: The water that I will give
dicated. Particularly since 1934, this mag him will become in him a fountain of wa
azine,
The
W atchtower,has shown
from
ter bubbling
up to impart everlasting life.
the Scriptures that those who wish to en Later in his ministry he cried out aloud:
joy Gods favor, with the hope of surviving If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me
Har-Magedon, must dedicate themselves
can we find the road leading off into life*
fully to him, symbolized by their baptism 6.forHow
ourselves, and how can we aid others in this
5. What invitation is given respecting lifes water/*
and what obligations are thereby involved?

respect ?
7. On what occasions did Jesus speak of living water/*
leading to what conclusions?

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15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER

171

and drink. He that puts faith in me, just

as the Scripture has said, Out from his
inmost part streams of living water will
flow. This surely implies that the one
blessed with this life-giving provision does
not keep it to himself, but invites others,
anyone thirsting, anyone that wishes,
to come and take lifes water free.
John 4:7-15; 7:37, 38; Rev. 22:17.
8John adds the comment that Jesus
said this concerning the spirit which
those who put faith in him were about to
receive. (John 7:39) This makes it clear
that the taking in of this life-giving knowl
edge, also helping others to drink of it, is
actually an operation of Gods spirit. It
cannot be done without the aid of the holy
spirit. This definitely rules out all human
philosophy and religious tradition that
make the word of God invalid. Matt.
15:6.
9 However, Jesus was not the first one
to voice such an invitation in such terms.
Over seven hundred years previously, Je
hovah, through his prophet, extended this
arresting invitation: Hey there, all you
thirsty ones! Come to the water. And the
ones that have no money! Come, buy and
eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk even
without money and without price. Why do
you people keep paying out money for
what is not bread, and why is your toil for
what results in no satisfaction? Listen in
tently to me, and eat what is good, and let
your soul find its exquisite delight in fat
ness itself. (Isa. 55:1, 2) What an invi
tation, and what a contrast! In Isaiahs
day, under bad leadership by their kings
and princes, Jehovahs people were toiling
and paying a high price for false riches
that gave no sustenance or security. For
one thing, they were looking to Gentile na
tions, such as Assyria and Egypt, for pro-

tection. (2 Ki. 16:7; 18:21) Besides that,

under bad priestly influence, many turned
to outright idolatry, while others were
content with a formal and hypocritical
way of worshiping Jehovah. As Jehovah
told them: This people have come near
with their mouth, and they have glorified
me merely with their lips, and they have
removed their heart itself far away from
me, and their fear toward me becomes
mens commandment that is being taught.
Isa. 29:13.
10 So, in contrast, Jehovah invited and
called on the people to listen intently to
me and drink in, not just water, but
wine and milk, and that without money
and without price. He invited them to
enter into his covenant respecting the
loving-kindnesses to David, that is, for
the lasting kingdom and government un
der the Greater David, Christ Jesus, the
right and true leader and commander to
the national groups. He invited them to
turn from their own thoughts and ways
and, instead, to pay heed to my word
that goes forth from my mouth. He guar
antees that his word will have certain
success, and that it will certainly do that
in which I have delighted. To respond
to this invitation meant taking in true
knowledge, leading with certainty to true
riches. This would result in a delightful
contrast, for instead of the thicket of
thorns . . . [and] stinging nettle, there
would be the juniper tree and myrtle tree,
and all creation would rejoice, for with
rejoicing you people will go forth, and
with peace you will be brought in.Isa.
55:1-4, 8-13.

8. What part does Gods spirit play in gaining and

dispensing life-giving knowledge?
9. Through Isaiah, what similar invitation was given,
making what contrast, and why was this appropriate?

10. What further appeal did Jehovah make to his

people, holding out what prospect ?
11. Why was the message at Isaiah 55:6, 7 appropriate
in Isaiahs day, finding what parallel in our own day?

A MESSAGE FOR OUR DAY

11 In Isaiahs day Jehovahs people were

wayward and rebellious for the most part.

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STfeWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

But that did not stop Jehovah from send rulers against Jehovah and against his
ing out through his prophet this very ap anointed one, Christ Jesus, after being in
pealing invitation: Search for Jehovah, stalled as King in 1914 on the heavenly
you people, while he may be found. Call Mount Zion. (Ps. 2:1-6; Heb. 12:22) This
to him while he proves to be near. Let the combined opposition, under demonic lead
wicked man leave his way, and the harm ership, gathers the nations and the kings
ful man his thoughts; and let him return of the entire inhabited earth to H arto Jehovah, who will have mercy upon Magedon, as foretold in the last book of
him, and to our God, for he will forgive the Bible. (Rev. 16:13-16) Jesus too was
in a large way. (Isa. 55:6, 7) We can inspired to give a detailed prophecy telling
see how that message was appropriate of the sign of his presence in our day,
then, but what about our day? Are the when there would be many false proph
majority of people today wayward and re ets and the increasing of lawlessness,
bellious from Gods viewpoint, especially and people taking no note, resulting in
those who claim to be Christian? Is not Gods final judgment coming upon them
the spirit of nationalism stronger today as a snare. Matt. 24:3, 11, 12, 39;
than ever before, and that with the sup Luke 21:35.
port of religion? Under present political
13Yes, the message found at Isaiah 55:
and religious leadership, are the people 6, 7, with its strong appeal, is certainly
taught to listen intently to the message of appropriate for our time, but the question
Gods established kingdom under Christ is, How are we responding to it? Are we
Jesus, or, instead, are they told that it is going along with the majority down that
their Christian duty to serve and support broad and spacious . . . road leading off
the national kingdom and government un into destruction, ignoring and perhaps
der which they live? On these vital ques even resisting any appeal to search for
tions are the people given true knowledge Jehovah . . . while he may be found ? Je
leading to true riches, or has the arch de sus plainly said that narrow is the gate
ceiver, the original serpent, the god of and cramped the road leading off into life,
this system of things, blinded their minds and few are the ones finding it. Never
with false information? Rev. 12:9; 2 Cor. theless, he made the invitation quite plain:
Go in through the narrow gate. It is
4:4.
12As many prophecies show, God clearnot impossible. It is not God who has made
ly foresaw and foretold the conditions that it difficult. On the contrary, he invites us
would make the foregoing message appro to forsake the wicked way and the harm
priate for our day. As Paul was inspired to ful thoughts and to turn to him. He is
write: In the last days critical times hard ready to show mercy and to forgive in
to deal with will be here. For men will be a large way.Isa. 55:6, 7; Matt. 7:13,14.
14To find that narrow gate and the
lovers of themselves . . . self-assuming
. . . headstrong . . . having a form of incentive to pursue that cramped road
godly devotion but proving false to its requires not only accurate knowledge but
power. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) Even as far back also a keen appreciation. As already men
as David, God spoke prophetically about tioned, contrasts can be a big help to this
the combined opposition of the nations and 13. In harmony with Isaiah 55:6, 7, what striking
12. In what way do the prophecies show that Isaiahs
message is fitting for our time?

contrast did Jesus make at Matthew 7:13, 14?

14. Besides contrasts, what interesting parallels are
found in Bible prophecy?

March 15, 1967

SKeWATCHTOW ER.

173

end. Jesus realized this to be a good teach statement is a contrast, but, instead of
ing method and often used it, both with offering sympathy, he says each time:
his disciples and when talking to the Hap'py are you. Why? Because the time
crowds. But before looking at some of had come for them to experience a great
these contrasts, there is something else change. Hitherto poor and hungry and
worth noting; not a contrast, but a paral weeping, they were now to be enriched
lel. Jesus knew that the conditions in Is with the inheritance of the kingdom of
rael in his day were, in many respects, a God, and promised to be filled and made
close parallel with those of Isaiahs day, to laugh.
and he often quoted from Isaiahs proph
16 Next comes a most interesting con
ecy as having a fulfillment in his own trast. Jesus says: Happy are you when
time. For example, he once said to the ever men hate you, and whenever they ex
Pharisees: Isaiah aptly prophesied about clude you and reproach you and cast out
you when he said, This people honors me your name as wicked for the sake of the
with their lips, yet their heart is far re Son of man. Rejoice in that day and leap,
moved from me. (Matt. 15:7-9; see Isa for, look! your reward is great in heaven,
iah 29:13) Jesus also knew that the for those are the same things their fore
conditions in our time, especially in Chris fathers used to do to the prophets. (Luke
tendom, would be a close parallel with 6:22, 23) Jesus here not only tells his dis
those of his own time, also, of course, with ciples of a further cause for happiness, but
those of Isaiahs day. Let us keep this in mentions another class of people, namely,
mind as we listen to Jesus making some those who were responsible for the shock
pointed contrasts, helping us to appreci ing bad treatment meted out to his dis
ciples. He points to the identification of
ate true riches.
this evil class of persecutors when he says
TWO CLASSES SET IN CONTRAST
that the same things their forefathers
15
After Passover of 31 C.E. Jesus gaveused to do to the prophets (the true
the well-known Sermon on the Mount. It prophets), including Isaiah. Who were
was given in the hearing of a large crowd, these forefathers? Isaiah says they re
but was addressed primarily to his dis ferred to Israels rulers, the elderly ones
ciples gathered near to him. (Matt. 5:1, 2) of his [Gods] people and its princes, es
Matthew gives a full account of this ser pecially the religious leaders, priest and
mon in chapters 5 to 7, but Luke, in his prophet (false prophet), who have gone
shorter account, records the opening part astray because of intoxicating liquor . . .
as a series, or, rather, a double series, of they have gone astray in their seeing,
surprising contrasts. First, Jesus speaks to they have reeled as to decision. Isa. 3:
his disciples as having suffered hard con 14; 28:7.
ditions up till that time. He says: Happy
17 Jesus now speaks directly to this evil
are you poor, because yours is the king class with a further series of contrasts,
dom of God. Happy are you who hunger but in the reverse order to the previous
now, because you will be filled. Happy are one. We can imagine, too, that, instead of
you who weep now, because you will
16. What other class did Jesus then refer to, giving
laugh. (Luke 6:20, 21) Note that each what identification?
15. At Luke 6:20, 21, what contrasts did Jesus make
respecting his disciples, and on what basis?

17, 18. (a) Who are addressed in the series of contrasts

at Luke 6:24-26? (b) What points did Jesus then
emphasize ?

174

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
SfieWATCHTOWER,
looking directly at his disciples, he now (Isa. 65:13, 14) Do these contrasts ex
lifts his gaze and takes in the whole crowd, pressed by both these prophets have a par
seeing among them a number of those to allel fulfillment in our day? Do they help
whom this second series applied. This wid us to identify more sharply the two classes
er sweep is indicated by his subsequent ex involved? Do they quicken our apprecia
pression: But I say to you who are lis tion of true riches? And is it possible for
tening, that is, to any who might pay an individual to flee from one class to the
heed and profit from his teaching. Luke other, even though, as classes, they are
separated by a great chasm?
6:27; 7:1.
20In order to give these questions proper
18 Notice now the terse contrasts in this
second series, when Jesus says: But woe consideration we will examine in a suc
ceeding study some
to you rich persons,
thing of special in
because you are hav
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
ing your consolation
terest that Jesus had
The P attern of Judgment.
God's Judgm ent Makes M anifest
in full. Woe to you
to
say later on this
the T ru ly Rich.
H ave You Forgotten Y our Decision
w ho are filled up
same subject. He not
to Serve God?
now, because you
only taught by plain
H ow W e Know W e Live in the
Last D ays."
will go hungry. Woe,
speech and direct ex
you who are laugh
planation, as he did
ing now, because you will mourn and weep. in much of the Sermon on the Mount, but
Woe, whenever all men speak well of you, he also taught extensively by the use of
for things like these are what their fore illustrations, or parables, especially when
fathers did to the false prophets, that is, addressing the crowds. Indeed, without
in flattery and for selfish advantage. an illustration he would not speak to
Luke 6:24-26.
them, Matthew records. (Matt. 13:34;
19 Here we can observe another close see also verses 10-15) One of these illus
link between the prophet Isaiah and the trations centers around the two classes
greater prophet, Christ Jesus. Similarity mentioned at Luke 6:20-26 and is worthy
of expression is seen, not only in the in of our close attention.
21 One thing is clear. These two classes
vitation to come and drink (see para
referred
to by Jesus early in his ministry
graphs 7 to 9), but also in the contrasts
just mentioned. Listen to what Isaiah was were very much on his mind and on his
inspired to record: This is what the Lord lips, because (1) they were clearly delin
Jehovah has said: Look! My own servants eated in the Hebrew Scriptures, (2) they
will eat, but you yourselves will go hun had already shown up even before the
gry. Look! My own servants will drink, start of his ministry, and he knew from
but you yourselves will go thirsty. Look! the Scriptures that they would continue
My own servants will rejoice, but you to do so, and (3) he knew that these same
yourselves will suffer shame. Look! My Scriptures, plus his own teaching, would
own servants will cry out joyfully because be a source of enlightenment and a warn
of the good condition of the heart, but ing to us upon whom the ends of the sys
you yourselves will make outcries because tems of things have arrived. May we
of the pain of heart and you will howl prove to be among those who are lis
because of sheer breakdown of spirit. tening. 1 Cor. 10:11; Luke 6:27.
19. What similar contrasts are found at Isaiah 65:13, 14,
leading to what questions?

20. What different teaching methods did Jesus adopt?

21. Why would the two classes at Luke 6:20-26 be
prominent in Jesus thoughts and utterances?

HEN David had

But there was a fo r e
been delivered
taste of that change even
by Jehovah from all his
|
prior thereto. How so?
enemies, including Saul,
mesides
W
B
speaking of the
he com posed a grand
messenger of the covesong of thanksgiving, us
|H
nant, Jehovah spoke of
ing these words: The
another m essenger in
humble people you will
the same connection,
save; but your eyes are
J
H J B I saying: I am sending
a g a in s t th e h a u g h t y
my messenger, and he
ones, that you may bring
must clear up a way be
them low. (2 Sam. 22:
fore me. Jesus plainly
28) T h is e x p r e s s e s a
said that this messenger
p r i n c i p l e th a t is
who prepared the
e m ph a si z ed
way and was a fore
through out Gods
runner to him was
Word. It concerns
John the Baptist.
tw o c l a s s e s or
Mai. 3:1, 5; Matt.
groups of people set
11:7, 10; Luke 1:
in contrast. For a
76; 7:24, 27.
time, as with David, the
3
John the B
humble ones are treated
m in is try com m en ced
as outcasts by those who are haughty, and about six months before that of Jesus,
often go hungry. Then comes a visitation, but during that time two classes be
or a time of inspection and judgment from gan to show up. On the one hand there
Jehovah. This results in a complete rever were Johns disciples, whom John intro
sal to these two classes, though not, mark duced to Jesus and who, with others,
you, by stepping into each others shoes. formed the nucleus of the one class. They
2
Such a day of inspection and judgmentwere humble men and truly God-fearing
was initiated when Jesus commenced his men, such as Nathanael, an Israelite for
ministry at the age of thirty. He came as a certainty, in whom there is no deceit,
Jehovahs representative, the messenger as Jesus testified. On the other hand,
of the covenant, foretold in Malachis when John caught sight of many of the
prophecy. This prophecy foretold Jeho Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the
vahs coming to his temple for judgment, baptism, he said to them: You offspring
as he said: I will come near to you peo of vipers, who has shown you how to flee
ple for the judgment, and I will become a from the coming wrath? John 1:47;
speedy witness against the evildoers men Matt. 3:7.
4
However, thirty years before that
tioned. Did the ministry of Jesus as Je
hovahs messenger of the covenant re there was a foregleam of the change com
sult in a change of conditions for the two ing to these two classes. The virgin Mary,
classes, the humble and the haughty? Yes. after visiting Elizabeth, the mother-to-be

VERSUS

1. What important principle is stated at 2 Samuel

22:28, and how does it apply?
2. How did Malachi 3:1, 5 find a fulfillment at the
first
175

3. How did two classes become manifest through John

the Baptists ministry?
4. What previous foregleams were given respecting
these two classes?

176

ffteW ATCHTOW ER,

of John the Baptist, and after her own concep

tion by holy spirit, voiced her praise in these
words: My soul magnifies Jehovah . . . he has
scattered abroad those who are haughty in the
intention of their hearts . . . he has fully satis
fied hungry ones with good things and he has
sent away empty those who had wealth. With
remarkable similarity, over a thousand years be
fore that, another woman, Hannah, who also un
expectedly became mother to a son, Samuel,
said: My heart does exult in Jehovah . . . The
satisfied must hire themselves out for bread,
but the hungry actually cease to hunger. Luke
1:46-53; 1 Sam. 2:1, 5.
5The two contrasting classes and the changes
that were due to come to them in a day of judg
ment were indeed clearly outlined in the Hebrew
Scriptures, as Jesus well knew, and when he be
gan his ministry both classes were already in evi
dence. Perhaps even at the age of twelve, after
three days of close contact with the religious
teachers at the temple, he, with his perfect mind
and quick understanding, perceived the charac
teristics of those men forming the one class.
(Luke 2:42-47) His first brush with those
haughty, wealthy and well-filled religious leaders
was possibly at the first Passover after his min
istry began, when he drove out the traders and
money changers from the temple. We can imag
ine how tormenting that was to those who au
thorized and profited from that commercial
trafficking in Jehovahs house of prayer.John
2:13-17.
6Not only were the two classes in evidence,
but the due changes were not delayed, not for
a moment. From the start, John had his disciples
who openly helped in his ministry. Instead of
being at the mercy of the religious rulers and
ignored and despised, they now had an assign
ment of service that brought great joy and satis
faction, like food to a hungry soul. In sharp con
trast, the moment that John caught sight of
those Pharisees and Sadducees he gave them a
withering blast, as already mentioned. (Matt. 3:
5. When and how did Jesus first come in contact with those who
were haughty?
6. Through Johns ministry, what due changes began to be
apparent ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

7-12) Why? Not only because he

was filled with Gods spirit, but be
cause their lordly attitude to the
common people, their great pride
and self-righteousness, were com
mon knowledge.
7 S im ilarly with Jesus. F rom
the beginning of his ministry he
began to teach and train his dis
ciples. No lon g er at a
disadvantage, they now
felt that life had a real
purpose. From their new
vantage ground they had
d irect p r o o f o f G o d s
loving favor and protec
tion. What a happy con
trast f o r them !
But w hat a bit-

7. How were these changes intensified through

Jesus ministry?

M arch

15, 1967

SKeWATCHTOWER

177

ter contrast for those rulers we wish to examine in detail. Before Jesus went up
whose position and prestige had to Jerusalem near the close of his earthly ministry,
hitherto been unchallenged! Luke records that the Pharisees and scribes kept
How often they must have muttering because the tax collectors and sinners
writhed at the fearless and pub kept drawing near to Jesus to hear him. Hence Jesus
lic exposures that they had to gave illustrations contrasting the two classes, the
listen to from the lips of Jesus. rejoicing over the repentant sinner and over the
As representing his Father, Je prodigal son welcomed back home, as compared with
sus continued w ith ou t letup those who think they have no need to repent. Then
throughout his ministry to show came the illustration of the unrighteous steward,
favor to the humble and dis helping his disciples to appreciate true spiritual rich
favor to the haughty. Some es and friendships in contrast with the fleeting and
times he referred to the two unrighteous riches of Mammon. (Luke 15:1-16:13)
classes by plain speech, as in the Luke then makes this interesting comment: Now
Sermon on the Mount, but more the Pharisees, who were money lovers, were listen
ing to all these things, and they began to sneer at
often in his public teaching he
him. Consequently he [Jesus] said to them: You
made use of illustrations. Even
are those who declare yourselves righteous before
so, though not grasping all the men, but God knows your hearts; because what is
detail, the religious rulers knew lofty among men is a disgusting thing in Gods
well enough when he was speak sight. Luke 16:14, 15.
ing about them. As Matthew re
9Those plainly spoken words showed how Jesus
cords: When the chief priests viewed those men. He next refers to the important
and the Pharisees had heard his time factor, saying: The Law and the Prophets
illustrations, they took note that were until John. From then on the kingdom of God
he was speaking about them. is being declared as good news, and every sort of
person is pressing forward toward it. (Luke 16:16)
Matt. 21:45.
Yes, the time had come for the tables to be turned
on this haughty, self-righteous, money-loving class,
TIME FOR TABLES TO BE TURNED
8Now note the circumstances and in favor of that other class who hitherto had
leading up to an illustration that had a raw deal at their hands. With this theme in
mind Jesus went on to relate the illustration we are
8. What circumstances led up to Jesus
interested in, known as the rich man (Di'ves) and
denunciation of the Pharisees at Luke
16:15?
Lazarus. He used the familiar pattern of contrast,
followed by a complete reversal of situations. So as
to have the picture in mind, we will first summarize
what Jesus said.
10 A certain rich man daily enjoyed every luxury.
Lazarus, a beggar in a pitiable state, was put at the
rich mans gate, craving anything dropped from his
table. The beggar died, and the angels carried him
to the bosom position of Abraham. The rich man
died and was buried. Tormented in Hades by a blaz
ing fire, he implored Abraham to send Lazarus to dip
9. What important time factor did Jesus then state, leading up to
what illustration?
10. How can the illustration at Luke 16:19-31 be summarized?

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SfieWATCHTOWER.

his finger in water to cool his tongue. But

Abraham explained that a complete re
versal had occurred for both men, also a
great chasm had been fixed between the
two that could not be crossed. Then the
rich man asked that Lazarus be sent to
warn his five brothers about this place of
torment. But Abraham replied: They
have Moses and the Prophets; let them lis
ten to these. The rich man said: N o ,. . .
but if someone from the dead goes to them
they will repent. Abrahams final word
was: If they do not listen to Moses and
the Prophets, neither will they be persuad
ed if someone rises from the dead. Luke
16:19-31.
CHARACTERS IDENTIFIED

11
Let us look first at the application
the illustration in Jesus own day. In view
of the scriptures already discussed it is
not difficult to identify the two main char
acters, strengthened by the details given.
As to the first, Jesus said a certain man
was rich, and he used to deck himself with
purple and linen, enjoying himself from
day to day with magnificence. (Luke 16:
19) Who was this rich man who gloried
in his riches? Whom did he represent?
Why, Jesus had just been speaking to
them, the money-loving Pharisees. Notice
the similarity of expression. Jesus said:
You . . . declare yourselves righteous be
fore men. Likewise the rich man used
to deck himself with purple and linen.
(Luke 16:15, 19) The Pharisees did not
wait or depend on someone else to declare
them righteous. Likewise the rich man
did not wait or depend on someone else
to invest him with the robes and insignia
of royalty and outstanding virtue and
righteousness, symbolized by the purple
and linen. Neither God nor his servant
Christ Jesus, nor the prophets, such as
11. Whom did the rich man represent in Jesus day,
marked by what similarities?

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Isaiah, ever declared the religious rulers

of Israel a righteous class. Far otherwise!
But those of that class were never slow in
parading their own righteousness. Just
like that rich man, they showed it in their
dress and general demeanor, as Jesus said:
They broaden the scripture-containing
cases that they wear as safeguards, and
enlarge the fringes of their garments.
They like the most prominent place at
evening meals and the front seats in the
synagogues . . . [and] outwardly indeed
appear beautiful . . . [and] righteous to
men. Matt. 23:5, 6, 27, 28; 6:1, 2.
12 As for the purple, from ancient times
it has been used as a symbol of imperial
or regal power. When Jesus had been ar
rested and was questioned by Pilate: Are
ofyou the king of the Jews? , we remember
that, in mockery, the soldiers braided a
crown of thorns and put it on his head
and arrayed him with a purple outer gar
ment . . . saying: Good day, you king of
the Jews! (John 18:33; 19:2, 3) The
religious rulers did not actually aspire to
kingship on a throne, but they did assert
and exercise real rulership. Were they not
the leaders of the nation to whom God
promised: You yourselves will become to
me a kingdom of priests and a holy na
tion ? Did they not remind Jesus on one
occasion: We are Abrahams offspring
and never have we been slaves to any
body ?Ex. 19:6; John 8:33.
13 As for the linen, that is used as a
symbol of righteousness. Note the descrip
tion of the Christian congregation as the
Bride of the Lamb Jesus Christ at the
time of her marriage to him in heaven.
She is arrayed in bright, clean, fine linen,
for the fine linen stands for the righteous
acts of the holy ones. But note that it
does not say that she decks herself with
12.
to
13.
as

Of what is purple a symbol, and how did this apply

the religious rulers in Jesus time?
What does linen symbolize, making what contrast
between the Pharisees and the Lambs wife?

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15, 1967

SKeWATCHTOWER

purple and linen, even though the mar

riage is with the King of kings. Ah, no!
She does not declare herself righteous, like
the Pharisees, but, as appropriately ex
pressed, it has been granted to her to be
arrayed in . . . fine linen. (Rev. 19:7, 8,
16) The apostle Paul, formerly a zealous
Pharisee, came to appreciate the contrast
between the true righteousness and the
false, as he wrote: That I may gain
Christ and be found in union with him,
having, not my own righteousness, which
results from law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness
that issues from God on the basis of faith.
Phil. 3:8, 9; see also Romans 10:2-4.
In the eyes of men generally and in
their own eyes those religious rulers had
everything, like the rich man enjoying
himself from day to day with magnifi
cence, including a lavish spread. (Luke
16:19) As we have seen, knowledge, es
pecially spiritual knowledge, is likened to
food and drink. (Isa. 55:1, 2; John 17:3)
Well, the Jews and particularly their lead
ers were well stocked with such provisions
on which they could feast continually.
Paul once asked: What, then, is the su
periority of the Jew? He replied: A
great deal in every way. First of all, be
cause they were entrusted with the sacred
pronouncements of God. He also wrote
that to the Israelites belonged the glory
and the covenants and the giving of the
Law and the sacred service and the prom
ises. As for the leaders, Jesus said they
were versed in the Law and had the
key of knowledge. So as we examine the
opening words of Jesus illustration, it is
evident that the rich man represented the
religious leaders and rulers as a class.
Rom. 3:1, 2; 9:4; Luke 11:52.
15 Now what about the beggar? Jesus
14. VfraA. iurther aspects help to identify the rich
man" class in Jesus day?
15. How did Jesus describe the beggar, and whom did
he represent?

179

left the rich man without a name, but he

gave the beggar the Jewish name Lazarus,
meaning God is helper. He used to be
put at his [the rich mans] gate, full of
ulcers and desiring to be filled with the
things dropping from the table of the rich
man. Yes, too, the dogs would come and
lick his ulcers. (Luke 16:20, 21) As with
the rich man, we do not have to look far
to find the class represented by Lazarus.
Jesus had just been speaking about them.
In fact, it was the Pharisees who caused
Jesus to talk about this other class when
they complained about his welcoming the
tax collectors and sinners. (Luke 15:1, 2)
Also, note that, just prior to that, Jesus
said to one of the rulers of the Pharisees:
When you spread a feast, invite poor
people, crippled, lame, blind. Yes, the
beggar represented primarily the poor and
spiritually impoverished among the Jews.
They were greatly despised by the ruling
class, who trusted in themselves that they
were righteous and who considered the
rest as nothing, as, like Lazarus, fit com
pany only for dogs. Even worse, the chief
priests and Pharisees, speaking angrily
about the people who accepted Jesus, said:
This crowd that does not know the Law
are accursed people. The rulers, like the
rich man, made no provision for any spiri
tual sustenance for the poor people, who
were conscious of their spiritual need
and eagerly looked for any scraps dropped
from the rich mans lavish table. Luke
14:13; 18:9; John 7:49; Matt. 5:3.
16
Additionally, those rulers substituted
the traditions built up over the years by
their own class in place of Gods sacred
pronouncements. Hence, as Jesus said,
they made the word of God invalid and
taught commands of men as doctrines.
So there would be precious little nutriment
in those scraps. Moreover, those rulers
16. How were the religious rulers responsible for the
sick condition of the Lazarus class?

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W ATCH TO W ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

18 Of all the experiences that contribute

to change and reversal in human life,
death is the most climactic. Jesus used
just that in his illustration. After the ini
tial description of the two characters, as
just discussed, Jesus continued: Now in
course of time the beggar died . . . Also,
the rich man died. Ah, yes! The impor
tant time factor made all the difference.
How vividly Jesus now appealed to the
imagination of his listeners, knowing that
imagination, besides contrast, is a power
ful aid to appreciation! Were those two
men left to sleep peacefully in their
graves? Not they! The beggar was imme
diately carried off by the angels to the
bosom position of Abraham. The rich

man was buried. And in Hades he . . .

[was] existing in torments in a blazing
fire. Luke 16:22, 23.
19As many of our readers are aware,
many commentators and authorities in
Christendom interpret this as a literal
statement of fact in support of their tra
ditional doctrine of eternal torment suf
fered by immortal souls in hellfire. But did
any of Jesus listeners, either the Phari
sees or his disciples, take it that way?
Did they think that Jesus was drawing
aside the veil for a moment, as is often
said, to give a glimpse of the fate await
ing the wicked, in fact, of all those who do
not gain heavenly bliss? Hardly. All who
listened to Jesus realized that this was a
parable, or illustration, portraying certain
things, and hence not to be taken literally.
As pointed out in a previous issue of The
Watchtower, to take it literally makes the
situation absurd and impossible, besides
doing violence to those plain Scriptural
statements proving that Hades (
Sheol) is the common grave wherein are
the dead, who are conscious of nothing at
all . . . for there is no work nor devising
nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, the
place to which you are going. (Eccl. 9:
5, 10) Is it reasonable to think that those
in the fires of hell are within comfortable
speaking distance of those in heaven? Are
they so close as to be able to see those in
heaven and what they are doing? Are
they able to carry on a conversation, even
to arguing the point, with those in au
thority in heaven?See The W atchtower
as of February 1,1965, pages 75, 76, para
graphs 11 to 16.
20But you may ask, Was Jesus author
ized, or did he have any precedent in pic
turing the dead as alive and talking, in
order to illustrate something unusually

17. How did Jesus show that a change was due

respecting these two classes?
18. In the illustration, what climactic event occurred,
leading to what changes and reversal?

19. (a) In support of what doctrine is Luke 16:23

often quoted? (b) Why is such a conclusion both un
reasonable and unscriptural ?
20. How did Isaiah use a similar method in portraying
a dramatic reversal?

bound heavy loads on the shoulders of

the people and were not willing to budge
them with their finger. (Matt. 15:6-9;
23:4) No wonder Jesus pictured Lazarus
as full of ulcers. In such emaciated con
dition he was surely carrying a heavy
load, without the slightest prospect of any
help or relief from the rich man.
17 This state of affairs was bad, wholly
unjustified, and could not be tolerated in
definitely. As Jesus said to the complain
ing Pharisees: Persons in health do not
need a physician, but the ailing do. Go,
then, and learn what this means, I want
mercy, and not sacrifice. For I came to
call, not righteous people, but sinners.
And as he warned that same class: Woe
to you who are versed in the Law, be
cause you took away the key of knowl
edge; you yourselves did not go in, and
those going in you hindered! Yes, the
time had come for a change, for a reversal.
How did Jesus portray this in his illus
tration? Matt. 9:12, 13; Luke 11:52.
THE CLIMACTIC CHANGE

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15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

dramatic? Yes! Here we find another in

teresting parallel between the expressions
used by Jesus and the prophet Isaiah. Isa
iah was inspired to foretell the dramatic
fall and destruction of the Babylonian dy
nasty of kings. It was such a terrific rever
sal that, so to speak, the kings of the other
nations, each lying in state in his niche in
the great pit of Sheol, are pictured as wak
ing up and craning their necks in astonish
ment at the arrival of the king of Bab
ylon, saying: Have you yourself also
been made weak like us? . . . Down to
Sheol your pride has been brought. . . Be
neath you, maggots are spread out as a
couch; and worms are your covering.
Furthermore, this one does not join the
other kings in a niche of his own, but is
thrown away without a burial place . . .,
like a carcass trodden down. (Isa. 14:4,
10, 11, 19) In the Authorized Version and
many other versions, the king of Bab
ylon is named Lucifer at Isaiah 14:12
and is generally understood to refer to
Satan the Devil. Taking such a view, this

N OLD saying is:

C / L Politics makes
strange bedfellows. It is
true there is much ri
valry in politics and gen
erally very little unity.
B ut when s o m e t h in g
threatens their way of
operation or exposes the
general corruption ex
isting in politics, or if it in some way
seems to stand in the way of their plans,
they join forces with erstwhile rivals
or even enemies and distastefully work
together to overcome what they consider
a common threat. If their temporary co

181

means that Satan, instead of ruling over

hell and keeping its fires burning, is re
jected and debased even in his own do
main. No wonder that Christendoms com
mentators do not heavily rely on this
prophecy for support for their eternal tor
ment doctrine.
21
No, there is no warrant, either from
the viewpoint of Scripture or reason, for
concluding that Jesus was now suddenly
giving a literal account of what takes
place. An illustration, or parable, is an
allegorical narrative, a pictorial represen
tation of certain truths or events. Consis
tent with his other illustrations, Jesus was
here using a vivid word picture or story
to portray something, in this case some
thing already happening to two classes of
people. To ascertain the true meaning of
what was thus portrayed in this particu
lar illustration, both in Jesus time and in
our own day, we must leave to a subse
quent issue of The Watchtower.
21. Are Jesus parables intended to be taken literally?
If not, what is their purpose?

operation succeeds, then they split up

again and resume their bickering and
fighting.
The Bible is not subjectively concerned
with politics and Christians have never
had anything to do with it, but the Bible

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SEeW ATCHTOW ER.

does describe some of the developments

of politics as they affect the lives of Gods
people and as they cross paths with his
purposes. One of these developments is the
greatest and most far-reaching coalition
of political powers ever undertaken, com
bining some of the bitterest enemies in a
common cause. But it is doomed from its
start, for it is a united rebellion against
the Sovereign God of the universe. It is
the very same kind of rebellion that ex
pressed itself in the building of the Tower
of Babel, with its resulting confusion.*
Gen. 11:1-9.
The preceding two issues of this maga
zine have discussed the scarlet-colored
beast of the vision of Revelation and have
pointed out that it is a prophetic picture
of the international alliance first called
the League of Nations, and now the United
Nations. The scarlet-colored beast has sev
en heads and ten horns. These are, of
course, symbolic. In Daniels prophecy we
can get the understanding of what horns
on a symbolic beast represent. Here the
two horns on the ram of Daniels vision
stood for the kings of Media and Persia
and the horn on the he-goat stood for the
first king of Greece. (Dan. 8:20-22) Cor
respondingly, the horns on the scarletcolored beast represent kings, or national
rulers. Horns on an animal can be used
aggressively and violently, and this is how
the scarlet-colored beast uses its horns.
The vision to John continues:
And the ten horns that you saw mean
ten kings, who have not yet received a
kingdom, but they do receive authority as
kings one hour with the wild beast. These
have one thought, and so they give their
power and authority to the wild beast.
These will battle with the Lamb, but, be
cause he is Lord of lords and King of
kings, the Lamb will conquer them. Also,
* See The Watchtower of May 15, 1964, pages 311-315.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

those called and chosen and faithful with

him will do so. Rev. 17:12-14.
Of the ten horns on the wild beast, one
and possibly two belong to the Seventh
World Power, Britain and America. The
Medo-Persians were a dual power pictured
by two horns on the head of the ram. In
Johns day Rome, the sixth head, was in
power. He was told that the seventh sym
bolic head had not yet arrived. John was
also told that the ten kings had not yet
received a kingdom. Ten kings would sym
bolize all the national governments that
are members of the international peaceand-security organization. Of course, in
Johns day the scarlet-colored beast itself
was not present, for the League of Nations
did not come into existence until after
World War I. Even the seventh head of
the wild beast out of the sea (Rev. 13:1, 2)
had not yet appeared. The scarlet-colored
beast, being an image of the original beast
out of the sea, could not precede that
which it images. Besides, the scarletcolored beast is shown to be an eighth
king or world power. The eighth could
not appear on the scene before the sev
enth, but the Bible reveals that it rules
concurrently with the seventh for a brief
time.
A ONE HOUR UNITY

In fact, the duration of its existence is

given to us by John when he says that
the ten kings will receive authority as
kings one hour with the wild beast. If we
count the time of the beginning of the
Seventh World Power from the time that
England itself began to have dominance,
we would count from 1763. Of course, it
was not until the nineteenth century that
the dual feature of the world power ar
rived, with the United States coming into
prominence. Even so, that is only a short
while, as stated by the angel in Revelation.
(Rev. 17:10) Therefore, the existence of

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SKeWATCHTOWER.

the scarlet-colored beast with its ten

horns, that is, the League of Nations and
its successor the United Nations, from
1920 onward, must be still shorter and the
Bible states that it is just one hour. This
would be a very short time, indeed, for it
to exercise influence in world affairs. In
fact, many governments did not get into
this international wild beast organization
until it appeared in its new guise, the
United Nations, in 1945, and others even
since then. So their time for membership
in it is still shorter.
ONE THOUGHT

The vision tells us that these kings have

one thought. Wherein does such unity
lie? Is it that they have one desire for all
nations to cooperate in brotherly love and
bring true peace and unity lastingly to the
earth? Well, the way the veto power has
been used in sessions of the Security Coun
cil of the U.N., and the refusal on the part
of some members to pay the required tax
es for certain military ventures of the U.N.
and the disorders that have featured some
of the meetings of the General Assembly
and the continual lack of oneness of mind
on the crucial proposals on general dis
armament and stopping nuclear testings,
and so forthall this proves that these
ten kings are not one in thought in this
direction.
The complete oneness or the one
thought on the part of the modern-day
ten kings is in opposing Gods Messianic
kingdom. This is the one thing upon which
they come to complete unity. The Bible
and fulfilled prophecy show that the king
dom of God was born or set up in the
heavens in the hands of Jesus Christ, the
Lamb of God that takes away the sin of
the world, in the year 1914. The nations
were put on notice as to this, some of the
clergymen of Christendom even acknowl
edging that the time was at hand for the

183

close of the times of the Gentiles and that

the revelation of the Lord could be ex
pected at any moment. They even declared
that all human schemes of reconstruction
must be subsidiary to the second coming
of the Lord, because all nations will be
subject to his rule. * Nonetheless, instead
of willingly acknowledging the sovereignty
of Gods enthroned king, the nations want
ed to continue with mans rule and they
were not wanting to give up their own
sovereignty, so they formed a conspiracy
that expresses itself in the League of Na
tions and, today, the United Nations.
This is nothing unexpected, for Jehovah
God foretold it, not only in the book of
Revelation nineteen hundred years ago,
but in the book of Psalms nearly three
thousand years ago, for it is stated: Why
have the nations been in tumult and the
national groups themselves kept muttering
an empty thing? The kings of earth take
their stand and high officials themselves
have massed together as one against Je
hovah and against his anointed one [Mes
siah or Christ], saying, Let us tear their
bands apart and cast their cords away
from us! (Ps. 2:1-3) So all the kings
associated with the scarlet-colored wild
beast give their power and authority to it,
and even the other nations that are not
members of the United Nations are also
cooperating with the beast in this opposi
tion to Gods kingdom.
HOW THEY FIGHT THE LAMB

Now, these ten kings are included

among the kings that are being gathered
under demon influence to the war of the
great day of God the Almighty at H arMagedon. (Rev. 16:14, 16) But they can
not fight against the Lamb of God him
self in a direct way, for he is in heaven
and they are on earth. He is spiritual, in* See The Golden Age as of July 28, 1926, page
693c, published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Society.

184

SKeWATCHTOWER.

visible, inaccessible to them. How can they

show their viciousness and try to erase
from the earth everything representing
the Kingdom and any proclamation of it?
It is by attacking the Kings earthly rep
resentatives, his spirit-begotten followers,
the members of the Christian congrega
tion who have been chosen by him and
are striving to be faithful, true and loyal
to the Lamb. They become very clearly
evident and identifiable to these kings by
reason of their neutrality toward all the
conflicts of the nations and by reason of
the fact that they proclaim the good news
of the kingdom of the Lamb, the Anointed
One of God, and urge the people to look
to that kingdom for world peace. (Matt.
24:14; Eph. 6:11-18; Acts 5:28, 29; Isa.
9:6, 7) The attack of the nations on these
representatives, these spiritual brothers of
Christ, is accounted as a direct attack
against him, in harmony with the rule
expressed by Jesus himself at Matthew 25:
45 when he sends the goats into ever
lasting cutting-off.
In what way do these ten kings who
compose the real power of the United Na
tions fight against the spiritual brothers
of Christ? Well, they try to make it ap
pear that the proclamation of the King
dom message is against the best interests
of the people and that it hinders the earth
ly kings from getting the full, unqualified
support of the people for their so-called
peace movement. Actually they are in
ducing the people to worship the scarletcolored wild beast, the image of the beast.
But, being in power, they frame laws and
apply laws in a way that makes it seem
that their fight is entirely legal. They
stoop to framing trouble by decree, as
foretold by the psalmist, to make their
attack seem to be in the national inter
ests.Ps. 94: 20.
The nations not only fight against the
spiritual brothers of Christ but they also

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

fight against those who take a position

alongside and who cooperate with these
spiritual brothers, namely, the great
crowd whom John saw standing before
the throne of God and shouting: Salva
tion we owe to our God, who is seated on
the throne, and to the Lamb. (Rev. 7:9,
10, 13-17) Even now we see the opposi
tion of many of the national rulers against
the preaching of the good news, although
the scarlet-colored beast itself has not yet
been steered directly against Gods people.
In many of the nations opposing Gods
kingdom, the harlot Babylon the Great,
the world empire of false religion, eggs
them on. Examples of this are Portugal,
Spain and Greece. Also, the complete
Communist bloc of nations bitterly fights
against these representatives of the Lamb.
THE LAMB DISPLAYS LIONLIKE QUALITIES

The earthly followers of the Lamb of

God are also lamblike in disposition and
they have no share in the literal fight
against the nations that come up against
them. Their fight is a spiritual one de
scribed in Ephesians 6:11, 12, against the
invisible demons, who are gathering the
nations to Har-Magedon. Their work is an
educational work, informing people of
Gods kingdom, showing them that man's
rule will not succeed in bringing peace to
the earth, teaching persons who want to
learn the fine truths of Gods Word. But
even so, the symbolic ten horns should not
expect to win the battle. They should not
entertain any hope of destroying these
lamblike ones, for they should remember
that the Lamb is also the Lion that is of
the tribe of Judah and in battle he will
display his lionlike qualities against Gods
foes. (Rev. 5:5; Gen. 49:9, 10) They
should look at the second Psalm again
and see how the Sovereign God in the
heavens views them: The very One sit
ting in the heavens will laugh; Jehovah

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SKeWATCHTOWER,

himself will hold them in derision. At that

time he will speak to them in his anger
and in his hot displeasure he will disturb
them, saying: I, even I, have installed my
king upon Zion, my holy mountain. Let
me refer to the decree of Jehovah; He has
said to me: You are my son; I, today,
I have become your father. Ask of me,
that I may give nations as your inheri
tance and the ends of the earth as your
own possession. You will break them with
an iron scepter, as though a potters vessel
you will dash them to pieces. Ps. 2:
4-9.
So Jehovah has fulfilled the request of
his Son at the end of the Gentile Times in
1914 by giving him the Kingdom. The na
tions are his inheritance; he is to break
them into pieces as with a rod of iron. He
is the Lord of lords and King of kings,
a new title given him in his superior po
sition as a Lord and King above all lords
and kings of this earth. He has all nec
essary authority in heaven and on the
earth, which he received from his Father.
Matt. 28:18; Acts 2:32-36.
Consequently, the ten kings with their
one thought have no chance whatsoever
to win in the fight against the powerful
Lion of the tribe of Judah, who will con
quer them completely. Sharing with him
in his conquest will be those called and
chosen and faithful with him. This would
mean the 144,000 of them, who will all
finally stand with him on the heavenly
Mount Zion. (Rev. 14:1-3) The ones who
died faithful prior to the battle and who
were rewarded with a resurrection to life
with him in the heavens will be with him
in the battle. All of these are now gath
ered with him awaiting the signal for the
battle to begin. (Rev. 14:13; 2:26-28)
However, we know there are yet those on
the earth who are standing faithfully also
waiting for the battle to begin, but who
will not have any part in the actual fight-

ing with material weapons. They will

stand firm against the furious attack of
Gog of Magog, Satan the Devil, and of his
entire beastly organization. (Ezekiel 38,
39) They are known as the remnant of
Christs spiritual brothers, but, being
faithful through the fight, they will be
accredited with a share in the conquest.
Here we have added proof, assurance, that
a remnant of Christs spiritual brothers
will survive Armageddon in the flesh and
will for a while be in the flesh on earth
in the new order after the battle. Along
side them will be the great crowd of
persons who serve with them.
EXERCISE INSIGHT

So the failure of the political union

brought about by the one thought that
these national rulers have will not be be
cause of mismanagement or because it
takes the wrong turn, but it will be be
cause it is doomed from the start. It is a
conspiracy against the Almighty God, the
Sovereign of the universe, and his en
throned King. It is against the interests of
the people, for it tends to turn their hopes
and even their worship toward something
that is set up in the place of Gods king
dom and thereby leads them with the ten
kings into a fight against God. What a
futile thing to do against the Creator of
the unfathomable universe! Jehovah him
self warns: Jehovah is taking vengeance
against his adversaries, and he is resentful
toward his enemies. In the face of his de
nunciation who can stand? And who can
rise up against the heat of his anger?
Nah. 1:2, 6.
But the prophet goes on to say: Jeho
vah is good, a stronghold in the day of
distress. And he is cognizant of those seek
ing refuge in him. Even to national rulers
Jehovah warns: And now, O kings, ex
ercise insight; let yourselves be corrected,

186

SKeWATCHTOWER

O judges of the earth. Serve Jehovah with

fear and be joyful with trembling. Kiss the
son, that He may not become incensed and
you may not perish from the way, for his
anger flares up easily. Happy are all those
taking refuge in him. Happy are we if
we listen to the warning given to kings,
and ourselves take refuge in the name of

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Jehovah, which is a strong tower for all

those who love him. Only in this way can
we escape the doom of those who are led
by this conspiracy to fight against God.
Only in this way may we be able to have
a hope of everlasting life under His glo
rious Kingdom rule. Nah. 1:7; Ps. 2:1012; Prov. 18:10.

IS THE

NATION
WHOSE GOD
IS JEHOVAH1

acquainted with some

one who studied phi
losophy, the result of
this association being
t h a t I b e c a m e an
atheist, as he was.

HEN the cru

cial year of
BECOMING ONE OF
1914 came along and
JEHOVAHS
PEOPLE
W orld W ar I broke
I
remained an athe
out, I was in school in
Germany and efforts
ist until 1924, when I
came in contact with
were made there to
As told by Robert A. Winkler
a
that
urge the students to
take on military service. For those who is, one of Jehovahs witnesses. What
volunteered, a special examination was he told me about the Bible was entirely
prepared, and all passed with honors. I new to me. I was prodded to seek new
was one of those students for whom class arguments to be able to refute his views.
room studies had suddenly ended.
I accepted all literature he presented to
I
was just a child of sixteen when Ime and studied it till deep into the night.
stood at the front in France, across from The book The Divine Plan of the Ages
Rheims as a one-year volunteer. Here particularly interested me, as I wanted to
at the front, provision was made for re know what that plan was.
ligious instruction. I observed that the
Because I spent every evening studying
chaplain preached exactly theopposite
this literature and spoke about it, all mem
to what I had learned. This instruction bers of my family turned against me. Fi
taught and encouraged us to kill as many nally my father burned all my books. All
of the enemy as possible and that a heroic new literature I could henceforth obtain
death should be viewed as something of
had to be kept well hidden.
great honor. All this made me think. This
Very soon I realized that there were
plus my association with those in the ar
my finally brought me to the point where no arguments I could find to refute those
of the Bibelforscher and was forced to
I lost faith.
When I was seriously wounded and re realize it was indeed Gods truth. Inde
turned well decorated from the front, I scribable was my joy in learning what Je
was discharged from the army. I then got hovahs purposes were, in getting an un-

M arch

15, 1967

5ReWATCHTOWER.

187

derstanding of Gods kingdom and the had our literature carefully hidden. These
blessings it would bring to mankind. These visits were made during the day, or at
promises, these expectations of blessings midnight or during the early hours of the
simply overwhelmed me. I got to under morning. They came to get names and
stand what the psalmist said at Psalm 33: addresses of Witnesses and they would
12 and could join with him in saying: carefully search each shelf, the clothes
Happy is the nation whose God is closets, the beds and the linen.
Jehovah.
When working from house to house, we
I could hardly wait for the next time used only the Bible. One day I called at
this Christian minister would visit me. But the home of a woman who was a member
I wanted to preach, not just within the of the Nazi party and she phoned the po
family circle, but as he did, from house lice and gave them my description.
to house. My joy was great when he
This led quickly to my arrest, after
agreed to have me accompany him from which I was transported to the Esterhouse to house. After we had gone to wegen Concentration Camp. How heart
gether for the first few houses he agreed warming it was to make persons broken
to have me go alone. I often think back on in spirit and without any hope happy with
the joys and blessings the first day of the Kingdom message! The great joy to
witnessing brought me.
be able to help sheeplike persons in the
I also like to think of the moment when camp to understand Gods truth and dedi
I, together with the brother from the cate themselves to God made the cruel
Watch Tower Societys branch office in treatment meted out by the Gestapo mean
Magdeburg, stood in front of a large map nothing. Yes, here in camp we learned to
and he asked me if I wanted to go to appreciate the great privilege of being
Bonn. Bonn, he explained, is a diffi among the people whose God is Jehovah.
cult city, a university city with many in
After my release I was to report daily
tellectuals, a Catholic territory. If you are to the Gestapo, and they demanded that
going to hold out in this territory, he I perform the Heil Hitler salute. Each
continued, you will have to be strong in day as I refused, their ire rose to greater
faith and well versed in the Scriptures. heights and they would scream out: You
Thus Bonn became my first ministerial didnt learn a thing in camp, absolutely
assignment. Very soon my fiancee came nothing, not even the German salute, and
and we were married. Soon more full-time when you return tomorrow morning and
preachers of Gods kingdom came to our do not give the German salute, you will
aid. Jehovah richly blessed our efforts, and never see your wife again. Do you under
soon, besides our small group of attenders stand that?
at the study of
The we had This same day the Watch Tower Soci
quite a number of interested people, which etys circuit supervisor came to visit us,
number grew from month to month until
and I told him the things the Gestapo had
the hall was full, more than eighty per
told me. He said he had heard of similar
sons attending our meetings.
cases and, since each Gestapo post in the
country
had a copy of my photo, it would
GESTAPO HARASSMENT
be
wise
for me to continue the witness
Suddenly a great change came. Hitlers
Gestapo began to pay us many a visit, work in the Netherlands. We accepted our
which visits we had anticipated and so we new assignment and gladly left our home

188

ffKeWATCHTOWER.

and all we possessed to the thievish

Gestapo.
When we got to Holland and began our
new assignment we knew nothing of the
Dutch language. Jehovah blessed our ef
forts to serve in that land. As we daily
went from house to house we soon got to
know the people. In 1938 I received the
assignment to visit all the congregations
in the Netherlands. In 1939 my privileges
were expanded and I was called to the
branch office of the Watch Tower Society.
In 1940 German troops occupied the Neth
erlands, and now it was clear that the
Gestapo would soon carry on its cam
paign of searching and robbery in this
country as well.
On October 21, 1941, I was betrayed
and arrested. The Gestapo rejoiced when
they finally got me. They made this news
known to many a Gestapo post in Ger
many and the Netherlands.
EFFORTS TO GET ME TO BETRAY
JEHOVAHS PEOPLE

It was the wish of the Gestapo to squash

the organization of Jehovahs witnesses,
and, according to them, I would be a smart
man to cooperate in their schemes. This
Jehovah, they scoffed, is bankrupt in
Germany and the same is happening in
other lands. The Fuhrer, according to
them, was God-sent, and I would have to
change my mind. I would raise my posi
tion something wonderfully, they said, if
I would support the cause of the Fuhrer
and break with something that really did
not exist. I was to tell them who belonged
to the office staff and where they were,
where my wife was and who the leaders
in the congregations were. They assured
me that none of those betrayed would ever
get to know that I gave the information
nor would they arrest all those informed
upon. They would merely inform them to

Brooklyn, N .

Y.

mend their ways and to serve the cause

of the Fuhrer.
When I told them squarely I would not
go along with them in their plan, they
pulled the curtains shut, turned on the
radio full volume and beat me unmerciful
ly. When one of them could not go on any
further, another brute would take over
until I fell unconscious to the floor, lat
er to regain consciousness. So, they
sneered, we did not expect you to be so
unreasonable. One who has proved to be
a good organizer and intelligent, one who
was such a good fighter for a bankrupt
cause, should have more sense. We need
people like you. Just think how you could
improve your lot in life. Tell us where
your wife is, and we give you our word
of honor she will not be beaten. If you
are smart and go along with us, you can
exchange your prison for a villa and your
condition of shame and revilement for one
of honor, money and prestige.
As I remained silent, the second round
began. First it was the Obersturmfiihrer
Barbie, and when he was tired Oberschaarfuhrer Engelsman took over. This
went on till I lost consciousness again.
This continued from one oclock in the
afternoon till midnight. At 1 a.m. I was
handed over to the prison guard. With
teeth knocked out and the lower jaw dis
located and my body beaten raw, I was
taken to the dark cell. Do you know
why I am bringing you to the dark cell?
the guard asked me.
No, I answered.
Because they could not get anything
out of you.
How do you know that? I asked.
The guard replied: Because when they
have mistreated anyone like you have
been and he has given in and spilled every
thing then he gets a better cell, better
food and better treatment. You go to the
dark cell because they think this type of

M arch 15, 1967

SEcWATCHTOWER.

treatment will break you. But I will let

you have light and something warm to
eat.
The thoughts of Jehovahs promises to
help one in all kinds of trouble gave me
the comfort and strength to endure all
this, so that thoughts of any compromise
with my demonized persecutors never once
entered my mind.
When I looked at myself in the mirror
the next day, I was shocked at the way
I looked. The two Dutch plainclothes po
licemen who had transported me from the
prison to be interrogated by the Gestapo
could not recognize me now. They had
given the Gestapo assistance with my ar
rest and when they saw me now they
asked: Are you Winkler?
Yes.
Are you that R. A. Winkler?
Yes, I answered.
Are you Winkler, the witness of Je
hovah?
Yes, I am.
Are you the Witness Winkler whom
we arrested in the Wittenkade last week?
I told them I was the man. They asked
me what the Gestapo had done to me.
When I told them, they said they never
would have arrested me if they had known
what the Gestapo would do to me.
Saturday I had been beaten by the Ges
tapo, and on the following Monday I was
to be interrogated by them again. What
would happen now and what was I to do?
I turned to Jehovah in prayer, trusting in
his promises. I knew this meant the use
of theocratic war strategy for the sake
of the Kingdom work and the protection
of my Christian brothers. It was a great
trial for me to endure and the seventeenth
day I was completely worn out, but I
thanked Jehovah that in his strength I
was able to endure this trial and keep my
integrity.

189
SPIRITUAL STRENGTH
DESPITE PHYSICAL ILLS

At this point I felt a very great need

for spiritual food. A couple of days later
this same friendly prison guard came up
and asked if he could do something for
me. I told him he certainly could; he could
procure a Bible for me from my wife.
Yes, he said, write a note. I will bring
you a pencil and some paper.
The day of February 10, 1941, I will
never forget. The door of my cell flew open
and someone threw a pocket Bible into the
cell, and before I realized what was going
on the door slammed shut again. What a
joyful occasion! The Gestapo did not per
mit me to have any reading material at
all, and now, by Jehovahs updeserved
kindness, I had a Bible to read. What a
joy it was daily to enjoy the pleasant
words of truth from His Word! Although
any reading had to be done secretly, I felt
myself getting stronger spiritually.
I was able to retain this Bible until
moved to another camp in the Nether
lands, Camp Vught. While in Vught I was
able to get another Bible.
From Vught I was moved to Germany,
to a camp in Oranienburg-Sachsenhausen.
There we were brought into barracks
where we were forced to remove our
clothing and get under a shower. All our
clothes along with our shoes were tak
en away from us; only those who had
wooden shoes could retain them. I let my
Bible slip unnoticed into a wooden shoe
and thus was able to keep it while in camp.
Here in this new camp I turned ill. I
soon found myself in the camp hospital
where there were already about 3,000 per
sons being treated by doctors who them
selves were prisoners. As soon as I was
free from one illness I fell prey to another.
In time I was brought over to other bar
racks, where I was treated by a Swedish
doctor.

190

SKeWATCHTOWER

This doctor asked me if I knew Wit

nesses Erich Frost, Konrad Franke and
R. Bratining. When I said I knew them, he
told me they had saved his life on the is
land Wight, and now, in gratitude, he was
going to try to save my life. The doctors
were required to report to the SS guards
every prisoner who, due to illness, would
not be able to report to work during the
coming six months. Such patients were
brought over to other barracks and were
loaded into buses that proved to be nothing
else than gas chambers on wheels. The ex
haust gases killed the victims en route to
the crematories. This would have been my
lot, but the Swedish doctor did not do
what the Nazis expected of him, because of
the kindnesses of my Christian brothers.
I also often think back on the so-called
March of Death from the Sachsenhausen Camp to Schwerin in April of 1945.
I would never have endured this march
were it not for the loving care of my
Christian brothers who had risked much
to remove me from the barracks for the
ill who could not move on their own pow
er. The SS wanted to burn the barracks
with the seriously ill so as not to let such
evidence fall into the hands of the Rus
sians. The brothers got hold of a sort of
wagon on which they placed me and other
Witnesses who could not walk. They pulled
this wagon with their Christian brothers
on it who could not walk, till the end of

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

this nightmarish march of death. Anyone

who collapsed during this march was dis
patched by the SS with a bullet in the
neck. The loving care of our Christian
brothers helped us to avoid such a lot.
I finally returned to my place of theo
cratic assignment in the Netherlands
clothed in camp uniform and with nothing
but paper sheets as underwear and able
to walk only with the aid of a cane. How
ever, I quickly recovered and was soon
able to take on work in Gods Kingdom
service. This I have done for over twenty
years since my release. We still have the
great privilege of working in the Societys
branch office in the Netherlands.
From the German government we re
ceived a compensation and thus we were
able to buy things we had lost. Now that
I have passed my sixty-fifth year, I also
get an old-age pension. I am thus able to
maintain a car, which enables me to do
as much as possible in the ministry.
Yes, Jehovah does not allow any test
greater them that we can bear, and, in ad
dition to this, provides the strength to en
dure. For no price on earth would I want
to miss the trials I have endured in His
power. These trials have added to my faith
in Jehovah, to my appreciation of his
love, wisdom, righteousness and might. By
actual experience I learned the great
truth we read in the Bible: Happy is the
nation whose God is Jehovah.

Happy Those Having Part in the First Resurrection

Many readers of
TheWatchtower were well acquainted with W illiam R. Br
and Thomas E. Banks, both of whom died late in January. W illiam R. Brown,
long known in W est Africa as "Bible Brown, was approaching the age of 90. O f
his fifty-seven years as a full-time minister, twenty-seven were spent in W est
Africa, where he saw Jehovahs witnesses grow in numbers from one to more
than ten thousand ministers. He finished his earthly course in Port of Spain,
Trinidad, on January 25, 1967. Thomas E. Banks represented the Society fo r
many years in the southern States and the Caribbean islands. Later he served
as branch servant in Jamaica. There he completed his earthly ministry, which
began with his dedication in 1901, on January 29, 1967. Doubtless these devoted
servants, by their faithful course unto death, may now enjoy the happiness o f
the first resurrection, triumphing over death. Rev. 20:6.

dicting the other. And, as the later account

written by John points out, the casting of lots
for the Messiahs apparel served to fulfill
Psalm 22:18. W e can draw this correct con
clusion from reading either o f the inspired
books.

A t Jesus' impalement, which garment or gar

ments did the soldiers distribute by casting
lots? D. T., New Zealand.
This question is based on an apparent dis
crepancy between Matthews account and what
John says occurred on this occasion. First,
Matthew wrote: "W h en they had impaled him
they distributed his outer garments by casting
lots. (27:35) Mark presented essentially the
same information. (15:24) However, John
wrote: "N o w when the soldiers had impaled
Jesus, they took his outer garments and made
four parts, for each soldier a part, and the
inner garment. But the inner garment was
without a seam . . . Therefore they said to one
another: 'Let us not tear it, but let us deter
mine by lots over it whose it will be. This
was that the scripture might be fulfilled: T h ey
apportioned my outer garments among them
selves, and upon m y apparel they cast lots.
And so the soldiers really did these things.
John 19:23, 24.
From Johns eyewitness account we learn
that Jesus had outer garments and an inner
garment. John 19:23 informs us that the
soldiers made four parts out of his outer gar
ments, each taking a piece; however, John does
not tell us how they decided who would get
what piece. Finally, John 19:24 reveals that
the soldiers cast lots over Jesus one-piece inner
garment.
The account in Matthew 27:35 does not dis
claim the fact that Jesus had an inner gar
ment; nor does it contradict the fact that
lots were cast over it. Matthew simply does
not mention this particular garment. Rather,
he provides details about Jesus outer gar
ments, which John says were made into four
parts, Matthew adding that they were also
distributed by the casting of lots.
By taking into consideration the two Gos
pels, Matthew and John, we can see that the
soldiers cast lots over both the outer garments
and the inner one. Instead of contradiction,
we have two accounts written by different
persons, each providing details that the other
does not include, and yet neither one contra
191

A fter the Flood, Noah planted a vineyard,

began drinking of the wine and became intoxi
cated. (Gen. 9:20, 21) Since the Bible condemns
drunkenness, even saying that drunkards will
not inherit Gods kingdom, how should we view
Noahs intoxication? B. M., U.S.A.
Concerning Noahs drinking wine to the
point of intoxication, Genesis 9:20, 21 states:
"N o w Noah started off as a farm er and pro
ceeded to plant a vineyard. And he began
drinking of the wine and became intoxicated,
and so he uncovered him self in the midst of
his tent. Noah, who was over six hundred
years old at the time, was evidently completely
overtaken by the wine, for the account says:
"Finally Noah awoke from his wine. (Gen. 9:
24) Hence, there is no question about his being
quite intoxicated.
However, when considering the account at
Genesis 9:20-27, one does well to realize that
nowhere in His W ord did Jehovah God register
condemnation of Noah because of this incident.
Of course, this does not mean that God winks
at drunkenness, for the Bible shows that this
is not true. (Prov. 23:20, 21, 29-35; 1 Cor. 6:9,
10) Yet, in Noahs case Jehovah m ay have
taken extenuating factors into consideration.
The record of this matter in the book of Genesis
is brief and the incident is not dealt with else
where in the Scriptures. Evidently, though,
Noah was unwittingly overtaken as a result
of drinking the wine, whether out of weariness
or because of a heavy heart or for some other
reason, the Bible does not say. For that matter,
perhaps under the changed atmospheric con
ditions that followed the Flood, the wine Noah
drank had fermented to greater strength than
he realized. Certainly, however, Noah was not
a confirmed drunkard. There is nothing in
the Bible to indicate that he habitually drank
wine to the point of intoxication. In fact, the
Scriptures do not say that he ever became
intoxicated again.
When Bible writers condemned drunkenness
or urged persons to avoid it, they never used
Noah as a bad example. Also, they made no
unfavorable remarks about him because of

3KeWATCHT0WEFL

192

this unfortunate incident. In fact, the apostle

Peter called Noah a preacher of righteous
ness. (2 Pet. 2 :5 ) In writing to Hebrew Chris
tians, the apostle Paul said that by his faith
N oah condemned the world, and he became an
heir o f the righteousness that is according to
faith. (Heb. 11:7) Paul viewed Noah as one
of those making up the great cloud of faithful
pre-Christian witnesses of Jehovah. (Heb. 12:1)
Furthermore, when Jesus Christ compared
Noahs day with the days of the Son of man,
or his second presence, he made no condem
natory statement regarding Noah. Luke 17:
26,27.
Therefore, Noah is not to be likened to those
who engage in works of the fallen flesh and
who m ay get involved in drunken bouts, revel
ries, and things like these. (Gal. 5:19-21) Nor
should faithful Noah be compared with per
sons who were once baptized as Christians but
who m ay later make it a practice to become
intoxicated. Such confirmed drunkards who are
unrepentant have not just been unwittingly
overtaken by drinking too much of an intoxi
cating beverage on one occasion. They are
really drunkards and must be disfellowshiped
from the clean and upright Christian congre
gation. The apostle Paul had such individuals
in mind when he told the Christians in Corinth:

B rooklyn,

N.Y.

But now I am writing you to quit m ixing in

company with anyone called a brother that is
a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater
or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner,
not even eating with such a man. (1 Cor. 5:1 1 )
If they do not repent, such drunkards will
never realize the blessings of Gods kingdom.
Suppose that, like Noah, a dedicated Chris
tian today is inadvertently overcome when
drinking an alcoholic beverage in the privacy
of his own home on one occasion. This never
happened to him before and he is determined
to exercise care so that it never occurs again.
W hat should he do? W ell, he is not a confirmed
drunkard. And it is not reasonable to think
that because of this one incident he is con
demned by God for all time to come, so that
he could not possibly gain everlasting life
as a gift from Jehovah. (Rom. 6:23) However,
such a Christian should express true sorrow
concerning this in prayer to Alm ighty God.
He should plead with Jehovah through Christ,
seeking Gods merciful forgiveness. (Deut. 4:
31; Psalm 51) Then he should be determined
to avoid any repetition of this wrong. Yet, if
he is still deeply troubled over the matter,
such a Christian should avail himself of the
spiritual assistance available to him by heed
ing the words of James 5:13-16.

| ANNOUNCEMENTS $
FIELD MINISTRY

In order fo r people to put faith in Jehovah

God and his provision for salvation through
Christ they, need to hear the Bibles message
and have opportunity to get their questions
answered. During March, if one of Jehovahs
witnesses calls at your home, it will be with
the desire to help you personally to get satis
fying Bible answers to your questions. He
will gladly take time to show you the answers
in your own Bible. A s a further aid, he will
encourage you to subscribe for this fine Bible
journal, The Watchtower, for a year, for $1.

of its inspiration? Regardless o f your past

study, the book All Scripture Is Inspired of
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WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

TO OPEN N EW FIELDS OF UNDERSTANDING

April 16: Learn by Contrast to Appreciate

True Riches. Page 169. Songs to Be Used:
40, 31.
J>

H ow much do you know about the Bible as

a book? its origin? its writers? the evidences

April 23: The Haughty versus The Humble.

Page 175. Songs to Be Used: 97, 82.

APRIL 1, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

THE PATTERN OF JUDGMENT

G ODS JUDGMENT MAKES MANIFEST
THE TRULY RICH
HOW WE KNOW WE LIVE
IN THE LAST DAYS
HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN
YOUR DECISION TO SERVE GOD?
W TB&TS

YO U ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JE H O V A H .-lsa.43:l2

T H E PURPOSE O F 'T H E

W ATCHTOW ER

E very w atchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a

wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h at is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch to w er this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch to w e r" began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h to w e r "
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
'T h e W a tch to w e r is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. Vvhich
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H . K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

CONTENTS

A v e r a g e p r i n t i n g e a c h is s u e : 4 ,8 5 0 ,0 0 0 F i v e c e n t s a c o p y
The Watchtower Is Published in the Following 7 1 Languages
M o n th ly
S e m im o n th ly

W hen Others Are Dishonest,

W h at About You?

195

How W e Know W e Live

in the Last Days

197

H ave You Forgotten Your Decision

to Serve God?

201

Keeping Aw ake

204

The Pattern of Judgment

205

Gods Judgment Makes Manifest

the Truly Rich

212

A Harlot Executed by Her Lovers

By Teaching, Make Disciples of Christ

219
224

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-p ^ -riT zo ztn ciriq r

J E H O V A H S
KING DO M
'

V ol. L X X X V I I I

tt

TOBODY is honest,
C / x . w as th e h a r s h
judgment of Lincoln M. Zonn, New York
lie-detector specialist. Diogenes never
found an honest man and neither have
I, he said. Do you agree with Zonn? The
distressing fact is that there is more and
more evidence to support the conclusion
that people in general are becoming in
creasingly dishonest. What about you?
Norman Bell, Toronto (Canada) man
ager of Pinkertons national detective
agency, said: In our investigations weve
found, as an average, that one out of every
three employees is basically dishonest
which means he will seek ways of steal
ing; that one out of every three employees
will be dishonest if given the opportunity
and the third employee is the only one
who deserves the full trust of his employ
er. What about you? Where do you fit
among these statistics? Are you basically
honest?
It has been found that dishonesty is
quite contagious. The immoralities of a
single individual can weaken the inner re
straints of many, through the deadly ra
tionalization that everybody is doing it.
Here the Bible principle holds true: A
little leaven ferments the whole lump.
(1 Cor. 5:6) For example, in companies
where higher-ups were discovered stealing,
researchers found that other employees
copied their nefarious behavior right down
the line. Private investigator John Jurens

J \ f

A p ril 1, 1967

N um ber 7

W H E N OTHERS ARE

195

nm<am@

WHAIABOUT YOU?
stated that in companies where he found
company presidents stealing, everybody
was stealing. Would you permit this to
influence your morality? If the president
and other officials where you work were
dishonest, would you remain honest not
withstanding?
Dishonesty becomes an overwhelming
temptation to many persons when others
seem to be getting away with it. (Eccl.
8:11) A Chicago electronics firm hired
two watchmen on nights and weekends to
protect a warehouse, which was stocked
with radios and recorders. The two guards
turned the place into a Sunday-afternoon
bargain center. Customers, with the prop
er password, flocked to the warehouse and
were given free run of the place to select
the models of their choice at a flat rate
of one for $25 or two for $35. The firm
lost $300,000 in nine months before the
watchmen were apprehended. The guards
were corrupt themselves and they cor
rupted others. Still some customers did
not regard what they were doing as dis
honest. What about you? Do you think it
is right to purchase stolen property?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
SFHeWATCHTOWER
In Toronto a hotel owner recently dis to employee malpractices. This loss can
covered that fourteen of his employees cels every penny of profit that would re
had banded together and stolen money, sult from $5,000,000,000 worth of sales.
food, liquor, linen, typewriters, furniture Food industry sources estimate that dol
and other hotel property, with a total val lars lost annually either through theft or
ue of $36,000. One person said: It be opened packages no longer salable range
came a habit. A supermarket operator from $330,000,000 to $3,000,000,000. Shop
in America discovered that 90 percent pers pay for dishonesty in higher costs.
of his employees were taking home $1 or And higher prices hurt!
$2 a week either in cash or merchandise.
What about the damage done to ones
Everybody was doing it, so why not me? own moral fiber? A measure of self-worth,
was the reaction of some employees.
self-respect, is lost every time one is dis
People justified their actions by saying honest. There is a loss of goodness and
to themselves, The company owes it to appreciation of what belongs to others.
me, because they didnt give me a raise. The conscience becomes seared and its
Or thej? would neutralize their dishonesty real value is lost.
by saying, Everybody does it. They also
There is also a loss of confidence and
played down their guilt as embezzlers with trust once others find you dishonest, and
attitudes like, Its the right of every good not to have the confidence of others hurts.
employee to take home so many power Dishonesty can cut deep into the family
tools a year. The impersonality of big relationship and damage it beyond repair.
ness also loomed as a contributing factor Are you willing to pay that price for dis
to dishonesty. Some distinguished between honesty?
a supermarket and a neighborhood deli
There is also the effect dishonesty may
catessen. Said one undergraduate: A lot
have on the morals of others. Ones steal
of people steal from supermarkets, but no
ing from the supermarket may mean a
body steals from the deli [delicatessen]
because you know the guy depends on you steak on the table, but it also may mean
not to. Because of the impersonality of destroying the morals of ones children,
the supermarket, the dishonest person causing them to cheat in school and steal
may reason, After all, Im not hurting from others, which is a terrible price to
anybody in particular. Do you feel that pay for a steak.
way?
Think, too, what dishonesty can do to
Little do dishonest persons realize that ones relationship with God. It can wreck
they are hurting a lot of people with their it permanently, causing one to lose out on
dishonesty and, chief of all, themselves. life everlasting. Do you think dishonesty
American business is hurt to a total of is worth that price?
$5,000,000,000 a year from kickbacks, pay
Where dishonesty and wrongdoing load
offs and bribes. White-collar employees a person with invisible chains of guilt, the
steal about $4,000,000 every working day. consciousness of right-doing exhilarates
Some 250 firms yearly in America are and strengthens one. It fills one with selfforced out of business due to fraud and respect, with moral strength to do the
theft alone. Who says dishonesty does not right thing. So when others are dishonest,
hurt anyone? Supermarkets suffer an es if you are wise, you will do the right and
timated annual loss of $100,000,000 due honest thing.

196

HOW WE KNOW
w e live
'HE last of anything
means the final part, the
finish, the end. For example,
the last day o f the w eek
means the final twenty-four
hours that bring the week to a conclusion.
When the Bible speaks of the last
days, it has reference, not just to days
of a week, but to something far greater.
When 2 Timothy 3:1 states that in the
last days critical times hard to deal with
will be here, it refers to a period of time
marked by catastrophic events world wide.
It means that all elements of this system
of things, the political, the military, the
economic, the social and the religious,
would be nearing their cataclysmic finish.
As the last day of a week has a definite
beginning and a definite end, so the last
days of this entire sytem of things have
a definite beginning and a definite end.
During that limited span of time world
events are to build rapidly toward a cli
max. That climax will come when God
himself brings to an end this wicked sys
tem and replaces it with one that is good.
The Bible promises: There are new heav
ens and a new earth that we are awaiting
according to his promise, and in these
righteousness is to dwell. 2 Pet. 3:8-13.

An entire system of
things is to pass away.
How can we be cer
tain it is in our day?

sus wanted to know that too, so they

pointedly asked him what would be the
sign of the conclusion of the system of
things. (Matt. 24:3) In answer, Jesus
enumerated many of the momentous
events that would take place. These events
would come together within one genera
tion to identify the last days clearly.
They would be like the different lines that
make up a persons fingerprint, a print
that cannot belong to any other person.
The last days contain their own unique
grouping of marks, or events, forming a
positive fingerprint that cannot belong
to any other time period.
When the many factors are put togeth
er, we find that
ourgeneration, our
is the one that is identified in the Bible
as the last days. In fact, in this year
1967 we are actually living in the final
part of that time! This can be compared
to, not just the last day of a week, but,
rather, the last part of that last day.

HOW WOULD W E KN OW ?
1914 BEGINS THE LAST DAYS

But how can we know when the world

has reached its last days ? Apart from
Bible chronology, is there any way to de
termine for a certainty which period of
time will see the end of this present sys
tem of things?
In the first century the disciples of Je-

Before describing the last days, Jesus

cautioned: You are going to hear of wars
and reports of wars; see that you are not
terrified. For these things must take place,
but the end is not yet. (Matt. 24:6) True
to his words, there were many distur
bances among nations during the centuries
197

198

SFEeWATCHTOWER

that followed, and the simple fact is that

the last days did not come during that
time.
Then Jesus related some of the events
that would mark the last days. He stat
ed: Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. Following this
there will be great earthquakes, and in
one place after another pestilences and
food shortages. (Luke 21:10, 11) What
was Jesus telling his future followers? To
look for a disastrous war the dimensions
of which were unheard of in history, one
that would be accompanied quickly by oth
er disasters, such as disease, food short
ages and earthquakes.
Which war was Jesus speaking about?
World War I! It was the first war to fill
the description he gave, for it included,
not just nations, but entire kingdoms, in
deed, the entire world. Speaking of World
War I,
Life magazine stated: It
more men than any previous war, and it
was the first war to suck in whole nations,
including civilians. 1
No previous war in history compared
with it. It was so different that historians
of that time called it The Great War. Of
it, an encyclopedia states: World War I
took the lives of twice as many men as
all major wars from 1790 to 1913 put to
gether. It noted that total military casu
alties were over 37,000,000, and added:
The number of civilian deaths in areas
of actual war totaled about 5,000,000.
Starvation, disease, and exposure account
ed for about 80 of every 100 of these ci
vilian deaths. Spanish influenza, which
some persons blamed on the war, caused
tens of millions of other deaths. 2 World
War! Pestilences! Food shortages! Just as
Jesus foretold!
Yes, 1914 marked the beginning of
pangs of distress, as Jesus declared.
(Matt. 24:8) It was the dividing line, the
start of the last days, as can be noted

Brooklyn,

N. Y.

from the statements of many authorities.

On the anniversary of World War I the
London Evening Star commented that the
conflict tore the whole worlds political
setup apart. Nothing could ever be the
same again. If we all get the nuclear
madness out of our systems and the hu
man race survives, some historian in the
next century may well conclude that the
day the world went mad was August 4,
1914. 3
Former chancellor of West Germany
Konrad Adenauer spoke of the time be
fore 1914 when there was real peace, quiet
and security on this eartha time when
we didnt know fear. . . . Security and
quiet have disappeared from the lives of
men since 1914. And peace? Since 1914,
the Germans have not known real peace
nor has much of mankind. 4 Similarly,
former president of the United States
Dwight
killed D. Eisenhower said: A deteriora
tion has been going on since the first
World War. 6
Also, as Jesus foretold, after 1914 a se
ries of earthquakes rocked the globe, caus
ing more damage and casualties than ever
before. In 1915, at Avezzano, Italy, 30,000
were killed. In 1920,180,000 died in Kansu,
China. In 1923, 143,000 perished in Japan.
And earthquakes have continued to occur
with frightening intensity, taking a toll of
lives greater than in any other period of
human history. Now almost every year
sees a major tragedy due to earthquakes.
Just since 1960 there have been devastat
ing earthquakes in Morocco, Chile, Iran,
Yugoslavia, Alaska, Turkey and other
areas. Clearly it makes up another mark
of the fingerprint of these last days.
MORE TO COME

However, the events that took place in

connection with World War I were, as Je
sus said, only the beginning of the last
days. Much more was to come. And it did.

A p r il

1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER,

Note what one history source says:

World War I and its aftermath led to
the greatest economic depression in his
tory during the early 1930s. The conse
quences of the war and the problems of
adjustment to peace led to unrest in al
most every nation. All of this led directly
to World War II. How costly was it?
World War II killed more persons, cost
more money, damaged more property, af
fected more people, and probably caused
more far-reaching changes than any other
war in history. . . . It has been estimated
that the number of war dead, civilian and
military, totaled more than 22,000,000.
The number of wounded has been estimat
ed as more than 34,000,000. 6
That is a total of 56,000,000 casualties,
almost 20,000,000 more than in World
War I! Truly, the pangs of distress were
becoming more acute as the last days
moved toward their end.
This is also true of other catastrophes,
such as food shortages. During and after
World War II more died of starvation
than in World War I, says the same source.
It adds: The war left millions in Europe
and Asia without adequate food, shelter,
or clothing. They lacked fuel, machinery,
raw materials, and money. Their farms lay
devastated. Infant mortality and disease
were high. 7
Nor have such conditions eased. In India
today, says U.8. News & World Report of
December 27, 1965, a natural calamity
almost unprecedented in modern times is
facing this nation. Widespread famine, of
a kind not seen in the world in this gen
eration, is expected as the inevitable con
sequence unless outside aid can come.
VIOLENCE, IMMORALITY, DEGENERACY

Jesus also said there would be an in

creasing of lawlessness. (Matt. 24:12)
The apostle Paul foretold juvenile delin
quency, violence, corruption and selfish-

199

ness gone to seed: In the last days . . .

men will be lovers of themselves, . . . dis
obedient to parents, . . . without selfcontrol, fierce, without love of goodness,
. . . lovers of pleasures rather than lovers
of God, . . . wicked men and impostors will
advance from bad to worse.2 Tim. 3:
1-5, 13.
The record of our time, verified in the
daily news headlines, shouts out that
these things are happening right now!
Note this report: Fighting that some
times resembled guerrilla warfare raged
in the streets of American cities . . . A
wave of crime and rioting is sweeping
across the United States . . . In many cit
ies, women are afraid to go out after dark.
And they have good reason. Rapes, as
saults, sadistic outbursts of senseless vio
lence are on the rise. Crimes often seem
to be committed out of sheer savagery . . .
Respect for law and order is declining. 8
This is not confined to one country. Re
ports from all over the world are the same.
From the Philippines: No Filipino is safe
in the streets today. . . . thrill killing,
vandalism, and general mayhem is steadily
increasing. 9 South Korea: We cant have
even one day of peaceful life in Seoul
because in the evenings the streets become
streets of terror. 10 Sweden: These criti
cal situations that are a worry to all are
expected to become even more severe. 11
England: General lawlessness is greater
a breakdown of the sense of duty and
of obligation and truthfulness. 12 And the
Communist countries? Almost every
where, including Soviet Russia, there ap
pears to be an increase in crime, and par
ticularly, alas, in juvenile crime. 13
What is happening all over the world
is just as the head of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation in the United States said
of his land: Citizens of this country
ought to be able to walk all the streets of
our cities without being mugged, raped,

200

SfceWATCHTOWER

or robbed. But we cant do that today. All

through the country, almost without ex
ception, this condition prevails. 14
And immorality is sweeping the world
like a forest fire. In the United States the
number of children born out of wedlock
has more than doubled since 1945. In Lat
in America the rates are many times
higher. For every 1,000 live births, 716
are illegitimate in Guatemala, 613 in El
Salvador, 739 in Panama and 240 in Ar
gentina. 15 Uruguay produced a figure of
three abortions for every live birth.16
In Great Britain editor and author Mal
colm Muggeridge said: The position of
this country . . . in my opinion, is ab
solutely ghastly. When asked about the
rebellion of British youth against the old
values, he replied: I think its sheer de
generacy. . . . Theyre just degenerate . . .
the antics of an exhausted stock. 17 An
other source reported: The collapse of
private morality in Britain is becoming
the talk of a wondering world. 18
ANGUISH OF NATIONS

A dean of American education told a

meeting of teachers that the human race
today is just about lost. He added: All
the things that happened since 1914 are
things that just couldnt happen and we
will see a lot more of them. 19
Hence, what has happened since the last
days began in 1914 is just as Jesus fore
told: On the earth anguish of nations,
not knowing the way out . . . men become
faint out of fear and expectation of the
things coming upon the inhabited earth.
(Luke 21:25, 26) Of this very fear, col
umnist David Lawrence states: The fact
is that today the biggest single emotion
which dominates our lives is fear.20
And little wonder, for aside from sky
rocketing violence, crime, hunger, disease
and immorality, mankind has another
dread. The New York Times reported the

Brooklyn, N.Y.

United States Secretary of Defense as say

ing that more than 120 million Amer
icans would die in the event of a Soviet
missile attack . . . If it were to include
urban centers, . . . the death toll would
be 149 million. 21
There is no escaping it. All the lines of
the fingerprint are there to show con
clusively that we have been in the last
days since 1914, over fifty-two years
now! And calling attention to this is
not calamity howling. The near end of this
system of things and the establishment of
Gods kingdom are facts that God himself
is having proclaimed throughout the world
today, thus fulfilling another mark of the
last days, for Jesus said that this mes
sage will be preached in all the inhabited
earth for a witness to all the nations; and
then the end will come.Matt. 24:14.
Hence, do not be deceived by this
worlds propaganda that promises a bright
tomorrow for this system. God promises
its end. Whom are you going to believe?
For your everlasting happiness listen,
learn and then do what God requires of
you, for the world is passing away and
so is its desire, but he that does the will
of God remains forever. 1 John 2:17.
REFERENCES
1 Life, March 13, 1964, p. 45.
The World Booh Encyclopedia, 1966, Vol. 20, p. 377.
3 London Evening Star, quoted in the New Orleans
Times-Picayune, August 5, 1960.
4 Cleveland West Parker, January 20, 1966, p. 1.
5 U.S. News & World Report, September 13, 1965,
p. 20.
6 The World Book Encyclopedia, 1966, Vol. 20, pp. 379,
380, 410.
7 Ibid., pp. 410, 411.
8 U.S. News & World Report, August 1, 1966, pp. 5,
46, 47.
9 Philippine Islands Weekly Graphic, May 13, 1964.
10 South Korea Chosun Daily, April 14, 1964.
11 Stockholm Becko-Journalen, May 14, 1964.
1 2 Look, September 24, 1963.
13 U.S. News & World Report, November 1, 1965, p. 80.
14 Ibid., September 19, 1966, p. 43.
is Science News Letter, May 18, 1963, p. 309.
1 6 Look, July 14, 1964.
17 U.S. News <& World Report, July 25, 1966, pp. 67,
69.
is Intelligence Digest, September 1966, p. 4.
19 St. Paul Dispatch, January 19, 1963, p. 2.
2 0 U.S. News & World Report, October 11, 1965, p. 144.
2 1 The New York Times, February 19, 1965, p. 1.
2

Wave
( fo

F otyottm

ERE you not thrilled when

you investigated and first be
gan to understand the truth of Gods
Word? Did your heart not rejoice at
Gods provision for everlasting life
in a new system of things? An under
standing of Gods purposes can truly
move the heart, resulting in a per
sonal decision or dedication to serve
God. Have you made such a decision,
and symbolized it by water baptism?
W hile hundreds o f thousands o f
Christians have, unfortunately many
of these have failed to remember
their solemn dedication. We are deep
ly concerned about them.
The apostle Paul wrote about some
of such persons during his second im
prisonment in Rome, saying: All the
men in the district of Asia have
turned away from me. Phygelus and
Hermogenes are of that number.
(2 Tim. 1:15) For one reason or an
other these Asian Christians left Paul
and ceased their Christian activity.
Circumstances arose that caused
them to forget their decision to serve
God.
Today there are even greater pres
sures to turn a Christian from his
dedication to God. Within this very
generation Satan the Devil has been

cast out of heaven, and he is now waging war

against those who observe the commandments
of God and have the work of bearing witness to
Jesus. (Rev. 12:7-12,17) Has his war strategy
succeeded against you? Has he gotten a hold on
you and stifled your public praise? Have you
forgotten your decision to serve God? If so, it
is vital that you quickly avail yourself of Gods
help to free yourself from Satans grip.

As a first step, recall to mind the initial joy

and happiness that you realized when learning
the truth. Where, now, is that happiness you
had? The apostle Paul asked this very question
of certain Christians in his day, and added:
You were running well. Who hindered you
from keeping on obeying the truth? This sort
of persuasion is not from the One calling you.
(Gal. 5:7, 8; 4:15) No, it is from the Devil and
his agents! And that persuasion is designed to
cause you to forget God and to lead you into
destruction. So bestir yourself before it is too
late! Satan knows his end is near; do not let
him cause your end too.
MISPLACED LOVE

Just as love for God and his provisions

prompted your decision to serve Him, so love
for something else can cause you to forget that
decision. It has happened many times before.
During Pauls first imprisonment in Rome one
of his close associates and fellow ministers was
Demas, whose greetings Paul passed along in
his Christian letters. (Col. 4:14; Philem. 24)
However, during Pauls second imprisonment
Demas turned away from Paul. Why? Paul told
Timothy: Because he loved the present sys
tem of things. 2 Tim. 4:10.
Has a similar love developed in you? Is this
what has taken you away from Christian
meetings and association with the brothers?
It can so easily happen, and for this reason
201

202

SEeWATCHTOWER

Brooklyn, N.Y.

the apostle John recorded the divine warn ing: Am I more contented and satisfied
ing: Do not be loving either the world since leaving the Christian congregation
or the things in the world. . . . because and slipping into inactivity? Is my family
everything in the worldthe desire of the life more wholesome, are relations pleas
flesh and the desire of the eyes and the anter and is everyone happier? Or could
showy display of ones means of lifedoes the apostle Pauls question appropriately
not originate with the Father, but origi be directed at me, Where, then, is that
nates with the world. Furthermore, the happiness you had? (Gal. 4:15) Do we
world is passing away. 1 John 2:15-17. truly rejoice at the fulfillment of the Bible
What is the evidence that one is suc prophecies, which show the closeness of
cumbing to the desire of the eyes and the end of this wicked system of things?
is attaching importance to the showy dis (Luke 21:28) Very likely genuine happi
play of ones means of life ? It usually ness and contentment have diminished.
begins almost imperceptibly. At first, per What, then, is the wise course to take?
haps, only a few extra expenses are un
OVERCOMING MATERIALISTIC DESIRES
necessarily incurred, and this results in
It
is evident. It is the course that initial
only occasionally missing congregation
ly
acquainted
you with Gods purposes
meetings. Then further debts are assumed,
and
thrilled
your
heart. Yes, you can re
requiring more time to pay for them, and
kindle
your
joy
in
the same way that it
leaving less time for study and meetings.
was
first
realized:
By
means of a regular
Finally, serving God is completely thrown
Bible
study
in
your
home
and through as
out to make room for other interests. Like
sociation
with
your
Christian
brothers.
thorns, Jesus said, the deceptive power
Accept
the
invitation
for
such
a
study.
At
of riches and the desires for the rest of
tend
the
congregation
meetings.
It
is
what
the things make inroads and choke the
word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark you need to regain the happiness and con
tentment you once realized.
4:18,19.
Perhaps you feel somewhat like the
Did you notice what Jesus said can
make you unfruitful as a Christian? Not family who had been in the truth for
only possessing riches, or enjoying the twenty-two years but then, as they ad
pleasure of being wealthy (Matt. 13:22, mitted, were drawn into the world by
NW footnote, 1950 Edition); but, much materialism. They wrote: We often felt
more often, the DESIRES for the rest of we wanted to attend the meetings but it
the
thingscause unfruitfulness. Desires just seemed as if we couldnt make it. We
for new clothes, new TVs, new cars, new didnt really fit into Satans system, so
houses, new appliancesan endless num we were completely disconnected, isolated
ber of such things. Has satisfying these
between the new and the old systems of
desires so absorbed your time and ener
things. Although wanting and needing our
gies that you have not attended a meeting
brothers,
we always felt we had to dodge
in several months or more? It is indeed
them,
and
this left us frustrated and de
a serious matter to make a vow to do
pressed.
We
needed words of encourage
Jehovahs will, and then forget it. Eccl.
ment.
5:4-6.
Do you, too, at times, feel the need of
If the thorns of materialistic desires
have hindered you from obeying the truth, encouraging words? If so, will you be hum
it would be wise to examine yourself, ask- ble enough to accept them when they are

A p r il 1, 1 9 6 7

SheW ATCHTOW ER

offered? This family was, and they write:

We gladly accepted the provision of a
Bible study in our home. Now we are all
back in Jehovahs secure organization. I
cannot express the happiness I feel. Our
entire home is governed according to Bi
ble principles. We have learned from our
experience how necessary it is to apply all
instructions from the Society, have a fam
ily Bible study and do our Bible reading
daily.
Do not deprive yourself of the happiness
and contentment enjoyed among Gods
people. You also can realize it again. One
person, who had left off association with
the congregation years before, recently
attended a Bible study, and reported: My
mind went back to the time when I stud
ied, and really, I had not known true con
tentment or inward joy since then. Next
he went to the Kingdom Hall, and he
could not get over the cordial atmosphere
and the love and kindness of the brothers.
You, too, will receive this same warm
welcome at the congregation meetings.
The brothers will be genuinely happy to
see you again. So do not wait; go to a
meeting this very week! Do not allow the
thorns of materialistic desire to continue
to choke off Christian fruitage from your
life.
OPPOSITION FROM FRIENDS OR RELATIVES

On the other hand, is it opposition from

friends or relatives that has caused you to
forget your decision to serve God? Think,
now. Did you agree to serve God only if
you had no opposition? Are you going to
allow what others say to cause you to
cease attending Christian meetings and to
stop following Jesus example of minis
tering to others?
It would be wise to give careful atten
tion to what Christ said in this connec
tion: Whoever disowns me before men,
I will also disown him before my Father

203

who is in the heavens. Do not think I

came to put peace upon the earth; I came
to put, not peace, but a sword. For I came
to cause division, with a man against his
father, and a daughter against her mother,
and a young wife against her mother-inlaw. Indeed, a mans enemies will be per
sons of his own household. He that has
greater affection for father or mother
than for me is not worthy of me; and he
that has greater affection for son or
daughter than for me is not worthy of me.
And whoever does not accept his torture
stake and follow after me is not worthy of
me.Matt. 10:33-38.
From what Jesus said, it is evident that
true Christians must expect family op
position, is it not? Yes, indeed! So, really,
if your friends or relatives oppose true
worship, the sincerity of your decision to
walk in Jesus footsteps is put to the test.
You may somehow reason that keeping
peaceful relations with these persons is a
demonstration of love and, therefore, jus
tifies quitting true worship. But is aban
doning Gods service really showing love
for the ones closest to you? If you quit
when opposition arises, how will friends
and loved ones be helped to appreciate that
accurate knowledge of the Bible is of lifeor-death importance? Actually, genuine
love for them is shown by enduring their
opposition and resolutely living up to your
decision to serve God. You will thus af
ford your friends and relatives the best
possible opportunity to learn the truths
from Gods Word and to come in line for
the everlasting blessings that Jehovah
holds out to those who serve him.
True, this may be difficult. But do not
fail to appreciate that it is Satan the Devil
who is inspiring the persecution. So be
courageous! As the apostle Peter said:
Take your stand against him, solid in the
faith, knowing that the same things in the
way of sufferings are being accomplished

204

^eW ATCHTO W ER,

in the entire association of your brothers

in the world. (1 Pet. 5:9) Yes, Satan is
using the same tactics on your brothers
elsewhere, and they are standing faith
fully! You can too. Prove it by getting
back in the Christian race. Go to the con
gregation meetings! Do not put it off!
OTHER ATTEMPTS TO CAUSE YOU TO FORGET

There are many other ways in which

Satan the Devil endeavors to stumble
Christians and make them forget their de
cision to serve God. For example, some
one in the congregation may say or do
something that causes one to take per
sonal offense. And instead of straightening
out the trouble in the Scripturally pre
scribed way, the offended one allows the
matter to become such a big issue in his
mind that he leaves the Christian con
gregation.
But think: Is it pleasing to Jehovah God
to permit anyone or anything to interfere
with your service to him or your relation
ship with his organization? Most definitely
not! So do not allow such attempts of Sa
tan to cause you to forget God and his
service. You have nothing to gain and
everything to lose by staying away from
congregation meetings and the association
with your brothers.
A Christian cannot afford to be ignorant
of Satans designs, and one of his most

Brooklyn, N.Y.

successful tactics is to cause discourage

ment (2 Cor. 2:11) For example, one min
ister recently quit the ministry, explaining
that the reason was that there simply was
no response to the Kingdom message. Al
though this may be true, and even if peo
ple become increasingly cold toward God,
is this reason to quit? Consider the min
istry of the prophet Jeremiah to his un
responsive, stiff-necked countrymen, of
whom Jehovah said: You must speak to
them all these words, but they will not
listen to you; and you must call to them,
but they will not answer you. Jer. 7:27.
Although those Israelites were extreme
ly cold toward God, Jeremiah faithfully
continued preaching to them for some for
ty years. He got discouraged, true, and he
thought about quitting, but his love of
Gods truth impelled him to continue serv
ing. He did not forget his decision to serve
God. (Jer. 20:9) Copy that example, and
if, for any reason, you have slowed down
or abandoned Gods service, bestir your
self quickly and continue running the race
for life. Do not allow Satan to have the
satisfaction of causing you to go down into
destruction. Take your stand against him!
Assemble regularly with your brothers at
congregation meetings! There you will find
warm encouragement and the needed pro
tection.

"Keeping -fiwalce"
The Hebrew name for the almond tree ( shaqed) literally means the waker.
This is quite fitting since the almond is one of the earliest trees to bloom following
the winter rest, blossoming as early as late January or early February in Palestine.
In the Bible, at Jeremiah 1:11, 12, there is a play on words where the word
almond ( sliaqed) is followed by the expression keeping awake ( shoqed) : The
word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: W h a t are you seeing, Jerem iah V
So I said: 'An offshoot of an almond tree is what I am seeing/ And Jehovah went
on to say to m e: 'You have seen well, for I am keeping awake concerning m y word
in order to carry it out/

t h e B a p t is t
Prophets were until
began his minis
John. From then on
try by preaching:
the kingdom of God
R epent, f o r th e
is being declared as
kingdom of the heav
good news.Luke
ens has drawn near.
16:16.
He lost no time in
3
Jesus then pro
gathering disciples
ceeded to take two
a ro u n d h im w h o
more strands, saying
shared in the bless
first: It is easier for
ings of his ministry,
heaven and earth to
preparing them to be
pass away than for
counted worthy of
one particle of a let
the kingdom of God.
ter of the Law to go
At the same time he
unfulfilled. He then
told the u n w orth y
added: Everyone
religious leaders that
t h a t d iv o r c e s h is
a time of judgment
wife and marries an
was impending, that
other commits adul
already the ax is ly
tery, and he that
marries a woman di
ing at the root of the
trees, and that the
vorced from a hus
band commits adul
com in g one w ill
gather his wheat in
tery. (Luke 16:17,
18) It is u n lik ely
to the storeh ou se,
that his hearers saw
b u t th e c h a f f he
any connection be
w ill burn up w ith
tw een th ose state
fire that cannot be
ments. In fact, not
put out. Matt. 3:
until after the Chris
1, 2, 7-12; 2 Thess.
tian co n g re g a tio n
1:5.
2
The coming one, Jesus, as soon as hehad the inspired writings of the apostle
heard that John had been arrested, began Paul did the situation become clear. In
preaching the same message: Repent, for the light of those writings we can today
the kingdom of the heavens has drawn examine those two strands and appreciate
near. (Matt. 4:12, 17) He there began their designed purpose.
*Jesus not only kept the Law by per
weaving the pattern of judgment, working
out a harmonious design governed by a fect obedience to its requirements, he also
set purpose, for that is what a pattern is. fulfilled it. As he once said: I came, not
The first strand, the all-important time to destroy, but to fulfill, also saying that
element, was marked by the preaching of down to the last particle of a letter . . .
the Kingdom message. As Jesus said when all things [must] take place. (Matt. 5:
leading up to the illustration of the rich 17, 18) Paul wrote that the Law was a
man and Lazarus: The Law and the shadow [or, typical representation ] of

ohn

1. What contrasts marked John the Baptists ministry?

2. What is meant by a pattern, and how did Jesus
commence such in his ministry?

3. As recorded at Luke 16:17, 18, what two strands

did Jesus then take up?
4. In what way did Jesus fulfill the Law, leading to
what realities and final outcome?

206

SfreWATCHTOWER-

rooklyn

, N .Y .

the things to come, but the reality belongs and adultery were addressed primarily to
to the Christ. (Col. 2:17; Heb. 8:5; 10:1) the Pharisees, members of the rich man
In his life and sacrificial death, Jesus class. They were not free from the Law.
caused the big realities to take place. One True, the Law did embody a divorce pro
of the main provisions of the Law was vision whereby a man could have more
that of sacrifice for sins, especially those than one living wife, but Jesus went back
on the day of atonement. However, those to Gods original pattern for all who would
animal sacrifices were at no time able to have Gods favor in, or under, the new
take sins away completely. But this man covenant. There was no divorce provision
[Jesus] offered one sacrifice for sins per for Adam and Eve. So for a Christian to
petually by laying down his perfect hu divorce his or her mate, except on the
man life in death. (Heb. 10:11, 12) His ground of sexual unfaithfulness, and then
death laid the foundation for tremendous remarry while the divorced partner is still
changes, with great benefits to those ex alive, it means that such a one commits
ercising faith therein, beginning with the adultery. Hence Jesus remarks to the
Jewish members of the Lazarus class. Pharisees, who relied on tradition and the
Having fulfilled its provisions, then, says teaching of the then unwritten Talmud on
Paul, that former Law covenant was taken this subject, would only irritate them. It
out of the way and nailed to the torture was part of their torment. Deut. 24:1-4;
stake on which Jesus was impaled. (Col. Matt. 19:3-9.
2:14) But what connection did that have
7Thus we see the pattern of judgment
with the next strand, with Jesus remark taking shape. Keep in mind, however, that
about divorce and adultery?
the changes guaranteed by Jesus death
6
Having acceptably offered himselfbegan to go into effect before his death
without blemish to God, Jesus was made actually occurred. The message and work
a mediator of a new covenant. (Heb. 9: of both John the Baptist and Jesus were
14, 15) Paul explains that prior thereto based in strong faith on the certainty of
the Jews were bound under their Law Jesus carrying out all that was foretold
covenant as a married woman is bound and foreshadowed in the Law and the
by law to her husband while he is alive Prophets. In proof of this, when Jesus in
. . . But if her husband dies, she is free stituted the memorial of his death the
from his law, so that she is not an adul night before he was impaled, he passed the
teress if she becomes another mans. So, cup to his disciples, saying: This cup
my brothers, you also were made dead to means the new covenant by virtue of my
the Law through the body of the Christ, blood, which is to be poured out in your
that you might become anothers, the ones behalf . . . and I make a covenant with
who was raised up from the dead, that we you, just as my Father has made a cove
should bear fruit to God. Paul was ad nant with me, for a kingdom. Luke 22:
20, 29.
dressing his brothers of the Lazarus
8 No, those changes did not have to wait.
class, and it was only such who were dis
The
declaration of the good news of the
charged from the Law. Rom. 7:1-6.
kingdom began to bring about a complete
6 In contrast, Jesus words on divorce
reversal of conditions to both the classes
5. With what illustration does Paul show that some
were discharged from the Law?
6. What standard did Jesus set respecting divorce,
and how would this affect the Pharisees?

7. How did Jesus anticipate the benefits of his death?

8. What resulted from Jesus declaration of the King
dom message?

A p r il

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fEeWATCHTOWEFL

we are considering. From then on both

classes died to their former condition and
experience, shown in Jesus illustration by
the death of Lazarus and the rich man. At
Jesus death in fulfillment of the Mosaic
Law the Lazarus class died to that Law;
and at the following Pentecost they were
certified by the outpoured holy spirit as
being in the Greater Abrahams bosom.
What happened next, as described by Je
sus, and what was signified thereby, we
will follow with interest.
ABRAHAM, THE IMPORTANT FIGURE

9Imagine the scene. In torment in Ha

des the rich man lifts his eyes, and what
does he see? Why, afar off there is that
one-time beggar now enjoying the bosom
position with Abraham, that is, the fa
vored place, as when one reclines in front
of another on the same couch at a meal!
(Luke 16:23; see also John 13:23.) Bring
ing Abraham into the picture was very
significant, adding the most important
strand to the whole pattern of judgment.
Whom does he picture? Remember, Jesus
was speaking directly to the Pharisees.
They reckoned that they as the religious
rulers were the only ones entitled to the
bosom position of Abraham. In their eyes
the common people did not come into the
picture at all. Those rulers said to Jesus
in an earlier encounter with him: We are
Abrahams offspring, and again: Our
father is Abraham, and yet again: We
have one Father, God. John 8:33, 39, 41.
10From this it is evident that the Phari
sees considered that Abraham represented
God. In this they were right. Where they
were wrong was in claiming sonship with
either Abraham or God. In Gods eyes this
9,10. (a) What important character did Jesus intro
duce in his illustration? (b) How did the Pharisees
view their relationship with Abraham? (c) In what
way were they correct, and in what way incorrect, in
their conclusions?

207

relationship is determined, not by fleshly

descent, but by ones disposition and
works. As Jesus said to them on that same
occasion: If you are Abrahams children,
do the works of Abraham, and Jesus also
said: You are from your father the Devil,
and you wish to do the desires of your
father. That one was a manslayer when he
began. John 8:39, 44.
11 While that explains why Jesus pic
tured that the once rich man was far re
moved from Abraham, we might wonder
why Lazarus, after his death, was pic
tured as carried straight to the bosom po
sition of Abraham. (Luke 16:22) The em
phasis is on faith. Jesus came, not as King,
as expected, but in the likeness of sinful
flesh, brought just like a sheep to the
slaughtering. (Rom. 8:3; Isa. 53:7) It re
quired real faith to accept him as the Mes
siah. Some, not the haughty, but the hum
ble, did exercise such faith. They stepped
out in faith, just as Abraham did when he
went out [of his own country], although
not knowing where he was going. (Heb.
11:8) They became disciples of Jesus and
later, at Pentecost when they received the
holy spirit, they became Christians. Of
these, Paul wrote: For all who are led by
Gods spirit, these are Gods sons. . . . The
spirit itself bears witness with our spirit
that we are Gods children. Rom. 8:
14-16.
12 Paul also said respecting these:
Those who adhere to faith are the ones
who are sons of Abraham . . . [and] are
being blessed together with faithful Abra
ham. How so? To Abraham the grand
promise was made that through his seed
all nations of the earth will certainly
bless themselves. That seed is primarily
11. Why was faith essential in order to accept Jesus
as the Messiah?
12. How were those who adhered to faith further
blessed ?

B r o o k l y n , N.Y.
3EeWATCHTOWER
Christ Jesus. But in the riches of Gods 8:5-12) This indicated that many nonundeserved kindness others are privileged Jews, hitherto alienated from God and
to share with Christ as part of that seed. in a beggarly condition, would come from
As Paul again said: You are all, in fact, all parts and be brought right into the
sons of God through your faith in Christ bosom of divine favor. As Paul said: Now
Jesus. . . . Moreover, if you belong to the Scripture, seeing in advance that God
Christ, you are really Abrahams seed, would declare people of the nations righ
heirs with reference to a promise. Gal. teous due to faith, declared the good news
beforehand to Abraham, namely: By
3:7-9, 16, 26-29; Gen. 22:18.
13
In summary, then, we see that themeans of you all the nations will be
members of the Christian congregation, blessed. (Gal. 3:8) But as for those who
led by Gods spirit, are Gods sons. They thought that as the natural sons of Abra
are also spoken of as sons of Abraham be ham they were the undisputed heirs to
cause of their faith like that of his and all the key positions in Gods kingdom,
because, with Christ Jesus, they consti they would find themselves rejected and in
tute Abrahams seed, Gods instrument for torment.
15
The inclusion of Isaac and Jacob to
fulfilling his purpose centered in his king
dom. They comprise the Lazarus class, gether with Abraham in this instance
commencing with those Jews who were makes a fine picture of the Kingdom, the
conscious of their spiritual need and who Theocracy, in its complete setup. Abra
exercised faith when they heard Gods ham, the father of those who adhere to
messengers, John the Baptist and Jesus. faith, pictures the heavenly Father, Jeho
In fact, John and Jesus acted as angels, vah, the real source of all the blessings to
or messengers, in bringing those Jews into the nations. Isaac, Abrahams son, pic
line for those grand blessings tied in with tures Gods Son, Jesus Christ. Thus when
Gods promise given under oath to Abra Abraham offered his son Isaac in sacrifice
ham and his seed. No wonder, then, that on Mount Moriah, or went to the point of
Jesus pictured Lazarus as at once car doing so, he foreshadowed how Jehovah
ried off by the angels to the bosom posi offered up his only-begotten Son in actual
tion of Abraham.Luke 16:22.
sacrifice. In turn, Isaacs son Jacob pic
Though the Lazarus class, to begin tures the Christian congregation. As Jacob
4
1
with, was limited to the faithful Jews, it received life from Abraham through Isaac,
did not stay that way. To a certain Gen so likewise the Christian congregation re
tile army officer who showed unusual faith,
ceives spiritual life from Jehovah through
Jesus said: I tell you that many from
Jesus Christ. This congregation started
eastern parts and western parts will come
off
with a remnant of faithful Jews, but
and recline at the table with Abraham
about
three and a half years after Pen
and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
tecost
the Kingdom good news began to
the heavens; whereas the sons of the king
dom will be thrown into the darkness out be preached to the Gentiles, starting with
side. There is where their weeping and the Cornelius. Since then the people of the
gnashing of their teeth will be. (Matt. nations have come in from all parts, mak
ing up the full number. All of such con
13. (a) Who comprised the Lazarus class in the
stitute the Lazarus class.
first instance? (b) How did John and Jesus act as

208

angels toward such?

14. What indication was given that many non-Jews
would come into divine favor?

15. What fine picture of the Theocracy did Jesus give

at Matthew 3:11?

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SKeWATCHTOWER

GODS JUDICIAL DECISION

A GREAT CHASM

16Turning our attention now to the lat

ter part of Jesus illustration, taken up
with the argument between the rich man
and Abraham, we find further expressions
of Gods judgment. Note the two pleas
made by the rich man. First, he asks that
Lazarus be sent to cool his tongue with
a drop of water because of the fire. Fail
ing that, he then asks that Lazarus be sent
to warn his five brothers about this place
of torment. (Luke 16:24-28) Anything to
get Lazarus away from Abrahams bosom,
and keep him away! Why did he not ask
that the angels be sent on these errands
of mercy, seeing how speedily they acted
when carrying Lazarus off to Abraham?
But, no, it must be Lazarus who must do
the running about and act as messenger.
From Jesus portrayal of the rich man
we can only imagine that, if Lazarus had
actually visited him and put his finger in
his mouth to cool his tongue with a drop
of water, the rich man would have got a
grip on his finger and kept him there! We
know for a fact, as Jesus said, that the
scribes and Pharisees strained every nerve
to make one proselyte, and, having once
got him, they made him a subject for Ge
henna twice as much so as themselves.
Matt. 23:15.
17 How ridiculous to think of this tak
ing place literally, but how appropriate to
the facts, since we know the classes Jesus
had in mind! So we ask, How did the re
ligious rulers seek to get relief, if by only
a drop of water, from the Lazarus class?
Those men would not have been so tor
mented if the despised followers of Jesus
had just followed him and kept quiet. In16. How did the requests made by the rich man
shm? Y&s. real intention regarding Lazarus, and re
vealing what disposition?
17. How and why did the religious rulers seek to get
relief from the Lazarus class?

209

stead, they were trained and sent forth,

first the twelve and then the seventy.
They, and not the rulers, were now acting
as Abrahams seed, conveying heaven-sent
blessings, curing the sick and preaching
the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:1, 2; 10:
1, 9) Come Pentecost, and about 120 were
empowered by the holy spirit to speak
with tongues, and before the day closed
a further 3,000 were added to their num
ber. And their boldness! Both publicly and
before the Sanhedrin, the apostle Peter
and others, such as Stephen, never hesi
tated to declare the responsibility and
bloodguilt of those rulers. (Acts 2:23; 3:
14, 17; 4:10; 5:30; 7:52) As Abrahams
natural descendants, the rich man class
figuratively called out: Father Abraham,
have mercy on me and make this Laza
rus class speak instead in our favor, if
only a word! How did Abraham reply?
18
Abrahams first words merely stated
the facts: Child, remember that you re
ceived in full your good things in your
lifetime, but Lazarus correspondingly the
injurious things. Now, however, he is hav
ing comfort here but you are in anguish.
(Luke 16:25) No words were wasted on
the rich man. Why not? Because Jesus
knew that he was acting as Gods servant
in a time of inspection. He was in truth
Abrahams seed and any who called down
evil on such seed were cursed by God.
(Gen. 12:3) As a class, the rich man
had had his day, his lifetime, when he
had received in full the good things that
he could so easily have dispensed to those
in need. But that class showed that they
never had any intention of doing so, and
now Gods adverse judgment was manifest
upon them. Gods favorable judgment was
equally manifest on the Lazarus class.
This was the pattern of judgment, like a
18. How did Abrahams reply fittingly portray both
sides of the pattern of judgment?

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SHeWATCHTOWER

design in drawing where one side balances

and offsets the other. A strong straight
line is drawn right down the middle for
emphasis, and this is where the great
chasm comes in. Note Abrahams next
words to the rich man.
19 And besides all these things, a great
chasm has been fixed between us and you
people, so that those wanting to go over
from here to you people cannot, neither
may people cross over from there to us.
(Luke 16:26) No fraternizing! The Laza
rus class could not compromise and speak
peace to the rich man class. Jesus ap
preciated that this was a vital strand in
the pattern of judgment, and that Gods
judicial decision is a vast watery deep.
(Ps. 36:6) Mark you, it was only as classes
that the judgment was final. Neither class,
nor any supporting classes, could cross
over to the other, but individuals could and
did during their lifetime. The apostle Paul
was a notable example who, when for
merly in Judaism, bitterly persecuted the
Lazarus class. (Gal. 1:13-17) John the
Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees
offspring of vipers, and then said: Pro
duce fruit that befits repentance. Some
of them later did so. Matt. 3:7, 8; Acts
6:7.
20 Knowing the mental attitude of the
rich man class, Jesus added to his illus
tration a further argument prompted by
the rich man. Trying to ignore or get
around that chasm, he pleaded: In that
event I ask you, father, to send him [Laza
rus] to the house of my father, for I have
five brothers, in order that he may give
them a thorough witness, that they also
should not get into this place of torment.
(Luke 16:27, 28) Observe that, while ad
dressing Abraham as father, he speaks of
19. What was the effect and significance of the great
chasm ?
20. How did the rich man make a further appeal, and
how did this have an application in Jesus day?

B r o o k lyn , N .Y .

a more closely related father, in whose

house there are five brothers of his. Jesus
knew of the religious house of Judaism,
built on human tradition, to which the re
ligious rulers belonged. It was that house
that prompted the spirit of bitter persecu
tion, even of murder. Its father was the
Devil, who was a manslayer. (John 8:
44) The five brothers (with the rich man
making six, a symbol of the Devils orga
nization) represented all the admirers and
supporters of the religious rulers, and
manifesting the same spirit. The rulers
sought relief from being exposed, not only
in their own eyes, but also in the eyes of
their supporters. If these, their brothers,
were figuratively to die and land in the
same place, that would but add to their
torment. So, in effect, those rulers wanted
the Lazarus class to quit the position of
divine favor and give a thorough wit
ness, not of the judgment message, but
one that would give the appearance of
things being restored to what they were
prior to the inspection period, when nei
ther the rulers nor their supporters were
exposed to torment.
21
Could that be done? What was Abra
hams response? But Abraham said,
They have Moses and the Prophets; let
them listen to these. (Luke 16:29)
Nothing else and nothing less than Gods
word of truth! It was on that authority
alone that Jesus spoke to the people and
their rulers, including the judgment mes
sage then due. The Lazarus class spoke
likewise. For example, Peters strong, stir
ring message on the day of Pentecost was
based entirely on quotations from the He
brew Scriptures, from Moses (the Law)
and the Prophets and the Psalms. The fact
that three thousand immediately respond
ed and were baptized proved that the He21. What was the import of Abrahams response?

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SEeWATCHTOWER,

211

brew Scriptures in themselves were a suf brothers. If they turn a deaf ear to Gods
ficient warning and guide to those willing message in the Scriptures, they will turn
to listen, many of whom were formerly a blind eye to Gods messenger, whether it
adherents of Judaism. Acts 2:41.
be Jesus or the Lazarus class. As Jesus
22But the rich man had not finished. told them: You are searching the Scrip
Showing now his true colors and bluntly tures . . . that bear witness about me, and
disagreeing with Abraham, he said: No, he added that, if you believed Moses you
indeed, father Abraham, but if someone would believe me, for that one wrote about
from the dead goes
me. But if you do
to them they will re
not believe the writ
SP E C IA L
pent. (Luke 16:30)
ings of that one, how
NEXT ISSUE
In oth er w ords, he
will you believe my
Read: Mankind's Millennium
called for a climactic
sayings? John 5:
Under God's Kingdom
sign, for someone to
39, 46, 47.
Why Literally So
rise from the dead, as
24
being the one thing
tion ended on a note
necessary. This would avoid the need ei of strong judgment, as clear cut as that
ther to preach from the Scriptures or to great chasm. It showed Gods righteous
expose the traditions of Judaism. More judicial decision both for and against.
than once the Pharisees and others asked It was against the whole household of
Jesus to display to them a sign from those who only heard with annoyance,
heaven. He answered: A wicked and
and who shut their eyes; that they might
adulterous generation keeps on seeking
never see . . . and get the sense of it with
for a sign, but no sign will be given it ex
cept the sign of Jonah. Jonah was a suf their hearts and turn back. (Matt. 13:15)
But, thank God, that final word was whol
ficient sign to the Ninevites who, Jesus
ly in favor of the Lazarus class. There
said, repented at what Jonah preached,
would never be any need or justification
but, look! something more than Jonah is
for their leaving or forsaking the place of
here. (Matt. 16:1-4; 12:38-41) Jesus
preached with far more authority and sup divine favor with all its comforting pro
visions and opportunity for feasting at Je
porting evidence than Jonah ever did. But
hovahs banquet table.
the result was as Jesus said: Unless you
25
Can we draw parallel lines and extend
people see signs and wonders, you will by
the
pattern
of judgment in all its salient
no means believe. John 4:48.
features to our own day? Does Jesus illus
23 In agreement with this, Abraham re
tration have a pointed message for us?
plied to the rich man: If they do not lis
Can we trace two classes in contrast and
ten to Moses and the Prophets, neither
see how a great change, a reversal of con
will they be persuaded if someone rises
ditions, has taken place under our very
from the dead. (Luke 16:31) This was
eyes? And are we, as individuals, thereby
the final word of judgment against the
helped to see what we must do to find true
class represented by the rich man and his
riches under Gods favorable judgment?
22. (a) What was the rich mans final plea? (b) What
prompted this, and how did Jesus respond to the
demand for a sign?
23. How was Abrahams final word appropriate and
true to the facts?

24. What warning and encouragement can be gained

from the final word spoken in this illustration?
25. What questions does this prompt respecting our
own day?

Jesu

out on a larger scale. By examining the

context of the illustration and other re
lated scriptures we were able to identify
the two main characters at the time of
the first advent in its first fulfillment. The
same procedure will help us to get a clear
picture of the present situation. It will also
aid us individually to see where we stand
in relation to that judgment pattern and
its designed purpose.
3We do not have to look far to find the
modern rich man class. The religious
clergy and leaders of Christendom bear a
marked resemblance to the Jewish reli
gious leaders of Jesus day. Today, as then,
'N HIS prophthese men are in a class to themselves,
sacrosanct, reckoned as superior in stand
in g the tim e o f
ing and education, marked by their dress
the end, Jesus
and their many titles. They are rich in po
said: This good
If
sitions of influence and prominence, often
news of the kingin good standing with the political rulers,
d om w i l l be
and in some cases exercising a real power
p reach ed in all
behind the throne, or the dictator. These
th e i n h a b i t e d
J
men are also rich religiously in their
earth for a wit- l . .
ness to all the na
claims to be exclusively Gods spokesmen
tions. This com
in national affairs, also in social and per
pares with the message at the first advent, sonal problems. In their congregations
namely, that the kingdom of the heavens they are usually the only ones ordained
has drawn near. Todays message is more to preach and conduct the services. In
forceful. It tells of Gods kingdom actually some churches these men claim the right
established, for in the autumn of 1914 C.E. to hear confession and grant absolution.
Jehovah installed his King, Christ Jesus, Certain ones even claim the right to can
not on an earthly throne, but at the heav onize one as a saint, declaring such a one
enly Mount Zion.Matt. 24:14; 4:17; Ps. to be holy and righteous. In very truth
2:6; Heb. 12:22.
the modern rich man class seeks to
2
The Kingdom message at the first addeck himself with purple and linen, en
vent marked the beginning of an inspec joying himself from day to day with mag
tion and judgment period. It was the first nificence. Luke 16:19.
strand in the pattern of judgment. As a
4 We also do not have to look far to lo
result, changes began to take place involv cate the beggar class of Jesus illustra
ing two classes, as portrayed in Jesus il tion. Remember how at the first advent
lustration of the rich man and Lazarus. this class of lowly and humble ones showed
The same is true today. The principles on up as soon as the forerunner, John the
which the inspection and judgment are
Baptist, began preaching. So, too, today,
based remain the same, but it is worked

MANIFEST
TRULY
RICH

3. How can we identify the modern rich man" class?

4. Since when has a modern Lazarus" class become
apparent, and how so?

1. Why is the Kingdom message today so forceful?

2. What procedure will help us in applying the illustra
tion at Luke 16:19-31 to our own day?

212

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

213

before the Kingdoms establishment in

1914, there was a similar preparatory
work done of clearing the way before Je
hovahs representative. (Mai. 3:1) Being
on a larger scale, it covered a longer pe
riod of about forty years. At once it found
those who were aware of their spiritual
need, but who, like Johns disciples, be
came no longer dependent on the orthodox
religious leaders for spiritual food. Up till
then they, like Lazarus in his ulcerous con
dition, had been put at his [the rich
mans] gate to catch what morsels of
food might be dropped. (Luke 16:20, 21)
However, Christendoms clergy, like their
former counterpart, have shown scant con
cern for the common people. They have
preferred their traditions and creeds to
teachings governed strictly by the Bible.
Their table might have the appearance of
a magnificent spread, but their food is
adulterated.

valis W itnesses in the Divine Purpose.)

That early work and message were in an
ticipation of a larger and more clearly de
fined pattern to be worked out after 1914.
Like the morning sun, we do not have to
wait for it actually to rise for its penetrat
ing beams to reveal everything in sharp
outline. Before that, in anticipation, the
welcome light of dawn gives an increasing
ly clear picture of the landscape before us.
6There is another thing. When Jesus
gave his illustration, the religious rulers
still reckoned to hold on to their high liv
ing and pretentious claims. There were al
so many in a beggarly state who only later
experienced the comfort of divine favor.
That did not alter the fact that the in
spection period had commenced and noth
ing could change its principles or stop or
even hinder its outworking. Jesus spoke
accordingly. So today, once Christ Jesus
was enthroned on heavenly Mount Zion at
the expiration of the Gentile Times in
CORRECT VIEW OF THE TIME FACTOR
1914, nothing could stop or delay the pro
5
Then, as told in the illustration, someceedings due to take place.
thing happened that changed the entire
7In Pauls inspired description of the
scene. Both men died. That is where the Theocratic setup at Mount Zion . . . heav
important time element comes in, marked enly Jerusalem, after mentioning the
in the fulfillment by the declaration of the myriads of angels . . . and the [Christian]
Kingdom good news. Yes, death is a cli congregation of the first-born, he then
mactic event, but do not get the wrong names the most important figure, the
impression. The resultant changes do not Greater Abraham, God the Judge of all.
occur all at once, affecting everyone simul (Heb. 12:22, 23) Yes, he judges the Laza
taneously. It did not happen that way at rus class and the rich man class and
the first advent. In anticipation of Jesus all others. His judicial decision is a vast
ministry, a work was done and a message watery deep, a great chasm, righteous
declared for six months prior thereto that and inexorable respecting all classes. (Ps.
brought comfort to some and torment to 36:6; Luke 16:26) However, until the
others. Likewise prior to 1914, the mes final execution of his judgment it is
sage of truth centering around Gods king possible for individuals to experience a
dom brought comfort and hope to some, change of heart and forsake one class and
filling the souls of the hungry, but it an flee to another, even during this inspec
tion period. Do not forget, though, the
gered and tormented the clergy, who were
time is limited. It is in this vein that Paul
not slow to show it. (For details see
6. How are we further guided in this respect?
5. Are we to expect a sudden fulfillment of what was
pictured by the death of the rich man and Lazarus?

7. How did Paul identify the Greater Abraham, leading

to what fine appeal?

214

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
ffieWATCHTOWER
continues, saying: See that you do not beheld them. That is exactly what hap
beg off from him who is speaking. He pened in 1919 to Jehovahs witnesses who
goes on to say that the entire present sys were restored to his favor and exalted
tem of things, yes, the symbolic heaven service in the interest of his kingdom in
and earth, will be shaken and completely the eyes of all, including their enemies of
removed. He concludes with this fine ap the rich man class. Rev. 11:7-12.
peal: Wherefore, seeing that we are to
10 Since then the changed conditions as
receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken, foretold have become more and more ap
let us continue to have undeserved kind parent. Jehovahs true servants, who had
ness, through which we may acceptably previously wept and were hungry, could
render God sacred service with godly fear now cry out joyfully because of the good
and awe. Heb. 12:25-28.
condition of the heart, due to being fed
8 Paul adds a strong, final word: For with Kingdom truths and enriched with
our God is also a consuming fire. Note Kingdom service. In contrast, it is woe to
the distinction. In his illustration, Jesus those professed servants of God who de
told of the fiery condition that men suffer clare themselves righteous before men,
while still on earth, that torments but does and like all men to speak well of them.
not kill. Paul, however, was referring to These now have cause to make outcries
the final execution of judgment that con because of the pain of heart as they see
sumes and destroys all life in the lake of the Lazarus class enjoying great pros
fire . . . the second death. Heb. 12:29; perity and being made truly rich, blessed
. . . with every spiritual blessing in the
Rev. 20:14.
9Looking at the facts, we find further heavenly places in union with Christ, the
evidence of the need to consider properly reigning King, and with Jehovah, the
the time factor. Though 1914 marked the Greater Abraham. But the modern rich
birth of the Kingdom, it was not until man class are as good as dead and buried
1919 that the Lazarus class fully ex as far as having any evidence of divine
perienced their changed condition. (Rev. favor. They reject the Kingdom message
12:5) What happened? During World War proclaimed by the Lazarus class. In
I the clergy of Christendom were per stead, they advocate such human political
mitted by God to oppress and drive Jeho substitutes as the League of Nations and
vahs dedicated servants of the Lazarus the United Nations. Notice now the
class into a tight corner of inactivity. As present-day pleas of the rich man class,
a class, it seemed they were finished and, as indicated in Jesus illustration. Isa.
symbolically, their lifeless corpses were 65:14; Luke 6:26; 16:15; Eph. 1:3.
exposed on the broad way of the great
THE PLEAS OF THE MODERN
city, Babylon the Great. Their enemies
RICH MAN CLASS
rejoiced over them. Then, under Gods
1
1
In
broad
outline, the arguments of the
directive decree, a sudden reversal oc
modern
religious
leaders are similar to
curred. The spirit of life from God re
those
of
the
scribes
and Pharisees. In both
stored them to activity, and they heard
a loud voice out of heaven say to them: cases actions speak louder than words.
Come on up here . . . and their enemies Every effort is made to minimize or offset

8.

What final word did Paul add, and what distinction

is to be noted?
9. How does the prophecy at Revelation 11:7-12 throw
further light on the time factor?

10. Since 1919, how have the changed conditions for

both classes become more evident?
11. How do we see the rich man's plea at Luke 16:24
fulfilled in our time?

A p r il

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SHeWATCHTOWER.

the vigorous work and message of the

Lazarus class, even endeavoring to get
the work banned where possible. O for
Lazarus to be sent to cool my tongue
with a drop of water in this blazing fire!
0 for a soothing, complimentary word
from Jehovahs witnesses and, incidental
ly, get them to quit their position of di
vine favor! Anything to get them away
from Abrahams bosom! Luke 16:24.
In reply to the rich mans plea you
2
1
will recall that Abraham merely reviewed
the facts, implying that nothing could al
ter them. That is how it is today. The
result of the efforts to get Jehovahs wit
nesses to tone down their message or
change their stand are just as fruitless as
with the early Christian congregation. Je
hovah gives the same instruction to the
Lazarus class today as he did to his
servant Jeremiah: To all those to whom
1 shall send you, you should go; and every
thing that I shall command you, you
should speak. . . . They will be certain to
fight against you, but they will not pre
vail against you, for I am with you, is
the utterance of Jehovah, to deliver
you. Jer. 1:7, 19.
13 You will further recall in the illus
tration that Abraham next drew attention
to the great chasm. But did you notice
that he did not confine his remark to just
the rich man and Lazarus, saying that nei
ther of them could cross over to the other
because of the chasm? He speaks of many
people on both sides, saying: A great
chasm has been fixed between us and
people, so that those wanting to go over
from here to you people cannot, neither
may people cross over from there to us.
Luke 16:26.
14By this means Jesus opened the door
12. As indicated by Abrahams reply, what has been
the result of the plea of the rich man class?
13. How did Jesus point to a wider application when
mentioning the great chasm?
14. What further classes are seen in the modern ful
fillment besides those pictured by the rich man and
Lazarus ?

215

to a wider application of his illustration.

This is particularly true in the modem
fulfillment. We know that the rich man
had five brothers who, by implication,
were headed for the same place of tor
ment. The only creatures Jesus mentioned
as being on the side of Lazarus were those
who took the trouble to put him, as a
needy beggar, at the rich mans gate, also
the dogs who considerately licked his ul
cers. There we have the clue. They did
something for Lazarus in his need. The
rich man did nothing. In another illustra
tion, Jesus tells of those who do good to
his spiritual brothers (the Lazarus
class), even to the least of them, when
seen to be in need. These who are glad to
render service to Christs brothers may be
nobodies, or just dogs, in the eyes of the
rich man class, but Jesus says that in
his eyes they are sheep (that is, his oth
er sheep, in addition to his little flock
of joint heirs). (John 10:16; Luke 12:32)
On the other hand, those who refuse or
fail to render any aid, Jesus likens to
goats who suffer the final judgment, the
consuming everlasting fire prepared for
the Devil and his angels. As for the
sheeplike ones, they are invited to inherit
the kingdom prepared for you. Even
now, as seen in the vision given to John,
they serve God day and night in his tem
ple, in close association with the tem
ple class or Lazarus class, hence en
joying an earthly position of divine favor.
These associates are also made truly rich,
because the Lamb . . . will guide them to
fountains of waters of life. Matt. 25:3146; Rev. 7:15-17.
FURTHER PLEA REJECTED

15
To endure tormenting shame and dis
grace is bad enough. It is far worse if
those well known to you, your own house15. How is the situation now seen regarding the plea
for Lazarus to visit the house of the rich mans father?

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3EeWATCHTOWER

hold, are involved and all alike share in

the public exposure. As with the Jewish
clergy of Jesus day, so now Christendoms
clergy and leaders find themselves in a
similar position. They would like to ma
neuver the Lazarus class away from
their position of rendering exclusive de
votion to the Greater Abraham. Could
they not be sent on a mission and, in the
words of the illustration, call at the house
of the rich mans five brothers and stay
long enough to give them a thorough wit
ness ? (Luke 16:27, 28) In other words,
make a friendly contact with the sup
porters of Christendom and witness to
them, yes, but the kind of witness that
would spare them torment. If that should
happen, we may be sure that they would
be made welcome and would be retained
and made a part of the household of the
rich mans father, Christendoms father,
the god of this system of things, Satan
the Devil!
16 Could that be done? You remember
Abrahams answer: They have Moses and
the Prophets; let them listen to these.
(Luke 16:29) Today these Hebrew Scrip
tures have been supplemented by the
Christian Greek Scriptures. The Laza
rus class and their associates, that is, all
of Jehovahs witnesses, now use the entire
Bible, telling, among other things, of the
reason for Gods judgment on Babylon the
Great, her bloodguilt, her friendship with
the world, her false doctrines, her shame
less luxury, her coming destruction. Rev.
17:5, 6; 18:2, 3, 21.
17 This extended thorough witness is
not the kind that pleases either Christen
doms leaders or her supporters. When the
rich man responded: No, indeed, father
Abraham, he was really saying No to
16. In what way does Abrahams reply now have an
enlarged fulfillment?
17. (a) How is the rich man class affected by the
thorough witness ? (b) What sign do they demand,
and why?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Moses and the Prophets. How true that is

today! Jehovahs witnesses in themselves
are not disliked or feared by the religious
leaders. It is their message from the Bi
ble that, like a sword, is powerful by
God for overturning strongly entrenched
things. (2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:17) Any
thing but that! So what is the alternative?
A sign! A sign so overwhelming that there
will be no call for either reason or faith.
If someone from the dead goes to them
they will repent, pleaded the rich man.
(Luke 16:30) The rich man class ac
knowledge the need for repentance on the
part of their supporters, but they want it
done by a shortcut method. They want a
method that will obviate the need to con
tinually pour out the seven bowls of the
anger of God into the earth, or to con
tinually refer to Moses and the Prophets
and the rest of the Scriptures, saying: It
is written. Rev. 16:1; Matt. 4:4, 7, 10.
18
There is no changing or evading the
pattern of judgment. If they do not listen
to Moses and the Prophets, neither will
they be persuaded if someone rises from
the dead. (Luke 16:31) That was Abra
hams last word. It turned out like that
for the Jewish clergy and their supporters.
It turns out the same way today. As in
the early days, so now, neither the reli
gious leaders nor their supporters can ever
say they did not have the opportunity to
listen to the Scriptures and their message.
They are not forced to listen or be per
suaded. They can harden their hearts and
shut their eyes. They can oppose and per
secute, but they cannot silence the wit
nesses who enjoy the protection of the
Greater Abraham. In the apostles days
persecution arose against the congrega
tion that was in Jerusalem . . . [but] those
who had been scattered went through the
18. In what way is Abrahams final word seen to be
appropriate in todays situation?

A p r il

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SlieWATCHTOWER,

217

land declaring the good news of the word. outcome Jehovah gave, that Jehovah is
(Acts
8:1,4) Today the Witnesses may bevery tender in affection and merciful.
driven underground, but they still preach. Jas. 5:1-3,9-11.
19The responsibility of the religionists
21 This latter part gives the bright side
is, in fact, greatly increased because of the pattern. For quite a time Job, like
someone from the dead has been raised Lazarus, was deprived of everything and
up. As Peter said: God raised this One obliged to scrape the pus from his boils,
[Christ Jesus] up on the third day . . . Al like the dogs who licked Lazarus ulcers.
so, he ordered us to preach to the people (Job 2:8) Job, too, was at the mercy of
and to give a thorough witness that this his supposed benefactors, his three reli
is the One decreed by God to be judge of gious friends, from whom he got about as
the living and the dead. (Acts 10:40, 42) much relief and help as Lazarus did from
Yes, a thorough witness was then given, the scraps from the rich mans table. Then
but even more so today since the risen came an inspection and judgment from Je
One has become King and Judge in Gods hovah that put everyone in his right place.
kingdom. Additionally, the Lazarus class It made manifest who was truly rich. Re
themselves were figuratively raised from stored to health and openly shown as hav
the dead in 1919, as already noted, like ing Gods favor, Job was blessed with
Jonahs deliverance from the belly of the twice as much as he had before. Addition
great fish. But all this makes no difference ally, he had a new family of ten fine chil
to the household of the rich man and his dren, like the great crowd of other
brothers.
sheep who are gathered to the Lazarus
class to become one flock, [under] one
LEARNING HOW TO BE TRULY RICH
shepherd. Job 42:10-17; Rev. 7:9; John
20The Bible writer James very aptly 10:16.
summed up the theme of our discussion.
22As individuals, we can learn how to
Under inspiration he wrote: Come, now, become truly rich, even if it means chang
you rich men, weep, howling over your ing our own pattern of life. We can
miseries [torment] that are coming upon search for Jehovah . . . while he may be
you. Your riches have rotted, and your found. We can avoid the errors of the
outer garments [of linen and purple] have wicked and harmful man. The rich man
become moth-eaten. . . . Something like in Jesus illustration never learned any
fire is what you have stored up [not in
thing. He was haughty and self-centered to
future eternal torment after death, but]
the end, persisting in viewing Lazarus as
in the last days. Then, refening directly
just a beggar to be called on to do his
to the pattern of judgment, he continued:
bidding. But Abraham countered his pleas
Look! The judge is standing before the
by advocating just one thing, Moses and
doors. Brothers, take as a pattern of the
the Prophets, the Holy Scriptures. Gods
suffering of evil and the exercising of pa
pattern is made very clear therein, show
tience the prophets, who spoke in the
ing you how to return to Jehovah, who
name of Jehovah. . . . You have heard of
will have mercy . . . for he will forgive in
the endurance of Job and have seen the
a large way. Isa. 55:6, 7.
19. What greater responsibility now rests on all the
religionists?
20. In James' reference to rich men, what close corre
spondencies are to be noted as compared with Jesus
illustration?

21. How does the drama of Job compare with that of

Lazarus ?
22. In order to become truly rich, what must we do
and what must we avoid ?

218

SHeWATCHTOWER

B rooklyn,

N.Y.

23 Jesus, too, in his message to the con am standing at the door and knocking. If
gregation in Laodicea, showed how you anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
can learn by contrast to appreciate true I will come into his house and take the
riches. Though addressed primarily to the evening meal with him and he with me.
Lazarus class, the same principles apply (Rev. 3:20) If willing, you can respond
to all of Gods people. That congregation to that personal appeal and become truly
had become lukewarm due to its failure rich, enjoying the close position of his
to distinguish between true and false rich favor and acceptance as part of the one
es, and boasted: I am rich and have ac flock under the one shepherd.
quired riches and do not need anything
26 If you come to realize that you have
at all. They were self-sufficient and self- been trapped in Babylon the Great, then
righteous. But judged by true spiritual respond to that appeal quickly and be
values, as Jesus said, they were miser come one of Jehovahs people by dedicat
able, pitiable, poor, blind and naked, in ing yourself to him. The Babylonians are
danger of being rejected, vomited out of not told to flee, but Jehovah says: Get
his mouth. Note Jesus remedy: I advise out of her, m y people. (Rev. 18:4) It is
you to buy from me gold refined by fire a matter of faith, a living faith backed up
that you may become [truly] rich, and by a course of action in harmony with
white outer garments that you may be Gods Word of truth. There is no excuse
come dressed and that the shame of your for ignorance. The chasmlike line of de
nakedness may not become manifested, marcation is clearly drawn. Jesus said:
and eyesalve to rub in your eyes that you This is the basis for judgment, that the
may see. Rev. 3:14-18.
light has come into the world. Jesus him
self, said
in his
life and teaching, personified
24 Ah, yes! Buy
frome,
Jesus,
and pay my price. It is not unreasonable. and exemplified that true light that gives
He invites you to give yourself in devo light. Generally, men have refused to
tion and dedication to Jehovah, as he him come to the light, preferring to practice
self set the pattern. Submitting yourself the vile things that belong to the darkness.
to his training and discipline will pro They refuse to exercise faith and, said
duce the tested quality of faith, of much Jesus: He that does not exercise faith
greater value than gold proved by fire. has been judged already. They prefer to
Seek righteousness, not parading in your stay in a condemned state in Babylon the
own purple and linen, but in garments Great. It is their own choice. John 1:
washed white in the blood of the Lamb, 9; 3:18-20.
trusting in the merit of his sacrifice. Seek
27 In contrast, why not come to the light
meekness, by being teachable, continual and learn how to be obedient to it, so that
ly rubbing in the eyesalve, making a real your works may be made manifest as
effort to keep your eyes opened to the having been worked in harmony with
truths stored up in Gods Word. 1 Pet. God ? (John 3:21) Thus, instead of hav
1:7; Rev. 7:14; Zeph. 2:3.
ing to taste the bitter contrast between
25 To anyone taking this course, Jesus life and destruction when that great city
made a most inviting promise: Look! I is destroyed, or at Armageddon, you can
23. How does Jesus message to the Laodiceans help
us in this regard?
24. Jesus words: Buy from me, call for what
requirements?
25. What fine encouragement did Jesus then give?

26. What action is now urgently required, based on

what quality?
27. By taking what course and gaining what position
can we enjoy refreshing contrasts both now and in the
future?

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219
f&eWATCHTOWER
come now into the loving favor and pro worth while, with the wonderful prospect
tection of Abrahams God, Jehovah. From of everlasting life in Gods new system of
that vantage position you can start ex things with its further promise of delight
periencing now the happy contrasts that ful contrasts, for its Creator says: Look!
make life so endlessly interesting and I am making all things new. Rev. 21:5.

execu ted

H H J l^

B Y HER LOVERS

T IS not uncommon to read in the news

papers an account about a clandestine
affair in which there is a falling out be
tween lovers and the woman is murdered
by her paramour. Usually it is a love tri
angle and jealousy is the motive. Some
times we read of where a harlot is mur
dered by her lovers, even stripped naked,
tortured and thrown alongside the road.
Often this is because of their disgust at
her complete filthiness and degradation or
because she was disloyal in some scheme
of theirs.
The harlot we are discussing here, how
ever, is no ordinary harlot. She is one
that has had kings and rulers as her para
mours. Nevertheless, she is executed by
them, and not for reasons of jealousy, but
because she has deceived them. She has
made the world situation much more dif
ficult for the rulers to handle. Actually
she leads them into a postion where they
are found to be fighting against God. They
come to the point of disgust and hatred
toward her that causes them to want to
obliterate her and all thoughts and memo
ries of her.
This harlot, whose activities have af
fected the lives of everyone on earth, is
the one that was portrayed in vision to

the apostle John. She is an international

harlot and her activities and her final
destiny and execution at the hand of her
lovers are clearly described in the record
John made of the vision. We read in the
book of Revelation that John saw a wom
an, a harlot named Babylon the Great,
riding a scarlet-colored beast. He writes:
And he says to me: The waters that
you saw, where the harlot is sitting, mean
peoples and crowds and nations and
tongues. And the ten horns that you saw,
and the wild beast, these will hate the
harlot and will make her devastated and
naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts
and will completely burn her with fire. For
God put it into their hearts to cai'ry out
his thought, even to carry out their one
thought by giving their kingdom to the
wild beast, until the words of God will
have been accomplished. And the woman
whom you saw means the great city that
has a kingdom over the kings of the
earth.
Rev. 17:15-18.
A RELIGIOUS EMPIRE OVER THE NATIONS

As explained in previous issues of

Watchtower, the scarlet-colored beast is
the international peace organization now
known as the United Nations. The ten

220

SEeWATCHTOWER,

horns represent the complete number of

the earthly rulers that make up this or
ganization. They are the powers that
hold political control over their respec
tive nations and peoples. The harlot is
said to be sitting on many waters (Rev.
17:1), which mean peoples and crowds
and nations and tongues. (Vs. 15) These
have included people of all nations of
the earth. Therefore, Babylon the Great
is larger than a kingdom she is an em
pire, a religious empire wielding reli
gious influence and control over lives of
peoples, just as she is shown sitting
upon them. She has wielded so much
power and influence in this way that
the kings and rulers of the earth have
found it advantageous to adopt a form of
religion, in some places even making a
Babylonish religion the state religion. It
is in this way that Babylon the Great has
a kingdom over the kings of the earth.
Babylon the Great, being made up of the
world empire of multitudinous sects, is
therefore greater than Christendom, and
older, but includes Christendom.
What is the one thought that the ten
kings have, and how does God put it into
their hearts to carry it out? Well, God
knows how to reserve the ungodly to the
day of judgment to be punished. (2 Pet.
2:9) In letting them go to great limits in
their schemes he has a purpose. He, too,
has a thought of his own regarding the
ten kings that involves the fate of Bab
ylon the Great the harlot. He maneuvers
them all into the position in which he
wants them and causes them to be exposed
and to show their true colors before they
are destroyed.
GOD BRINGS THE HARLOT
AND HER LOVERS TO JUDGMENT

The one thought the ten kings have

is opposition to Gods kingdom in the
hands of his Lamb, Jesus Christ. Just as

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Jehovah did with Pharaoh of ancient

Egypt, who he told Moses beforehand
would not listen to his voice until He had
struck Egypt with all his wonderful acts
(which finally ended in Pharaohs destruc
tion at Jehovahs hands in the Red Sea),
so Jehovah knows these kings heart atti
tude. He puts them on judgment before
him and makes them produce the evi
dence. On the basis of this evidence he can
righteously sentence them to destruction
and execute the sentence. Ex. 7:3-5.
The critical year for the ten kings
was 1914 C.E., because the Gentile Times
ran out in the fall of that year. The ten
kings as well as Babylon the Great her
self were warned of this through some of
the clergymen of Christendom as well as
by Jehovahs witnesses, but all of them
ignored the warning. But what would the
ten kings do when their power ran out?
Jehovah foreknew their one thought
and their course of action. In 1914 war
over world domination broke out in Chris
tendom. The leaders of the world were un
willing to turn over their sovereignty to
Jehovah Gods king, but, instead, wanted
to continue their rule and entered into this
war. It was accompanied by food short-

A p r il 1, 1 9 6 7

221

SleWATCHTOWEFL

ages, pestilences and earthquakes in one

place after another and by the develop
ment of more devastating weapons of war
fare.Matt. 2 4 : 7 , 8 .
A DECISION FOR WORLD RULERS

Here began an expose of the harlot, the

world empire of false religion, to her lov
ers, the politicians of the world, for while
she claimed to be an organization of peace
and unity, especially the part of her
known as Christendom, she was absolutely
helpless in preventing a most devastating
world war, which the rulers themselves
were reluctant to enter. In fact, rather
than preventing the war, she took sides in
it by means of her harlot daughters, her
member religious organizations, even with
prayers and imposing religious rites,
which actually promoted it. God let the
ten kings see how destruction stared them
in the face if they persisted in such war
fare.
Now a real decision faced the rulers.
They were on trial for judgment by God.
Just as Pharaoh of old was forced into a
decision, God at this point forced the rul
ers to decide. He foreknew their hearts
and knew that they would not give up
their sovereignty and bow to his king. He
knew that they would turn to creating a
man-made organization for ensuring and
preserving world peace and security so
that their selfish interest would be pre
served and they would be able to maintain
their various human sovereignties over the
distinct nations. As Gods Word foretold,
they put their confidence in man to form
an association of nations in order to pre
vent the destruction they saw on the hori
zon and to preserve rule of mankind by
man and not by God. Babylon egged them
on in this one thought.
The result of this one thought was the
bringing forth of the political image of the
wild beast that had ascended out of the

sea. The product was the symbolic scarletcolored wild beast. The ten kings went
ahead with their thought by giving their
kingdom to the scarlet-colored wild beast,
which now stands in the form of the Unit
ed Nations. They will continue to support
this arrangement until the words of God
have been accomplished.
Just as Jehovah said to Pharaoh: For
this cause I have kept you in existence,
for the sake of showing you my power and
in order to have my name declared in all
the earth, so he has let these nations car
ry out the one purpose and thought of
theirs. (Ex. 9:16) But they are at the
same time carrying out Gods thought,
just as Pharaoh did. Gods thought was
for these enemies of his kingdom to com
bine themselves in one worldwide political
organization and, by it, to present to him
and his Messianic kingdom a united front,
that he might face them all at one time
and destroy them all together at one
stroke. Josh. 11:19, 20.
There is a great deal of mercy on Jeho
vah Gods part here. In his thought he
spares humankind, and especially his own
people, much suffering. For he lets all the
nations come to the point of trying to
destroy Gods people on earth at one time
and themselves suffer destruction rather
than let it be carried out over a long pe
riod of time, from one nation to another,
in which there would be much more pro
longed misery. How it magnifies Jehovahs
justice to destroy them when they are
brought to the point of exposing them
selves as all being united on the one thing,
opposition to Gods kingdom, which is at
the same time opposition to the best in
terests of the people!
LOVE TURNS TO HATE

Jehovah lets Babylon the Great continue

in her degraded course and come to new
low depths in her willingness to sacrifice

222

f&eWATCHTOWER.

the welfare of the people for political gain.

He allows her to continue to make earths
inhabitants drunk still more from her
golden cup and the wine of her fornication.
Then, in his due time and by the force
of circumstances that he will produce, Je
hovah will bring about the situation where
her present lovers will turn on her with
disgust and violent design. They will see
that she is of no more use to them, in
fact, has misled them into a situation
which is very undesirable for them. This
does not necessarily mean that all the na
tions will go communistic on either the
Soviet Russian line or the Red Chinese
line; certainly at the present time the ma
jority of the symbolic ten kings in the
United Nations are unwilling to turn
against the world empire of Babylonian
religion. The representatives and officials
serving in the U.N. are from various re
ligions of the earth, Mohammedan, Bud
dhist and others besides those of Christen
dom. Their attitude toward this matter is
indicated by the recent peace-bell-ringing
ceremony that was carried out at the Unit
ed Nations headquarters on October 4,
1966. This ceremony was promoted by the
chief delegates from Nigeria and Japan,
an observer for the Holy See and the chef
de cabinet to Secretary-General Thant of
the U.N.*
Of course, these ten kings, when they
turn on the harlot, are drawing near to
the time for their own destruction, but
before Jehovah God destroys them in the
place Biblically called Har-Magedon, he
will cause their passionate love of the
great harlot to turn to hatred. He has
done such a thing before, and in ancient
times he warned religious Jerusalem that
he would bring her former passionate lov
ers against her to mutilate and destroy
her. He had already caused a like experi* The New York Times, October 5, 1966, Late City
Edition, page 5.

rooklyn

, N .Y .

ence to befall Samaria, her sister capital.

Read the prophecies on this in Ezekiel 16:
33-42 and 23:1-31. Great Babylon is no
better than unfaithful apostate Jerusalem.
She deserves to be destroyed like a harlot,
and Jehovah God will see to it that, ironi
cally, her former lovers will take a hand
in the violent destruction of her.
ALL SEE FALSE RELIGIONS SHAME

The order of events of Babylon the

Greats destruction is described for us in
Revelation. First, the great river Euphra
tes will have been completely dried up, in
fulfillment of the sixth plague. The waters
of the Euphrates here represent the peo
ples supporting her. (Rev. 16:12) In this
manner God will take away the protection
and support that she used to get from the
people. And it will not be just the sym
bolic ten horns or ten kings of the
wild beast that will be angry at her.
No, the whole beastly organization will
learn to hate her, losing their pleasure in
her. Therefore, the majority of the mem
ber nations of this wild beast organiza
tion in which she relies for protection will
not rescue her when the time comes for
Jehovah to execute his judgment upon her.
The ten kings and the wild beast will
devastate her of the vast wealth she has
gathered in carrying on her religious busi
ness. They will strip her naked, that is,
they will make her appear shameful as a
naked woman in public, that everybody
may see how false and useless her religion
is and stop superstitiously taking part in
it. You will recall how wild beasts, dogs,
ate up the fleshy parts of Baalistic Queen
Jezebel of Israel, leaving only the palms
of her hands and her feet and skull. Like
wise, these kings composing the wild
beast will devour her body with which
they once had liked to unite.
Babylon the Great has had many awe
some and lavish ceremonies and rites,

p r il

1, 1967

SfteWATCHTOWER

which appeared beautiful to the people,

like a beautiful harlot able to give sooth
ing pleasure to ungodly, worldly men. This
harlot loved to drink blood, especially the
blood of those killed by religious persecu
tion. Her clergy fed themselves and lived
off the masses of people under her, but
now the tables are turned: the wild beast
feeds on her as long as there is anything
left of her to eat. Then they will burn the
rest of her frame with fire, as if she were
not a Babylonian temple prostitute but an
unchaste daughter of a priest in ancient
Israel. (Lev. 21:9; Gen. 38:24) What this
will mean for the religious buildings of
Babylon the Great and for her priests and
other religious clergy and orders is some
thing frightful to contemplate. We make
no attempt to describe it.
WORLDLY RELIGION NO SANCTUARY

It was a terrible sight for John to be

hold the judgment executed on the harlot
in the vision. Truly it will be exceedingly
terrible to see the burning hatred vented
on her, when the things of the world em
pire of false religion, formerly considered
sacred, will then be held as disgusting. Her
churches, which once provided sanctuary
for even the worst of criminals, will be
looked upon as filthy, abhorrent places.
But it will rid the earth forever of ac
cursed Babylon the Great. Compare Jehus
destruction of Baal worship in Israel.
2 Ki. 10:25-27.
What about those who are serving Je
hovah God as his Christian witnesses?
Well, today they declare the judgments
that will come upon Babylon, to give all
those who are in her an opportunity to
escape the horrible destruction that faces
her. Note, however, that they will not join
with the ten horns in expressing bitter,

223

violent hatred against her and they will

have no part whatsoever in destroying her.
They have no appointment from Jehovah
God to act as his executioners against the
empire of Babylonish religion. While the
destruction of Babylon the Great is really
from God, yet he uses the instruments he
chooses to do so. But as to the ten horns
and the wild beast, their hatred of false
religion does not mean their conversion to
true worship of God. No, they will not
look with favor upon Jehovahs Christian
witnesses. The servants of God will be in
danger, liable for attack by the antireli
gionists. However, unlike the exposed, un
protected condition of Babylon the Great,
Jehovahs servants will have an invisible
wall around them. God Almighty will
protect and preserve them through that
awesome period of his executing righteous
judgment on the great harlot. Ps. 37:
32-34; compare 2 Kings 6:15-17; Zechariah 2:5; Daniel 3:24-27.
So while one might feel at this time
very safe in a religion of Babylon the
Great, we can see from the prophecy that
God will turn the tables on matters very
quickly. Therefore, it is not something
that we should view with unconcern,
adopting a wait-and-see attitude. Instead
of looking upon Babylon the Great as a
sanctuary, flee to the true sanctuary,
Gods Christian organization, by studying
Gods Word the Bible and taking the ac
tion therein commanded. Only in this way
will one have a realization of Gods prom
ise: The salvation of the righteous ones
is from Jehovah; he is their fortress in the
time of distress. And Jehovah will help
them and provide them with escape. He
will provide them with escape from wicked
people and save them, because they have
taken refuge in him. Ps. 37:39, 40.

BY TEACHING, MAKE DISCIPLES

may do a little teaching when we offer Bible
magazines on the streets; we m ay do a little
more as we speak at the doorstep while
preaching from house to house. But we do
much more teaching when we call back on
persons who have evinced a measure of
interest in Gods W ord and, m ost of all, of
course, do we teach when we establish a
regular home Bible study.

H A T m any fine examples of how our

brothers, by teaching, are making dis
ciples of Christ are found in our 1967
Yearbook! Are you enjoying them? A ll this
teaching, o f course, is being done in obedience
to the command Jesus gave his followers
just before returning to his heavenly Father:
M ake disciples of people . . . teaching them.
M att. 28: 19, 20.*
A disciple, we are told, is one who receives
instruction from another. One who accepts
the doctrines of another and assists in spread
ing and implementing them. The disciples
of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, are
those who accept Jesus teachings, who under
stand them and who follow him closely in
spreading them. John 8:31.
W h a t is involved in making disciples?
Jesus Christ set the example for us. He took
the initiative, going to the people, preaching
and teaching wherever he found those willing
to listen.
In carrying on this work of making dis
ciples by teaching, the emphasis is on a cer
tain feature of our Christian ministry. W e

And not only must we carry on this teach

ing on a personal basis, we must help these
prospective disciples to see the need of attend
ing our five weekly congregational meetings.
They need the help of these also if they
would become Jesus disciples.
W hat a privilege to share in this work, to
be Gods fellow workers, preaching and
teaching the everlasting good news under
the direction of Jesus Christ and his holy
angels! W h at a blessing to be permitted to
share in this work of making disciples by
teaching! Appreciating it, m ay we serve to
the full limit of our strength, time and abil
ity! 1 Cor. 3 :9 ; Rev. 14:6.

* For details see The Watchtower, April 1, 1966.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

Before his ascension to heaven, the Lord

Jesus instructed his followers: Go therefore
and make disciples of people . . . teaching
them. (Matt. 28:19, 20) It is in obedience to
that command that Jehovahs witnesses call
at your door. Yes, they are teachers of the
things that are recorded in the Bible, and they
offer their personal services free of charge.
A s a further a id . to interested persons, during
April they will be offering a years subscription
fo r this fine Bible-study aid, The Watchtower,
with three booklets; for just $1. Avail yourself
o f the opportunity to obtain it.

copies being distributed in 1,200 languages.

Yet it is still a closed book to many. Do you
find it so? Many are discouraged from Bible
reading by archaic, outdated language and
stiff, obscure translation. Now the New World
Translation of the Holy Scriptures brings you
a new modern version in our everyday, speech,
opening up the Bible to you. To add* to your
pleasure and understanding, read also the
valuable Bible-study aid Life Everlasting in
Freedom of the Sons of God. Both, only
$1.50. Send today.
j - . /
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

April 30: The Pattern of Judgment. Page 205.

Songs to Be Used: 95, 69.
May 7: Gods Judgment Makes M anifest the
Truly Rich. Page 212. Songs to Be Used:
100, 104.

MAKE THE BIBLE AN OPEN BOOK TO YOU

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224

YOU ARE M Y WITNESSES. SAYS JE H O V A R -lsa.43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F "T H E W A T C H T O W E R
Every watchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w hat is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; we are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h tow er
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W n ich
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch tow er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H oly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N . H. K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They w ill a ll be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54 :13

CONTENTS

A v e r a g e p r i n t i n g e a c h i s s u e : 4 ,8 5 0 ,0 0 0 F i v e c e n t s a c o p y
The Watchtower Is Published in the Following 71 Languages
S e m im o n t h ly
M o n t h ly

W h y Jehovahs Witnesses Call

at Your Hom e

227

Mankinds Millennium Under Gods

Kingdom W h y Literally So

229

The Benefits of Mankinds Millennium

237

The M ost Urgent W arning Ever Given

243

" A Theatrical Spectacle to the World,

Both to Angels and to Men

249

Questions from Readers

255

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'y d r ir io u T ic ir ig

J E H O V A H S
KINGDOM

ANY persons
wonder why Je
hovahs witnesses keep
calling at their homes.
Perhaps you are one of
those persons. Really, the
answer is simple. Jeho
vahs witnesses love God,
and in his Word the Bible
he has instructed those
who serve him to talk to
other people about him
and his loving purposes.
Furthermore, they love you as their neigh
bor. For that reason they want to share
with you something that has brought
them peace of mind, an understanding of
the significance of world conditions and
a reliable hope for a permanently peace
ful world.
The Bible long ago foretold the turmoil
and trouble that the nations have experi
enced since the outbreak of World War I
as well as the outcome. (Luke 21:10, 11,
31) It also outlines the course that we
must take as humans during this crucial
time in order to have Gods approval and
be preserved to live in his new system of
things. (Zeph. 2:2, 3) It is urgent to act.
Your life and the lives of your family are
involved. That is one reason why Jeho
vahs witnesses call at your home, know
ing that, if your heart is righteously in
clined, you will be grateful for their visit.
Of course, not everyone appreciates it

when Jehovahs witnesses

call. There are persons
who, as the Lord Jesus
said, h a v e l o v e d the
darkness rather than the
light, for their works were
wicked. (John 3:19) The
message of the Bible dis
turbs them, and they push
it away. Even some who
are deeply religious react
harshly when Jehovahs
witnesses call. As they
hurriedly shut the door,
they frequently remark
that their priest or min
ister has told them to slam the door on
Jehovahs witnesses and not to listen. But
why? Some of them begin to wonder. Is
there something in the Bible that their
clergymen do not want them to know?
Other persons are simply indifferent.
They are so concerned with materialistic
pursuits that they have no time for spiri
tual interests. They are like those people
in the days of Noah concerning whom Je
sus Christ said: They were eating and
drinking, men marrying and women being
given in marriage, until the day that Noah
entered into the ark; and they took no
note until the flood came and swept them
all away. Jesus said that it would be the
same in our day. (Matt. 24:38, 39) But
while there is yet time, people have the
opportunity to heed the message of warn227

228

STkWATCHTOWER.

ing about the impending destruction of

this wicked system of things. With ear
nest concern for their welfare, Jehovahs
witnesses continue to call on them.
Jehovahs witnesses do not force their
message on anyone. If a person does not
want to listen, they go on to the next door.
But when they are back in the territory
again, they do not show any hard feelings
against those who were indifferent or un
kind to them last time. They call at their
doors again. Perhaps some of them will
be willing to listen. Circumstances in life
cause attitudes to change. Such has been
the case in countless thousands of in
stances.
Apparently you are not a person who
shoves away the Bibles message as pub
lished by Jehovahs witnesses; that is why
you are reading this magazine. As shown
on the inside cover of this issue, there are
millions more like you, because 4,850,000
copies are regularly printed in seventy-one
languages. If you enjoy this magazine,
there is something else that we believe you
will enjoy just as much, and it does not
cost even as much as the small contribu
tion that you gave for this copy of The
Watchtower. In fact, it is a service that
is absolutely free.
What we have in mind is a free home
study of the Bible, an hour each week, at
a time convenient to you. Just what could
you expect to learn in the course of per
haps a year of such weekly Bible discus
sions? Well, in a carefully planned pro
gram currently being used by Jehovahs
witnesses world wide, these points are cov
ered:
Evidence that God is indeed alive and
that the Bible truly is his Word. This is
followed by a condensed coverage of the
entire Bible, highlighting the principal
ideas and showing how it all ties together
and how it makes clear the purpose of
God. Having laid this fine foundation, they

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

focus attention on specific Bible topics and

questions that have perplexed people
everywhere; for example, How did the
universe and living creatures, both human
and spirit, come into existence? What does
the Bible show the soul to be? What hap
pens to that soul at death? Why must man
die? Will it always be this way? Does the
Bibles promise of a resurrection mean
that you will actually be able to enjoy the
companionship of your deceased loved
ones again? Where will they be raised
in heaven or on earth? What conditions
will prevail then? How do the prophecies
of the Hebrew Scriptures and accounts
concerning such men as Abraham, Moses
and David affect us today? Is God a per
son, or three persons in one God? Are you
obligated to keep the Law given through
Moses? What about the Ten Command
ments? the sabbath day? Why has God
permitted wickedness to continue for so
long? Will unrighteousness come to an
end? When? How can we be sure? This
is only a sampling of the stimulating ques
tions that are given satisfying answers.
It is to provide to all persons, whether
they belong to a church or not, such fine
instruction from their own copies of the
Bible that Jehovahs witnesses call at their
homes. Jehovahs witnesses in your com
munity would count it a privilege to con
duct such a free home Bible study with
you. Next time they call at your door, ask
them about it. It is with a desire to be of
service to you in this way that they call.
Gaining such Bible knowledge is vital to
you and to your family now. Jesus Christ
and his apostles showed that it can open
up the way to everlasting life in Gods
righteous new system of things. But the
time left in which to act is short. Avail
yourself of the opportunity now. Jehovahs
witnesses will be glad to help you. John
17:3; 2 Pet. 3:13.

ILLENNIUM means a time pe

riod of a thousand years. This
long word is made up from two Latin
words that we find in the Latin version of
the last book of the Holy Bible, in Reve
lation 20:2-7, namely, mille anni, meaning
a thousand years. According to these
Bible verses, Jesus Christ must reign for
a thousand years over mankind. Because
he resembles the first man on earth, name
ly, Adam, he is called the last Adam.
However, the first man Adam sinned
against God and lived less than a thousand
years, or 930 years. (Gen. 5:1-5; 1 Cor.
15:45-49) As the book of Revelation is a
prophetic book written largely in symbolic
language, the question has been much dis
cussed as to whether the thousand years
of Christs rule as king are literal or figu
rative, symbolical.
2In proceeding to get the answer to this
important question, let us read the pro-

phetic verses about Christs reign, in Rev

elation 20:4-6: And I saw seats: and they
sat upon them: and judgment was given
unto them: and the souls of them that
were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus
and for the word of God, and who had not
adored the beast nor his image, nor re
ceived his character on their foreheads or
in their hands; and they lived and reigned
with Christ a thousand years. The rest of
the dead lived not, till the thousand years
were finished. This is the first resurrec
tion. Blessed and holy is he that hath part
in the first resurrection. In these the sec
ond death hath no power; but they shall
be priests of God and of Christ; and shall
reign with him a thousand years. Ro
man Catholic Douay Version.
3 In the verses just quoted the beast
and his image are symbols of something
else. So, are the thousand years also
symbolic, meaning a longer period than

1. To what is the word millennium applied, and

what question arises as to it?
2. What does Revelation 20:4-6 say about the mil
lennium?

3, 4. (a) Why is the question raised as to whether the

period of a thousand years is symbolic or not?
(b) How long did John think the millennium would be,
and to which early Christian do we go for reference?
229

230

SEeWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

just a thousand years? Well, how did the disciple John. They looked forward to the
writer, the Christian apostle John, himself resurrection of the 144,000 members of his
understand it? We have no straight com redeemed congregation, in order that they
ment from John himself, but there was a might live and reign and serve as priests
man of the second century, named Pa'pi as, during his reign of one thousand years.
who knew associates of the apostle John;
6They looked forward to the coming of
and about Pa'pi as the eleventh volume of the last day for this to occur, inasmuch
The Catholic Encyclopedia (edition of as the apostle John wrote down Jesus own
1911), page 308, under the title Millen words to this effect: Unless you eat the
nium, has this to say:
flesh of the Son of man and drink his
4 Papias of Hierapolis, a disciple of St. blood, you have no life in yourselves. He
John, appeared as an advocate of mille- that feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood
narianism. He claimed to have received his has everlasting life, and I shall resurrect
doctrine from contemporaries of the Apos him at the last day. (John 6:53, 54) And
tles, and Irenseus narrates that otherPres- Martha, the sister of Jesus beloved friend
byteri, who had seen and heard the dis Lazarus, said to Jesus: I know he will
ciple John, learned from him the belief in rise in the resurrection on the last day.
millenarianism as part of the Lords doc (John 11:24) So the millennial reign of
trine. According to Eusebius (Historic
Christ would not begin before that last
clesiastica, III, 39) Papias in his book as day.
serted that the resurrection of the dead
TIME FOR REIGNING
would be followed by one thousand years
7Jesus Christ was willing to wait till
of a visible, glorious earthly kingdom of
Gods appointed time for him to rule as
Christ, . . . *
5The apostle John, who received the king for a thousand years. When Satan
prophetic vision of the millennial reign of the Devil tried to tempt him in the wilder
Jesus Christ and of his congregation of ness and offered him all the kingdoms of
144,000 redeemed followers, accepted the the world, he refused to bow down to Sa
vision as setting out the truth. John be tan the Devil in an act of worship in order
lieved the millennium to be a time period to gain those earthly kingdoms. (Luke 4:
literally one thousand years long. In proof 1-8; Matt. 4:8-11) But the question arose,
we have the testimony of the martyred Would Jesus footstep followers be willing
Pa'pias and of other Christian elders, to wait until Gods due time for them to
Presbyteri, who had seen and heard the reign with his Son Jesus Christ, in the
meantime enduring all the persecution and
* In confirmation of the above The Encyclopedia
Americana, Volume 21 (edition of 1929), page 268, says:
suffering?
The imprisoned apostle Paul
PA'PI-AS, Christian writer, bishop of Hierapolis. He
is described by Irenaeus and later writers as a hearer
wrote to a fellow Christian: I go on en
of John and a companion of Polycarp. He suffered
during all things for the sake of the cho
martyrdom at Pergamos in 163 A.D. He was one of
the earlier believers in the millennium, that is, the
sen ones, that they too may obtain the
personal reign of Christ on earth for a thousand years
after the resurrection of the dead, and was the author
salvation that is in union with Christ Jesus
of five books of commentaries on the sayings of the
Lord (Ldgon KyriakQn Exegesis), a few fragments of
along with everlasting glory. Faithful is
which are extant. It is from them that we learn that
Saint Matthews Gospel was traditionally believed to
the
saying: Certainly if we died together,
have been written in Hebrew, and the evangelist Mark
to have been the interpreter or amanuensis of Peter
we
shall
also live together; if we go on
in writing the Third Gospel.
5, 6. (a) To what did Pa'pi-as and other Christian
elders look forward because of the apostle John's
vision? (b) Christs millennial reign does not begin
before what day ?

7. (a) How did Jesus show he was willing to wait till

Gods due time for him to reign? (b) What question
arose about his followers, and what attitude did Paul
show toward this?

p r il

15, 1967

SfEeWATCHTOWEFL

231

enduring, we shall also rule together as If anyone loves the world, the love of the
kings. (2 Tim. 2:10-12) Yes, Paul was Father is not in him; because everything
willing to wait, but to certain ambitious in the world the desire of the flesh and
Christians in Corinth he wrote:
the desire of the eyes and the showy dis
8
You men already have your fill, doplay of ones means of life does not origi
you? You are rich already, are you? You nate with the Father, but originates with
have begun ruling as kings without us, the world. (1 John 2:15-17) How is it,
have you? And I wish indeed that you had then, that religious popes and patriarchs,
begun ruling as kings, that we also might archbishops and bishops have been reign
rule with you as kings. For it seems to me ing in Christendom for many centuries,
that God has put us the apostles last on seated on gorgeous thrones and making a
exhibition as men appointed to death, be showy display of themselves in regalia fit
cause we have become a theatrical spec for kings? How is this?
tacle to the world.
11 Have these re
1 Cor. 4:8, 9.
ligious officials of
* The apostle Paul
Christendom imag
did not die reigning
ined that the mil
as a king on earth,
lennial reign of
r '
^ '
r ^ [ T
jp
but from prison he !
Christ has already
.J
wrote: I have run
be g u n and th a t
^
J
f
the course to the
they are therefore
t
.! _ * ]
finish, I have ob
entitled to reign
served the faith.
with him on earth,
From this time on
although he is up in
there is reserved
heaven? And has
for me the crown
the invisible Christ
o f righteousness,
been reigning on
which the Lord,
earth by means of
the righteous judge,
a v i s i b l e hu m an
will give me as a re
representative, of
whom the National
ward in that day,
C atholic Alm anac
yet not only to me,
says: His Holiness
but also to all those
If we go on enduring, we shall also rule*
th e P o p e is the
w h o ha ve l o v e d
his manif est ati on. 2 Tim. 4 : 7 , 8. Bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Jesus Christ,
10 Likewise the apostle John, who also the successor of St. Peter, Prince of the
loved the future manifestation of the Apostles, . . . the Archbishop and Primate
Lord Jesus Christ, did not die ruling as an of the Roman Province, the Sovereign of
earthly king. Toward the end of his long the State of Vatican City ?
12These religious officials have thus been
earthly life, he wrote: Do not be loving
either the world or the things in the world. reigning for more than a thousand literal
years, ever since the days of the Roman
8. As regards waiting, what did Paul write to certain
Emperor Constantine the Great or shortly
ambitious Christians in Corinth?

m lf

9. What words of Paul show whether he was reigning

when he died?
10. (a) What words of the apostle John show whether
he was reigning at death? (b) What question arises,
then, regarding certain religious leaders of Chris
tendom?

11. What have such men

question comes up about
12. How long have these
dom been reigning, and
Revelation 20:4-6?

evidently imagined, and what

the pope of Rome?
religious officials of Christen
have they personally fulfilled

232

f&eW ATCHTOW ER

thereafter,* even Pope Leo I (440-461

C.E.) saying: I will revive government
once more upon this earth; not by bring
ing back the Caesars, but by declaring a
new theocracy, by making myself the vice
gerent of Christ, by virtue of the promise
made to Peter, whose successor I am, . . .
Not a diadem, but a tiara will I wear, a
symbol of universal sovereignty, before
which barbarism shall flee away, and
happiness be restored once more. f And
yet not one of these reputed vicars of
Christ or archbishops or bishops personal* Says MClintock and Strongs Cyclopaedia, Volume
VIII, page 396: Before the time of Constantine the
clergy were not recognised as holding any distinct
rank in the state; but when Christianity was adopted
as the religion of the Roman empire, its ministers
were considered as occupying the place of those
heathen priests whose superstitions had fallen into
disrepute.
t See pages 244, 245 of Volume III of Beacon Lights
of History, by John Lord, LL.D., New York edition
of 1884, in Chapter X X X , entitled Martin Luther:
The Protestant Reformation.

Brooklyn, N.Y.

ly reigned on his episcopal throne for a

thousand years, each one reigning as long
as Jesus Christ himself will. Thus not one
of them has fulfilled what Revelation 20:
4-6 says about reigning with Christ.
RUNNING AHEAD OF THE TIME

13 Well, then, when did this change in

understanding of Revelation 20:4-6 take
place, and how and why? When and why
did religious leaders make a symbolical
interpretation of the millennium and put
it ahead of Christs return and make it a
rule on earth, in the flesh, and on man
made material thrones?
Catholic En
cyclopedia helps to clear up the question.
Volume Ten, edition of 1911, page 309,
has this to say under the heading Millen
nium :
14 St. Augustine finally held to the con
viction that there would be no millennium.
The struggle between Christ and His saints
on the one hand and the wicked world and
Satan on the other, is waged in the Church
on earth; so that great Doctor de
scribes it in his work De Civitate Dei
[Concerning the City of God]. In the
same book he gives us an allegorical
explanation of Chapter 20 of the
Apocalypse. The first resurrection, of
which this chapter treats, he tells us,
refers to the spiritual rebirth in bap
tism; the sabbath of one thousand
years after the six thousand years of
history, is the whole of eternal life;
or, in other words, the number one
thousand is intended to express per
fection, and the last space of one
thousand years must be understood
as referring to the end of the world;
at all events, the kingdom of Christ,
of which the Apocalypse speaks,

The pope of Rome already in regal splendor

13-15. (a) What questions, therefore, arise as

to a change in understanding of Revelation
20:4-6? (b) How does what The Catholic En
cyclopedia says about Augustine help to clear up
these questions?

p r il

15, 1967

SkW ATCHTOW ER

can only be applied to the Church.* . . .

15 This explanation of the illustrious
Doctor was adopted by succeeding West
ern theologians, and millenarianism in its
earlier shape no longer received support.
. . . Moreover, the attitude of the Church
towards the secular power had undergone
a change with closer connexion between
her and the Roman empire. There is no
doubt that this turn of events did much
towards weaning the Christians from the
old millenarianism, which during the time
of persecution had been the expression of
their hopes that Christ would soon reap
pear and overthrow the foes of His elect.
. . . The Middle Ages were never tainted
with millenarianism; it was foreign both
to the theology of that period and to the
religious ideas of the people.. . . The Prot
estantism of the sixteenth century ush
ered in a new epoch of millenarian doc
trines.
16 There we have it! When the religious
leaders of the fourth century gained offi
cial recognition from the Roman Empire
and accepted appointments to religious po
sitions of power and authority and thus
their religion became allied to the political
state, what happened? The religious lead
ers felt no need for a future literal millen
nial reign of Jesus Christ with his glori
fied congregation in heaven. They were
already reigning in prominent religious ca
pacities with the backing of the Roman
Empire. Furthermore, to justify them
selves in not following Christs example
but in accepting rulership before resurrec
tion from the dead and while still in the
* See Doctor Augustines De Givitate Dei, XX, 5-7:
in the edition of Jacques Paul Migne, Patrologiae
cursus completus, XLI, 607 and following pages, in
Latin.
Concerning the religious controversy over the mil
lennium during the preceding century, the third
century, see Mosheim's Institutes of Ecclesiastical
History, Chapter III, entitled History of Theology,
Section 12, and footnote by James Seaton Reid, D.D.,
London edition of 1848.
16. Why did religious leaders come to feel no need
for a future millennial reign of Christ, and how did
they justify themselves in not following his example?

233

flesh on earth with the politicians, they

applied Revelation 20:4-6 as being fulfilled
in themselves. They persuaded their reli
gious flocks to give way to the same
change of sentiment toward Christ s
thousand-year reign over mankind. This
fact is supported by the religious Cyclopcedia by MClintock and Strong, Volume
6, page 265, column 2, of which says:
17 One great reason of this remarkable
change of sentiment is to be found in the
altered condition and prospects of the
Church. Christians at first yearned for the
reappearance of the Lord. Moreover, it
was impossible for them to raise their
faith and hopes so high as to expect the
conquest of the Roman empire by the
moral power of the cross, independently of
the personal and supernatural interposi
tion of Christ. But as the Gospel made
progress, the possibility and probability of
a peaceful victory of the Christian cause
over all its adversaries, by the might of
truth and of the Spirit, gained a lodgment
in the convictions of good men. It is be
lieved that Origen (born 180, died 254) is
the first of the ancient ecclesiastical writ
ers to affirm the practicableness of such a
triumph of the Gospel through its own in
herent efficacy.
18As the religious organization of Chris
tendom had the protection of the political
government, and as the religious organiza
tion had such good relations, power and
influence with the political state, even us
ing its mailed fist for the forcible con
version of the pagans to Christendoms
religion, it was now claimed that Christen
doms Church was already in the millen
nium foretold by the apostle John. Doc
tor Augustines treatment of the subject
of the millennium gave to mens religious
17. In support of the above, what does the Cyclopaedia
by M'Clintock and Strong say?
18, 19. (a) Due to its relations with the political state,
where did the Church of Christendom think that it
was living? (b) What Latin religious father helped
along such thinking, and how?

234

SEeWATCHTOWER.

rooklyn

N.Y.

thinking a powerful push in that direction. in a literal way was from the year 800
Says the above
Cyclopaed C.E., when Pope Leo III crowned Charle
19
Augustines treatment of the subjectmagne in Rome as king of the Holy Ro
man Empire, to 1799 C.E., when Pope
marks an epoch. He says (De Civitate
X X , 7) that he had once held to a mille- Pius VI, already deposed by Napoleon
narian Sabbath; nor does he consider the Bonaparte, was taken as a prisoner from
doctrine objectionable, provided the joys the Vatican on February 20, and deported
of the righteous are figured as spiritual. to Valence, France, where he died on Au
But, proceeding to discuss the subject, he gust 29, 1799.* The trouble that followed
upon the Roman Catholic
advocates the
Church was viewed as
proposition
marking the little time
that the earth
during which Satan the
ly kingdom of
Devil was to be
Christ is the
loosed at the
Church, which
m illennium s
was even then
end. (Rev. 20:
in the millen
1 - 3 , 7, D y )
nial sera, and
However, it is
on the road to
now 168 years
a glorious as
since the year
cendancy over
1799. That is
all its enemies.
not a little
It would seem
t i m e f o r the
that this mod
D e v i l to be
ified interpreloosed; and yet
t a tio n of
the troubles on
prophecy, sus
th e R o m a n
t a i n e d as i t
was by the authority of
Catholic Papa
the principal Latin fa
cy are worsen
ther [Augustine], gave
ing. And now
color to the mediaeval
the destruction
speculations on this sub
of Babylon the
ject. Volume 6, of 1890 edition, page Great, of which the Papacy is the most
265.
powerful member, threatens that religious
empire
in the near future.
" T h is Latin religious father, Aurelius
Augustine, who spread such an interpreta
FIGURATIVE MILLENNIUM PROVED WRONG
tion of Revelation 20:4-6, lived 354-430
21 How wrong the Roman Catholic
C.E. In harmony with his view that the
Saint Augustine was can now be clearly
millennial reign of Christ was being ful
seen. The Church of Christendom has
filled in the Roman Catholic Church on
never been in any millennial sera,
earth, it was later thought that the millen
* See The Time Is at Hand (Volume Two of the
nial reign of the Roman Catholic Papacy Studies in the Scriptures), page 356; also, Zion's Watch
20. (a) A literal millennium upon the Roman Catholic
Papacy was thought to be fulfilled during what time?
(b) How were the troubles that followed understood,
but why could this not be right ?

Tower, as of December 1881, pages 6, 7; as of May

1882, page 8; as of August 1889, pages 3, 4.

21. How is Augustine today proved to be wrong as

to a glorious ascendancy of the Church of Christendom
over its enemies?

p r il

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER

smashing to pieces the political kingdoms

of her enemies. Today no one can rightly
say that, in Augustines words, the Church
of Christendom is on the road to a glori
ous ascendancy over all its enemies. The
pagan world is growing at a faster rate
than the Church system of Christendom.
Also, atheistic Communism is spreading
even in Roman Catholic territories. Au
gustines giving a figurative or allegorical
meaning to Revelation 20:4-6 regarding
the thousand-year reign of Christ has glar
ingly proved to be false. Under Christen
doms Church system mankind has never
enjoyed the promised millennial blessings.
22 So what about those religious leaders
who rejected the need of the reign of
Christs heavenly kingdom for a literal
thousand years? Dashed to pieces lie their
hopes of a peaceful victory of the Chris
tian cause over all its adversaries, by the
might of truth and of the Spirit. Their
idea was that the world could be peacefully
converted by the missionaries of Christen
dom and that there was no need for the
glorified Jesus Christ to intervene forcibly
from heaven to bring in the millennium.
This idea has proved to be a wrong inter
pretation of the Holy Bible. The objection
that such religious leaders had raised
against the need of Christ to return in
Kingdom power before his literal millen
nial reign is now exposed as being without
foundation. As to that objection, the Cy
clopaedia by MClintock and Strong (Vol
ume 6, page 266) says:
23 The tendency of the millenarian the
ory to chill the hopes, and thus repress the
missionary activity of Christians, by ex
hibiting the world as in a process of de
terioration, and by representing the ef
forts of Christians to convert mankind as
fruitless, until the coming of Christ, con22,23. (a) What about the hopes of those religious
leaders about a peaceful victory of the Christian cause
over its foes? (b) What objection of theirs to Christs
pre-millennial return is now exposed as foundationless?

235

stitutes not the least serious objection to

such opinions. Edition of 1890 C.E.
24 That last expression was published
away back in 1890, or seventy-seven years
ago; but what about the world since the
year 1914? Is it in a process of deteriora
tion ? Have the efforts of Christendom to
convert the whole world before the coming
of Christ proved fruitless, in vain? The
trend of world conditions answers Yes .'But
have the preaching and missionary activi
ties of Christians who wait for a literal
thousand-year reign of Christ for man
kinds blessing been repressed and their
hopes been chilled? History for the past
eighty-eight years thunders out No! The
magazine Zions Watch Tower appeared in
the year 1879; and in 1886 the Watch Tow
er Bible & Tract Society began to publish
the series of volumes known as Studies in
the Scriptures, which were at first called
Millennial Dawn, volumes one to six.
Today, in spite of being persecuted during
two world wars, the Watch Tower Bible &
Tract Society of Pennsylvania has ninetyfive branches around the globe. It pub
lishes the good news of Christs coming
millennial reign in 164 languages. It has
missionaries and publishers in 199 lands.
Yearly the number of Kingdom publishers
increases.
25 Fifteen centuries ago the Roman
Catholic Saint Augustine spoke of six
thousand years of history and referred
to the millennium as a Sabbath, the
seventh-day rest period. But he did not
hold to this. For centuries now the Bible
chronology as worked out by Archbishop
James Ussher has been followed by both
Catholics and Protestants. This chronol
ogy reckons that the first man Adam was
created in the year 4004 before Christ, and
24. (a) In view of events from 1914 on, what questions
are asked regarding that religious objection? (b) How
does the history of the Watch Tower Society show no
repression of effort or chilling of hope?
25. (a) How did Augustine once refer to the mil
lennium? (b) What do modern chronologies indicate
as to mans existence on earth?

236

S&eWATCHTOWER

so six thousand years of human existence

on earth will end before this twentieth
century ends, or in 1996 C.E. According to
a more recent calculation of the Bible
timetable, six thousand years of mans ex
istence will end in the latter half of the
year 1975, which is well within this cen
tury. The Bible millennium is ahead of us,
and, according to the count of time and
the events of world history, it is approach
ing. It is not ending, as Roman Catholic
comments on the Bible would make us be
lieve. In the Murphy edition of the English
Douay Version of the Holy Bible, Apoca
lypse 20:1, 2 reads:
26 And I saw an angel coming down
from heaven, having the key of the bot
tomless pit, and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, the old
serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and
bound him for a thousand years.
27 The footnote on the expression
him, &c. reads: The power of Satan has
been very much limited by the passion of
Christ. Then the footnote on the expres
sion /or a thousand years reads: That
is, for the whole time of the New Testa
ment: but especially from the time of the
destruction of Babylon or pagan Rome, till
the new efforts of Gog and Magog against
the church, towards the end of the world.
During which time the souls of the mar
tyrs and saints live and reign with Christ
in heaven, in the first resurrection, which
is that of the soul to the life of glory; as
the second resurrection will be that of the
body, at the day of the general judgment.
Baltimore (Md.) edition.
28 However, it is now more than a thou
sand years since pagan Rome gave way
to papal Rome in the fifth century. Today
the facts of history belie that Satan the
26, 27. (a) According to the footnotes of the Murphyedition of the Bible, when did Satan begin to be
bound? (b) Also, when is the time of the millennium,
and during it, what do the martyred saints do?
28. How long is it now since the passing away of pagan
Rome, and what do facts of history indicate as to
whether Satan is in the bottomless pit?

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Devil has yet been bound and cast into the

abyss, as foretold in Apocalypse (Revela
tion) 20:3 (
y,) saying: And he [t
D
angel from heaven] cast him into the bot
tomless pit and shut him up, and set a seal
upon him, that he should no more seduce
the nations, till the thousand years be fin
ished. And after that, he must be loosed
a little time.
29The Apocalypse or book of Revelation
unmistakably lines up the battle of Arma
geddon as taking place before Satan is
bound and cast into the bottomless pit or
abyss. The Bible account describes Satan
the Devil as having a direct part in gath
ering the nations to that battlefield, say
ing that out of the mouth of the Dragon
Satan the Devil an unclean spirit comes
forth and joins the unclean spirits out of
the mouths of the beast and the false
prophet in going to the kings of the whole
earth and gathering them to the battle of
the great day of God the Almighty, which
is to be fought at Armageddon. Now is
when those three spirits of devils from
those three sources are going to the earth
ly rulers. Now is when those rulers and
their armies are on the march to Arma
geddon, as we have so frequently been
warned by prominent men. Logically, then,
the Dragon Satan the Devil could not now
be bound and be in the bottomless pit un
able to seduce the nations any more, if
the unclean spirit out of his mouth is join
ing in the gathering of the earthly rulers
and their armies to Armageddon.Rev.
16:13-16, Dy.
30 No, Satan the Devil has not yet been
bound and sealed up in the bottomless pit
for a thousand years. The symbolic beast
and the false prophet are yet on the
29. Where does the Revelation locate the battle of
Armageddon, and what, in that connection, proves
whether the Dragon Satan the Devil is yet bound and
in the bottomless pit?
30. (a) What respecting Satans earthly political tools
argues that he is not yet sealed up in the pit?
(b) What will happen to those political tools at
Armageddon, and when will Satan join them there?

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SEeWATCHTOWER

earth. Likewise Satan the Devil is yet in

the vicinity of our earth and using the
beast and the false prophet as his
tools to gather the earthly rulers and their
armies to their destruction in the war of
the great day of God the Almighty. The
Apocalypse or Revelation, chapter nine
teen, describes the battle of Armageddon
on Gods great day, and the chapter lo
cates it just before the binding of Satan
and the casting of him into the bottomless
pit or abyss. In that coming battle the
beast and the false prophet are cast to
their destruction in the symbolic lake of
fire and brimstone; and Satan the Devil
joins them there first after the thousand
years of Christs reign over all mankind.
Rev. 19:11 to 20:3, 7-10,

OES the destruction of Babylon the

Great and the battle of Armaged
don mean wiping out the human race?
Will those events leave all earth without
inhabitant? Will not even the remnant of
Christs faithful congregation of 144,000
1. (a) What does the Bible indicate as to whether
the battle of Armageddon will leave all earth without
inhabitant? (b) Who will be the first subjects over
whom Christ will reign during the millennium?

237

31
So, then, just as the battle of Armaged
don is yet future, the binding and casting
of Satan into the bottomless pit is future,
for these acts follow the battle of Arma
geddon. In view of that, the thousand-year
reign of Christ must yet be future, for it
follows the casting of Satan into the bot
tomless pit and continues during the thou
sand years that Satan is imprisoned in
that bottomless pit or abyss. Thus again
the anti-millenarian teachings of Augus
tine and other religious leaders of Chris
tendom are proved to be false. We must
yet have a real millennial reign of Christ.
The grand fact is that it is very near, for
our relief.
31. Why, then, must the millennial reign of Christ
yet be future, and what grand fact about it is there
today?

be left on the earth in vindication of

Almighty Gods protective power over
them? In answer the Holy Bible strongly
indicates that a remnant of these heav
enly Kingdom heirs will be preserved
through the war of Armageddon for earth
ly service before their earthly demise and
their resurrection and glorification in the

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SfieWATCHTOWER

heavens. Also, a great crowd of dedi

cated, baptized Christian companions will
survive Armageddon with them. These lat
ter will be the first of the human subjects
on earth over whom Christ will reign for
mankinds blessing. What is a kingdom
without subjects? Prov. 14:28.
2 The Apocalypse or book of Revelation
itself shows that there will be human sur
vivors of the war of Armageddon and the
imprisoning of Satan in the abyss. Reve
lation, chapter seven, makes it plain that
these survivors are different from the
144,000 spiritual Israelites, the associate
kings of Jesus Christ. They are an inter
national great crowd who acknowledge
themselves as subjects of God and his
Christ; and Revelation 7:14 states that
these are the ones that come out of the
great tribulation. This means more than
that they have come out in favor of God
and his Christ during the time of the
great tribulation with which this world
ly system of things ends. It means that
they also survive that tribulation under
Gods protection and live on into the new
system of things that follows on earth.
They worship and serve God at his spiri
tual temple and follow the Lamb Jesus
Christ like a Shepherd, who leads them to
life-giving waters. Rev. 7:9-17.
3 In his prophecy concerning the end of
this system of things the Fine Shepherd
Jesus Christ indicated that there would be
survivors of the great tribulation, when
he said: Then there will be great tribu
lation such as has not occurred since the
worlds beginning until now, no, nor will
occur again. In fact, unless those days
were cut short, no flesh would be saved;
but on account of the chosen ones those
days will be cut short. And when Jesus
2. Who make up this great crowd, and what does
Revelation 7:14 mean in saying that they come out of
the great tribulation ?
3. How did Jesus, at Matthew 24:21, 22, 37-39, strongly
indicate that there would be survivors of the battle
of Armageddon?

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, N .Y .

added that, as it was in the days of Noah,

so it would be in the days of his invisible
second presence, he strongly suggested
that there would be survivors of the great
tribulation, inasmuch as both Noah and
the seven members of his family survived
the flood with which the ungodly world
of his days was destroyed. (Matt. 24:21,
22, 37-39) After the flood, when Noah and
his family came out of the ark into the
cleansed earth, God told them what to do.
(Gen. 9:1-17) No less so will the survivors
of the great tribulation need new and suit
able instructions.
4 Certain prominent persons of today
will not survive the destruction of Babylon
the Great and the destruction of the earth
ly kings and their armies and supporters
in the war of Armageddon. There will be
no survival for the religious rulers of the
Babylonish world empire of false religion
or for the political and military rulers who
war against the heavenly kingdom of God
and his Christ. (Rev. 17:14; 19:19-21)
Thereafter, by being imprisoned in the
abyss, Satan the ruler of this world,
the god of this system of things, will be
removed from all touch with mankind.
(John 12:31; 14:30; 2 Cor. 4:4) That
state of affairs will make it most fitting
that Jesus Christ step in and fill the need
of those surviving on earth for a new,
righteous, perfect government.
5Revelation, chapter twenty, after de
scribing the casting of Satan into the bot
tomless pit for a thousand years, tells us
of this needed government, as the apostle
John says: And I saw thrones, and there
were those who sat down on them, and
power of judging was given them. Yes, I
saw the souls of those executed with the
ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and
for speaking about God, and those who
4. What state of affairs will make it fitting that Christ
step in and begin governing the survivors of Arma
geddon?
5. What does Revelation 20:4-6 say about this needed
government?

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SEeW ATCHTOW ER

had worshiped neither the wild beast nor

its image and who had not received the
mark upon their forehead and upon their
hand. And they came to life and ruled as
kings with the Christ for a thousand years.
(The rest of the dead did not come to
life until the thousand years were ended.)
This is the first resurrection. Happy and
holy is anyone having part in the first
resurrection; over these the second death
has no authority, but they will be priests
of God and of the Christ, and will rule as
kings with him for the thousand years.
Rev. 20:4-6.
6In those verses the first resurrection
does not mean a symbolical resurrection,
that is, the spiritual rebirth of Christians
in water baptism, as the Roman Catholic
father Augustine says in his book De Civitate Dei. (See page 232, paragraph 14.) It
is a literal resurrection of those happy and
holy ones. It takes place, as Jesus said, in
the last day, at his second coming and
presence in an invisible way. It is then, at
the call of his voice, that these dead holy
ones come to life and begin ruling with
Christ in his heavenly kingdom. (John 5:
28, 29) Certainly it is not before water
baptism that they are executed with the
ax for bearing testimony about Jesus and
speaking Gods Word. It was certainly not
before water baptism that they had passed
the test of not worshiping the wild beast
and his image and of not receiving the
characteristic mark of either beast or im
age in their forehead or in their hands.
This testing came after baptism.
7This first resurrection is called such
to differentiate it from the resurrection of
the rest of the dead, who are said not
to come to life until the thousand years
were ended. So the resurrection of the
happy and holy ones is first in point of
6. What is this first resurrection, when does it
take place, and why?
7. (a) Why is this resurrection called the first ?
(b) How do those participating prove worthy of such
a resurrection?

239

time and in importance, for over these

the second death has no authority. At
their resurrection from the dead they are
clothed upon with immortality, deathless
ness, together with incorruptibility. This,
in fact, is the resurrection described by
the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians, chapter
fifteen, verses thirty-five through fiftyfour. It is the resurrection of which Paul
there says: It is sown a physical body,
it is raised up a spiritual body. For such
a first-ranking resurrection these happy
and holy ones must be proved worthy by
suffering martyrdom by being executed
with the ax and by refusing to worship
the wild beast and its image and to
receive the mark of such things in their
foreheads or their hands. Till their death
in the flesh they must faithfully give their
testimony about Jesus Christ and speak
the Word of God as set out in the Holy
Bible. Rev. 2:10.
A HEAVENLY GOVERNMENT

8
Being resurrected with spiritual bod
ies, they will be able to reign with the
King Jesus Christ in the heavens, unseen
to their human subjects on earth. Jesus
Christ sits at the right hand of God the
heavenly Father in His throne. Concern
ing the location of His throne Jehovah God
says: The heavens are my throne, and
the earth is my footstool. (Isa. 66:1;
Acts 7:48, 49; Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:34-36;
1 Pet. 3:22) Where, then, will Jesus Christ
reign with his resurrected happy and holy
followers for a thousand years? In the
thronelike heavens, and not on earth, not
in earthly Jerusalem which today is held
by Mohammedan Jordanians. These Chris
tians have approached a Mount Zion and
a city of the living God, heavenly Jerusa
lem. (Heb. 12:22) The earth will be as
a footstool to them, and here on the foot8.

Will they reign in earthly Jerusalem, and where

will their subjects be found during the thousand years?

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SfieWATCHTOWER

stool is where their human subjects will

be found during the thousand years.
9 That will be truly a Christian king
dom, and not a kingdom of Christendom
such as has oppressed the people and
stained the earth with wanton bloodshed,
even in the name of religion.
10 For thousands of years mankind has
suffered from the rule of the invisible Sa
tan the Devil, the ruler of this world,
together with his wicked spirit forces in
the heavenly places. (John 12:31; 14:30;
Eph. 6:11, 12) His visible political system
through which he has ruled mankind is
likened to a wild beast. The image of
that symbolic wild beast has been and is
another political organization to turn away
worship and service from Jehovah God to
the political wild beast.
11After World War I that image was
set up in the form of the political League
of Nations, and after World War II in the
form of the Leagues successor, the United
Nations. But, even though the peoples of
earth now worship the political wild
beast through its political image, the
United Nations, world peace and security
do not come to the earth. So the peoples
worship of the political state proves vain.
Only after the war of Armageddon de
stroys the wild beast and its political
image will peace and security be ush
ered in, and that for a thousand years.
Then Jesus Christ as King of kings and
Lord of lords will prove worthy of his
foretold title, Prince of Peace. Isa. 9:
6, 7; Rev. 19:16-21.
12 Even now, before the end of this mili
tarized system of things controlled by the
diabolical ruler of this world, the tru9. Religiously, what kind of kingdom will that be?
10, 11. (a) Who has ruled mankind invisibly for mil
lenniums, and through what visible agency? (b) Despite
what political worship have peace and security failed
to come, but when will they come?
12, 13. (a) Amid this militarized system, what prophecy
concerning the final part of the days are followers
of the Prince of Peace fulfilling? (b) Their displaying
the peaceful Christian spirit instead of beastliness was
prefigured in what Messianic prophecy?

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N. Y.

ly dedicated, baptized followers of the

Prince of Peace are fulfilling the proph
ecy concerning this final part of the
days, namely: Out of Zion law will go
forth, and the word of Jehovah out of Je
rusalem. And he will certainly render
judgment among the nations and set mat
ters straight respecting many peoples. And
they will have to beat their swords into
plowshares and their spears into pruning
shears. Nation will not lift up sword
against nation, neither will they learn war
any more. (Isa. 2:2-4) Already among
themselves, in their God-ruled congrega
tions around the earth, these formerly di
vided peoples cultivate and display the
peaceful Christian spirit toward one an
other, instead of beastliness. This was
prefigured in the following Messianic
prophecy:
13
The wolf will actually reside for a
while with the male lamb, and with the
kid the leopard itself will lie down, and the
calf and the maned young lion and the
well-fed animal all together; and a mere
little boy will be leader over them. And
the cow and the bear themselves will feed;
together their young ones will lie down.
And even the lion will eat straw just like
the bull. And the sucking child will cer
tainly play upon the hole of the cobra; and
upon the light aperture of a poisonous
snake will a weaned child actually put his
own hand. They will not do any harm or
cause any ruin in all my holy mountain;
because the earth will certainly be filled
with the knowledge of Jehovah as the wa
ters are covering the very sea. Isa. 11:
6-9.
14If now, during these war-torn years
of this conclusion of the system of
things, such an ideal condition can obtain
among Christs true followers, how much
14. (a) With what condition will survivors of Arma
geddon and Satans abyssing start out, and how long
will this continue? (b) What work will take the lead
in all human activities, and with what result?

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ffEeWATCHTOWER.

241

more will this peaceful condition prevail everlasting life. This means everlasting
without interference among the survivors life, their taking in knowledge of you, the
after the battle of Armageddon removes only true God, and of the one whom you
the earthly rulers and their armies and sent forth, Jesus Christ. (John 17:2, 3)
after Satan and his demons are sealed up The educating of his subjects on earth in
in the abyss! Those who survive the battle the knowledge of the only true God and
of Armageddon and the abyssing of Sa his provision for everlasting salvation
tan will start out with absolute peace, and through Jesus Christthis is really a
the heavenly kingdom of Christ and his priestly work. Education of the people in
glorified congregation will preserve that Gods law was part of the duties of the
peace on earth for a thousand years. What priesthood of Israel till the first coming
a time that will be for men to examine the of Christ. Such work fits the fact that the
Holy Bible to ascertain more accurately glorified Jesus Christ will be not only a
how its prophecies have been faithfully king but also a priest, in fact, Gods High
fulfilled! Education concerning the living Priest. His resurrected congregation in
and true God Jehovah will take the lead heaven will be his underpriests. That is
in all human activities. The entire earth why it is prophesied that they will be
will literally be filled with the knowledge priests of God and of the Christ, and will
of Jehovah as the waters are covering the rule as kings with him for the thousand
years. (Rev. 20:6) Education by such
very sea.
priests
will lead the earthly subjects of the
15
The vital importance of such educa
Kingdom
to everlasting life on a paradise
tion can be appreciated from Jesus words
earth.
of prayer to his heavenly Father: You
18 The priests of Christendom have mis
have given him authority over all flesh,
represented
Gods High Priest, Jesus
that, as regards the whole number whom
Christ.
They
will
disappear from the earth
you have given him, he may give them
when Babylon the Great is destroyed just
15. (a) How did Jesus in prayer emphasize the vital
importance of such education? (b) Such education is
really a work of whom, and who will be provided
for it?

16. What priestly work in behalf of sins will be carried

on, and toward what condition will this help the
grateful, obedient ones?

The Millennium, a time for education concerning the true God, Jehovah

242

SfKeWATCHTOWER.

prior to Armageddon. Afterward Christs

resurrected congregation in heaven will do
lifesaving priestly work with him. During
the thousand years they will apply the
benefits of his perfect ransom sacrifice to
mankind. (Matt. 20:28; 1 Tim. 2:5, 6)
Their sins that they commit due to weak
ness traceable to their first human fa
ther Adam and of which they repent will
be forgiven them. The condemnation of
sin will be removed from them through
Christs ransom merit. As illustrated by
Jesus healing work when he was on earth,
physical and mental benefits will result
from the forgiveness of sins. The Kingdom
will maintain righteous conditions on
earth and direct the people in the way of
righteousness. Also, the priestly work will
bring spiritual and physical healing. This
will help the grateful, obedient ones back
to human perfection such as Adam had
when he was created in the paradise gar
den of Eden.Matt. 8:14-17; 9:1-12.
HA'DES AND DEATH WIPED OUT

17 Such priestly service will reach down

and benefit even the billions of dead hu
manity. Jesus Christ, Gods High Priest,
was himself resurrected from the dead in
order to render priestly service for all
those for whom he died. His congregation
of underpriests are also raised from the
dead in the first resurrection to share
in Christs millennial priestly work for
mankind. Their resurrection is a guaran
tee that the rest of the human dead in
Ha'des or Sheol will be raised to life un
der the Kingdom, during the course of the
thousand years. (Acts 17:31; 1 Cor. 15:
20-26) This explains why Revelation 20:5
says that the rest of the dead did not
come to life until the thousand years were
ended.
17. How will this priestly work affect the human dead,
and what does Revelation 20:5 indicate concerning the
rest of the dead ?

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N.Y.

18 By that time both those who survive

the battle of Armageddon and who need
no resurrection and those who will be res
urrected to life on earth will, if obedient,
be lifted to the fullness of perfect human
life. No condemnation to death for imper
fection will rest upon them then. (Heb.
7:22-27; 5:5-10) With that end in view,
Revelation 20:11-14 describes the resur
rection of the dead from Ha'des and the
sea. This resurrection marks the begin
ning of the priestly work in behalf of those
who are dead in Ha'des and the sea.
19 At the end of his priestly work of a
thousand years Jesus Christ will turn over
the completely healed, purified, perfected
subjects of his kingdom to Jehovah God,
the final Judge of all. (1 Cor. 15:24-28)
There mankinds millennial sabbath under
Gods kingdom by Christ will end. What
relief that sabbath has brought!
20Yet, what immediately follows is im
portant for all mankind. True, they are in
human perfection then in a paradise earth.
But the right to everlasting life has not
yet been bestowed upon all mankind who
now stand in perfection and righteousness
before the Supreme Judge, Jehovah God.
They will all have to prove worthy of be
ing granted that right, just as the perfect
Adam and Eve in the paradise of Eden
had to prove whether they deserved the
right to everlasting perfect human life in
an earthly paradise. Just as Adam and
Eve were tested out by Satan the Devil,
just so all their earthly descendants must
be put to the test at the hands of the same
Tempter at the close of the thousand years.
This is the reason for the loosing of Sa
tan the Devil out of his abysmal prison
for a little while after the millennium
ends.
18, 19. (a) By the end of the thousand years, in what
condition will the obedient subjects find themselves?
(b) What action will Christ take at the end of man
kind's millennial sabbath under his kingdom?
20. Why must all these perfected humans be then put
to the test, and why will Satan the Devil be loosed
for a little while ?

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JReWATCHTOWER.

21By then all the wicked work of Satan

during the past six thousand years will
have been undone. But will the loosed Sa
tan and his demons now be able to turn
all perfected mankind away from God as
Universal Sovereign just as he turned
away mankinds first human parents in
the paradise garden of Eden? Prophecy
answers No! There will be those who, un
der this final crucial test, will stay loyal
to Jehovah God and Jesus Christ. These
will vindicate God. He will judge them
worthy of everlasting life and bestow that
right to it upon them, writing their names
in his book of life.
22There will be others who will fall un
der the test. They will make up the un
predicted number of the hosts of Gog and
Magog and will be destroyed in the sec21. What question now arises concerning Adams per
fected descendants, and how does prophecy answer?
22. What will be the outcome for those failing under
the test, and also for the Tempter, and what will be
the result to all heaven and earth?

O MATTER how well you like

what you are doing, no matter
how satisfied you are with your situation
and no matter what your plans are, you
will immediately leave all these and run
to a place of safety if you are convinced
that the danger of sudden death is staring
you in the face.
Of course, the warning of such a thing,
to be strong enough to motivate you to
flight, would have to be from a reliable
source and attended by other circum

243

ond death, from which there is no res

urrection. Then Satan the Devil, having
now lost in his long controversy with God,
will be forever destroyed along with his
demons. (Rev. 20:7-10, 15; Matt. 25:41,
46) At last all heaven and earth will be
found cleansed of all wickedness and its
disastrous consequences. In perfect righ
teousness, Jehovah God, then fully trium
phant, will reign over all forever and ever!
23
Viewed from this completed picture of
things, O how loving and marvelous is
Gods provision for the thousand-year
reign of his Priest-King Jesus Christ! O
spread the good news that all who love
righteousness may rejoice and may pre
pare themselves for it, because that mil
lennium of deliverance and blessing is
near!
23. What kind of provision is that for the thousandyear reign of Christ, and why should we spread the
good news?

E ver G iv en
stances that would convince you that the
warning was a true one. That is exactly
the case with the warning that we speak
of here, and there are reasons why it can
truly be said to be the most urgent warn
ing ever given. First, it is from God, who
has given reliable warnings in the past;
who, as mans Creator, has a genuine in
terest in the peoples welfare. He himself
considers it the most important warning
ever sounded. Second, it is not confined
to a locality or even to a nation, but it is

244

SEeWATCHTOWER.

worldwide. There is no means of escape

aside from the one God provides. Third,
it takes time to extricate yourself from
the dangerous situation and to get to the
place of safety, even if you heed the warn
ing immediately, and, fourth, the peril of
which it warns is so very near! Bible
chronology and prophecy with the events
piling up that demonstrate its nearness
show that the warning must be given with
the greatest urgency and acted on with
all possible speed. It is to come within the
generation that has already seen two
world wars and it is only a few short years
ahead of us.
The warning is found in the last book of
the Bible. The apostle John had just been
shown a vision of a harlot with the name
of Babylon the Great. In recent articles
in this magazine we have shown that this
harlot represents an organization claiming
to be divine and to represent true reli
gion. She has been shown to represent the
world empire of false religion, which has
prostituted herself by having political
aims and ambitions for power and has
meddled in politics and governments of the
world for centuries. Now here in the vision
to John she is represented by a city. John
writes:
THE ONE IN CHARGE OF THE PROCLAMATION

After these things I saw another angel

descending from heaven, with great au
thority; and the earth was lighted up
from his glory. And he cried out with a
strong voice, saying: She has fallen! Bab
ylon the great has fallen, and she has be
come a dwelling place of demons and a
lurking place of every unclean exhalation
and a lurking place of every unclean and
hated bird! For because of the passionarousing wine of her fornication all the
nations have fallen victim, and the kings
of the earth committed fornication with
her, and the traveling merchants of the

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

earth became rich due to the power of her

shameless luxury. Rev. 18:1-3.
The urgency of the warning is empha
sized by the fact that the angelic announc
er of Babylons fall and destruction has
great authority and is used as the chief
publicity agent for getting this warning
declared. To identify him personally, he is
actually none other than Jehovahs arch
angel, the glorified Lord Jesus Christ. He
occupies a position pictured by King Cyrus
the Persian, who conquered ancient Bab
ylon in 539 B.C.E., after which the city
gradually declined until her complete de
struction and desolation. Now for about
forty-eight years, since as long ago as
1919 C.E., people have been fleeing from
Babylonish false religion, for at that time
she lost her power to maintain control over
those in her who were deceived and held
in a slavelike position by her false doc
trines. Just as Cyrus conquered Babylon
and she later went into decay, so the
Greater Cyrus will see to it that Babylon
the Great will be completely destroyed. As
the archangel of God, his name in heaven
is Michael, which means Who Is like
God? This points him out as the vindi
cator of Gods name, the one to remove
the reproach that has been brought by
this great false religious empire upon
God and upon true worship and those
practicing true worship. The earth was
lighted up from his glory. (Rev. 18:1)
The destruction of Babylon the Great
would immeasurably brighten the earthly
situation for Jehovahs people, his Chris
tian witnesses, for they have been mis
represented, defamed and persecuted by
the world empire of Babylonish religion.
Dan. 10:21; 12:1; Rev. 12:7; 1 Thess.
4:16,17.
YOU MAY BE IN DANGER

If you are affiliated with a religious sys

tem of Christendom it would be a deliber-

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^eW ATCH TO W EFL

ate denial of your profession of Chris

tianity to ignore the warning and fail
to contemplate the ruin of worldly reli
gion described here by Jehovahs chief
angel. It is not something to turn aside
lightheartedly. Jehovah is serious and
means to do what he says and kindly gives
us an opportunity to escape what the great
religious organization of this world is fac
ing. He describes her as becoming like a
ruined city without human inhabitant or
domestic animal, a haunted ruin in whose
desolation only wild animals, reminding
one of demons, would make their dwelling
place. He actually brought the ancient city
of Babylon to this debased state. How
closely Revelations language follows what
Jehovah said to ancient Babylon and
which came literally true in her case:
And Babylon, the decoration of king
doms, the beauty of the pride of the Chal
deans, must become as when God over
threw Sodom and Gomorrah. She will
never be inhabited, nor will she reside for
generation after generation. And there the
Arab will not pitch his tent, and no shep
herds will let their flocks lie down there.
And there the haunters of waterless re
gions will certainly lie down, and their
houses must be filled with eagle owls. And
there the ostriches must reside, and goat
shaped demons themselves will go skipping
about there. And jackals must howl in her
dwelling towers, and the big snake will be
in the palaces of exquisite delight. And the
season for her is near to come, and her
days themselves will not be postponed.
Isa. 13:19-22.
THE REASON
FOR FALSE RELIGIONS CALAMITY

Why is it that God so thoroughly ruins

the world religious system? He answers:
For because of the passion-arousing wine
of her fornication all the nations have
fallen victim. There is no question but

245

that she has reveled in shameless lux

ury, keeping the people in awe. Luxuri
ously she hobnobs with the rulers to pro
mote political power and monetary gain,
at the same time keeping the people in
ignorance. Look at the rich cathedrals or
namented with the finest of materials and
precious things, while around many of
them the people are in abject poverty and
illiteracy. Her clergymen have lorded it
over their parishioners like owners of the
flock. They have demanded titles such as
Reverend, Father, Right Reverend, Holy
Father and All-Holiness. When Catholic
and Protestant sects have gone into places
where the people observe Babylonish re
ligion of the pagan type, these so-called
Christian organizations have been willing
to let the people keep many of their pagan
customs, ceremonies and moral standards
in order to get them to become members
of their churches. Actually, Babylon the
Great has been carrying on a religious
racket and has confused honest people,
thereby bearing a great share of the re
sponsibility for the wars, misery and suf
fering of the peoples of earth.
As proof that the vision of desolation
here does apply to the false religious or
ganization of the world, the angel specifies
kings of the earth and merchants of the
earth with whom Babylon has committed
fornication and whom she has made rich.
Notice, however, that no priests are men
tioned, for Babylon the Great herself
stands for the world empire of false reli
gion with its priests, clergymen, monks,
nuns, astrologers, spiritists and sorcerers.
These are the ones that have prostituted
their organizations to the kings and mer
chants of the earth. These are the ones
who have advocated the union of religion
and state and have encouraged the people
to support the scarlet-colored beast, the
man-made peace-and-security organiza-

246

f& eW ATCH TOW ER

tion, the horns of which will turn on her

and strip her naked. Rev. 17:3-5, 16.
THE WISE THING TO DO

If you are connected with the religious

organizations of this world and you see
these things, what can you do? Does it
mean that you must forsake all religion
and be godless? Not at all. But if you see
your religion doing the things Revelation
describes, then act on the warning:
And I heard another voice out of heav
en say: Get out of her, my people, if you
do not want to share with her in her sins,
and if you do not want to receive part of
her plagues. For her sins have massed to
gether clear up to heaven, and God has
called her acts of injustice to mind. Ren
der to her even as she herself rendered,
and do to her twice as much, yes, twice
the number of the things she did; in the
cup in which she put a mixture put twice
as much of the mixture for her. To the
extent that she glorified herself and lived
in shameless luxury, to that extent give
her torment and mourning. For in her
heart she keeps saying, I sit a queen, and
I am no widow, and I shall never see
mourning. That is why in one day her
plagues will come, death and mourning
and famine, and she will be completely
burned with fire, because Jehovah God,
who judged her, is strong. Rev. 18:
4-8.
You can do just as the Israelites did
back at ancient Babylons fall when they
were warned: Take your flight out of the
midst of Babylon [to Mount Zion in Ju
dah], and go forth even out of the land
of the Chaldeans, and become like the
leading animals before the flock. For here
I am arousing and bringing up against
Babylon a congregation of great nations
from the land of the north, and they will
certainly array themselves against her.
From there she will be captured. Ones

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

arrows are like those of a mighty mem

causing bereavement of children, who does
not come back without results. (Jer. 50:
8, 9) Yes, Gods people in ancient Bab
ylon were warned not to look longingly at
any of the advantages that Babylon of
fered or let love of her ways hold them
back, nor should they trust in her appar
ent strength. Some Jews enjoyed Babylons
material things so much that they did not
want to leave. But to stay with Babylon
was dangerous. Of what benefit was ma
terial gain in view of the prophecy which
proved true: Flee out of the midst of Bab
ylon, and provide escape each one for his
own soul. Do not be rendered inanimate
through her error. For it is the time of
vengeance belonging to Jehovah. There is
treatment that he is paying back to her.
Jer. 51:6.
Thousands are obeying the warning to
flee out of Babylon the Great today. Many
of Jehovahs witnesses were formerly
members of these organizations. Especially
since the year 1919 they have seen her
doom coming upon her and have been
obeying the divine command to get out of
her. The reason for this is that Jesus
Christ is invisibly present and is reigning
from his throne in heaven. By the enlight
enment that he has brought through reve
lation of Bible understanding and by an
gelic action, he has forced the gates of
Babylon the Great open to release those
who want to get out of her.
In other words, Babylon the Great
in 1919, as far as being able to hold on to
her captives is concerned. Her unclean
doctrines and wicked practices are exposed
so that she cannot continue to hold any
honest members. Since that time Christs
anointed followers on earth, known in the
Bible as the remnant (remaining ones on
earth) of the 144,000 Kingdom heirs, have
vigorously carried out the command to
preach everywhere the good news of Gods

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15, 1967

SfEeWATCHTOWER.

victorious kingdom. (Matt. 24:14) They

are free people and have continued to
maintain this freedom of speech regard
less of the opposition that has been
brought against them in every land. (John
8:31, 32) They have seen that God is now
executing on the earth the symbolic seven
last plagues described at Revelation 15:1
to 16:21, before the literal destructive
plagues or blows to come, and they do not
wish to receive part of these plagues by
staying in Babylon the Great and sharing
in her sins, for these plagues will culmi
nate in her complete destruction.
God says that her sins have massed to
gether clear up to heaven. These sins have
been committed in the name of religion,
which makes them immeasurably worse,
for it is against Jehovah God that she has
heaped up this mountain of sin and he
cannot ignore it. (Jer. 50:14; 51:9) As the
God of justice he cannot let her injustice
continue or go on unpunished. One of the
primary injustices that she has committed
is her persecution of Gods people who
have composed his spiritual temple and
his spiritual Zion from the days of the
apostles right down to our present day.
So just as God executed vengeance in an
cient times against Babylon for his tem
ple in Jerusalem and vengeance for his
city Zion, so he does in our day. Jer. 50:
28; 51:11,35, 36.
DOUBLE RETRIBUTION

Since Babylon has built up such a tre

mendous criminal record, the angel com
mands: Render to her even as she her
self rendered, and do to her twice as much,
yes, twice the number of the things she
did; in the cup in which she put a mix
ture put twice as much of the mixture
for her. (Rev. 18:6) He pays her back
in his allotted short period of one day
for all her sins against him and his wit
nesses over a four-thousand-year period.

247

Therefore, his vengeance against her has

to be greatly concentrated. That explains
why he commands his executional forces
to give her twice as much as she ren
dered to his people and make her drink a
doubly intoxicating cup full of dazing, stu
pefying troubles, sorrows, miseries, pains
and insults from the effects of which she
will never regain consciousness.
Now, it may seem to some that Jeho
vahs witnesses are unduly harsh in mak
ing this proclamation, but they have suf
fered much at Babylons hands. More than
that, they are under divine command to
declare in advance Jehovahs coming ven
geance upon her, helping many escape
ruin with her, otherwise they would be
bloodguilty. Consequently, they must do
their warning work despite all her pro
tests, objections and opposition to their
proclaiming Gods day of vengeance.
Ezek. 33:2-6; Isa. 61:1, 2.
We should not feel that Jehovahs ven
geance is unrighteous or too much for
Babylon the Great, neither should we be
surprised at what God does to her nor
feel sympathy for this heartless world em
pire of Babylonish religion. Remember as
far as she is concerned, she would sit for
ever as a queen on her throne, continuing
to oppress the people. But God, who is
strong, judges her. She has despised and
defied the God of Jehovahs witnesses,
thinking especially that such things could
not come from him upon her. So God
orders:
To the extent that she glorified her
self and lived in shameless luxury, to that
extent give her torment and mourning.
For in her heart she keeps saying, I sit
a queen, and I am no widow, and I shall
never see mourning. That is why in one
day her plagues will come, death and
mourning and famine, and she will be com
pletely burned with fire, because Jehovah

248

SReWATCHTOWER

God, who judged her, is strong. Rev.

18:7,8.
She has been revered and worshiped and
has received the abject servitude of her
subjects as a queen or mistress, an em
press over a religious empire. But her
prostitution and filthiness have made her
completely unfit for such a position. She
will become a widow, a person bereaved of
her millions of religious subjects, especially
her priests, clergy and other religious lead
ers. For all these she will have reason to
mourn. Besides death and mourning, she
will at last know famine herself, being de
prived of all her means by which she lived
in shameless luxury. Finally, that nothing
of her may remain, she will be completely
burned with fire in all-consuming destruc
tion, for our God is also a consuming
fire. Heb. 12:29.
MOURNERS

In spite of the fact that great Babylon

has been such a sinner against God, she
will have her mourners at the time of her
fall into destruction. Who? They are some
of those with whom she committed pros
titution and who were able to make great
gain out of her. Who they are is pointed
out by the angel. He tells us: And the
kings of the earth who committed forni
cation with her and lived in shameless
luxury will weep and beat themselves in
grief over her, when they look at the
smoke from the burning of her, while they
stand at a distance because of their fear
of her torment and say, Too bad, too bad,
you great city, Babylon you strong city,
because in one hour your judgment has
arrived! Rev. 18:9, 10.
Since the ten kings represented by the
ten horns on the scarlet-colored beast turn
upon the harlot and strip her naked and
eat her flesh and burn her with fire, the
mourning kings could hardly be identical
in personality with the ten kings (ten

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

horns) of the scarlet-colored wild beast.

No, these are kings or political rulers who
fornicated and enjoyed shameless luxury
with her during her popularity and who
have been taken by surprise at the sudden
turn of events, because as they themselves
mournfully say: Jehovahs execution of
judgment upon her arrived in one hour.
What fun they used to have with her, but
when judgment comes like a thief they
cannot help or preserve her for their fur
ther unclean pleasure. Afraid to interfere,
they stand off in fear of sharing the fiery
torment with her. Therefore, their time
of mourning for her will be very brief.
They too share responsibility for her
crimes; so, next in order, they will inescap
ably suffer pain when God executes judg
ment upon them.
The archangel Michael, the glorified Je
sus Christ, is in charge of the announce
ment of warning and he is giving the
greatest possible publicity to great Bab
ylons coming destruction. By the mouth
of more than a million earthly proclaimers, the announcement is being made. It
has been declared in 199 countries and
164 languages. It is not through the chan
nels of the worlds news agencies but by
earnest Bible students, Jehovahs witness
es, who themselves have taken advantage
of the warning to flee from Babylon the
Great. However, only a minority will hear,
that is, hear with belief enough to act on
the warning. There was a similar situation
in the days of Jesus and the apostles. They
gave warning of the complete destruction
of Jerusalem and, though this work was
opposed by the entire Jewish organization,
the people got to hear and be forewarned
if they desired to take advantage of it.
The majority scoffed at and ridiculed the
proclaimers of the warning; but even when
Cestus Gallus and his Roman legions with
drew from a siege of the city in 66 C.E.,
only the Christians residing there took ad-

A pril 15, 1967

SKeWATCHTOW ER

vantage of Jesus warning: When you see

Jerusalem surrounded by encamped ar
mies, then know that the desolating of her
has drawn near. Then let those in Judea
begin fleeing to the mountains, and let
those in the midst of her withdraw, and
let those in the country places not enter
into her; because these are days for met
ing out justice, that all the things written
may be fulfilled. (Luke 21:20-22) Sud
denly, shortly thereafter, the armies of
General Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian,
closed in on Jerusalem. During the siege
those who had felt so safe in Jerusalems
walls endured starvation and fear of de
struction. Finally, the walls of Jerusalem
were breached in the summer of 70 C.E.
and the Roman armies poured in and
slaughtered 1,100,000 and carried away

249

97,000 miserable captives to be sold in the

slave markets throughout the Roman
Empire.
Therefore, no matter what you may be
doing, no matter how well you may like
what you are doing or no matter how se
cure you may feel in your situation, do not
fail to give attention to this worldwide
warning from the Creator of the universe.
Listen to it. Learn what steps to take to
flee from Great Babylon and act at once,
for her destruction is alarmingly immi
nent. It is not just a matter of escape, but
release from religious bondage to a future
of life in perfection in a new order under
Gods kingdom. Jehovahs witnesses will
freely help you to get Bible understanding
so that you can act quickly, with wisdom
from God.

God by my de
vout p a r e n t s
at an e a r l y
age, not by my
IOME, listen,
strict religious
all you who
teachers. All
that those
fear God, and I will
t e a c h e r s
relate what he has
t a u g h t me
done for my soul.
were formalis(Ps. 66:16) This is
t i c a n d m e
what I want to do
chanical H e
now.
brew prayers
My f o r e f a t h e r
and nonsensiwas Abraham. Like
,f cal rituals.
him, my most ar
In 1897 my
dent de si r e has
family moved
been to have Jeho
to Zur i c h,
vah as m y e t er
As told by Maxwell G. Friend
Sw itzerlan d.
nal F r i e n d and
to r e m a in f o r e v e r c l o s e to him. There, during my first school year, I
I was born in Austria in 1890 to devot heard for the first time the story of the
ed Jewish parents of nine children, was birth of Jesus. I was fascinated by it. I
brought up in the Jewish orthodox reli had hardly learned to read German,
gion and learned to read Hebrew before when a mutilated religious book, written
I became of school age. I was drawn to and illustrated for children, found its way

SikWATCHTOWEFL

250

into our home. It was printed in large let

ters and told fascinating Bible stories from
the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. With
intense interest I laboriously read and re
read them. Both the familiar Hebrew Bi
ble accounts as well as the new ones about
the Messiah and his early disciples became
alive and absorbing to me. I believed them
with all my little heart. Later I was at
tracted to books on popular science, chief
ly on biology and cosmology. This wid
ened my horizon, and at the age of
fourteen years I abandoned formalistic
religion.
MY ADULTHOOD

The so-called higher education of my

college years along with more insight into
the repelling formalism, nonsensical creeds
and disgusting hypocrisy of the religions
I saw about me robbed me of the heartfelt
faith of my childhood. I became an un
happy skeptic, agnostic and evolutionist.
But not for long. From childhood on, I
had an intense love for the beauties of
Gods creation. Admiration of his creation
led me back to him. In 1912, after more
than three years of intense dramatic train
ing at the renowned City Theater in Zu
rich, Switzerland, I sat meditating on the
shore of the beautiful lake close to the
theater. It was here that my eyes were
opened again to the manifest fact that all
the marvelous things of creation were
brought forth by an infinitely more won
derful Creator.
Soon afterward the mother of one of
my close friends, noticing my faith in God,
gave me a modern translation of the
Christian Greek Scriptures. While I was
reading these Scriptures with mounting
delight, my sweet childhood faith in Christ
revived. That was in 1912. Now I believed
with maturer understanding that Jesus of
Nazareth is my Savior and that he is the

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

promised Messiah and King of his Fathers

kingdom.
MY DEDICATION

After counting all foreseeable and un

foreseeable costs, I decided from then on
to follow faithfully in the footsteps of my
great Master who had bought me at the
cost of his precious earthly life. I decided
to dedicate my life to God and to his King
dom service at any cost.
There were still so many more things
in the Scriptures that I desired to under
stand. I felt like the Ethiopian eunuch
who said to Philip: Really, how could I
ever do so, unless someone guided me?
(Acts 8:31) To whom should I turn? I
had no confidence in imitation Christians
and much less in their religious teachers.
The Master had said: By their fruits
you will recognize them as being a rot
ten tree that produces worthless fruit.
(Matt. 7:15-20) Their shameful, bloody
history and their heartless massacres of
the Jewish people during the entire his
tory of Christendom testified against
them and condemned them.
Where should I turn? Whom should I
ask for further enlightenment? From the
Scriptures I already understood that in the
midst of the spiritual weeds in the world
there must also be some genuine spiritual
wheat. (Matt. 13:24-30) But how would
I find it? I cried to God for help, and he
answered me.
In 1912 there were about a dozen ear
nest Christians in Zurich who were pro
claiming the kingdom of God without my
knowing of it. They were then called Bi
ble Students. Today the group with which
they were affiliated is known as Jehovahs
witnesses. When visiting some friends I
saw in their music room a tract entitled
The Three Worlds. Their maid had just
brought it in from the letter box. It was
published in Germany by the International

p r il

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

Association of Earnest Bible Students. It

attracted my interest, and I asked for per
mission to take it home. When I finished
a careful reading of it late that night, I
knew it was the truth. I knew it was pub
lished by the true followers of Jesus
Christ. I intended to read it again the next
day and then to write to the publishers in
Germany for more literature. But when
I came home the next afternoon, the pre
cious pamphlet was no longer on my desk.
Our maid had mistaken it for part of the
previous days newspaper and had burned
it. I felt as if I had lost a priceless treasure.
Try as I did, I could not remember the
name or the address of the publishers of
the tract. Again I turned to my Friend in
heaven, and again he answered my prayer.
CHARLES T. RUSSELL COMES TO ZURICH

Soon afterward large placards appeared

all over Zurich announcing a public lec
ture by an American Bible teacher and
world traveler, Charles T. Russell. He was
going to speak on the subject Beyond the
Grave. The placards exhibited a large and
striking picture of a Bible in chains out
of which came the spirit of Christ pointing
an accusing finger at a long and solemn
procession of all kinds of clergymen. It
indicted them by saying: Woe to you . . .
for ye have taken away the key of knowl
edge. (Luke 11:52, A V ) How very true
that is! I thought. I could hardly wait
for evening when the public lecture would
be given in the Tonhalle, the finest con
cert hall in Zurich.
When I arrived at the Tonhalle, I found
a large crowd at the entrance waiting for
admittance. To my bitter disappointment,
I discovered that the hall was already
packed out and the doors had been shut.
Then it was announced that the lecture
would be repeated a week later by Rus
sells interpreter. The waiting crowd then
dispersed.

251

This time I arrived at the Concert Hall

ahead of all the others. I waited until the
doors were opened, and when I entered
the lobby I immediately obtained the book
The Divine Plan of the Ages. This was the
first volume of Russells several books. I
immediately plunged into the reading of
it and found it to be fascinating. I did not
close the book until the chairman intro
duced the speaker. I was convinced that
I had finally found what I had been seek
ing with all my heart.
I drank in every word that I heard.
The hour of the talk seemed very short.
When I returned home I continued read
ing for hours the book I bought. I am not
ashamed to confess that what I read in
the book overwhelmed me at times and
caused tears of joy to well up in my eyes.
I just could not lay the book aside until
a new day had begun to dawn, because it
was unlocking to me understanding of the
Bible. Then I had to get a little sleep for
the days work before me.
The rehearsal that morning was of
Shakespeares famous tragedy Hamlet.
I just could not put my heart into it this
time. I asked myself how I could, contrary
to Gods Word, publicly express belief that
my murdered king-father lived on as a
haunting ghost? How could I swear bloody
vengeance? How could I dialogue with the
immortal soul of the dead king, speak
of purgatory and hellfire as being reali
ties? How could I repeat the lines: In
that deep sleep of death what dreams may
come? How could I say the dread of
something after death or the undiscov
ered country from whose bourn no travel
er returns when I knew that such state
ments were unscriptural? I suddenly
realized that similar conflicts of conscience
would face me in nearly every drama I
might participate in. I knew I could never
again enact an ungodly lie. I felt like a
child that had gleefully rushed after a

252

fEeW ATCHTOW ER.

beautiful, glittering soap bubble, and after

his catching it the bubble burst.
MY FIRST ASSOCIATION
WITH A CONGREGATION

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

perately tried to talk me out of what they

called idealistic phantasies. To my deep
est sorrow, I lost their friendship, but God
has since replaced them a hundredfold,
as promised at Mark 10:29, 30.
From the Zurich congregation I re
ceived literature for free distribution. At
first I dropped a large Yiddish tract into
the letter boxes of numerous Jewish
homes. Then I obtained German tracts for
Gentiles. In this manner, and by word of
mouth, I shared in spreading the good
news of Gods kingdom as well as in giv
ing emphatic warning that the year 1914
would see the beginning of the world
shaking time of the end of the present
evil disorder of things.Dan. 12:4.

I finally discovered where the Bible

Students held their meetings and when.
It was in a Zurich hotel room. The dozen
or so persons assembled there received me
with genuine and disarming cordiality.
Their absorbing Bible study made me, for
the first time in my life, acquainted with
the features and prophetic significance of
my forefathers tabernacle in the wilder
ness. I saw the gates of a new and true
life opening to me, and I felt drawn ir
resistibly to that loving and lovable group
of Gods people. I felt right at home with
them. I still experience this warm feeling
FULL-TIME SERVICE
when in the meetings of Jehovahs wit
Now that I discovered what the Bible
nesses wherever I go in the world.
calls a precious treasure hidden in the
As to the good news of Gods kingdom, field, which is Jehovahs kingdom, it be
I felt like Jeremiah when he said: In my came clear to me that in order to buy that
heart it proved to be like a burning fire. field, I had to give up all my materialistic
(Jer. 20:9) I just could not hold it back. desires as well as my worldly aspirations
I simply had to tell it out. My dear fa of being an actor. (Matt. 13:44) I was
ther was quite versed in the Hebrew Scrip eager to play instead a humble supporting
tures and listened to my message with an role in being what the apostle Paul calls
open mind but without saying much. My a theatrical spectacle to the world, both
mother was likewise a God-fearing soul to angels and to men. (1 Cor. 4:9) This
and was rather pleased with what I told would be to Jehovahs glory and fame, not
her. With regard to Jesus both had to my own. When I disclosed my intentions
admit, It may be true that he is the Mes and reasons to my atheistic director, he
siah. Years later on her deathbed my be was visibly shocked. He tried to talk me
loved mother devotedly read the Bible and out of it, but failed. Until he died years
our book The
Harpof God. How
I amhelong
later
continued to hope that, as he ex
ing for the promised resurrection when pressed it, time and realities would
my parents will receive full enlightenment awaken me out of my idealistic dreams.
and I will be able to see them rewarded
In the following year, 1913, early in the
with endless life!
spring, I was baptized in symbol of my
As for my four brothers and four sis dedication to Jehovah and to his eternal
ters, none of them adhered to any religion. service. That baptism took place close to
Liberal-minded as they were, they just the City Theater in the chilling water of
tolerated my new belief and rarely argued the lovely Lake of Zurich. Then I applied
against it. As for my intimate friends, to the Watch Tower Branch in Germany
none of them were religious, but they des- for any kind of service I could do, and

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15, 1967

SEeW ATCHTOW ER.

I was invited to come to the branch, called

Bethel, and to work there. My parents
felt crushed. Nonetheless, they unselfishly
wanted me to do what would make me
happy.
At the fine German Bethel at Barmen
I found a warm and happifying atmo
sphere. I made myself useful by various
humble services. At that time the Bethel
family was still small, consisting of about
fifteen adults and two lovable little girls
of the branch servant. The younger of
them, Phoebe Koetitz, is still alive and has,
for many years, been devotedly serving as
a pioneer, which is a full-time publisher of
the good news, in the United States. An
other person in Bethel at that time and
who has survived until today is Heinrich
Dwenger. He is still faithfully serving at
our Swiss branch at Berne. Because the
first year of my new life was full of ac
tivity and learning, it passed quickly.
When the Watch Tower Societys presi
dent, J. F. Rutherford, visited us, he asked
me if I would like to be sent to AustriaHungary so as to spread the good news of
the Messianic kingdom among the many
Jews there. (Most of these Jews, as well
as three of my fleshly brothers and a
sister-in-law who lived in France, were
later massacred by the Nazis.) I gladly
accepted the invitation, and early in 1914
I traveled first to Prague, Czechoslovakia.
There I distributed Yiddish tracts from
house to house in the large Jewish sec
tions of that ancient city. I then went to
Vienna, Austria, where I did the same
work. I was still working by myself at the
time. There were only four subscribers for
The Watchtower in Vienna, and I visited
them repeatedly, increasing their interest
in Gods Word. I started a weekly home
Bible study with two of them. Then the
Society sent me a helper. Two were cer
tainly better than only one in this work.
(Eccl. 4:9-12) The two of us were able to

253

accomplish much more than I was able to

do by myself.
Jews hardly ever responded to the good
news, because they confused us with mis
sionaries of Christendom. They had no
love for Christendom due to the many cen
turies that she had driven them from
country to country and mercilessly killed
them with fire and sword. Even in their
day there were inhuman, clergy-led po
groms or massacres of Jews in Czarist
Russia. After covering the Jewish sections
in Vienna we traveled to Poszony (Pressburg) in Slovakia. There, while we were
distributing tracts in Jewish streets, a mob
of outraged, fanatical Jews formed against
us. Mistaking us for missionaries of Chris
tendom, they mobbed us out of town, but
with Gods help we came out alive. Not so
those poor, blinded people. More than
twenty years later practically the entire
Jewish population of Poszony was anni
hilated by the demon-possessed Nazis. A f
ter Poszony, we covered Jewish territory
in Budapest, Hungary.
We were approaching the fall of 1914
with growing expectancy because we were
anticipating the end of the appointed times
of the nations, mentioned in Bible proph
ecy. Looking back, we can see today how
that year was a turning point in human
history. We returned to Vienna, and while
we were there World War I erupted. Our
hearts ached because of the human suffer
ing this brought upon the people. Nonethe
less, we were indescribably jubilant be
cause of the long-awaited fulfillment of
Bible prophecy regarding the ending of
the appointed times of the nations.
Then followed the sad three and a half
years of humiliation for the remnant of
Christs anointed body members on earth.
It was a time when they were symbolically
dressed in sackcloth. (Rev. 11:2, 3, 7-11)
In 1919, when Jehovah began to liberate
his captive people from their Babylo-

254

f& eW ATCH TOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

man bondage, the spirit of life from broadcast the good news of the Messianic
God entered into them, and they stood kingdom in German and in Yiddish over
upon their feet. Together with them I radio stations.
Then Jehovah favored me with an un
too was revived to renewed full-time theo
cratic work in the glorious freedom of expected privilege of service. This was to
the children of God. (Rom. 8:21) I had produce and direct stirring Biblical dra
returned to Switzerland, and there, be mas and realistic reproductions of outra
cause of my uncompromising integrity, I geous court trials of Jehovahs witnesses
suffered heartrending and heart-searching by clergy-influenced, prejudiced judges
and prosecutors in America. The dramas
trials.
It was in the Zurich congregation of exposed them to public shame and exoner
ated the work of Je
J e h o v a h s p e o p l e ________________ _
h o v a h s servants.
that I found Irma,
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
The trained radio
w ho becam e my
Rem em ber Y ou r C reator by
M anifesting Goodness.
performers and mu
helpful and faithful
Goodness Is to Be M anifested.
W here A re W e According to Gods
sicians in these dra
marriage companion.
Tim etable?
mas were known as
We served together
F a ith Ta lked A bout Th roughout th e
W hole W o rld .'
The K i n g s T h e
first in the Societys
ater. Their plays
C en tra l- Eu rop ean
Office in Zurich and later in the Swiss were performed for years over the SocieBethel in Berne. Those were very busy and tys own radio station, WBBR, and over
fruitful years, overshadowing the severe other stations in New York, New Jersey
trials caused by unfaithful men who held and Pennsylvania.
authoritative positions in the Society. To
GILEAD
test my humility, Jehovah permitted them
In 1943 the Society established the
to ride over my head, to make me go Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, a min
through fire and through water, but isterial school for providing advanced
afterward he brought me out to great re training to missionaries and ministerial
lief. Ps. 66:12.
representatives for specialized service in
foreign fields. This school has had a sig
SERVING AT HEADQUARTERS
nificant share in the great increase of
In the spring of 1926 Brother Ruther Kingdom publishers that has been seen
ford invited us to move to the Societys
since 1943. Jehovah showed me his un
world headquarters in Brooklyn. There my
merited favor by having me included in
privilege of serving as translator was con
the faculty to teach courses on Bible re
tinued and enlarged. My good wife helped search and public speaking. This I did
as a housekeeper, making good use of her
wholeheartedly and with heavenly support
gift of a typical Swiss sense for cleanliness,
and guidance for more than seventeen
neatness and coziness. Between transla
years, teaching thirty-four missionary
tions of books I enjoyed the privilege of
classes and ten Kingdom Ministry courses.
visiting German-speaking congregations
Upon reaching the age of seventy, I nec
as a pilgrim, which was a traveling repre essarily had to lighten my work load. Con
sentative and public lecturer of the So siderately the Societys president, N. H.
ciety, in widely separated parts of the Knorr, relieved me of my school duties
United States. Sometimes I went to Can and brought Irma and me back to Bethel
ada. Occasionally I had opportunities to in Brooklyn. There he assigned us to easier

p r il

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOW ER

work. It hurt to leave our beautiful King

dom Farm where Gilead School was lo
cated. The place and its inhabitants had
endeared themselves to us so very much.
But we have found Bethel, even more than
before, a place that is truly, as some per
sons have said, simply out of this world.
One must live and work here to appreciate
fully the astoundingly smooth efficiency
and the fine cooperative Christian spirit
of its organization. No one is driven, over
seers are inconspicuous and yet the place
is humming with great activity and is
amazingly productive.
Thus far in all my many and varied ser
vice assignments since 1913 every change
has been gratefully seen, in time, as one
for the better. Never before did we have
it as good as now in our dear Bethel home.
Another change for the better, we think,
could only be heaven itself.
I am in my seventy-seventh year now
and, understandably, I tire easily, but I do
not feel at all like retiring now or ever. My
spirit has retained freshness and enthusi
asm for everything that is true, good, lov
able and beautiful. As it is written: The
righteous . . . will blossom forth as a palm
tree does . . . They will still keep on thriv
ing during gray-headedness . . . to tell
that Jehovah is upright. (Ps. 92:12-15)
I cannot do great things, but I can keep on
doing small things devotedly. I am fully
aware that I have been merely a good-

255

for-nothing slave and that all I have

done in the Masters service is what I
ought to have done.Luke 17:10.
When surveying my Kingdom service
over the years, I realize that it has had
its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows,
all for my testing and refinement. At times
the thrilling ascent on Gods Mountain has
been very steep and hazardous. True, I
stumbled at times and got hurt, but with
the strong help of our merciful Mountain
Guide I always got up again, and with re
newed courage and carefulness resumed to
climb upward. I can truly testify that
not one of Gods gracious promises to me
has failed. They have all come true. (Josh.
23:14) To play a humble supporting part
in the grand universal drama of Jehovahs
vindication, I esteem an inestimable and
unspeakable privilege. I realize that, be
fore I began to behold Gods light of truth,
I was groping in the darkness of the val
ley of death and merely existed. Since the
time I dedicated my life to our great heav
enly Father, through the merit of my Sa
vior and King, I have truly lived a full and
joyful life, one worth living. My most ar
dent desire and my highest hope is not
to be great in the kingdom of heaven, but
to see God and to be forever close to him
and to my Savior. That is why I have giv
en up all I had, which was O so little, in
order to gain the crown of life and, above
all, Jehovah as my eternal Friend.

from now on we know no man according to

the flesh. Even if we have known Christ ac
cording to the flesh, certainly we now know
him so no more. The primary meaning of
these words can best be understood if we
first determine what the apostle Paul was
proving in the context.
Can 2 Corinthians 5:16 be used to establish
that Jesus would not return in the flesh?
C. N., England.
The text in question reads: Consequently

A t 2 Corinthians 5:14 the apostle indicated

that Christ had died as a ransom sacrifice
for all. His sacrifice did not cover just the
Jews or benefit only Gentiles. No, but all who
would accept him and exercise faith might

W ATCHTOW ER.

256

live because of him. (Gal. 3:8, 11) Since Jesus

died for all, it would be improper for Christians
to view persons on a human or fleshly basis,
looking down on some because they were
Gentiles or had a low station in life, or looking
up to others because they were Jews or held
some prominent position. This attitude based
on external, fleshly appearances was a thing
of the past for those who became Christians.
Then Paul concluded in verse 16 that anoint
ed Christians would now know no man accord
ing to the flesh. The important spiritual re
lationship they could have with their brothers
was the important thing. Jesus showed the
same view at Matthew 12:47-50. He empha
sized the spiritual relationship he had with
those who accepted him as the Messiah.
Finally, Paul spoke about those who knew
Jesus according to the flesh. He did not neces
sarily mean just persons who had personally
seen Jesus with their physical eyes, since
some, many or all the members of the Corin
thian congregation, never saw Jesus as a hu
man. Rather, he meant that even if individuals,
such as Jews who hoped in the Messiah to
restore an earthly kingdom, at one time had
looked at Christ only on the basis of his flesh,
Christians no longer would do so. All this
was changed by the fact that Christ not mere
ly died for them but was also raised up.
2 Cor. 5:14, 15.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

W hile this is the primary point the writer

was establishing in 2 Corinthians 5 :16, it is
also proof that Jesus would not , return again
in the flesh, because we cannot separate the
change of knowing Christ and his followers
from Christ's resurrection, his being raised
up from death. If he had been raised up flesh
and blood, unable to go to heaven and sit at
God's right hand, he would not have been
the Christ or Messiah. (1 Cor. 1 5 :50; Ps. 110:
1; Acts 2:32-36) In that case he would still
have to be known according to the flesh.
W ell, how was he raised from the dead? The
apostle knew, for in his first letter to the same
Corinthian congregation he told them that
Jesus was resurrected a life-giving spirit.
(1 Cor. 15:45) And in this second letter he
said that anointed Christians would have to
give up their fleshly bodies in order to receive
immortality. (2 Cor. 5:1-4) Also, he appre
ciated that Jesus had given his fleshly body
as a ransom and could not take it back in
resurrection without nullifying the ransom.
(Heb. 9 :28; 10:10) Yes, without question, the
apostle Paul realized that no human would
see Christ in the flesh again. So in a double
sense Paul could state that humans would
know Jesus according to the flesh no longer.
And for this reason this text can be used to
establish that Christ's return would not be
visible and fleshly.

f l ANNOUNCEMENTS ff
FIELD MINISTRY

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and make disciples of people . . . teaching
them. (Matt. 28:19, 20) It is in obedience to
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at your door. Yes, they are teachers of the
things that are recorded in the Bible, and they
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Kingdom W h y Literally So, 1125-31; and
The Benefits of Mankinds Millennium,
111-23. Page 235. Songs to Be Used: 92, 78.

MAY 1, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR BY

MANIFESTING GOODNESS
GOODNESS IS TO BE MANIFESTED
WHERE ARE WE
ACCORDING TO GODS TIMETABLE?
FAITH TALKED ABOUT
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD'
WT B &T S

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JE H O V A H .-lsa43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F "T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very w atchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place fo r a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h at is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er this magazine Justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious n ew order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tch to w er
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? T h e Sacred Bible o f m e H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G ods promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

T?
PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N . H . K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They w ill all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 5 4 :1 3

CONTENTS
Where Are W e According to
Gods Timetable?
Faith Talked About Throughout
the W hole W orld
You Are Invited to Come Again
H appy Missionaries Urged
to Appreciate Life
Remember Your Creator
by Manifesting Goodness
Goodness Is to Be Manifested
Keep Christian Balance Under
Responsibilities
Do You Rem ember?
Blessing Jehovah Among
the Congregated Throngs

Average prin ting each issue: 4,850,000 Five cents a copy

259
263
269
272
273
279
285
286
287

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Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 19 61 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols will appear behind the citations:

ASATAVDy JP -

American Standard Version

An American Translation
Authorized Version (1611)
Catholic Douay version
Jewish Publication Soc.

Le M oRo RSYg -

Isaac Leesers version

James Moffatts version
J. B. Rotherhams version
Revised Standard Version
Robert Youngs version

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-p 4 rv n o u ric i7 z c y

J E H O V A H S
KINGDOM
M ay 1, 1967

N um ber 9

ROM read in g
number of dramatic changes in this very
Gods Word the
generation changes that will affect your
B ible one can n ot
life and that of every other person for all
but conclude that
time to come. It shows we are facing the
God knows w hat
day for the expression of Gods wrath
the fu tu re holds.
against all wickedness in the battle at
For the frightful
what the Bible calls Armaged
events of our time
don. Following that war will
were all foretold by
be the glorious
thousand-year
him centuries ago
reign of Jesus
and are appearing on the world scene j l I
Christ. (Rev.
precisely on schedule according to his * ^
16:16; 20:4-6)
timetable. Not that God Almighty is
E xercisin g
responsible for all that has happened on
faith in these
earth down through the ages. He himself
promises, a
testifies that men have acted ruinously on
their own part, that the defect is their
great crowd of
own. (Deut. 32:5) Rather, in his infinite
mankind have
arranged their
wisdom he has been able to predetermine
what course nations would take, and for lives in harmony with Gods Word in hope
our guidance and encouragement has of becoming recipients of the blessings
caused a record of these prophetic events that are to come.
to be written down in his Word the Bible.
But how can we be confident that these
Therefore, knowledge of this timetable promises are sure of fulfillment? The an
is of intense interest to man, for it pro swer is simple: Because these are the
vides him with priceless information that promises of a God who cannot lie. (Heb.
marks his location in the stream of time. 6:18) They are scheduled events in the
It also reveals what events are about to timetable of God. Matt. 24:34, 35.
break forth on the world scene. So with
For instance, in the book of Ecclesiastes
this information close at hand we can (3:1, 8) the Creator assures us: For
chart a course in life that will lead to a everything there is an appointed time,
happy conclusion.
even a time for every affair under the
For example, the Bible timetable in heavens: . . . a time for war and a time
dicates that we are at the threshold of a for peace. Without doubt, then, there is
new era, that this earth is in store for a a precise time for the war of Armageddon
259

260

SEeWATCHTOWER

to be fought and also a set time for the

peaceful thousand-year reign of Christ to
begin.
A close study of the Bible helps us to
appreciate that world events can be an
ticipated and understood in advance by
those who are acquainted with Bible
prophecies. For example, from a study of
the Hebrew Scriptures Jesus Christ knew
that he was destined to suffer, die and be
resurrected to life. So he told his disciples
in advance that he must go to Jerusalem
and suffer many things from the older
men and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and on the third day be raised up.
(Matt. 16:21-23) The reason for such
prophecies was given by Jesus in these
words: So now I have told you before it
occurs, in order that, when it does occur,
you may believe. (John 14:25-29) This
is the advantage of knowing prophecy and
seeing its fulfillment. We gain faith and
strength in witnessing the fulfillment of
Gods promises and can look ahead with
confidence to seeing other promises ful
filled. Therefore, those who do not believe
forfeit the value of Gods timetable for
themselves.
PROPHECIES FOR ENCOURAGEMENT

Gods promises and prophecies are for

our encouragement. For example, long be
fore the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt,
God told Abram: You may know for sure
that your seed will become an alien resi
dent in a land not theirs, and they will
have to serve them, and these will cer
tainly afflict them for four hundred years.
(Gen. 15:13) The beginning of that af
fliction was when Ishmael, son of the
Egyptian Hagar, mocked Isaac in the year
1913 B.C.E. Subtracting 400 years from
1913 brings us to 1513 B.C.E., the pre
cise year when God delivered the Israel
ites from Egyptian bondage. Knowledge of
this prophecy to Abram could have served

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

as a source of great encouragement to

those enslaved and afflicted Jews, for it
also told of deliverance. Gen. 50:24, 25.
Another example where knowledge of a
recorded prophecy served as an encour
agement can be found in the prophecy of
Jeremiah. Jehovah caused his prophet
Jeremiah to write that the Jews would
be held captive in Babylon while their land
was desolate for seventy years. (Jer. 29:
10) The prophet Daniel, while in Babylon,
took encouragement from these prophetic
words and looked for the releasing of his
people and their return to Jerusalem,
which took place in 537 B.C.E., precisely
seventy years after Judah had been left
uninhabited when the last Jews fled to
Egypt not long after Jerusalems desola
tion. This again emphasizes the accurate
ness of Gods timetable.
At the beginning of the first century of
our Common Era faithful Jews were look
ing for the Messiah because of recorded
prophecies. The prophet Daniel was told
that from the going forth of the com
mandment to restore and to build Jerusa
lem unto the anointed one [Messiah], the
prince, shall be seven weeks, and three
score and two weeks. (Dan. 9:24, 25, AS)
In other words, sixty-nine weeks of years
or 483 years (for these are symbolic
weeks) would pass. (Ezek. 4:6) It was in
455 B.C.E. that King Artaxerxes decreed
that the city of Jerusalem and its wall be
rebuilt. (Neh. 2:1-8) Counting from 455
B.C.E., the 483 years would end 29
In 29 C.E. Jesus of Nazareth was anointed
with holy spirit, at which time he became
Jesus Christ or Jesus the Messiah, the
anointed one. In that year Andrew the
brother of Simon Peter declared: We
have found the Messiah (which means,
when translated, Christ). (John 1:41)
This was precisely as foretold by the
prophet Daniel centuries before.
Since prophecies and promises of God

May 1, 1967

SFEeWATCHTOWER.

were an encouragement for men through

out all ages, we who live at the conclusion
of this system of things would be wise to
turn to the same sources for our encour
agement.Rom. 15:4.
END OF THE GENTILE TIMES

Ours is a most critical generation. Bible

chronology and prophecies agree on this
fact. We who live today stand at the
threshold of Armageddon, Gods war in
which the wicked will be wiped off the
earth. This also means we stand at the
threshold of the incomparable peaceful,
righteous rule of Christ that is to follow.
But how can we be sure? Because of
prophecies and Gods unerring time
table. 2 Tim. 3:1-5; Matt. 24:21; 2 Pet.
3:13.
Consider the time factor that Jesus
gave. He said: Jerusalem will be tram
pled on by the nations, until the appointed
times of the nations are fulfilled. (Luke
21:24) After this, as he said, nation will
rise against nation and kingdom against
kingdom, and there will be food shortages
and earthquakes in one place after anoth
er. All these things are a beginning of
pangs of distress. (Matt. 24:7, 8) The
appointed times of the nations, men
tioned by Jesus, indicated a period in
which there would be no representative
government of Jehovah in the hands of
the royal line of King David to interfere
with the Gentile domination of the earth.
So when did those times begin, and for
how long a period would they extend?
Those Gentile Times began to count in
607 B.C.E., when Jerusalem, the capital of
Gods representative government on earth,
was destroyed by the king of Babylon.
They were to run for seven symbolic times,
as shown by Daniel chapter 4. There in
Daniel is found a prophecy concerning the
kingdom of God (Dan. 4:34), a prophecy
that pointed to the time when the one

261

chosen by God would be given the right to

rule (Dan. 4:17, 25, 32) after a period of
seven times had elapsed. The Bible in
dicates that each of those times would
be 360 years in length, and that the seven
would, therefore, be 2,520 years in dura
tion.* That time period ended in the au
tumn of 1914 of our Common Era. This
fact is significant because, according to
the prophecies of Gods timetable, the
earth was to witness a marked change
after 1914. Well, did it?
EVIDENCE MARKING THE END

For over thirty-five years in advance

Jehovahs witnesses proclaimed that 1914
would be a marked year. As early as 1877
their publications warned that 1914 would
see Gentile rule interrupted by the king
dom of God. They firmly believed that Je
sus prophecy of the conclusion of the
system of things would come true, that fol
lowing the end of the Gentile Times Gods
Messianic kingdom would come into full
power and the Gentile powers on earth
be ousted.
But nothing in the early part of 1914
indicated that world upheaval was at hand.
The nations were at peace. The worlds
scene was a scoffers dream, and scoff
many did. It was not until late June of
1914 that the world began to feel the jit
ters of world instability. But by October 1,
1914, it was obvious that Jesus prophecy
was fulfilled and that the appointed times
of the nations had ended. Historians and
statesmen speak of 1914 C.E. as being a
dividing line in history, the day when
the world went mad, a turning point,
when the world began its march toward
disaster. This is precisely what Gods
timetable said 1914, the year marking
the end of the Gentile Times, would be.
World War I did not settle the worlds
problems. It merely sowed the seeds that
* See the book Babylon the Great Has Fallen!
Gods Kingdom Rules!, pages 174-181.

262

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N.Y.

plunged the world into another and even in 1914 would also see its end. The gen
greater war within the same generation, eration that was old enough to view those
namely, World War II. Shortly thereafter events with understanding in 1914 is no
came smaller wars and revolutions. As longer young. It no longer has many years
Jesus foretold, the end of the Gentile to run. Already many of its members have
Times would mark a beginning of pangs died. But Jesus showed that there would
of distress for the earth, and so it has still be members of this generation alive
at the time of the passing away of this
been.
Since 1914, the earth has also experi wicked system of things in both heav
en and earth. (Luke
enced unprecedented
2 1 : 3 2, 3 3) H o w
famine. Food short
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
much longer will it
ages have affected
Mildness, a C hristian R equirem ent.
In structing w ith Mildness.
be, then, before God
more than twice as
Com m ercial W orld Experiences
takes action to de
many people as were
Cause fo r M ourning.
stroy the wicked and
Do You Give 'Just as You H ave
affected in the 900
Resolved in Y o u r H e a rt ?
usher in the blessings
years before. Pesti
of his Kingdom rule?
lences have increased
Interestingly, the autumn of the year
in the earth and go on increasing. Mental
and nervous disorders, heart diseases and 1975 marks the end of 6,000 years of hu
cancer are reaching the proportions of a man experience. This is ascertainable from
global calamity. And earthquakes, too, are reliable chronology preserved in the Bible
bringing increased woe. The yearly toll in itself. What will that year mean for hu
lives lost from earthquakes since 1914 has mankind? Will it be the time when God
been ten times what it was before that executes the wicked and starts off the
thousand-year reign of his Son Jesus
year.
These events emphasize the preciseness Christ? It very well could, but we will
of Gods timetable. They make us wit have to wait to see. Yet of this we can
nesses of fulfilled prophecies. They tell us be certain: the generation that Jesus said
what Satan the Devil already knows, would witness those events is nearing its
namely, that we stand at the threshold of close. The time is close at hand. On Gods
Armageddon, that his wicked rule is about timetable we are in the closing days of
to end, that Gods kingdom come will a wicked system of things that will soon
soon be a reality for the earth. Rev. be gone forever. A glorious new order is
immediately before us. This is, therefore,
12: 12.
good reason for Christians everywhere to
THE END OF 6,000 YEARS
rejoice. Yes, they rejoice because fulfill
In examining these Scriptural facts, ment of their prayers for the kingdom of
something else also captures our attention. God is now at hand.Luke 21:28.
According to Bible chronology, we are al
Therefore, keep in mind the admonition
ready over fifty-two years into the wicked of the Lord Jesus when speaking of our
system of things time of the end. That day: Keep awake, then, all the time mak
time began in the autumn of 1914 C.E., ing supplication that you may succeed in
at the termination of the appointed times escaping all these things that are destined
of the nations, and it is already far ad to occur, and in standing before the Son
vanced. Jesus said that this generation of man. (Luke 21:36) The prophecy is
that saw the beginning of this time period sure; the time is short.

could react as did the apostle Paul when

he informed the congregation of Chris
tians in Rome: Your faith is talked about
throughout the whole world.Rom. 1:8.
ATTENDING ASSEMBLIES

For example, have you ever hesitated

about attending some circuit or district
assembly of Jehovahs witnesses orga
nized for your benefit, because of some
seemingly insurmountable obstacles? Je
sus taught that faith can surmount ob
stacles. (Matt. 17:20) And that has proved
to be true of many of Jehovahs witnesses
in Latin America. One schoolteacher liv
ing some 200 miles distant from Montevi
deo, Uruguay, wanted to get to the as
sembly, but her opposed husband even
made it difficult for her to attend local
meetings. Was she discouraged? Did her
faith waver? No, for she went ahead with
preparations, confident that, if it was the
Lords will, she would get there. The
unexpected happened. A government de
partment handling her retirement ap
plication called her to the capital for
discussion at the very time when the as
sembly would be in session. So she was
one of the happy participants.
A group of Witnesses from the coast of
Honduras started out by train for the as
sembly in Tegucigalpa. They could not get
through because high waters had rendered
a rail bridge impassable. Did they give up?
No! They went home and tried again next
day and got through and finally arrived
one day after the assembly had started.
Obstacles could not extinguish their zeal
for attendance at the spiritual feast pre
pared for them.
Jehovahs witnesses from Manaus, in
the Amazon basin, traveled four days on
that mighty river to reach Belem on the
coast, and then five days by bus to get to
the Brazilian assembly in Sao Paulo. The
prospect and the hazards of a twenty-day

Displayed at

W s Sons of liberty"
Assemblies
HE faith-displaying course of devoted
servants of Jehovah in this day, as
in the past, is truly a fit subject for up
building consideration. It moves other ser
vants of God to inquire into how such
strength of faith can be acquired. It leads
them to examine their own attitudes and
ways of thinking in order to root out any
that raise obstacles to the growth of faith.
As they apply the lessons learned, follow
ers of Christ today are in effect saying
what first-century disciples said to the
Master: Give us more faith.Luke 17:
5.
Things learned and experiences report
ed at the 1966-67 series of Gods Sons
of Liberty International Assemblies pro
vide much food for thought along this line.
Jehovahs witnesses from the northern
hemisphere had opportunity to visit Mexi
co, Central and South America and the
islands of the Caribbean and see firsthand
the background against which a vast cam
paign of Bible education is being pushed
in those southern lands. They were thrilled
by what they saw and heard, and felt they

263

264

3fteWATCHTOWER-

return trip could not shake their deter

mination to attend.
Thirty-seven delegates from Nuevo Paraiso, Colombia, were undeterred by the
hazardous trip in a large motor-powered
canoe. As it turned out, the boat did cap
size and they lost all their spare clothing
and money. However, they turned up at
the assembly in Barranquilla undaunted,
happy to be alive to partake of the spiri
tual bounty of the Lords table.
Many Witnesses had to be resourceful in
order to make the trip to the assembly
site. One Uruguayan Witness began tak
ing in washing early in July so that when
January arrived she would have enough
funds for the journey. Another with sev
eral children and an opposed husband
made and sold ice cream to earn her trav
el expenses.
FAITH TO REACH OUT

How do you view the possibility of tak

ing on enlarged privileges and responsi
bilities in Kingdom service? Those who
have faith to reach out and grasp such op
portunities are truly blessed by Jehovah,
as experiences told at the Gods Sons of
Liberty assemblies show. One Witness in
a fishing town in Peru was informed that
he could not qualify to be a special pioneer
minister until he learned to read and write.
That did it. He began studying right away,
made excellent progress in but a few
months, and now has his assignment as a
special pioneer minister in his hometown.
From his district two hundred persons
came to the assembly in Lima.
How signally blessed was one Uruguay
an Witness who, despite frail health,
reached out for pioneer ministerial privi
leges! She has been instrumental in bring
ing some ninety persons into the organi
zation of Jehovahs witnesses, eighty of
them already baptized. How rewarding it
was for her to see a good proportion of

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

these mount the platform at the Monte

video assembly in testimony to her zeal
ous and diligent ministry!
Northern visitors at all these assemblies
also met and talked with missionaries who
years ago had the faith to reach out for
service privileges. They accepted the in
vitation to train at the Watchtower Bible
School of Gilead and were sent off to for
eign assignments. But did they have the
faith to stick with their assignments?
They certainly did. Think of it! Eight
graduates from Gileads first class back in
1943 are still faithfully serving in Mexico
and others are to be found in various Cen
tral and South American lands. Surely
their faith is like Abrahams!
FAITHFUL CONDUCT IMPRESSES

Fine testimony from people on the out

side of the Christian congregation is, in
fact, testimony to the faith of Gods ser
vants. (1 Tim. 3:7) Let us never overlook
the effect that good conduct has on per
sons who observe Jehovahs witnesses un
der varying conditions. They really take
note and talk about it, as convention dele
gates learned during the Central and
South American tour of assemblies. A
waiter in a Panama restaurant approached
some Witnesses and asked: Who are you
people? You all seem so happy, and there
is no discrimination among you how can
it be? When told that the Witnesses were
the same people who distribute the book
From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained,
which he already had, he declared he was
going to get it out and start studying it.
The supervisor of a bus company in San
Juan, Puerto Rico, after dealing with the
assembly organization, said to his staff:
We must cooperate to the greatest extent
with these people; they are the most or
ganized people we have dealt with. And
a hotel manager in Mexico City declared:
You Witnesses are welcome here any-

M a y 1, 1 9 6 7

265
SlkWATCHTOWER
time. How many rooms do you want? An them. They quickly gain confidence in
other hotel manager, this time in King teachers of this kind, teachers of the Bible
ston, Jamaica, said: Although I am not who are prepared to put its fine principles
one of Jehovahs witnesses, if I could into operation in their own lives.
employ only Witnesses here I would be
HAVING DONE ALL, TRUST JEHOVAH
happy. For with such a staff we could run
It often happens that servants of God
a trouble-free hotel.
A Government official in Ecuador said have done their very best to carry out his
of the assembly organization: They have will and yet reach the point where they
every last detail planned out with mathe must trust in Jehovah for the outcome,
matical precision. There is not much that because it may be beyond their power to
we can do for them that they have not achieve. They need faith in God to meet
already done for themselves. And an air such situations. For example, think of the
line manager stated: You people did a position of the Watch Tower convention
magnificent job of organization. Wish we servant at Managua, Nicaragua, when he
had men like you in our firm. A hotel learned that the leaseholder who had
manager in one South American city, re rented the auditorium to him had lost his
marking on the efficiency of the Witnesses, lease, and the contract with him was no
observed: If you people were running the longer valid. The opening of the assembly
country I would not mind paying taxes, was just days away, with delegates on
for I know I would get my moneys their way from all over Nicaragua, not to
speak of the many foreign delegates. But
worth.
The auditorium personnel at the Pa- everything finally worked out well. The
lacio Penarol, Montevideo, Uruguay, were owner of the auditorium consented to ne
deeply impressed. At first they were smok gotiate a last-minute contract.
ing, but as they got to associating with
Normally, January 1 marks the start of
and cooperating with the Witness work Ecuadors rainy season, and with it come
ers it was noticeable that none of them hordes of crickets and mosquitoes. In pre
smoked any longer, and they would ad vious years the crickets had to be swept
dress each Witness as Hermano or Broth up by the bushel in the downtown areas,
er. One of them declared: This is the while mosquitoes made life unbearable to
first time the Palaeio has a clean smell, everyone. This year, sure enough, the
free of tobacco smoke and other odors. rains did come on January 1, the very day
Another said: This is the first time the that four planeloads of Witness delegates
Palaeio management has turned over the arrived from Panama. However, a success
entire building, including rooms and pri ful assembly was held in Guayaquils Cov
vate offices, to anyone, and they seem un ered Coliseum. And what of the crickets?
concerned about how the property will be They arrived in their thousands one hour
after the closing session, penetrating every
handled.
Time and again conventioners heard at corner of the Coliseum. As someone re
these assemblies that Indians and the marked, referring to the locustlike thor
poorer natives in remote districts of all oughness of the Witness organization:
those southern lands were impressed, The locusts moved out and the crickets
above all, by the willingness of mission moved in.
Witnesses in Santiago, Chile, had had
aries and other Witnesses to come into
their humble homes and even eat with their eyes on the huge Velodrome in the

266

3fieWATCHTOWER.

grounds of the National Stadium ever

since the idea of an international assembly
in their city became known. But the Velo
drome was still unfinished, and even the
cyclist association for whose use it was
being built had tried and failed to get the
use of it as late as the month of Decem
ber. Nevertheless, by patient, continuing
discussion with one group of officials after
another, this new structure was finally
opened to Jehovahs witnesses, and the
Gods Sons of Liberty Assembly was the
first event to take place in it. Cycling fans
were urged by a news reporter to attend
the Witnesses assembly in order to get
their first glimpse of the completed Velo
drome.
In Uruguay it seemed that a strike that
tied up all buses and taxies would have
a grave effect on attendance at the assem
bly. However, this obstacle, too, was sur
mounted. How? Many of the incoming
delegates simply walked to their accom
modations, some many blocks. Many types
of transportation were pressed into use,
including a fire department bus and a huge
dump truck. But the visitors got to their
hotels and rooms, and they also managed
to be at the Palacio Penarol for the unfor
gettable sessions of the assembly.
ASSEMBLIES IN THE HEADLINES

Without exception the 1966-67 series of

assemblies produced the greatest amount
of favorable public attention ever given to
the activities of Jehovahs people in Cen
tral and South America. But not without
a great deal of hard work and faith in Je
hovah as to the outcome was this result
achieved. Newspapers in Jamaica gave an
unprecedented 730 column inches to re
ports on the activities of the Witnesses at
Kingstons National Stadium. One entire
page of a leading paper was filled with
pictures of cafeteria activity, and carried

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

favorable comment on the cleanliness ob

served among the Witnesses.
In Guatemala the Government-owned
radio station provided three hours of free
time for interviews and other reports on
the assembly, while Guatemalan papers
published 400 column inches, including
eighteen photographs relating to the Wit
nesses gathering. In San Juan, Puerto
Rico, five banners announcing the public
lecture were strung across the streets at
strategic points. In Brazil an excellent job
was done of bringing the assembly to the
attention of the press, with the result that
the final count in column inches amounted
to 4,263.
The illustrated Flash magazine of San
tiago, Chile, featured the baptism on its
cover, with the four succeeding pages of
pictures and explanatory text under the
heading: Swimpool of National Stadium
Converted into Baptismal Font. Quite dif
ferent in motive was the article published
by the Communist daily in the same city,
El Siglo (
TheCentury), under the head
line: Jehovahs Witnesses Convert Na
tional Stadium into Temple of Anticom
munism. Other local papers, however,
explained truthfully that the Witnesses
are entirely neutral as to political ques
tions and are exclusively devoted to
preaching and teaching the Bibles mes
sage for our day.
Puerto Ricos illustrated magazine Bo
hemia, in its issue of February 26, 1967,
carried a six-page story of the assembly,
including twelve pictures, drawing atten
tion to the baptism and the Bible dramas.
The article concluded: With the sincerity
that flows from the words of Jehovahs
[witnesses], countless boricuas [Puerto
Ricans] are deeply convinced that they
will make it to the era of Mankinds Mil
lennium Under Gods Kingdom.
All of Costa Ricas national newspapers
published items on the assembly in San

M a y 1, 1 9 6 7

SKeWATCHTOWER.

Jose, in all, over seventy column inches.

Here, too, an interview in Spanish with
F. W. Franz, vice-president of the Watch
Tower Society, was broadcast over a na
tionwide network. So by radio, television
and printed page, news about the faith of
Jehovahs people was spread and talked
about in many parts of this western hemi
sphere.
MISSIONARIES TELL THEIR STORY

Visiting Witnesses to Mexico and other

lands to the south will never forget hear
ing firsthand accounts by genuine mission
aries of their tribulations and joys in for
eign assignments. Special English sessions
at each assembly furnished the opportuni
ty to get to know these missionaries who,
many years ago, left homes, families, con
veniences and luxuries, to serve in areas
where the need for Kingdom preaching
was particularly great. Also, at each
branch home of the Watch Tower Society
the president and directors of the Watch
Tower Society enjoyed a special gettogether with these missionaries, including
a fine meal. How wonderful it was to talk
with faithful ministers who have been dili
gent in their missionary assignments for
periods up to twenty years or more!
One missionary recounted how three
interested families in a small Peruvian
town got together and started having
meetings in a home. Soon they had an at
tendance of thirty. A Witness offered his
garage and obtained some chairs so as to
care for the growing attendance. From
this same town came thirty-two delegates
to the Gods Sons of Liberty Assembly.
Another missionary, assigned to Colom
bia two years ago, told that in all that time
he could recall only one door being
slammed in his face.
Those missionaries have been privi
leged to witness marvelous growth of the
Kingdom interests. As one remarked in

267

connection with the ministry in Colombia:

In the matter of assembly places we have
progressed all the way from backyards to
stadiums. And those faithful mission
aries look at their assignment as home.
They tell how once in a while relatives
will write and urge them to come home
to the comforts of a more modern land.
But the view they have adopted is that the
simplicity of life in a foreign assignment
permits them to give far greater care to
the interests of the Kingdom, unham
pered by distractions. Besides, when they
do go back north for a brief vacation, they
are eager to get back to these lovable peo
ple who have become their children in the
faith. They feel like fish out of water be
ing anywhere other than in their assign
ments.
On a number of occasions visiting dele
gates heard President N. H. Knorr of the
Watch Tower Society bid them, when
back home, tell fellow Witnesses what a
large and satisfying field there is in these
lands of the south for those with the true
missionary spirit. There are still many
places to which whole families could move
and serve where the need is greater.
Young married couples and single boys
and girls should inquire how they can
qualify for Gilead training and be equipped
for a lifetime career as missionaries. The
spirit of Isaiah is needed, the Here I am!
Send me attitude. (Isa. 6:8) Just imag
ine! The crying need of the vast field in
those southern lands is for at least a thou
sand more missionaries right now!
ASSEMBLY HIGHLIGHTS

The faith of a multitude of new Wit

nesses was displayed at the baptism ses
sions of the Gods Sons of Liberty as
semblies. Not lightly, but after sober
consideration and many months of Bible
study, did those groups of every age brack
et, from the teen years up to the seven-

268

SfieWATCHTOWER

B rooklyn,

N.Y.

ties, step forward and declare themselves ber attending some of the assemblies was
ready to submit to immersion in water as several times the total number of Witness
a public testimony of their dedication of es in the country.
Such figures speak eloquently about the
their lives to God. In all, a grand total of
6,131 persons were baptized during the en increase of active Witnesses in all these
lands in the past twenty years. They also
tire assembly tour.
reveal something of the magnitude of the
The Bible dramas presented on the pro
field in which there is still need for those
gram at each assembly were hailed by the
who have the faith to reach out for great
Witnesses as a most effective means of er privileges of Kingdom service. Multi
impressing the fine principles of the Bi tudes in those lands are anxious to learn
ble on young and old. After seeing the how to study the Bible and to serve God
vivid counsel portrayed in Look to the acceptably. They need teachers who will
Bible as Our Guide in Life, one Ecuador show them how. Considering the whole of
ian parent, who had saved for months so the western hemisphere south of the con
as to bring his family to the assembly, tinental United States together, it is noted
declared: It was worth every sucre I that there is but one Witness for each
spent for my children to see that one dem 1,600 of population. How urgent the need
onstration. None of us will forget the for qualified missionaries and others who
counsel given in such a striking way. An can plan their affairs so as to spend a
other delegate commented: Never has the greater share of their time, in the few
Bible had such force. Now, when I read years remaining for this system of things,
the Bible, Im going to try to see the in spreading the good news to waiting
things Im reading, to remember them. multitudes!
The public lecture on the theme Man
The faith of missionaries already active
k in d s Millen
in this and oth
Witnesses Witnesses
Peak
Number
nium Under
er parts of the
active in active in Assembly Baptized
G o d s K i n g Location of Assembly
world
field is
1947
Jan. 67 Attendance
dom drew un- Mexico City, Mexico
t
a
l
k
e
d
about
1,082
4,125
36,556
33,257
102
75
1,446
2,950
p r e c e d e n t e d Guatemala City, Guatemala
throughout the
Salvador, El Salvador
80
105
1,026
4,989
crowds, with a San
w h o l e w orl d ,
Belize, British Honduras
38
370
10
755
45
837
1,422
60
t o t a l o f m o r e Tegucigalpa, Honduras
wherever Jeho
than 175,000 Managua, Nicaragua
824
1,654
vahs witnesses
36
71
2,974
449
73
2,677
persons hearing San Jose, Costa Rica
are lo ca te d .
Panama City, Panama
175
1,413
2,110
60
it at the twenty- Barranquiila, Colombia
29
4,203
179
5,777
They
have truly
1,185
5,162
9,458
189
one assemblies. Kingston, Jamaica
spearheaded a
14
1,616
2,723
172
It was very evi Guayaquil, Ecuador
grand work of
Lima, Peru
22
2,484
6,925
265
dent that people Santiago,
Chile
137
3,888
7,693
441
enlightening
16
562
1,150
66
are interested La Paz, Bolivia
Asuncion, Paraguay
34
535
489
37
peoples of many
in the future
Buenos
Aires,
Argentina
nations.
Do you,
679
12,331
15,238
692
that G od s
(including Cordoba)
too,
have
such
Word envisions Montevideo, Uruguay
2,264
175
3,958
212
Sao
Paulo,
Brazil
648
38,109
46,151
1,723
faith, and will
f o r the earth
Caracas, Venezuela
4,171
10,463
29
195
a n d obedient San Juan, Puerto Rico
it move you to
3,488
87
8,604
225
59
2,312
5,154
172
m e n up on it. Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep.
volunteer your
The peak num
services?
8,137
122,945
177,193
6,131

&ea

'tfwwted

c o m e a g a in
'ACH year Jehovahs witnesses
their friends gather in congregation
groups around the earth to celebrate the
Lords supper on Nisan 14, according to
the ancient Jewish calendar. This year that
memorial supper was held on the night
of March 25. Perhaps you were present.
Yearly, large numbers of readers of The
Watchtower do attend the Memorial. In
1966, 1,971,107 persons met together
around the world on that sacred occasion.
The report for this year has not yet been
completed, but we have every reason to
believe that again the attendance was
large. Yet something concerns us: This
past year we observed that about a mil
lion who attended the Memorial never
came to any of the other meetings of the
congregation. These other meetings are
just as important in the life of a Christian.
The Bible is just as pointed in counseling
us to attend these meetings as it is in in
structing that the Lords supper be held.
(Heb. 10:23-25) Why, then, do so many
attend one meeting but not the others?
A surprising number of people apparent
ly believe that a single attendance is all
that is required of them as Christians and
to gain salvation. Thus these miss one of
the key points highlighted at the Lords
evening meal, namely, the need for Chris
tians to meet together regularly.
That need was emphasized by what hap
pened immediately after the first celebra
tion of the Lords evening meal in the year
33 of our Common Era. Think what the
apostles would have missed had they left
the upper room and Jerusalem that night
269

with the thought

o f n o t assem- 1
bling t o g e t h e r
again until the
fo ll ow ing year.
"*'
They would have
%
missed the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, meeting
with him in Galilee, seeing him ascend to
heaven, the outpouring of the holy spirit
at Pentecost, the miracle of the tongues.
But those who were regularly meeting to
gether for worship did not miss out.
After Jesus resurrection, for fear of
the Jews the disciples of Christ met to
gether behind locked doois. This they did
despite the danger to themselves, because
they appreciated the vital need and impor
tance of meeting together. On one such
occasion the resurrected Jesus paid them
an unexpected visit, showing thereby that
he approved of what they were doing. Je
sus entered through a locked door, much
to the disciples amazement. The apostle
Thomas missed this meeting. Since he was
not present, the brothers began to tell him
what he had missed, namely, We have
seen the Lord! Thomas responded with
disbelief: I dont believe it! Unless I see
in his hands the print of the nails and
stick my finger into the print of the nails
and stick my hand into his side, I will cer
tainly not believe. Obviously, Thomas
faith was weak.
Eight days later Jesus disciples were
again at a meeting. This time Thomas was

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SEeWATCHTOWER

with them. The Bible account says: Jesus

came, although the doors were locked, and
he stood in their midst and said: May you
have peace. Next he said to Thomas: Put
your finger here, and see my hands, and
take your hand and stick it into my side,
and stop being unbelieving but become be
lieving. (John 20:24-27) Thomas faith
was restored. That is what meetings are
for, to restore faith, to keep us believing.
We can still count on Christs restorative
powers to help us out of our unbelief, for
he gave us this promise: Where there
are two or three gathered together in my
name, there I am in their midst. (Matt.
18:20) He is in our midst if we meet to
gether in his name.
PURPOSE OF MEETINGS

Regularly attending and participating

in meetings is an outward act of faith. It
is an essential part of declaring publicly
our faith that Christ is Lord. The apostle
Paul says this must be done: If you
publicly declare that word in your own
mouth, that Jesus is Lord, and exercise
faith in your heart that God raised him
up from the dead, you will be saved. For
with the heart one exercises faith for
righteousness, but with the mouth one
makes public declaration for salvation.
(Rom. 10:9, 10) Thomas indeed gave pub
lic declaration when he beheld the risen
Christ. He cried out: My Lord and my
God! But Jesus said to Thomas: Be
cause you have seen me have you be
lieved? Happy are those who do not see
and yet believe. (John 20:28, 29) Yes,
happy are those who today, in faith, make
public declaration of this fact that Jesus is
Christ the Lord.
Meetings are like water holes where
thirsty souls gather to drink. Christians
assemble regularly to replenish themselves
spiritually and to receive instruction. At
meetings Jesus taught his disciples many

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

things. At one meeting after his resur

rection he gave them the order: Do not
withdraw from Jerusalem, but keep wait
ing for what the Father has promised . . .
you will be baptized in holy spirit not
many days after this. (Acts 1:4, 5) At
a meeting Jesus instructed them as to
their service work: You will be witnesses
of me . . . to the most distant part of the
earth. (Acts 1:8) Failure to attend those
meetings would have meant missing out
on precious privileges.
After Jesus ascended to heaven his dis
ciples continued to assemble together reg
ularly. They met in an upper chamber
where they persisted in prayer. At a meet
ing Matthias was selected to fill the spot
vacated by Judas Iscariot. The holy spirit
was also poured out on a congregation of
120 while they were together at a meeting.
Acts 1:12-14, 24-26; 2:1-4, 46, 47; 4:31.
So the idea of going home Memorial
night and not showing up among Christian
brothers until the next Memorial is cer
tainly not in keeping with what Christ and
the apostles did, is it?
MISLEADING CONCEPTS

Beware of the dangerous concept that

says all that is required to gain Gods ap
proval and life is an appearance at the
Lords evening meal once a year. This, of
course, is not true. One meeting cannot
supply us all our spiritual needs any more
than one meal can supply all our physical
needs. Jesus made this plain, saying: Man
must live, not on bread alone, but on
every utterance coming forth through Je
hovahs mouth. (Matt. 4:4) Everlasting
life requires the regular taking in of the
knowledge of God and Christ. (John 17:
3) Meetings keep us in touch with that
constant flow.
Some people say, We have our Bible
and in the privacy of our own homes we
can study it without having to go to meet-

M a y 1, 1 9 6 7

SEeWATCHTOWER

ings. This sounds fine, but is it the whole

truth? How often weeks pass by without
persons even once opening the Bible or
seriously meditating on its message! It is
a rare person indeed who today sets aside
time to study the Bible privately and does
so regularly.
While private home Bible study is most
commendable and should not be discour
aged or neglected, it is misleading to think
that it will supply all our spiritual needs,
even if we do adhere to a strict schedule.
There are needs that can be supplied only
in the association with others. For exam
ple, the text at John 5:37 perplexed a Bi
ble student for years. At a meeting one
day it was read and commented on. An
understanding of it flashed through the
mind. Jesus was not addressing his words
to all men, but only to those near him.
They had not heard Gods voice or seen
his figure. This flash of light came at a
meeting, which calls to mind the proverb:
By iron, iron itself is sharpened. So one
man sharpens the face of another. (Prov.
27:17) This underscores the importance of
meetings.
MEETINGS AN OBLIGATION

The apostle Paul gave us still another

reason why we should want to meet regu
larly with our Christian brothers, saying:
Do not you people be owing anybody a
single thing, except to love one another.
(Rom. 13:8) We owe love to our brothers,
which debt we must pay. At meetings we
can best do this. Stressing this point, Paul
says: Consider one another to incite to
love and fine works, not forsaking the
gathering of ourselves together, as some
have the custom, but encouraging one an
other, and all the more so as you behold
the day drawing near. Heb. 10:24, 25.
Our love should compel us to meet with
our Christian brothers regularly, if at all

271

possible. What love would that be if a hus

band and a wife voluntarily stayed away
from each other weeks, months and years
at a time? Christs love is manifest in
these words: I am with you all the days.
(Matt. 28:20) Our love must reflect the
same desire, that is, to be where the broth
ers are met together.
Memorial reminds us not to be selfish,
not to think solely of ourselves, but to
minister to the needs of one another.
(Matt. 20:28) If Christ were hungry,
thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, depressed
or in prison, would you not care for him?
Of course you would! This a person can
do by ministering to the needs of even
the least of these his brothers, which
Christ counts as done to himself. Being at
meetings, if at all possible, places one in
a position to care for the needs of others,
thus proving whether one is a sheep or
a goat. Matt. 25:34-46.
Whatever our position in life, there is
need to continue to cultivate the same
longing for the brothers that Paul had,
the same concern for them, when he said:
I am longing to see you, that I may im
part some spiritual gift to you in order for
you to be made firm; or, rather, that there
may be an interchange of encouragement
among you, by each one through the oth
ers faith, both yours and mine. (Rom.
1:11, 12) This fine attitude will prevent
you from withdrawing to yourself, from
becoming cool or indifferent toward those
who need your love. This Christian atti
tude will transform you into what all men
should be and what all who gain divine
approval will eventually be, namely, ac
tive witnesses to the glory of God in one
grand assembly.
So, do not wait another year to attend
a meeting. Do not wait another week. You
are invited to come to the Kingdom Hall
again this week.

Happy Missionaries Urged Appreciate

ii A

served: I f we appreciate life we will give

God credit for the fact that we are alive. W ith
life we can work, we can make others happy.
To hold on to life we must keep on taking in
knowledge of God and of his Son, fo r this
means everlasting life. (John 17:3) Even
Jesus Christ had to keep on taking in knowl
edge. And that is why maturing is so impor
tant. Maturity helps us to hold on to life, to
enhance our life, to keep it forever. And let us
keep humble, never thinking we know it all.
W e dont. There is so much for us to learn. . . .
W e are happy for you. A ll of us are back
ing you up, but more than all else, God is
with you. H e is interested in you and backing
you up. He gave you life in the first place. M ay
you always press on, seeking maturity, because
as you gain maturity you will have a stronger
hold on life, everlasting life. A fter these
remarks he handed out the diplomas to those
that had earned them, the great majority.
The 103 students had come from twelve
countries and were being sent to twenty-nine
different lands. They were rather young folks,
their average age being twenty-six years, and
had been dedicated Christian ministers for an
average of eleven years.
The highlights of the afternoons program,
which was provided by the students them
selves, also served to heighten appreciation of
life. Very touching as well as inspiring was
the graphic portrayal of a Witness who had
spent two years in prison, living on crusts of
bread, and who held on to her hope of life in
Gods new order by calling to mind choice
passages from the book of Philippians. An
hour-long Bible drama in costume that dealt
with Gods ancient merciful provision for the
unintentional manslayer in the cities of refuge,
and which provision was shown to have its
counterpart in our day, pointed to the same
moral. Most forcefully it made its point that
life depends upon obedience to God and that
life is worth more than any material posses
sions one might have.
Yes, without doubt the graduation program
underscored not only the happiness of the
missionaries but also appreciation of life.
It was greatly enjoyed by the some 2,000
guests, friends and relatives, some o f whom
had come from as far west as H aw aii and
as far east as London, England.

R E you students or alumni happy?

/ V That is what F. W . Franz, vice-president
o f the W atch Tower Society, asked the grad
uating 43rd Class of the Watchtower Bible
School of Gilead, gathered on March 12 in
N ew York city. I dont mean happy because
you are graduating, but happy in general.
W ell, you ought to be happy because we have
entered the fifth decade of a remarkable time.
W hat tim e? Franz showed that it was the
blessed time mentioned at Daniel 12:12; being
due to true knowledge having become abun
dant because of many roving about in Gods
W ord. (Dan. 12:4) As a result, today Jehovahs
witnesses are experiencing a knowledge ex
plosion. In conclusion Franz told the students:
Happy are you for having roved through the
Bible and partaken of this abundant knowl
edge! Happy will you be as you lovingly and
zealously share it with others!
An example of the happiness that lay in
store for them was brought out by another
speaker, M ax Larson. H e told of one town
500 miles from Santiago, Chile, where a con
vention was to be held. There were a zealous
group of missionaries and a congregation of
thirty-six Witnesses in that town. How many
came to the convention? A ll thirty-six? Even
m ore; 100 came to that assembly of Jehovahs
witnesses 500 miles away!
To these happy missionaries with such
happy prospects N. H. Knorr, president of the
W atch Tower Society, spoke on appreciating
life and the part maturity plays in holding on
to that life. He began: How do we think about
life? How much time do we allow ourselves
to meditate on the subject of life? How did
we get to be? A fter we are here . . . what are
we going to do with life? From where did you
get this life? Your life, in fact, began with
God, for when we go back far enough we come
to Adam, and the Bible tells us that Adam
was the son of God. (Luke 3:38) God is the
Source of life. (Ps. 36:9) You have enjoyed
life up until now, but you can enjoy it still
more in the future. Life is so important, for
without it we cannot have anything nor can
we do anything for others. As it says at Eccle
siastes 9:5, 10, in death there is no conscious
ness, no work or wisdom. W ith life we can
show others the way to life.
A m ong other things, Knorr further ob
272

Rem em ber Your Creator

MANIFESTING 600PNESS
O YOU recognize
ever you live upon
* L J that the quotation
earth, whether you are
Remember, now,
above is fr om the hol y
particularly religious or
your grand
book of the Christian reli
not.
You are included because
Creator.
gion? Are you familiar with
Eecl. 12:1.
that book? In some parts of the
THE HOLY BIBLE ADVISES
EVERYONE TO PRAISE THE
earth where
The Watis
CREATOR, JEHOVAH GOD
read persons do not profess to be
8
Many statements in the Bible
Christians and are not familiar with
show that persons of all ages, both
it. It may be that you live where the
men and women, of all nationalities, of
Christian religion is claimed by many
people, but still have not been particularly
all races and of all stations in life are in
concerned about this religious book called cluded in its wholesome, upbuilding coun
the Bible. Or perhaps you know and love sel. Can you find yourself in the text of
the Bible. Wherever you may live or what Scripture that we here quote? You are
ever is your religious understanding, the there:
subject that we want to discuss, that of
4
Praise Jah, you people! The name
remembering your grand Creator by man Jah is an abbreviated form of the name
ifesting goodness, is one with which you Jehovah. Jehovah is the personal name of
are concerned. The Scripture text above is God, the Creator. Praise Jehovah from
religious counsel to all who have physical, the heavens, praise him in the heights.
mental and spiritual powers sufficient to Praise him, all you his angels. Praise him,
all you his army. Praise him, you sun and
enable them to remember their Creator,
moon. Praise him, all you stars of light.
who is grand indeed.
Praise him, you heavens of the heavens,
2 The Watchtower recognizes that in all and you waters that are above the heav
parts of the earth there are persons who ens. Let them praise the name of Jehovah;
feel that they are not religious, or, though for he himself commanded, and they were
religious, are not Christians. Nevertheless, created. . . . [Praise Jehovah] you kings
there are expressions made in the Holy of the earth and all you national groups,
Scriptures that embrace you, whoever you you princes and all you judges of the
are, of whatever religion you are, wher earth, you young men and also you vir1 ,2 . (a) F r o m
w hat
is
E c c le s ia s t e s
12:1
quoted ?
(b) V/hat is the B ib le ? (c ) I s e v e ry o n e f a m ilia r w ith
the B ib le ? (d) Is it o f co n ce rn to y o u ?

3. W h o sh o u ld g iv e heed to B ib le c o u n s e l?
4. (a ) A s e x p re sse d in P s a lm 148, w h a t a n d w h o a re
to p ra is e th e C r e a t o r ? (b ) W h o is th e C reator?
273

274

fEeW ATCHTOW ER

gins, you old men together with boys. Let

them praise the name of Jehovah, for his
name alone is unreachably high.. . . Praise
Jah, you people! Ps. 148:1-5, 11-14.
5 So the Bible does here include you
when it includes all mankind in its invi
tation and counsel to praise Jehovah, the
Creator!
JEHOVAH THE CREATOR IS THE SOURCE
OF SPIRIT AND LIGHT

6Jehovah the Creator has power. His

power operates through his spirit or ac
tive force. One of the Bible references to
this is found in the very first verses of
the Holy Scriptures: In the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth proved to be formless and
waste and there was darkness upon the
surface of the watery deep; and Gods ac
tive force was moving to and fro over
the surface of the waters. And God pro
ceeded to say: Let light come to be. Then
there came to be light. After that God
saw that the light was good, and God
brought about a division between the
light and the darkness. Inasmuch as his
spirit is from him, he is its source and
also he is the source of physical light, as
stated at Genesis 1:1-4. Also, the light of
understanding and comprehension is from
Jehovah God. This is pointed out most in
terestingly in 2 Corinthians 4:6: For
God is he who said: Let the light shine
out of darkness, and he has shone on our
hearts to illuminate them with the glori
ous knowledge of God by the face of
Christ. God the Creator is the source of
the light of illumination of truth.
7Through Gods spirit Christians re
ceive the light of understanding of the
5. Are you excluded or included?
6. Explain how Jehovah is the source of (a) holy
spirit, (b) light, (c) the light of truth.
7. By what means are Christians enlightened?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

truth of his Word. For it is to us God

has revealed them through his spirit . . .
no one has come to know the things of
God, except the spirit of God. Now we re
ceived . . . the spirit which is from God,
that we might know the things that have
been kindly given us by God. (1 Cor. 2:
10-12) In the first four chapters of this
Bible book much is said about the opera
tion of Gods spirit on persons who are
Christians. These and other Scripture pas
sages show that Jehovah God is the source
of spirit and the source of light.
RESULTS ARE PRODUCED
BY SPIRIT AND LIGHT

8In providing his Bible Jehovah has giv

en to mankind his written Word and he
also makes the understanding of it pos
sible. His Word calls upon all persons to
praise him and shows that as the grand
Creator he is worthy of such praise. How
could we forget him? He has made all we
have and has enabled us to have life itself.
Then should we remember him? Yes.
How? One way that we can remember
him is by manifesting qualities that he
approves and that bring praise to him.
Even as the operation of Gods laws con
cerning growth and production gives rise
to fruit or fruitage, so the result of the
operation of the light and spirit from Je
hovah God upon the hearts and minds of
those who love him is spoken of in his
Word as fruitage. Notice two of these ref
erences.
9 The fruitage of the spirit is love, joy,
peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness,
faith, mildness, self-control. (Gal. 5:22,
23) In this fifth chapter of Galatians
strong contrast is made between things
8. (a) Why should we remember Jehovah? (b) How
may we do so? (c) In what do Gods spirit and light
result?
9. (a) What kind of fruit is goodness? (b) Does Gods
spirit produce bad fruits? (c) What follows in regard
to a persons fruitage?

May 1, 1967

SfteWATCHTOWER.

275

that are good and things that are not good. of the light of truth, as well as of the
The spirit of the Creator does not pro spirit of God.
duce things that are bad. Gods creation
13 Inasmuch as the fruitage of goodness
was found by him to be good, not bad. is the result of Gods spirit and truth, this
(Gen. 1:12, 18, 25, 31) He is good, not goodness must be apparent in those who
bad. (Ps. 25:7, 8) This means that per have his spirit and truth and would praise
sons who would be in harmony with Je Jehovah the Creator. If this goodness is
hovah God must produce good things, the not apparent, the Creator is not remem
things that are shown to be the fruitage bered but is disregarded, forgotten or
of Gods spirit.
pushed into the background. The very fact
10In what way are they the fruitage of of your existence as a member of human
Gods spirit when they are produced in kind brings to you the opportunity to
men and women? In that persons who love praise and worship the Creator, Jehovah,
righteousness do those good things be who reveals himself in his Holy Word, the
cause they have his spirit and wish to be Bible. What a wonderful and blessed op
in harmony with God. Their love for Je portunity is afforded, not only to have life,
hovah and for the high standards of his but to make this life worth while by re
Word the Bible impels them to conform membering your Creator, manifesting
to his requirements, and in this way they goodness, winning his goodwill and with
are led by Gods Word and spirit.
this the assurance of everlasting life! The
11You will notice that in the quotation Creators purpose is for those who receive
from Galatians 5:22, 23 one of the spe his approval to have everlasting life in his
cific things mentioned as being part of the righteous new system of things.
fruitage of the spirit is goodness. It is
14 In our respective languages, whatever
particularly the manifestation of this qual they may be, we contrast good with bad.
ity of goodness that claims our interest
The Bible makes the same contrast. But
here.
someone may say in effect, I do not see
12As to the fruitage of the light: The value in doing what is good. I see those
fruitage of the light consists of every sort
who do bad prospering. I do not see those
of goodness and righteousness and truth.
who do bad punished. I see those who do
Keep on making sure of what is acceptable
good
suffering and I see that those who
to the Lord; and quit sharing with them
do
bad
take advantage of those who try
in the unfruitful works that belong to the
to
do
good.
Therefore, why should I do
darkness, but, rather, even be reproving
good?
People
do reason along this line
them, for the things that take place in
secret by them it is shameful even to re and sometimes they become quite bitter
late. Therefore do not become partakers of heart. Jehovah God is aware of this and
with them; for you were once darkness, his Word recognizes it. Being blessed for
but you are now light in connection with producing the fruit of goodness is not a
the Lord. Go on walking as children of matter of being benefited or favored by
light. (Eph. 5:9-12, 7, 8) Our interest other men. The blessing and favor to be
centers again upon goodness as fruitage
10. Explain how it is that the fruitage of Jehovahs
spirit may be produced in men and women.
11. As to Galatians 5:22, what particularly claims our
interest now?
12. As to the light of truth from Jehovah, what result
is to be found?

13. (a) What follows as to persons who have received

of God's truth and spirit? (b) What wonderful op
portunity do you have?
14, 15. (a) In contrasting and comparing good with
bad, how do some persons reason? (b) What is the
correct reasoning on the matter as to benefits desired?
(c) as to time involved?

276

SfreWATCHTOWER.

sought are those from God himself and

this in his own due time. Time must pass.
If there were no time allowed for us to
manifest goodness, how could we manifest
this desirable quality? So at a time when
you may see that good conduct is not pop
ular and perhaps not materially profitable,
that is the very time for you to manifest
goodness and thereby demonstrate that,
regardless of what other persons do or do
not do, you love and remember your grand
Creator. How helpful this scripture is:
15 Because sentence against a bad work
has not been executed speedily, that is
why the heart of the sons of men has be
come fully set in them to do bad. Al
though a sinner may be doing bad a hun
dred times and continuing a long time as
he pleases, yet I am also aware that it will
turn out well with those fearing the true
God, because they were in fear of him.
But it will not turn out well at all with
the wicked one, neither will he prolong his
days that are like a shadow, because he is
not in fear of God. Eccl. 8:11-13.
16 So the delay of the execution of sen
tence against the bad work should not dis
courage us from doing good.
17 Also have in mind the time in which
we are living. These days are difficult
times of violence, lawlessness, selfishness,
and days when the works spoken of in
2 Timothy 3:1-3 are manifest. But know
this, that in the last days critical times
hard to deal with will be here. For men
will be . . . without love of
So
if you see that men are without love of
goodness this is no reason for you to ex
ercise badness but is more impelling rea
son for you to produce the fruit of good
ness.
16. In view of what the Bible teaches, what must we
conclude ?
17. How are we assisted to produce good fruit by
having in mind the time in which we are living?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

18In the further consideration of this

subject you will be assisted by viewing it
from the standpoint of what an individual
Christian should do as set out in the Bible.
Whether you profess to be Christian or do
not profess to be Christian, you can see
what the Bible designates as the real
Christian course.
THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD THINGS TO DO

19 There are many things that are right

and good in conduct that individual Chris
tians must do day by day. These things
result in the fruit of goodness. Goodness,
basically, is that which is fitting. It is
good to make melody to our God . . . praise
is fitting. (Ps. 147:1) Goodness is that
which is fitting and suitable for the ser
vants of the Creator by Gods standards.
Things that are good work to a good end,
a proper, suitable end. Gods Word shows
a Christian what things are good and of
what goodness consists. Deuteronomy 12:
28 states: Do what is good and right in
the eyes of Jehovah. Websters Third
New International Dictionary (English
language) defines good in English as
basically meaning uniting, fitting, becom
ing, appropriate, and goodness as
moral excellence ; but in the Bible Greek,
capable; serviceable; of good morals. In
Bible Hebrew, good (in every variety of
meaning), pleasant, useful, efficient, beau
tiful, right, morally good. Certainly there
are many things for Christians to do that
meet these definitions. Jas. 3:17, 18.
HOW MAY W E DETERMINE
IF A THING IS GOOD?

20That is a good question (a suitable

one). How may we determine if a course
18. Both Christians and non-Christians may be informed
as to what?
19. What definitions show that there are many good
things to do?
20. (a) How may we determine if a thing is good?
(b) What knowledge equips one to so determine?

May 1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOW ER,

277

of action or something we say or advocate

or support is good? How may we know if
we are manifesting goodness and not man
ifesting badness? One way is to ask our
selves some questions concerning that
which we are doing or contemplating. We
can ask: Is it suitable for a real Christian?
Is it out of place? Would the Creator ap
prove of it? Real Christians know if a
thing is suitable to their profession of fol
lowing Christ Jesus. The Christian apostle
Paul told other Christians: I myself also
am persuaded about you, my brothers,
that you yourselves are also full of good
ness, as you have been filled with all
knowledge, and that you can also admon
ish one another. (Rom. 15:14) Being
filled with goodness and the knowledge of
Gods Word and requirements, a Christian
is equipped to determine if a thing is good
or bad and if his course of action will
produce the fruitage of the spirit and light,
which is goodness. Let us mention specifi
cally some of the things to which a real
Christian must give thoughtful considera
tion. First, how it will affect
21JEHOVAH. Will Jehovah be pleased
or displeased? Is the course of conduct, act
or statement to Jehovahs praise, in har
mony with God, who is good and upright?
If it is not, how can it be good and suit
able? What moral excellence is there in
that which is not in accord with the will
of God? Jehovahs worship is involved in
what Christians do and say. Quit being
fashioned after this system of things, but
be transformed by making your mind
over, that you may prove to yourselves the
good and acceptable and perfect will of
God. (Rom. 12:2) Also, how it does
affect
22KINGDOM INTERESTS. Christians

are entrusted with the service of the in

terests of the kingdom of Jehovah God by
Christ Jesus. Their work in faithfully
looking after these interests is centered
around the prophetic command of their
Leader, Christ Jesus: This good news of
the kingdom will be preached in all the
inhabited earth for a witness to all the
nations; and then the end will come.
(Matt. 24:14) Is the preaching of the
good news of the Kingdom advanced or
hindered? Is such suitable to the ever
lasting good news, which they carry un
der angelic direction? (Rev. 14:6) In this
connection there are to be considered
23 OTHER PERSONS. Other people may
be advantageously or adversely affected by
the course of the Christian. The everlast
ing good news is to be declared to those
who dwell on the earth, and to every na
tion and tribe and tongue and people, call
ing on all to fear God and give him glory,
because the hour of the judgment by him
has arrived, and so worship the One who
made the heaven and the earth and sea
and fountains of waters. (Rev. 14:6, 7)
Because witnesses of Jehovah serve this
grand Creator and appeal to others also to
serve him, they must view their course of
action in the light of the effect it has on
other persons and upon the relationship
of these other persons to Jehovah. By liv
ing lives suitable to the good message that
they carry, Christians can aid other per
sons to come into a favorable relationship
to Jehovah God, receiving his goodwill. Al
so, very close to the individual Christian
are those who are his
24 LOVED ONES. Christians are con
cerned with the relationship of their loved
ones to Jehovah God, and in the close, in
timate family circle each one can be a

21. How is Jehovahs worship involved in our deter

mination?
22. (a) Christians have what work to do? (b) How is
it involved in our determination?

23. Why must Christians view their course of action

in the light of the effect it has on other persons?
24. Where can a Christian be a great help, and to
whom?

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fEeW ATCHTOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

great help to the others who are near and

dear because of family relationships. The
principle applies: You should not hide
yourself from your own flesh. (Isa. 58:7)
Then there is
25 THE CONGREGATION. Really,
then, as long as we have time favorable
for it, let us work what is good toward all,
but especially toward those related to us
in the faith. (Gal. 6:10) It is good to
support the Christian congre
gation and look after its inter
ests and welfare. It is fitting
to attend the meetings
of the congregation, to
arrive be fo r e the ap
p o i n t e d t im e f o r the
meetings to begin,
to participate in
them as opportu
nity affords. It is
a fru it of G o d s
spirit for parents
to bring their chil
dren of all ages to
the meetings of
the congregation
and to care for the
children while
they are present,
keeping them in
order, attentive,
quiet, not disturbing others, so that all at
the Kingdom Hall, children and adults,
can receive the full benefit of the spiritual
food provided. Proper care of the King
dom Hall property and its facilities and
equipment is good. And in all things
consider
26 YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO JEHO-

VAH. In respect to the favorable or un

favorable relation to Jehovah it is stated:
Beloved one, be an imitator, not of what
is bad, but of what is good. He that does
good originates with God. He that does
bad has not seen God. (3 John 11) The
whole subject of remembering our Creator
by manifesting goodness really deals with
our relation to Jehovah, the great Creator.
27 This is true of real Christians of every
age: children, youths, adults and aged per
sons. Both par
ents and children
s h o u l d be im
pressed by the
important Bible
truth: Even by
his practices a
boy makes him
self recognized
as to whether his
activity is pure
and u p r i g h t .
(Prov. 20:11) Even a
young boy or a young
gir l? Y es. Parents,
what a wonderful op
portunity is set before
you to see to it that
the activity practiced
by your offspring is manifestly pure
and upright!
28 Attention is now due to be given to
the application of the foregoing Bible prin
ciples to various occasions in life in which
we are faced with the necessity of deter
mining what course to follow and what
guide the Bible gives for making the prop
er decisions. Otherwise stated: make spe
cific application of the foregoing material.
Please see the article following.

25. Enumerate good things to be done in behalf of

the Christian congregation.
26. With what does the entire subject of manifesting
goodness deal?

27. As to the youthful and aged, what point does the

Bible make?
28. With the forgoing points in our minds, what re
mains for us to do?

280

3EeWATCHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

IS TO BE MANIFESTED

The true God himself will

bring every sort of work into the
judgment in relation to every hid
den thing, as to whether it is
good or bad. Eccl. 12:14.

Hi MONG the comO r i . mandments that

Jehovah God communi
cated to his people in days of old are these
words: Watch, and you must obey all
these words that I am commanding you,
in order that it may go well with you and
your sons after you to time indefinite, be
cause you will do what is good and right in
the eyes of Jehovah your God. (Deut. 12:
28) Does this require actually doing the
things pleasing to God? Obviously, it does
mean not merely talking about what is
right but rather the doing of what is right.
From the standpoint of the application of
the principles mentioned in the foregoing
article, it means actually producing the
fruit of goodness. A Christian servant of
God made the same point in this way:
The things that you learned as well as
accepted and heard and saw in connection
with me, practice these; and the God of
peace will be with you. (Phil. 4:9) It is
by the practicing of these things, the put
ting of them into specific application, that
goodness is actually manifested. Other
wise, goodness is not manifested; it is
hidden.

1. (a) Whose standard of conduct Is to be met,

according to Deuteronomy 12:28, and how does this
harmonize with Ecclesiastes 12:14 first above? (b) What
does this require in order for goodness to be mani
fested? (c) How does Philippians 4:9 verify this?

2Some problem s o f
life confronting all per
sons in various ways and
to varying degrees re
ceive consideration here
in line with the foregoing. As goodness is
in contrast with badness, so in each of the
following problems there is contrast be
tween two courses of action. The good
course honors Jehovah, advances his
Kingdom interests, works for the welfare
of other persons and establishes more
firmly our good relationship to Jehovah.
CHRISTIANS TELL THE TRUTH

3The contrast here is between truth

and untruth. Real Christians tell the truth.
Truthfulness is one of the evidences that
a person is a Christian.
*It must be admitted that among men
in general lying is not viewed as being
particularly reprehensible and something
to be avoided. Some persons even say that
it is necessary to lie in order to be suc
cessful and to make their relations with
other persons pleasant or even bearable.
Some tell lies to protect themselves from
punishment for things they have done that
are wrong or to avoid difficulty, inconve
nience or reproach. Lying goes with com2. What problems and contrasts are to be considered
next?
3. What is one of the evidences that a person is a
Christian?
4. (a) State various views of lies and lying, (b) What
is the view of Jehovah and of the Bible? (c) How
necessary is honesty?

279

280

SSeWATCHTOWEFL

promise and lack of integrity. Lying is

a mark of a coward and of one lacking
loving-kindness. Lies and liars are hated
by Jehovah God. (Prov. 6:16-19) The Bi
ble teaches that the upright, honest per
son fears Jehovah and the dishonest lying
persons despise Almighty God. (Prov. 14:
2) Honesty is necessary for the good fruit
age of the spirit to be produced and also,
as we have previously seen, the fruitage
of the light consists of every sort of good
ness and righteousness and truth.Eph.
5:9.
5 In your country, does the educational
system teach people to tell the truth? This
question is justified in view of the follow
ing published comment concerning colleges
in the United States: Part of the prob
lem [of dishonest employees] stems from
the fact that our colleges and universities
have failed to instill in their students re
liable, ethical standards and appropriate
moral values. Too many graduates enter
industry with the objective of achieving
prestige and instant financial success, with
little or no regard for moral and ethical
considerations. These people participate in
the majority of transactions involving con
flicts of interest, inventory irregularities,
theft of company secrets, kickbacks, price
fixing and falsification of records and fi
nancial reports.Advance, July-August,
1963.
6 If you abhor lies and lying you may
be assured that you have the right point
of view. It is not necessary to lie. Chris
tians realize it is necessary to tell the
truth. Although one has practiced lying,
he can change. It is possible for him to
atone for having been a liar, because in
his great love Jehovah informs us: By
loving-kindness and trueness error is
atoned for, and in the fear of Jehovah one
5. What failure of educational systems is brought to
our attention?
6. What encouragement is there for the person who
loves truth?

rooklyn

, N .Y .

turns away from bad. (Prov. 16:6) So

be completely encouraged to be truthful
regardless of what course others may
take. Truthfulness is the right way, the
way to life and blessings, the loving and
beneficial way. It is the Christian way
that the Bible teaches, and requires in re
membrance of our grand Creator.
CHRISTIANS DO NOT STEAL

7Stealing goes hand in hand with lying.

In the same publication from which is
taken the above quotation regarding the
failure of educational institutions there
appears this comment: Bonding company
statistics indicate that 25 per cent of all
employees steal to some degree whenever
they feel they can get away with it. An
other 50 per cent are influenced by the
good and bad examples put before them.
. . . supervisory and executive [employ
ees] are stealing more than four million
dollars in cash and property from their
employers each working day. This year
such thefts will reach the astronomical
figure of substantially more than one bil
lion dollars. . . .
8 Theft of merchandise is seven times
greater than that of cash. Frauds drive
more than 250 firms out of business each
year. . . . Kickbacks, conflicts of interest,
and thefts of company secrets are wide
spread. Cheating on the incentive plan to
pad earnings is a common occurrence.
9 In addition to the losses just de
scribed, even larger sums go down the
drain as a result of malingering on the
job, falsification of labor vouchers, im
proper disposition of scrap and dam
aged material, job time standards that
have unwarranted built-in delay factors,
and the failure to enforce established
standards. These losses are hidden in the
7-9. Review the points made in the published comment
on stealing.

May 1, 1967

f&eW ATCHTOW EFt

cost of doing business. They are losses

books dont show.
10Stealing or knowingly buying stolen
property does not honor Jehovah, but the
recognition of the property rights of oth
ers is the good course a Christian must
follow. The Bible puts the question to
Christians this way: And you are per
suaded that you are a guide of the blind,
a light for those in darkness, a corrector
of the unreasonable ones, a teacher of
babes, and having the framework of the
knowledge and of the truth in the Law
do you, however, the one teaching some
one else, not teach yourself? You, the one
preaching Do not steal, do you steal?
-Rom. 2:19-21.
CHRISTIANS ARE LAW-ABIDING

11 Obedience is required by the Bible of

Christians of all ages and under all cir
cumstances. Subject to primary obedience
to Jehovah God and his Word and law,
obedience must be rendered by Christians
in the home, in the school and to govern
mental authorities, in contrast to the spirit
of lawlessness that is prevalent through
out the world among all peoples. Lawful
ness produces good fruitage and honors
Jehovah God. As to children, the Bible
states: You children, be obedient to your
parents in everything, for this is well
pleasing in the Lord. In this same con
nection the fathers are told: You fathers,
do not be exasperating your children, so
that they do not become downhearted.
(Col. 3:20, 21) The best citizens obey God,
put his commandments first, are lawabiding and are genuine Christians. They
refuse to take part in uprisings against
governments, mob action, looting, personal
injury or violence in any form. Their
10. (a) What honors Jehovah? (b) How does Romans
2:19-21 put the issue to each one professing honesty?
11. la") To what must Christians render primary
obedience? (b) What additional obedience is required
of them? (c) How is Christian law-abiding conduct
good?

281

weapons are spiritual ones and are wielded

for the good of all and for the praise of
the God whom they remember.Eph. 6:
10-18.
CHRISTIANS ARE RESPECTFUL

12Respect is closely related to obedience

and lawfulness. It is important that you
understand the Christian position in re
gard to this because there is so much in
solence manifested in the world. Respect
fulness is contrasted with insolence. An
insolent smart-alecky person is haughty
and contemptuous, often brutal in behav
ior or language. He is overbearing and
grossly disrespectful toward his fellowman
and, above all, toward Jehovah God. In
solence is really a form of false religion;
demon worship in contrast to the worship
of the great Creator. For rebelliousness
is the same as the sin of divination, and
pushing ahead presumptuously the same
as using uncanny power and teraphim.
Since you have rejected the word of Je
hovah, he accordingly rejects you from be
ing king. (1 Sam. 15:23) Insolence is one
of the things Jehovah hates, things de
testable to his soul: lofty eyes. (Prov.
6:16, 17) Respect and respectfulness and
respectableness are manifestations of the
good fruitage of Gods light and spirit and
are suitable, in fact, necessary for Christains. How fine it is to be in the company
of respectful persons!
CLEANLINESS MANIFESTS GOODNESS

13Christians manifest cleanness or clean

liness in all the different ways that this
good quality can be demonstrated. The
Holy Scriptures, which guide the Chris
tian, require them to so do. Cleanliness is
necessary in speech, in the person, in the
house or dwelling place and, of course, in
conduct. In all these ways cleanliness is
12. (a) Contrast respectfulness with insolence, (b) Which
is necessary for good fruitage?
13. In what ways does cleanliness manifest goodness?

282

3fteWATCHTOWER.

in contrast to uncleanness. Touch nothing

unclean . . . keep yourselves clean, you
who are carrying the utensils of Jehovah.
(Isa. 52:11) It is good that the Bible
makes the requirement of cleanliness
plain, because uncleanness of all sorts is
prevalent and is part of the sign of the
time in which we are living.
14 Often the speech of persons is corrupt,
unclean, profane, obscene and slovenly.
Christians know that the power of speech
is a gift from God, and the ability to make
this vocal expression is a great blessing.
They wish to honor God with their lips,
not dishonor him.Heb. 13:15.
15 Christians endeavor to keep their bod
ies clean and, while the Bible does not re
quire rich garments, clean clothing avail
able to all persons is appropriate to the
Christian. The same may be said regard
ing his house. Very humble homes can be
neat and clean and orderly and thereby
suitable, not only as dwellings for those
who serve God, but for use of groups of
persons in regular Bible study. Wealthy
persons can be clean or unclean in speech,
mind and conduct. Poor persons can be
unclean or clean in person, dwelling,
speech, mind, conduct and heart. It is the
course of cleanliness that the Christian is
required by the Bible to pursue. The suit
ableness and appropriateness of this is
readily seen.
HOW ABOUT DRUNKENNESS AND GLUTTONY?

16 Drunkenness is overindulgence in in
toxicating drink. Gluttony is overindul
gence in food. Is there anything about ei
ther that is honoring to the Creator? Both
food and drink are provisions of the Cre
ator through the good earth he has made
14. Why should speech be clean?
15. (a) What is good in respect to the person? (b) the
home?
16. (a) Who has provided food and drink? (b) What
is their good use? (c) What advice on these is con
tained in the Bible?

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

for mans home, and God has certainly

provided earths produce in abundance.
Men should use these abundant provisions
in harmony with the Providers will. You
will be interested to know that the Bible
says: Do not come to be among heavy
drinkers of wine, among those who are
gluttonous eaters of flesh. For a drunkard
and a glutton will come to poverty. (Prov.
23:20, 21) There is personal happiness
and pleasure in the moderate use of these
things. There is no happiness, pleasure,
contentment or satisfaction in overindul
gence and drunkenness.
17
The Christian must not be misled by
the false reasoning to the effect that
drunkards are simply physically or men
tally sick and drunkenness is just an ill
ness, and, therefore, there is no reproach
attached to it. Rather, drunkards are sick
morally. The moral strength of mankind
is very low. Self-indulgence is weakening
to the moral fiber of an individual, and
constant failure to accept the discipline of
Jehovah God through his Word brings
moral breakdown. The fact is that the
drunkards and other immoral persons are
morally weak and are such because of not
being disciplined by Gods Word. A drunk
ard need not continue as such. Drunken
ness can be overcome by conforming to the
Bible requirements. To do so is wise.
Wine is a ridiculer, intoxicating liquor is
boisterous, and everyone going astray by
it is not wise. (Prov. 20:1) Moral
strength can be gained and exercised. The
sober person partakes in moderation of
food and drink with thanksgiving to the
Creator for the loving provisions he makes
and remembers the Creator, manifesting
goodness.
17. (a) What is the factual view of drunkenness?
(b) What weakens the moral fiber? (c) What strength
ens it? (d) These facts provide what encouragement?

May 1, 1967

SfieWATCHTOWEFL

CHRISTIANS ARE INDUSTRIOUS

18Industriousness is contrasted with

laziness, needlessly going into debt, and
gambling in an effort to get something for
nothing. The wicked one is making false
wages, but the one sowing righteousness,
true earnings. (Prov. 11:18) The Chris
tian gives an honest days work in ex
change for the wages he has agreed to ac
cept. His industriousness extends to his
activity in aiding others to come to a
knowledge of the truth of Gods Word, the
care of his loved ones, efforts in behalf of
his congregation and the Kingdom inter
ests. He does not allow himself to be de
ceived by the prevalent religious and
governmental approval on gambling of
various forms but he abstains from gam
bling, realizing full well that, while it may
be a means of stuffing the moneybags of
some religious organization, it is not the
means of manifesting goodness in remem
brance of the Creator.
19 Some persons allow their addiction to
what they feel to be innocent social gam
bling to deprive them of the company of
their families and of the congregation of
Gods people. In this they are making a
mistake. As in the case of habitual drunk
ards, gambling addicts can receive abun
dantly of the needed moral strength by the
disciplining from Gods Word. Honest toil
is so much better than gambling. Two
sorts of weights are something detestable
to Jehovah, and a cheating pair of scales
is not good.Prov. 20:23.
MODESTY

20Modesty is suitable and appropriate

for Christians, while immodesty is not.
Modesty means not only a moderate or low
estimate on ones own merits, and there18. (a) As to industriousness, what contrast is seen?
(b) To what does industriousness extend? (c) What
about goodness and gambling?
19. What is better than innocent social gambling ?
20. Define modesty and show its Christian appro
priateness.

283

fore not boastful, but also the observance

of proprieties and freedom from indecency
or lewdness. It follows that modesty in
cludes chasteness in thought and conduct
and apparel. There is modesty in dress and
there is immodesty in dress. Christians
should dress modestly, because that is suit
able and appropriate and hence good,
avoiding reproach that would accompany
immodesty.
21The Bible does not prescribe the form
of dress that people should wear. It is not
a style book. It seems that in some parts
of the earth the form of dress used by
the people has undergone relatively little
change through centuries, while in other
parts of the earth the change in the ap
parel of both men and women is constant.
From the countries in which there is a
constant change in the style of dress a
great influence goes out to many other
parts of the world, not only in dress but
in other things. The countries more ad
vanced technologically have fought the
greatest wars, destroyed the most lives
with their advanced weapons of war, exert
the greatest economic influence over the
world and, along with these and other in
fluences, affect the dress of many people.
In these countries sex is elevated for com
mercial reasons and for reasons of selfindulgence. In this overemphasis on sex,
changes in the style of dress cause many
people to dress more and more immod
estly.
22 One of the evidences of perversion and
undue preoccupation with sex is the de
sire on the part of both men and women
to exhibit themselves. This exhibitionism
is increasing everywhere that the influ
ence of modern style fads reaches. Both
males and females who have a self21. As to style and manner of dress, state the facts
(a) as far as the Bible is concerned, (b) regarding
influence and constant change, (c) underlying: immodest
trends.
22. Of what is exhibitionism an evidence?

284

SfieWATCHTOWER

indulgent preoccupation with sex find un

natural gratification in wearing clothes so
tight, short and brief that their bodies are
unavoidably before the eyes of others.
23 There is nothing in this that is good
or suitable for a Christian. Christians
should be clean and neat appearing in
dress and at the same time avoid being
swept along in the trend to immodest
dress. One can be in style in dress and
still be modest. It is not necessary to go
to extremes of dress in order to be pre
sentable and to meet the prevailing local
standards of what is acceptable. Immodest
dresses would make Christian wearers just
like any female of the old system of things.
Christian women and girls should know
that many, many men may accept their
manner of dress as a promise. The New
York Journal American, in an article giv
ing advice to young women against flaunt
ing low-cut dresses and showing too much
of their legs when they sit down, said
youre . . . expected to follow through on
what you promise ! Christian women and
girls should not deliberately contribute to
the situation discussed by Jesus in Mat
thew 5:28: I say to you that everyone
that keeps on looking at a woman so as
to have a passion for her has already com
mitted adultery with her in his heart.
Is not that what the woman is trying to
arouse in the man? The good Christian
way is best for all. When it is followed,
neither the platform participants nor the
Kingdom Hall audiences are embarrassed.
1 Pet. 3:3,4.
24 In the foregoing and other circum
stances where a person who loves righ23. (a) What is the good view of all this? (b) What
is one of the dangers in immodest dress? (c) How
does Matthew 5:28 relate to this discussion? (d) How
does modest dress assist to make platform presentation
beneficial ?
24. (a) In these matters, how does the principle of
remembering our grand Creator operate? (b) Is it
wise to remember Jehovah in all our ways?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

teousness can make a decision that is

good, the principle of remembering the
Creator operates. The good course is a re
flection of the love that is shown by Jeho
vah toward men. For even we were once
senseless, disobedient, being misled, being
slaves to various desires and pleasures,
carrying on in maliciousness and envy,
hateful, hating one another. However,
when the kindness and the love for man
on the part of our Savior, God, was mani
fested, owing to no works in righteousness
that we had performed, but according to
his mercy he saved us through the bath
that brought us to life and through the
making of us new by holy spirit. This
spirit he poured out richly upon us
through Jesus Christ our Savior, that,
after being declared righteous by virtue of
the undeserved kindness of that one, we
might become heirs according to a hope
of everlasting life. (Titus 3:3-7) The
principle here set out applies to all who
would please Jehovah and receive his
goodwill and eventually life in his righ
teous new system of things. Thus we see
that the course of manifesting goodness
is the course of true wisdom. Such mani
festations of goodness are also acts of
faith in Jehovah and evidence of proper
Christian humility. This is what Jehovah
has said: Let not the wise man brag
about himself because of his wisdom, and
let not the mighty man brag about him
self because of his mightiness. Let not the
rich man brag about himself because of
his riches. But let the one bragging about
himself brag about himself because of this
very thing, the having of insight and the
having of knowledge of me, that I am
Jehovah, the One e xer ci si ng l o v i n g
kindness, justice and righteousness in the
earth; for in these things I do take de
light, is the utterance of Jehovah. Jer.
9:23,24.

Keep Christian Balance Under Responsibilities

H AT a pleasure it is to observe the

balance of God's visible creation! W e
can see it wherever selfish or foolish
man has not disrupted it. Balance is also
God's will for us, 'keeping Christian balance
under responsibilities.' A s we read: "B race up
your minds for activity, keep completely bal
anced."* ! Pet. 1:13, 1950 Edition.
Balance is something we all should strive
for. W h y ? Because, whether we happen to
be housewife, Christian missionary, overseer
or other, we all have a variety of obligations
to m eet; and to discharge them in a way
pleasing to Jehovah God we need to keep
balanced.

for an overseer's position. 1 Tim. 3 :4 ; 5:8.

So also with the Christian housewife. From
study of God's W ord she learns the relative
importance of her household duties as com
pared to her Christian ministry. Then she
will neither neglect her fam ily nor make the
mistake that Martha made in being too con
cerned with material things. Luke 10:38-42.
Among other valuable aids to keeping
Christian balance under responsibilities are
the qualities of reasonableness, self-control,
godly devotion and self-sufficiency. These
will help us to avoid extremes and to be con
tent to serve wherever we are put in Jeho
vahs organization and will keep us from be
coming frustrated because our progress may
be slow. Instead, these will help us to re
joice with those who have the greater abilities
and privileges and to be thankful that Jeho
vah's organization has such qualified men
to take the lead. Then, too, we will be thank
ful that we can have the smile of God's ap
proval and gain life in his new order even
though we, like the widow of old, m ay be
able to give only a few small coins of little
value. Luke 21:1-4; 1 Tim. 6:6-8.
And not to be overlooked in keeping our
Christian balance under responsibilities is
prayer. W e cannot bear our burdens without
Gods help, and one of the ways by which
he gives help is the precious privilege of
prayer. Ps. 55:22; Phil. 4:6, 7.
Nevertheless, while content with our lot,
let us always seek to grow, to become mature.
W e may not be able to devote more time and
energy this month or this year than we did
last month or year, but we should be able
to serve more effectively, more joyfully,
better keeping balance under our responsibili
ties. And this we can do if we keep trying,
studying, attending meetings, praying and
preaching as opportunity affords.

W hat does it mean to have this Christian

balance? It means giving all our various
responsibilities time and attention according
to their importance. M ost likely we will not
be able to spend upon any one of them as
much time and energy as we would like, but
we will give each some due, not wholly
neglecting any one of them.
W hat will help us to keep Christian bal
ance? Daily study of God's W ord and regular
meeting attendance will greatly help. W h y ?
Because these will increase our faith, and
faith is indispensable to keeping Christian
balance under responsibilities. More than that,
by Bible study and meeting attendance we
learn to understand our responsibilities better
and how to deal with them wisely. For ex
ample, a fam ily man who is also a Christian
overseer has to balance his fam ily responsi
bilities with his overseer responsibilities.
Which come first? W hy, those of his family,
for from Gods W ord he learns that if he
neglects them he is worse than an unbeliever
and, further, that only if he cares for his
family in a right manner can he be considered
* For details see The Watchtower, May 15, 1966.

285

DO YOU REMEMBER?
H ow carefully have you read recent issues
of The Watchtower? Check yourself to see
if you recall these significant points.
W h a t is the meaning of Isaiah's prophecy
that said: Make the heart of this people
unreceptive, and make their very ears un
responsive, and paste their very eyes to
gether, that they may not see with their eyes
and with their ears they may not hear ?
Just as Isaiah's preaching proved to this
people'' that they did not want healing or
understanding, that they were too selfish
to understand and learn from even a good
teacher, so today Kingdom preaching proves
that people have shut their own eyes and ears
and that they will selfishly refuse to under
stand till calamity comes. Pp. 17-19.*
H ow can a wife endear herself to her
husband?
B y cultivating the qualities that spring
from a good heart a cheerful disposition,
an even temper, modesty, friendliness, gentle
kindness, sympathetic understanding. P. 35.
W h at did Jesus mean when he said: But
m any that are first will be last and the last
first''?
Jesus' disciples, who were the last ones
that the self-righteous Jewish religious lead
ers thought would gain a throne in God's
kingdom, became first by gaining that fore
most position; in the reversal of matters
those who had been first among the Jews
became the last ones to accept the penny,
most rejecting it and thereby losing out on
Kingdom privileges. Pp. 42, 43, 50.
In Jesus' illustration of the penny, what
was symbolized by the penny?
The privilege and honor of being a member
of spiritual Israel and of serving as spiritanointed ambassadors of God's Messianic
kingdom. Pp. 49, 56.
t> W h a t is the spirit of the world?
It is the fram e of mind, the persistent ten
dency that controls the world of mankind
under the rule of Satan. P. 57.
How does God speak to us today?
W hat God spoke through the angels,
prophets and his Son he had recorded in the
Bible. Through it and through his organiza
tion, he speaks to us today. Pp. 70, 72.
All references are to The Watchtower for 1967.

How can it be said that all o f Jehovah's

witnesses are full-time ministers?
Because every aspect of their lives is affect
ed by their ministry. P. 80.
W hat are the daughters of Babylon the
Great?
The various religious sects, both in Chris
tendom and in pagandom, that copy their
mother in committing fornication with the
kings of the earth. A ll being of the same
Babylonish fam ily, they make up the world
empire of false religion. P. 91.
W hat exists today that was typified by
mighty Sam son?
The faithful and discreet slave organi
zation of true, devoted, anointed Christians.
P. 106.
W h y did Samson pray for strength to
bring vengeance upon the Philistines for the
loss of only one of his two eyes?
Samson apparently charged the loss of
one of his eyes to his own lack of wakeful
ness in the affair with Delilah, but the loss
of the other eye he charged to the Philistines.
P. 117.
W h y is saving face an unchristian prac
tice?
Because it amounts to a lie by denying the
need for correction or discipline. I f we are
to be honest with our God, with our Christian
brothers and with ourselves, we will acknowl
edge our sins and shortcomings. Pp. 125,
126.
W hat are safeguards against loneliness?
Purposeful work; taking an interest in
others; giving to others in a spiritual w ay;
prayer. Pp. 131,132.
W h y can we be certain that God will put
an end to wickedness?
He has made repeated promises to do just
that, and his course of action in times past
assures us that he will. Pp. 133, 134.
A t the time Jesus spoke the parable of the
rich man and Lazarus, who was represented
by the rich man and who by Lazaru s?
The rich man represented the ones to
whom Jesus had just been speaking, the
money-loving Pharisees; hence the religious
leaders as a class. The beggar Lazarus repre
sented primarily the poor and spiritually im
poverished among the Jews who were de
spised by the ruling class. Pp. 178, 179.

 Blessing Jehovah Among the Congregated Throngs

VEN as King David of old delighted in
blessing Jehovah among the congregated
throngs of true worshipers (Ps. 26:12), so
there will be opportunity to voice appreciation
of the Creator at this years Disciple-making
District Assemblies o f Jehovahs witnesses.
Have you begun to make your plans to attend?
The wide choice of locations and dates this
year should make it convenient for all who
love Gods Word to benefit from the faith
building provisions of the assembly program.
There will be counsel and help for young and
old in the form of constructive discourses,
demonstrations and Biblical dramas. After
last years assemblies the remark was fre

Assembly locations fo r all o f the United

States, Canada, Bermuda and the British Isles
are listed below. Five weeks before the assem
bly of your choice is due to begin you may
write Watch Tower Convention at the rooming
address given for that city, and arrangements
for your accommodation will be made.

JUNE 22-25: K alispell, M ont., Fairgrounds Grand

stand, U.S. 2 W. & Meridian Rd. Rooming: Phil
lips Addition, Kalispell, Mont. 59901. Shreveport,
La., Youth Center, State Fairgrounds. Rooming:
7033 Brandtway Dr., Shreveport, La. 71108. Stockton, C alif., Fairgrounds Grandstand, 1658 S. Air
port Way. Rooming: 428 S. Ash St., Stockton,
Calif. 95205.
JUNE 29-JULY 2: Aberdeen, S .D ., Civic Arena,
Washington St. & 2d Ave. Rooming: 1024 S.
Lawson St., Aberdeen, S.D. 57401. A m a rillo , Tex.
(English and Spanish), Coliseum (Fairgrounds),
3301 East 10th St. Rooming: 2123 S. Polk St.,
Amarillo, Tex. 79109. Galveston, T e x ., Moody
Civic Center, 21st & Boulevard. Rooming: 3328
Avenue P, Galveston, Tex. 77550. Grande P ra irie ,
A lta ., Grande Prairie Arena, 10117 99th Ave.
Rooming: 10517 100th Ave., Grande Prairie, Alta.
Montgom ery, A la., Garrett Coliseum, Federal Dr.
Rooming: 3402 Doris Cir., Montgomery, Ala. 36105.
P enticton, B.C., Penticton Arena, 399 Power St.
Rooming: 30 Roy Ave. W ., Penticton, B.C. Sedalia,
Mo., Agriculture Building (State Fairgrounds),
16th & State Fair Blvd. Rooming: 721 E. 3d St.,
Sedalia, Mo. 65301. U tic a, N .Y ., Memorial Audito
rium, Oriskany St. W . Rooming: 910 Kellogg Ave.,
Utica, N.Y. 13502.
JULY 6-9: A llen to w n , P a., Fairgrounds Grandstand,
17th & Chew Sts. Rooming: 1335 Chew St.,
Allentown, Pa. 18102. A sheville, N.C ., City Au
ditorium. Rooming: 68 Orange St., Asheville, N.C.
28801. Lansing, M ich., Civic Center, 505 W. Al
legan St. Rooming: 2330 N. East St., Lansing,
Mich. 48906. Prince R up ert, B.C ., Prince Rupert Sr.
Secondary School. Rooming: 1942 2d Ave. W .,
Prince Rupert, B.C. S alin a, K ans., Agricultural
Hall, Kenwood Park. Rooming: 760 Hancock St.,
Salina, Kans. 67401. Saskatoon, Sask., Saskatoon
Arena, 19th St. E. Rooming: Queen St. & Second
Ave. N., Saskatoon. Sask. Ta u n to n , Mass., Taun
ton Dog Track, Route 44 (Taunton-Providence
Highway). Rooming: 2 Vaillancourt St., Taunton,
Mass. 02780. Tucson, A riz ., Rillito Racetrack,
4502 N. 1st Ave. Rooming: 207 W. Flores St.,
Tucson, Ariz. 85705. W aco, T e x ., Heart O Texas
Coliseum, 4601 Bosque Blvd. Rooming: 824 Long
fellow, Waco, Tex. 76710. W est Palm Beach, Fla.
(English and Spanish) English: West Palm Beach
Auditorium, Congress Ave. & 12th St. Rooming:
532 Iris St., West Palm Beach, Fla. 33401. Spanish:
West Palm Beach Kennel Club, Belvedere Rd.
Rooming: 532 Iris St., West Palm Beach, Fla.
33401.
JULY 13-16: Chicago, III. (Spanish only), Logan
Square Hall, 2451 N. Kedzie Ave. Rooming:
Fullerton Ave., Chicago, 111. 60647. Laredo,
Tex. (Spanish only), Laredo Civic Center, 2400
San Bernardo Ave. Rooming: 704 Buena Vista,
Laredo, Tex. 48040. N an aim o, B.C., Civic Arena,
48 Arena St. Rooming: 305 Prideaux St., Nanaimo,

B.C. N ew W estm in ste r, B.C., Queens Park Arena.

Rooming: 120 10th St., New Westminster, B.C.
San Jose, C alif., Fairgrounds Grandstand, 344
Tully Rd. Rooming: 2691 Almaden Rd., San Jose,
Calif. 95125. S avannah, Ga., Grayson Stadium, E.
Victory Dr. Rooming: 5032 Augusta Rd., Garden
City, Ga. 31408. W eyb u rn , Sask., Weyburn Grand
stand, Exhibition Grounds. Rooming: 610 Souris
Ave., Weyburn, Sask.
JULY 20-23: Kaneohe, Oahu, H a w a ii. Castle High
School, 45-386 Kaneohe Bay Drive. Rooming:
1228 Pensacola St., Honolulu, Hawaii. 96814.
K etchikan, A laska, Ketchikan High School, 4th
& Madison. Rooming: Box 1542, Ketchikan, Alaska
99901. M anchester, N .H ., J.F.K. Memorial Coli
seum, Valley & Maple Sts. Rooming: 340 Varney
St., Manchester, N.H. 03102. Ogden, U ta h , Ogden
Sr. High School, 2828 Harrison Blvd. Rooming:
410 West 5200 South, Ogden, Utah 84403. S pringfield, Mo., Shrine Mosque, 601 St. Louis St.
Rooming: 534 W. Catalpa, Springfield, Mo. 65804.
Tren ton , N .J., Fairgrounds Grandstand. Rooming:
2044 Greenwood Ave., Trenton, N.J. 08609.
JULY 27-30: F o rt W illia m , O nt.. Fort William Gar
dens, Myles St. Rooming: 327 W. Frederica St.,
Fort William, Ont. Fresno, C a lif., Convention
Center, 700 M St. Rooming: 4525 N. First Ave.,
Fresno, Calif. 93726. M adison, W is ., Memorial
Coliseum, Fairgrounds Dr. Rooming: 210 N.
Blair St., Madison, Wis. 53703. P itts b u rg h , Pa.,
Forbes Field. Rooming: 4100 Bigelow Blvd., Pitts
burgh, Pa. 15213. S arn ia, O n t., Point Edward
Memorial Arena, Monk St. Rooming: 608 Errol
Rd. W ., Sarnia, Ont. Y a k im a , W ash ., Grandstand,
1205 Fair Ave. Rooming: 112 W . Nob Hill Blvd.,
Yakima, Wash. 98902.
AUGUST 3-6: Eugene, Ore., County Fairgrounds,
796 13th Ave. W . Rooming: 1345 W. 16th St.,
Eugene, Ore. 97402. Grand Island, Neb., Fonner
Park. Rooming: 825 N. White, Grand Island, Neb.
68801. Jersey C ity , N .J. (English and Spanish),
Roosevelt Stadium, end of Danforth Ave. Rooming:
3316 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, N.J. 07307.
Keaau, H a w a ii, Shipman Gymnasium, Keaau.
Rooming: 18 Huaalam Drive, Hilo, Hawaii 96720.
Medicine H a t, A lta ., Exhibition & Stampede
Grounds, 21st Ave. SB. Rooming: 305 3d St. NW.,
Medicine Hat, Alta. P em broke, B erm uda, B.A.A.
Gymnasium, Serpentine Rd. Rooming: Box 72,
Hamilton, Bermuda. Pom ona, C alif. (English and
Spanish) English: Fairgrounds Grandstand (Gate
17). Rooming: 1546 S. Gary, Pomona, Calif. 71966.
Spanish:
Amphitheatre,
County Fairgrounds.
Rooming: 1546 S. Gary, Pomona, Calif. 71966.
R aleigh, N .C ., Dorton Arena (State Fairgrounds),
5100 Hillsborough St. Rooming: 3400 Poole Rd.,
Raleigh, N.C. 27610. T ru ro , N .S ., Colchester Legion
Stadium, Lome St. Rooming: 29 Arthur St., Truro,
N.S. W ella n d , O n t., Welland-Crowland Arena,
501 King St. Rooming: 358 Riverside Dr., Welland,
Ont.

quently heard: I am so glad I brought the

whole fa m ily! Do your plans include the
entire fam ily?
Outstanding on the program at all assem
blies will be the timely public lecture on the
subject Rescuing a Great Crowd of Mankind
Out of Armageddon.

287

288

fReW ATCHTOW ER

AUGUST 10-13: B arrie , O n t., Barrie Arena, 155 Dun

lop St. W . Booming: 77 Eccles St., Barrie, Ont.
C olum bus, Ga., Municipal Auditorium, 4th St.
(At 4th Ave.) Rooming: 4000 Beallwood Ave.,
Columbus, Ga. 31904. O shawa, Ont., Oshawa Civic
Auditorium, Thornton Rd. S. Rooming: 566 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, Ont. Peoria, III., Richwoods
Community High School Stadium, 6301 N. Univer
sity Rd. Rooming: 1208 E. Duryea, Peoria Heights,
111. 61614. Rouyn, Que. (French only) Forum de
Rouyn, Rue dAllaire. Rooming: 514 est, rue
Taschereau, Rouyn, Qu. S ault Ste. M arie, M ich.,
Sault Ste. Marie Armory, 1100 E. Portage. Room
ing: 629 Eureka St., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
49783. South Bend, Ind., John Adams High School,
808 S. Twyckenham Dr. Rooming: 1118 N. Eddy
St., South Bend. Ind. 46617.
AUGUST 17-20: A iea, Oahu, Aiea High School, 991276 Ulane St. Rooming: 1228 Pensacola St.,
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814. B rockville, O nt., Brockville Memorial Civic Centre, Gilmour St. Rooming:
6 Schofield Ave., Brockville, Ont. Costa Mesa,
C a lif., Fairgrounds Grandstand. Rooming: 2277
Canyon Dr., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626. Moncton,
N .B ., Moncton High School, Church St. & Moun
tain Rd. Rooming: 15 Granville Dr., Moncton,
N.B. Orlando, F la ., Municipal Auditorium, 401 W.
Livingston Ave. Rooming: 1701 Lee St., Orlando,
Fla. 32805. W orcester, Mass., Memorial Audito
rium, Lincoln Square. Rooming: 44 Randolph Rd.,
Worcester, Mass. 01606.
AUGUST 24-27: Corner Brook, N ew foundland, Hum
ber Gardens. Rooming: Kingdom Hall, Wellington
St., Corner Brook, Newfoundland. E vansville, Ind.,
Roberts Municipal Stadium, 2600 Division St.
Rooming: 941 N. Boeke Rd., Evansville, Ind. 47711.
Jackson, M ich., Fairgrounds Grandstand, 200 W.
Ganson St. Rooming: 219 W . Prospect St., Jackson, Mich. 49203. La u rel, Md., Laurel Race Course.
Rooming: 917 Lyons Ave., Laurel, Md. 20810.
Rochester, M in n., Mayo Civic Auditorium, 30 2d
Ave. SE. Rooming: 1723 1st St. NW., Rochester,
Minn. 55901. T rois Rivieres, Qu6. (French only)
ColisSe, Terrain de lExposition. Rooming: 1171,
rue Cartier, Trois RiviSres, Qu.
B R IT IS H IS L E S

JUNE 29-JULY 2: C harlton, London, Charlton Ath

letic Football Ground, The Valley. Rooming:
Kingdom Hall, Invicta Road, The Standard, Blackheath, London SE. 3. R om ford, Essex, Romford

rooklyn

N .Y.

Football Ground, Brooklands, Brooklands Road,

Romford, Essex. Rooming: Same address. T o r
quay, Devon, Torquay United Football Ground,
Plainmoor. Rooming: Kingdom Hall, 84 (Rear)
Babbacombe Road, Torquay, Devon.
JULY 6-9: Reading, B erks., Reading Football Ground,
Elm Park Road. Rooming: Kingdom Hall, Kingsgate St., Reading, Berks.
_
JULY 13-16: C oventry, W a rw ic k s h ire , Coventry City
Football Ground, Highfield Road. Rooming: King
dom Hall, 266/268 Holyhead Road, Coventry, W ar
wickshire. O xford, Oxon, Oxford United Football
Ground, Manor Ground, Headington. Rooming:
Kingdom Hall, 15/17 Temple St., Cowley Rd.,
Oxford, Oxon.
_
JULY 20-23: Peterborough, N o rth an ts., Peterborough
United Football Ground, London Road. Rooming:
Kingdom Hall, 316 Clarence Rd., Peterborough,
Northants. Swindon, W ilts h ire , Swindon Town
Football Club, County Ground. Rooming: Kingdom
Hall, Seymour Rd., Walcot, Swindon, Wiltshire.
JULY 27-30: B arnsley, Y orksh ire, Barnsley Football
Club, Oakwell Ground, Grove Street. Rooming:
Kingdom Hall, Old Parish Hall, Westfield Road,
Hemsworth, Pontefract, Yorkshire.
AUGUST 3-6: B lackburn, Lancashire, King Georges
Hall, Northgate. Rooming: Kingdom Hall, 40
Church St., Blackburn, Lancashire.
.
_
AUGUST 10-13: B righton, Sussex, Exhibition Hall,
Hotel Metropole, Kings Road. Rooming: Kingdom
Hall, 17 (Basement) Compton Ave., Seven Dials,
Brighton 1, Sussex. N ew c astle-U p o n -T yn e, N o r th
um berland, City Hall, Northumberland Road.
Rooming: Kingdom Hall, Ely St., Gateshead 8,
Co. Durham.
_
AUGUST 17-20: Dundee, Angus, Scotland, Dundee Ice
Rink, Kingsway West. Rooming: Kingdom Hall,
Court St., Dundee, Angus. H am ilto n , L a n arks h ire,
Scotland, Town Hall, Lower Auchingramont Road.
Rooming: Kingdom Hall, Clydesdale St., Hamilton,
Lanarkshire.
AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 3: W ood Green, London,
Alexandra Palace. Rooming: Kingdom Hall, 33
North Hill, Highgate, London N. 6.
SEPTEMBER 7-10: Swansea, G lam organshire, W ales,
Brangwyn Hall, Guildhall, St. Helens Road. Room
ing: Kingdom Hall, Russell Street, Swansea,
Glamorganshire.
SEPTEMBER
14-17:
Liverpool,
Lancashire,
St.
Georges Hall, Lime St. Rooming: Kingdom Hall,
4/6 Park St., Bootle 20, Lancashire.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

Zealous activity marked the life of Jesus

disciples. They joyfully accepted the responsi
bility of preaching the good news of Gods
kingdom. That is the way it is with Jesus
modern-day
disciples, Jehovahs witnesses.
They are joyfully busy in preaching, but
keep this work in balance with other Christian
responsibilities. (1 Pet. 1:13, 1950 Ed.) During
M ay part of their work will consist of calling
on people from door to door to talk about
Gods kingdom and to offer them the excellent
Bible-study books Life Everlasting in Free
dom of the Sons of God and Things in Which
It Is Impossible for God to L i e either one
fo r 50c.
LIFE IN FREEDOM? HOW ?

L ife is our most prized possession. Yet how

m any persons today are really free to enjoy

it? free from sickness, anxiety, various form s

of oppression, free from fear of the future?
The Bible has been called the Book of Life.
It could also be called the Book of Freedom
because it holds out concrete hope fo r m an
kind of our own generation to enjoy life
everlasting in freedom. To learn how this
hope is to be realized and what your part in
it is, read the 416-page, hardbound book Life
Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God.
Sent postpaid for only 50c. W rite today and
receive free the timely booklet Security During

<(War of the Great Day of God the Almighty

WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

M ay 28: Remember Your Creator by Mani

festing Goodness. Page 273. Songs to Be
Used: 49, 94.
June 4: Goodness Is to Be Manifested. Page
279. Songs to Be Used: 52, 118.

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

MAY 15, 1967

Semimonthly

MILDNESS,
A CHRISTIAN REQUIREMENT
INSTRUCTING WITH MILDNESS
THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE
AND EXERTS POWER
DO YOU GIVE JUST AS YOU HAVE
RESOLVED IN YOUR HEART'?
W TB& TS

WS-

SAYS JEH O VA H .-lsa. 43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F "T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very w atchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w hat is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare o r it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tc h to w e r " this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common world danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? T h e Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, w ritten by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

*8?
PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H . K norr , President
G r a n t S uiter , Secretary
4They w ill a ll be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 5 4 : IS

CONTENTS

A v e r a g e p r i n t i n g e a c h is s u e :

The W ord of God Is Alive

and Exerts Power

291

Commercial W orld Experiences

Cause fo r Mourning*

295

Mildness, a Christian Requirement

300

Instructing with Mildness

306

Do You Give Just as You Have

Resolved in Your Heart ?

312

M y Treasure Find
in the Land o f Promise

315

Questions from Readers

319

Tho Bible translation used in The Watchtower is the New World

Translation
the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
aro used the following symbols w ill appear behind the citations:

of

A S - American Standard Version

A T - An American Translation
A V - Authorized Version (1611)
D y - Catholic Douay version
J P - Jewish Publication Soc.

he M oHo RSYg -

4 ,9 0 0 ,0 0 0

F iv e c e n ts a c o p y

The Watchtower Is Published in the Following 7 1 Languages

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Yearly subscription rates

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for semimonthly editions
America, U.S., 117 Adams St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201
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at least two issues before subscription expires.
CHANGES OF ADDRESS should reach us thirty days before your moving
date. Give us your old and new address ( i f possible, your old address label). Write Watchtower, 1 1 7 Adams St., Brooklyn, New York 1 1 2 0 1 , U.S.A.

Second-class postage paid at Brooklyn, N.Y.

Printed in U.S.A.

'T ^ n n o u T z c ir ig

J E H O V A H S
K IN G D O M

edged sw ord and

pierces even to the
dividing of soul and
spirit, . . . and is
a b le to d is c e r n
thoughts and intentions of
the heart. Heb. 4:12.
W hy is this W ord o f
God so alive, so powerful? Be
cause it is the very essence
of truth and because its pen
m en w ere fille d with the
spirit or active force of the
Creator, Jehovah God, the
om n ip oten t One. Its words
are truly spirit and life, even
as Gods Son, Jesus Christ, said.
(John 6:63) Those who drink in
the words of truth found in the Bible with
open minds and honest hearts are bound
to receive some of Gods powerful active
force or spirit. Further, that Word of God
imparts faith to those who receive it in
good and honest hearts; a faith that en
ables them to do many valiant and mighty
works. (Hebrews, chapter 11) More than
that, the Word of God imparts strength
to truth-hungry and open-minded readers
by its very honesty and candor as well as
by its emphasis on righteous principles. It
also imparts strength for righteousness by
its revelation of the all-wise, all-mighty
and perfectly just Creator, the one who,
above all others, is the proper object of
fear.

{T ~ HE

Pen is
X
m ig h tie r
than the sword. In
one form or anoth
er th at sen tim en t
has been exp ressed by
more than one well-known
figure of history, Napoleon
and Benjam in Franklin
being among that number.
In the exact form here
given these words appear in
B ulw er-Lyttons play about
Cardinal Richelieu, who was
an astute and crafty French
statesman and prince of the
church of Rome in the first
half of the seventeenth century.
However, modern totalitarian govern
ments have tried hard to prove that the
sword of persecution as exercised by them
is mightier than the pen. By stifling free
dom of speech, of press and of religion
they have almost succeeded in proving
their point. Almost, but not quite, for
there has ever been at least one notable
exception. And what is that? The inspired
Pen, the Bible, the Word of God.
Yes, totalitarian governments have been
able to bind men, but the inspired Word
of God they have been unable to restrain
or bind. (2 Tim. 2:9) As the inspired
writer of the Bible book of Hebrews well
states: The word of God is alive and ex
erts power and is sharper than any two291

292

fEeW ATCHTOW ER.

Among the many ways that the Word

of God has shown itself to be alive and
to exert power has been by its giving hu
man creatures strength and zeal for the
doing of the service, the ministry of Jeho
vah God, namely, to preach the word.
And it has enabled them to do this in
spite of bitter opposition, empowering
them to continue faithful until death.
2 Tim. 4:2, 7, 8.
A striking example of its power was
furnished some 2,500 years ago by the
faithful Hebrew prophet Jeremiah. His
was a very unpopular message to give,
and being opposed, ridiculed and perse
cuted, he became weary on one occasion
and decided he would no longer bear wit
ness to his God. But was he able to de
sist? What does the record state? In my
heart it proved to be like a burning fire
shut up in my bones; and I got tired of
holding in, and I was unable to endure it.
He simply had to go on preaching. The
word that Jehovah God had given him
was that powerful. Jer. 20:9.
EXAMPLE OF EARLY CHRISTIANS

The same was true of the servants of

Jehovah God who became Christians,
Christs followers. The Word of God
caused them to become active workers,
zealous preachers of the gospel or good
news, and they proved that Word more
powerful than the sword of persecution.
Thus when the apostles were seized and
haled into court and commanded no longer
to preach about Jesus Christ, they fear
lessly replied: Whether it is righteous in
the sight of God to listen to you rather
than to God, judge for yourselves. But as
for us, we cannot stop speaking about the
things we have seen and heard.Acts
4:19, 20.
Shortly thereafter the apostles were
again apprehended and this time beaten as

B r o o k l y n , N .Y.

well as ordered to stop preaching. Did this

cause them to desist? What does the rec
ord show? These, therefore, went their
way from before the Sanhedrin, rejoicing
because they had been counted w orthy to
be dishonored in behalf of his name. And
every day in the temple and from house
to house they continued without letup
teaching and declaring the good news
about the Christ, Jesus. (Acts 5:40-42)
Yes, though flogged and ordered to stop
preaching, they continued without letup
to preach.
Neither did the sword of persecution
prove mightier than the inspired Pen, the
Word of God, when, sometime later, the
Christians in Jerusalem were cruelly per
secuted, scattering them abroad. No, for
those who had been scattered went
through the land declaring the good news
of the word. Acts 8:4.
Likewise in the case of the apostle Paul
and the Christian congregation he founded
at Thessalonica. As Paul himself testifies:
The good news we preach did not turn
up among you with speech alone but also
with power and with holy spirit and strong
conviction . . . The fact is, . . . in every
place your faith toward God has spread
abroad, so that we do not need to say any
thing. No question about the Word of
God as preached by Paul being alive and
exerting power. 1 Thess. 1:5-9.
HUMAN TRADITIONS DO NOT GIVE POWER

In striking contrast to the inspired and

powerful Word of God stand the tradi
tions of men that conflict with the Bible.
They do not impart such power, they are
not based on truth, they are not filled with
Gods holy spirit. Concerning them Jesus
Christ once stated: You make the word
of God invalid by your tradition which you
handed down. (Mark 7:13) It follows
that those who are fed on tradition instead

May 15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWEFL

of the Word of God would lack the power

and zeal that the W ord of God gives.
Proof of this in modern times is fur
nished by the very ones who adhere to the
traditions of men, an example being fur
nished by the prolific and popular Roman
Catholic writer William J. Whalen. In one
of his most recent publications, Jehovahs
Witnesses (1965), which has the impri
matur of C. F. ODonnell, J.C.D. Adminis
trator, Archdiocese of Chicago, he, among
other things, states: Fr. Omer Degrijse,
C.I.C.M., superior general of the Immacu
late Heart of Mary missionaries, declared
recently that the major problem of the
Church everywhere is the passive out
look of lay people. Only 5 percent of the
members of the Catholic Church are ac
tively engaged in an apostolic work, he
said. These are the priests, the religious
[monks and nuns], and the few lay apos
tles of Catholic Action. The head of the
Sheut Fathers said the real problem of the
Church in every country and every par
ish is how to awaken the 95 percent to
their responsibility of spreading the word
of God in their own sphere of influence.
They do not recognize this responsibility
now. As a result . . . the Church has be
come an army composed solely of officers
without soldiers. After commenting on
the zeal of Jehovahs witnesses, Mr. Wha
len goes on to say: If other Catholics feel
as I do, they dread the thought of spend
ing even a few hours every few years call
ing on fellow Catholics for some fund
drive.
But this is not surprising when we note
that this same lack of power, of zeal, cour
age and conviction reaches all the way up
to the top of this religious organization.
Thus there is also Roman Catholic writer
Nerin E. Gun, who speaks of himself as
a good Catholic, raised by the Brothers
and educated in part by the Catholic Uni-

293

versity in Paris. In his book, The Day of

the Americans (1966), which deals with
his experiences in the German Dachau
concentration camp, he has the following
to say about the record of Pope Pius XII
in relation to Hitler and the Nazis: What
could the Pope do? He could at least have
abstained. He might have refused to sign
concordats with Fascist Italy and Hitlerite
Germany. He could have excommunicated
both of their dictators as in olden times he
had excommunicated emperors (remem
ber Canossa).*
It has been said that the Catholic cler
gy suffered tremendously. This is true
but exactly what proportions? For each
anti-Nazi priest, how many were there who
collaborated with the regime and tolerated
it? . . . It is said that the Supreme Pontiff,
by unequivocally opposing Hitler, would
have only provoked more cruel oppres
sions. That is not proved by any means. It
would have been difficult for Hitler to have
been more pitiless than he was. What
would he have done? Burn the corpses of
the Jews a second time? Besides, fear of
reprisals has never been a valid excuse
for not doing ones duty. After all, if all
of us had kept our arms crossed [Gun was
a neutral who landed in Dachaus concen
tration camp because of his honest and
fearless reporting] so as not to expose our
families, our friends and our possessions,
there would have been no Resistance, no
partisans, no counteraction of any sort.
And that is said by a Catholic writer in
tensely loyal to his Church, as appears
from elsewhere in his book.
From the foregoing it is clear that reli
gious traditions do not make men and
women, clergy and laity, strong, zealous
and fearless. Traditions are not more
powerful than the sword of persecution.
* Where Pope Gregory VII let an excommunicated
German emperor stand for several days in the cold
of winter in a penitents shirt, begging forgiveness.

294

STieWATCHTOWERTHE WORD OF GOD STILL POWERFUL

That the Word of God is just as alive

and powerful today as it was in apostolic
times is proved by the Christian witnesses
of Jehovah. They stand foursquare upon
the Bible, and as Mr. Whalen observes, the
Witnesses set aside time to read the Bi
ble, as well as for reading The Watchtow er and Awake! magazines, tracts and
books, all of which are based on the Bi
ble. He further testifies: Even those who
are most critical of the Witnesses can
hardly deny that the Witness usually ex
hibits a complete commitment to his re
ligion; this is one of the things I like about
Jehovahs Witnesses. They are Witnesses
who are physicians and farmers, house
wives and architects, day laborers and
teachers; but if they are dedicated Wit
nesses they know that their first allegiance
is to Jehovah. I can assure you that
most Witnesses have to struggle to over
come the same shyness, sensitivity, and
inertia which would face any of us who
were asked to tramp door to door trying
to interest neighbors and strangers in our
religion. That most Witnesses persist in
this gruelling work year after year is
something which I must admire. Each
Witnessman or woman, adult or child
knows he must become an active mission
ary. Yes, the Word of God is alive and
exerts power in our day even as it did in
Bible times.
And these Bible-oriented Christians
manifest this zeal in spite of bitter oppo
sition and persecution, even as the early
Christians did. Thus Mr. Gun says about
his experience in the Dachau concentra
tion camp: I would like to be able to say
there had been nothing but heroes in the
Lager [Camp] but that, unfortunately,
would not be true. We were a heteroge
neous group. Among us there were some of
everything: Communists, members of the

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

underground, criminals, anarchists . . . and

the admirable Jehovahs Witnesses . . .
The members of Jehovah's Witnesses, it
must be said, showed such courage, dar
ing, virtue and stoicism in adversity that
they deserve a special salute. They were
rocks in a sea of mud.
Rocks in a sea of mud ? Deserve a
special salute ? W hy? Because of the
powerful Word of God that was in their
hearts.
And some twenty years later we find
the witnesses of Jehovah making the same
record in other lands. As the 1967 Year
book of Jehovahs Witnesses shows, in the
past year they have suffered persecution
in upward of twenty lands, among the
most bitter being that experienced by
them in Portugal and Cuba.
How do these Witnesses respond to such
treatment? Even as did the apostles of old.
The Yearbook gives some of the state
ments of those in concentration camps in
Cuba: We are not downhearted. We will
reply with Pauls words: Nothing can
separate us from the love of Jesus. Pray
for us as we pray for you. And wrote one
to his w ife: They say that we are not
going to be sent to prison, that either we
become soldiers or we go to the cemetery.
So be faithful and pray for us.
Yes, the Word of God is truly alive and
exerts power. It proves itself to be might
ier than the sword of persecution. It is
beneficial for many things, especially to
enlighten one as to the course o f righ
teousness and then to empower one to fol
low that course. (2 Tim. 3:16,17) So read
your Bible daily, read it in faith, ask God
to help you to understand it and to apply
what you read to your daily life. And
should you want further assistance in your
efforts to understand it, Jehovahs wit
nesses, who have so greatly profited from
it, stand ready to assist you.

F WORLD religion should lose its hold

on the people today, would you be fi
nancially affected? Think carefully. If re
ligion went out of business, would it affect
your business or livelihood? You have to
take into consideration, especially if you
live in Christendom, the Christmas shop
ping season, you have to consider Easter
with its incentive for new attire for the
Easter parade, you need to think of all
the exchange and employment in the sale
of candles, images, crosses, religious ob
jects, church construction and furniture,
church weddings, funerals and the like. In
fact, what activity of life is there, from
the cradle to the grave, where the church
does not have some influence, and most of
these things with a cost attached? Many
people, merchants particularly, think of
the great religious holidays first in terms
of the commercial aspect, the shopping
and gift-giving and the like, before they
do the religious aspect.
But an even greater influence in a com
mercial way has been exercised by world
religion as it has had to do with the con
trol of business. In whole countries, states
and provinces the dominant religion often
holds a large share of industry and busi
ness. Religion is often the factor that de
termines the individuals business oppor
tunities and employment. There is no
denying that the religion of this world has
catered to those members of its churches
who are most influential in business. The
concern has not been How did a man get
his money? but Does he have it? Reli
gion of this world has always had riches.
In pagan lands as well as even in some

controlled by Christendom, the poor are

in poverty while the temples of religion
are filled with objects of gold. Many of
the temples and churches have spires,
domes and the like that are covered with
gold, making the building the most mag
nificent one in the community.
The Bible describes this worlds reli
gion, false religion, as situated on many
waters, thriving with commercial pros
perity, teeming with businessmen carrying
on commercial activities. Ancient Bab
ylon, with the Persian Gulf, the Euphrates
River and her canals with the Tigris Riv
er, had a great fleet of ships of commerce
and did a great business by the sea. Many
ships of other lands put into port, to her
enrichment. Today Great Babylon, the
world empire of false religion, sitting like
a great harlot on the broad waters of peo
ples and crowds and nations and tongues,
does a great materialistic business by
means of such waters. (Rev. 17:1, 15, 18;
Isa. 43:14) This provides employment for
many of her religious subjects, especially
through the many traveling merchants of
the earth. Even her missionaries have
knowingly or unwittingly opened up com
mercial markets abroad. She has not hesi
tated to stoop so low as to have dealings
with gangsters and racketeers, religiously
soothing their bad consciences and in
many instances having her priests preside
over their elaborate funeral services.

AN ECONOMIC CRISIS

With these facts in mind it is more ob

vious that the Bible is absolutely true
when it describes what the fall of this
295

296

SEeWATCHTOWER,

great religious empire will mean. Also,

the traveling merchants of the earth are
weeping and mourning over her, because
there is no one to buy their full stock any
more, a full stock of gold and silver and
precious stone and pearls and fine linen
and purple and silk and scarlet; and every
thing in scented wood and every sort of
ivory object and every sort of object out
of most precious wood and of copper and
of iron and of marble; also cinnamon and
Indian spice and incense and perfumed oil
and frankincense and wine and olive oil
and fine flour and wheat and cattle and
sheep, and horses and coaches and slaves
and human souls. Yes, the fine fruit that
your soul desired has departed from you
[O Babylon], and all the dainty things
and the gorgeous things have perished
from you, and never again will people find
them.
The traveling merchants of these
things, who became rich from her, will
stand at a distance because of their fear
of her torment and will weep and mourn,
saying, Too bad, too bad the great city,
clothed with fine linen and purple and
scarlet, and richly adorned with gold or
nament and precious stone and pearl, be
cause in one hour such great riches have
been devastated! Rev. 18:11-17.
When the ten kings, representing politi
cal powers of this world, turn against false
religion (after they see the handwriting
is on the wall for her) and destroy her,
they will doubtless do much looting of her
riches, properties and fine things and will
fill their coffers, wrecking Babylon the
Great as far as they can do so. They will
loudly exult over all this. But in other
quarters her desolation will cause mourn
ing, not so much because her religion has
been exposed as a fraud and done away
with, but because of the widespread com
mercial devastation to the traveling mer
chants and their employees. They will

Brooklyn,

N .Y .

have cause to join together in weeping

and wailing, just as Revelation 18:17-19
describes it: And every ship captain and
every man that voyages anywhere, and
sailors and all those who make a living by
the sea, stood at a distance and cried out
as they looked at the smoke from the
burning of her and said, What city is like
the great city? And they threw dust upon
their heads and cried out, weeping and
mourning, and said, Too bad, too bad
the great city, in which all those having
boats at sea became rich by reason of her
costliness, because in one hour she has
been devastated!
GLAD ONES

Besides the ten horns of the scarletcolored wild beast, will there be any oth
ers who have reason for gladness at the
devastation of Babylon the Great? Yes,
there will be, but their gladness will be
based on an entirely different reason. The
ten horns in their vicious demolition of
false religion may think that they have
proved surely enough, as false religions
are saying, God is dead, that there is
no god at all. But that will be as far as
their gladness goes. The truly glad ones
will have reason for real rejoicing, first of
all because they realize that it is actually
God who has Babylon the Great destroyed.
They have got out of Babylon the Great
before she goes because they see that she
is entirely corrupt and does not represent
the true God at all. They have joined
themselves with the earthly servants and
representatives of Jehovah, the God of
true worship. Their worship cannot and
will not be destroyed by the ten horns,
for these are true worshipers, no part of
Babylon the Great, whose destruction Je
hovah supervises. Her destruction is an
expression of his judgment for her sins
that have reached clear up to heaven.
Therefore, the gladness of those serving
Jehovah is a clean, right gladness caused

May 15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER

by seeing Jehovah bring to an end the

reproach that Babylon has brought upon
his name, along with the corruption and
suffering she has caused in this woild.
They rejoice with God and with his heav
ens when he commands them: Be glad
over her, O heaven, also you holy ones
and you apostles and you prophets, be
cause God has judicially exacted punish
ment for you from her! Rev. 18:20.
The judgment of Babylon the Great is,
therefore, no unexpected thing to those
who serve God. They know now that it is
near. The prophecy of Jeremiah 51:48
foretold that heaven and earth would cry
out joyfully over the destruction of literal
Babylon. This took place, and, in turn, it
served as a prophecy applying to Babylon
the Great. Gods servants on earth, how
ever, have never tried to force this proph
ecy to fulfillment nor to avenge them
selves upon Babylon the Great. They have
known that it is Gods place to avenge
them and to express his wrath for her
sins in his own time. Now, however, they
see that this judicial punishment is hang
ing menacingly over her and they are in
forming as many as will hear so that they
may not be among the mourning ones at
the time of her crash.
GLAD ONES ON EARTH
IN HARMONY W ITH HEAVEN

The twelve faithful apostles and the

early Christian prophets have, of course,
long ago died. Since that time many other
Christian holy ones have finished their
course in death. (2 Tim. 4:7, 8) A t this
time of the end, while this good news of
the Kingdom and of Babylons fall is being
preached, they are in the heavens, having
experienced a spiritual resurrection to life.
They will be among the chief rejoicers
with Jehovah God and his Son Jesus
Ctavot -tsvi the holy angels in heaven. But
on earth there is yet remaining a small
number of the entire body of the 144,000

297

of Christs spiritual brothers. (Rev. 12:

17) These are supervising and taking the
lead in the proclamation o f Babylons de
struction. With them, especially since
1935, is a great crowd, more than a mil
lion, who have hopes of living on earth
under the kingdom rule of Christ and his
144,000. (Rev. 7:9, 10) All of these to
gether are Jehovahs witnesses in the
earth and they rejoice with the heavens in
the prospect of Babylons devastation.
Even greater will be their rejoicing when
they will have survived and actually wit
nessed Gods execution on Great Babylon.
Faithful prophets and servants of God
of ancient times suffered sorrows from
the persecution of her false religion. When
they are brought back to earth by Christs
resurrecting power and they are informed
of what happened to Babylon the Great
they will join in the gladness. For the
present time, however, Jehovahs witness
es are not spending their time merely re
joicing over the prospects of Babylons
devastation. No, they are busy preaching
the good news of the Kingdom to help as
many persons as possible to avoid the suf
fering that will come upon Great Bab
ylon. They are patiently waiting for God
to bring matters about for her destruction
and they know that it will come quickly,
as in one hour. So they know that it is
now or never for those people holding onto
false religion, if they want to survive.
The great mourning that comes is be
cause it is such a shock to Great Babylons
adherents. It comes so suddenly, as a great
surprise. But they can know now, in ad
vance, if they want to. God, who sees the
situation from a much broader and clearer
vantage point, has his angel express it
more emphatically.
HOW QUICKLY DOES THE CRASH COME?

And a strong angel lifted up a stone

like a great millstone and hurled it into

298

3 EeWATCHTOWER

the sea, saying: Thus with a swift pitch

will Babylon the great city be hurled
down, and she will never be found again.
And the sound of singers who accompany
themselves on the harp and of musicians
and o f flutists and of trumpeters will never
be heard in you again, and no craftsman
of any trade will ever be found in you
again, and no sound of a millstone will
ever be heard in you again, and no light
of a lamp will ever shine in you again,
and no voice of a bridegroom and of a
bride will ever be heard in you again; be
cause your traveling merchants were the
top-ranking men of the earth, for by your
spiritistic practice all the nations were
misled. Yes, in her was found the blood of
prophets and of holy ones and of all those
who have been slaughtered on the earth.
Rev. 18:21-24.
A great millstone hurled by a strong
angel into the sea would sink fast to the
bottom and would stay there. It reminds
us of how Seraiah, King Zedekiahs quar
termaster, stood on the bank of the Eu
phrates River at Babylon, read aloud Jere
miahs prophecy against Babylon and then
tied a stone to the scroll and pitched it in
to the midst of the river, saying: This
is how Babylon will sink down and never
rise up because of the calamity that I
[Jehovah] am bringing in upon her.
Jer. 51:59-64.
The great religious system of this world
that has been willing to take any avenue
to enrich herself and which has been very
flamboyant with her church bells and
music, her showy processions and her
elaborate ceremonies for births, weddings
and funerals, will be turned into a place
of violence and desolation. She will ex
perience Gods judgment, for her spiritual
leaders have been really materialistic mer
chants, top-ranking men in worldly, non
religious circles, reaching out for wealth.
They have oppressed and defrauded their

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

religious flocks, fleecing the sheep. They

represented a religious system that ac
tually practiced demonism, sorcery, magic,
religiously drugging the people and mis
leading all the nations of this world.
WORLD RELIGIONS RESPONSIBILITY

Of all the calamities and terrible things

that have taken place in this earth from
the time that Babylon began under Nim
rod, there is very little of it that you can
not trace back to false religion with its
misrepresentation of God, its breaking up
of unity among men by means of race,
national and religious divisions, alliances
with politics and suchlike activities.
Therefore, God is speaking very factually
when he says: Yes, in her was found the
blood of prophets and of holy ones and o f
all those who have been slaughtered on
the earth. Rev. 18:24.
Gods law, given to the patriarch Noah
after the great flood, said: Anyone shed
ding mans blood, by man will his own
blood be shed. (Gen. 9:6) Noah was the
representative of his family, from whom
all the human race have sprung. There
fore, this law is binding upon all mankind.
According to this law Babylon the Great
deserves to be put to death. She has an
enormous bloodguilt before God. On her
skirts is found the blood of even Jehovahs
witnesses, besides millions of her own dev
otees and others. Ancient Israel as a na
tion of Jehovahs witnesses was opposed
by the false religions of the nations around
her. Eventually, false r e lig io n even
brought into captivity that nation. When
Jesus was on earth, he was opposed and
eventually was put to death, martyred
through religious persecution. We have no
trouble calling to mind the religious wars
such as the Crusades, the massacres, the
burnings at the stake, the plundering of
nations, the slaughtering of whole commu
nities and the forcing of entire nations to

M ay

15, 1967

299

SEeWATCHTOWEFL

be converted to a certain brand of religion

by the fear of the sword.
An example of how a difference in re
ligion inflames to rioting, mobbing, muti
lating and human butchery was displayed
when Hindu India and Moslem Pakistan
were partitioned in the summer of 1947
and Sikhs and Hindus and Moslems gave
vent to their religious hatreds. Concern
ing the religious slaughter that took place
The Americana Annual
pages 326,
327, says:
Unhappily, the speed w ith which partition
had been effected brought in its train im
mense economic dislocation and renewal
o f bitter com m unal strife. M ore than 4,000,000 persons were involved in an exchange
o f populations between the tw o states, and
during the first two weeks m ore people were
killed each day in the Union o f India and
Pakistan than in a ll the countries under
scrutiny at that tim e by the Security Council
o f the United N ations. The separation o f
M oslem s and non-M oslem s destroyed the
previous efficiency o f the vital services, . . .

The 19^8 Britannica BooJc of the

page 385, gives us an evidence of the
hatred that is caused by false religion and
a violation of Gods law on the sanctity of
blood. It says regarding the partition of
the Punjab:
A m ritsar, the sacred city o f the Sikhs,
was le ft in their hands. It had, however,
the effect o f cutting the Sikh comm unity
in two, 2,000,000 being in the eastern Punjab
(dominion o f In d ia), and 1,750,000 in Paki
stan; moreover, m any im portant Sikh
shrines and landed estates were on the
western side o f the river. This led to a
concerted attem pt on the part o f the Sikhs
to eliminate the local M oslem s, which in its
turn provoked savage reprisals. The result
was a m ass m igration o f Sikhs and Hindus
on the one hand into the dominion o f India,
and of M oslem s into Pakistan on the other.
Convoys o f refugees fleeing by road and
rail were violently attacked and in m any
cases virtually annihilated. Both dominions
did their best to ensure sa fe transit fo r the
refugees, but this w as rendered difficult by
the reluctance o f troops and police to take

resolute
ists. . . .

action

against

their

coreligion

We all are familiar with the fact that

the clergy, especially those of Christen
dom, prayed for the fighters on both sides
during World Wars and
aiding in in
flaming hatreds there. A British officer in
World War I wrote: The Christian
churches are the finest blood-lust creators
which we have, and of them we made free
use. (A Brass Hat in No Mans Land)
Leaders of world politics know that these
men who claim to be for peace, not only
failed to stop these wars, but sanctified
them. Here was Babylons traffic in hu
man souls, lives. Rev. 18:13.

n,

THE W A Y TO BE AMONG THE GLAD ONES

Should we face the destruction of Bab

ylon the Great, which is due to take place,
with trepidation at the commercial loss
and the economic crisis that it may cause?
No, rather, great haste must be taken to
get away from bloodguilt with Babylon
the Great by turning to Jehovah God,
dedicating ourselves to him and symboliz
ing that dedication by water baptism as
quickly as we can, thereby making a re
quest to God for a good conscience. (1 Pet.
3:21) Then, being Gods dedicated ser
vants, we must be very careful not to be
come involved in the employment of or
the financial support of Babylon the Great
and must flee from any participation in
her religious enterprises and any traffic in
her religious objects. Even if losing money
or having to change occupations to make
a living now, it is far better to be among
those staying completely clean from her.
It will be a finer happiness to be glad over
Babylons fall because of being on Jeho
vahs side, with everlasting life in view,
than to have a brief time of enjoyment
with Babylon and be a mourner because
of the loss of material things and, far
more seriously, the loss of life.Luke 9:
25; Rev. 18:4.

j| C H R IS T U M
3EN you listen to a weather fore
cast in the summertime, are you
happy to hear that it will be well
over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the
shade, with high humidity accompanying Timothy to pursue righteousness, godly
the intense heat? Or in wintertime, does devotion, faith, love, endurance, mildness
it make you glad to have the forecaster of temper. (1 Tim. 6:11) When counsel
say it will be well below freezing, with ing wives, Peter told them to let their
icy winds of high velocity piling up huge adornment be the secret person of the
snowdrifts? No, the average person does heart in the incorruptible apparel of the
not relish such forecasts, because to go quiet and mild spirit, which is of great
about ones daily activity in such extremes value in the eyes of God. (1 Pet. 3:4)
of weather is not pleasant.
Mildness, then, is really more than de
2
However, what if the forecast statedsirable. It is required of Christians.
the weather would be mild, that the tem
W H AT IT IS
perature would be in the middle seventies
4
Mildness
is so important that the Bible
and the humidity low, with sunny skies
tells
us
it
is
one
of the products, or fruits,
broken only by fleecy clouds? Why, that
of
Gods
holy
spirit.
At Galatians 5:22, 23
makes the average person feel good! He
Paul
says:

The
fruitage
of the spirit is
wants to get out in that nice weather,
love,
joy,
peace,
long-suffering,
kindness,
breathe in the fresh air and be invigorat
goodness,
faith,
mildness.
So
this
quality,
ed. Yes, this kind of weather is very pleas
mildness,
is
a
product
of
Gods
active
force
ant. Why, even ones attitude often im
working
through
receptive
Christians
on
proves! No doubt about it, mild weather
earth.
Where
Christians
are
in
tune
with
is desirable, but harsh extremes are not.
3
So, too, with the Christian personality.God, where they have molded their lives to
As a quality, mildness is desirable rather the requirements God outlines in his sa
than harshness. As a matter of fact, not cred Word, and where they ask for and
only is it desirable, but it is a Christian allow Gods spirit to operate in them, then
requirement. The apostle Paul stated at they will be producing this quality. A lack
Ephesians 4:1, 2: I . . . entreat you to of mildness indicates something is miss
walk worthily of the calling with which ing, that Christian maturity has not been
you were called, with complete lowliness acquired, that Gods spirit is not operating
of mind and mildness. He encouraged freely in that individual.

VVAfTfVVMPtn1

1-3. Why is mildness for the Christian?

4. What else makes mildness so important?

300

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SfieWATCHTOWER

Just what does it mean to be mild?

Mildness means to be calm, moderate in
our ways and actions, tempered in our
feelings and behavior toward others. It
means to be gentle, tender. This gentleness
might be compared to that used when
handling an infant. A loving mother would
not think of putting a baby to bed by
roughly throwing the child into its crib,
unconcerned as to where it would land or
what damage might be done. No, the lov
ing mother is careful, tender. She keeps
both hands on the infant and gently car
ries it from one place to another so as to
cause no injury. She maintains a grip just
firm enough to get the job done. Mildness
is like that, gentle, tender, careful, but
firm enough to accomplish the necessary
tasks of life.
6
There are some things that mildness
not. It is not harsh. It does not employ
sharp or cutting language when speaking
to others. It does not harden itself against
ones fellowman. Husbands might com5. What does it mean to be mild?
6, 7. What are some things mildness is not?

301

pare it to a shirt collar. If the collar is too

stiff it becomes harsh, irritating, cutting
to the neck. The husband prefers a collar
that does not irritate, one that is mild to
the neck, but firm enough so that it will
hold its shape. Mildness is similar to that.
It is not hard, irritating or cutting.
7Mildness is not impatient or quick
tempered. It is not difficult to please, fin
icky and fussy about every little thing. It
is not disagreeable or belligerent. As Paul
urged Titus to remind the early Chris
tians, it means to speak injuriously of no
one, not to be belligerent, to be reason
able, exhibiting all mildness toward all
men. Titus 3:2.
8Mildness should not be mistaken for
weakness of personality or cowardice,
however, for it most certainly is not. Just
isbecause a person cultivates a mild dis
position and avoids extremes of speech
and behavior does not mean he lacks cour
age or is ineffective. Actually, it indicates
inner strength and shows that one has his
spirit under control. It shows that one is
being molded by Gods spirit, and how
could that possibly make one weak or in
effective? No, do not confuse mildness
with being feeble, irresolute, unstable, vac
illating, or weak-kneed. It is not. To the
contrary, the Christian who has this fruit
of Gods spirit is strong, courageous, de
termined.
9
The apostle Paul was a mild person,
yet he says of himself when writing un
der the inspiration of holy spirit: In
labors more plentifully, in prisons more
plentifully, in stripes to an excess, in
near-deaths often. By Jews I five times
received forty strokes less one, three
times I was beaten with rods, once I was
stoned, three times I experienced ship
wreck, a night and a day I have spent
in the deep; in journeys often, in dan8, 9. Is mildness a sign of weakness?

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SReWATCHTOWER

gers from rivers, in dangers from high

waymen, in dangers from my own race,
in dangers from the nations, in dan
gers in the city, in dangers in the wil
derness, in dangers at sea, in dangers
among false brothers, in labor and toil, in
sleepless nights often, in hunger and thirst,
in abstinence from food many times, in
cold and nakedness. Besides those things
of an external kind, there is what rushes
in on me from day to day, the anxiety for
all the congregations. In Damascus the
governor under Aretas the king was
guarding the city of the Damascenes to
seize me, but through a window in the
wall I was lowered in a wicker basket and
escaped his hands. (2 Cor. 11:23-28, 32,
33) Does all of that sound like the activity
of one who lacked courage? Surely, while
Paul had his human frailties and weak
nesses, Gods spirit operating in him made
him bold, fearless, courageous in the face
of hardship and opposition. Yet, at the
same time, he was like a loving father,
for Gods spirit also produced in him a
mild disposition. So, too, Christians today,
while mild in disposition, also have the
courage and boldness Gods spirit pro
duces in receptive humans.
BENEFITS

10Mildness brings many benefits to

those who practice it. For one thing, it
brings great calmness to mind and body.
The mild person is not always getting up
set and agitated by the actions of others.
He does not torture his mind and body
with continual anxiety and strife. It is not
the mild person that is likely to get ulcers
or mental disorders. To the contrary,
mildness helps to keep the emotions on an
even keel, which, in turn, brings benefits
mentally and physically.
11Another benefit that comes to the
mild person is that he is easier to get
along with. Others enjoy associating with
10, 11. What are some benefits mildness brings?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

him. They are refreshed when in the com

pany of the mild person because of his
pleasant manner, speech and actions, just
as they are refreshed on a mild and pleas
ant day. This pleasant effect that mild
ones produce is well described at Prov
erbs 16:24, where it says: Pleasant say
ings are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul
and a healing to the bones. When you
are with a mild person, you feel just that
way. You do not fear him, but, instead,
his mild ways are like honey, sweet to
the soul and a healing to the bones.
Mildness helps us to keep our place in
2
1
Jehovahs arrangement of things, because
it aids us to be submissive. Said Paul:
But I want you to know that the head
of every man is the Christ; in turn the
head of a woman is the man; in turn the
head of the Christ is God. (1 Cor. 11:3)
Yes, all of Gods servants are in relative
subjection. To be so requires a mild spirit.
It is the haughty in spirit that do not
want to be submissive to Jehovah and his
arrangements. In this regard what a fine
example Jesus set! Of him Gods Word
states: Keep this mental attitude in you
that was also in Christ Jesus, who, al
though he was existing in Gods form,
gave no consideration to a seizure, name
ly, that he should be equal to God. No,
but he emptied himself and took a slaves
form and came to be in the likeness of
men. More than that, when he found him
self in fashion as a man, he humbled him
self and became obedient as far as death,
yes, death on a torture stake. Phil. 2:
5-8.
13An additional benefit to mildness is
that it helps us avoid the tendency to want
to shine in the eyes of others for the
sake of self-glorification. This tendency
should be avoided, as it is offensive to ma12. How does it help us to keep our place in Jehovahs
arrangements ?
13. Mildness helps us to avoid what other undesirable
trait?

May 15, 1967

S&eWATCHTOWER.

ture Christians and Jehovah as well, for

it is based on false pride. Everyone that
is proud in heart is something detestable
to Jehovah. (Prov. 16:5) The mild per
son is more likely to realize this and avoid
ambitiously seeking to excel at the ex
pense of his brothers, or to flaunt an imag
ined superiority over them, or to seek to
lord it over those other mild and sheep
like ones belonging to God. Jesus said:
The greatest one among you must be
your minister. Whoever exalts himself
will be humbled, and whoever humbles
himself will be exalted. (Matt. 23:11,12)
Mildness helps us to act like a slave and
not a boss when dealing with other Chris
tians. It helps us to appreciate always that
it is Jehovah who must be exalted, and
that all men are born in sin and are in
need of redemption. The mild person mind
ful of his fallen state and his need of Je
hovahs ransom arrangement is not apt to
seek self-glorification.
PROGRESSIVELY CULTIVATE MILDNESS

11Probably most readers, even those

who have come to an accurate knowledge
of Gods Word, will be able to look back
in their lives and say to themselves: O,
I certainly remember many times when
I was not mild and should have been. No
doubt many feel that as of this moment
they do not fit the Scriptural description
of a mild person. This may be true of you,
but it should not distress or discourage
you so much that you quit trying to be
come milder. You must remember that
mildness is not a quality that is inherited,
that comes naturally at birth. No, due to
inherited sin, imperfection, we are born
with a tendency toward doing bad, not
toward doing good. Through one man
sin entered into the world and death
through sin, and thus death spread to all
men because they had all sinned. (Rom.
14-16. Give three influences that work against mildness.

303

5:12) The psalmist David acknowledged

this fact, for he said at Psalm 51:5:
Look! With error I was brought forth
with birth pains, and in sin my mother
conceived me.
15 In addition, we have more that pulls
us away from mildness. There are wicked
spirit forces that oppose the activity of
Christians and may put a test on their
mildness by persecution or aggravation
from earthly agents that are under demon
influence. This opposition is well described
by Paul at Ephesians 6:12: We have a
fight, not against blood and flesh, but
against the governments, against the au
thorities, against the world rulers of this
darkness, against the wicked spirit forces
in the heavenly places.
16We also have this demon-controlled
system of things and its bad spirit with
which to contend. Daily most of us have
to work among persons who do not have
the spirit of mildness that comes from
God, but who have the spirit of harshness
that comes from Satan the Devil. The
mental bent or mood of this present sys
tem of things works against Christian
mildness.
17 We cannot avoid all contact with
those who lack a mild spirit, for, other
wise, you would actually have to get out
of the world. What is called for is the
restraining of ones spirit so as not to re
taliate in kind when others oppose or ir
ritate. This restrained, mild spirit comes
to our rescue in such times of stress and
enables us to do as Paul states: When
being reviled, we bless; when being per
secuted, we bear up; when being defamed,
we entreat. (1 Cor. 5:10; 4:12,13) Here,
too, Jesus set the pattern. When he was
being reviled, he did not go reviling in re
turn. When he was suffering, he did not
go threatening, but kept on committing
17,18. Since we cannot avoid all contact with the
world, what do we need to do?

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SfieWATCHTOWEF-

himself to the one who judges righteous

ly. 1 Pet. 2:23.
13W ith so many influences for bad at
work, it becomes obvious that Christians
will need to work diligently on this quality
of mildness. It does not come naturally,
without any effort on our part, for there
are too many things that tend to make
us hard instead. So, day by day, year by
year, we must progressively cultivate mild
ness in order to counteract inherited sin,
Satan the Devil and his demons, and those
guided by the bad spirit of this system of
things. If we do not work hard to culti
vate mildness, then these things will tend
to make us harsh like others in the world.
19 How do we go about cultivating mild
ness? First of all, by learning about it;
by studying Gods Word and finding out
that it needs to be cultivated, that it is
a basic quality the Christian must have.
That puts us on the right track. We know
what direction we need to take, unlike
worldlings who believe mildness is an un
desirable quality and who believe that one
must be hard, tough, arrogant, in order
to get along in this world.
20To assist us in our efforts to be milder
as time progresses, we need to keep in
mind continually the matter of human im
perfection. We cannot escape the fact that
all are born in imperfection and have a
tendency to make mistakes. This aware
ness should make us see the need for em
pathy when dealing with others. It should
make us appreciate that we have to be
forgiving of others as God forgives them.
Realize that they cannot produce perfect
thinking and acting any more them we can.
The person cultivating mildness will do
this, forgiving even seventy-seven times,
for the mild person is loving and love
covers a multitude of sins.Matt. 18:21,
22; 1 Pet. 4:8.
19. What preliminary step is necessary?
20. Why must we take human imperfection
account?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

21 If we expect too much from others,

more than God expects, we will be led to
disappointment. This can bring a test upon
us, because we may get to thinking that,
since we did not get anywhere being mild,
we may as well use harsh tactics. But this
will serve only to provoke others to lose
their mildness, and, in turn, their reaction
may trigger a further lack of mildness on
our part. It is a vicious circle. Far better
not to start the process in the first place!
It is as Proverbs 26:20 says: Where there
is no wood the fire goes out, and where
there is no slanderer contention grows
still. But if we keep pressing and de
manding and provoking, we should not at
all be surprised if others get irritated, per
haps even angry. After all, it is contrary
to human feeling to want to be provoked
continually. Why, on one occasion, even
Moses, by far the meekest of all the men
who were upon the surface of the ground
in his day, lost his mildness due to the
unreasonable and provocative attitude of
the Israelites! They caused provocation
at the waters of Meribah, so that it went
badly with Moses by reason of them. For
they embittered his spirit and he began
to speak rashly with his lips. Num. 12:
3; 20:2-13; Ps. 106:32, 33.
22 Not long ago a newspaper told of an
incident that also demonstrates the matter
of how harsh speech or actions can pro
voke others to a loss of mildness. It was
an incident that happened to a woman
member of the House of Commons in En
gland. Once, she very sharply said to
Winston Churchill, former prime minister
of England: If I were your wife, Id put
poison in your coffee. Churchill snapped
back: If I were your husband Id drink
it. Yes, she put wood on the fire and
provoked a heated response. It was as
Proverbs 26:21 notes: As charcoal for
the embers and wood for the fire, so is

into
21, 22. Why should we avoid provoking others ?

May 15, 1967

ffieW ATCHTOW ER.

305

a contentious man [or woman] for caus as you endeavor to do so. But do not be
ing a quarrel to glow. We do not want to discouraged and quit trying. Note what
be like that, so we will be careful not to Paul said at Romans 7:21-23: I find,
provoke others to lose their mildness on then, this law in my case: that when I
occasions.
wish to do what is right, what is bad is
present with me. I really delight in the
23
Another thing that will help us in cul
tivating mildness is to recognize that Je law of God according to the man I am
hovah permits, within proper limits, a within, but I behold in my members an
great variety in personalities, in tastes, in other law warring against the law of my
likes and dislikes. God has given man the mind.
25 Yes, your fallen flesh, as well as out
marvelous gift of free moral agency. While
this does not allow for complete freedom, side influences, can give you much diffi
for that would mean independence from culty as you work to cultivate mildness,
God and his laws, it does allow relative but you must not give up trying just be
freedom in many areas of human behav cause you lapse back into harsh ways at
ior. So do not insist on your own way or times. Think of the infant that is learning
on your own taste in everything where how to walk. He falls over and over again,
Jehovah permits variety. Do not feel that but he gets up and keeps on trying until
everyone else has to fit into a mold you he finally succeeds and walks with con
think best. Appreciate that all are differ fidence. So, too, as you work hard progres
ent and do not try to make your own rules sively to cultivate mildness, you may fail
that would destroy the colorful differences at times. But learn from the experience
that are part of Gods creation. Where and reaffirm your determination to con
strictness or conform ity is required, where tinue making progress. Recognize that
it comes to worship, to right doctrine and growing to maturity in this matter of
right conduct, then Gods Word, his holy mildness takes time. Be satisfied with
spirit and his visible organization will gradual improvement and do not stop try
keep us informed as to what we should do. ing just because the process may take
But where matters are left largely to per longer than you had anticipated.
sonal choice, such as in regard to what we
26 Remember, too, that Jehovah is mer
should eat, what we should wear, what we ciful. Where we fall short we can go to
choose to do for recreation and other him in prayer and ask for forgiveness. We
such things, then keep in mind that, what also want to pray constantly for assis
God permits, we must also. This will help tance, because mildness is a product of
us not to be easily upset just because Jehovahs spirit. If we pray for Gods spir
others have tastes that may differ from it, the spirit that produces mildness, then
ours.
we are bound to make progress. In time,
Will cultivating mildness be an easy with this powerful help, the one lacking
4
2
process? It may be easier for some than mildness will acquire it until it becomes a
others, depending upon ones background, part of his personality, almost habitual,
early training, experiences in life and ma just as walking becomes almost habitual
turity in Christianity. However, if you are to the physically mature.
27 There is no doubt about it, cultivating
one who has difficulty cultivating it, then
you may suffer more setbacks than others mildness brings rich rewards. It results in
23. How will acknowledging variety help our mildness?
24, 25. Will cultivating mildness be easy ?

26. How will Jehovah help us in this matter?

27. What rich rewards does mildness bring?

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S&eWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

a much happier life for you even though

surrounded by distressing conditions, be
cause you maintain your balance and are
not distressed and hardened by them. An
other reward mildness brings is that it
makes you more receptive to the truth.
As Jehovah continues progressively to re
veal his will to you, you will be much
more inclined to accept such new truths
and pattern your life around them. What

will this do for you? James 1:21 answers:

Accept with mildness the implanting of
the word which is able to
your
Yes, your salvation is involved! So be
mild-tempered and thus put yourself in
line for the fulfillment of Gods promise
recorded at Psalm 37:11: The meek ones
themselves will possess the earth, and they
will indeed find their exquisite delight in
the abundance of peace.

HERE is another reason why the

Christian needs to cultivate mild
ness. True, it makes him happier, he is
easier to get along with, it enables him
to be more receptive to Gods truths and
thus puts him on the way to everlasting
life; but there is something else. Mildness
is also necessary when performing the
great preaching work that Christians are
commissioned to do in these critical last
days.
2 Gods truths must be dispensed to
humankind. A witness must be given
throughout the earth before the end of
this present wicked system of things. Ad
ditionally, those already dedicated to God
must be fed continually with truths from
Gods Word. All of this requires much in
structing, and mildness plays an impor
tant part in carrying it out. There may
be various ways of teaching employed in
this world, but where Gods Word is con
cerned, the knowledge contained in it is
to be imparted to others in mildness.

3 Instructing with mildness is the right

way, the Scriptural way, the way that
brings the greatest response from truth
seekers. We know this is true because the
greatest instructor that ever lived, Jesus
Christ, used mildness when teaching the
truth to others. This outstanding quality,
mildness, was a part of his personality,
and he used it with telling effect when
instructing those hungering and thirsting
for righteousness.
4That Jesus had a mild disposition, he
himself makes clear: Come to me, all you
who are toiling and loaded down, and I
will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you
and become my disciples, for I am mildtempered and lowly in heart, and you will
find refreshment for your souls. (Matt.
11:28, 29) How effective Jesus teaching
would be because of his mild-tempered
ways! Eagerly sheeplike persons would
search him out to listen to him expound
Gods truths. They would not be afraid of
him as they were of their harsh, oppres-

1, 2. Why do Christians need mildness in our time?

3-5. (a) How do we know that instructing with mild

ness is the right way? (b) Why would sheeplike
persons be attracted to Jesus?

May 15, 1967

SBeWATCHTOWER,

307

sive political and religious leaders who had

lorded it over them without concern for
their welfare.
5Jesus had tender feeling for these com
mon people who were in such pitiful condi
tion spiritually and physically. On seeing
the crowds he felt pity for them, be
cause they were skinned and thrown about
like sheep without a shepherd. (Matt.
9:36) Mild-mannered Jesus, feeling pity
for these downtrodden and abused people,
would indeed be a source of refreshment
for their souls. How different he was from
what they were used to! What an uplift
ing experience it was to be in his presence!
Jesus was not like their harsh taskmas
ters, but he was mild, kind, generous, un
derstanding, loving.
6The mild ways of Jesus would not at
tract everybody. Those who were not
sheeplike and had no real love for the
truth would probably view his manner as
foolish and impractical in a hard world.
Nor would the wicked ones respond. But
Jesus did not want to attract just anyone
into Gods new system of things. He was
not calling those who would love what was
wrong and hate what was right. His mild
ways would appeal to the right kind of
persons, to lovers of righteousness. These
are the ones Jesus was after. He was hunt
ing for sheep, not goats.
7It was when dealing with wicked,
goatlike persons that we see Jesus using
stronger language and actions. Jesus was
mild, but he was not weak. When neces
sary, he denounced others, especially the
hypocritical religious leaders, the scribes
and Pharisees. Repeatedly he told them:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo
crites! (Matt. 23:13-36) A t times, some
of Gods servants may need to deliver re
bukes to others, but they must exercise
great care in how they do so, for they do

s The apostle Paul knew that Jesus

method of teaching with mildness was the
best and was the pattern to follow, for he
said: Now I myself, Paul, entreat you by
the mildness and kindness of the Christ.
(2 Cor. 10:1) Note, too, what he stated
at First Thessalonians 2:5-8 in connection
with his way of dealing with others: At
no time have we turned up either with
flattering speech, (just as you know) or
with a false front for covetousness, God
is witness! Neither have we been seeking
glory from men, no, either from you or
from others, though we could be an ex
pensive burden as apostles of Christ. To
the contrary, we became gentle in the
midst of you, as when a nursing mother
cherishes her own children. So, having a
tender affection for you, we were well
pleased to impart to you, not only the
good news of God, but also our own souls,
because you became beloved to us. To be
gentle, to have tender affection, Paul had
to be mild. He was.
9
How did the brothers in the Chris
tian congregation respond to this mildmannered apostle? Well, on one occasion
when Paul told the older men from the
congregation in Ephesus that they would
see him no more, note the reaction: In
deed, quite a bit of weeping broke out
among them all, and they fell upon Pauls
neck and tenderly kissed him, because
they were especially pained at the word he
had spoken that they were going to be
hold his face no more. (Acts 20:37, 38)

6.

8.

Would Jesus mild ways attract everyone?

7. What care must be exercised when rebuking others
as Jesus did?

not have the insight that Jesus did. Hence,

the times not to be mild must be the ex
ception and must be weighed very care
fully. In this, Jesus set the pattern, but
he had authority and discernment that
imperfect humans do not have today.
PAUL INSTRUCTED W ITH MILDNESS

How did Paul show that instructing was to be done

with mildness?
9,10. How did others respond to Pauls mildness?

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

These Christians loved the mild-mannered

apostle and wanted to be around him, for
they found refreshment in this servant of
God. It distressed them much to think that
they might see him no more. At his de
parture there was no cold formality, but
tenderness, tears and much appreciation
for the service he had rendered them.
10 If Paul had employed harsh, worldly
methods in his instructing, it is very un
likely that he would have been the recip
ient of such genuine tenderness. Sincere
expressions of love and gratitude are hard
ly given to the harsh person, because
harshness repels, it does not attract. There
is no weeping at the departure of the hard,
cruel taskmaster, but, rather, there is
great relief.
APPEAL TO FREE WILL

11Harsh methods of leading and in

structing frighten. They do not inspire
trust and love. They may get obedience
for a while, but it is not a willing obedi
ence. What is forced upon others usually
does not endure, but is thrown off at the
earliest opportunity. So forced obedience
is neither desirable nor lasting, for Jeho
vah implanted in man a free will and de
sires willing obedience from him.
12Most persons resent and resist harsh
ness, pressure or compulsion. When the
Egyptians made the sons of Israel slave
under tyranny, how did it affect the op
pressed? (Ex. 1:13) Exodus 1:14 tells us
that they kept making their life bitter
with hard slavery. When King Rehoboam
said: My father, for his part, made your
yoke heavy, but I, for my part, shall add
to your yoke, the people revolted, as Je
hovah foretold. (1 Ki. 12:14) In striking
contrast Jesus told his listeners: My yoke
is kindly and my load is light. (Matt.
11:30) No wonder truth seekers in that
day followed him instead of the heavy11,12. Why is harshness not Gods way?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

handed religious leaders who bind up

heavy loads and put them upon the shoul
ders of men, but they themselves are not
willing to budge them with their finger.
Matt. 23:4.
13
Observe how Paul appealed to the free
will of Philemon in the matter of the run
away slave, Onesimus. When Paul was in
prison Onesimus was very useful to him.
But Paul wrote the slaves owner, Phile
mon, and said: I would like to hold him
back for myself that in place of you he
might keep on ministering to me in the
prison bonds I bear for the sake of the
good news. But did Paul hold this slave
back for himself? No! For he told Phile
mon: But without your consent I do not
want to do anything, so that your good
act may be, not as under compulsion, but
of your own free will. What a difference
such an attitude makes! We can imagine
how Philemon would have felt had Paul
said to him instead: Now, look here,
Philemon, I need this slave of yours, so
Im going to keep him no matter what
you say. No, Paul knew better, for he
instructed with mildness. He would rather
have been inconvenienced than deal with
Philemon in harshness or try to compel
him to act against his own free will.
Philem. 13, 14.
14When speaking of generosity, Paul al
so followed this principle of appealing in
mildness to the free will of others. He
stated: Let each one do just as he has
resolved in his heart, not grudgingly or
under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
giver. (2 Cor. 9:7) When Peter counseled
the older men in the organization about
their attitude toward the position of over
sight they held, he urged: Shepherd the
flock of God in your care, not under com
pulsion, but willingly. These mature ones
should not feel they are forced to shep13. How did Paul appeal to the free will of Philemon?
14. What other examples show that willingness is
desired?

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309

herd Gods flock, but should do so in har own free will. With these persons our in
mony with their free will. 1 Pet. 5:2.
structing will be most effective when done
in
15
Appealing to the free will of people mildness. From house to house, when
in mildness does not necessarily mean that calling back on such interested ones, or
everybody who dedicates his life to God when teaching them the Bible in their
will fully appreciate all the obligations own homes, the instructor will get his
Christians have. At first, some may find points over much better by a mild, gentle
certain requirements difficult to perform. appeal to principles, logic and the beauty
But just because such ones may take time of the truth. Peter showed that this meth
to cultivate appreciation and liking for od was the one we should use in the work
these things does not mean they will not of instructing others when he said: But
do them. For instance, when telling of the sanctify the Christ as Lord in your hearts,
necessity to preach the good news, Paul always ready to make a defense before
acknowledged that some might not want everyone that demands of you a reason
to do so at first, that it might be against for the hope in you, but doing so together
mildtem per and deep respect.
the will that the person had molded up to with a

1
Pet.
3:15.
that point in his life. Paul said: If I per
form this willingly, I have a reward; but
17When the Christian instructs with
if I do it against my will, all the same mildness, his listener will be better able to
I have a stewardship entrusted to me. concentrate on the material being present
(1 Cor. 9:17) Paul was not saying that ed. He is not sidetracked as he would be
someone else would force him to do this. if the instructor had a disagreeable man
What he was saying was that some would ner. A teacher that is rash, argumentative
need to overcome their own selfish will in and unpleasant will divert some of the stu
order to conform to Gods will, for, at first, dents attention from the material and
the imperfect flesh may not always be de place it on the instructor. This would be
lighted at doing what is right. Yet, even a hindrance to his progress. The harsh
these who do it against their will are instructor may even stumble others and
blessed, for they are not compelled to do drive them away from the truth! On the
so, but compel themselves because they other hand, the one instructing with mild
love God and want to do His will. That is ness finds this quality an asset and will
why Paul said: I browbeat my body and be able to say as Paul did: In no way
lead it as a slave. (1 Cor. 9:27) So this sire we giving any cause for stumbling,
kind of obedience to God is still basically that our ministry might not be found
willing, of ones own free will, because fault with. 2 Cor. 6:3.
the individual is not forced by someone
18Much patience is needed when preach
else, but he exercises discipline over him ing to others. Here, again, mildness aids
self in order to do Gods will.
the Christian. The mild person is not easi
ly upset when the progress of others is
WHEN PREACHING TO OTHERS
The kind of people Jehovah wants to slow, or where he finds indifference to the
live in his new order are those who will message. He has a much easier time being
respond to the appeal of the truth of their patient than does one who lacks mildness,
for such are more prone to be hasty,
15. What part does self-discipline play in doing Gods
quickly irritated and impatient when rewill ?
16. Did Peter agree with the methods of Jesus and
Paul?

17,18. How does a lack of mildness hinder instruction?

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B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

suits are not forthcoming. But if we lose

our mildness because progress is slow or
because of negative responses, we will be
defeating our purpose, working against
what we are trying to accomplish.
19 Appreciate that the mild instructor
will not always get a listening ear. In fact,
some will oppose and fight against even
the mildest of persons, as they did against
Jesus. But if there is opposition to the in
structor of the good news, it should be
because of the message he bears, because
he represents the Most High God, Jeho
vah, and not because of any rudeness or
harshness of word or action on his part.
20 Maintaining mildness under provoca
tion will help even some of these opposers
to have a change of heart. Proverbs 15:1
states: An answer, when mild, turns
away rage, but a word causing pain makes
anger to come up. So effective is mild
ness when dealing with those who oppose,
especially in ignorance, that Proverbs 25:
15 says: A mild tongue itself can break
a bone. A mild disposition can, in time,
do much to break down prejudice and op
position. A slave of the Lord does not
need to fight, but needs to be gentle
toward all, qualified to teach, keeping him
self restrained under evil, instructing with
mildness those not favorably disposed; as
perhaps God may give them repentance
leading to an accurate knowledge of
truth. 2 Tim. 2:24, 25.
21 Many are those who initially oppose
but who are struck with the Christian
qualities of the one preaching to them and
so begin investigating the message they
bear, eventually becoming dedicated ser
vants of God themselves. What a power
ful reason for the Christian not to re
turn evil for evil when faced with un
reasonable people! But even where oppo
sition persists, the Christian does not

retaliate. He remembers the incident when

the Samaritans did not receive Jesus.
When the disciples James and John saw
this they said: Lord, do you want us to
tell fire to come down from heaven and
annihilate them? But he [Jesus] turned
and reproved them. Vengeance belongs
to God. He is the Judge and he will deal
with hard-set opposers in due time. Rom.
12:17; Luke 9:54, 55.

19. If opposition comes, what should it not be due to?

20,21. Why should we maintain our mildness even
when opposed?

22. Where else is mildness a necessity?

23. How does mildness help when misunderstandings
arise?

AMONG CHRISTIAN BROTHERS

2- Mildness is for use not just with those

outside the Christian congregation or fam
ily circle. It cannot be dispensed with just
because one is dealing with those in the
Christian faith. To the contrary, if we use
mildness with those who are not of the
faith, we need to use it even more so when
dealing with our Christian brothers. Mild
ness is not a garment that the Christian
puts on as a front to impress those on the
outside. It must become a part of his per
sonality. It is to be used all the time, par
ticularly when dealing with those inside
the Christian congregation. Really, then,
as long as we have time favorable for it,
let us work what is good toward all, but
especially toward those related to us in the
faith. Gal. 6:10.
23 If a misunderstanding arises between
Christian brothers, mildness helps them
to do the right thing. Accordingly, as
Gods chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe
yourselves with the tender affections of
compassion, kindness, lowliness o f mind,
mildness, and long-suffering. Continue
putting up with one another and forgiving
one another freely if anyone has a cause
for complaint against another. Even as
Jehovah freely forgave you, so do you
also. (Col. 3:12, 13) Those cultivating
the mild spirit will more quickly make
peace with their brother and forgive as

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311

God forgives. Mild-tempered ones are of Gods spirit, but it will be discouraged
more likely to be like-minded, showing and tom down by harshness. And in the
fellow feeling, exercising brotherly love, Christian congregation, any who persist
tenderly affectionate, humble in mind. in dealing harshly with Gods flock will, in
Their mildness helps them approach the time, be removed from their privilege of
depth of love and affection Peter recom serving their brothers. Peter warned those
mended when he said: Above all things, taking the lead that they should not do
have intense love for one another. (1 Pet. so as lording it over those who are Gods
4:8) There is nothing so important in re inheritance, but becoming examples to the
lations among Christian brothers that flock. 1 Pet. 5:3.
mildness, tenderness, empathy and love
26Jesus showed that those taking the
should be disposed of and cold, hard tac lead were to serve, or minister, to their
tics substituted instead.
brothers. He put water into a basin and
2i At times a Christian may stumble into started to wash the feet of the disciples
wrongdoing. Then he needs counsel. How and to dry them off with the towel. Ex
is it to be given? Brothers, even though plaining why he had done this, Jesus said:
a man takes some false step before he is You address me, Teacher, and, Lord,
aware of it, you who have spiritual qualifi and you speak rightly, for I am such.
cations try to restore such a man in a Therefore, if I, although Lord and Teach
spirit of mildness. (Gal. 6:1) For a per er, washed your feet, you also ought to
son who takes a false step before he is wash the feet of one another. For I set the
aware of it restoration is promoted when pattern for you, that, just as I did to you,
he is corrected in mildness. Of course, you should do also. On another occasion
where wrongdoing is willful and persists to he declared to his followers: Whoever
the point of making a practice of wicked wants to become great among you must
ness, then the Christian congregation be your minister, and whoever wants to be
takes further measures to punish such first among you must be your slave.
wrongdoers and to protect the congrega This kind of humility Gods servants want
to imitate today. Those mild in spirit will
tion. 1 Cor. 5:11-13; 2 John 9-11.
25
Overseers and ministerial assistantshave no difficulty doing so, for mildness
should exercise great care and work hard is the natural companion of humility.
to continue their advancement in mild John 13:5, 13-15; Matt. 20:26, 27.
27Mildness is essential in the smallest
ness. The many responsibilities they have,
unit
of the congregation, that is, the fami
the various problems and difficulties they
ly
circle.
Fathers and mothers deed with
handle can work toward a loss of mildness
one
another
and their offspring in mild
if they resort to their own imperfect hu
ness,
not
resorting
to displays of bad tem
man reasoning and spirit. They want to
per
or
unreasonableness.
The family head,
be dependent on Jehovah and continually
the
husband,
needs
to
give
much counsel
look to him for guidance by his holy spirit.
and
discipline,
but
it
is
to
be done with
In that way their mildness will be main
mildness.
This
mild
way
of
dealing with
tained and advanced. The congregation
children
will
have
a
great
effect
for good
will be built up and encouraged by these
on
young
minds.
They
will
learn
from in
mild shepherds who produce the fruitage
fancy that the mild way is the way to
24. How is counsel to be given one who stumbles into
deal with others. As they grow to adultwrongdoing?
25, 26. What care should those taking the lead exercise,
and what is their proper relationship to their brothers?

27. Where else is mildness essential?

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

hood, the mild spirit grows with them and

becomes part of their Christian person
ality.
23 Instructing with mildness, then, is
Gods way. It gets the best results when
preaching to those outside the Christian
congregation, when teaching and counsel
ing those inside the congregation, and
when instructing and correcting within
28. What are the results of mildness?

E WAS only a nine-year-old lad,

but he had gotten the spirit of the
good news of Gods kingdom. This was
apparent from the letter he wrote the
branch office of the Watch Tower Society
at Athens: My parents told me that if
I succeed in the annual school examina
tions by obtaining a perfect mark, they
would give me as a present 500 drachmas
[about $17.00 in value]. In fact, I suc
ceeded in the examinations, and my par
ents gave me this promised gift money,
telling me to use it at my own discretion.
After having reflected, I came to the de
cision to use this money for expanding the
publication of the good news, and I remit
it to you through our overseer. *
Remarkable? Yes, but not altogether
unique, for that the good news of Gods
kingdom has this effect on children is also
seen from what a five-year-old Rhodesian
child wrote the Watch Tower Societys
branch office at Salisbury: Dear Broth* Yearbook of Jehovahs Witnesses, 1962, p. 152;
1965, p. 227.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

the family circle. It makes for great peace

and happiness individually and collective
ly. What a pleasure it is to be among an
entire society of people who produce the
fruitage of Gods spirit, who work, live
and instruct with mildness! That God
blesses such ones Jesus made plain when
he said: Happy are the mild-tempered
ones, since they will inherit the earth.
Matt. 5:5.

ers, Here is my donation to the Society

for 1 /- [one shilling; value, 14 cents] that
my Daddy gave me for sweets. Instead
of buying sweets my mind decided to send
it to the Society because it will help a
lot more than to buy sweets. *
Yes, remarkable it is that young chil
dren should manifest such an unselfish
spirit, but perhaps even more remarkable
is the mature way these two young chil
dren expressed themselves: A fter having
reflected, I came to the decision, wrote
the nine-year-old; and my mind decided
to send it to the Society, is the way the
five-year-old put it.
Both of these youngsters appear first
to have given the matter some thought,
then resolved in their little hearts to give
expression to an unselfish impulse and
then acted upon that resolve. In doing so
they were acting in keeping with the apos-

May 15, 1967

313

SEeW ATCHTOW Eft

tie Pauls inspired advice: He that sows

bountifully will also reap bountifully. Let
each one do just as he has resolved in his
heart.2 Cor. 9:6,7.
By this advice the apostle Paul mani
fests a wisdom and understanding of hu
man nature that came to him by means of
Gods holy spirit. We may have resolved,
decided or purposed in our hearts, after
due reflection, to contribute so much of
our weekly wages or salary to the Chris
tian cause, but then when it comes ac
tually to parting with the money, it may
not be so easy. Obviously, it is far easier
to resolve in ones heart than actually to
give, but this is where a test of ones ap
preciation comes in, as well as a test of
integrity, of keeping ones self-respect
with God. At the time we resolved we were
keenly aware of the merits of the Chris
tian cause, but, when the time comes ac
tually to give, we may all of a sudden be
come keenly concerned with our own
needs, which then may seem more press
ing. The principle here is similar to that
governing the making of vows. Eccl. 5:
4-6.
This principle can be applied to ever so
many situations in life. For example, a
husband may be sick abed and, appreciat
ing how much care and affection his wife
is showering upon him, resolve in his
heart to buy her a large bouquet of roses
or to take her out to a fine dinner just as
soon as he has recovered. But then when
he gets well, he may forget about it or dis
miss it from his mind as a rather extrava
gant or sentimental notion. While he was
sick he was very appreciative of all his
wife was doing, and what he resolved to
do upon his getting well was a sensible as
well as fine and noble thing. Now he
should follow through, just as he had re
solved in his heart while sick abed!

IN REGARD TO ONES WORSHIP

This principle finds many applications

in the life of a Christian. For example, at
the congregational meeting he may have
it brought home to him how important it
is to get to meetings on time; that it
shows respect for Gods Word and His ar
rangement, and so forth. Hence he re
solves to come on time from now on. But
then when the time rolls around for the
next meeting, it is not quite so simple to
follow through, to discipline oneself to get
an earlier start, but that is what he ob
ligated himself to do and should do in
view of his having resolved this in his
heart.
Or a Christian minister may be listening
intently to the counsel and admonition giv
en at his congregational service meeting
in regard to the field ministry and resolve
in his heart to devote three hours the fol
lowing Sunday morning to preaching the
good news of Gods kingdom from house
to house and in making return visits. But
then the weather may be a little inclem
ent, or he may find few hearing ears, or
he may note that others have stopped
preaching after an hour or two, and so,
instead of doing as he had resolved in his
heart, he contents himself with less.
Thus also in regard to finding time for
Bible study. A Christian is encouraged to
make regular provision for personal Bible
study and so may resolve in his heart to
set aside Monday evenings for it. But
when Monday evening comes, unless he
acts with firm resolve, he may find him
self sidetracked by an appealing television
program, some popular magazine, or by
some chore that could have waited; and,
as a result, he fails to do as he had re
solved in his heart.
IN MONEY MATTERS

The apostle Paul enunciated this prin

ciple in connection with making contribu-

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

tions to needy Christians, but, of course,

it also applies to all other avenues of
Christian giving. One should, first of all,
give the matter mature consideration, se
rious thought. Every Christian is a stew
ard, accountable to Jehovah God for how
he uses all his assets, such as time, energy
and money. (1 Cor. 4:2) He should ask
him self: Just how much do I need to ful
fill my obligations toward my family or
to provide properly for myself? After the
barest essentials are taken care of, how
much more must I have in the way of bet
ter food, clothing and shelter? Here is
where godly contentment comes into the
picture. As Paul also wrote: Having sus
tenance and covering, we shall be content
with these things. The more modest our
wants, the more ambitious can be our
giving. But the more ambitious our wants,
the more modest, most likely, will be our
giving. 1 Tim. 6:7,8.
And there are so many opportunities to
give in a material way. To begin with,
there is the local Kingdom Hall. It may
have been built recently, and before it
was, slips were probably passed out to all
in attendance to learn how much all were
willing and able to give; and upon this in
formation plans were made and acted
upon and a new Kingdom Hall built. But,
then, as the months go by it happens at
times that some fail to give as they had
resolved in their hearts and had even put
down on paper. Are they heeding the
counsel for each one to do just as he has
resolved in his heart ?
In addition to opportunities to contrib
ute to the upkeep of the local Kingdom
Hall, there is the opportunity to contrib
ute to the publishing and directive agency
o f Jehovahs people, the Watch Tower Bi
ble and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
During the 1966 service year this Society,
in keeping with its chartered purpose to
spread the truth of Gods Word and king-

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

dom far and wide, spent more than $4

million just in caring for the expenses of
such full-time ministers as district and cir
cuit servants, missionaries and special pio
neers. Where did all this money come
from ? From exacting dues? From passing
collection plates? From fund drives? No,
but from the voluntary offerings of Chris
tians who were impelled to imitate the un
selfish examples given in Gods Word and
who, after mature consideration, then
gave just as they had resolved in their
hearts. Among such the Scriptural exam
ples of that kind of giving are the gather
ing of supplies for the making of the
tabernacle in the wilderness and its fur
nishings, and the collecting of materials
for the building of Solomons temple,
which giving caused such great rejoicing
on the part of both King David and his
people.Ex. 36:4-7; 1 Chron. 29:1-19.
There are at times also other opportu
nities for giving in a material way. It may
be that a disaster has struck, furnishing
an opportunity to help fellow Christians,
as happened comparatively recently in the
southern part of the United States. Then,
again, those blessed with an abundance of
this worlds goods often feel impelled to
give something in a material way to those
who deny themselves much for the sake
of being able to keep on serving Jehovah
full time as pioneers. In this respect they
may be said to be like Mary, who anointed
Jesus hair and feet with costly oil out of
sheer appreciation for his unselfish min
istry. When she heard Jesus words of
commendation, how happy she must have
been to have done in accord with her
hearts resolve, extravagant though it may
have seemed when actually carrying it
out!Matt. 26:6-13.
Today there is also the provision of
Conditional Donations. Some who have
considerable sums for which they have no
immediate need can make a conditional

May 15, 1967

SJkW A T C H T O W E R

donation of it to the Society, with the un

derstanding that in times of unforeseen
need they could draw upon it as needed.
This gives them a sense of financial se
curity and at the same time permits their
money to be used to further the preaching
of the good news of Gods kingdom. Of
course, at death such funds would become
outright donations to the Watch Tower
Bible and Tract Society, simplifying mat
ters. Those interested can write the Watch
Tower Societys office in their own coun
try about this.

315

And just one more thing. In connection

with all this giving as one has resolved
in his heart, let us not overlook the fur
ther words of Paul. Let all such giving be
done not grudgingly or under compul
sion, as though it were an unpleasant
duty, an onerous burden. Rather, let it
be with joy, out of love, out of gratitude
to Jehovah God for the ability to give,
remembering that God loves a cheerful
giver, and that there is more happiness
in giving than there is in receiving.
2 Cor. 9:7; Acts 20:35.

Treasure Find

N THE tiny mountain |

I told my father that I
village of Papingon of
desired to study for the
n o r t h w e s t G r e e c e is ft
p riesth ood , as he had
DEMETRIUS
where I was born. That f
done. But he discouraged
was in October 1891, some |
me! He told me frankly
PAPAGEORGE
seventy-five years ago. At
.. ....
that he was very disap
the time our home was in

pointed with his priestly

Turkish territory. My fa
p rofession . T h ere is
ther was a schoolteacher. But shortly something definitely lacking about it, he
after my birth he was ordained to serve would say. He confessed that he was
as a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church. searching to see what the other creeds had
However, difficult times forced my father to offer. Later, at the time of the Spanish
to leave our village, and he finally settled flu epidemic in 1918, my father died.
With the turn of the century, Europe
in the city of Philadelphia in Asia Minor.
While at school, I was often assigned was in a somewhat subdued upheaval. In
to read portions of the Bible in church. 1909 the Young Turks overthrew Sultan
These parts were generally from the Abdul-Hamid II. A new constitution was
Psalms and the writings of the apostles of formed requiring all nationalities to serve
Jesus. At the age of fourteen, upon finish in the Turkish army. Not being militarily
ing grammar school, I went to Athens, inclined, I decided to leave the continent
Greece, to find work. A fter being there at the first opportunity and seek a life
for approximately three years, I moved elsewhere. Not many days thereafter I
on to Smyrna, and from there to Phila was on my way to America. We landed in
New York in May 1910.
delphia, where I met my father.

SfreWATCHTOWEPL

316

America was my imagined land of

promise. Here is where I had hoped to
find financial security and happiness. But
the land of promise held many shocking
surprises for me. Riches were not so easy
to come by. For twelve hours a day I
worked in restaurants and was paid only
a dollar a day! And in the evenings I hur
ried off to school to learn the English
language.
STRIKING IT RICH

However, after some three years I fi

nally did strike it rich! While I was vaca
tioning in the Catskill mountains of New
York in the summer of 1913, a tract called
The Bible Students Monthly was handed
to me. I read it carefully. Even though
my understanding of English was very
limited at the time, nevertheless, I was
aware that here was a very rare treasure
indeed.
The next day I met the person who
handed me the pamphlet. She was a
schoolteacher and a capable Bible student.
In the course of our conversation, she
asked me about my convictions. She want
ed to know what I believed. From what
I recall, the conversation went something
like this:
Do you pray the Lords prayer, Mr.
Papageorge?
Of course I do, was my answer to her.
I learned that from the time I began to
talk.
Then you believe that Christ Jesus is
coming back?
Sure.
Cam you tell me why he is coming
back?
Not in so many words. But I do know
his coming will mark the end of the world.
Is that right? What do you understand
the end of the world to be?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Well, I understand it to be just that

the end of the world. There will be de
struction, confusion, many people will die.
As I understand, the dead will be raised.
And from what I gather, it will be a real
bad time. Dont you think so?
She smiled softly and then said, So
youre praying for Christ to come to de
stroy the whole world?
I hesitated for a moment, for I had
never thought of it just that way before.
Then I remember remarking: It doesnt
make much sense, does it? What do you
think Christ meant by the end of the
world?
She then opened up her Bible and read
to me from the Bible book of Acts, chap
ter three, where it says: Repent, there
fore, and turn around so as to get your
sins blotted out, that seasons of refresh
ing may come from the person of Jeho
vah and that he may send forth the Christ
appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven,
indeed, must hold within itself until the
times of restoration of all things of which
God spoke through the mouth of his holy
prophets of old time. (Acts 3:19-21) So
you see, she continued, Christ Jesus will
bring blessings, times of refreshing, as
the Bible says, and not just destruction in
the time of this worlds end.
That certainly sounded wonderful to me.
Since it was in the Bible, I was convinced
that it was the truth. Prior to this, I had
not seen a complete Bible. This encounter
did something to me. I knew, from that
moment on, that I would have to learn
more about the Bible.
Arrangements were made for me to
meet some Bible students who spoke the
Greek language. When we returned to file
city, this was done. My first impression
after meeting these students was that, if
there is any Bible truth revealed, these

May 15, 1967

SfreWATCHTOWER.

317

people must have it. They were so sincere,

And, too, for the first time I saw that
zealous and thorough in their searching of Jesus Christ himself prophesied about his
the Bible.
second presence and that he gave a sign
I
obtained a Greek Bible and what otherof many features to help us recognize the
literature was available to me and started time of its fulfillment. These portions of
to study. But there was not enough spare the Bible were never read in church. The
time for studying! So I quit my job and clergy usually preferred their own opin
used all my time digging into the Scrip ions and terrifying predictions of things
tures, reasoning on its truths. This I did to come. What a relief to be freed from
as long as my saved-up money lasted. Then misconceptions! Bible truth really does set
I would look for a job and save again. one free from such superstitions and false
When there was ample cash accumulated, hoods, as Jesus said it would, at John 8:
I would quit and get back to what I en 32: You will know the truth, and the
joyed most in life, namely, studying the truth will set you free.
Bible!
TRAINED FOR THE PHOTO-DRAMA WORK

The truths of Gods Word, I was con

The truths I learned from my studies vinced, must be told to the people. To that
thrilled me! The Bible truly became a end I dedicated my life to God. There was
treasure mine. Instead of the earth being a baptismal service and an immersion to
destroyed at the Lords return, I learned be performed at the Brooklyn Bethel head
that under Gods Kingdom rule it will be quarters of the Watch Tower Society. The
transformed into a paradise; that under Societys president, Brother C. T. Russell,
Kingdom rule there will be only one reli gave the baptismal discourse. That day
I symbolized my dedication by being im
gion throughout the whole world.
As a child I was taught that death was mersed in water. I felt happy about having
to be dreaded, since God tormented some made my decision to serve God the rest
people forever and ever in a flaming hell. of my life. This was in the fall of 1913.
There was then a class of brothers
Now in my Bible studies I learned that
studying
electricity so that they could ob
God torments no one in a hellfire, that
tain
a
license
to operate a movie projector
Jesus spoke of death as a sleep, that people
to
show
the
Watch
Tower Societys film
who have died the sleep of death will be
The
Photo-Drama
of
Creation. Brother
resurrected and will live right here on
Russell
kindly
let
me
join
in the training,
earth. How often I had heard Jesus words
and I must say that I was very grateful
at John 5:28, 29 read at funerals! But I
for the opportunity. In about a month we
never realized the wealth of their meaning
passed our examinations and obtained a
until now. The fact that Jesus used the license.
term memorial tombs (mnemeion) im
We were then trained to operate the
pressed me. Jesus did not use the two com motion-picture machine and the slide pro
mon words for grave in Greek, namely, jector in connection with the phonograph
taphos, meaning grave, or laTcos, which records that explained the slides. These
means pit or ditch. I knew by this that were shown in the Brooklyn Tabernacle,
those, in the memorial tombs would come which was located on Hicks Street. The
forth someday in a resurrection. What a Tabernacle could seat about 700 people.
Tea and sandwiches were served on Sunthrill that was to me!
TRUTHS THAT THRILLED ME

318

SfeW ATCHTOW ER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

day afternoons so that those in attendance fifteen-year sentence at hard labor! But
after twenty-three months in some eight
could stay for the evening services.
Early in the spring of 1914 the Photo- different prisons, I was released in Sep
Drama began to be shown in New York tember 1919. I returned to Duluth and
city, and from there it spread throughout then moved to Minneapolis, where I found
the United States. At times there were up employment. It was a joy to be associated
ward of a hundred cities viewing the with the Christian congregation there and
Photo-Drama simultaneously. We licensed to work with them.
Because of military complications, I
operators traveled about from state to
state showing this striking film. We en barely missed being deported to Greece.
joyed this privilege of service immensely. Retired General W. P. Hall interceded in
When World War I broke out in July my behalf. At the memorable Cedar
1914, we Bible students were not exactly Point, Ohio, convention of 1922, where I
shocked. For some time we had been wait was privileged to attend, he was also in
ing for evidences concerning the end of attendance. I had the opportunity to meet
the Gentile Times. When the war erupted, him there and thank him for his kindness.
At this time the full-time preaching
we recognized it at once as a sign and as
proof that we were right. Our joy was work was being reorganized. In the spring
great, for we were expecting great things of 1923 I entered this full-time service.
to happen. At the time I was with Brother Then, in the autumn of that year, the
A. H. Macmillan in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Watch Tower Society offered me the op
Brother Macmillan gave the two final talks portunity to take care of its supply depot
at the conclusion of the film showing. The in Chicago. Of course, I gladly accepted.
first one was Pastor Russells Teachings There I stayed until I was no longer need
Examined, and the second discourse was ed, when the depot was closed in Febru
The Second Coming of Christ. Brother ary 1930. After this I was invited to
Macmillan was at his best! He reflected in return to the Watch Tower Societys head
those lectures the thrill and joy all Bible quarters in Brooklyn. I arrived in March
students felt in seeing Bible prophecy be 1930.
ing fulfilled right before their very eyes!
Now, some thirty-seven years later, I
We were right. 1914 was a marked year! am still serving here at the Brooklyn head
quarters. After my return to Bethel, for
THE W AR YEARS AND THEREAFTER
some eleven years I had the pleasure of
Because my parents were badly in need working in the shipping department in our
of assistance, I left the Photo-Drama new factory. Then for a few years I
group. I found employment in Duluth,
worked in the cleaning department and
Minnesota, where I worked for the Street
also in taking care of the steam boilers.
Railway Department. In April of 1917 I
was drafted into the United States Army. Later I was assigned to take care of the
When I was ordered to go to Camp Dodge beautiful garden in the recent addition to
for training, I informed the draft board the Bethel home. It is nicely designed, and
authorities that I was a follower of Jesus at least two architects stopped and re
Christ, that as such I could not engage in marked about the fine arrangement. In
violence of any kind. I told them that Je fact, one day one of two mothers who
sus came to save life, not to destroy it. wheeled their baby carriages through the
A military court martial handed me a stiff garden was heard to say: My, this is

M ay

15, 1967

ffieW ATCHTOW ER.

like a paradise. The other said: It is

like an oasis in New York! Recently I
was assigned to the factory to do some
light work, I must say that there I am
thrilled with the sight of so many dedi
cated ministers, including many young
ones, serving Jehovah joyfully with a
whole heart.
As I look back over the years and re
flect upon the past, as most older people
do, I can honestly say that I am grateful
for the opportunity of having served God

How can it be said that Jesus could have

produced perfect children from an imperfect
w ife? Would not the children, according to the
laws of genetics, have inherited imperfection
from their mother? F. S., England.
The basis for offering this as a possibility
is the example of what occurred in the case
of Jesus* own birth. He was born perfect even
though he had an imperfect mother, Mary.
In saying this, we do not deny the scien
tifically demonstrated fact that the union of a
human sperm and a human egg cell or ovum,
both of which contain chromosomes and genes,
results eventually in a new organism with
hereditary characteristics of both parents.
This process has been observed and can now
hardly be called a theory.
In Jesus* own case it appears that Jehovah
used one of the ova in the womb of the virgin,
but imperfect, woman Mary. (Rom. 3:23) Had
he not done so, Jesus, from a physical stand
point, would not have been a real descendant
of Abraham and King David, as had been
foretold. (Gen. 22 :1 8 ; Isa. 11:1, 2; Luke 3:2338) Thus we believe that Jesus looked like a
Jew, that he had human characteristics that
were observable in his mother.
The question m ay now arise, Would not Jesus
have inherited some imperfection from M ary?

319

while I was still young and had the

strength of youth. I was only twenty-two
when I learned about the great Jehovah.
Now I am seventy-five. All these years
have been full of rich blessings. Serving
Jehovah is indeed a great treasure. It is
not only having the joy and happiness that
the knowledge of the new system of things
brings, but it is also the experience of
having Jehovahs favor for doing his di
vine will. This is the unspeakable treasure
that I found in this land of promise.

No, the Bible plainly shows that Jesus was

born perfect. (1 Pet. 2 :2 2 ; John 8:4 6 ) In this
way he was the equivalent of perfect Adam
and could serve as the ransom to take away
sins. (Heb. 7 :2 6 ; 9 :2 6 ; Rom. 5 :18) W e should
keep in mind that we are not dealing just with
genetic laws of dominant and recessive char
acteristics. No, perfection and imperfection are
also involved. W e have no experience with
the results of uniting perfection with imper
fection. Scientists cannot measure human per
fection or imperfection resulting from sin.
N or can they predict the powerful effect a
perfect male sperm would have on an im
perfect ovum. But it is evident from what
occurred in Jesus* case that the perfect male
part of the reproduction dominated the im
perfection inherent in Mary. Jesus perfect
Father transferred the perfect life of his Son
to the womb of M ary and the result was a
wholly perfect offspring, Jesus. Gal. 4:4.
Accepting what the inspired Scriptures say
took place as to Jesus* conception and birth,
we can conclude that by reason of Jesus* being
entirely perfect he could have fathered perfect
children even with an imperfect wife. O f
course, that was not Gods will for Jesus. (Heb.
10:5-10; Matt. 26:39) Nonetheless, that poten
tial was apparently there.
W h y did the Jews use the name of the
pagan god Tammuz as the name for one of
their months? R. M., Honduras.
Tammuz was the name of a Babylonian
deity. (Ezek. 8: 14) And though the Bible does
not apply the name in this way, postexilic
works, such as the Jewish Talmud, use the

5HeWATCHTOW ER

320

name for the fourth Jewish lunar month of the

sacred calendar, the tenth of the secular cal
endar. (Ezek. 1 :1 ) So it would correspond to
the latter part of June and the first part of
July.
The use of the pagan name Tammuz as
applying to the fourth month of the sacred
calendar m ay have been only a matter of con
venience among the Jews. W e should remem
ber that they were then a subjugated people,
obliged to deal with and report to the foreign
powers dominating them. So it is understand
able that they might utilize the names of the
months employed by these foreign powers.
Similarly, the Gregorian calendar used today
has months named after the gods Janus, Mars
and Juno, as well as for Julius and Augustus
Caesar. Yet it continues to be used by Chris
tians who are subject to the superior author
ities. Rom. 13:1.
W h y was Rachel willing to relinquish an
opportunity to conceive in exchange for some
mandrakes, as related at Genesis 30:14, 15?
R. A., U.S.A.
The mandrake of the Bible is a low plant
with a root similar to a turnip. It ripens in

B rooklyn,

N.Y.

Israel during the late spring and has a yellow

berry somewhat like a small apple. In ancient
times the fruit was used in medicine as a
narcotic and antispasmodic. Also, it was, and
still is in some parts of the East, considered
an aphrodisiac and able to increase human
fertility or aid in conception. Song o f Solo
mon 7:13.
W e learn in Genesis, chapters 29 and 30, that
the patriarch Jacob had fathered eight sons
by his wife Leah and by two legal maid
servants; these sons later became heads of
tribes of Israel. Yet, after many years of
marriage, Jacob's favorite wife Rachel had
not conceived. W hen one day Reuben brought
some mandrakes to his mother Leah, Rachel
agreed to exchange an opportunity to have
the marital due from Jacob for the plants.
(Gen. 30:14, 15) Possibly she felt the m an
drakes would help her conceive and end her
reproach at being barren. Nonetheless, it was
some years before Jehovah opened her womb
and she became pregnant with her first son
Joseph. Gen. 30:22-24.
So, while the Bible does not discuss Rachels
motive, she m ay have been willing to make the
exchange in hopes that she could thus be
aided to become pregnant.

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W h y should one believe in God when no man

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June 18: Instructing with Mildness. P age 306.

Songs to Be Used: 37, 64.

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM
Semimonthly

KINDLY LEADS HIS PEOPLE

TOWARD LIFE
MOVE AHEAD WITH JEHOVAHS
ORGANIZATION
THE ROLE OF THE CLERGY
IN TODAYS CRISIS
THE WEDDING THAT BRINGS
WORLDWIDE REJOICING
W TB& TS

T H E PURPOSE O F "T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very watchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place fo r a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w hat is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common world danger; we are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tch to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orth y o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised n ew order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H . K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
"T h e y w ill a ll be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

CONTENTS

A v e r a g e p r i n t i n g e a c h i s s u e : 4 ,9 5 0 ,0 0 0 F i v e c e n t s a c o p y
The Watchtower Is Published in the Following 7 1 Languages
S e m im o n t h ly
M o n t h ly

Finding Association That W ill

Build You Up

323

The Role of the Clergy in Today's Crisis

325

God Kindly Leads His People Toward Life

329

M ove Ahead with Jehovah's Organization

The Wedding That Brings
Worldwide Rejoicing

335
341

Letters N ot Outdated

345
346

Paying Fully W h at W e Owe God

350

Questions from Readers

351

The Bible translation used in T h e Watchtower is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
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Finding Association That Will Build You Up

ID you ever watch a demolition
crew tear down a house? In a few
days the crew can destroy what it took
months to build. As with a house, so with
other things; it is easier to destroy than
to build. In the case of a young person, it
takes time for his parents to build up in
him respect for honesty, integrity, truth
fulness and morality, but bad associations
can severely damage or even destroy that
respect in a short while. That is why the
Bible warns: Bad associations spoil use
ful habits. 1 Cor. 15:33.
Possibly you know of some young per
son who had been reared in what you re
garded as a good family but who fell in
with bad company and got into trouble.
This is a common occurrence, especially
among young students on college cam
puses where standards of morality are low.
On the matter of honesty, a nationwide
study by Columbia University revealed
that more than half of American college
students have cheated. Certainly the com
panionship of persons such as these will
not build up a young person but more
than likely will have a detrimental effect
upon him.
Although you may appreciate the effect
that bad associations have upon young
people, do you ever consider what effect
they can have on you? Perhaps some of

your fellow workers have gotten into the

habit of stealing from your employer. See
ing this and hearing their boasting can be
detrimental to you if you keep company
with them. You are likely to begin justi
fying stealing as they do claiming that
it is not wrong in this case because of not
being paid enough. Their association
might thus weaken your respect for the
moral principle of honesty and cause it to
crumble. No matter how they may ratio
nalize it, stealing is never the right thing
to do. It is morally wrong. The Bible sets
the right moral standard to be followed
at all times when it says: You must not
steal. (Ex. 20:15) It would be better for
you to seek the association of employees
who respect that moral standard.
It is very difficult to be in frequent as
sociation with bad company and remain
different from it. Group pressure is always
toward conformity with the thinking,
speaking and actions of the group. It is a
very exceptional person who can with
stand that pressure for a prolonged length
of time. Would it not be better to seek
upbuilding association in the company of
persons who have high standards?
The literature you read and screen dra
mas you see can also affect you for good
or for bad. Can it be said that literature
and dramas that magnify murder, thiev323

324

SEeWATCHTOWER

ery, falsehood, sadism, immorality and

every other debased subject are upbuilding
association? How can you be benefited
from filling your mind with the vile deeds
of the worlds worst people? The Toronto
Daily Star of October 1, 1966, said: Per
versions seem almost prosaic in todays
cinema. A writer in The Saturday Eve
ning Post of November 10,1962, observed:
I dont want to get acclimated to rape
either on the screen or off it. And I cer
tainly dont want my children to get ac
climated to it. Would it not be better to
select literature and entertainment that is
upbuilding, that leaves you with a deeper
appreciation of wholesome qualities?
The finest literary association you could
find is the Bible itself. When you read it
you are having association with persons
who were inspired by God. The thoughts
they express are His thoughts, the prin
ciples they set out are His principles and
the counsel they give is His counsel. What
better influence could you find? It can
elevate a persons thinking and way of
life from the low level that is common in
the world to the high level of true Chris
tians. This transformation is mentioned at
1 Peter 4:3, 4, where it is written: For
the time that has passed by is sufficient for
you to have worked out the will of the
nations when you proceeded in deeds of
loose conduct, lusts, excesses with wine,
revelries, drinking matches, and illegal
idolatries. Because you do not continue
running with them in this course to the
same low sink of debauchery, they are
puzzled and go on speaking abusively of
you.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

As can be seen from this scripture, per

sons in the first century who were elevat
ed by Gods Word from the low sink of
debauchery that was the common level
of living in the Roman world did not con
tinue running with or having close as
sociation with those degraded people.
Instead, they sought the upbuilding asso
ciation of people who lived by the high
standards of Gods Word. That is the wise
course to take today. But where can you
find upbuilding association?
You will find that association with Je
hovahs witnesses is upbuilding. Their
standard of conduct is the high standard
set out in the Bible. They strive by means
of home Bible studies to bring peoples of
all kinds into contact with the uplifting in
fluence of Gods Word. By the love that
Jehovahs witnesses show for one another,
they demonstrate that they are truly Je
sus disciples, for Jesus said: By this all
will know that you are my disciples, if
you have love among yourselves. (John
13:35) An observer in Liberia saw this
and remarked: We often criticize you
people, but there is one thing we cant
denyyou love one another, and that real
ly is the way of the truth.
Since Gods written Word and Jehovahs
witnesses are found almost everywhere on
earth, it is not difficult to find upbuilding
association. Benefit from it by taking ad
vantage of the free home Bible study ser
vice that Jehovahs witnesses offer to
everyone. It will build up your faith in the
Bible, expand your appreciation for the
Bibles high standards and deepen your
understanding of its life-giving truths.

The Role of the

CLE

r
inToday'sCrisis

VER a year ago

Secretary-General
U Thant of the United
Nations declared that
the world was still faced
Are they builders off ffaith?
with the political dif
Can you accept their leadership?
ferences between great
powers, still the awful implications of nu
Men who take up the clerical profession
clear armament, still the intolerable in receive many material returns for their
equality in the distribution among the services. They are exempt from hard, toil
people of the world of the benefits of some work with their hands. Their shel
scientific and technological development ter, their clothing and ample provision for
and still, indeed, mans inhumanity to sustenance are sure. Even a number of
man. Since that time the world situation the luxuries of life are thrown in as pay
has deteriorated even farther. Crime and ment for their services. They are thus
violence are on the upsurge. We are truly free to give themselves exclusively to
living in critical times.
spiritual matters, to inculcating in young
Faced with these worsening conditions, and old the fine principles of the written
men and women of today need strong as Word of God. They have time to study
surance that there is a God, one who has the Bible so as to heed the inspired en
a sympathetic feeling for their sufferings, treaty: Guard what is laid up in trust
one who has specific arrangements in hand with you, turning away from the empty
for the relief and blessing of worthy crea speeches that violate what is holy and
tures. People today need to be reminded from the contradictions of the falsely
constantly of the hope that Bible proph called knowledge. 1 Tim. 6:20.
ecy inspires and of the excellent moral
Thus many persons expect that the
precepts contained in Gods written Word. clergy would prove to be champions of
But to whom shall they look for this posi the faith that was once for all time de
tive and authoritative message?
livered to the holy ones, as described by
Why not to the clergy, you may ask, Jude at verse 3 of his inspired letter. Are
since they are said to be dedicated to the such expectations being realized in this
service of God? Multitudes of people look time of crisis when selfish, atheistic views
upon them as occupying a position parallel are rampant? Are the clergy defending
to that of the priests of Israel, of whom the authority of the Bible?
the Bible declares at Malachi 2:7: The
CLERGY PERFORMANCE
lips of a priest are the ones that should
Was it a professed atheist who said:
keep knowledge, and the law is what
people should seek from his mouth. Of The Bible is a book just like others, and
course, the knowledge of God and of his a lovely book. But one should not believe
it ? No, that was reported o f a Danish
law is what is spoken about here.

325

326

SEeWATCHTOWER

clergyman, the Dean of Holmen, according

to the Danish newspaper Kalundborg
Folkeblad of August 5, 1966. And was it
an avowed anti-Semite who declared: It
is essential that our people be fed with
food convenient for them and not with
poison. There is so much spiritual junk in
the Old Testament ? No, for these words
were reportedly uttered by Church of En
gland rector J. C. Wansey.
Catholic clergyman David Stanley is on
record as claiming: No reputable Catho
lic theologian today would argue that the
earliest man was a preternaturally gifted
human being who fell from grace through
a sinful decision. If you accept evolution,
Adam . . . was only a primate. The myth
of a fall doesnt fit at all. And Catholic
theologian Edouard Bone of Belgium
bluntly states: As an anthropologist the
words Adam and Eve have no relevance
for me.
N
ew
sek
August 22, 1966.
Concerning the birth of Jesus from the
virgin Mary, clergyman E. W. Harrison
of the Anglican Church in Canada impa
tiently declares: Its completely unim
portant. I dont know whether its a his
torical fact and I dont care. . . . I cant
waste my time with it. (
Maga
zine, August 6, 1966) Then there is the
position adopted by Professor L. G. Geer
ing, principal of Knox Theological Hall,
Dunedin, New Zealand. He claims that the
resurrection accounts in the Gospels are
not to be regarded as historically factual.
To him the story of the empty tomb was
legendary, as were the physical appear
ances of Christ to his disciples after the
resurrection. His views, as set out in an
article in the Presbyterian magazine Out
look, call into question the authority of
the Christian Greek Scriptures.
In the field of morals a strange laxity
has appeared in the views of many clergy
men. For example, not an agnostic sociolo
gist but clergyman Robert W. Wood of

rooklyn

, N .Y .

England unburdens himself of this com

mendation of homosexuality: We need
more love in the world, and if these
unions [of homosexuals] generate love,
thats all to the good. And Catholic priest
Lazure, director of the school of social
sciences at Ottawa University, Canada, is
of the opinion that couples should be al
lowed to have trial marriages, including
sexual relations. Such trial marriages
should be legalized by society and the
churches. And the minimum age of cou
ples should be 18.
Many more testimonies could be ad
duced to show the effect of the type of
theological training received by clergymen
in modem colleges and seminaries. It is
admitted, indeed, that more attention is
given to sociology, comparative religion
and theology than to the Bible, the basic
handbook of Christianity. Nor can it be
claimed that these foregoing samples are
but a few outlaw individuals. Do we
hear of any general outcry by other cler
gymen against such anti-Bible views?
When did you last hear of clergymen be
ing ousted because of antichristian teach
ings?
CHRIST OR THE CLERGY

Each professed Christian must deter

mine for himself whether he will follow
the guidance of Christ and his early dis
ciples or that of a clergyman who is not
with Christ in his view of Gods Word
and its teachings. That these abovementioned views are in fact opposed to
those of Christ Jesus can be readily estab
lished. Instead of condescendingly refer
ring to the Bible as being merely good
literature, Jesus spoke of it as the reliable
and true Word of God. John 17:17.
The apostle Paul did not advise people
not to believe the Bible, nor did he char
acterize the Hebrew Scriptures as poi
son or spiritual junk. Instead, he re-

J u n e 1, 1 9 6 7

f&eW ATCHTOW ER

327

ferred to them as the holy writings, credentials of clergymen who have gradu
which are able to make you wise for sal ated from a course in comparative theolo
vation through the faith in connection gy and who deny the inspired Word of
with Christ Jesus. He then went on to God. Acts 9:15.
emphasize that all Scripture is inspired
Here we have instances of clergymen
of God and beneficial for teaching, for re treating with disdain the Bibles account
proving, for setting things straight, for of the miraculous birth and the miraculous
disciplining in righteousness. (2 Tim. resurrection of Christ Jesus. Because they
3 :1 5 -1 7 ) C le r g y
cannot understand,
men who con sid er
becau se they have
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
that th eir m odern
n o t b e e n a b l e to
F a ith Required to Please God.
philosophies are far
fathom the wisdom
F irm in F a ith Despite Opposition.
ahead of the Bible
and wonder-working
K now Y ou r God.
t e a c h i n g do n o t
p ow er o f God, be
W h a t Accepting Jesus M eant to Me.
agree with the apos
cause these events do
tle Paul.
not conform to the
Those clergymen, Catholic or Protes findings of material science, they refuse to
tant or any other, who take sides with accept the message of the inspired Scrip
evolutionists to poke fun at the Bible and tures. Yet, inconsistently, they have been
discredit its account of mans origin have willing to profess belief in and teach other
surely parted company with Christ and his mysteries that are both incomprehensible
apostles. Did not Gods own Son give full and unscriptural, such as their doctrine of
credence to the written Word, including the Trinity.
the book of Genesis? If you are in doubt,
Peter, an apostle of Jesus, was in a
why not read and compare his remarks at much better position to testify to the
Mark 10:6-8 with what is written at Gene truth of the resurrection than modernsis 1:27 and 2:24? The apostle Paul pre day clergymen, for he was an eyewitness.
ferred to adhere to Jesus teaching and Note his testimony as recorded at Acts
transmit it to others just as he heard it. 10:40, 41: God raised this One up on the
In fact he warned: Look out: perhaps third day and granted him to become
there may be someone who will carry you manifest, not to all the people, but to
off as his prey through the philosophy and witnesses appointed beforehand by God,
empty deception according to the tradi to us, who ate and drank with him after
tion of men, according to the elementary his rising from the dead.
things of the world and not according to
Clergymen who condone and encourage
Christ.Col. 2:8.
fornication and homosexuality are speak
Examine the entire fifth chapter of ing directly contrary to those who were
Pauls letter to the Romans, and note the with Jesus and heard his teaching first
clarity of his argument. He believed in the hand. Gospel writer Matthew, for example,
authenticity of the Genesis record, and he reports Jesus as saying: Out of the
accepted its account of mans fall into sin heart come wicked reasonings, murders,
and his urgent need of a redeemer. Com adulteries, fornications, thieveries, false
pare his view on such matters with the testimonies, blasphemies. These are the
modernist teaching of clergymen. Better things defiling a man. (Matt. 15:19, 20)
still, compare his credentials as a chosen And in full harmony with Jesus view the
vessel of the Lord Jesus Christ with the apostle Paul emphatically declares: Do

SneWATCHTO W ER

328

not be misled [by clergymen or anyone

else]. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural
purposes, nor men who lie with men, nor
thieves, nor greedy persons, nor drunk
ards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will in
herit Gods kingdom. 1 Cor. 6:9, 10.
Yet, despite the Bibles unequivocal
message, a committee of clergymen, edu
cators and doctors established by the Brit
ish Council of Churches recently conclud
ed that no hard and fast rules on sex and
immorality could be applied. It declared
that not all sexual relations outside of
marriage can be condemned as being
wrong and that fornication was occasion
ally permissible. Which guide are you go
ing to follow? The infallible Word of God,
or the word of imperfect and uninspired
men who may well have some selfish mo
tive in promulgating their views?
LIFESAVING COURSE

The teaching you accept and counte

nance on all such vital matters has much
to do with your future. Will it be one of
life everlasting? Then you must heed Je
sus warning: If, then, a blind man guides
a blind man, both will fall into a pit.
(Matt. 15:14) Surely it is important for
each one to consider, not merely the quali
fications of his religious teacher, but also
the nature of the organizational teaching
that is being transmitted through such
teacher. Is it not evident that this is not
a matter of but one clergymans going
wrong? It is the whole curriculum of
seminaries that turn out graduates who
are either ignorant of or contemptuous of
the Bible.
One would think that clergymen who

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

disagree with Christianitys basic text

book, the Bible, should themselves get
the point so well expressed by a spokes
man for the National Association of Pres
byterian Laymen in New Zealand, as re
ported in the Auckland
of September
12, 1966: A more honest attitude on
preaching a stage of unbelief on vital is
sues would have been to withdraw from
Christian service. However, it appears
that those men have no intention of vol
untarily relinquishing a professional job
or the salary that goes with it.
They are, in fact, priests of a vague
religion, having no authoritative basis,
but only their own say-so. Their role in
these critical days is one, not of faith
building but of faith-shattering. Under in
spiration Bible writer Jude warned fol
lowers of Christ of the danger to which
they are exposed through false teachers:
These are the rocks hidden below water
in your love feasts while they feast with
you, shepherds that feed themselves with
out fear; waterless clouds carried this way
and that by winds. Jude 12.
What you need in this time of world
crisis are friends who will engage with
you in honest discussion of the Bible.
Clergymen like the aforementioned Dean
of Holmen do not believe the Bible and
even charge that Jehovahs witnesses be
lieve it [the Bible], and therefore they
are not Christians. Why not brush aside
such twisted reasoning and investigate the
Witnesses? Surely, like them, you are anx
ious to conform your life to the require
ments of Gods written Word so as to gain
the salvation promised all those who will
follow closely the steps of Christ ! 1 Pet.

2 : 21.

(s o l e )
ODAY on earth there is a people
numbering more than one million
who are in complete unity. They can do
any form of work in full cooperation, with
out fighting for positions of leadership or This oneness exists among them as to
without any need for grievance commit their worship of God, their understanding
tees to see that certain groups among of his Word, their standards of morality,
them get just treatment. All the more including Bible principles of marriage,
amazing is it that these people are located honesty and Bible doctrine. They are not
in 199 lands, are of all colors and nationali identified by some peculiarity of dress or
ties and speak different tongues. But if behavior, such as, for example, the beat
any one of these should travel to the vari niks, or the worshipful imitators of celeb
ous countries, he would be immediately rities of the entertainment world, or even
received and accepted like a member of the garb of religious orders. They can be
the family by any of the other members distinguished by their cleanness of speech
of this society or brotherhood in any land. and by the things they talk about, particu
This is the New World society of Jeho larly the Bible. They are also identified
by the works they do in preaching the
vahs witnesses.Mark 10:29, 30.
2
It is not because these people are eigood news of the Kingdom. Their love for
ther conformists or nonconformists. They God and his Word brings unity and close
have their different customs according to association.
3
Association necessarily leads to orga
the lands in which they live. They have
their own ideas on everyday matters of nization, and Jehovahs witnesses, the New
life, such as personal tastes, hobbies and World society, are organized. Jehovah
recreations. Yet you will find, if you talk promised to gather his people together.
with them, that they speak as the apostle (Isa. 43:5-7; 2:2-4; Ps. 106:47) Jesus said
Paul exhorted the Christian congregation this would take place in the time of the
at Corinth: That you should all speak in end. (Matt. 24:31) Jehovah God and his
agreement, and that there should not be Son Jesus Christ are their Leaders and the
divisions among you, but that you may Bible is their Book of organization. To
be fitly united in the same mind and in many people organization has the conno
the same line of thought. (1 Cor. 1:10) tation of regimentation, undue encroach
ment on freedom, a coldhearted machine
1. W h a t a re som e a m a z in g fa c ts a b o u t th e N e w W o r ld
that moves ahead for its own aggrandizeso ciety of J e h o v a h s w itn e s s e s ?

3. H o w d id th e B ib le in d ic a t e th a t G o d s peo ple w o u ld
be o rg a n ize d in th e se d a y s , a n d w h a t is th e d ifferen ce
b etw een G o d s o rg a n iz a tio n a n d o th e rs ?

*1. \*h>>
Nflfcat w a y s do th e m e m b e rs of th e N e w W o r ld
so c ie ty differ, a n d in w h a t w a y s a r e th e y a t u n it y ?
(b ) W h a t th in g s s p e c ia lly id e n t ify t h e m ?
329

330

SEeWATCHTOWER.

ment without taking into consideration

the welfare of its members. It is not so
with Jehovahs organization.
H O W JEHOVAH LEADS HIS PEOPLE

* Jehovahs organization of his people is

a moving one, a progressive one. Progress
naturally means changes, adjustments, in
struction. As the perfect Teacher, Jehovah
instructs with loving empathy. As to Je
hovah himself, his standard is that of per
fection. He is spoken of as brilliant in
cleanness: Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah.
(Isa. 6:3) You are too pure in eyes to
see what is bad; and to look on trouble
you are not able. (Hab. 1:13) Jehovah
cannot look upon that which is imperfect
with any degree of approval; he cannot
countenance it. How, then, can he exer
cise so much love toward people who are
sinful and full of imperfection? By the
highest expression of love. This was the
sacrifice of his Son as a ransom to cover
their inherited imperfection due to the sin
of their father Adam. (1 John 2:2) On
the basis of this sacrifice
he can rig h te o u s ly and
justly extend them mercy.
He describes his manner
of leading them: Like a
shepherd he will shepherd
his own drove. With his
arm he will collect
together the lambs;
and in his bosom he
w i l l c a r r y them.
Those giving suck
he will con d u ct
with care. (Isa.
40:11) He does not
expect them at this
4. (a) W h at is J e h o v a h s
s ta n d a rd , a n d y e t on w h a t
b a s is c an he d e a l w ith
im p e r fe c t people ? (b ) W h a t
is J e h o v a h s m a n n e r of
le a d in g th e m ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

time to measure up to perfection, though

it is his ultimate goal for them. He does
not overwhelm them with his superior
knowledge or set his requirements higher
than they can bear; he knows that they
have to be taught, trained.
6
It is not progress on the part of just
a few leading members, but on the part
of all; each responds willingly with full
understanding and each one fills his place.
(1 Cor. 12:14-26) This promotes united
forward movement. We see changes tak
ing place in the organization to make it at
all times more clean, more in conformity
with His written Word and more able to
represent Him. He says: Instead of the
copper I shall bring in gold, and instead
of the iron I shall bring in silver, and in
stead of the wood, copper, and instead of
the stones, iron; and I will appoint peace
as your overseers and righteousness as
your task assigners. Thus he describes
the constantly improved conditions he
brings to his organization by leading them
in peace and by righteousness and not by
harshness or force. Isa. 60:17.
6 Jehovah stands in the rela
tionship of Father to his people,
and as a father he teaches and
leads them gently. He does not
expect more of them than they
c a n do. F o r i n
stance, what father
would sit his baby
down before a big
steak and tell him
to eat it? The baby
would not even un
derstand what the
f a t h e r said. He
5. H o w does J e h o v a h s o r
g a n iza tio n a c h ie v e united
fo r w a r d
m o v e m e n t,
ho w does J e h o v a h sho w
th a t th e re w i l l b e con
s t a n t ly
im p ro v e d
co n d i
tio n s in th e o r g a n iz a t io n ?
6. D e s c rib e th e r e la tio n
s h ip
of
Je h o v a h
as a
F a t h e r to h is o rg a n iza tio n .

Ju n e

1, 1967

SHeWATCHTOWER.

would not have the teeth to chew the steak,

and his digestive system could not assimi
late it. However, as the baby grew up he
could eat heavy food. He could take train
ing and learn to do difficult tasks. If he was
an obedient child he would make progress.
Sometimes he would come across things
he had never handled before, and might
try to go ahead on unfamiliar ground and
make a mistake. But, if obedient, when
corrected in a loving manner, he would
change and from there on proceed to do
the job in the right way. It is this way
with Jehovahs people, his organization.
Heb. 5:12-14.
EXAMPLES OF JEHOVAHS GENTLE LEADING

331

(Matt. 5:3) These persons must first learn

who God is, what his purposes are and
what his provisions are for mankind
through Christs ransom and the King
dom. Then Gods requirements for those
who desire to please him are studied. The
student must progress and grow, bringing
his life into harmony with what is ac
ceptable to God.
9 Even when such come to the point of
dedication to God they are only babes,
spiritually. But they must not remain
babies. There is more to learnperfection
to attain. All, whether new or with years
of association, must adjust themselves as
they become able to understand, assimi
late deeper truths and apply them pro
gressively, and they must reach higher
standards of morality and clean, righteous
organization. This explains why there
have to be changes in thought, organiza
tional structure and activity in Gods or
ganization, as the members thereof strive
to become more like their perfect God.
Matt. 5:48.

7 Some have called Jehovahs witnesses

false prophets because, in times past,
they have viewed things a certain way
and, later, have made a change through
their official publications. Or, there may
have been practices by some members in
the organization that have been permitted
to continue for a time for lack of knowl
edge as to how to handle these things, but
later they have learned from Gods Word
what his will is and have gone ahead and
made the necessary corrections. False
prophets do not correct themselves. Gods
people do. And it is noticeable even to the
people on whom they call that Jehovahs
witnesses as an organization are growing
to maturity, becoming ever kinder, more
loving and tactful and more effective in
their preaching work.
8Remembering how God helped them,
Jehovahs witnesses follow the careful, lov
ing method of their Teachers Jehovah and
Jesus Christ as they conduct home Bible
studies with interested persons, those who
are conscious of their spiritual need.

10 A glimpse at the history of Jehovahs

witnesses will illustrate its progressive ad
vancement. In 1918 they had gone into a
state of inactivity due to an unclear un
derstanding of their Christian position.
But the next year, 1919, was a marked
date. First in that year they saw that Je
sus Christ had got his Kingdom power in
the heavens, that now their commission
was to preach fearlessly a new message,
the King enthroned. They were awakened
and reorganized. This did not mean that
they were perfected in organization. There
was much to learn. However, progress was
more rapid from that time on.

7. H o w do Je h o va h 's p eo ple p ro ve t h e y a re n o t fa lse

p ro p h e ts ?
8. H o w do J e h o v a h s w itn e s s e s co p y th e te a c h in g
m e th o d s of Je h o v a h ?

9. W h y do th e re h a v e to be c h a n g e s in u n d e rsta n d in g
an d o rg a n iza tio n fro m tim e to t im e ?
10. W h a t g re a t ch a n g e s d id th e o rg a n iza tio n undergo
in 1919?

THEOCRATIC REFINEMENT

332

fReW ATCHTOW ER

rooklyn

, N .Y .

organization ?

and as they needed it, as their hearts soft

ened in response to his love, Jehovah
brought them closer to him in his gentle,
loving way. Matt. 19:8; Mark 10:5.
14 Before 1938 Jehovah was not bring
ing great increases of new members into
his organization, for it was not ready to
care for them in a proper way. The or
ganization itself had to be fully established
in Bible principle and procedure, so that
it could handle the many problems that
would arise in view of dictatorships and
World War II regimentation. So it is since
World War II that there has been world
wide expansion of the organization to such
an extent that for a time it was called
the fastest-growing religion. The orga
nization has been able to maintain purity
and strength along with tremendous ex
pansion. It has grown theocratically. It is
a creation of God, following the same prin
ciples of growth that apply to natural
things. Just as a tree grows slowly but
solidly, and can even push up concrete
paving blocks in its way, so Jehovahs or
ganization has its life from him and grows
with the irresistible power of his spirit.
15 Since releasing his people from bond
age to Babylon the Great, the world em
pire of false religion, in 1919, and since
bringing them toward greater light of un
derstanding of him and his purposes, God
has never led his people into a hurtful
course of action. They have been brought
safely through the trials of a devastating
second world war, the hatred of nations
and misrepresentation by the clergy and
other enemies, and the most widespread
persecution ever known. Sometimes they
have made mistakes because of trying to
apply their own knowledge to certain
problems, but Jehovah, on the basis of
their faith in Christs ransom, has for-

12. H o w co u ld th e o rg a n iza tio n be s a id to be p u t on

a f u lly t h e o c r a tic fo u n d a tio n in 1938?
13. H a v e th e re b e e n fu r t h e r a d ju stm e n ts sin ce 1938?
W h y co u ld n o t a l l th e se re fin e m e n ts h ave come a t
o nce?

14. W h a t h a s happ ened sin c e W o r ld W a r I I , a n d w h y

is th e re no d a n g e r of slip p in g b a c k ?
15. H o w h a s G o d k e p t h is peo ple fro m t a k in g a cou rse
th a t w o u ld be h u r t f u l to th e m se lv e s o r to o t h e r s ?

11 In 1932 came a major adjustment

Prior to this time, they understood that
the Bible term elder designated a posi
tion to which a person could be elected by
the religious congregation. But in 1932
they learned that being an elder desig
nates a condition of spiritual maturity to
which one has to grow and not to which
a person can be elected, any more than
a baby can be said to be a man. One has
to be first an elder or a mature Christian
before he can be appointed by the gov
erning body to an office of oversight. This
greatly strengthened and unified the or
ganization.
12 By the year 1938 a fine advancement
was made, putting the organization on a
fully theocratic foundation. Till then, there
were still service committee members in
the congregations who were elected by
vote of the members. A study of the apos
tolic government of the early Christian
congregation revealed that there was at
that time a governing body that made ap
pointments of men to office according to
the qualifications outlined at 1 Timothy
3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9. With this adjust
ment, the organization would be theocrat
ic, not democratic, never ruled by factions
in congregations in a political manner, but
ruled by Jehovah God and Christ Jesus,
down through a visible governing body,
measuring up to the Bibles qualifications
and requirements.
13 Since 1938 there have been further
refinements as the theocratic organization
continues to grow toward perfection. All
this illustrates the fact that, though Je
hovah purposes perfection for his orga
nization, he does not try to correct all
things at once. As they could endure it
11. W h a t

m a jo r

a d ju stm e n t

in

1932 stre n g th e n ed

the

Ju n e

1, 1967

SHeWATCHTOWER.

given them. He has kept them from going

in a course displeasing to him. He has
provided them with the knowledge they
needed at any given time. (Matt. 24:4547) He has, in fact, informed them before
ever the emergency arose, so that they
have been forearmed. He tells them: The
first things here they have come, but
new things I am telling out. Before they
begin to spring up, I cause you people to
hear them. Isa. 42:9.
16
An example of this is the matter
the position of Jehovahs witnesses with
regard to the governments of this world.
In a study of the course taken by the
apostles of Jesus Christ, they saw that the
command of God to preach the good news
of the Kingdom must be obeyed regardless
of what the nations may do to try to stop
the preaching. Jehovahs witnesses fol
lowed the precedent set by the apostles,
who, when commanded by the Jewish
High Court to stop preaching, replied:
We must obey God as ruler rather than
men. (Acts 5:27-29) However, temporar
ily, from 1929 to 1962, the Witnesses
understood that when Paul spoke of the
superior authorities at Romans 13:1, to
whom subjection is due, he had reference
to Jehovah God and Christ Jesus. But in
1962 it was convincingly set out that the
superior authorities mentioned here are
indeed the political rulers of this world.
What effect, then, did this better under
standing have on Gods people? Well, Je
hovah had prepared them for this. It did
not place them now in total subjection to
political rulers, so as to drop the work
that Jehovah through Christ had com
manded them to do, but it emphasized that
their subjection is relative. While they had
always respected the rulers by following
16. (a) G iv e a n e x a m p le of h o w Je h o v a h p re p a re s h is
o rg a n iza tio n fo r a n a d ju stm e n t in th o u g h t a n d y e t
p re v e n ts them fro m s tu m b lin g o r sin n in g , (b ) H o w w a s
th e u n d e rstan d in g ab o u t th e s u p e rio r a u t h o r it ie s
t im e ly ?

333

Jesus words: Pay back, therefore, Cae

sars things to Caesar, but Gods things to
God [as the supreme Authority], they
now saw this principle even more clearly.
It gave them better balance and an even
greater respect for the rulers of this
world and served as a timely admonition
and safeguard in a time when there is
such great disrespect for authority in the
world and when revolutions and upheavals
are the order of the day. Matt. 22:21.
of
JESUS LOVING MANNER OP TEACHING

17
Jesus was the greatest Teacher that
ever walked upon earth and he employed
this very method of teaching. When he
began to gather together his disciples he
did not tell them that he was going to die
after a three-and-one-half-year ministry.
They were not able yet to understand nor
strong enough to stand up under this
crushing truth. Later on, when he did tell
them, Peter first responded, saying: Be
kind to yourself, Lord; you will not have
this destiny at all. (Matt. 16:22) Jesus
rebuked him. Even at this point Peter did
not fully understand about Christs sacri
fice, but Jesus knew that Peter could en
dure this truth and would shortly get full
understanding of it. (John 16:12) At one
time he said a thing that shocked some of
his disciples: Most truly I say to you,
Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man
and drink his blood, you have no life in
yourselves. (John 6:53) At this many
turned away from him. Did Jesus declare
this astounding doctrine before their
minds could be conditioned to accept it?
No. Those who had sincerely listened to
Jesus, who had been obedient and had
kept abreast of his teachings, were not
offended. They stayed with him, Peter an
swering: Lord, whom shall we go away
to? You have sayings of everlasting life."
17. S h o w ho w J e s u s fo llo w e d Je h o v a h s lo v in g m a n n e r
of te a ch in g .

334

SfReWATCHTOWER.

(John 6:68) Jesus knew that some were

mere fair-weather disciples, that their
hearts were not right. It was time now
for him to make this statement, to re
veal their true colors. He wanted to form
an organization that was made up of
those who would stick with the truth,
even after he was gone. Luke 22:28.
ORGANIZATION ADVANCEMENT
IN APOSTLES DAY

18 Later, after the outpouring of the holy

spirit, Jehovah did not reveal
truth to
his organization at once. About thirteen
years after Peter had preached to the
Gentile Cornelius and God had accepted
this uncircumcised Gentile and his house
hold, there was, nevertheless, the neces
sity of holding a meeting of the governing
body at Jerusalem to discuss the question
of circumcision. Gods Word and spirit re
vealed that circumcision was not required
for acceptance into the Christian congre
gation. (Acts 15:28, 29) Later, conditions
in the Christian congregation in Corinth
brought questions to the fore that had to
be settled by a member of the governing
body, Paul. There was a misunderstanding
as to how far Christian freedom went
about eating meat once offered before an
idol, and to what extent moral freedom
was restricted by the organization, in a
case of immorality in the congregation.
(1 Cor. 8:1-13; 5:1-5) In fact, all the let
ters of the Christian Scriptures settled
many such issues.
19Also, in reading the Acts of the apos
tles we see that the truth was made pro
gressively clearer. The second coming of
Christ, not to an earthly throne, but as a
mighty invisible spirit (1 Pet. 3:18; Phil.
2:9, 10; compare Acts 1:6); the apostasy
that was to occur after the death of the
apostles. (Acts 20:29, 30) It was not until
18, 19. S h o w t h a t c h an g e s in th o u g h t a n d o rg a n iza tio n
a r e n o th in g n e w to Je h o v a h s people.

rooklyn

, N .Y .

about 96 C.E., with the Revelation to John,

that the number called to the heavenly
kingship with Christ was revealed the
revelation concerning the seed of the
woman and the seed of Abraham. Rev.
7:4; 14:1.
UNITY WITH VARIETY

20 It is a test, then, upon us who desire

righteousness. Are we willing to humble
ourselves and be molded for life by the
Creator Jehovah God, or do we want to
maintain a spirit of self-determination and
divide ourselves off as being against him
and his Word? It is not regimentation to
serve in Jehovahs organization. There has
to be unity, because man was not created
to live alone. In no other way can there
be a righteous earth.
21 In any society it is necessary to have
association, organization and unity of pur
pose. It requires the different talents, abil
ities and contributions of those associated
for the organization to accomplish a work
and to bring about the desired benefits for
all in the organization. For this reason God
does not make all exactly alike. They are
alike only in their devotion to him, their
love, their understanding of his Word,
their service to him and his principles and
truths. Not all have the same abilities.
God supplies variety. Early in the history
of man, it was evident that God had put
within the reproductive processes of the
first human pair the power to distribute
talents and abilities to various ones of
their offspring to accomplish the work
that needed to be done. In one family we
find three children, each of which was
specially capable, a founder of his occu
pation or art: one an expert with live
stock, another a master musician and the
third a fine toolsmith. Gen. 4:19-22.
20. H o w do th e se ch an g es p u t a t e st u p o n u s ?
21. W h y is it n e ce s s a ry to h a v e o rg a n iz a tio n alon g
w ith u n it y of p u rp o se to get th e re q u ire d w o r k d o ne?

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SReWATCHTOWER

335

22
So as Jehovah provides all necessary
sorrow or death. (Rev. 21:3, 4) As they
things he leads his people to progressively approach, the outlines become clearer.
higher states of happiness toward life in This requires adjustments on their part,
a new order. The early settlers of North but they are happy adjustments to wider
America, as they traveled westward, saw fields of knowledge, a better understand
dimly what may at first have appeared to ing of their great God, Jehovah, their be
be clouds on the horizon, but later on be ing conformed more to his likeness. In his
came the sharp outlines of mountains; as new system of things we shall be able to
they came closer, trees, rocks and the de reach perfection, to enjoy fullness of life
tails of the beautiful land became clear. It forever. Then we shall have the capacity
is so with Gods people. They know there to receive even stronger truths concern
will be a new order, a righteous system ing him, our loving Shepherd and Leader,
of things in which there will be no tears, as he administers ever more abundant
blessings through the kingdom of his Son,
22. T o w a r d w h a t is Je h o v a h le a d in g h is people, a n d
w h y does t h is le a d in g h a ve to be g ra d u a l a n d p ro
Jesus Christ.Isa. 9:6, 7.
g ressive ?

MOVE AHEAD
JEHOVAH'S
VERYTHING in Gods universe is
moving. Motion without commotion is
the keynote. Planets revolve around the
sun, suns revolve in their galaxies, galax
ies revolve around clusters, and clusters
revolve around still greater clusters, ad
infinitum, so far as astronomers can tell.
So it should be expected that Gods or
ganization on earth would be in motion.
And it is true. It has moved ahead with
the most astounding progress. What is
probably the most recognized phase of its
organizational activity, its arrangement of
conventions, is often remarked upon in the
public press. Since its God is the God of
economy, it gets the greatest work ac-

1. (a ) W h y should it be exp e cte d th a t G o d s o rg a n i

za tio n on earth w o u ld be m o vin g a h e a d ? (b ) W h a t
d em o nstrates the e fficie n cy of th e o r g a n iz a tio n ?

OR
complished with the least expenditure of
energy. A remarkable feature of the or
ganization, in view of all the work it gets
done, is the fact that the great mass of
its members are part-time preachers, al
though they are wholeheartedly devoted
to Jehovah and serve him full time. But
they have families, they have obligations,
and most of them work part time at secu
lar work and cannot spend all their time
directly in the work of the organization.
W HAT IT MEANS TO MOVE AHEAD

2In Jehovahs organization, moving

ahead is not a matter of going ahead of
others. It is not as in worldly organiza2, 3. (a ) W h a t does m o v in g a h e a d w it h J e h o v a h s o r
g a n iza tio n m e a n ? (b ) W h a t is th e relationship between
m o v in g a h e ad a n d b e in g in th e o rg a n iza tio n fo r a
lo n g t im e ?

336

SKeWATCHTOWER.

tions, where moving ahead often means

replacing someone else and putting him
out of a job; it means to move
the
organization, to fit in, to fill in the needs,
to be able to take on increased responsi
bilities. For, due to the rapid expansion
of the organization, persons of this kind
are continually in demand.
3 Moving ahead with the organization
does not mean merely to be a hanger-on.
Those in the truth should move ahead ever
more rapidly as time goes on. Paul told the
Hebrew Christians, at Hebrews 5:12: Al
though you ought to be teachers in view
of the time, you again need someone to
teach you from the beginning the elemen
tary things of the sacred pronouncements
of God; and you have become such as need
milk, not solid food.
4 Paul also likened the organization to a
human body: Nevertheless, God com
pounded the body, giving honor more
abundant to the part which had a lack, so
that there should be no division in the
body, but that its members should have
the same care for one another. And if one
member suffers, all the other members
suffer with it; or if a member is glori
fied, all the other members rejoice with
it. (1 Cor. 12:24-26) Each one in the
organization has his place and he is to
be a useful member in that place. He can
not remain a spiritual baby for long. Parts
of the human body do not stay infantile
while the rest of the body grows. It is the
wrong spirit, the spirit of the world, not
to want to move ahead. The worlds atti
tude today is Do as little as you can, just
enough to get by. But the apostle says, at
1 Timothy 3:1: If any man is reaching
out for an office of overseer, he is desirous
of a fine work. So there is encouragement
to move ahead, to prepare for responsibili4. How does the illustration of the human body show
the need for moving ahead, and how does the apostle
encourage it?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

ty. There is a need for persons who will

take responsibility.
'Just think of the efforts that men of
the world exert to achieve their goal. We
often hear the expression concerning such
persons that they are dedicated men.
They study for years; they may spend
many years in college; they may start in
an organization in a very low position; but
they work, and their eyes are constantly
on the goals they have set for themselves.
They do not allow anything else to side
track or hinder them. Even after gaining
positions of top responsibility, they do not
slack their hand. They are even more
energetic than everall this for a human
goal. How much more zealous, then,
should we be to move with an organization
that is greater than the greatest corpora
tion or even the greatest nation, an organi
zation formed and blessed by the Creator
of the universe, and to be used by him
throughout eternity!
6 So we are being trained now for great
er things, and the principle applies that he
that is faithful in small things will be
faithful in greater things. (Luke 16:10;
Matt. 25:21) It behooves us to be faith
ful in all things, to show ourselves truly
dedicated ministers of God, to move ahead
in the right way, the way that he outlines.
This moving ahead does not push oneself
at the expense of others, but, rather, it
brings others along also. Take as fine ex
amples the works that Jesus did in mov
ing ahead, and the works and writings of
Paul. Hundreds of thousands have been
helped to move ahead by reason of their
advancement.
7But there are some who do not move
ahead. Why is this? Well, some, for fear
5. What do men do to achieve a human goal, and how
should this incite us?
What principle applies in moving ahead, and what
effect does moving ahead in the right way have on
others ?
7. Does moving ahead with the organization require
great ability? Why?

6.

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SEeWATCHTOWER,

337

that it will involve so much, shy away

from taking responsibilities. It seems like
a mountain to them. But in reality, mov
ing ahead with the organization is simple.
In fact, it is more simple to move ahead,
if we are going to stay with the organi
zation, than it is to keep trying to evade
responsibility. Of course, if we do not
move ahead at all, we eventually will find
ourselves outside the organization. It is
not outstanding ability, or personality, or
accomplishment that is required. Satans
challenge to Jehovah God was not that he
could not make able creatures, but that he
could not find any of his creatures whose
heart was fully right toward Him, who
would serve wholeheartedly and fully
maintain integrity to Him under all kinds
of conditions. No, it is not what we have,
but how we use what we have, that counts
with God.

which the organization rests and operates.

The power to move ahead comes by Jeho
vahs spirit, which he showers on his or
ganization according to its obedience to
Him. This is not due to the efficiency of
the members of the organization. The Bi
ble gives us many fine examples of this.
One is that of Gideon. Gideon was not a
man renowned for leadership or outstand
ing ability. He was a farmer. But he was
obedient to Jehovah God, and Jehovah
used him in a miraculous way to ac
complish a great deliverance for Israel.
Judg. 6:15, 16, 27; 7:20-22.
9 So moving ahead is not a cold, calcu
lated thing. It is a matter of coming closer
to Jehovah, perfecting obedience, seeking
and receiving Jehovahs spirit. We are
dedicated to him, not to the organization.
He places us in the organization where we
fit, and we can fit ourselves well by obe
dience.
OBEDIENCE THE BASIC FACTOR
10 Look at the fine example of Jesus.
8
Is there a secret formula for moving
No one in the heavens except Jehovah
ahead with the organization? No. But
himself had greater power and ability to
there is a basic thing we must have. This
accomplish things. But in obedience he
might be made clearer by an illustration.
emptied himself and took a slaves form
When we look at the universe we are
and came to be in the likeness of men.
amazed at its complexity. It puts us in
More them that, when he found himself in
awe. Yet we see so much orderliness. This
fashion as a man, he humbled himself and
led scientists to believe that there is some
became obedient as far as death, yes,
simple, basic formula underneath it. They
death on a torture stake. (Phil. 2:7, 8)
found that all matter in the visible uni
Even on earth he moved ahead, as it is
verse is composed of energy, and this re
stated: He learned obedience from the
lationship between energy and matter can
things he suffered. Heb. 5:8.
be expressed by the simple formula
E = me2. The energy in a given piece of
EFFORT WITH POSITIVE ATTITUDE
NECESSARY
matter is equal to the mass times the
11 Of course, effort is needed. There are
speed of light squared. What, can we say,
is the basic principle underlying the move four things we must do to perfect obedi
ment of Jehovahs living organization? It ence that will move us ahead: (1) Study
can be expressed in one word: OBEDI of Gods Word; (2) zeal and effort in ap
ENCE. Loving obedience from the heart plying the things learned to our life and
is all. This is the basic formula upon 9. How is moving ahead really a matter of our rela
8.

What is the thing required of us to move ahead, and

what supplies the power to do so?

tionship to Jehovah?
10. How did Jesus set the example of obedience?
11. What four factors will perfect obedience in us?

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3TeWATCHTOWER

ministry; (3) continually seeking and fol

lowing the lead of Jehovahs holy spirit;
(4) receiving help from other brothers in
the organization. There are no shortcuts.
12 How will we put these four things
into effect? First, study: We may think of
study as hard work, as involving heavy
research. But in Jehovahs organization it
is not necessary to spend a lot of time and
energy in research, for there are brothers
in the organization who are assigned to
do that very thing, to help you who do not
have so much time for this, these prepar
Watchtower
ing the good material in
and other publications of the Society. But
you do not study enough? Take this sug
gestion: Often the very best and most
beneficial studying you do is that done
when you read a new Watchtower or
Awake! or a new book with the joy of
getting the new truths and a fresh view.
You remember the points. You talk en
thusiastically to others about them. So
try this: Pick up each Watchtower or
Awake! as it comes and read it, just for
the joy and pleasure it gives. Remember,
you are not sitting down to study, just to
enjoy the information. This will increase
your joy of reading and will give you in
centive for more definite, organized study.
Jehovah wants you to enjoy your study.
He does not want it to be drudgery to you.
He is the happy God, taking pleasure in
providing all this rich spiritual food.
1 Tim. 1:11; Acts 20:35.
13 Second, how will you be successful in
applying the things learned to your life
and ministry? You may feel that your
problem is the big exception. But every
one has obligations and responsibilities.
Adopt the positive attitude. Sit down and
decide which are your main responsibili12. (a) How does the organization help us in the
matter of study? (b) How can one prevent study from
seeming like drudgery?
13. How should we face the problem of applying the
things learned to our lives, and with what view of
our assignments?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

ties. Then put first things first. This will

put your conscience at ease. Now, if you
have assignments in the Theocratic Min
istry School, public talks, assistance ar
rangement or others, allow them their
proper place. Do not keep putting them
off. Count it as a privilege. It is just as
important to Jehovah for you to fulfill
this privilege as it is for our brothers in
concentration camps to be faithful. In
fact, this kind of privilege is an oppor
tunity for you, not only to be faithful un
der test, but, additionally, to build up
others to move ahead. Take each assign
ment as a stepping-stone in moving ahead
with Jehovahs organization.
Let us say, for example, that you
4
1
have an assignment in the Theocratic Min
istry School. Can you do a really good job
in your own strength? Of course not. Here
the important third requirement comes in.
Pray to Jehovah for his spirit to energize
your mind. God is personally interested
in your moving ahead. God . . . will him
self finish your training, he will make you
firm, he will make you strong. (1 Pet.
5:10) Knowing you have his backing, get
doivn to business. Do it NOW! The present
moment is golden. Once lost, it cannot be
regained. Start your mind to working. The
worry about things not done is much more
burdensome than the doing of them. So
begin to put down your thoughts on paper,
however scattered they may seem to you.
Now you have something to work with;
you begin to feel that the load is lighter.
The subject shapes up in your mind. Many
times we have had assignments that we
found difficult. We did not know where to
start. But we got down to work; we be
gan taking the first steps. Soon, we got
into our subject matter and found it, not
only easier than we thought, but really
14, 15. How would one tackle and work
example, a ministry school assignment?

out,

for

J u n e 1, 1967

ffteW ATCHTOW ER.

enjoyable! Gods spirit cooperated with

our willing spirit.
15When you have really applied your
mind and effort to any job, if you find that
further help is needed, this is the time to
call on the fourth provision, the help of
others. Following this procedure, you can
accomplish any theocratic assignment. The
seeming mountain will become a series of
small stones.
16 Those who move ahead are the ones
who have an interest in the congregation.
Every meeting, every arrangement, has
something to promote progress. Attend,
listen, associate, participate. As you do,
check on yourself and see how you stand.
Are you weakening in one or more fea
tures of Jehovahs service? Work on this
weakness. Do this, and progress; maturity
and privileges will increase faster than
you ever imagined. Take the discipline of
the wise man:
17 I passed along by the field of the
lazy individual and by the vineyard of the
man in need of heart. And, look! all of it
produced weeds. Nettles covered its very
surface, and its stone wall itself had been
torn down. So I proceeded to behold, I
m yself; I began taking it to heart; I saw,
I took the discipline: A little sleeping, a
little slumbering, a little folding of the
hands to lie down, and as a highwayman
your poverty will certainly come and your
neediness as an armed man. Prov. 24:
30-34.
A STANDARD FOR MOVING AHEAD

18Paul sets the proper standard for mov

ing ahead, at Philippians 3:13-16: For
getting the things behind and stretching
forward to the things ahead, I am pursu
ing down toward the goal for the prize of
in. Xa') How can we make the meetings a force in
helping us to move ahead? (b) As we find weaknesses
in our activity, what counsel gives timely discipline?
18, 19. What standard does Paul set for us to go by,
and how can we examine ourselves and proceed accord
ing to that standard?

339

the upward call of God by means of Christ

Jesus. Let us, then, as many of us as are
mature, be of this mental attitude; and if
you are mentally inclined otherwise in any
respect, God will reveal the above attitude
to you. At any rate, to what extent we
have made progress, let us go on walking
orderly in this same routine.
19 If we make efforts God is willing to
help us and to reveal the proper attitude
to us, the attitude that Christ and Paul
had. And we can use the apostles counsel
to examine to what extent we have made
progress. We can ask ourselves the ques
tion: Where have I made progress that I
count as real progress? Has it been in the
secular world? work I have done? money
I have made? Is it a college education?
Just where is it? Jehovahs witnesses will
answer: It is the progress that I have
made in Jehovahs service and in the ad
vancement I have made with his organi
zation. Are you able to give a sermon at
the doors? That is advancement. Do you
fulfill your assignments in the Theocratic
Ministry School or service meeting? Are
you a servant or an assistant? Do you
give public talks? Any of these things are
real advancements. Paul says for us to
consider to what extent we made advance
ment, then to go on walking orderly in
this same
routine,so as to keep it.
20In Jehovahs organization you do not
push yourself higher. God is the One who
promotes. (Ps. 75:6, 7) If you do not feel
that you are moving ahead, then look at
yourself, check yourself, not someone else.
Do not feel that someone else is holding
you back, that someone else is to blame,
perhaps certain servants. Additionally, be
patient. It is not necessarily positions in
the congregation that denote progress, but
it is the blessings of Jehovah. This is par20. (a) If you feel you are not moving ahead, whom
should you check on? (b) How is the need for patience
illustrated, and how may patience in accepting dis
cipline prove to be beneficial to us later on?

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SHeWATCHTOWER

ticularly true of the sisters, who are not

privileged to hold the positions in the con
gregation that the brothers may hold, but
who receive marvelous blessings in their
work of preaching and helping others, in
cluding their families. Think of Moses. Af
ter forty years of Scriptural and secular
training he felt that it was the time for
him to deliver Israel from bondage. But
Gods purpose was to train him yet forty
more years. (Acts 7:25, 29, 30) David was
anointed king by Samuel when David was
but a cub, a young lad, yet he had years
of severe trials ahead before he qualified
to take kingship over Gods nation Israel.
(Gen. 49:9) Jesus, to qualify for the
heavenly kingship of the kingdom of God,
received the severest training and testing
of all. So be patient, be willing to receive
Jehovahs training and discipline. (Heb.
12:11) Remember, he knows our forma
tion. (Ps. 103:13,14) He knows what each
of us individually needs; sometimes we do
not know we need it. Training now may
save us from very serious mistakes later.
Allow the training to make over your per
sonality. Eph. 4:23, 24; Col. 3:9, 10.
YOU CAN HELP OTHERS TO MOVE AHEAD

21
One of the most important things
Christian advancement is that you cannot
move ahead if you are not interested in
others moving ahead. Peter tells us:
Have love for the whole association of
brothers. (1 Pet. 2:17) So be interested
in the progress of the congregation, but
not only the congregation the circuit also
and the entire organization; in our love
we must widen out. (2 Cor. 6:12, 13)
Keep alive to the worldwide aspect of the
organization. Live the truth; it is a way
of life. Those interested in others get to
know the brothers so well; they know
21. (a) How must we widen out, and how does this
benefit us? (b) How can we display a positive attitude
toward the activity of the congregation?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

their needs and problems; they develop

empathy. They move ahead as they aid
others to move ahead with the organiza
tion. Strive for a friendly atmosphere at
the Kingdom Hall and the book-study
meeting places. In speaking about the
meetings, the field service, do so with joy.
Have the positive, not the negative atti
tude. At Ephesians 4:29 we are advised
to employ whatever saying is good for
building up as the need may be, that it
may impart what is favorable to the
hearers.
SERVANTS, HELP OTHERS

22 Servants can have a big share in help

ing others to move ahead. Do everything
you can to promote the right spirit in the
congregation. At 1 Thessalonians 5:23 we
read: And sound in every respect may
the spirit and soul and body of you broth
ers be preserved in a blameless manner
at the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So a congregation has a spirit, a mental
attitude, a spiritual inclination. You can
discern this spirit when you visit a con
gregation. Help the congregation to devel
op the attitude of Christ.
23 Some of the ways in which this can
inbe done are: When meeting attendance is
good, give the congregation commenda
tion. Speak about the blessings, the joys,
the benefits when so many meet together.
If commenting is good, express apprecia
tion for the fine participation and the evi
dence of good preparation. When certain
features of service activity are improved,
commend the congregation and make ap
preciative remarks concerning it.
24 Show personal interest in the progress
of individuals. Give each one greater privi
leges as he qualifies. Remember the three
22, 23. What do the servants have a big share in pro
moting in the congregation, and what are some ways
in which this can be done?
24. How can servants help individuals to move ahead?

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S&eWATCHTOWER,

341

kinds of training that the brothers need: sus Christ that which is well-pleasing in
First, field service training; second, orga his sight.Heb. 13:20, 21.
nizational training; third, training in
26
Doing this, we will build a strong bul
dealing lovingly and tactfully with the wark of maturity for tests and trials to
brothers.
come. A greater witness will be given. We
25
If we move ahead in Jehovahs apwill have a feeling of accomplishment and
pointed way for his organization, we will greater faith in Jehovah for further as
be pleasing, not men, but the One who signments. We will have abounding joy,
counts, our God. His smile means happi the joy of helping others to move ahead,
ness and life. Paul said to the Hebrew with the glorious hope of life in the new
Christians: Now may the God of peace order of things, and usefulness in a far
. . . equip you with every good thing to greater capacity, when perfection will be
do his will, performing in us through Je- attained.
25. What primary benefit do we get from moving ahead
in the right way?

26. What does moving ahead with the organization

mean as to prospects for the future?

WEDDING is a happy event. In

most cases it is something that has
been looked forward to for some time in
happy anticipation, and the preparations
are made for it joyfully. Family and
friends all attend and congratulate the
newly married couple. What wedding,
though, causes real, heartfelt rejoicing on
a worldwide scale? or even a national
scale? Some weddings may receive wide
publicity and even approval but really no
great jubilation.
There is, however, a wedding that, not
only for the joy the knowledge of it brings,
but for the happy benefits it brings to
millions of persons, actually does provide
a cause for happiness world wide. Exten

sive preparation has been made for this

wedding. This in itself is a special cause
for rejoicing. Let us develop the subject
of this important marriage and we will
see how the foregoing statements are true.
The marriage is dealt with in Revela
tion chapter 19 and the description of it
comes immediately after the account of
the destruction of Babylon the Great.
What connection does this have with the
wedding? Well, let us look also for this as
we read the happy account. A wide view
of the things that would happen in both
the heaven and earth at the time of the
marriage was given to the apostle John.
Describing what he saw after Babylon the
Great came to her end, he says:

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SfReWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

bined Amen! (meaning Truly; verily; so

let it be ) . The shouts of praise from the
heavenly and earthly crowd are backed
up in the highest heaven. It is from no
less exalted a source than those assigned
to sit on thrones in the heavens of Gods
presence, as pictured by the twenty-four
older persons, and all those around Gods
central throne who continually call atten
tion to his holiness, as pictured by the
four living creatures. These are the ones
who voice this strong Amen! And then
from a still higher authority, from the
throne itself, comes the voice: Be prais
ing our God, all you his slaves, who fear
him, the small ones and the great. Whose
voice is this? It is undoubtedly the same
voice that spoke centuries previously when
He inspired the Psalms, such as Psalms
22:23; 134:1; 135:1; 115:3, from which
he quotes the words. Rev. 19:5.
Jehovah God is the One seated on the
throne, and here he doubtless speaks from
his throne by means of his beloved Son,
namely, Jesus Christ, who is called The
Word of God, Jehovahs glorified mouth
piece. (John 1:1; Rev. 19:13) In heaven
the Son was called Michael, meaning Who
Is Like God? a name that designates him
as Gods vindicator, the one who settles
such a question forever by showing that
none can compare to God. He recognized
Jehovah as his own God, speaking of him
repeatedly as my God. (Rev. 3:12) He
died in order to bring praise to his Father.
It is logical that the command from Gods
throne comes through him to all the dedi
cated slaves of God on earth at the time
of Great Babylons destruction. Why at
this point praise Jehovah God? By rea
son of his demonstration of judgment and
power and executing Babylon the Great.
We should now fear him all the more.
Whether old or young, prominent or not,
A CALL TO SONG
In response to this call, Hallelujah! in Gods visible organization, fear God
(Praise Jehovah!), comes a mighty com- rather than the kings of the earth who
THE HEAVENS INVOLVED

After these things I heard what was

as a loud voice of a great crowd in heav
en. They said: Hallelujah [Praise Jah,
you people]! The salvation and the glory
and the power belong to our God, because
his judgments are true and righteous. For
he has executed judgment upon the great
harlot who corrupted the earth with her
fornication, and he has avenged the blood
of his slaves at her hand. And right away
for the second time they said: Hallelujah!
And the smoke from her goes on ascend
ing forever and ever. Rev. 19:1-3, NW,
with marginal reading of the 1950 edition.
Jehovah is here deservedly praised for
bringing vengeance against Babylon the
Great, the world empire of false religion,
for all the blood shed upon the earth. Ac
cording to his law she must pay with her
own life, for the only way bloodguilt can
be removed from the earth is by the shed
ding of the blood of the murderer. (Num.
35:33) So Jehovah cannot be assailed as
being unjust because of executing this
judgment, for it is true and righteous and
in full harmony with his principles. Nei
ther can glory for the destruction of this
bloodguilty enemy of God and man be giv
en to international communists and rad
icals of the kings who have part in de
stroying her, for since the days of Nimrod
she has had her hold on the nations and
they have not been able to throw off the
yoke. Only in Jehovahs due time does he
himself bring it about. Rev. 17:16; 18:8.
To symbolize that her fiery destruction
is for all time and that she will never be
revived is the fact that the smoke from
the burning of her goes on ascending for
ever and ever. Then true Christianity
will prevail forever!

Ju n e 1,

1967

SfteWATCHTOWER.

mourn over Babylons destruction, or even

the powerful symbolic ten horns of the
scarlet-colored wild beast that God used
as convenient instruments to slay Babylon
the Great.
Babylon the Greats destruction is cer
tainly a fine move for complete rejoicing
in the marriage of the Lamb, for she has
always been the bitterest enemy on earth
of those who have been selected to be en
gaged to marry the Lamb, that is, to be
prospective members of the Bride, the
body of his 144,000 spiritual joint heirs,
his congregation. Babylon has done every
thing that she can to destroy them and
to prevent the marriage, but in doing so
she has gone against the God of heaven,
the Father who arranges the heavenly
marriage for his Son and whose purposes
cannot fail. He provides the Bride, just as
Abraham arranged for a bride for his son
and heir Isaac. So the day of destruction
of the great, jealous harlot comes at the
time of wedding for the Lambs bride. This
certainly gives paramount joy to heaven
and earth. John says:
And I heard what was as a voice of a
great crowd and as a sound of many wa
ters and as a sound of heavy thunders.
They said: Hallelujah, because Jehovah
our God, the Almighty, has begun to rule
as king. Let us rejoice and be overjoyed,
and let us give him the glory, because the
marriage of the Lamb has arrived and
his wife has prepared herself. Yes, it has
been granted to her to be arrayed in
bright, clean, fine linen, for the fine linen
stands for the righteous acts of the holy
ones. Rev. 19:6-8, margin (1950).
As wedding feasts often are accompa
nied by singing, so this wedding enjoys the
shouting of a great chorus of voices. A
fourth Hallelujah resounds throughout
the heavens from a mighty chorus of

343

voices, just as if it is on the joyous day

of the enthronement of a new king.
A NEW EPOCH IN JEHOVAHS RULE

Did not Jehovah God take to himself

his great power in 1914 C.E. and begin to
rule by means of his newly installed Mes
sianic kingdom? (Rev. 11:15-18) Yes.
Then why proclaim his becoming king at
this late point of time? Because this event
marks a new epoch in the reign of Jeho
vah God for the reason that Babylon the
Great has been a religious opposer since x
j
his kingdom has been established in 1914
and she has for many centuries assumed
the right to anoint and induct kings on JCWI
earth. In fact, the first human king, Nim
rod, the mighty hunter in opposition to
Jehovah, started in ancient Babylon. At
the time ancient Babylon fell before King
Cyrus in 539 B.C.E. and he released her
captives, it was said to Zion: Your God
has become king! (Isa. 52:7) Now, with
Babylon the Great destroyed, Jehovah
reigns forever without a religious rival.
Although the Father has made prepara
tions well in advance and has seen to it
that his Son has a bride, do the Bride and
Bridegroom make any preparation? As
suredly so. First of all, Jesus Christ laid
down his life for her, then paid the value Y /
of this price, his human life, to Jehovah
in heaven. Ue._npurished her and cared
for her, in the face of the stiffest opposi
tion of her rival to destroy her by every
possible means, including the bringing of
political opposition against her. Babylon,
in her efforts to overcome the Bride, has
brought forth many harlot daughters, her
member religious organizations. She has
made a special effort to contaminate the
Bride and cause her to be a harlot asso
ciate of her whorish daughters, by trying
to seduce the bride, get her to fall through
false doctrine, political involvement, inter
faith movements and opposition to the

344

ffteWATCHTOWEFL

point of death. Through all this fight, the

Bridegroom has been with his espoused
beloved one and, with his Fathers full
cooperation, has seen her through it safe
ly. John 17:11, 19, 20; Eph. 5:25-27.
THE BRIDES STRENUOUS PREPARATION

On the Brides part it has been with

great effort. It has taken faith, it has tak
en courage and determination and love for
Jehovah God and for her espoused Bride
groom and she has had to hate wickedness
and be completely clean and free from con
tamination by Babylon the Great in order
to gain the victory. With the destruction
of Babylon the Great it can be undisputedly said that the Lambs wife has prepared
herself. She comes through the test wear
ing symbolic fine linen, the righteous
acts of the holy ones. It is spotless cloth
ing, and these righteous acts are a justi
fication for her to become the Lambs
wife. It has been a matter of integrity
on her part, and heaven can rightly bear
witness that it has been granted to her
to be arrayed in bright, clean, fine linen.
She has gained the complete victory and
now no rival religious organization exists
on the earth.
Since Jehovah God the Almighty is the
One who makes the marriage for his Son
and provides the Bride, it is proper for
heaven to give him the glory, especially
since he foretold and prefigured that there
would be such a marriage and he was en
gaged more than 1,900 years in forming
the Bride. He as well as the Bridegroom
and Bride has every cause to make this
a time of joyful celebration.
SHARE IN WEDDING ASSURED
TO FAITHFUL ONES

When the apostle John saw the vision

he was still on earth. He was one of those
invited to be present as a member of the

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

Bride class at the evening meal of the

Lambs marriage. Correspondingly, when
God shortly executes judgment upon the
great harlot, Babylon the Great, there
will be a remnant of faithful, anointed
members of the Bride class yet on earth,
as was John, who expect to be present at
that same great heavenly supper. It is,
therefore, of special encouragement and
benefit to them to read what Jehovah
commanded John:
And he tells me: Write: Happy are
those invited to the evening meal of the
Lambs marriage. Also, he tells me:
These are the true sayings of God.
Rev. 19:9.
For those espoused members of the
Bride yet on earth there is assurance now
that they will yet realize, themselves, a
full share in this ceremony. When the
great harlot has been executed they will
have still more reason to be happy, as
John, who saw these things in vision, was:
At that I fell down before his feet to
worship him. But he tells me: Be care
ful! Do not do that! All I am is a fellow
slave of you and of your brothers who
have the work of witnessing to Jesus.
Worship God; for the bearing witness to
Jesus is what inspires prophesying.
Rev. 19:10.
The angel was undoubtedly the one
sent forth by Jesus to present to John the
revelation in signs. (Rev. 1:1) This an
gel would not permit even what might be
termed relative worship. He reminded
John that only the great Source of the
revelation, Jehovah God, was to be wor
shiped and that all prophecy was inspired
to bear witness to Jehovahs Son and
anointed King, Jesus Christ, who is the
Truth, for it is Gods arrangement
through which the universe will be ruled
and through which mankind can gain life.
Jehovah is the Inspirer of prophecy, and
so the angel commanded: Worship God.

Ju n e

1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER

THE WEDDING COVERS A PERIOD OF TIME

345

Of course, even after Babylons destruc

tion there will be some of the anointed
remnant left on earth. They in time must
die to be able to receive the change of
nature to the immortal, incorruptible spir
it to be with their beloved Bridegroom.
When the last of these is resurrected into
the heavens, then the marriage of the
Lamb will be completely consummated.
But before the greatest benefits of the
marriage can come to mankind the Bride
groom has a war to fight. Just how he
does this and then how he and his Bride
settle down to taking care of a family,
we will wait for succeeding issues of this
magazine to describe. 1 Cor. 15:51, 52.

Evidence from the prophecies of the

Bible and their fulfillment in our time in
dicates that Jesus Christ came with his Fa
ther, Jehovah God, to the temple for judg
ment in 1918 C.E. He first turned his
attention to the members of his Bride who
were asleep in death and resurrected them.
They, of course, joined the Bridegroom at
that time. Then Revelation 14:13 says:
Happy are the dead who die in union
with the Lord from this time onward. Yes,
says the spirit, let them rest from their
labors, for the things they did go right
with them. So when these die they im
mediately join the Bridegroom in heaven.

oCetters Ifjot Outdated

H R IST IA N S are well aware that letters

played an important role in the develop
ment and spread of their faith. Many of
the books of the Bible originally were
letters written to the various congregations.
(Col. 4:16) But the time for using letters to
spread the Christian message is not past.
On a freezing winter morning, with the
temperature below zero, one of Jehovahs
witnesses in Ohio decided to make a return
call on a woman who had accepted a Bible
and Bible literature from her. Lacking trans
portation by which to go personally to this
woman, the Witness decided to write. She
wrote out a Bible sermon, and enclosed a
copy of The Watchtower with the letter.
About three days later she received a re
sponse from the woman. In part, her letter of
appreciation read: I have read your letter
(a very good sermon) several times and also
looked up the Bible references. Additionally,
I have tried to read some every day and have
given up nearly all m y worldly magazines
so that I will have more time to read m y
Bible and Bible books. I want to send this
letter so that you will get it this week and
tfearAv you for thinking o f me and sending
the magazine.
Sometimes, as we can see, letter writing
can be a source of direct personal satisfaction.
A t other times the results are just as bene

ficial, even though the original correspondent

may not be aware of it.

One of Jehovahs witnesses in N ew York

was sharing in the regular house-to-house
ministry. A t one door she met a man who
identified himself as a devout Catholic, quite
familiar with Jehovahs witnesses, and defi
nitely not interested in becoming one. Learn
ing that the householder was quite upset over
the recent loss of his wife, the Witness briefly
spoke to him about the resurrection hope.
In view of the fact that he had expressed
himself so plainly about Jehovahs witnesses,
one might wonder what kind of reception
this minister could expect on the return
visit. She was much surprised.
The minister soon found that, since she had
made the original call, he had received a
letter from a W itness who obtained his name
and address from the obituary column in the
newspaper. Though the man was a stranger
to her, she had written a kind letter explain
ing the Bibles glorious hope of a resurrection.
The man concluded that surely he ought to
look into an organization that would take
the time to go from door to door and to
write letters of comfort to people.

>

As far as a means to spread the good news

of Gods established kingdom is concerned,
the letter is definitely not outdated.

HE ability to speak intelligently, to

form and use a language to convey
thoughts and ideas, is one of the many
things that sets man far above the brute
creation. And ever since the building of
the Tower of Babel there have been many
different tongues or languages upon earth.
Gen. 11:1-9.
For convenience in classifying the lan
guages of man, those who have made a
study of them, such as the philologists,
have divided them into certain major fam
ilies according to their peculiar charac
teristics. These major families we might
liken to so many trees in the orchard or
forest of speech, and of these there are
ten that are spoken by anywhere from
1 to 50 percent of earths population. The
most widely used is the Indo-European
family or tree of languages, it being spo
ken by 50 percent of earths population.
This Indo-European family or tree
might be said to consist of two main
trunks, an Eastern and a Western, togeth
er having six large branches, which, in
turn, might be said to have a number of
twigs. Thus there is (1) the Indo-Iranian
branch, which takes in Sanskrit, Iranian
(Persian) and the modern Indian lan
guages such as Hindustani; (2) the BaltoSlavic branch, which includes such lan
guages as Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and

Ukrainian; (3) the Germanic (Teutonic)

branch, taking in not only German but
also English, Dutch and all the Scandina
vian tongues; (4) the Romance or Italic
branch, consisting chiefly of French, Ital
ian, Spanish and Portuguese; (5) the Celt
ic branch, which includes Irish (Gaelic)
and Welsh, and (6) the Greek branch. Two
minor branches, Albanian and Armenian,
are also included.
The Indo-European languages are so
called because of their location, being
found in India and Europe, and they are
grouped together because they appear to
have had a common ancestor, which may
well have been Sanskrit. These languages
have clearly defined parts of speech, such
as nouns, pronouns, verbs, and so forth,
and their words are inflected, that is,
slightly changed, usually in the endings,
to show changes in gender, number and
case. Also, the fact that these languages
have certain simple words, such as moth
er and father, in common, suggests a
common ancestry. Thus mother is
in Russian; mater, in Latin; mata, in
Sanskrit; madre, in Spanish; m eter, in
Greek, and mutter, in German.
Of all the Indo-European languages,
Greek is, next to Sanskrit (no longer spo
ken), the oldest, and it is considered by
many to be the language par excellence,

346

J u n e 1,

1967

SfkW ATCHTOW ER.

the one excelling all the rest. It appears

to be the language most highly developed
as well as the most clearly defined.
Greek first began to be written from
right to left, even as Hebrew today still is,
and then alternately from right to left
and then left to right, back and forth from
line to line, even as a farmer would plow
his field. Later all lines were written from
left to right. In early times the lines were
written from bottom upward as well as
from the top downward, but gradually all
writing was done from the top to the
bottom.
USED BY BIBLE WRITERS

Of course, for all Bible lovers Greek has

particular interest in that the Christian
Greek Scriptures were written under in
spiration in Greek and in that the very
first complete written translation of the
Hebrew Scriptures was into Greek.
How did it come about that the Jews
in the land of Israel wrote the Christian
Scriptures in Greek? This was largely due
to the conquests of Alexander the Great,
who wets as ambitious to spread Greek
culture as he was to extend Greek politicsd dominance. With its spread, the domi
nant Greek, which was Atticof Athens
was graduEilly modified, eventually re
sulting in a common language, known as
koine or common Greek. It became an
international, a universal lEinguage, hold
ing sway from about 330 B.C.E., until
330 C.E. Its success most likely was as
much due to its merits as a language els
to the Grecianizing efforts of Alexander
Eind succeeding Greek rulers. While there
have been severEd changes in Greek since
koine held sway, the difference between it
and that found in a contemporEiry Athens
newspaper is very slight.
How widespread the use of koine Greek
was can be seen in the fact that the de
crees of the imperial governors and of the

347

Roman Senate were translated into Greek

to be scattered over the Roman Empire.
Likewise the charge over Jesus head at
the time of his impalement was written,
not only in official Latin and in Hebrew,
but Edso in Greek. Without doubt Jesus
gave many of his sermons in Greek, specisdly when preaching in Tyre, Sidon and
the region of the Decapolis (the Greek
ten cities). Possibly Peter spoke Greek
on the day of Pentecost, for it is not men
tioned among the languages at which the
Jews marveled. Acts 2:8-11.
Regarding the use of Greek in the land
of Israel at the time of Christ we are told:
Although the main body of the Jewish
people rejected Hellenism and its ways, in
tercourse with the Greek people and the
use of the Greek language was by no
means eschewed [shunned]. The Palestin
ian teachers regarded the Greek transla
tion of the Scriptures with favor, as an
instrument for carrying the truth to the
Gentiles, and one of the qualifications for
membership of the SEUihedrin was a knowl
edge of languages, including Greek. . . .
Diplomatic intercourse was carried on
through Greek. Terms involving Jewish
worship and ritual came to be Greek in
origin, * a case in point being the term
synagogue, meaning an assembly.
THE UNCOMMON YET COMMON TONGUE

It is indeed of interest that koine Greek

was the language in which the Christian
Greek Scriptures were first written, for it
had two major advantages over every oth
er language of the day. First of all, it was
the universal language. By means of it the
early Christians were able to reach the
greatest number of people in the shortest
period of time, as it did not first require
translation to get a wide audience. The
fishermen of Galilee understood it and so
did the senators of Rome. Wherever Paul
Hellenism, Bentwlch (1919), pp. 115-118.

348

SFfreWATCHTOW ER.

Brooklyn , N .Y .

storge,the love based on blood re

and his companions traveled they found mon;
lationship;
and
eros,the feeling as
people who spoke Greek.
with
sexual
attraction
and
desire,
which
And secondly, koine Greek was ideally
word,
however,
was
not
used
by
Christian
suited for the noble Gospel message di
rected to the common man, in that it Bible writers.* Thus also there are four
might be said to have been a popularized Greek words that in the King James Ver
version of the classical Attic Greek. Still, sion are once or oftener rendered by the
while avoiding the highly polished style of one English word world : aion (Matt.
the classical writers, the Christian Greek 12:32); kosmos (Matt. 4:8); ge (Rev. 13:
Scripture penmen, nevertheless, rose, in 3) and oikoumene (Matt. 24:14). The New
their use of koine Greek, far above the World Translation distinguishes consis
common trivialities of the everyday Greek tently between these four words, render
as found in the Egyptian papyri. They ing them respectively system of things,
gave to koine Greek, power, dignity and world, earth and inhabited earth.
In particular is the definite article im
warmth by reason of their exalted mes
sage, which truly was the greatest story portant in Greek, and its use in the Scrip
tures is more like the classical Attic Greek
ever told.
Is not this just the way it should have than like the koine Greek of the papyri.
been? The Gospel message was directed to Concerning this definite article we are
the simple, honest, common folk, to en told that nothing is more truly distinctive
lighten, to convince and to move them to about Greek than its use of it. For one
action. Its purpose was not to entertain, thing, it stands in striking contrast to the
to appeal to the esthetic sense, or to flatter two languages closest to Greek, namely,
ones vanity. As the apostle Paul himself Sanskrit and Latin, which do not have the
declared: I, when I came to you, broth definite article. And its use in Greek is
ers, did not come with an extravagance of also in contrast with the English definite
speech or of wisdom . . . and my speech article the, for it is never inflected, re
and what I preached were not with per maining the same wherever used, whereas
suasive words of wisdom but with a dem there are eighteen forms of the Greek
onstration of spirit and power, that your definite article, depending upon whether
faith might be, not in mens wisdom, but what it makes definite is singular or plu
in Gods power. (1 Cor. 2:1-5) As the ral, is masculine, feminine or neuter, and
Bible scholar Westcott put it: It [the depending upon the case, whether it is
koine Greek used by such as Paul] com nominative, possessive, objective, and so
bines the simple directness of Hebrew forth, there being five cases in Greek.
thought with the precision of Greek ex
By means of this Greek definite article
pression.
the general or adjectival is set off or dif
ferentiated from the specific. Thus John
ITS VOCABULARY AND DEFINITE ARTICLE
1:1 (in part) can be rendered either as
Among the things that help make Greek The Word was with [the] God and the
a rich and an exact language is its vocabu Word was a god, or the Word was with
lary. For example, as many Watchtower [the] God, and the Word was divine.
readers already know, in Greek there are (AT) And in Greek the definite article is
four words for love : agape, unselfish, used not only to set off nouns but also to
principled love;
philia,the affection dis
* However, it is used in the Septuagint, as at
played by friends who have much in com- Proverbs
7:18.

Ju n e 1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER

349

stress other parts of speech and even ognize the distinction, most translators
clauses and sentences. To illustrate: The make it appear as if John were contra
use of the definite article to set off an dicting himself.
adjective is found at John 10:11, where
In prohibitions these two are also con
we read according to the literal Greek, I trasted. A prohibition in the present tense
am the shepherd,
thefine means,
[one].not
This
is
merely
not to do a thing, but
stronger than merely I am the fine shep to stop doing it. Thus Jesus, en route to
herd. It is like putting fine in italics. Golgotha, did not merely tell the women
An example of the definite articles be following him, Do not weep, but, rather,
ing applied to an entire phrase is found since they were already weeping, Stop
at Romans 8:26, where the phrase what weeping for me. (Luke 23:28) Likewise
we should pray for as we need to is pre to the money changers and others who
ceded by the definite article in the neuter were making Gods house a house of mer
gender. To get the thought across in En chandise, Jesus did not merely say, Do
glish it was necessary to add the words not, but Stop making the house of my
problem of, for which reason the New Father a house of merchandise! (John
World Translation reads for the [prob 2:16) See also John 20:17, 1 Corinthians
lem of] what we should pray for as we 7:23. On the other hand, a prohibition
expressed in the aorist is an exhorta
need to we do not know.
tion or command against doing some
THE AORIST VS. THE PRESENT TENSE
thing not yet begun. Thus Jesus told us
Helping to make the Greek an exact to pray to God, Do not [ever] bring us
language is also the aorist or indefinite or into temptation. He did not ask us to
unlimited form or tense of the Greek verb. pray, Stop leading us into temptation, as
It is, if not the most important, one of if God were already doing such a thing.
the most prevalent and most distinctive (Luke 11:4) While it is not always pos
characteristics of Greek, and this is even sible to get the fine shades of meaning
more true of koine Greek than it is of of the Greek over into another language,
Attic or classical Greek. The aorist refers it does seem strange that so many modern
to a single act and so stands in contrast translations overlook so many of them.
to the present tense and is said to be punc- The New World Translation is unique in
tiliar or relating to a point of time, rather many of these respects.
than linear or continuous. Illustrating the
Many, many other examples might be
difference between these two tenses is the given to show how Greek excels as an ex
counsel of the apostle John in regard to act and beautiful language, as by its many
sin, which difference most translators cases, its middle voice, and so forth,
overlook. Thus at 1 John 2:1 he states: but the foregoing should help to show why
If anyone does commit a sin, we have a Greek is rated so highly among philolo
helper with the Father. But at 1 John gists and others who study languages. And
3:6 he states: Everyone remaining in it also helps to explain why the Creator
union with him does not practice sin. had the good news of his kingdom, which
Yes, a Christian may at some time, in the was to be published world wide, first given
past, at present or in the future, commit to men in the exact, choice and universal
an act of sin (aorist), but he does not koine Greek of the Christian Greek Scrip
make a practice of sin, he does not con tures. Truly this common, koine, Greek is
tinue in it (present tense). Failing to rec- an uncommon language!

Paying Fully What We Owe God

RE we under obligation to Jehovah God?

Do we owe anything to our Creator?

Obviously, as intelligent creatures we
must recognize that we are indebted to the
One who created us and who sustains us.
Since Jehovah God did create us, our hearts
should be filled with gratitude to him for
being alive. And certainly God our Creator
has both the right and the wisdom to tell
us what is for our greatest and most lasting
good, mentally and physically. W hat that is
he has set down in his Word, the Bible. If
we are wise we will seek to pay our debts
to God, since it means everlasting life in
happiness for us to do so. Yes, we will be
paying fully what we owe God. Matt. 22:21.*

\
^
|i
[
![

i
j,
*
^
3[
J

5
|,
^

However, those who are Christian ministers

are even more indebted to pay fully what
they owe God, for have they not dedicated
themselves to do his will and symbolized their
dedication by water baptism, which of themselves are what we all owe to God? Have
you made a dedication to God and been baptized? Now, how are you paying back Gods
things to God? Niggardly, sparingly, reluctantly? Or are you paying back what you
owe God generously, bountifully, eagerly?
Remember, the apostle Paul stated: He that
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and
he that sows bountifully will also reap
bountifully. 2 Cor. 9:6.

I|
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j!

To pay back fully what we owe God means

to give him exclusive devotion. (Ex. 20:5)
It means progressing to maturity. H ow ? By
broadening out, by taking in solid spiritual
food, by becoming ever more skillful in
preaching the W ord to others. And also by
becoming ever more firmly set in a course of
right Christian conduct, bringing forth the
fruits of the spirit. Gal. 5:21, 22; Heb. 5:
1 4 -6 :3 .
To pay back fully what we owe to God
we must continually, yes, daily feed at Gods
spiritual table. D aily? Yes, we should make
room for taking in some spiritual food every
day, even as we daily take time for physical
food. W e can do this if we buy out time for
it that we would ordinarily spend reading the
newspaper or secular magazines or watching
T V . (Have you ever kept track of how much
time in the course of a week you spend watch-

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* For details see The Watchtower, August 1, 1966.

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350

ing TV program s?) Be like the Bereans who

daily searched the Scriptures. Acts 17:11.
Paying what belongs to God, of course, also
means regularly associating with fellow ser
vants of God at congregation meetings, not
being easily thwarted from doing so. But to
do so fully we need to prepare in advance,
come on time, share in commenting, and so
forth. The 1967 Yearbook of Jehovah's Wit
nesses tells of an eighty-three-year-old man
who walked eighty-four miles to an assembly
at which he was baptized. H e did not have
the money for bus fare, but he had the deter
mination to get there! Are we fully deter
mined always to attend the congregation
meetings? As Jehovahs great day approaches
it becomes ever more imperative that we
do not neglect assembling! Heb. 10:23-25.
And what about our paying fully what we
owe God by having a part in preaching this
good news of his kingdom in all the world
for a witness and by making disciples of
people of all nations, teaching them the
things that we have been taught? Remember,
Christianity is a matter of loving Jehovah
our God with our whole heart and with our
whole soul and with our whole mind and with
our whole strength. Here again we are faced
with the challenge to buy out the opportune
time for ourselves because the days are
wicked. Could we be pioneers or other full
time preachers? Could we vacation pioneer?
Is there really anything to hinder us from
being an exemplary publisher, meeting and
exceeding the congregation goals fo r the
field ministry? Think of the praise that will
go to Jehovah by our paying fully what we
owe him in these respects, the blessings it
will mean to our neighbor, yes, and the joys
that will come to ourselves when we do.
Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20; Mark 12:29-31; Eph.
5:15, 16.
If we zealously obey Gods commands, if
we fully pay back what we owe God, we will
be truly happy; but will we have any grounds
for boasting? N ot according to Jesus, fo r he
said that even when you have done all the
things assigned to you, we can but say:
W e are good-for-nothing slaves. W h a t we
have done is what we ought to have done.
Yes, we will merely be paying fu lly w hat we
owe God. Luke 17:7-10; Matt. 22:21.
But is there not a deep satisfaction and

Ju n e

1, 1967

3ReWATCHTOWER

contentment in knowing that we have done

our duty, met our obligations to the great
Superior, Jehovah God? And do we not re
ceive many blessings while doing so? And
can we not look forward to receiving many

Does the prophecy at Jeremiah 22:30 mean

that King Jehoiachin, or Coniah, had no chil
d r e n ? -^ . L., U.S.A.
No, Jehoiachin was not childless. Note care
fully what the prophecy says: W rite down
this man as childless, as an able-bodied man
who will not have any success in his days; for
from his offspring not a single one will have
any success, sitting upon the throne of David
and ruling any more in Judah. Though he
would be written down as childless, the latter
part of the verse indicates that Jehoiachin,
also called Coniah and Jeconiah, would have
offspring. In fact, seven of his children are
listed in 1 Chronicles 3:17, 18. So, it appears
that this text is to be understood in respect
to the throne of David in Jerusalem.
Upon his fathers death, Jehoiachin, then
eighteen years old and possibly childless, be
came king. (2 Ki. 2 4 :8 ) A fter Jehoiachins
ruling only three months Nebuchadnezzar
took him captive to Babylon and set Zedekiah
on the throne. In his thirty-seventh year of
captivity Jehoiachin was elevated to a position
of honor in Babylon, but neither he nor his
sons ever ruled again on Davids throne in
Jerusalem. (2 Ki. 25:27-30) A fter the Jews
returned from Babylon they had a governor,
but not a king. Just as Jeremiah prophesied,
Jehoiachin was as childless in the sense that
he was without successor in that he did not
have any of his offspring rule as king on the
throne of David in Judah.
Zechariah 8:19 mentions four different fasts
that were observed by the Jews. W hat did these
commemorate? K. A., U.S.A.
The prophet Zechariah was inspired by God
to write at Zechariah 8 :1 9 : This is what Je

ij
5
[J!
ij

351

more blessings in the coming new system of

things? Surely, paying fully what we owe
God is the wise, the just and the loving thing
to do. Happy are all they that fully pay
what they owe God!

hovah of armies has said, 'The fast of the

fourth month, and the fast of the fifth month,
and the fast of the seventh month, and the fast
of the tenth month will become for the house
of Judah an exultation and a rejoicing and
good festal seasons. So love truth and peace.
All four of these fasts, though not commanded
by God, denoted sorrow and called to remem
brance sad and calamitous events associated
with Jerusalem and the Babylonian overthrow
of it and the kingdom of Judah in the seventh
century before the Common Era.
The fast of the fourth month apparently
commemorated the breaching of Jerusalems
walls by the Babylonians. This occurred on
Tammuz 9, 607 B.C.E. It was followed by the
capture of Judean King Zedekiah. 2 Ki. 25:
2-7; Jer. 52:6, 7.
According to Zechariah 8:19, the Jews also
kept the fast of the fifth month. It was in
the fifth month, or Ab, of 607 B.C.E. that Nebuzaradan, King Nebuchadnezzars chief of the
bodyguard, entered Jerusalem and proceeded
to burn the house of Jehovah [the temple]
and the house of the king and all the houses
of Jerusalem. (Jer. 52:12-14; 2 Ki. 25:8-10)
Hence, the fast of the fifth month was evi
dently held in commemoration of the destruc
tion of the temple.
W hen the Jews were taken into captivity
by the Babylonians in 607 B.C.E., some of the
lowly people of the land the chief of the
bodyguard let remain as vinedressers and com
pulsory laborers. Gedaliah was appointed as
governor over them. However, he was assassi
nated and all the people thereafter abandoned
Judah entirely, going down into Egypt. (2 Ki.
25:12, 22-26) So it was that in the seventh
month of 607 B.C.E. Judah and Jerusalem be
came fully desolated. The fast of the seventh
month, or Tishri, apparently was held as a
sad remembrance of Gedaliahs death or of
that complete desolation of the land.
But, what about the fast of the tenth
month, which is also mentioned at Zechariah
8:1 9 ? This seems to have been held in com-

SHeWATCHTOWER.

352

memoration o f an event preceding those al

ready discussed. It had been on the tenth day
of Tebeth, the post-captivity name of the tenth
Jewish lunar month of the sacred calendar,
that K ing Nebuchadnezzar opened his siege
against Jerusalem. (2 Ki. 2 5 :1 ; Jer. 3 9 :1 ; 52:
4) This was in the year 609 B.C.E. In the third
year of that siege, or in 607 B.C.E., Jerusalem
fell to the Babylonians. So the commencement
o f Nebuchadnezzars successful siege against
Jerusalem m ay have been marked by the Jews
during the fast of the tenth month. However,
it was also in the tenth month that Ezekiel
and other captives in Babylon heard of the
citys fall. (Ezek. 33:21) Hence, this fast may
have been associated with the receiving of that
sad news.
The Jews returned from their seventy-year
Babylonian captivity in 537 B.C.E. So, when
Zechariah prophesied (521-519 B .C .E .), they had
been back in Judah and Jerusalem for some
time. However, the very important temple re
building work was then at a standstill. Yet, the
temple would be completed and Jehovah would
bless the Jews richly. The four somber fasts
mentioned at Zechariah 8:19 would become
for the house of Judah an exultation and a re
joicing and good festal seasons. Through his
prophet Zechariah, Jehovah promised the Jews
success, prosperity and happiness. Therefore,

B rooklyn,

N .Y.

they should not be living in the past. They

should look to the future with optimism and
confidence in God. Spurred on by the prophetic
activity of H aggai and Zechariah, the repa
triated Jews under Zerubbabel renewed temple
construction work and this center of true wor
ship came to successful completion in 516
B.C.E. (Ezra 6:14, 15) Surely, then, the mourn
ing that attended the fasts commemorating
Jerusalems fall, the desolation of Judah and
the destruction of the temple built by Solomon
was inappropriate. Thenceforth the Jews had
reason for rejoicing and exultation.
In modern times, and especially from 1917
to 1919, anointed Christians experienced spiri
tual sadness. However, their release from
Babylon the Great, the world empire of false
religion, occurred in 1919, and thereafter these
spiritually restored servants of Jehovah had
no reason to mourn and dejectedly consider the
past. Some failed to make spiritual progress
and did not see developments in the right light.
But that was not true of these anointed ones
as a group. The faithful had good cause to
view the future optimistically, with rejoicing
and exultation. They did so, and to this day
they have enjoyed great happiness and Jeho
vahs rich blessing in furthering the interests
of true worship and declaring the good news
of Gods kingdom earth wide.

ANNOUNCEMENT:
FIELD MINISTRY

L ife is a gift from God. Recognizing this,

Jehovahs witnesses endeavor to use their lives
in harmony with the will of God. They appre
ciate that they are in debt to God; so they
apply themselves to pay what they owe to God.
They devote themselves to his service and to
aiding others to learn of Gods loving pro
vision fo r everlasting life in a righteous new
system, of things. To that end, they urge every
one to read the Bible. During the month of
June they will be calling at the homes of as
m any persons as possible to offer them a fine,
modern-English Bible, the New World Trans
lation of the Holy Scriptures, for just $1.
SECURITY AND A HAPPY LIFE

Few things are as diligently sought after

as happiness. Even most persons who make
money their goal in life believe that it will

bring them security and a happy life. But the

basis of all happiness is the exercise of godly
principles. That is because these never fa il;
they are eternal. And the one who ; c a n : live
by them has found a treasure t h a t : no one
can take away. Make these lasting principles
a part of your daily life by reading'the Bible
daily. Obtain the excellent modern-Erigiish
version New World Translation of the Holy
Scriptures and read it with understanding and
lasting benefit. This complete Bible is only $1.
Send today and receive free the stimulating
booklet God's W ay Is Love .
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

June 25: God Kindly Leads H is People

Toward Life. Page 329. Songs to Be Used:
22, 32.
July 2: Move Ahead with Jehovahs Organi
zation. Page 335. Songs to Be U sed: 7, 36.

JUNE 15, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

FAITH REQUIRED
TO PLEASE GOD
FIRM IN FAITH DESPITE OPPOSITION
KNOW YOUR GOD
THE BIBLES FIGURATIVE USE
OF BODY PARTS
W TB& TS

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JE H O V A H .-lsa43.l2

T H E PURPOSE O F 'T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very w atchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w hat is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch to w er this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in Ju ly o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious n ew order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tc h to w e r is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read w ith
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? T h e Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, w ritten by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w o rth y o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

%
PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N . H . K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:1S

CONTENTS
The Lure o f the Lottery

355

Know Your God

357

Faith Required to Please God

361

Firm in Faith Despite Opposition

366

W h a t Accepting Jesus Meant to Me

372

A Bridegroom Goes to W a r

376

The Bibles Figurative Use of Body Parts

380

Questions from Readers

383

T h e B i b l e t r a n s la t io n used hi The Watchtower is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
aro used the following symbols w ill appear behind the citations:

A S American Standard Version

A T An American Translation
A V - Authorized Version (1611)
D ^ - Catholic^ Douay version
Jewish Publication Soc.

L e Isaac Leeser's version

M o - James Moffatt's version
R o - J. B. Rotherhams version
R S - Revised Standard Version
Y g - Robert Young's version

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Printed in U.S.A.

THE LURE OF THE LOTTERY

ITHOUT doubt the lottery is a lure
for many persons. The prospect of
getting much in exchange for very little,
as well as the excitement associated with
it, is irresistible to not a few. Taking ad
vantage of this fact, New York, one of
Americas leading states, has inaugurated
a state lottery, and the sale of tickets
begins June 15,1967.
The lottery might be said to be a two
fold lure, for it is a lure not only to those
who buy lottery tickets but also to govern
ments as a source of revenue. The legisla
tive body of New York state repeatedly
voted for it, as well as a majority of the
voters of the state, 2,464,898 voting for it
as compared with 1,604,694 voting against
it. In this they were following the example
of the people of the nearby state of New
Hampshire, which three years ago was the
first state in the United States in seventy
years to operate a lottery. Throughout the
world lotteries are operated by more than
eighty countries, which pocket upward of
$1,000 million annually in profits.
The Irish Sweepstakes might be said to
be the most widely known and patronized
luring lottery, it also being the biggest
business in Eire. According to Fortune, a
leading United States business magazine,
tivfe Yrish Sweepstakes manages to sell tick
ets in 146 different lands. It professes to

355

take in about $45 million annually and to

give about one-fifth of this to charity. West
Germany may well have the largest lottery
lure, for its three national lotteries collect
$545 million annually, one-third of which
goes to health, youth and sports programs.
Last December Madrid had its largest holi
day lottery ever, $50 million being dis
tributed to the winners. England, France
and Mexico operate profitable lotteries and
so do such Communist lands as the Soviet
Union, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.
Because the lottery may be a deceptive
lure as regards a source of revenue for
governments, some leaders in American
civic affairs have campaigned vigorously
against it. In fact, the lottery for New
York state was strongly opposed by some
of its highest officials. Why? Because, as
stated in the New York Post, the people
who can least afford to spend money on the
lottery are those who do. Therefore a lot
tery is a regressive [as opposed to a pro
gressive*] type of taxation that is socially
wrong. . . . In England the off-track bet
ting parlors do most of their business in
the poor neighborhoods. . . . Lured by the
promise of something for nothing, the
poor will unquestionably direct income to
* A (mathematically) progressive type of taxation
is one that taxes according to ability to paythat is,
the higher ones income the higher the percentage of
it that is taken by taxes.

356

S&eWATCHTOWEFt

gambling that should be spent on essentials

such as food and clothing.October 3,
1966.
That this is no idle theory was proved
when a strike of lottery employees stopped
the lottery in Puerto Rico for ten days.
During this time food sales in certain su
permarkets jumped 30 percent. Obviously,
poor people have more money for food
when there is no lottery on which to spend
their money!
That operating lotteries for revenue is
a deceptive lure is the stand taken by the
Tax Institute of America: No matter how
many ingenious ways we devise, sooner or
later we learn with each of them that there
is no . . . panacea [cure-all]. In the long
run painless methods frequently turn out
to be the most painful.
That the lottery is a deceptive lure is
further seen in that it is basically unsound.
Lotteries consume much manpower and
yet produce no wealth; they merely dis
tribute it from the hands of the many to
the hands of the few, and that at no small
cost. In some instances the overhead is
50 percent of the total taken in. There
are but three honest and sound forms of
transferring money, namely, in the form
of outright gifts, in exchange for other
valuable considerations and in exchange
for labor.
Those who would be guided by Bible
principles must learn to resist the lure
of the lottery and other forms of gambling
when exposed to them. These are really
forms of extortion, even though the loser
consents to part with his money. Duelling
has long been ruled wrong, even though
it may be described as killing by mutual
consent. So with gambling, it is extortion
by mutual consent; one wins only because
another or many others lose. It is morally

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

wrong to seek pleasure or profit at the

pain or loss of others.
Yes, lotteries encourage selfishness, for
each one taking part in them hopes
against hope that he will win what his
neighbor has put in the lottery and so
it makes, in effect, each one the enemy
of the rest. It is the very opposite of heed
ing the Scriptural counsel at 1 Corinthians
10:24: Let each one keep seeking, not his
own advantage, but that of the other per
son. At the bottom of it is the love of
money, which is a root of all sorts of in
jurious things, according to the apostle
Paul.1 Tim. 6:9, 10.
No wonder that often corruption is as
sociated with lotteries; for which reason
seventy years ago it was made illegal to
send lottery tickets from one state to an
other in the United States. Nor to be over
looked is the wretched lot of those who
become compulsive gamblers; which af
fliction often results in much heartbreak
and the committing of all kinds of crime.
Succumbing to the lure of the lottery
also rims against the Scriptural principle
that we should be workers. Those who
succumb to the lure of the lottery would
substitute luck for hard work. But the
Bible plainly says: If anyone does not
want to work, neither let him eat.
2 Thess. 3:10; Prov. 6:6.
Christians, therefore, while not inter
fering with what others choose to do, will
resist the lure of the lottery if they would
be pleasing to God. They will not even sell
lottery tickets or accept any similar sort
of employment, knowing that extortioners
are barred from the Christian congregation
and that being employed in such ways
makes them party to extortion. They will
content themselves with the fruits of pro
ductive toil and seek their pleasures in
ways harmful to none. 1 Cor. 6:9, 10.

HE king had ruled for nearly

forty years, and the nation
had grown and prospered under his
wise administration. But now he
was old, and was nearing the end
of his life. In order to reaffirm the
appointment of his successor and to
enlist the nations support of him,
the king summoned all the princes
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF "K N O W
and officials from throughout the land.
The
word know can carry a wide
In time, these many leaders gathered to
range
of
meanings. For example, a person
the capital city, Jerusalem, and aged King
who
had
never met him might say: Yes,
David gave them wise parting counsel. He
I
know
Dwight
Eisenhower. He is the for
encouraged them to take care and search
mer
president
of
the United States. On
for all the commandments of Jehovah.
the
other
hand,
another
person who has,
Then the king directed his attention
on
numerous
occasions,
seen
the former
toward the successor to the throne and,
president
might
acknowledge:

No, I dont
before that congregated throng, said to
know
Mr.
Eisenhower.
him:
In the first instance, know simply de
And you, Solomon my son,
the
noted
that the speaker had knowledge of
God of your father and serve him with
Mr.
Eisenhowers
former position as pres
a complete heart and with a delightful
ident
of
the
United
States. In the latter
soul; for all hearts Jehovah is searching,
instance,
however,

know
had reference
and every inclination of the thoughts he
to
a
personal
acquaintance
with the for
is discerning. If you search for him, he
mer
president,
which
the
person
admit
will let himself be found by you; but if
tedly
did
not
have.
Thus,
you
might
know
you leave him, he will cast you off for
that
a
person
exists
and
know
the
title
of
ever. ! Chron. 28:8, 9.
his position, and yet not know the person
What fine counsel for a father to give
intimately as a close friend or companion.
his son! How appropriate for David to in
In the ancient Hebrew language spoken by
struct Solomon before the prominent offi
King David the Hebrew word for know,
cials of the entire nation to know God and
yada\
had a similar wide range of mean
to search for Him! It is equally appropriate
ing.
that parents give similar instructions to
This can be appreciated by examining
their offspring today. But what did King
David mean by saying: Know the God a few examples of its use. There was the
of your father ? Did he simply mean that time, for instance, when the high priest
Solomon should know that his God was Elis sons ministered at Jehovahs taber
Jehovah, and not Molech, Baal or some nacle at Shiloh. These priests were ex
other deity? What is involved in knowing tremely bad, the Bible record saying of
them: Now the sons of Eli were base
God?

357

358

SfieWATCHTOWER

men; they knew not Jehovah. 1 Sam.

2:12, AS.
Although it is said, they knew not Je
hovah, obviously these priests did know
of the God at whose tabernacle they were
serving. The Hebrew word for know
in this instance denoted more than merely
having knowledge regarding Gods name
and certain facts about him. Thus, some
translations render the passage, they had
no regard, they cared nothing for, or,
they did not acknowledge Jehovah. (
Mo, NW ) The priests knew who Jehovah
was, but they had not developed an ap
preciation of him so as to be moved to
carry on his worship faithfully.
A somewhat similar use of the Hebrew
word is found at 1 Kings 9:27 (Yg),
which says: Hiram sendeth in the navy
his servants, shipmen knowing the sea,
with servants of Solomon. The expres
sion knowing the sea did not mean that
the shipmen of Hiram had only a casual
knowledge of the sea, having simply heard
about the sea, or perhaps only seeing it
on a previous occasion. Rather, the He
brew word here used denoted an intimate
familiarity with the sea and its behavior.
Thus, other translations say that the shipmen had knowledge of the sea or were
familiar with the sea.A V , AS,
AT.
Another example in which a form of
this Hebrew word refers to an intimacy or
familiarity is recorded at 2 Kings 10:11.
The passage reads: Moreover, Jehu went
on to strike down all who were left over
of the house of Ahab in Jezreel and all
his distinguished men and his acquaint
ances [that is, those that he knew ] and
his priests, until he had let no survivor
of his remain. Jehu did not kill all those
whom Ahab had merely seen or known
casually, but only his closer acquaintances.
Thus, some translations say that Jehu
struck down his familiar friends.RS,
AT.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

It is seen, therefore, that the Hebrew

word for know can refer to a close
friendship or intimate relationship. But
how does this information help us to ap
preciate Davids instruction to his son:
Know the God of your father ? And
what should it help to impress upon par
ents today in connection with the needs
of their children?
MUCH INVOLVED IN KNOWING GOD

The foregoing assists us to appreciate

that there was real significance to Davids
fatherly counsel. Though at the time his
son was a young man, he already knew
of God. Solomon had access to about onethird of the inspired Hebrew Scriptures,
and it is only reasonable to believe that
David had seen to it that he was ac
quainted with these writings about Jeho
vah. So in giving his counsel to know
God, David meant much more than for
Solomon to know a few fundamental facts
about God, such as his name, his being
from everlasting to everlasting, and so
forth.
Rather, David desired that Solomon
come to know Jehovah God as a real, liv
ing Person. God should be much more to
him than just a name or a doctrine that
is read from a book. Jehovah is not mere
ly a word that has been committed to pa
per, or a figment of mans imagination. He
is a powerful, invisible Being to whom one
can draw close in prayer, and to whom
one wisely renders worship and obedience.
High priest Elis sons failed to appreciate
this; they knew not Jehovah, and were
cut off for disregarding His instructions.
(1 Sam. 2:34) David, on the other hand,
wanted his son Solomon always to ac
knowledge and have respect for Jehovah
God and His laws.
Just as the shipmen of Hiram knew or
were familiar with the sea, so David de
sired that Solomon become familiar with

Ju n e 15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWEFL

Jehovah and form an intimate acquaint

ance with His ways. Such a familiarity
is not obtained overnight; it requires time.
Persons who really know one another
generally have similar interests, enjoy
close association with one another and are
on friendly terms. It was that way with
those who knew King Ahab. Undoubtedly
they enjoyed the same way of life, had
similar interests and possessed desires
similar to those of wicked Ahab, and for
this reason Jehu sought to cut them off.
Certainly the many persons who simply
heard him speak in public or heard others
talk about him were not the object of
Jehus sword. They did not really know
Ahab; they were not his familiar
friends.
King David wanted his son Solomon to
know God in the sense of becoming Gods
intimate friend. This meant that Jehovahs
interests must become Solomons interests,
his behavior an imitation of Gods exalted
ways, and his work that which was di
rected and approved by Jehovah. This
could be achieved by learning of Gods re
quirements and purposes and letting the
knowledge penetrate his heart. After
learning the will of Jehovah, he must do
it. And, too, Solomon needed to keep in
regular communication with God through
prayer. Only in this way could he really
come to know Jehovah.
A TREASURED RELATIONSHIP

It is similar today. We must read the

Bible and let what God says there pene
trate our hearts, so that we have a deep
feeling about it and so that it motivates
us, guiding our lives. We must become re
sponsive to the counsel contained in the
Bible, not holding certain reservations
about it, ignoring what it says, for exam
ple, about worldly associations, marrying
an unbeliever, and so forth. (1 Cor. 15:33;
7:39) Further, we need to share Gods
company through personal prayer. Only in

359

this way will one be accepted as an inti

mate acquaintance of God. (Ps. 25:14)
And what a privileged relationship that is!
It is, therefore, one that should be
guarded and nurtured, for close ac
quaintances can again become strangers.
This occurs frequently in the marriage re
lationship. Couples who once were very
close have often been noted to drift apart,
and have even said: We live in the same
house, but we are complete strangers.
Why does this happen? It is principally
because couples no longer discuss matters
with each other, they lack concern about
what the other is doing and they fail to
share common interests any longer. Ones
relationship with God can deteriorate
through similar neglect.
Solomon is a prominent example. At
first he heeded his fathers advice and
came to know God, perhaps better than
most men before him or since. He was a
remarkable king, and God used him to
write a considerable part of the Scriptures
the books of Ecclesiastes and The Song
of Solomon, most of Proverbs and a psalm
or two. Yet, in his latter years Solomon
neglected to follow the wise instructions
of his God and married women who served
false gods. As a result, he was influenced
by them and developed a harshness pecu
liar to false worshipers. Relations with
his people were ruined, and he drifted
apart from his God. Deut. 7:3, 4; 1 Ki.
11:1-11; 12:4; Neh. 13:26.
Never let this happen to you! After
learning about Jehovah God by studying
his Word and regularly associating with
persons that discuss it, allow His fine
qualities to sink into your heart. Then
show that you have truly come to know
God by imitating his love, kindness, good
ness, long-suffering and other wonderful
qualities. Regularly approach him in
prayer, and share in the work o f minis
tering to others, which he has entrusted

360

fEeW ATCHTOW ER.

to his friends. Then jealously guard your

precious relationship with God. Gal. 5:
22, 23; Heb. 13:15, 16.
HELPING YOUR CHILDREN TO KNOW GOD

If you are a parent, it is vital that you

also encourage your children to draw close
to God by serving him. Notice how King
David showed the close association be
tween knowing God and serving him, say
ing: And you, Solomon my son,
the God of your father and serve him with
a complete heart and with a delightful
soul. Yes, for youth really to know God
it is necessary for them to serve him.
Therefore, as godly David impressed this
fact upon his son, you parents should do
likewise.
It is not only a matter of seeing that
youngsters know basic facts about God.
They must also be taught the significance
of the information. It has to be presented
to them in such a way that they are moved
to want to serve God, even with a com
plete heart and with a delightful soul.
For example, merely to have your chil
dren know that one of the major attri
butes of God is wisdom is not sufficient.
They need to be shown why and in what
way Gods laws and instructions are wise
and are for their personal good. The les
son has to be brought home to them so
that they can appreciate it. Examples need
to be cited demonstrating the disastrous
results of rejecting Gods wise counsel,
and of the benefits of following it.
In time this careful guidance will pay
off. (Prov. 22:6) That Jehovah is a God
of wisdom will not simply be a fact known,

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

but it will be a personal conviction of your

youngster. With a delightful soul he will
refrain from bad associations, drunken
ness, fornication, and other such conduct,
because he appreciates that Gods wise
counsel was given for his own personal
benefit. He will view Gods laws as a pro
tection, not as a collection of rules given
to take the pleasure out of living.
When this attitude develops within one,
he does not simply know about God, but
he begins to form an intimate relationship
with God. Jehovah God becomes a real,
living Person to him, someone who is reg
ularly consulted in prayer and whose in
terests are kept close to the heart. And
O what a treasured relationship that is!
There are so many benefits to be realized
by truly knowing God, by being his friend.
Now, during the present world trouble,
how often Jehovah proves to be a God of
Comfort! (2 Cor. 1:3, 4) In the near fu
ture, how grand it will be to know Him as
Protector, when he preserves his people
through the end of this wicked system of
things, even as he saved Noah and his
family through the Deluge! (2 Pet. 2:5;
3:5-7) Then, what a joy truly to come to
know Jehovah as Healer, when he cures
all physical infirmities and stops the on
slaughts of old age and death! (Ps. 103:3;
Rev. 21:3, 4) Afterward, what ecstasy
Gods friends will realize as they become
acquainted with their God in the role of
Resurrector of the dead!Acts 24:15.
O there are so many reasons why you
should now come to know Jehovah God!
So do not hesitate! Take the necessary
steps immediately to know God.

God is love. (
1John
4:8) The Rock, perfect is his activ
fulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he. (
32:4) O the depth of Gods riches and wisdom and knowledge! (
11:33) Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger
and abundant in loving-kindness and truth, preserving loving
kindness for thousands, pardoning error and transgression and
sin, but by no means will he give exemption from punish
ment. Ex. 34:6, 7.

Without faith it is impossible to please him

well, for he that approaches God must believe
that he is and that he becomes the rewarder
of those earnestly seeking him. Heb. 11:6.
ODS Word the Bible tells us regard
ing the days in which we are living:
Because of the increasing of lawlessness the
love of the greater number will cool off.
(Matt. 24:12) We observe the trueness of
this statement and the waning of faith
among people in Christendom. This was
substantiated by the Federal Bureau of In
vestigation when they made known, in re
leasing the figures for 1963, that the number
of serious crimes in America had risen 40
percent since 1958. This is five times the
population increase of 8 percent. Youths
under eighteen accounted for 50.4 percent
of the arrests in the suburban areas for
serious crimes. J. Edgar Hoover, the F.B.I.
director, estimated the annual cost of crime
in the United States conservatively at
twenty-seven billion dollars ($27,000,000,000) .* Additionally, there have been in
creases in juvenile delinquency. Immorality
and divorces for other causes than Scriptural

* New York Times, July 21, 1964, page 17.

1.

(a) What does Gods Word the Bible say would increase
in our day, and so, what would be waning? (b) What
recent occurrences bear this out?
361

permission have skyrocketed, not only

in the United States, but in other na
tions as well. In Sweden, which has a
church-state government, the American
W eekly reported, of every ten Swedish
women married, seven have conceived
at least one child before going to the
altar.
2Perhaps one of the most outstanding
causes is the manner in which peoples
minds are duped by unscientific mouthings, just because they are issued by
prominent people. In making reference
to just such a circumstance the Chris
tian apostle Paul warned in his letter to
the congregation in Colossae: Look
out: perhaps there may be someone who
will carry you off as his prey through
the philosophy and empty deception ac
cording to the tradition of men, accord
ing to the elementary things of the
world and not according to Christ. And
on another occasion the same writer
warned a young man: Guard what is
laid up in trust with you, turning away
from the empty speeches that violate
what is holy and from the contradic
tions of the falsely called knowledge.
For making a show of such knowledge
some have deviated from the faith.
Col. 2:8; 1 Tim. 6:20, 21.
3 It is interesting to examine the oc
currences and conditions in this, the
twentieth century, in view of prophetic
disclosures recorded nineteen hundred
years ago. The Bible foretold the diffi
cult times prevailing, that there would
be moral degeneration and breakdown
in which people would love pleasures
more than Almighty God, and that they
would be covenant breakers, along with
many other nefarious practices. Here is
what Paul wrote to the young man Tim
othy about circumstances that would
occur in the last days : Know this,
2. What warnings have been given to protect faith?

3. What do we learn from 2 Timothy 3 as to what

may be expected in our time?

362

SReWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

that in the last days critical times hard to take the course of least resistance and
to deal with will be here. For men will be the one of conformity with social prac
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self- tices of this world. Faith is not a quali
assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobe ty that is the possession of all people, nor
dient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, is it the desire of many. 2 Thess. 3:2.
having no natural affection, not open to
5It should be understood that not a
any agreement, slanderers, without self- majority will accept the Bible and follow
control, fierce, without love of goodness, in the footsteps of Christ Jesus the Son
betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with of God, doing so faithfully and out of the
pride, lovers of pleasures rather than love in their heart and rendering sacred
lovers of God, having a form of godly service to Almighty God, manifesting love
devotion but proving false to its power; for their neighbors. It is true that only
and from these turn away. Then the a minority will accept the righteous de
record discloses that those having faith crees as set forth in Gods Word the Bi
and living devotedly would be persecuted; ble and follow them. This is shown in Je
and, to verify again about wickedness in sus own words when he said: Narrow
creasing, it tells that others would be mis is the gate and cramped the road leading
led: All those desiring to live with godly off into life, and few are the ones finding
devotion in association with Christ Jesus it. It does not mean that the road is un
will also be persecuted. But wicked men available, but that most people are not
and impostors will advance from bad to looking for it. In making a contrast to this
worse, misleading and being misled. pattern, Jesus also said: Broad and spa
2 Tim. 3:1-5, 12, 13.
cious is the road leading off into destruc
4Some have abandoned the Bible andtion, and many are the ones going in
faith in it because of Christendoms ridicu through it. This constitutes following the
lous explanation of what they say is con road of least resistance, following in con
tained therein, such as the doctrine of formity with nationalism and filling ones
hellfire, and their blaming God for wick time and life with other things, wasting
edness, wars and inquisitions. On the oth ones time and effort. Matt. 7:14,13.
6There is a minority of faith keepers
er hand, some persons object to the purity
known
as Jehovahs witnesses in the earth
of law and the manner in which the Bible
upholds righteous principles, while they who have explicit confidence in Gods
desire to gratify their lusts of the flesh Word and have dedicated their lives to
and greed for money, power, pleasures and doing Gods will, and God has purified
immorality. Instead of doing what is right, their hearts by faith. This is in concur
they set the Bible aside and follow their rence with Jesus words and expressions.
own ideas and philosophy of life. Others He recommended: Exert yourselves vig
find that the Bible points out too vividly orously to get in through the narrow door,
that the requirement to do Gods will in because many, I tell you, will seek to get
cludes associating with ministers who are in but will not be able. Why not? Because
energetically engaged in the preaching of they have not placed Almighty God and
the Gospel. This is too much of an impo their love for him first in their hearts.
sition on their time, and so they prefer Acts 15:9; Luke 13:24.
4. What are some reasons why many people abandon
faith in God and His Word?

5. Why will we not expect the majority to have faith?

Who will manifest faith? What will they do?

6.

Ju n e 15, 1967

3 EeWATCHTOWER.
FAITH

363

Faith means to have fidelity or alle

giance as a result of the promises of God.
It is defined best in the apostle Pauls
words in his letter to the Hebrews: Faith
is the assured expectation of things hoped
for, the evident demonstration of realities
though not beheld. Faith must be real,
alive, and be established firmly in belief
that the true God is Jehovah. It engenders
explicit confidence in his promised reward
to those who seek him. Heb. 11:1.
8Faith is not an inherent quality, but it
must be acquired, and this is successfully
accomplished through a diligent study of
Gods Word, the Bible. In progressive
study, a deep love for the Bible and for
its Author as well as for his Son Jesus
Christ develops. There is one spirit . . .
one Lord, one faith . . . one God and Fa
ther of all persons, who is over all and
through all and in all. Eph. 4:4-6.
9 Faith must not be confused with the
credulity that is so prevalent today. The
fealty of a Christian cannot be diluted
with credulity even in the slightest degree,
such as we see being done by peoples
today who express belief and loyalty to
various religious organizations, be they of
pagandom or of Christendom. From ob
servation it can be seen that there are
varieties of faiths, incompatible one
with the other, besides being out of har
mony with Gods Word. This in itself
shows the importance and need of seeking
the genuine Christian faith with a firm
foundation based upon Jehovah God the
Creator of the universe and his Son Jesus
Christ. The same idea is emphasized by
the apostle Paul in writing to the con
gregation at Thessalonica, where he shows
the need to be free of gullibility as he asks
the brothers to carry on in prayer, that

we may be delivered from harmful and

wicked men, for faith is not a possession
of all people. How important it is, then,
to acquire and build faith and not to ac
cept the theories and opinions of men and
systems of society that would destroy it!
(2 Thess. 3:2) Faith cannot be diluted
within a body of Christians so as to accept
diversified beliefs. There can be only one
faith based on the teachings of the true
God and of his Son Jesus Christ. Such
unadulterated fidelity is possessed by an
organization directed by Jehovah God,
namely, the New World society of Jeho
vahs witnesses.
10 On many occasions a minister of Je
hovahs witnesses, when sharing in the
field ministry, calling on the people at
their doors, meets a householder who re
marks: Oh, you sound just like the last
one of Jehovahs witnesses that was here.
Perhaps later he will hear a similar re
mark: You Jehovahs witnesses all sound
alike. We are happy that this is the case;
this is a good sign. Otherwise we could
not be an organization possessing Jeho
vahs spirit, which results in oneness of
thought, purpose and function as recom
mended so well at 1 Corinthians 1:10:
Now I exhort you, brothers, through the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you
should all speak in agreement, and that
there should not be divisions among you,
but that you may be fitly united in the
same mind and in the same line of
thought. Obviously, then, with complete
unity of thinking and expression, one faith
will prevail.
11 In Christendom faith has been wa
tered down and discounted and loyalty is
not required on the part of members.
Fundamentally, without much faith or
even little faith, it is impossible for an in-

'Wnat is laith?
8, 9. (a) Is faith an inherent quality? (b) What is the
difference between faith and credulity? (c) What must
faith be free from?

10. What oneness of expression do Jehovahs witnesses

disclose, and why is freeness from division of thought
so important?
11. Why cannot Christendoms course be pleasing to
God? What amount of faithfulness is required?

364

SFEeWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

dividual to obtain Gods favor. This can will they put faith in him of whom they
be seen by the apostle Pauls words ad have not heard? How, in turn, will they
dressed to the Hebrews: Without faith hear without someone to preach? This
it is impossible to please him well, for he draws to our attention that faith can ini
that approaches God must believe that he tially be established by hearing a minister
is and that he becomes the rewarder of of God. Truly, then, God will send his
those earnestly seeking him. (Heb. 11:6) ministers forth to preach so multitudes
Actually there is no degree of faith, such can build up their faith as the result of
as fifty percent, sixty percent, or even their hearing the Word of God, the source
ninety-five percent, as there is no allow of faith. One way by which we can mea
ance for anything but one hundred per sure our faith is the manner in which we
cent faithfulness in order to have Gods are willing to expend ourselves in the
approval. It is of interest to note that Christian ministry as we manifest our
many men of old were named in the elev faith by our works. Rom. 1:12; 10:10,
enth chapter of Hebrews because of the 11, 14; Jas. 2:18.
manifestation of such one-hundred-per
13
Newly interested persons or those just
cent trust.
beginning to share in the ministry can
12
To evaluate our faith to see whether
depend on persons who are firm in the
it is weak or strong, based on a founda faith. Those that are strong are able to
tion true and firm, we must use the mea bear the weaknesses of those not strong.
suring rod of faith, Gods Word the Bible. Let us go further: Let each of us please
Compliance with and obedience to Gods his neighbor in what is good for his up
standards are essential. Paul mentioned building, which in this instance would
how apostleship was predicated on obedi be his faith. At the same time this state
ence to Gods Word and a display of faith ment makes it plain that even those that
respecting His name. To the Romans he are strong, to maintain adamant faith,
mentioned the importance of an inter must keep active and keep sharing in the
change of encouragement among you, by ministerial work. Upon what may they de
each one through the others faith, both pend so as to maintain their faith and
yours and mine, that his and their faith maturity? These words reveal upon what:
might be more firmly established. The For all the things that were written
faith we possess can be demonstrated by aforetime were written for our instruc
the words we speak, yes, the word of faith tion, that through our endurance and
that we preach: With the heart one ex through the comfort from the Scriptures
ercises faith for righteousness, but with we might have hope. So truly God sup
the mouth one makes public declaration plies the basis for our hope and faith.
for salvation. Profoundly reassuring are Those who have faith can keep it alive,
Pauls words on this when he stated fur just as Paul illustrated: Now I myself am
ther: None that rests his faith on him also persuaded about you, my brothers,
will be disappointed. The question arises that you yourselves are also full of good
as to how one can initially secure faith ness, as you have been filled with all
or establish it fundamentally and basical knowledge, and that you can also admon
ly. How will they call on him in whom
ish one another. However, I am writing
they have not put faith? How, in turn,
you the more outspokenly on some points,
12. (a) Upon what is faith predicated, and how can it
be strengthened? (b) How can faith be obtained and
then demonstrated?

13. How can persons newly interested in the Bible

build up their faith?

Ju n e 15, 1967

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

as if reminding you again, because of the

undeserved kindness given to me from
God. The interchange of faith based on
Gods Word, by the expression of it among
one another, will be upbuilding and will
be strengthening against the endeavors of
opposers who present contrary thoughts
and bring pressures in an intensified man
ner in order to break down the moral fiber
of faith.Rom. 15:1, 2, 4, 14, 15.
14It is readily discerned, then, that
knowledge of Jehovah God and His Word
must be possessed in order to have true
assuredness. To get acquainted with him
we must let him talk to us; not orally, of
course, but through the written pages of
the Bible. This is the only basic source of
information whereby we can know Jeho
vah. In this regard the psalmist cautions
us against other sources, in these words:
Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in
the son of earthling man to whom no sal
vation belongs. How sound this advice is
we appreciate when we read concerning
man: His spirit goes out, he goes back
to his ground; in that day his thoughts do
perish. To trust in men, then, would mean
finally to perish with them and their fu
tile teachings. Ps. 146:3, 4.
EXAMPLES OF FAITH

15 It should be borne in mind that faith

is not a gift, but, rather, it is a quality
that must be cultivated. Many men of old
displayed exemplary faith. They were or
dinary humans just as we axe; so it was
necessary for them to cultivate and es
tablish it. Did it not take great faith on
Moses part to speak these courageous
words to the fleeing Israelites: Do not be
afraid. Stand firm and see the salvation
of Jehovah, which he will perform for you
today. For the Egyptians whom you do
14. Why should we let God talk to us, and what
caution does he give against other sources of infor
mation ?
15, 16. (a) What kind of faith did Moses display?
(b) Who were some others that manifested strong
faith, according to Biblical record?

365

see today you will not see again, no, never

again. Jehovah will himself fight for you,
and you yourselves will be silent ? (Ex.
14:13, 14) Then, beyond this, what faith
it took for Moses to lead more than two
million people across a vast wilderness
when there was little food and a scarcity
of water for so great a multitude of peo
ple! But he trusted in Jehovah and was
doing as commanded.
16 One could enumerate many Bible ac
counts about those possessing faith, such
as Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and oth
ers. Truly theirs was a genuine faith. They
were men of great faith. 2 Pet. 2:5; Heb.
11:7, 8, 17, 24-27, 32.
17 What about today? What type of
faith can we expect to find in the last
days in which we are living? When the
Son of man arrives, will he really find
the faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8) It
is obvious that real faith cannot be found
in the religions of Christendom, because
of their close relationship with the politi
cal elements of the world, the schemes of
human leaders, the schemes for peace and
the schemes of the world, instead of plac
ing confidence in Gods kingdom under
Christ Jesus.
18 Those putting their trust in the or
ganizations of Christendom are extremely
slow to put their trust in Gods kingdom.
However, faith in Gods kingdom and
trust in his protective power can be seen
in the New World society of Jehovahs
witnesses. Let all lovers of God and doers
of his will continue to cultivate true faith
and not be lax about keeping it strong.
We must not permit materialism, national
ism or other outside interests to encroach
upon us so as to weaken our faith. We
should be of the frame of mind expressed
by Christs disciples at Luke 17:5: Give
us more faith.
17, 18. (a) Why will Jesus not find faith in Christen
dom? (b) Among whom will he find it, and what will
be their frame of mind regarding faith?

"Keep testing whether you are in the faith, keep

proving what you yourselves are.2 Cor. 13:5.
T IS entirely in order for us to ask our up. (Acts 4, 5) These circumstances were
selves, Is our faith comparable to that not limited to the days of the early
of meek but courageous Moses? or of per Christian congregation. True Christian
severing Paul? Consider the case of Paul, witnesses of Jehovah have had their faith
who endured many dangers on behalf of tested similarly in the last few decades in
his ministry. He was beaten, stoned, ship many ways.
wrecked, traveled under dangerous cir
SPAIN
cumstances, in danger in the wilderness,
3
On
an
occasion
in Spain in the year
in dangers at sea, in hunger, in thirst, and
1952
Jehovahs
witnesses
were under sur
many times cold. Even after their having
cultivated strong faith Paul still admon veillance. They conducted a Bible study in
ished Christians: Keep testing whether a certain house where they had gone re
you are in the faith, keep proving what peatedly. In one instance secret police
you yourselves are. He thus illustrated were waiting for them. They were arrest
further that Christians must vigilantly ex ed, their homes were searched and they
amine themselves to maintain loyal sta were put into prison. In addition to being
held, they had to stand abuse and threats,
tus with God. 2 Cor. 13:5; 11:25-27.
2
When we look through the Bible recand then with the same abusive speech
ord it is readily discerned that faithful men were warned of the consequences if they
of pre-Christian times as well as those in continued in the preaching of the good
the early Christian congregation nineteen news. However, staunch faith was exhibit
hundred years ago were confronted with ed, since at that time there were 121 of
opposition, false arrest, nationalism and Jehovahs witnesses sharing in the min
many other similar predicaments. Yet istry in Spain, and they continued preach
they withstood these trials fearlessly with ing. In the year 1966 there were 4,302
out compromising with the adversary. ministers. Yes, they obeyed God as ruler
Frequently false charges were brought rather than men. Acts 5:29.
against individuals. Some were incarcerat
GERMANY
ed! Consider how Joseph in the land of
4
The
ministerial
work of Jehovahs wit
Egypt spent two years in prison charged
nesses
in
Germany
during the 1920s and
with a crime of which he was not guilty.
(Gen. 39:7-20) Peter and John and the up to 1933 met with much opposition. In
other apostles were arrested because they 3. What example of faith do we have in Spain, and
what was the result as far as the preaching is
continued to preach the word without let- concerned
?

1. (a) What questions may we ask ourselves? (b) How

was Pauls faith exhibited?
2. What tests of faith may we expect, and what
examples do we have of faithful courage?
366

4. (a) What persecution confronted the German minis

ters in the 1920s and very early 1930s, and how was
persecution overcome? (b) What decree did Hitler
issue against Jehovahs witnesses in Germany after
he came to power?

Ju n e

15, 1967

3 EeWATCHT0 W E R

367

1931 and 1932 alone there were 2,335 le hand, O king, he will rescue us. But if
gal actions against Jehovahs witnesses. not, let it become known to you, O king,
Through perseverance, the persecution that your gods are not the ones we are
was overcome, as shown by the fact that serving, and the image of gold that you
during the years 1919-1933 forty-eight have set up we will not worship. Jehovah
million Scriptural booklets and seventy- did deliver them because, even when they
seven million copies of
Golden Age were cast into the overheated furnace, we
(now Awake!) were distributed. However, are told, the fire had had no power over
persecution reached a climax when Hitler their bodies, and not a hair of their head
came to power and, in his own words, had been singed, and even their mantles
stated: These so-called Earnest Bible had not been changed and the smell of fire
Students are trouble makers . . . I consid itself had not come onto them. Similar
er them quacks; I do not tolerate that endeavors on the part of the enemy to ac
German Catholics be besmirched in such complish compromise were rebuffed by the
a manner; I dissolve the Earnest Bible same kind of irrepressible faith by faith
Students in Germany, their property I ful Christians in Germany. Dan. 3:16-18,
dedicate to the peoples welfare; I will 27.
have all their literature confiscated. The
CANADA
Societys property at Magdeburg was
6Not only did Christians encounter a
seized and the government seized and car
ried away and burned over $25,000 worth critical situation in Germany. In Canada
of literature, books and booklets. How in the early 1940s the Watchtower maga
ever, in spite of all this opposition, the zine was banned, and here too during
faithful Christians continued preaching World War II much persecution and im
prisonment were experienced. In the Prov
underground.
5
During the Hitler regime many wereince of Quebec tremendous abuse and ha
told that, if they would just sign a pa rassment were experienced, but this was
per renouncing their position as Jeho overcome by long, hard battles through
vahs witnesses, they could go free and the lower courts, ultimately to the Su
escape with their lives. Some failed, but preme Court of Canada.
7 Charges of sedition were brought
most recalled the plight of the three He
brews who were threatened with being against the Witnesses in Quebec in 1949.
thrown into the fiery furnace if they Besides misrepresentation and mobbing,
would not bow down to Nebuchadnezzars they were hounded throughout the Prov
huge obelisk on the plain of Dura when ince and systematically hunted down,
the music sounded. Upon their refusal to falsely arrested, and held in verminshare in image worship the kings wrath infested and disease-ridden jails, with ex
was directed at them. Their firm faith was orbitant bail demands. But such summons
manifested in the answer given the king: are not new. Paul was arraigned in court
O Nebuchadnezzar, we are under no ne
and charged similarly, that we found this
cessity in this regard to say back a word
man [Paul] a pestilent fellow and stirring
to you. If it is to be, our God whom we
up
seditions among all the Jews, when
are serving is able to rescue us. Out of
he
was
doing the same thing as the Cathe burning fiery furnace and out of your
5. How was the compromise presented to the German
Christians comparable to the test offered to Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego?

6. What happened in Canada during the 1940s?

7. What charges were placed against the Witnesses
in Quebec in 1949, with what resulting persecution?

368

^eW A T C H T O W E R

nadian ministers, namely, telling others

about Gods kingdom. Acts 24:5.
8 Court cases and persecution continued
in Canada for several years until a fa
vorable decision of a 5-4 majority of the
Supreme Court was rendered on October
6, 1953. With this victory eight hundred
cases were dismissed, as the result of en
during harassment and distressing treat
ment in their continued preaching in up
holding of freedom of worship. Just as
Paul would not compromise by stopping
his ministry, neither did the faithful Ca
nadian Witnesses, but, instead, they main
tained integrity and defeated persecution
through faith.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

9In the United States, in many areas,

much opposition and uncalled-for persecu
tion were brought against Jehovahs wit
nesses. In Texas and Oklahoma mob
violence was excited against Jehovahs
witnesses. In Plainfield and Jersey City,
New Jersey, southwest Pennsylvania,
Griffin, Georgia, to name only a very few
places, the Witnesses were imprisoned for
preaching the Gospel. Long court battles
ensued and opposition was finally over
come by keeping mindful of Gods Word
and maintaining strong faith.
10 Flag-salute issues arose, bringing per
secution against children of Jehovahs wit
nesses. As a result of their maintaining
integrity to Jehovah and not bowing down,
many of these children were deprived of
education in the public schools by being
expelled for not saluting the flag.
11 N um erous co u r t cases resu lted
throughout the United States as munici
palities endeavored to enforce peddling
ordinances against the ministerial work
8. What resulted in Canada by persistent preaching
and championing of freedom?
9-11. (a) Was any persecution experienced in the United
States? (b) How were the children of Jehovahs wit
nesses affected? (c) What was the final outcome as a
result of no compromise?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

of Jehovahs witnesses. In all these cases,

along with the flag-salute cases, freedom
of worship was gained by persistent pur
suit of justice through the courts of the
United States, resulting in favorable de
cisions in the Supreme Court.
12 During the years 1940-1946, which in
cluded World War II, some 4,300 young
American ministers were arrested and in
carcerated, receiving sentences up to five
years while endeavoring to maintain
their status as ministers. The Selective
Service Act specifically exempts minis
ters from military service, but these faith
ful ministers of Jehovahs witnesses were
denied that exemption. Many, after serv
ing one sentence and being released, were
soon rearrested and sent back to prison
for a second term. Nevertheless, these
young ministers maintained their integri
ty and even took advantage of the period
of time they were in prison by following
scheduled Bible study programs, continu
ally building up their faith as ministers.
Yes, they even preached, as opportunity
presented itself, to guards and others with
whom they came in contact.
OTHER TRIALS

13 Severe persecutions and bans oc

curred in such countries as Italy, Greece,
the Philippine Islands and many other
countries around the earth. In all instances
the opposers endeavored to intimidate Je
hovahs witnesses, tried to break their
allegiance and fidelity to Jehovah. A splen
did example of faithfulness was manifest
ed by a sister brought into a community
court on the other side of the Iron Cur
tain. The presiding functionary finished
his threat and the women present shouted,
Those enemies of the people should be
12.

What persecution resulted to young ministers of

draft age?
13. (a) Where else did persecution occur? (b) Describe
the faithful course taken by a sister back of the Iron
Curtain, and with what Scriptural example and counsel
did she conform?

Ju n e 15, 1967

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

369

driven into the sea. This denouncement

did not deter her one iota, because she
quickly replied: I am dedicated to serve
the God who rules the universe. I will
never desert him under any conditions. If
you want to, you can starve me to death,
but I will not abandon my faith nor will
I make any compromise in the matter of
faith. Perhaps she was familiar with
Pauls words: I am convinced that nei
ther death nor life . . . nor governments
. . . will be able to separate us from Gods
love. What faith she displayed! Result?
She was permitted to leave, and no fur
ther action was taken against her. (Rom.
8:38, 39) Even under severe circum
stances, we can see, trustworthiness is re
quired, and certainly Jehovahs blessings
were upon that sister, as she did not be
come fearful of those who kill the body.
Matt. 10:28.
14The faith and strength of Jehovahs
witnesses are frequently tried in conjunc
tion with the taking of blood transfusions.
Many times relatives or friends, not hav
ing an understanding of Gods commands,
will bring severe pressure, endeavoring to
cause the ailing or injured Witness to lose
faith in Gods Word and his command to
abstain from blood. However, a witness of
Jehovah will firmly cling to the counsel
as stated at Acts 15:29: Keep yourselves
free from things sacrificed to idols and
from blood and from things strangled and
from fornication. If you carefully keep
yourselves from these things, you will
prosper. Good health to you! No com
promise can be made on an issue such as
this even if obedient Christians are ridi
culed and taunted by relatives or asso
ciates.
15 Tests of faith may come upon Chris-

tians whose desire it is to remain free

from Babylon the Great, the world em
pire of false religion. Ones secular occu
pation may take him into the churches of
Christendom, perhaps by reason of being
a contractor, or working for a contractor
whose main business is to construct
church buildings or, for that matter, serv
ing as a janitor in such a building. How
ironic it would be for a Christian, admon
ishing others in accordance with the
words of Revelation 18:4: Get out of her
[Babylon], my people, if you do not want
to share with her in her sins, and if you
do not want to receive part of her
plagues, at the same time to be a part of
her because of his employment!
16 If one were engaged in making war
implements or working for a company
whose main production was within this
category, one could be placing his Chris
tian status in jeopardy. It is recognized
that under such a situation one could not
help but be taking a course contrary to
Gods Word, which admonishes Christians
not to take blood or to shed blood in any
way. Taking such an uncompromising
course may bring ridicule by fellow work
ers or employers, or even loss of employ
ment. Nevertheless, the Christian will be
mindful of the fact that he will have no
part in wars, or war efforts of the nations.
Jesus stated: You must not murder.
(Matt. 5:21) Furthermore, in corroborat
ing this principle, Pauls statement in
2 Corinthians 6:14-17 is that we cannot be
unequally yoked with such practices that
are definitely a part of this faithless
world. If a Christian finds himself in such
a position, the wise course would be to
seek other employment.
17 Similar situations may arise in re-

14. How may opportunities of compromise present

themselves as far as blood transfusion is concerned,
and what advice is followed?
15. Why would it not be proper for one to have em
ployment related to modern Babylons organization?

16. What other problems may arise due to employment,

and what should the Christian do about it?
17. (a) What circumstances confronted Peter and John
when authorities told them to abstain from preaching?
(b) What should twentieth-century ministers do?

370

fEeW ATCH TO W ER

gard to the ministerial work of a Chris

tian. For example, if Caesar forbade one
to preach this good news of the Kingdom,
Christians are just as resolute about the
matter as the apostles were nineteen
hundred years ago when confronted with
a decree of the ruling authorities, at the
instance of the religious leaders, to stop
speaking on the basis of Jesus name.
Think of it! This was even after they had
been flogged and then warned to preach
no more and then let go. Integrity was
maintained unwaveringly. When all the
apostles left the court of the Sanhedrin
they were rejoicing because they had
been counted worthy to be dishonored in
behalf of his name. And every day in the
temple and from house to house they con
tinued without letup teaching and declar
ing the good news about the Christ. This
action was not in defiance of the ruling
element, but it was a staunch obedience
to Christs command to declare the good
news of the Kingdom throughout all the
world for a witness to all the nations, rec
ognizing that upon its completion the end
shall come. (Acts 5:41, 42; Matt. 24:14)
Many Christians have lost their positions
because of their staunch stand taken in
preaching this good news when they have
been arrested falsely and thrown into jail.
Consequently, twentieth-century Chris
tians must maintain their position of in
tegrity fervently, not withholding from
Caesar the things that belong to him, but,
nevertheless, not compromising in their
faithfulness to God to continue preaching
throughout the world. In fact, they are
just as resolute as all the apostles were,
regardless of the nation in which they
happen to reside, and they will continue to
preach even though bans are imposed
upon their work, yes, even if it means im
prisonment and cruel treatment.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

RESOLUTIONS FOR FAITHFUL MINISTRY

18 During the period of 1922-1928 seven

courageous resolutions were adopted and
distributed throughout the greater part
of the world, showing that the judgments
that were proclaimed in the seven plagues
described in the sixteenth chapter of Reve
lation were upon and against modern-day
Babylon the Great, as well as the political
elements that she supports.
19As recently as 1963 a strong resolu
tion was adopted by a grand total of 454,977 in the Around-the-World Everlasting
Good News Assemblies of Jehovahs Wit
nesses. In addition to incorporating in
their joint Resolution the seven plagues
mentioned above, the assemblers adamant
ly resolved to be immovable on the side
of the Messianic kingdom of Jehovah God,
to cultivate the fruitage of the spirit, to
carry on pure and undefiled worship and
to fight against wicked spirit forces in
the heavenly places until the Satanic
ruler of this world and his demons are
abyssed. The Resolution further stated:
We will continue to declare to all peoples
without partiality the everlasting good
news concerning Gods Messianic king
dom and concerning his judgments, which
are like plagues to his enemies but which
will be executed for the liberation of all
persons who desire to worship God the
Creator acceptably. It takes courage and
boldness to take such a firm position
against nationalistic worship of the po
litical state and against the worship as
sociated with international organizations
for world peace and security such as the
United Nations with its 119 members.
Such a valiant position requires indomi
table faith such as that manifested by Pe18. How many resolutions were adopted between 19221928, against whom were they directed and where were
they distributed?
19. (a) What resolution was adopted in 1963, by how
many, and what were the declarations incorporated
in it? (b) Why does this take courage?

Ju n e 15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

371

ter and John as well as so many other

early Christians.Acts 4:18-21.
* It is readily discernible that the faith
of the apostles and others was severely
tried even to imprisonment and/or death.
True Christian ministers today should be
equally confident and have complete as
surance of Jehovahs protection. It is true
that some have not put up a hard fight
for the faith and have fallen victim to the
intimidation of political organizations, rel
atives and friends, as well as being un
able to overcome the ensnaring allure of
materialism.

22 In addition to all of this, a persons

faith can be weakened by what he reads
and takes into his mind, dwelling upon
higher criticism, relying on worldly phi
losophers. It should be remembered that,
when we are reading a book, the author of
the book becomes ones teacher, and for
this reason great care should be taken in
selecting reading matter. When the source
of such information is from persons out
side of Jehovahs organization or from
those that may have crept into the orga
nization for injurious purposes, such
would be a good time or occasion to heed
Pauls counsel to the young man Timothy,
ENCROACHMENTS UPON FAITH
when he said: Continue in the things
21
An initial step toward unfaithfulness
that you learned and were persuaded to
is ones beginning to shrink back. This believe, knowing from what persons you
backward course can begin very subtly, learned them and that from infancy you
making it extremely dangerous. It could have known the holy writings, which are
be a slowing-down process or a refusing able to make you wise for salvation
to meet the challenge of new truths. It through the faith in connection with
could be due to laziness, or self-denial may Christ Jesus. (2 Tim. 3:14-16) If there
be involved. A specific warning was issued is the slightest infringement on your faith
about unfaithfulness because of being de by those in this old system of things, or
ceived by reason of those that rely on from any source, free your minds from
their own judgment and lose sight of re such shackles and always remember that
lying wholly and exclusively upon Jeho Jehovah the true God and Christ Jesus
vah. Jesus brother and disciple, Jude, his Son are our teachers.
makes specific reference to such persons:
Certain men have slipped in who have
REQUIRED FAITH
long ago been appointed by the Scriptures
23 Exercising firmness and steadfastness
to this judgment, ungodly men, turning as we carry out the will of Jehovah will
the undeserved kindness of our God into keep our faith strong. We are advised by
an excuse for loose conduct and proving Paul: Stand firm and maintain your hold
false to our only Owner and Lord, Jesus on the traditions that you were taught,
Christ. (Jude 4) We are admonished by whether it was through a verbal message
such words coupled with the warning that or through a letter of ours. Moreover, may
wolves would creep in, appearing in our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God
sheeps covering but being false. (Matt. our Father, who loved us and gave ever
7:15) Considering that such was appli lasting comfort and good hope by means
cable nineteen hundred years ago, we of undeserved kindness, comfort your
know it is also prophetic of circumstances hearts and make you firm in every good
that would arise in these last days.
deed and word. These words are live
20. (a) As a result of following a faithful course, what
may Christians expect? (b) What are some of the
things that may jeopardize unswerving faith?
21. What subtle things could disturb ones faith?

22. How could what we read impair faith?

23. In his letter to the Thessalonians, what did Paul
advise regarding faith?

372

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

words, having been given as counsel to the 15:58: My beloved brothers, become
congregation nineteen hundred years ago steadfast, unmovable, always having plen
and being just as valuable and apropos ty to do in the work of the Lord, knowing
now. The Lord is faithful, and he will that your labor is not in vain in connec
make you firm and keep you from the tion with the Lord. Labor of the minis
wicked one. . . . May the Lord continue terial work, labors of love among fellow
directing your hearts successfully into the Christians, will increase ones faith and
love of God. (2 Thess. 2:15-17; 3:3-5) enhance integrity. We can readily see that
Just as it was important for the Christian such faith, namely, faith only in Jehovah,
nineteen hundred years ago to stay close will give us strength to withstand the
to Jehovahs organization, so it remains encroachments and intimidations of ene
my forces. Bear always in mind, without
vital to do so today. How?
faith
it is impossible to please him well,
24 Being busy with the declaration of
for
he
that approaches God must believe
the good news will give us fortitude and
that
he
is and that he becomes the re
encouragement. We read at 1 Corinthians
warder of those earnestly seeking him.
24. What are we to be busy doing now, and what is
Heb. 11:6.
necessary to please God?

\Nhat Accepting Jesus

<-kY PARO 'V i . E N T S
were Jewish, but
they did not practice their religion,
apart from saying that they believed
in God. The result was that I had no early
religious training. As far as I can remem
ber, I always believed in God, and oc
casionally I even went to a Baptist Sun
day school with a girl friend. In 1900,
when I was eighteen, I married Edward
Griffiths. We became active workers in the
Episcopalian Church, my husband becom
ing a Sunday-school teacher, although we
could not agree with many things we
heard taught there. I could not understand
how Jesus Christ could be God himself.
In fact, the time came when Edward had

Meantto

just about reached

the point where he
realized he would
have to go either according to the Bible
or according to the church, since they
differed so much, when something wonder
ful happened.
He noticed a column in a newspaper on
the subject What Is a Christian? It was
by the president of the Watch Tower So
ciety, known as Pastor Russell. He read
it and was very much impressed; so he
sent for the publication mentioned in the
column. An evening shortly thereafter one
of the Bible Students, as Jehovahs wit
nesses were then called, came to our
house. I was busy getting ready for a
church supper, but she spoke with my hus-

Ju n e 15, 1967

S&eWATCHTOWER.

band. He ordered the six volumes of Stud

ies in the Scriptures and a subscription for
The Watch Tower. About the time she
was leaving I came into the room and
apologized for not being able to have
her stay for supper. I explained that
we were going to a church supper and
would not be eating at home. Since we
were living in New York city, she then
invited us to come to Bethel, the head
quarters of the Watch Tower Society, the
following Wednesday evening to meet Pas
tor Russell.
We accepted the invitation, and after
supper we were invited to Pastor Russells
room. In the course of the conversation
that ensued he asked my husband wheth
er he was dedicated. Edwards reply was,
Yes. Then I was asked the same question,
but I did not understand that he was talk
ing about the dedication of ones life to
God. Brother Russell told me I lacked
faith. But I believe in God, I told him.
LEARNING THE TRUTH ABOUT GODS SON

In the next few weeks I learned that

I did lack faith because of lack of knowl
edge. I had always faced a problem in the
Episcopalian Church because they spoke
of Jesus as God, and I could not accept
this. But in the few weeks after I met
Pastor Russell, my husband and I attend
ed lectures that the Bible Students held,
and we learned the truth about where the
dead are, what hell really is, and that
Jesus is actually Gods Son and not God
himself. Although as an Episcopalian I
had become a Christian in name, for the
first time in my life I understood who Je
sus was and why it was necessary for me
to accept him and his ransom sacrifice
in order to be pleasing to God.
At the same time, with his new under
standing of the Bible, my husband began
to realize that the doctrines concerning
immortality and hellfire that he was

373

teaching the children in Sunday school

were not Scriptural. His conscience trou
bled him, and so he took his question to
the minister of our church, who replied,
Dont worry about it, Mr. Griffiths. I
dont believe all the things I teach our
parishioners either. This admitted hypoc
risy on the part of one of the clergy of
Christendom did much to help us both
with the decision to leave the church.
The first Sunday of every month Broth
er Russell spoke on baptism at the New
York Temple, and in February of 1915
Edward and I heard that talk. When it
came time for those who wanted to be
baptized to stand, my husband and I sur
prised each other, for we both stood up.
After we were baptized, Brother Russell
came to extend the right hand of fellow
ship, and was he ever surprised to see me,
the woman who lacked faith just a few
weeks earlier, there, having been baptized!
Our home was immediately blessed by
its being used as a meeting place, for both
a book study and a Watch Tower study
were conducted there. We had sufficient
space to accommodate an extra person,
and so we were often privileged to share
it with a pioneer minister (or colporteur,
as they were then called). This enlarged
our circle in the family of the Lord and
was a source of encouragement to all of us.
COPYING JESUS EXAMPLE

Having come to recognize Jesus in his

proper place in Gods arrangement, I de
sired to copy his example and share in
the preaching of Gods kingdom. We had
three children, however, and did not feel
we could share in the pioneer ministry.
However, when the auxiliary pioneer min
istry was announced, we both did have a
share in that, devoting fifty hours a month
to the work.
Not everyone appreciated this Kingdom
preaching. In New Jersey Jehovahs wit-

374

SfieWATCHTOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

nesses were being arrested for peddling able to continue full-time preaching and
without a license. So the Watch Tower so received many blessings.
Society arranged for special campaigns in
Providence, Rhode Island, was the next
that state, and on weekends we shared in place to which we were assigned. The
the preaching work there, meeting early congregation had fifty-eight persons asso
in the morning, realizing that the risk of ciated with it, and Edward was quite sur
arrest by the police was always present. prised at the coldness of the congregation.
On one occasion Edward was arrested, He felt that if those associated with the
convicted and served a sentence of ten congregation there could have closer con
days in jail. Eventually the right to tact with headquarters they would soon
preach was established through court warm up. So, as the congregation over
cases.
seer, he began asking for speakers from
The New York congregation of Jeho Bethel. These certainly proved to be a
vahs witnesses was divided into units in wonderful stimulus to the congregation
the 1930s, and Edward became the con there. I remember that a certain family
gregation overseer in the Bronx. (Inci was asked to house one of the headquar
dentally, at that time there was just the ters speakers. They were a little hesitant
one congregation in the Bronx. Now there at first, but they agreed. The speaker was
are thirty-four.) What a grand privilege made to feel part of the family, and, in
and joy it has been to see the growth of time, he actually became part of the fami
ly, as he married one of the girls in the
Jehovahs organization over the years!
Edward entered the pioneer ministry in family. He and his wife are now serving
1940, having given up a financially re in Denmark.
warding position in the business world;
BLESSINGS FROM FOLLOWING
and I joined him in the pioneer ranks in
JESUS EXAMPLE
1941 after our youngest child, Ruth, mar
While it had been easy for us to see the
ried. Six months after I began pioneering difference between Gods truth and false
we were assigned to serve in Ossining, religion, some could not see this so clearly.
New York. Edward was appointed as a I remember an Italian girl with whom
special pioneer minister then, and after I studied. She had been a Catholic in Italy,
another six months I, too, became a spe where a priest burned her Bible; but on
cial pioneer. How thrilling it was to have coming to the United States she found
a share in establishing a congregation that her family had become Baptists. She
there!
joined the Baptist Church, but she agreed
We enjoyed assignments in Tarrytown, to study the Bible with me. The study
Hastings-on-Hudson and Islip, Long Is progressed except for the fact that she
land, in the years following, and in Islip, could not see the difference between
too, we were able to organize a congrega Christendoms Babylonish religion and Bi
tion. These assignments were during the ble truth. Then one day the Baptist min
years of World War H, and, because of ister paid her a visit. She began talking to
gasoline rationing, it was often necessary him about Gods kingdom. He asked her
for us to walk long distances to our Bible why she wanted any kingdom to come,
studies. Edward was nearing seventy years since she had a fine home, was well sit
of age at that time, but we enjoyed good uated materially and did not need to wor
health and, with Jehovahs help, we were ry about any kingdom. She told him she

Ju n e 15, 1967

STkWATCHTOWER.

was not concerned about just herself but

about all those suffering throughout the
world that did not have what she had
materially. The ministers visit helped her
to see the difference between Christen
doms teachings and those of the Bible.
She is still serving faithfully, preaching
the good news of Gods kingdom.
Before we left Providence, we experi
enced the blessing of seeing the congrega
tion grow in number to 117. From there
we were assigned to Greenport, Long Is
land, and there, too, we were able to share
in establishing a new congregation. Ed
wards health failed while we were there,
so in 1953 we returned to the Bronx to
live with our son Richard and his family.
In December 1954 my husband finished
his earthly course.
Since returning to the Bronx, I have
continued making known the truth con
cerning Jehovah and his Son, and at
eighty-four years of age I am still blessed
with the privilege of being on the list of
pioneer ministers, enjoying the company
of many others in the congregation as I
share in the preaching of the good news.
Having a congregation book study group
meet in my apartment is another blessing
that I appreciate very much.
Speaking of blessings, I am reminded of
assemblies. How happy Edward and I were
when the name Jehovahs witnesses was
announced at the Columbus, Ohio, assem
bly in 1931. And I remember, too, the
thrilling assembly in St. Louis in 1941,
when the Societys president, Brother
Rutherford, spoke to the children there.
But assemblies get better all the time. The
Yankee Stadium conventions were all won
derful too. And the one I attended not long
ago at Baltimore, the Gods Sons of Lib
erty Assembly, was the best one yet. I
have been having problems with my
health lately, but I am so glad I was able
to get to that assembly. My health was

375

not any more of a problem there than it

would have been if I had stayed home,
and what a spiritual blessing I would have
missed! I am so grateful to Jehovah and
to my Christian brothers and sisters for
the love shown me in making my trip to
Baltimore for the assembly possible.
When I look back on the years I have
served Jehovah, I am very happy. When
we first began following Jesus example
by preaching, we wondered how we would
ever reach all the people in New York city
with the message. What a joy it has been
over the years to see how Jehovahs bless
ing has been on the efforts of his wit
nesses and how he has raised up so many
to accomplish the work he wants done!
Down through the years we were privi
leged to aid many to a knowledge of Gods
truth, and the children of some of those
with whom we studied are now district,
circuit and congregation overseers. When
I visit them, it is like going home to my
families. Surely one of the many blessings
I have received as a result of my accep
tance of Jesus and my dedication to Jeho
vah has been my children and grand
children in the Lord. Mark 10:29, 30.
I have learned that when we have love
for Jehovah and faith in him, if we put
forth the effort, Jehovah does the rest.
I do know that, if one has no Scriptural
obligations to prevent him, there is no
greater joy than to share in the pioneer
ministry with full faith in Jehovah and
his promises, such as the one at Malachi
3:10: Test me out, please, in this re
spect, Jehovah of armies has said, wheth
er I shall not open to you people the flood
gates of the heavens and actually empty
out upon you a blessing until there is no
more want. So although I was a natural
Jew without understanding of Jesus Christ
and little knowledge of God, how grateful
I am that I had the opportunity to come
to know Jehovah, and how glad I am that

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SfteWATCHTOWER

I accepted his most gracious provision,

his Son Jesus Christ, and copied the ex
ample He left for us! 1 Pet. 2:21.
(Sister H elen Griffiths died on Friday, Novem
ber 4, 1966, as she neared eighty-five years
o f age. The funeral service was held on Sun-

2 f LL the world loves a lover, is

O n L a common saying. When a young
man newly married is called off to war,
he usually has the sympathy of the whole
community. Governments give considera
tion and often deferment to newly married
men. In ancient Israel a man who had
first married was exempt from military
service for a year out of consideration for
his wife and that he might have an op
portunity to have and to see an offspring
and heir, for in Israel each man had his
inheritance of land and if called into bat
tle he might be killed and then there
would be no sons to carry on his family
name and to inherit his property. War
fare was not so important that it super
seded the rights of family continuance.
Deut. 24:5.
The bridegroom we are speaking of here
is not some ordinary soldier. He is a com
mander. The duty to answer the call to
war devolves upon him because the war is
not an ordinary war. He is the only com
mander with the necessary qualifications
to fight it. It involves the honor of the

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

day, November 6, and more than 165 were

present to hear the talk given by a close friend
of hers, Russell Kurzen, a m ember o f the
Brooklyn Bethel family. Sister Griffiths was
one of the anointed followers o f the Lord Jesus
Christ, whose hope of heavenly happiness is
spoken of in the promise at Revelation 14:13.)

family name as well. Who is the command

er who has such qualities and can turn
from his very wedding ceremony, yes, vol
untarily and gladly so? and how can he
consider a war so important?
REASONS FOR GOING TO W AR

The Commander we speak of is none

other than Jesus Christ. Yes, it is true
that the religions of Christendom like to
picture him as a mere infant in his crib
or as a weak, effeminate, sorrowful, pa
thetic creature. But their picture is a
gross distortion of the facts, for even as
the religionists of Christendom will have
to admit, if they read the Bible, Jesus
Christ is no longer even a man. He is a
mighty, glorified, immortal spirit person
in the heavens. (1 Tim. 6:16; Phil. 2:9-11)
He does not have to fear that he will not
return from the warfare. There is no dan
ger or possibility of his being killed and
not returning to his Bride. The warfare
is important to him primarily because it
involves the name of his Father, Jehovah
God, and, secondarily, because it is nec-

Ju n e 15, 1967

5 KeW A T CH TO W ER

essary for the protection of his Bride. The

war is not just another war, for it is
the final war against all earthly foes of
God and man and therefore requires the
finest Commander. Let us consider his
qualifications as such:
In the Bible book of Revelation, chap
ter 19, immediately sifter the announce
ment of the evening meal of the Lambs
marriage it describes Jesus Christ as go
ing forth to war. God has just destroyed
Babylon the Great, the world empire of
false religion, by the instrumentality of
the kings represented in the ten horns
of the scarlet-colored wild beast. (Rev. 17:
16) The fight that Jesus Christ wages is
against the enemies of God still on the
earth, the political governments that op
pose Gods kingdom and that are trying
to destroy the remaining members of the
Bride, the ones invited to the evening
meal of the Lambs marriage.
WARRIOR QUALITIES

The scene opens with the Commander

sitting on a white horse. And I saw the
heaven opened, and, look! a white horse.
And the one seated upon it is called Faith
ful and True, and he judges and carries
on war in righteousness. (Rev. 19:11)
A horse implies warfare, for long ago God
said: Can you give to the horse mighti
ness? . . . from far off it smells the battle.
(Job 39:19, 25) The Bible also uses the
illustration of a horse that is dashing into
the battle. (Jer. 8:6) Whiteness symbol
izes cleanness, purity. Jehovah is clean and
that which is in harmony with his will
must be clean. This means that the war
fare that Jesus Christ fights is righteous,
holy and in harmony with Gods will, nec
essary and beneficial to humankind. He is
the Faithful and True Witness. On earth
he proved his integrity to God. He said
before Pontius Pilate: Everyone that is
on the side of the truth listens to my

377

voice. He spoke of himself to the apos

tles as the way and the truth and the
life, and his loyalty was firm to his Fa
ther and his God to his very death. The
war he prosecutes is a judgment against
Gods enemies and, in view of their past
record, the fight against them is certainly
in righteousness. John 18:37; 14:6.
He is swift to ride against the enemy:
His eyes are a fiery flame, and upon his
head are many diadems. He has a name
written that no one knows but he himself.
(Rev. 19:12) Of course, the kings of earth
do not see him with their natural eyes,
for John says that he saw this vision in
heaven. But they could see him, if they
desired, through their spiritual eyesight,
for much warning has been given. Never
theless, they refuse to see. His eyes flash
with fiery flame, looking to the fiery
destruction of his foes. On his head the
many diadems indicate that he has far
greater authority than the wild beast that
came up out of the sea, picturing Satans
entire political organization on earth,
which is shown with ten diadems. His rulership is greater than all of theirs togeth
er, being received from the rightful Source
of all power and authority, Jehovah.
Rev. 13:1, 2; 2:26, 27; 12:5, 10.
The kings who fight against Jesus
Christ try to ignore the information being
proclaimed that he took his kingship in
heaven when the Gentile Times ended in
1914. It is a fight over sovereignty and
the rulers do not want to give it up. They
fight the Kingdom by fighting its an
nouncers on earth. They try to legalize
their fight against Gods Christian wit
nesses on earth, for they cannot meet Je
sus Christ directly. They use various laws
and try to twist them to apply to the
preaching work of Jehovahs witnesses. A
case in point is the recent trial of fortynine of Jehovahs witnesses in Portugal
who were arrested while peacefully study-

378

SReWATCHTOWER,

Brooklyn,

N. Y.

WEAPONS NOT DREAMED OF BY NATIONS

They do not appreciate that with the least,

most simple of his weapons he could ren
der them completely powerless. For exam
ple, how easily a great military operation
can be bogged down by a mere snowstorm.
Or a change in the weather, a hurricane,
an earthquake, a tidal wave, or any of a
hundred other natural forces can render
an entire military machine completely
powerless in a few short hours or minutes
of time. These are only the simplest of the
ways by which the great Warrior for Je
hovah can fight them. They should read
Job 37:3-13; 38:22, 23; 12:17-25, and after
considering these things they will find
that these are but the fringes of his ways
and a whisper of the power that Jehovah
God has and which he has put into the
hands of his Warrior Son. Job 26:14.
He is arrayed with an outer garment
sprinkled with blood, and the name he is
called is The Word of God. (Rev. 19:13)
What makes him the ideal commander and
the one whose armies follow him with un
breakable loyalty and unswerving devo
tion? The fact is that when on earth as
a man he did not swerve an inch from
the pathway of sacrifice, giving his own
blood in the interests of Gods kingdom
and for the benefit of his followers. The
outer garment with which he is arrayed
testifies to this fact: it is sprinkled with
blood. His official name* The Word of

The Bridegroom-Warrior has a name

written that no one knows but he himself.
A name often has reference to reputation
or qualities. For example, one having a
name as a fighter would have the qualities
necessary for a good fighter, such as fear
lessness, alertness, strength, determina
tion, endurance, and so forth. The rulers
being ignorant of the name of their op
ponent Jesus Christ is partly because in
the past the religious leaders misrepre
sented him to them. They do not even
dream of the powers and qualities he has.

* Notice that he is not called God the Word, for

he is not God but is the Son of God. The apostle John
wrote his Gospel after he had written the book of
Revelation, and his words at John 1:1, 2 agree.
See pages 53-62, paragraphs 61-83, of the 64-page
booklet The Word Who Is He? According to John,
published in June of 1962 and free copies of which
were mailed to all the available priests and clergymen
of Christendom on November 19, 1962, for their in
formation.
Said the Britannica Book of the Year 1968, on page
489, under the heading Jehovahs Witnesses : A
further attempt to establish from the words of the
apostle John that Jesus Christ was not a part of the
Trinity was contained in the booklet The Word Who
Is He? According to John. The first printing numbered
more than 2,500,000 copies. Immediately following the
assemblies a special world campaign was begun to
distribute a free copy to every Protestant, Catholic
and Jewish clergyman.
According to the reaction on the part of the clergy,
the booklet was like a plague to them.

ing the Bible in a private home in a sub

urb of Lisbon. Under the guise that reli
gious freedom is enjoyed in Portugal,
Presiding Judge Antonio de Almeda Mora
told one of the defendants: You are not
accused of illicit association. You are not
being judged for worshiping Jehovah,
then went on to say: There is no liberty
for anyone who invents a religion and
does what he wants in the name of God
or whatever it might be. He has to be
subordinate to men who rule the things on
earth. . . . The principle of which you are
accused is disobedience of a general kind
and to the laws of the nation. Finally, re
vealing whom he really was fighting, the
judge asserted: We have to adjust divine
law to earthly laws. We have to interpret
matters with logic. At times divine laws
are aberrant.
Portugal is a solidly Catholic country
and the judges have the backing of the
religious clergy. But at the time Jesus
Christ goes forth to the war herein dis
cussed, Babylon the Great will have been
destroyed and the politicians will no long
er have the Pontifex Maximus of Christen
dom and the priests and the religious cler
gymen and the military chaplains to pray
to their religious gods for victory. They
fight for a lost cause.

Ju n e 15, 1967

SfreWATCHTOWER.

God designates him as the universal

spokesman or mouthpiece of God the Al
mighty, therefore when he speaks it is
with full authority.
Also, the armies that were in heaven
were following him on white horses, and
they were clothed in white, clean, fine
linen. (Rev. 19:14) Notice that these are
not earthly armies, for they are in heaven
with their commander on symbolic white
war mounts, and their clothing identifies
them as righteous warriors. These angelic
forces, all or many of them, have already
engaged in a warfare in heaven against
Satan and his demons and have hurled
them down to the earth. As the Revelation
vision shows, the demons since then have
been unusually active in stirring up the
nations against God. Rev. 12:3-13.
This Bridegroom-Warrior is the mouth
piece or spokesman of God. What is the
thing he speaks or commands at this
point? It is a command or sentence of ex
ecution annihilation against his ene
mies. He is able to order their execution
and see that it is carried out. That is why
he is shown with a long sword protruding
out of his mouth. (Rev. 1:16; 2:12, 16)
Just as a sword represents the authority
to execute to death, which authority has
been wielded by rulers of the earth (Rom.
13:4), so Jesus Christ has this authority,
higher than theirs. The nations with their
kings and judges, such as those in Portu
gal, have had their opportunity to hear
and are warned to kiss the son, that He
[Jehovah] may not become incensed and
you may not perish from the way. Stub
bornly they have not listened. Therefore,
he must violently destroy them as an iron
rod smashes a vase, along with their na
tional political systems, boundaries, flags,
banners, customs unions, international al
liances and every vestige of their organi
zations as well as those who continue to

379

support them in their war against him.

Ps. 2:12, 8, 9; Rev. 2:27; 12:5.
DO NOT COMFORT THE BRIDES ENEMY

None of Jehovahs witnesses or those

who listen to the message they proclaim
will have anything to do with the fight,
since it is far beyond their power to exe
cute. It is entirely up to the heavenly
forces under Jesus Christ to carry out.
Yet Jehovahs witnesses show their alle
giance to the King. How? By standing firm
in their recognition and declaration of his
superior qualities, refusing to give aid and
comfort to the enemy as the clergy of the
religious organizations of Babylon the
Great now do by promoting and support
ing schemes for maintaining man-made
sovereignty of the earth as against Jeho
vahs sovereignty. They try to make the
rulers feel that they can win. Oppositely,
Jehovahs witnesses on earth urge all who
will to sue for peace with the victorious
Warrior-Bridegroom while there is yet
time. Persons who desire can comfort and
assist the Bride class on earth, who are
directing the preaching of the good news
of the Kingdom, by sharing with them in
this work.
There is no use for rulers and nations
to go against Gods appointed and en
throned king, for upon his outer gar
ment, even upon his thigh, he has a name
written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
He is superior to them all. On his thigh,
where the sword of authority is usually
worn, his name is very clearly announced
in writing. The kings of the earth have
refused to read it, especially since 1914.
The kings and rulers have thought them
selves, or at least their form or system of
government, immortal. But all of them are
mortal. Only He will survive the battle
and He will be the only king left on the
field.Rev. 19:16; 1 Tim. 6:14-16.
What a fine thing for the Bridegroom

380

SEeWATCHTOWER.

to be able to act on behalf of his Bride,

sparing those members of the Bride who
are still invited to attend the marriage
and are in anticipation of it! He is privi
leged to fight a war that will vindicate the
name of his Father Jehovah, clearing the
illustrious name and the family of that
illustrious one from reproach. But there is

N OUR every
day speech we
often use bodily
parts in a figura
tive sense. For in
stance, we might
say: He risked
his
neck for him.
He is my own
bone and
flesh
She was onl y
tickling their
ears.
Such e xpr es
sions add color to
speech, often making it more vivid and
alive. It tends to fix the idea better in the
listeners mind. How appropriate, there
fore, that Gods Word the Bible should fre
quently use body parts in a figurative
sense! In fact, in some form, each of the
above expressions is used in the Bible.
For example, the apostle Paul asked
that greetings be given to his fellow Chris
tians Prisca and Aquila, who have risked
their own necks [their lives] for my soul.
(Rom. 16:4) Laban said of Jacob: You
are indeed my bone and my flesh, mean
ing that they were relatives, Jacob being
Labans nephew. (Gen. 29:14; 2 Sam. 5:1)
And Paul wrote of persons who would
accumulate teachers for themselves to
have their ears tickled. In other words,
they would acquire teachers that would

Brooklyn, N .Y .

yet more to say about the fight. We often

read of historical battles and victories. We
rarely get a close picture of the actual
forces involved and a close-up view of the
fight itself. By reading the few remaining
verses of Revelation chapter 19 now, you
will find even more enjoyable the article
in our next issue discussing these verses.

say only what the

people desired to
hear. 2 Tim. 4:3.
DESTRUCTION
AND PROTECTION

Since the neck

is a vital as well as
a vulnerable part
of the human or
ganism, it is fre
quently associated
in the Scriptures
with the destruc
tion of life by the
conquest of an enemy. Jacobs deathbed
blessing upon his son Judah included this:
Your hand will be on the back of the neck
of your enemies, or, in other words, God
will give your enemies into your hand.
(Gen. 49:8) Similarly, David praised Je
hovah in song as the One who will cer
tainly give me the back of [my enemies]
neck. (2 Sam. 22:41; Ps. 18:40) In Gods
prophecy regarding the coming Assyrian
aggression against Judah, he indicated it
would become nearly overwhelming, say
ing: Up to the neck he will reach. Isa.
8:8; 30:28.
Thus, it was also the ancient custom to
place ones feet upon the neck of a con
quered foe. On monuments of Egypt and
Assyria, monarchs are frequently repre
sented in battle scenes as treading on the

Ju n e

15, 1967

3TieW ATCH TOW ER.

necks of their enemies. This, too, was a

Hebrew practice, Judge Joshua instructing
his commanders: Come forward. Place
your feet on the back of the necks of these
kings.Josh. 10:24.
The removing of the hair and beard also
were used to signify impending destruc
tion. Why so? No doubt because these
were viewed as prized possessions among
ancient peoples of the East. The beard wras
considered an evidence of manly dignity
by the Israelites. (1 Chron. 19:5) Thus,
Davids strategy of neglecting his beard,
allowing spittle to run down upon it, no
doubt helped to convince King Achish that
he was insane. (1 Sam. 21:13) It was gen
erally only during extreme sorrow, shame
or humiliation that the beard was mu
tilated or removed. Ezra 9:3; Isa. 15:2;
Jer. 41:5; 48:37.
With this background, the pronounce
ment regarding the conquests by Assyria
is better understood: In that day, by
means of a hired razor in the region of the
River, even by means of the king of As
syria, Jehovah will shave the head and the
hair of the feet, and it will sweep away
even the beard itself. (Isa. 7:20) As
syria was going to invade and conquer.
And this Assyria did; only Gods miracle
of striking down 185,000 of Sennacheribs
warriors prevented the capital city of Je
rusalem from being destroyed by the As
syrian aggressors. Isa. 37:33-38.
Jehovah God also had the coming de
struction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians
vividly illustrated, instructing Ezekiel:
Take for yourself a sharp sword. As a
barbers razor you will take it for your
self, and you must make it pass along
upon your head and upon your beard, and
you must take for yourself weighing scales
2uA divide the hair into three equal por
tions. (Ezek. 5:1, 2) The burning, striking
and scattering of the three portions of

381

hair represented that a third of the in

habitants would perish by famine and pes
tilence, a third were to die by the sword
and the final third would be scattered to
the wind. Ezek. 5:12.
On the other hand, keeping ones hair,
or not allowing it to perish, is used in
figure of speech to indicate complete safe
ty or assured protection. The people said
of beloved Jonathan, whose life was
threatened: As Jehovah is alive, not as
much as a single hair of his head will fall
to the earth. (1 Sam. 14:45) And Jesus
said to his disciples: Not a hair of your
heads will by any means perish. Luke
21:18; 1 Ki. 1:52.
FIGURATIVE USE OF HIPS AND LOINS

The loose and flowing style of dress

common among peoples in Bible times ap
parently required the gathering up of the
skirts, drawing them forward between the
legs and tucking them in the belt around
the hips before engaging in vigorous ac
tivity such as running. The statement is
made regarding the prophet Elijah: He
girded up his hips and went running ahead
of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. (1 Ki. 18:
46) In preparation for the long, hard run
Elijah no doubt gathered up his skirts
close to his hips. Understandably, there
fore, the expressions gird up your hips
and gird up your loins were used to
signify preparation for vigorous activity.
The Israelites, in preparation for leav
ing Egypt, were to eat with hips girded.
(Ex. 12:11) They were to be prepared to
move on a moments notice. Similarly,
when sending his servant Gehazi on an
important mission, Elisha said to him:
Gird up your loins and take my staff in
your hand and go. (2 Ki. 4:29; 9:1) And
in commissioning his fearful servant Jere
miah, God said: You should gird
hips, and you must rise up and speak to

382

SHeWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

them everything that I myself command qualities and emotions. For example, it
you. (Jer. 1:17) Jeremiah was encour was the custom, and still is today, to hold
aged to acquire strength and prepare for a dearly beloved or cherished one close to
ones bosom or breast. (Ruth 4:16; Song
vigorous activity in Gods service.
A person has strong muscles in the hips of Sol. 1:13) That place, therefore, came
or loins. When these muscles are tensed, to signify favor or intimacy. Thus, when
or braced up, there is tremendous poten Jesus is spoken of as in the bosom posi
tial power. The Bible proverb speaks of tion with the Father, and Lazarus as in
the bosom position
the capable wife as
with Abraham, it
gi rd ing her hips
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
means
that they are
w ith s t r e n g t h .
Developing and Displaying S elf-C ontro l.
in a favored position.
S elf-C ontro l V ita l to Progress.
( P r ov . 3 1 : 1 7 ) In
Guard A gainst Being Quick
(John 1:18; Luke
symbol, th erefore,
to Question Motives.
P eter Colorful Apostle W ho Took
1 6 :2 2 ,2 3 ) Also,
the prophet Nahum
the In itia tiv e .
when God is said to
tells those who were
carry his lambs in
about to experience
an invasion: Let there be a safeguarding his bosom, it indicates that he cherishes
of the fortified place. Watch the way. and tenderly cares for them. Isa. 40:11.
Strengthen the hips. Reinforce power very
Consistently, therefore, the expression
much. (Nah. 2:1) Here hips are used is used in the Bible, the wife of thy bos
figuratively in connection with strength or om. It is so rendered in many Bible trans
power.
lations, including the King James and
This is also the case in Jehovahs proph American Standard versions. (Deut. 13:6;
ecy regarding the Persian conqueror Cy 28:54, 56) However, for clarity of under
rus, in which God says: His right hand standing, the New World Translation of
I have taken hold of, to subdue before the Holy Scriptures at Deuteronomy 13:6
him nations, so that I may ungird even says: Your cherished wife.
the hips of kings. (Isa. 45:1) This ex
In both the ancient Hebrew and the
pression means that God would take away Greek Scriptures deep feelings and emo
the strength or power of these kings, so tions were associated with the intestines
that Cyrus would be victorious. Those or bowels. It was undoubtedly observed
who have had their power removed and that the feeling of deep emotions caused
are in a weakened condition are therefore abdominal distress, or at least stirrings in
said to have wobbling or shaking hips. this region of the body. The bad tidings
Ps. 69:23; Ezek. 21:6; 29:7.
concerning the coming calamity upon Is
Interestingly, the expression gird up rael caused Jeremiah to exclaim: My in
the loins of your mind is used by the testines, my intestines! I am in severe
apostle Peter. However, to make the sense pains in the walls of my heart. (Jer. 4:
of the expression clear to the modem 19) Later, at Jerusalems destruction, the
reader, the
New World Translation
of the
great
sorrow that Jeremiah felt caused
Holy Scriptures renders the expression: painful commotion within, causing him to
Hence brace up your minds for activity. lament: My very intestines are in a fer
1 Pet. 1:13.
ment. Lam. 1:20; 2:11.
BOSOM AND INTESTINES
That feelings of compassion or pity also
Other parts of the human body also affect the intestines is indicated by Gods
came to be associated with particular expression as he contemplated the condi-

Ju n e

15, 1967

SReWATCHTOWEFL

tion of the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel,

represented by Ephraim: That is why
my intestines have become boisterous for
him. By all means I shall have pity upon
him.Jer. 31:20; Isa. 63:15; 1 Ki. 3:26.
In the Christian Greek Scriptures the
Greek word for intestines or bowels is
splagkhnon, and, while used literally (Acts
1:18), it is much more often used in a
figurative sense, representing compassion
or affection. Therefore, for clarity of un
derstanding, instead of rendering the word
bowels or intestines in such places,

383

the New World Translation of the Holy

Scriptures translates it tender affections
or tender compassions, as at Philippians
2:1 and 1 John 3:17. Col. 3:12.
Really, it is amazing how often in the
Scriptures body parts are used in a fig
urative sense. While this adds color and
vividness to accounts, Bible translations
that show the significance of the words
are very helpful, particularly when the
figurative use of the expression is not
common in the language into which the
translation is made.

it is notable that the Hebrew place names

Tappuah and Beth-Tappuah
(probably so
named due to prevalence of this fruit in their
vicinity) have been preserved in their Arabic
equivalents by the use of this word. Josh. 12:
17; 15:34; 1 6 :8 ; 17:8.

Proverbs 25:11 and other texts in the He

brew Scriptures mention apples. However,
many authorities insist that this refers to an
other fruit. W ere apples grown in Palestine
when the Hebrew Scriptures were written?
There is much conjecture as to the identifica
tion of the tree and fruit denoted by the H e
brew tappuwahh, appearing at Proverbs 25:11,
where opportune speech is likened to apples
of gold in silver carvings. The apple tree is
considered mainly in The Song of Solomon,
where the expressions o f love by the Shulammites shepherd companion are likened to the
pleasant shade of the apple tree and the sweet
ness of its fruit. (Song of Sol. 2 :3 , 5) In turn,
he compares her breath to the fragrance of
apples. (Song of Sol. 7 :8 ) The Hebrew word
translated apples in the New World Trans
lation indicates that which is distinguished
by its fragrance or scent.
Several fruits have been suggested in place
of the apple, including the orange, the citron,
the quince, and the apricot, the main objection
raised to the apple being that the hot, dry
climate of most of Palestine is unfavorable to
apple culture. However, the related Arabic
word tuffakh primarily means apple, and

Those places were not in the lowlands but

in the hill country, where the climate is gener
ally somewhat moderated. Additionally, the
possibility of some climatic variations in the
past cannot be completely ruled out, as is
pointed out by Dennis Baly in his book The
Geography of the Bible (pages 72, 74). Apple
trees do grow in Palestine today and thus
seem to fit the Bible description satisfactorily.
Dr. Thomson, who spent forty-five years in
Syria and Palestine in the past century, re
ported finding apple orchards in the area of
Ashkelon on the plains of Philistia.
How old was Abel, the second son of Adam,
at the time his brother Cain murdered him?
The Bible account does not give us his exact
age at the time of his murder, but his approxi
mate age can be deduced. Since the Bible re
cords nothing in the w ay of history between
the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the gar
den of Eden and their producing of their first
two sons, Cain and Abel, it is reasonable to
conclude that the boys were born within the
space of a few years after their parents fall
into sin. But as for the next-recorded events,
leading to the death of Abel, it is written that
these did not take place until after the ex
piration of some time. (Gen. 4 :3 ) H ow much
time?

384

STieWATCHTOWER.

W ell, the third recorded son of Adam and

his wife E ve was born shortly after Abel's
death and when Adam was 130 years of age.
(Gen. 5 :3 ) A t the time of Seth's birth Eve
said: God has appointed another seed in
place of Abel, because Cain killed him ." (Gen.
4 :2 5 ) It is not at all likely that Eve would

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

have said this if a great many years had inter

vened; she evidently desired a son to replace
the murdered Abel, and so the birth o f Seth
must have occurred shortly after Abel's death.
It is possible, then, that Abel m ay have been
as much as a hundred years old at the time
of his martyrdom.

$ ANNOUNCEMENTS $
FIELD MINISTRY

L ife is a gift from God. Recognizing this,

Jehovahs witnesses endeavor to use their lives
in harmony with the will of God. They appre
ciate that they are in debt to God; so they
apply themselves to pay what they owe to God.
They devote themselves to his service and to
aiding others to learn of God's loving pro
vision for everlasting life in a righteous new
system of things. To that end, they urge every
one to read the Bible. During the month of
June they will be calling at the homes of as
m any persons as possible to offer them a fine,
modern-English Bible, the New World Trans
lation of the Holy Scriptures, for just $1.
DOES LIFE HAVE PURPOSE?

Did you know that it has been said that

over ten thousand persons throughout the
world commit suicide every day? This sobering
fact might well lead you to ask, Does life
have purpose? And, if so, why have so many
failed to find it? Certainly it is not Gods
purpose that a man should die by his own
hand. No, the divine purpose for mankind is
fa r different. H ow this will of His is being
made known is the subject of the encouraging
and faith-strengthening book Jehovahs Wit
nesses in the Divine Purpose. This is the docu
mented account of a people who have found a
purpose in life and who have never lost sight
of that purpose in spite of worldwide oppo
sition. Send for your copy today. It is only
$

1.

..

H. Barber. H e was personally well known to

many of the older readers of this journal, and
his life story, Serving Jehovah Brings H appy
Contentment," appeared in its July 15, 1965,
issue. In 1894, at the age of twenty-five years,
he came in touch with the truth of God's Word,
accepted it at once and continued faithful until
his death April 28, 1967, at the age of ninetyeight years and a few weeks, having devoted
seventy-three years to Jehovah's service.
For a number of years Brother Barber
served as a pioneer minister (colporteur) and
as a traveling representative (pilgrim, zone
servant) of the W atch Tower Society, and for
some twenty years he served at the Society's
headquarters. A s a fiery fighter for God's
truth he preached in nearly all the states of
the United States, as well as all over Canada
and, to a limited extent, in England and Scot
land.
Brother Barber still kept on preaching pub
licly when well in his nineties and had to be
assisted to the platform, and as late as last
December was still preaching by writing and
mailing out Bible literature, no longer being
able to go from house to houste. W e are confi
dent that, as one of the rem nant" who survived
to the second presence o f the Lord, he, 'while
resting from his labors, has the things that he
did go right with him' as a p artak er. of the
first resurrection. W e rejoice at his happy
meeting with his Lord and the rest o f Christ's
body members who have entered into their
reward. Rev. 14:13; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52.

HAPPY ARE THE DEAD WHO DIE IN UNION

WITH THE LORD

Few servants of Jehovah in modern times

have had the precious privilege of devoting as
m any years to Jehovah's service as did Richard

WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

July 9: Faith Required to Please God. Page

361. Songs to Be Used: 17, 91.
July 16:
Firm in Faith Despite Opposition.
Page 366. Songs to Be Used: 39, 78.

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM
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CAN A CHILD BE
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PETER COLORFUL APOSTLE
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W TB & TS

YOU ARE MY W ITNESSES SAYS JE H O V A H .-lsa.43:l2

THE PURPOSE OF "THE WATCHTO WER

E very w atchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place fo r a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h at is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare o r it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er this magazine justly
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facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in Ju ly o f 1 8 7 9 It
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious n ew order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h to w e r
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"T h e W a tch to w e r is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
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o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? T h e Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, w ritten by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
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readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
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to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G ods promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N . H . K norr, President

G rant S uiter, Secretary

They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

CON TEN TS
Guard Against Being Quick
to Question Motives
Can a Child Be " a Fine Soldier
o f Christ Jesus ?
Developing and Displaying Self-Control
Self-Control Vital to Progress
They W ould E at N o Blood
Can A n y W a r Be W holly Just?
Peter Colorful Apostle W ho Took
the Initiative
Hold to the Custom of N ot Neglecting
God's House
Questions from Readers

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p ^ rL 7 zo zm c i7 rq f

J E H O V A H S
KINGDOM

OW prone
fallen hu
___________/l___________________________
man nature is to
be quick to ques
tion the motives
of others! A child
brings a gift to
his teacher in appreciation of her efforts, quick to question the motives of others if
but his schoolmates may be quick to ac we call to mind that in the Bible Satan
cuse him of doing it for selfish reasons, the Devil is repeatedly shown as doing
because he wants to become a favorite of this. Thus when Jehovah God called Sa
the teacher. Petty? Childish? No doubt, tans attention to righteous Job, Satan was
but perhaps also a little selfishness, a little quick to question Jobs motives for serv
lack of love, is involved in this readiness ing God. But in spite of all that Satan was
to question his motives.
able to do, he was proved wrong and Job
Yes, being quick to question the motives true. Job 1:7-22; 42:7-17; Rev. 12:10.
of others is unloving, and adults are some
And among those reaching the very na
times as prone to do it as are children. dir, or lowest depths, in questioning the
In our everyday associations, however, we motives of others have been such men as
should want to be quick to attribute good atheist Marquis de Sade, whose philosophy
motives to others, be kindly disposed was to attribute a base motive to every
toward them and ready to give them the honorable human action. According to him
to give but one example parents do not
benefit of the doubt.
So, when a husband wants to make his deserve respect and gratitude, for in pro
wife happy by surprising her with a bou ducing offspring and then rearing them
quet of flowers or a box of candy, let her they have simply followed selfish instincts
rejoice in that expression of love; let her and motives. But the Creator, Jehovah
not, without very good reason, begin to God, in making man in his image and
wonder what his motive was, as though likeness, did make a creature capable of
he had been guilty of some indiscretion reaching heights of nobility, goodness and
and now was trying to make amends! How unselfishness. Gen. 1:26, 27.
Being quick to question the motives of
unloving, how foolish! And yet there are
others
is foolish, for it can rob one of
wives who think and act in just that way
and husbands too, for that matter!
much happiness. Especially with ones
It will help us to guard against being Christian brothers, it is far better to find

GUARD AGAINST

Being

Q 0 &

387

to Question Motives

388

SHeWATCHTOWEFL

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

oneself erring on the side of being too any person on earth today with such pow
generous, too trusting, than in being too er. Matt. 22:17, 18; Acts 5:1-11.
In particular will empathy, or the ability
critical, too suspicious. By being trusting
instead of suspicious one will not needless to put oneself in the shoes of another, as
ly cause misunderstandings, and one will it were, help one to guard against being
not be tempted to say or do things one quick to question the motives of others.
might afterward regret! In fact, it is good We usually give ourselves credit for hav
for both mind and body to be hopeful, to ing good motives for what we say and do,
do we not? Then why
want to believe good
not grant that oth
things about others.
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
ers lik ew ise h ave
The Bible gives us
Festivals of Praise to Jehovah.
g o o d m otiv es fo r
an exam ple o f the
T h e T h re e A nnual N ational Conventions.
their words and ac
folly of being quick
T ru e C h ris tia n ity Inspires Unselfishness.
tions?
It really is a
to question the mo
T h e Refining Power of A dversity.
matter of doing to
tives of another at
others as we would
2 Samuel 10:1-19.
King David of Israel once sent condolences have them do to us. We would not want
to the king of Ammon because of the death others to be quick to question our motives,
of his father. However, that king was would we? Matt. 7:12.
quick to question King Davids motives
Not that all questioning of motives is
and stubbornly maintained his mistaken wrong. After all, in business dealings one
position, even to influencing a neighbor must recognize the temptation that selfing king to war with King David. In the interest presents to exaggerate, to stretch
end the king of Ammon brought only trou the truth or to engage in sharp practices.
ble upon himself and his people.2 Sam. Let the buyer beware is but using good
12:26-31.
sense in such cases. And there is also a
An aid against the tendency to be quick time and a place for judging motives, after
to question the motives of others is to they have been revealed by overt actions;
recognize that it may be a form of rivalry, as when a wrongdoer is summoned before
of competition. How so? In that, by being a judicial committee of a Christian con
quick to question the motives of another, gregation. But note that there is nothing
one is downgrading that one and thereby quick or hasty about questioning motives
upgrading oneself by comparison. This in such a case. 1 Cor. 5:1-13; Jude 4-19.
might well be done unconsciously, for the
human heart is deceitful. Jer. 17:9, BS.
By being quick to question the motives
of others, one presumes to do more than
one actually can. Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, was able to judge the motives of oth
ers quickly, even as the Gospel records
show. And so was the apostle Peter, be
cause of being miraculously empowered
by the holy spirit, as can be seen by his
exposing the hypocritical liars Ananias
and Sapphira. But God has not endowed

However, aside from such exceptions,

when considering the motives of our fel
lows at our places of employment, in our
own family circle or within the Christian
congregation, let us be generous, chari
table, trusting, ready to give others the
benefit of the doubt. Remember, it is God
who sees what the heart is. However, we
can read our own heart, so, more than
all else that is to be guarded, let us safe
guard our own heart, making sure that
our own motives are always pure. 1 Sam.
16:7; Prov. 4:23.

generally before the candidate is ready to

exercise his lay priesthood in the world.
Apparently Bishop Sheen does not con
sider that Catholic youths are able to do
this before seventeen or eighteen years of
age, for that is the usual age of those
graduating from high school. Time, Feb
ruary 24, 1967.
At just what age can children be sol
diers of Christ Jesus? That would depend,
in part, upon how seriously their parents
are concerned with instructing their chil
dren in the Bible and, to a large extent,
also upon the disposition of the children
themselves.

OF CHRISTJESUS!

CURRENT EXPERIENCES FROM REAL LIFE

How young can a child be taught?

What are the rewards
for starting early?
AN a young child be a fine soldier of
Christ Jesus ? Can he intelligently
witness to his faith in God and in the
Bible? Can he effectively discuss Bible
teachings and principles with others, thus
truly being like Timothy of old, a fine
soldier of Christ Jesus ? 2 Tim. 2:3.
These questions have been made perti
nent by reason of what one of Americas
most popular Roman Catholic prelates,
Bishop Sheen, radio and TV personality,
had to say on the subject. Recently ap
pointed bishop of Rochester, New York,
he has made a number of innovations,
among which is that from now on chil
dren in his diocese will be confirmed at the
time of their graduation from high school,
not at the usual age of from nine to
twelve years.
Explaining his reasons for the change,
he, among other things, stated: At pres
ent bishops are asked to confirm tots
and send them out as soldiers of Christ.
Confirmation should not be administered

That quite young children can be ef

fective witnesses to their faith is being
repeatedly demonstrated. Thus a man in
Germany one day announced to his four
children that he was going to look for
another mother for them because their
present mother was studying with Jeho
vahs witnesses. His youngest child, an
eight-year-old daughter, spoke up, saying:
Why, Daddy, you cant do that! Dont
you know you would be committing adul
tery? Taken aback, he angrily replied:
What? You dont even know what that
means! What are you using words like
that for? Unabashed, the child replied,
explaining what an adulterer is. The Bi
ble says that when you have a wife you
are supposed to stay with her and not
divorce her. Anyone who does divorce his
wife and marries another is an adulterer.
(Matt. 5:31, 32; 19:9) Then for about a
half hour she spoke in defense of Bible
study, with her mother and her father
listening silently. For some time there
after the father avoided having anything
to do with her; and while he has not
left off opposing his w ifes Bible study
ing, he no longer talks about getting an
other mother for his children.
Yes, even an eight-year-old can speak

389

390

SEeWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

confidently in behalf of faith in Christ transferred to another congregation and

Jesus if her parents heed the words of then several years later he was invited to
Jesus: Let the young children come to attend the Watchtower Bible School of
me; do not try to stop them, for the king Gilead at Brooklyn, New York, where he
dom of God belongs to suchlike ones. is now studying. Certainly this lad did not
need to wait until his late teens before
Mark 10:14.
And then there was a certain youngster becoming a fine soldier of Christ Jesus,
living in a large city in Central America. did he? While his experience in many re
A t the age of nine he was vigorously de spects is outstanding, that such young
fending his Adventist religion in his dis children can be fine soldiers of Christ Je
cussions with Jehovahs witnesses. Then sus is repeatedly shown in the annual
one day he decided to attend a meeting of Yearbook of Jehovahs Witnesses.
the Witnesses to see how much fault he
YOUTHFUL CAPACITY TO LEARN
could find with their teachings and way
The
fact is that many adults have long
of doing things. But what he saw and
underestimated
the capacity of young
heard so appealed to him that he accepted
children
to
learn,
as well as their wanting
the invitation to attend a home Bible study
to
learn,
their
fondness
for taking in
meeting the following Tuesday. At this
knowledge.
Pertinent
in
this
regard are
study he obtained his own copy of the
the
findings
of
the
social
scientists
Warm,
textbook used,
L etGod Be True, and
from then on he kept attending the meet Dorn and Liddle, as published in their
ings of the Witnesses. In three months he book Fostering Intellectual Development
was going from house to house by him (1963). Among other things these re
self, offering Bible magazines to the searchers, who interviewed hundreds of
householders. Some months later, at the preschool children, stated:
The depth and extent of the informa
age of ten, he was baptized in obedience
tion
and understanding of these three-,
to the command given at Matthew 28:19,
20. Shortly thereafter he enrolled as a four-, and five-year-old children was much
full-time pioneer minister and two years greater than we had anticipated.. . . Early
later he was appointed as a special pioneer in the study it was clear that the interests
of young children were universal in their
minister along with his mother.
scope.
. . . Impressive as was the extent
In this capacity he was sent, together
of
the
knowledge of the young children
with his mother, to a town where there
were no Witnesses. In three years there even more impressive were the ways in
was a group of fifteen Witnesses there, which they were using and testing the
and so they were organized as a congre knowledge. Information became fo r these
gation. A t fifteen years of age he was ap children raw building materials for think
pointed the congregation overseer, at the ing and reasoning. . . . They associated
same time being given other responsible ideas. They sought to understand cause
duties to perform, such as the conductor and effect relationships. Typical was the
of the congregation Watchtower study question a four-year-old asked the first
and the Theocratic Ministry School ser time he saw a big steam shovel at work:
vant. The apostle Pauls counsel, Let no Daddy, what kind of machine was used
man ever look down on your youth, could to make the earth?
certainly have applied to him there.
And underscoring the importance of
(1 Tim. 4:12) Four years later he was loving consideration on the part o f par-

Ju l y 1, 1967

3fteWATCHTOWER,

ents in the development of a childs facul

ties are the findings of a team of British
physicians in their study of the causes and
effects of premature births. They found
that often it was unfavorable economic
conditions that caused mothers to give
birth to their children prematurely. At
first it also seemed that the premature
child was under a definite handicap in
school, but then it was found that this
was only because such handicapped chil
dren came from homes where children re
ceived little maternal care and where par
ents manifested little interest in the
school progress of their children. Children
bom prematurely were found to be right
up with their schoolmates having normal
births if they received maternal care and
their parents were interested in the prog
ress they made in school.
Such findings underscore the fact that
children can be trained to become fine sol
diers of Christ before they reach their late
teens. But it is not likely that they will
be such without good, interested parental
supervision, which emphasizes the need
of parents starting early in teaching their
children about God and the Bible. How
early? As early as possible. In fact, those
interested in reading progress tell us that
mothers should begin to read to their chil
dren at least by the age of two and make
a regular habit of it. This calls to mind
what Moses commanded the fathers in
Israel: You must love Jehovah your God
with all your heart and all your soul and
all your vital force. And these words that
I am commanding you today must prove
to be on your heart; and you must incul
cate them in your son and speak of them
when you sit in your house and when you
walk on the road and when you lie down
and when you get up. Yes, no opportunity
was to be overlooked in teaching young
Hebrew children about God and his re
quirements.Deut. 6:5-7.

391

That the Christian disciple Timothy was

so taught from earliest childhood by his.
mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois
his father being a Greek unbeliever
is to be seen from what the apostle Paul
wrote him years later: You, however,
continue in the things that you learned
and were persuaded to believe, knowing
from what persons you learned them and
that from infancy you have known the
holy writings, which are able to make you
wise for salvation through the faith in
connection with Christ Jesus. No ques
tion about it, Timothy was taught about
God and the Bible at a very tender age.
2 Tim. 3:14, 15.
Wise Christian parents will therefore
begin early in making their children fa
miliar with Bible truths. As soon as they
are able to recognize and say words they
can be taught that God made all things,
that he has a name, Jehovah, that his
place of dwelling is in the heavens above,
that he cannot be seen with human eyes
and that his Book, which is holy and is
our guide, is the Bible. In this regard a
most valuable study aid is From Paradise
Lost to Paradise Regained. Another real
help in this respect are the new record
ings of Christian songs found in the songbook "
Singingand Accompanying Your
selves with Music in Your Hearts, even
as many mothers have testified. It takes
effort, but it is rewarding to note the
knowledge that young children can ac
quire and use as they begin to walk in the
footsteps of Christ Jesus.
PERSONALITY TRAINING ALSO BEGINS EARLY

However, for your child to become a

fine soldier of Christ Jesus it is just as
important, if not more so, that he be
trained from earliest infancy in right
principles. In fact, from the very first
weeks and months of a childs life the
mother is helping to develop the infants

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SHeWATCHTOWER

personality by the love and care she be

stows upon her child. Thus a Dr. S. F.
Yolles writes: Child psychologists and
psychiatrists are finding surprising new
facts . . . A baby is a seeking, reacting
human beingwith previously unsuspect
ed capacity to learn very early in life and
to be far more deeply influenced for good
or ill by the impact of his mothers
behavior.
In a similar vein Dr. Spock, Americas
most popular child-training counselor,
states that by the age of three years a
childs tendencies have already been
formed toward constructive or destructive
ends. Personality trends that have been
fairly well defined before the age of three
have to do with such general attitudes as
trustfulness vs. suspiciousness, friendliness
vs. antagonism, optimism vs. pessimism,
and so forth. And says Benjamin Fine, an
education editor of the New York Times,
in his book 1,000,000 Delinquents: The
first six years are the most important for
determining our characters.
All of which is in line with the findings
of Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck, who are
credited with making Americas most am
bitious studies and research on the sub
ject of the causes of juvenile delinquency.
They have found that delinquents are like
ly to come from homes where there is
little understanding, affection and moral
strength and that tendencies toward delin
quency are apparently anchored deeply
in body and mind and essentially derive
their malformations of personality . . .
during the first few years of life.
In view of these facts the words of the
apostle Paul to the Christians at Thessalonica contain a meaning for all mothers.
He had been the first to preach the good
news to them and so might be said to
have reared them from spiritual infancy.
In doing so he had been so effective that
their ability to weather persecution be-

B r o o k lyn , N .Y .

came a thing of note. And what was Pauls

method? We became gentle in the midst
of you, as when a nursing mother cher
ishes her own children. So, having a ten
der affection for you, we were well pleased
to impart to you, not only the good news
of God, but also our own souls, because
you became beloved to u s / How wise,
therefore, the Scriptural position that cir
cumscribes womans sphere so that she
can give her prime attention to the lov
ing care and training of her children!
1 Thess. 2:7, 8.
Not that mothers alone have this re
sponsibility, but they certainly are with
their children more during those allimportant preschool years. That fathers
also have a responsibility the apostle Paul
shows in the same connection, for he also
likened his activity to that of a father:
As a father does his children, we kept
exhorting each one of you, . . . that you
should go on walking worthily of God.
(1 Thess. 2:11, 12) As already noted, Mo
ses commanded fathers to instruct their
children about Jehovah and the apostle
Paul told fathers to bring up their chil
dren in the authoritative advice of Jeho
vah. There is nothing better in this re
gard than for a father to have a regular
Bible study with his children. Both par
ents must cooperate, each according to his
or her time and opportunities, of which
the mother has the more, but what the
father does often carries more weight.
And so we read: Listen, my son, to the
discipline of your father, and do not for
sake the law of your mother. Eph. 6:4;
Prov. 1:8.
Yes, if parents properly teach a child,
starting early, the result can be that, even
in his tender years, the child can bring
them much joy, and, far from turning to
delinquency, become a dedicated servant
of God and prove himself to be a fine
soldier of Christ Jesus.

liken the quality of self-control. In these last

days how uncommon it is! How many are with
out self-control !2 Tim. 3:1-3.
2
In the Christian Greek Scriptures the Greek
word for self-control is egkrdteia, which means
self-command, self-control; temperance, modera
tion in pleasure; the mastery over, and government
of the passions. (A New Greek and English Lexi
con, by James Donnegan, 1836, page 423) Accord
ing to W ebsters Third New International Diction
ary, self-control is control of oneself: restraint
exercised over ones own
impulses, emotions, or de
sires. Or, it may be said
that self-con trol means
maintaining poise and bal
ance of mental and physi
cal forces, keeping them re
strained or restricted. It is
possible for Christians to
manifest this desired quali
The fruitage o f the spirit i s . . . self-control.Gal. 5 :2 2 ,2 3 . ty, self-con trol, fo r they
have Gods holy spirit and
Hi GENUINE pearl is something of the fruitage of the spirit is . . . selfO T . value. It is rare and is keenly de control
]. (Gal. 5:22, 23) But,
tia
rd
k
[eg
sired. But it is not obtained without effort. just as those who seek genuine pearls must
In the Persian Gulf, where it is said that labor industriously to secure them, so
the finest genuine saltwater pearls are ac must spirit-filled Christians work hard at
quired, the pearl diver may make twenty- developing and displaying this valued
five or thirty descents to the oyster beds pearllike quality, self-control.
a day, surfacing with perhaps a dozen 2. Define self-control.
oyster shells each time. Every dhow,
which is an Arab coasting vessel, has a
crew of forty to fifty men, half of whom
are divers. Yet, we are told: The yield of
fine, genuine pearls is very small. For in
stance, in 1947, the crew of one
boat opening a weeks catch of 35,000 pearl oysters obtained only 21
pearls. Of this number only three
were of gem quality, suitable for
commercial use.
(TheEncyclope
dia Americana, 1956 edition, Vol
ume 21, page 455) To the rare and
precious genuine pearl one might
1. To what might self-control be likened?
Why?
393

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fFHeWATCHTOWEFL

B rooklyn,

N .Y.

s Christs life has been termed the mir es: When the witnesses did not give up
ror of temperance, or of self-control. That the struggle for their religious convictions,
self-control plays no small part in the lives a campaign of terror was launched against
of his followers is evident from the fact them which surpassed anything perpe
that the apostle Paul, when haled before trated against other victims of Nazism in
Governor Felix nineteen centuries ago, Germany. . . . The sufferings of Jehovahs
talked to him about righteousness and Witnesses in the camps were even worse
than those meted out to Jews, pacifists or
self-control
[egkrateia]and the judgment
to come. Yes, self-control was so impor Communists. Small as the sect is, each
tant that Paul made a special point of dis member seems to be a fortress which can
cussing it when he was before the Roman be destroyed but never taken. Also re
garding persecution of Jehovahs witness
governor Felix.Acts 24:24-27.
4 Self-control was a significant Christian es, Richard Mathison states in his book
quality nineteen centuries ago and it is God Is a Millionaire: All this persecution
vital today. As the end of this system of has worn well. . . . And, perhaps, the
things draws ever nearer, there will be sternly conventional have a lesson to learn
times of stress, of crushing anxiety, even from the unyielding courage of this per
grief, for many. With Gods spirit as ex secuted minority. During the Korean War,
pressed in self-control, the Christian will the products of easy Protestantism, of our
be able to remain balanced, while others military schools and our better colleges
crumble under strain. With self-control cracked by the score under the stress and
Christians can and will endure the daily blandishments of Communist brainwash
pressures of life and will weather the se ing. A Pentagon study of the problem
vere storms of persecution. They have al brought forth a red-faced conclusion:
ready demonstrated that they can do so. Those few Jehovahs Witnesses who ended
Of course, to face great opposition and up as prisoners of war . . . withstood to a
violent persecution, various Christian qual man the scientific, psychological efforts
ities must play their part. But, unquestion to convert them to Communism better
ably, self-control is greatly needed. In an than a number of patriotic West Point
cient times Christians displayed it in many ers. Obviously, self-control is one of the
ways, even in the face of deathwhen qualities needed by Christians to endure
others would readily have abandoned their intense persecution. Of course, it is also
principles. These facts of history require required by servants of Jehovah in other
no proof here. (See Awake!, April 22, ways, in the various aspects of life. But
1962, pages 20 and 21, and The Watch- how may this valued pearl be acquired?
tow er, February 1, 1958, pages 73 to 75.)
HOW TO GAIN THIS FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Let it be noted, though, that self-controlled
6
If you, although being wicked, know
Christians have not wavered in their faith
how to give good gifts to your children,
under extreme pressure in the present day.
Jesus Christ once reasoned, how much
5In his book entitled The Nazi State, more so will the Father in heaven give
Professor Ebenstein of Princeton Univer holy spirit to those asking him ! (Luke
sity wrote concerning Jehovahs witness- 11:13) What an assurance! Indeed, Chris
tians who earnestly pray to Jehovah for
3. How important is self-control in Christian life?
4, 5. (a) Self-control will enable the Christian to face
what as the end of this system of things draws nearer?
(b) What modern-day evidence is there of the display
of self-control by Jehovahs witnesses when persecuted?

6,7. (a) If you wish to develop and display selfcontrol, what is a primary requirement? (b) What
qualities must mark Christian prayers for self-control?

Ju l y 1, 1967

afieWATCHTOWER.

395

his spirit as expressed in self-control will

suffer no disappointment, for no matter
what it is that we ask according to his
will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14, 15) So,
as a Christian who wishes to develop and
display self-control, pray to Jehovah
through Christ for Gods spirit so as to ex
press this valued quality. (John 14:6, 14)
And since continued effort will be required
to maintain self-control, heed the admoni
tion to pray incessantly, to persevere
in prayer and to be vigilant with a view
to prayers. (1 Thess. 5:17; Rom. 12:12;
1 Pet. 4:7) Good advice all this!
7In Christian prayers for Jehovahs
spirit and self-control, there must be sin
cerity and humility. If there is anything
within a person, in his heart, that is af
fecting his composure, he should pray to
Jehovah as did David of old, who begged:
Search through me, O God, and know my
heart. Examine me, and know my disquiet
ing thoughts, and see whether there is in
me any painful way, and lead me in the
way of time indefinite. (Ps. 139:23, 24)
Such humble, fervent prayer for Jehovahs
aid will surely bring results.
8Besides praying, however, the Chris
tian who prizes the pearl self-control
should work to gain and maintain balance
by means of daily Bible reading and study.
Joshua was admonished: This book of
the law should not depart from your
mouth, and you must in an undertone read
in it day and night, in order that you may
take care to do according to all that is
written in it; for then you will make your
way successful and then you will act wise
ly. (Josh. 1:8) Self-control, balance, as
well as wisdom will result from such fre
quent consideration of the law of God, pro
vided that you apply Biblical instruction.
And those who constantly place Jehovah

before themselves will not totter.Ps. 16:

8.
9But, understanding of Scriptural doc
trines, laws and principles does not auto
matically come to a person. God is not
dealing with individuals apart from his
earthly organization. (Matt. 24:45-47) A f
ter the outpouring of the holy spirit on
the day of Pentecost in 33 C.E., followers
of Christ met in homes, not only to eat
together and to enjoy pleasant association,
but to praise Jehovah. They held congre
gational meetings at which fellow believ
ers could aid and encourage one another
spiritually. (Heb. 10:24, 25; Matt. 18:20;
Acts 2:46, 47) The same is so today. At
tending Christian meetings enables one to
receive spiritual instruction that is vital
in developing fruits of Gods spirit, includ
ing self-control. Also, at such gatherings
one observes these qualities in action.
10Regular activity in the Christian min
istry is also vitally important. It contrib
utes to balance. When you, as a minister,
encounter and tactfully deal with queries
and contentions, you develop maturity and
greater self-control. Experience gained in
the ministry will help you to maintain
composure, self-command. With that ex
perience and Jehovahs aid, even under
provocation you can let your utterance
be always with graciousness, seasoned
with salt, so as to know how you ought
to give an answer to each one. Col. 4:6.
11 Study of Gods Word and the pursuit
of Kingdom interests will also enable a
person to develop spiritual-mindedness.
Lifes problems can be solved or at least
lessened by appealing to and applying the
Scriptures. The man with a spiritual view
point is balanced; he has self-control and
is a happy person. So, fill your mind with
the thoughts of God regularly. Be sure to
reason on and apply Biblical principles

8, 9. (a) In addition to prayer, what is needed to gain

and maintain balance? (b) What part do Christian
meetings play in this regard?

10. How does regular activity in the Christian mJnJstry

contribute to balance?
11. How does a spiritual viewpoint aid one?

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SReWATCHTOWER

when problems arise. You can thereby

gain and maintain possession of the pre
cious pearl self-control. 1 Cor. 2:6-16.
12 Developing moderation in all things
and cultivating good habits will also con
tribute to self-control. A Christian over
seer is to be moderate in habits. But he
is not the only individual in the congre
gation who should be that way. Paul said:
Women should likewise be . . . moderate
in habits. (1 Tim. 3:2, 11) And to Titus
the apostle wrote: Let the aged men be
moderate in habits. (Titus 2:2) So mod
eration and good habits are Christian
musts! W ork at being moderate in hab
its and make certain they are all good
ones. This will improve your self-control.
13 But beware! Others can affect your
balance. You may now have useful Chris
tian habits, but watch your associations.
Bad associations spoil useful habits.
(1 Cor. 15:33) Bad associates may take
you away from Christian fellowship and
cause you to become a lover of the world.
Never allow that to happen, for the
world is passing away and so is its desire.
By all means display self-command in
choosing your friends. 1 John 2:15-17.
14 Having chosen your associates, how
will you treat them? If you are to develop
greater self-control, then in dealing with
them you must have empathy, putting
yourself in their place at times. (Matt. 7:
12) Give others the benefit of the doubt.
How much better this is than to assume
that someones oversight, his failure to
speak to you on an occasion, for example,
was a deliberate snub. Take a balanced
view of matters. Display self-control and
show insight. It will do you good. Remem
ber this: He that is showing insight in
a matter will find good, and happy is he
that is trusting in Jehovah. Prov. 16:20.
12, 13. In considering self-control, what may be said
of habits?
14. To develop greater self-control, how should you
treat your associates? Why?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

15To develop self-control further as a

Christian, humbly accept discipline. It
may come to you as you read the Bible
and Christian publications, noting admoni
tion that should be applied in your life.
Or, it may come from some Christian
overseer, who also receives discipline in
keeping with his own needs. W hy reject
any Biblical or Christian discipline? A fter
all, it all comes from God, for whom Je
hovah loves he disciplines. (Heb. 12:6)
But, having considered ways of gaining
the pearl self-control, let us appraise its
value when in action.
CONTROL YOUR TEMPER, TONGUE
AND THOUGHTS

16In ancient times, an unwalled city, or

one whose walls had been breached by an
enemy horde, was helpless indeed. Yet, a
man lacking control of his temper is quite
the same. Says Proverbs 25:28: As a
city broken through, without a wall, is
the man that has no restraint for his spir
it. Such a man is without true balance.
He lacks insight too, for Proverbs 19:11
states: The insight of a man certainly
slows down his anger. Such a man should
think of Christ. Jesus said of himself:
I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart.
He pronounced mild-tempered ones happy.
(Matt. 11:29; 5:5) So if you feel the urge
to explode in a fit of anger, meditate on
his words and follow his example. Heb.
12:1-3.
17 However, you may feel that it was
relatively easy for Jesus, a perfect man,
to control his spirit, while with imperfect
humans it is quite another story. But is
it? Abraham and Lot were just imperfect
humans, though they were righteous men.
(Gen. 15:6; 2 Pet. 2:7) When their herds15. What attitude should be adopted toward discipline?
16. (a) A man lacking control of his temper may be
compared to what? (b) Whose temperament is note
worthy?
17. Can imperfect humans control their spirit? Prove
your answer.

Ju l y 1, 1967

f& eW ATCH TOW ER

397

men became enmeshed in angry dispute,

what did Abraham and Lot do? Abram
said to Lot: Please, do not let any quar
reling continue between me and you and
between my herdsmen and your herds
men, for we men are brothers. They
separated but remained on good terms,
as brothers. (Gen. 13:5-12) Well, are
not Christians spiritual brothers? Yes, of
course. Then they too should resolve dif
ficulties, not in a spirit of anger, but with
self-control. How unchristian it would be
to act otherwise!
18Perhaps you recall two fleshly broth
ers, sons of Jacob, who forfeited a better
blessing because they were violent men,
given to wrath. Regarding them Jacob
said in his deathbed blessing of his sons:
Simeon and Levi are brothers. Instru
ments of violence are their slaughter
weapons. Into their intimate group do not
come, O my soul. . . . Cursed be their
anger, because it is cruel, and their fury,
because it acts harshly. Let me give them
a portion in Jacob, but let me scatter
them in Israel. (Gen. 49:5-7) These vio
lent sons of Jacob acted harshly and with
anger. They lacked self-control, whereas
Abraham and Lot possessed it. Certainly
Christians should avoid the course of Sim
eon and Levi and should imitate that of
Abraham and Lot.
19Unrestrained temper damages rela
tionships with others and it shows that
one is not wise. All his spirit is what a
stupid one lets out, says Proverbs 29:11,
but he that is wise keeps it calm to the
last." Aptly, the Congregator of old de
clared: Better is one who is patient than
one who is haughty in spirit. Do not hurry
yourself in your spirit to become offended,
for the taking of offense is what rests in
the bosom of the stupid ones. (Eccl. 7:8,

9) Wisdom is not displayed by one who is

egotistical. And he that is quick to anger
will commit foolishness. (Prov. 14:17)
So, do not quickly take offense. Rise above
petty annoyances. Do not say: I will pay
back evil! Hope in Jehovah, and he will
save you. (Prov. 20:22) Seek ways to
turn aside the anger of others, remem
bering that an answer, when mild, turns
away rage, but a word causing pain makes
anger to come up. (Prov. 15:1) Even if
others cause offense, act quickly to recti
fy matters. Heed Pauls words: Be wrath
ful, and yet do not sin; let the sun not set
with you in a provoked state. Eph. 4:
26; Matt. 5:23, 24.
20 Christians cannot afford to lose selfcontrol and fly into a rage, showing ha
tred instead of love, nor should they har
bor such enmity. (Prov. 26:24-26) If they
did so, they would be in darkness. The
apostle John wrote: He that loves his
brother remains in the light, and there is
no cause for stumbling in his case. But he
that hates his brother is in the darkness
and is walking in the darkness, and he
does not know where he is going, because
the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John
2:9-11) Regardless of where you are or
the nature of prevailing circumstances,
maintain self-control. In the home, for ex
ample, do not be a harsh husband, a nag
ging wife or a pouting, ill-tempered child.
(Col. 3:18-20) Uncontrolled tempers lead
to rage and regret. But those who are
kind, not harsh, considerate, not criti
cal, and mild-tempered rather than illtempered will have heavenly approval in
these respects.
21 Naturally, to control your temper you
have to control your tongue. James wrote:
Out of the same mouth come forth bless
ing and cursing. It is not proper, my broth-

18. With respect to spirit, whose course should

Christians imitate and whose should they avoid?
19. What is the effect of unrestrained temper? So,
what Scriptural advice should be heeded?

20. What did John say of one who hates his brother?
Hence, how should Christians act?
21, 22. Control of the tongue calls for heeding what
Scriptural counsel?

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SfreWATCHTOWER

ers, for these things to go on occurring

this way. A fountain does not cause the
sweet and the bitter to bubble out of the
same opening, does it? My brothers, a fig
tree cannot produce olives or a vine figs,
can it? Neither can salt water produce
sweet water. (Jas. 3:10-12) Yes, James
was discussing the tongue, and the power
ful point he made is plain. Christians must
surely restrain the tongue.
22 Obscene speech, gossip and slander
have no place in the Christians life. Let
a rotten saying not proceed out of your
mouth, Paul told the Ephesians, but
whatever saying is good for building up
as the need may be, that it may impart
what is favorable to the hearers. . . . Let
all malicious bitterness and anger and
wrath and screaming and abusive speech
be taken away from you along with all in
juriousness. (Eph. 4:29-31) Shim un
clean speech. And watch what you say
about others. (Ps. 15:1-3) Do not spread
or even listen to gossip. As stories are re
peated, they are often embellished. Gossip
may thus develop into slander, concerning
which the Israelites were told: You must
not go around among your people for the
sake of slandering. (Lev. 19:16) Heed
those words. In this and in other ways
control your tongue.
23 But if you are to shun gossip, slander
and obscene speech, you must control your
thoughts. So, if what is improper or un
clean comes into mind, exercise restraint.
Bring to mind and meditate on things that
are righteous, chaste, lovable, well spoken
of, virtuous and praiseworthy. (Phil. 4:
8, 9) Pray to Jehovah for greater selfcontrol. This means to avoid materialistic
thinking and worry too. After all, Jesus
said that even when a person has an
abundance his life does not result from the
things he possesses. (Luke 12:15) So
23. How can Christians control their thoughts, and
what kind of thinking should be avoided?

Brooklyn,

N .Y .

why be anxious? Jehovah knows your

needs in the way of food, drink and cloth
ing. Christ wisely declared: Keep on,
then, seeking first the kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these other things
will be added to you. (Matt. 6:25-34)
What good advice! Follow it, exercising
self-control, and you will be happy indeed.
DISPLAY SELF-CONTROL IN EATING,
DRINKING AND RECREATION

24
While we should not be unduly con
cerned about acquiring food or drink, once
we have it we should display self-control.
Proverbs 23:20, 21 warns: Do not come
to be among heavy drinkers of wine,
among those who are gluttonous eaters of
flesh. For a drunkard and a glutton will
come to poverty, and drowsiness will
clothe one with mere rags. Of course,
ones eating may not quite reach the point
of outright gluttony. But overeating can
mean a lethargic, unfruitful ministry and
drowsiness at Christian meetings. There
fore, exercise self-control in eating. And
by all means avoid drunkenness. It de
grades a person. Furthermore, if a Chris
tian became inebriated, this might stum
ble others and bring reproach upon
Jehovahs organization. Drunkenness can
easily ruin ones life entirely, for a habit
ual and unrepentant drunkard must be
disfellowshiped from the Christian congre
gation. He surely pays for his lack of selfcontrol! 1 Cor. 6:9, 10.
26Even when he relaxes, a Christian
cannot forget self-control if he is to please
God. When enjoying recreation, he must
be moderate. Sports, for example, must be
kept in a proper place. Bodily training
is beneficial for a little, wrote Paul; but
godly devotion is beneficial for all things,
24. (a) Though ones eating may not reach the point
of gluttony, what effect could it have? (b) What may
result from a lack of self-control in drinking alcoholic
beverages ?
25. In seeking and enjoying recreation, what should the
Christian bear in mind?

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as it holds promise of the life now and

that which is to come. (1 Tim. 4:8) In
seeking recreation, the true Christian will
not yield to imperfect inclinations of the
fallen flesh, but will select types of enter
tainment or amusement that will have an
upbuilding effect upon him. However, he
will also use good judgment in not keep
ing late hours, which may injure his
health and reduce his effectiveness in the
ministry. So, off to bed he will go early
Saturday night, for instance, so that he
will be fresh and alert for ministerial ac
tivity on Sunday morning. Why dissipate
energies foolishly in the pursuit of recre
ation, only to defeat its very purpose
through a lack of self-control? Act wisely.
Be moderate, exercising self-control in this
aspect of life too.

399

26It is apparent, then, that, like the ex

quisite natural pearl, self-control is nei
ther gained nor developed further without
earnest effort. But it is worth all the work
you put into gaining and manifesting it.
Just consider its value and importance. By
developing and displaying self-control in
these last days, you will please Jehovah.
And, by remaining faithful to him, you
will be the happy recipient of his blessing
now and in his promised new order.
(2 Pet. 3:11-13) In fact, today, with so
much to be done in praising Jehovah and
preaching the good news of the Kingdom,
self-control is vital to your Christian
progress.
26. Why is self-control worth all the work put into
gaining and manifesting it?

to gain the
prize at the Olympic
games?Consider the
requisite preparations
consequences: you must observe
Supply to your fa ith . . . self-con trol. 2 Pet. 1 :5 ,6 .
a strict regimen; must live on
food which you dislike; you must abstain der those of a physician, and afterwards
from all delicacies; must exercise yourself enter the lists. Here you may get your
at the necessary and prescribed times both arm broken, your foot put out of joint,
in heat and in cold; you must drink noth be obliged to swallow mouthfuls of dust,
ing cooling; take no wine as form erly; in to receive many stripes, and after all be
a word, you must put yourself under the conquered. That was the lot of the Greek
directions of a
ilstp
g
uas you wouldathlete
un- of ancient times, according to the
Greek philosopher Epictetus. They had no
1, 2. la) What kind of training was required of Greek
easy time of it. Those athletes, such as
athletes of ancient times? (b) What quality is par
ticularly needed by both athletes and Christians, and
runners,
made strenuous efforts to gain
how does Paul express this ?

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B rooklyn,

N .Y.

fame and a corruptible crown. In the

Olympian games it was fashioned from the
wild olive; in the Pythian games, from
laurel; in the Isthmian games, near Cor
inth, it was a pine wreath. Many were
the rigors of the athletes life and, among
other qualities, he surely needed selfcontrolall this in what might well be a
futile attempt to get personal glory and a
perishable crown!
2 The apostle Paul, in his first canonical
letter to the Corinthian congregation, used
the ancient games as an illustration and
showed the Christians need for selfcontrol. He likened followers of Christ to
runners in a race, saying: Do you not
know that the runners in a race all run,
but only one receives the prize? Run in
such a way that you may attain it. More
over, every man taking part in a contest
exercises self-control in all things. Obvi
ously, Paul displayed self-control, for he
went on to say: Now they, of course, do
it that they may get a corruptible crown,
but we an incorruptible one. Therefore,
the way I am running is not uncertainly;
the way I am directing my blows is so as
not to be striking the air; but I browbeat
my body and lead it as a slave, that, after
I have preached to others, I myself should
not become disapproved somehow. (1 Cor.
9:24-27) Yes, Christians are like runners
in a race, and a runner must discipline
himself. He cannot be immoderate and
erratic in habits and training. In his case
self-control is vital for success.
3Paul and the Corinthian believers to
whom he wrote, men and women alike,
were runners in a race that was much
more important than any athletic contest.
And for them success would mean, not a
withering crown, but the crown of life,
o f which the apostle John wrote later, as
recorded at Revelation 2:10. To obtain

this grand prize, these Christians had to

exercise self-control. And as they did so
they could all afford to look heavenward.
Why? Because Jehovah God, who gives
his holy spirit to true Christians, furnish
es the supreme example of self-control in
action. I kept exercising self-control,
Jehovah has declared through Isaiah. (Isa.
42:14) Of course, there comes a time
when God shows that he is mightier than
his enemies, but never does he lose his
perfect self-control. (Isa. 42:13) Jehovahs
principal attributes of love, power, justice
and wisdom are always in absolute bal
ance. (1 John 4:8, 16; Ps. 62:11; Deut.
32:4; Job 12:13) Humans, with finite
minds, may not always understand divine
dealings, but Jehovah is indeed the very
Paragon of self-control. Dan. 4:34, 35;
Isa. 55:8, 9.
4
But why place so much emphasis on
self-control? Well, consider this: One
lacking this quality may react unfavor
ably, undependably, under pressure. And
persons have little confidence in the ad
vice offered by an individual who is given
to extremes. So, Christian ministers, let
your reasonableness become known to all
men. The Lord is near. A Christian whose
reasonableness is known to all his acquain
tances, one who lives with soundness of
mind and righteousness and godly devo
tion amid this present system of things,
will be viewed as mature, dependable, a
person whose counsel, based on the sure
Word of God, is worthy of credence. (Phil.
4:5; Titus 2:11, 12) Such a person with
self-control can be entrusted with respon
sibility within the Christian congregation.
On the other hand, the lack o f sufficient
self-control may pose problems and neces
sitate the giving of correction to the im
moderate one. Therefore, it behooves any
Christian to develop and display self-

3. With respect to self-control, why can Christians look

heavenward ?

4. Contrast persons who have Christian self-control with

those who do not possess it.

Ju l y 1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER-

401

control. But just what progress is possible

for Christians who have this quality?

formed. And how much greater is that

need today! The good news of Gods es
tablished kingdom is being heralded earth
PROGRESS POSSIBLE FOR
wide. Hence, the need for Christian over
SELF-CONTROLLED MEN
seers and ministerial servants who pos
5In the first century of our Common sess Gods spirit as expressed in balanced
Era, the apostle Paul left Titus in Crete Christian living and self-control is even
that he might correct the things that greater today. This need will grow as
were defective and might make appoint there is further expansion and develop
ments of older men in city after city. ment of Jehovahs earthly organization.
(Titus 1:5) Self-controlled men were need Therefore, let Christian men press on in
ed to serve in such capacities. Paul wrote: developing self-control and the other fruits
For an overseer must be free from ac of Gods spirit. Progress, including privi
cusation as Gods steward, not self-willed, leges of serving as overseers and minis
not prone to wrath, not a drunken brawler, terial servants in newly formed congrega
not a smiter, not greedy of dishonest gain, tions, is open to mature, self-controlled
but hospitable, a lover of goodness, sound Christian men.
in mind, righteous, loyal,
7
A Christian overseer in Crete, as else
(Titus 1:7, 8) Such a man was not an ex
where, should be self-controlled, holding
tremist. He was not self-willed. You would
firmly to the faithful word as respects his
not find him enmeshed in drunken neigh
art of teaching. W hy? That he may be
borhood brawls. He was no smiter. His
able both to exhort by the teaching that
self-command was also shown in that he
is healthful and to reprove those who con
was not greedy of dishonest gain. The
tradict. (Titus 1:8, 9) He must have ac
man who would qualify for oversight, in
curate knowledge of Gods Word in order
whom fellow believers could place con
to impart exhortation, teaching that which
fidence and trust, must be a lover of
is healthful. Sometimes Christians have
goodness. He was to be hospitable and
serious problems and find it difficult to
must be sound in mind. Especially must
weigh these matters of great concern with
he display self-control. With it he could
out assistance. Consequently, they may
avoid rash or unchristian attitudes and
consult with a mature brother, such as the
actions.
congregation overseer. If a person does so,
6Yet, Crete was but a relatively small it is vitally important that he receive
island in the Great or Mediterranean Sea. sound counsel rooted in the Scriptures.
The good news was bearing fruit and Hence, overseers and other servants in the
increasing in all the world. No longer congregation need self-control. They must
being restricted to the Jews, it was reach not be swayed by sentimentality or some
ing the people of the nations, Gentiles other beclouding emotion, for their words
once alienated from God. (Col. 1:5, 6, 21- may well affect precious lives. Those hav
23) As Christian missionary evangelizers ing the responsibility of oversight, if ap
penetrated into new territory, the need pealed to for counsel and aid, should con
for more mature men with self-control sider Biblical laws and principles, pointing
increased, for new congregations were these out to inquirers, who must then
make their own decisions. (Gal. 6:5) So,
5. What kind of men was Titus to appoint? What
quality were they especially to display?
6. What has increased the need for self-controlled
Christian men, and so what should Christian men do?

7. Why is self-control needed by overseers and other

servants in the Christian congregation?

402

f&eW ATCHTOW ER

if a Biblical law or principle is involved in

a matter, it must be viewed from the
Scriptural standpoint by the overseer.
Though a situation is critical and the pres
sure intense, overseers must be careful
that they do not make comments that re
flect a lack of self-control.
8
A Christian does not always find
necessary to discuss a problem with the
congregation overseer. Often it can be re
solved privately by a direct personal ap
peal to the Scriptures, along with prayer
to Jehovah. But if you have a serious
problem and must make a decision, re
member self-control. Resist any tendency
toward impetuosity or presumptuousness.
No matter how weighty the decision or
how difficult the circumstance, maintain
self-command. Think before you act or
speak, for it is a snare when earthling
man has rashly cried out, H oly! and af
ter vows he is disposed to make examina
tion. (Prov. 20:25) Meditate and pray
before reaching a conclusion or making
a solemn agreement. (Eccl. 5:2-5) Do not
lean on your own understanding. Call to
mind the reminders of Jehovah in his
Word and act on these. Remember: The
law of Jehovah is perfect, bringing back
the soul. The reminder of Jehovah is
trustworthy, making the inexperienced
one wise. Ps. 19:7; Prov. 3:1-6.
CONGREGATION JUDICIAL COMMITTEE

a Of course, problems within the Chris

tian congregation may vary considerably.
Therefore, at times, though he is not di
rectly sought out for aid, an overseer may
make efforts to restore a man who has
erred in some way. In fact, the congrega
tion judicial committee may be required
to handle the matter. The apostle Paul told
8.

What should be done in making a personal decision

or solemn agreement?
9. Against what should the overseer and congregation
judicial committee guard in endeavoring to restore one
who has erred?

rooklyn

, N .Y .

Titus to appoint men who were able to

reprove those who contradict. (Titus 1:
9) That could not be accomplished by a
vacillating, uncertain man lacking selfcontrol. So this sterling quality is needed
by the overseer and the entire congrega
tion judicial committee. Paul told the Ga
itlatians: Brothers, even though a man
takes some false step before he is aware
of it, you who have spiritual qualifications
try to restore such a man in a spirit of
mildness, as you each keep an eye on
yourself, for fear you also may be tempted.
Go on carrying the burdens of one anoth
er, and thus fulfill the law of the Christ.
(Gal. 6:1, 2) No emotional, impassioned
judgment, no uncontrolled, ill-advised re
marks should be forthcoming. Those with
spiritual qualifications should not yield to
imperfect human inclinations toward in
temperate words or deeds. Such yielding
would only stand in the way of rendering
real spiritual assistance.
10
Without doubt, the congregation ju
dicial committee needs self-control, so as
to act on principle and not emotion. If
dedicated Christians have sinned but man
ifest true repentance following some mis
deed that calls for disciplinary action, such
contrition should not be ignored. However,
sentimentality must not be permitted to
override Scriptural principle when deci
sions are made that affect the welfare and
cleanliness of the Christian congregation.
At times repentance for gross wrongdoing
is totally lacking, this necessitating the
disfellowshiping of the offender. Acting in
accord with Pauls inspired counsel, re
sponsible ones in the Corinthian congre
gation of old had sufficient courage to oust
a man guilty of incestuous immorality, so
that the congregation might not be hurt
spiritually. Only after true repentance was
10. (a) In order to do what does the committee need
self-control? (b) What steps should the committee take
when repentance for gross wrongdoing is lacking?
when it is manifested?

Ju l y 1, 1967

SEeW ATC H TO W ER,

manifested could they be encouraged to

extend forgiveness and confirm their love
for this person. (1 Cor. 5; 2 Cor. 2:1-11)
The congregation judicial committee of
today must exercise self-control so as to
avoid harshness when mildness and love
are called for, or indecision and weakness
when firmness and determination are es
sential.
SELF-CONTROL VITAL FOR WOMEN, OTHERS

11 Self-control is certainly a must in re

solving personal and congregational prob
lems in a proper manner. Also, the ex
ercise of this fine quality may lead to
increased privileges for Christian men.
But self-control is needed by all Christians
who wish to progress. Godly women who
have it are a real asset to the congrega
tion. Benefits resulting from a Christian
womans exercise of self-control may first
be felt in the home. The capable Christian
wife who has it is a good example in word
and deed. She is like the good woman but
very much unlike the bad woman of whom
it was written: A capable wife is a crown
to her owner, but as rottenness in his
bones is she that acts shamefully. (Prov.
12:4) The Christian wife and mother who
cares for her household duties and her
children and who has at heart the inter
ests of Gods kingdom is kept safe from
the pursuits of idle women who lack selfcontrol. Unlike them, she does not meddle
in the affairs of others, does not gossip or
become ensnared in misconduct. Instead,
she keeps busy in proper pursuits and
thus proves to be a blessing to her hus
band, her children and all her associates.
1 Tim. 2:15; 5:11-15.
12A Christian woman who displays selfcontrol can also expand her ministry. She
may be privileged to assist other women
11. WbaJt kind of person is a Christian wife who has
self-control, and against what is she protected?
12. How can a Christian woman who displays selfcontrol expand her ministry?

403

in the preaching work under the direction

of the overseer and in keeping with the
congregational arrangement for offering
training and personal assistance. It is ap
parent, however, that, if a dedicated wom
an lacks self-control and constantly goes
to extremes in dress or demeanor, she
could not be used to aid other women in
the ministry. (1 Tim. 2:9, 10; 1 Pet. 3:
3, 4) If she wrangles with other women
in the congregation, perhaps even regard
ing petty matters, what kind of an exam
ple does she set? Not a good one. So, if
a Christian woman wishes to make prog
ress toward maturity and to be in a po
sition to take on the privilege of giving
some assistance in ministerial service, to
Jehovahs praise, she must cultivate and
display self-control.
13But, then, what of elderly persons in
the Christian congregation? They too need
self-control. And if they have it, they may
be able to help others. Just think of the
years of experience an older Christian
may have had in Gods service and of re
sulting benefits. Understandably, many
who have served Jehovah faithfully for
a number of years are often turned to for
aid by younger, less experienced Chris
tians. These must make their own deci
sions, but at times an elderly dedicated
servant of Jehovah can be of assistance by
drawing on personal experience and by
directing attention to Biblical principles,
thereby benefiting the inquirer.
14However, advancing age may bring
problems with poor health and diminish
ing vigor. Therefore, elderly Christians
need to cultivate self-control, so that they
will remain joyful despite their hardships.
How often we find that older persons of
13. How can elderly Christians who have self-control
help others?
14. (a) Why is it a pleasure to associate with older
persons in the New World society? (b) Though some
older Christians may not be able to do as much as
they once did in Jehovahs service, how can they
contribute to the advancement of the preaching work?

404

W ATCH TOW ER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

this system of things are out of sorts, Hall, you may be able to help in cleaning
cranky, difficult to please! There is little or may be given other things to do, if
pleasure in associating with them. But you show that you can be trusted to han
older individuals in the New World society dle matters well. Cultivating self-control
of Jehovahs witnesses cultivate and dis will also enable you to advance to greater
play self-control and so it is a pleasure to capability. So, young ones, self-control is
speak with them and to have them as as vital to your Christian progress too.
sociates in the ministry. True, today some
DISPLAY SELF-CONTROL
of them may not be able to do as much
AND CONTINUE TO PROGRESS
as they once did in Jehovahs service. But
16It is evident, therefore, that all Chris
self-control enables them to make prog
tians
can benefit by developing and dis
ress toward greater spirituality, and even
playing
self-control. With it all dedicated
silently, by their steadfastness and exem
servants
of God can improve their min
plary conduct, they spur younger ones on
istry,
the
quality of their service to Je
in Christian activity. The many true-life
hovah
and
their worship in general. Many
accounts of elderly witnesses of Jehovah
are
the
incentives
toward displaying Chris
published in The Watchtower serve as a
tian
self-control.
Mature
persons manifest
source of real encouragement. Indeed, in
ing
this
fruit
of
Jehovahs
holy spirit act
many ways older Christians are making
in
ways
that
contribute
to
the unity and
a fine contribution to the advancement of
advancement
of
Gods
earthly
organiza
the work of preaching the good news of
tion.
They
do
not
cause
problems
or act
the Kingdom. Prov. 16:31.
as disrupting influences within the Chris
15
But what about youngsters you boys
tian congregation. Also, whereas those
and girls? Why, if you display self-control,
lacking self-control cannot be given great
you will bring happiness to your parents.
er responsibility, if you have this quality,
Many children of this wicked system of
you are more likely to be able to shoulder
things lack self-control and act foolishly,
it. You can be trusted to take a balanced
creating problems for their parents. A c
view of matters when decisions must be
tually, they are stupid. Who would want
made. You can thus expand your ministry
to be like them? Proverbs 17:25 says:
and reap increased joys and blessings.
A stupid son is a vexation to his father
17 However, not only is self-control vital
and a bitterness to her that gave him
to
your Christian progress today. Actually,
birth. On the other hand, if, as a Chris
it
is
essential to your gaining life in Gods
tian youngster, you develop self-control,
promised
new order. Paul wrote: More
you will win the approval of Jehovah,
over,
if
anyone
contends even in the games,
your parents and others, in all likelihood.
he
is
not
crowned
unless he has contended
How you act means a great deal, for even
according
to
the
rules.
(2 Tim. 2 :5 ) To
by his practices a boy makes himself rec
gain
Jehovahs
approval
and everlasting
ognized as to whether his activity is pure
and upright. (Prov. 20:11) If you are a life, we must meet his requirements, com
young Christian with self-control, prob plying with his rules. So, let us also put
ably you will be given privileges and some off every weight and the sin that easily
responsibilities in the home. Even at the entangles us, and let us run with endurcongregation meeting place, the Kingdom 16. How can all Christians benefit by developing and
15. What may result if Christian youngsters display
self-control?

displaying self-control?
17. Self-control is vital to Christian progress today,
but what other reason is there for displaying it?

Ju l y 1, 1967

fEe W A T CHTOW ER.

405

ance the race that is set before us, as righteousness, which the Lord, the righ
we look intently at the Chief Agent and teous judge, will give me as a reward in
Perfecter of our faith, Jesus. (Heb. 12: that day, yet not only to me, but also to
1, 2) Imitate his course. He manifested all those who have loved his manifesta
self-control. One who professes to follow tion. (2 Tim. 4:7, 8) The apostle was al
Christ while deliberately ignoring the need ready confident that he had rim the
for self-control may well fail in his race Christian race faithfully and that he
for the prize of everlasting life. Why, he would receive the crown of righteous
could no more hope to win in it than the ness, which has by now been conferred
athlete of ancient times could expect to upon Paul and other spirit-begotten Chris
come off a victor if he scorned discipline tians who have proved faithful to death.
and exercised no self-command. Of course, But, whether your hopes are heavenly or
one Christian cannot and should not judge earthly, you should be displaying selfanother. (Rom. 14:4) But be assured that control and running in such a manner as
Jehovah judges impartially according to to have confidence that you have Jeho
each ones work. (1 Pet. 1:17) Therefore, vahs approval and will gain everlasting
how very hard each Christian should work life, if only you continue in your present
at cultivating and manifesting the fruits godly, self-controlled course.
19
Be determined, therefore, to show
of Jehovahs spirit, including self-control!
self-control. Be an asset to Jehovahs
Ones life is at stake!
18
Even now a Christian can determineearthly organization. Do this whether you
if he is running the race for life in such are an elderly person, a younger adult, or
a way as to have the hope of gaining this a child. Of course, to gain and maintain
prize. In what proved to be the twilight self-control requires effort, great effort at
of his earthly life, after enduring much times. But it is vital to your Christian
more than any athlete of his day, Paul progress. Furthermore, it may mean your
was able to say: I have fought the fine very life. Hence, there is good reason in
fight, I have run the course to the finish, deed to supply to your faith virtue, to
I have observed the faith. From this time your virtue knowledge, to your knowledge
on there is reserved for me the crown of self-control. 2 Pet. 1:5, 6.
18. Even now a Christian can determine what?

19. Why is there good reason to

faith . . . self-control ?

supply to your

T H E Y W O U L D EAT N O B L O O D
Minucius Felix, a Latin writer o f the third century of our Common Era, wrote
a dialogue entitled Octavius. In it he sought to refute charges brought against
professed Christians of his day. One story that had been circulated was that they
drank blood, being initiated by the slaughter and blood of an infant. A fter out
lining pagan practices that showed gross disregard for life and the sanctity of blood,
Minucius Felix showed that those avowing Christianity at that time had respect for
Gods law on blood. H e wrote: They [the heathen] also are not unlike to him who
devour the wild beasts from the arena, besmeared and stained with blood, or
fattened with the limbs or the entrails of men. To us it is not law ful either to see
or to hear o f homicide; and so much do we shrink from human blood, that we
do not use the blood even of eatable animals in our food. (The Octavius of
Minucius Felix, Chap. X X X , as published in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume IV,
pages 191, 192) It is noteworthy that as late as the third century C.E. those claim
ing to follow Christ possessed an attitude toward blood that was Scriptural and
not unlike that of true Christians today. Gen. 9:3, 4 ; Acts 15:28, 29; 21:25.

words, the only way that upright

ones can have true enjoyment of
life as the Creator purposed is for
the wicked to pay with their lives
all the wicked. Clear them out
of the way so
that they will
not hinder
righteousness
in the earth!
But who is to
determine who
are the wicked
OW as never before in mans history ones? and who is able to clear them out
a question has come to the fore with for earths benefit? None of mens wars
the strong voice of demand for an answer:have yet done that, for even if fought for
Is any war just? As we review the wars a right cause they are not selective but
of mundane history we find that nearly kill indiscriminately both those who are
all of them were useless, certainly cruel good and those who are bad and some
and inhuman in the extreme degree, and times spare the most wicked ones. None
a great many turned out as a loss for both theless, the Bible principle still remains
sides. It was General Sherman, a victori firm. Such a war must be fought. It is
ous commander, who said of war: It is very easy to see that the direction and
all hell. In our time we have heard many execution of the war would have to be by
outspoken protests. We have seen orga someone with far more wisdom and power
nized demonstrations by persons who feel than man has.
Such a war would necessarily be gory and
that there is no war that truly can be
would be cruel to those who deserved to
called right or just.
But then the logical reasoning arises: be cleared off the earth. (Isa. 13:9) Once
With selfishness and wickedness in the done, it would be a fine and just thing,
earth, how can persons who love what is and if the one who accomplishes such a
just and who would like to have peace work can afterward rule over those who
live without war? W hy, say they, if we desire justice, righteousness and peace, we
dont fight, all liberty and rights would surely could expect lasting peace. The Bi
be taken away from men. In this they are ble describes this very war, which can
right; there are many enemies of righ truly be called a war to end all wars. In
teousness and justice. Does it require war the previous issue of this magazine we
to maintain justice in the earth? What have discussed the qualifications required
kind of war? A t whose direction? Can for the leader and commander of the vic
torious army. If the reader will consider
there be a just war to end all wars?
Revelation, chapter 19, verses 11 to 16,
W H Y THERE HAS TO BE A JUST WAR
discussed in that issue, he will be better
The Bible expresses in a few words the prepared for what is to be said here.
principle involved: The wicked is a ran
som for the righteous one; and the one FALL OF FALSE RELIGION NOT ARMAGEDDON
dealing treacherously takes the place of
The war that will accomplish such a
the upright ones. (Prov. 21:18) In other wonderful thing is described in the Bible

d c s in

janrir

w ar

W H O L L Y J U S T S

406

Ju l y

1, 1967

SHeWATCHTOWER.

and is titled Har-Magedon (Armaged

don). The Bible indicates that this final
war comes sifter the false religious em
pire of the earth, or Babylon the Great,
is destroyed. So it will not be one false
religion against another. Babylon was on
the Euphrates River, and Babylon the
Great is likewise pictured that way in
Revelation. (16:12) The fight in which
false religion is destroyed comes first, in
what might be called the Battle of Bab
ylon, or the Battle of the Euphrates. At
Armageddon the rulers of earth are not
shown as gathering at the Euphrates but,
from the name Har-Magedon, seem to be
at Megiddo, which is located more than
500 miles west of Babylon. (Rev. 16:14,
16) Another factor to consider is that the
priests or the religious clergy are not in
volved only the kings of the earthbe
cause the religious organization is al
ready gone. (Rev. 19:19) Therefore, the
destruction of Babylon the Great is no
part of Armageddon but the battle of H arMagedon immediately follows it.
In Gods execution of judgment against
the false religious empire of this earth he
permitted the kings of the earth to be his
instruments, venting their rage upon her,
but not destroying His witnesses on earth.
Once started on their destructive course
in the frenzy of their anger, they do not
stop but next turn directly against Gods
witnesses because they are proclaiming
that sovereignty belongs to God and that
his kingdom will rule. This brings the rul
ers into a direct clash with the Lamb of
God, his Son-King Jesus Christ, who is
his Chief Executive Officer and Warrior.
(Rev. 17:14) In fighting against Gods
witnesses whom they can see, they are
really fighting against that which they
cannot see, the heavenly army, and there
fore do not stand a chance of victory. The
Scriptures describe how decisively and
thoroughly they are defeated.

407

A CLOSER VIEW OF THE FIGHT

Speaking of the victorious army under

Jesus Christ, Revelation says: He treads
too the press of the wine of the anger of
the wrath of God the Almighty. (Rev.
19:15) This global winepress will crush
the political vine of the earth with all its
political branches, huge clusters of grapes,
wicked deeds and oppression, which are
the fruitage produced by their kingdoms.
Grapes are usually crushed at wine-making
by human feet, but not so with the vine
of the earth. God threshes with horses
hoofs the product of this vine. The Word
of God and his heavenly armies leap into
the winepress and stamp it out until they
completely express the anger of the
wrath of God the Almighty. It is a time
of victory, and just as in Palestine wine
making was a festive time, the treaders
will doubtless shout and sing as they tram
ple out the grapes. (Jer. 25:30; 48:33) It
will result in a terrible destruction, but
it will be selective, Jehovah God destroy
ing only those who really are against him
and his kingdom and the interests of all
men. Rev. 14:18-20; Joel 3:12-17.
Impressing upon us the reality and lit
eralness of this war to end wars, the vi
sion given to the apostle John continues:
I saw also an angel standing in the sun,
and he cried out with a loud voice and
said to all the birds that fly in midheaven:
Come here, be gathered together to the
great evening meal of God, that you may
eat the fleshy parts of kings and the
fleshy parts of military commanders and
the fleshy parts of strong men and the
fleshy parts of horses and of those seated
upon them, and the fleshy parts of all, of
freemen as well as of slaves and of small
ones and great. Rev. 19:17, 18; com
pare Ezekiel 39:17-21.
In Bible times persons who were con
sidered as deserving of a resurrection
were given a respectful burial. The ones

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SKeWATCHTOWER.

slaughtered at Armageddon are shown as

being left as food for the carrion-eating
birds o f the heavens. They will not be
buried with military honors nor have
graves with markers to memorialize them
for mourners and idolizers. Those de
stroyed in this war will not be mourned,
for the reason that they have shown
themselves undeserving of mercy. By
their removal the earth is cleansed.Jer.
25:31-33; Num. 35:33.
A practical literal benefit will come be
cause of allowing the birds to clean the
bones of these enemies of Goda health
benefit. Many have been the epidemics
that have been caused by the wholesale
destruction and devastation of past wars.
The air will not be polluted by the smell
nor the water contaminated by these dead
corpses. Those who survive, being unable
to bury such great numbers, will not be
in danger of decimation by disease epi
demic. Jesus, when on earth, told his dis
ciples: Wherever the carcass is, there
the eagles will be gathered together.
(Matt. 24:28) This victory will be a feast,
not only for the literal birds, but also, in
a sense, for those who survive, for they
will feast because of the end of wicked
ness. They will appreciate Gods protec
tion and provision for them. In this way
it can be called the great evening meal
of God.
ORGANIZATION BROKEN UP

In Johns vision he was able to see the

battle array against the heavenly warrior
Jesus Christ. It is formidable. John says:
And I saw the wild beast and the kings
of the earth and their armies gathered
together to wage the war with the one
seated on the horse and with his army.
(Rev. 19:19) The lineup on one side will
be the political organizations on earth un
der Satans control, including the kings of
the earth and all those military forces

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that owe allegiance to them. On the other

side no earthly ones are seen with m ili
tary equipment. Why? It will be the ar
mies in heaven that will fight against the
political organization. This is more than
sufficient. The results are described:
And the wild beast was caught, and
along with it the false prophet that per
formed in front of it the signs with which
he misled those who received the mark of
the wild beast and those who render wor
ship to its image. While still alive, they
both were hurled into the fiery lake that
bums with sulphur. Rev. 19:20.
The wild beast got its power and its
throne and great authority from the drag
on. The false prophet, being the sym
bolic seventh head of the political wild
beast, automatically gets authority in con
nection with the wild beast. This head
represents the Anglo-American World
Power, as the final actual world power
of this system of things. True, there is an
eighth, but it is merely a combine of the
powers of earth and an image of the origi
nal wild beast expressed in the League of
Nations, now the U.N. (Rev. 17:11) The
Anglo-American World Power is called
the false prophet because it holds a
dominant position in the worlds political
system and presumes to speak for it,
speaking as a dragon, that is, like the
Devil. Rev. 13:1, 2, 11-15.
At Armageddon the false prophet will
be proven false. He has claimed always
to fight only a just war, and falsely called
World War I the war to end all wars. He
has taken the lead in pointing the people
to the image of the beast, the U.N., and
proclaimed it to be the worlds last hope
of peace, which amounts really to an of
ficial declaration against the kingdom of
God.
The wild beast and the false proph
et will be caught alive, red-handed, as
it were, while engaging in their bloody

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409

SEeWATCHTOWER.

fight against Jehovahs witnesses on earth.

All the blood they have shed in human
history will now be required of them.
(Gen. 9:5) Raging at their captivity, the
wild beast and the false prophet will
savagely, in desperation, try to break
loose, but they will be unable to tear
apart the bands that hold them or the
cords tying them. Jehovah God will laugh
at their wild efforts. Ps. 2:1-4.
How will these, having been caught, be
disposed of? Will they be preserved alive?
Will they be killed and buried in Hades
or Sheol, which is the common grave of
dead mankind, from which resurrection is
possible? No, these political organizations
are slated to be hurled into the fiery lake
that bums with sulphur. This the Bible
describes as the second death. (Rev. 20:
14) It means the death from which there
is no resurrection. They will be burned up
root and branch, as completely gone for
ever as the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,
which Jehovah God burned up by a rain
of fire and sulphur from heaven, never
to be rebuilt. It is destruction in Gehenna
in which God destroys both body and soul
(any right or possibility of living).Matt.
10:28; Gen. 19:23-29; 2 Pet. 2:6-9; Jude 7.
The Bible shows that, after these politi
cal organizations are burned up, there will
still be kings of the earth and their ar
mies remaining. Without organization, all
world unity and political authority and
all political alliances will be broken down.
Imagine this brief time when there is no
control, restraint or direction! It follows
that there will be wild confusion and dis
order. They will madly fight one another,
as took place in days of old. (2 Chron.
20:23; Zech. 14:13) Jesus Christ while on
earth foretold it, saying: There will be
great tribulation such as has not occurred
since the worlds beginning until now, no,
nor will occur again. In fact, unless those
days were cut short, no flesh would be

saved; but on account of the chosen ones

[the remnant of the 144,000 yet on earth]
those days will be cut short. Matt. 24:
21, 22, 38, 39.
TW O DESTINIES

What is the fate of those who live

through this? They are to be killed off in
execution of their death sentence pro
nounced by the long sword out of the
mouth of the victorious King of kings.
This will not include the flesh that is to
be saved, for, to be sure, the heavenly ar
my under Christ will not kill true Chris
tians. They will be concealed by Jeho
vahs hand. Zeph. 2:3; Isa. 26:20, 21.
Such a war, you may say, is terrible to
contemplate. True, it is, but that is all the
more reason to take steps to avoid being
on the wrong side, for the war is inevi
table. It is mandatory for justice sake.
Gods decree is that it must come to clean
wickedness from the earth once for all
time. God is the Judge of matchless per
fection and he knows those who serve him
and those whose hearts are turned toward
righteousness. He also knows those who
are wickedly bent and hardened toward
him, just as he knew Pharaoh of old.
From the foregoing it is clear that there
will indeed be a just war. It will not be a
war prosecuted according to mans stan
dard of justice, but by the perfect stan
dard of Gods justice. While it will de
stroy many, such ones will be those who
deserve destruction. But think what it will
mean for survivors and the earths future
inhabitants, among whom will be many
who have been slaughtered in the unjust
and unrighteous warfares of past history,
brought back by a resurrection. The Bible
says: When there are judgments from
you [Jehovah] for the earth, righteous
ness is what the inhabitants of the pro
ductive land will certainly learn. He will

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3fteW ATCHTOW ER

judge the productive land with righteous

ness and the peoples with his faithfulness.
(Isa. 26:9; Ps. 96:13) Yes, the war of
Armageddon will clear the earth of the
enemies of God and man. Of the reign of
his Warrior-Son, who will also be the ever
lasting King, Jehovah himself has prophe
sied: To the abundance of the princely

COLORFUL
APOSTLE
W H O TOOK
TH E

INITIATIVE
F THE twelve apostles that Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, chose to ac
company him, Peter was by far the most
colorful. Warmhearted and impulsive,
frank and outspokenwe cannot help lik
ing him. It is easy for us to put ourselves
in his place; to feel for him.
Peter was a man of action, quick to
speak his thoughts, quick to act out his
feelings. Because of his emotional nature
he readily went from one extreme to an
other. As a result it was his lot to know
the extremes both of sorrow and of joy.
His was the joy to hear his Master highly
commend him for having said, You are
the Christ, the Son of the living God,
and to receive the keys of the kingdom of
the heavens. But his was also the keen

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rule and to peace there will be no end,

upon the throne of David and upon his
kingdom in order to establish it firm ly
and to sustain it by means of justice and
by means of righteousness, from now on
and to time indefinite. The very zeal of
Jehovah of armies will do this. Isa. 9:
6, 7.

g r ie f of seeing his
M a s t e r g i v e h im a
look of reproach and
sorrow for having de
nied him three times.
M a tt. 1 6 : 1 6 - 1 9 ;
Luke 22:61, 62.
Above all else, Pe
ter had a good, hon
est heart. He was as
far removed from the
hypocritical scribes
and Pharisees of his
day as one could pos
sibly be. To steal se
cretly from the comm on t r e a s u r y o f
Jesus intimate group, as did Judas, would
have been unthinkable for Peter. And be
cause of Peters good heart God granted
him repentance and recovery, things de
nied the dishonest traitor, Judas. God not
only restored Peter to his favor, after his
denial of Jesus, but greatly used him there
after. John 12:4-6.
Peter was the son of John. He is first
shown as residing at Bethsaida, on the
Sea of Galilee near the Jordan River. Lat
er we read of his being in Capernaum,
where he and his brother Andrew were
in the fishing business, he having his own
boat. Though the religious leaders referred
to Peter and the apostle John as un
learned and ordinary, they, as business
men who had dealings with both Jews

Ju l y 1, 1967

fH eW ATCH TO W ER

and Greek-speaking Gentiles, doubtless

could read and write both Hebrew and
Greek. Peter was married, and at least in
his later years his wife accompanied him
on his missionary travels. Matt. 8:14;
16:17; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:3; Acts 4:
13; 1 Cor. 9:5.
Peter appears early in Jesus ministry
when he first became a disciple or learn
er, and when Jesus changed his name
from Simon, meaning hearing, to Pe
ter, a piece of rock. About six months
later he beeame a full-time disciple and
follower of Jesus, when he and his brother
Andrew, together with their cousins
James and John, left their fishing business
to become fishers of men. Well over a
year later Peter was chosen, along with
eleven others, to be an apostle, a sent
forth one. John 1:35-44; Matt. 4:1822; 10:1-4.
IMPULSIVE QUICK TO ACT

Repeatedly in the Gospels we find ex

amples of Peters impulsive nature. When
Jesus caused Peter and those with him to
have a miraculous catch of fish, just be
fore his calling them to be full-time dis
ciples, it was just too much for Peter. He
fell down at the knees of Jesus, saying:
Depart from me, because I am a sinful
man, Lord. When Peter saw his Master
walking on the water, he was eager to do
the same, and actually did until his faith
weakened. When a mob, armed with clubs
and swords and led by religious leaders,
came to take Jesus, Peter again was quick
to act, seeking to protect his Master by
means of the literal sword, but succeeding
only in slicing off the ear of one of the
mob. And later, after Jesus death and
resurrection, when Jesus again caused Pe
ter and his companions to have a miracu
lous catch of fish, and Peter learned that
it was Jesus who stood on the shore, Pe
ter at once plunged into the sea and swam

411

to shore, not wanting to wait with the rest

until they had slowly pulled the net full
of fish to land. Luke 5:6-9; Matt. 14:2631; John 18:10, 11; 21:1-8.
Peters ardor and impulsiveness were
such as to cause him at times to contra
dict his Master, thus evincing a lack of
due modesty, humble though he was. Thus
he felt free to raise strong objections to
Jesus remarks about his destined suffer
ing and death, making it necessary for Je
sus to reprove him severely with the
words: Get behind me, Satan! Further,
when Jesus, because strength had gone
out of him to cure a certain woman, asked,
Who was it that touched m e? it was
Peter who felt free to correct Jesus by
saying: Instructor, the crowds are hem
ming you in and closely pressing you. In
other words, Why, Jesus, of course peo
ple are touching you! And was it not Pe
ter who first objected to his dear Masters
washing his feet, only to want Jesus to
wash his head and hands also after hear
ing Jesus reply? Matt. 16:21-23; Luke
8:43-45; John 13:1-10.
TAKING THE INITIATIVE

Peter, by his various names, Simon,

Symeon, Simon Peter, Peter and Cephas,
is mentioned in the inspired record more
frequently than are his eleven apostolic
companions combined, or about as often
as is the apostle Paul. He is the first one
mentioned of those whom Jesus called to
the full-time discipleship and whenever
Peter is named with these other apostles
he invariably comes first, and this is so
whether all twelve are named (the rest
are not always named in the same order),
or only four, three or two of the apostles.
Matt. 10:2; Mark 13:3; Luke 9:28;
22:8.
It is in keeping with the foregoing,
therefore, that we find Peter speaking up
of his own initiative more frequently than

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3fceWATCHTOWEFL

the other eleven put together, whether on

his own behalf or on behalf of the rest.
Thus it is Peter who asks: Lord, how
many times is my brother to sin against
me and am I to forgive him? It is Peter
who suggests erecting three tents while
he and James and John are in the Mount
of Transfiguration. And it is Peter who
observes the effect of Jesus curse upon
a certain fig tree: Rabbi, see! the fig
tree that you cursed has withered up.
Matt. 18:21; 17:4; Mark 11:21.
As for Peter speaking out in behalf of
the twelve: When Jesus asked them all,
You [plural], though, who do you say
I am ? it is Peter who responds with con
fidence: You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God. And when many of Jesus
disciples took offense at what Jesus had
said and had left him, and Jesus asked
the twelve if they also were going to leave
him, it is Peter who replies: Lord, whom
shall we go away to? You have sayings of
everlasting life. Again, after Jesus gave
an illustration, it is Peter who requests:
Make the illustration plain to
And
likewise it is Peter who speaks on behalf
of the twelve, asking: What actually will
there be for us, who have left all to
follow you?Matt. 16:15-17; John 6:67,
68; Matt. 15:15; 19:27.
Forward as Peter was, because of his
impulsive nature, his ardor and zeal, he
was not designingly ambitious. It was not
he but James and John, his two closest
companions, who, together with their
mother, asked Jesus for the chief seats in
his kingdom. (Matt. 20:20-24; Mark 10:
35-41) Jesus, therefore, did not consider
Peters forwardness a serious flaw that he
would correct by studiously ignoring Pe
ter, setting him in his place, as it were.
But, recognizing Peters good qualities, Je
sus granted him special privileges. He was
among the three apostles who were with
Jesus at the time of the transfiguration

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vision and at the time of his raising of

Jairus daughter and in the garden of
Gethsemane.Matt. 17:1; 26:36, 37;
Mark 5:35-42.
Then, again, it was with Peter that Je
sus on one occasion discussed the question
of paying taxes and whom he caused to
catch a fish in whose mouth Peter found
the necessary coin to pay the temple tax.
(Matt. 17:24-27) Jesus especially prayed
for Peter and commissioned him to
strengthen his brothers. Peter most likely
was also the first of the apostles to whom
Jesus showed himself after his resurrec
tion and later it was to Peter that Jesus
gave the repeated admonition to feed his
lambs and his little sheep. And, as already
noted, it was to Peter that Jesus gave the
keys of the kingdom. Mark 16:7; Luke
22:32; 24:34; John 21:15-17; 1 Cor. 15:5.
AFTER JESUS DEATH AND RESURRECTION

It was, therefore, but to be expected

that after Jesus resurrection, when he
was no longer continuously with his dis
ciples, Peter would take the initiative, and
this he did, both in personal matters and
in executing the divine commission. Thus
it was Peter who took the initiative in
choosing a successor for Judas after Jesus
had ascended into heaven and while they
were waiting for the holy spirit. And so
when the holy spirit was poured out upon
the 120 disciples gathered in the upper
room in Jerusalem we see Peter, true to
the commission given him, taking the
lead in preaching to the Jews about Jesus,
his resurrection and the meaning of what
had taken place that day. He thereby used
the first of the keys of the kingdom that
Jesus had entrusted to him, to unlock to
the Jews knowledge of the opportunity to
become members of the heavenly king
dom.Acts 1:15-26; 2:1-41.
When the religious rulers haled the
apostles before them because o f their

Ju l y 1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

preaching about Jesus Christ, it was Peter

who took the initiative in speaking. When
Ananias and Sapphira brought their con
tribution, we read that they presented it
to the apostles. But it was Peter whom
Jehovah God used to expose their dishon
esty in representing it as being the total
value of the property they had sold when
it was not and to pronounce upon them
Gods judgment, as a result of which both
fell dead. And it appears that Peter also
had greater power for healing than oth
ers, for we read that even his shadow ef
fected cures; his power being similar to
that possessed by the apostle Paul in this
regard.Acts 5:1-29; 19:11, 12.
When the older men at Jerusalem sent
Peter and John to Samaria so that the
converts there might receive the holy spir
it, Peter again is shown as taking the ini
tiative. This is indicated by the fact that,
although Simon offered them money for
the power to impart the holy spirit to oth
ers, it was Peter who sternly rebuked him.
From this incident originated the name
simony, meaning the buying of church
offices for money; a practice very wide
spread in the Roman Catholic Church dur
ing the Middle Ages. Acts 8:14-24.
Incidentally, the fact that others sent
or dispatched Peter and John to Samaria
clearly indicates that Peters taking the
initiative did not give him authority over
others. Nowhere is he shown as exercising
authority over the other apostles nor are
the others shown as giving him deference
as the prince or chief of the apostles.
After Peter performed several more
miracles, we next learn of his using the
second key of the kingdom to bring the
good news to the first uncircumcised Gen
tile to be converted to Christianity, the
Roman army officer Cornelius of Caesarea.
By means of a vision in which Peter was
repeatedly commanded to eat animals that
were unclean according to the Law of Mo-

413

ses, God gently prepared the mind of Pe

ter for this radical change in Gods deal
ing with peoples no longer were the
uncircumcised people unclean in Gods
sight. Returning to Jerusalem, Peter had
to face strong opposition by the Jewish
Christians there, but he stood his ground,
explained how God had prepared him for
this change and what had taken place. As
a result, the Jewish Christians rejoiced
that God was now granting repentance
and the Kingdom hope also to the Gentiles.
Acts 10:1-11:18.
Apparently not long after this, King
Herod Agrippa had Peter arrested to
please the Jews, but God sent his angel
to free Peter, for God had more work for
Peter to do. Upon being released from
prison Peter reported to the local con
gregation, which had met in the home of
John Mark to pray for Peter, and then he
went to another place. (Acts 12:1-17)
From then on the colorful and impulsive
apostle Peter is eclipsed in the inspired
record of the book of Acts by the apostle
Paul, and we no more read of Peter there
in except at the meeting of the governing
body of Christians in Jerusalem to con
sider the question as to whether Gentile
converts to Christianity needed to be cir
cumcised. On that occasion Peter related
how Jehovah had used him to bring the
good news to the Gentiles as proof that
God no longer was making any distinc
tion between Jew and Gentile and urged
that they should not fasten a yoke upon
these Gentile Christians that they them
selves had been unable to bear. Acts 15:
7-11.
For further information about Peter we
need to turn to his letters and particularly
those of the apostle Paul. From Pauls
letters we learn that Peter resided for
some years in Jerusalem, also in Antioch,
and that Peter had not changed much but
was still given to being swayed by emo-

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35eWATCHTOWEFt

tion. How so? In that he was ashamed to

be seen associating with Gentile Chris
tians when certain Jewish Christians came
down from Jerusalem; evidently such as
did not fully appreciate that God no longer
required circumcision. On that occasion
Peter withdrew from his association with
Gentile Christianshow hurt those Gen
tile Christians must have felt about that!
Fittingly, for this Paul publicly rebuked
him. Peter was chosen as head of a sect
in Corinth and likely preached in the cities
of northern Asia Minor that he mentions
in his first letter.* Gal. 1:17, 18; 2:1,
7-14; 1 Cor. 1:12; 1 Pet. 1:1.
LESSONS FOR CHRISTIANS TODAY

Truly the Scriptural record of the apos

tle Peter is a most interesting one. Color
ful and impulsive, he was certain to have
his ups and downs. His big, warm
and honest heart made him quick to say
and to act out what his fellow apostles
most likely thought themselves. No doubt
when they saw Jesus walking on the wa
ter they too thought, What a wonderful
thing to be able to do that! but it was
only Peter who spoke and acted upon that
sentiment by asking Jesus to enable him
to do the same and then proceeding to do
it! And most likely the others also were
embarrassed when Jesus began to wash
their feet, but only Peter spoke out, for
it just did not seem right for his Master
to be washing his feet! And in the garden
of Gethsemane no doubt the others also
felt righteous indignation, and at least one
other had a sword, but it was Peter who
impulsively acted in defense of his Master.
A review of Peters colorful life is
most upbuilding spiritually. Above all, it
is faith-strengthening. For example, there
is the candor displayed by all the Bible
writers that tell us about Peter, the four
* As for the claim that Peter went to Rome, see
The Watchtower, March 1, 1966, pp. 150-155.

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writers of the Gospels and the apostle

Paul, that stamps their accounts as truth.
Here is a person specially chosen by the
Son of God to enjoy outstanding privileges
among the apostles and he is not spared
in the least! Only in the Bible could we
find such a convincingly true-to-life por
trait of a person of such colorful con
trasts, so strong and yet weak in some re
spects, yes, so much like so many of us!
Here was an outspoken man, of strong
faith and yet encumbered with the weak
nesses of a strong emotional nature, im
pulsive, going from one extreme to the
other. The Bible record does not glorify
him nor does it make excuses for him. His
own honesty shines through in the fact
that the record that deals most severely
with his shortcomings, that of Mark, is
the one that is based on what he himself
said! Truly it is an honest record.
There is also a lesson of faith and en
couragement for all Christians in that Pe
ter remained faithful to the end. In spite
of his repeated mistakes, he did not get
discouraged or get bitter and quit, and
neither, for that matter, did Jehovah or
his Master, Jesus Christ, get impatient
with him and cast him off. What a lesson
for Christians when induced to get dis
couraged because of having been over
come by a fault! But our repentance must
be genuine as was Peters, for we read
that he wept bitterly. Matt. 26:75.
And in the account of Peter we also see
the big-heartedness of his Master, Jesus
Christ. Jesus did not reject Peter because
of his impulsiveness. Jesus was at all
times governed by principled love, agape,
not by sentiment or personal feelings. Thus
while he preferred the apostle John, hav
ing special affection for him, he gave
Peter many wonderful privileges. Truly,
there is much of profit to be found in con
sidering the Bible record of such a per
son as the colorful apostle Peter!

HOLD TO THE CUSTOM OF NOT NEGLECTING GODS HOUSE

/C U S T O M is defined as a habitual
V * ' practice; the usual way of acting in
given circumstances. A s Christians our custom or habitual practice should be not to
neglect God's house. A s Nehemiah expressed
it: W e should not neglect the house of our
God. (Neh. 10:39) And as the apostle Paul
counseled: Hold fast the public declaration
of our hope without wavering, . . . not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as
some have the custom, but encouraging one
another, and all the more so as you behold
the day [of Jehovah] drawing near. Heb.
10:23-25.*
Jesus Christ when on earth as a man certainly made it his custom not to neglect
God's house. W hile he preached in ever so
many places, he made it his custom, his
habitual practice, to be at the local synagogue or at Jerusalems temple on the sabbath day. That is where he was obligated
to be, and that is where the people were
on that day, so Jesus used the opportunity
to teach them the W ord of God. Matt. 13:
54; Luke 4:16-21; John 18:19-21.
The apostle Paul imitated Jesus in this
as in other features of Jesus' ministry. (1 Cor.
11:1) So we find that it also was his custom
to go to the synagogue on the sabbath to find
opportunities to preach and to teach. (Acts
13:14-16) And showing that he appreciated
the need to associate with his brothers are
his words found at Romans 1:11, 12: I am
longing to see you, that I m ay impart some
spiritual gift to you in order for you to
be made firm; or, rather, that there may be
an interchange of encouragement among you,
by each one through the others faith, both
yours and mine.
Many religionists of Christendom go to
their houses of worship only once or twice a
year, but appreciative Christians do not follow such a custom with regard to their meetings. And while those religionists might content themselves with ritual and formalism s,
we know that from the very beginning true
Christians came together to hear Gods W ord
preached. As one historian so well expressed
it: W hat is clearly apparent is that the
teaching of Jesus of Nazareth was a prophetic
teochmg, of the new type that began with
the Hebrew prophets. . . . Its only organi-

------* For details

see The Watchtower, January 1, 1966.

|
|
X
>
!*!

%
|
X
>
|
X
>
**
>

%
|
X

zation was an organization of preachers and

its chief function was the sermon.
A s dedicated Christian witnesses of Jeho
vah we today appreciate how important it
is for us to heed the words of Paul, to feel
as he did about associating with our broth
ers. That is why we should leave no stone
unturned to come together regularly, to make
it our custom, our habitual practice, to attend
the five weekly congregational meetings. W e
know that at these meetings we learn the
truth of God's W ord and get to understand
better his purposes and his will for us. And,
equally important, at these meetings, and
especially at the service meeting and the
Theocratic Ministry School, we learn to ex
press ourselves better; we receive training so
that we might become able, tactful, effective
and fruitful servants in the field ministry.

More than that, at these meetings we also

learn to cooperate with one another; we re
ceive practical help and find opportunities for
bringing forth the fruits of the spirit. In
!! particular will we be helped to cultivate the
$ fruit of love, the agape kind of love, which
* has been defined as spontaneous, self-giving
love, expressed freely without calculation of
f
| cost or gain to the giver.
X
Is not that the way God gave his only begotten Son, the dearest treasure of his
| heart, for sinful mankind, not deserving such
a g ift? And so we, too, want to be unselfish
> in our ministry, whether people are appre
!! ciative and deserving or not. Holding to the
X custom of not neglecting God's house will
help us to cultivate this fruit of the spirit,
If! agape love. John 3 :1 6 ; 1 Cor. 13:4-8.

However, let us not forget that not to ne

|
X

glect Gods house includes more than support

ing congregational meetings by attending and
taking part in them. It also includes inviting
others to worship at our Kingdom Halls with
!*!
us, aiding them to get there as we m ay have
*:*
opportunity. It also means supporting our
>
!*! Kingdom H alls by voluntary contributions
and by helping to keep them neat and clean,
> and making it our custom to pray that Gods
If! blessing rest upon his house. Ps. 122:6-9.
$
Happy are all those who make it their
!*!
X

If!
t
415

custom, their habitual practice, to imitate

Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul in not
neglecting Gods house!

date m ay be related to the name of the river

that has its source just below the city and
which is known as Nahr el-Leddan.
Jerome,
historian
and
Bible
translator
{Comm, in Matt, xiv, 13), was of the opinion
that the name of the Jordan River derived
from the rivers having two sources, one named
Jor and the other Dan, resulting in the united
streams being called Jordan, which name
was in use in Abrahams day. (Gen. 13:10) A t
any rate, there is nothing to argue against the
existence of this name Dan as applying to the
indicated area in the time of Abraham. The
correspondence of this early name to that of
the forefather of the tribe of Dan m ay have
been coincidental or even divinely directed.
Compare the example of Salem at Genesis
14:18 and Hebrews 7:2 .
The name Dan again appears in the Penta
teuch at Deuteronomy 34:1, where it is included
among the extremities of the territory seen by
Moses in his final view of the Promised Land.
The use of the name Dan here could corre
spond to its usage in the case of Abraham or
could be the result of Joshuas recording the
final portion of the book, which includes events
following Moses death.

The Bible account at Judges 18:27-29 says

that a certain place was not named Dan until
the Danites went up and took it. How is it,
then, that the Bible book of Genesis speaks of
the place as being called Dan in Abraham's
tim e?
This city in the well-watered region in the
extreme north of Palestine, prior to its capture
by the tribe of Dan, was called Leshem or
Laish by the pagan inhabitants. (Josh. 19:47;
Judg. 18:7, 27-29) The Danites rebuilt the de
stroyed city and called it Dan by the name
of their father, Dan. However, the city is
mentioned some four centuries earlier by the
name of Dan in the account of Abrahams
pursuit of Chedorlaomer and his allies all the
way up to Dan. (Gen. 14:14) It is possible
that this use of the name Dan at that early

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

Over nineteen hundred years ago Jesus

Christ said: Man must live, not on bread
alone, but on every utterance coming forth
through Jehovahs mouth. (Matt. 4 :4 ) These
words are as applicable today as when they
were first spoken. Jehovahs Christian wit
nesses know this and so they realize that, to
be spiritually nourished, it is important not
to neglect the house of the true God. Regularly
each week their meetings build them up spiri
tually and equip them to witness to others
about God. During July, as they apply this
training, they will be sharing with others one
of the fine Bible-study aids that they use in
their own congregation meetings. They will
offer to all persons the book Life Everlasting
in Freedom of the Sons' of God, with a
booklet, for only 5 0 c .;
W H AT GOVERNS YOUR RELATIONS
WITH OTHERS?

The ability to win friends and influence

people is the desire and ambition of many sin

cere persons. Is it yours? Do you take into

consideration with it how your efforts along
these lines please God? Our relationship with
others should concern us, but so should the
principles that God has laid down in his W ord,
the Bible, to govern these relations. W h a t Bible
principles are involved in a happy m arriage?
How do they affect our choice of employment,
our attitude toward political. activities in the
community and conflicts between nations?
Read the hardbound book of , 416 pages, Life

Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God.

Sent at once, fo r only 50c. W rite today and
receive free the timely booklet When God Is
King over All the Earth.
' *
WATCH TOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

July
23: Developing and Displaying SelfControl, JI1-23. Page 393. Songs to Be Used:
85, 75.
July
30: Developing and Displaying SelfControl, 1124-26, and Self-Control V ital to
Progress. Page 398. Songs to Be Used: 73,
94.
?

416

1
v
1\\
T h *

JULY 15, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

FESTIVALS OF PRAISE
TO JEHOVAH
THE THREE ANNUAL
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS
TRUE CHRISTIANITY
INSPIRES UNSELFISHNESS
THE REMOVAL OF MANKINDS
CHIEF DISTURBER
W TB &TS

skivin'

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS J E H O V A R -ls a 43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very w atchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h at is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name The W a tch tow er this magazine iustly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since The W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , The W a tc h tow er
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
The W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? Th e Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f The W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

W A TCH T O W ER B IB L E
117 A d a m s S tre e t
N . H. K norr , President

P U B L IS H E D B Y T H E
A N D T R A C T S O C IE T Y O F P E N N S Y L V A N IA
B ro o k ly n , N .Y . 11201, U .S .A .
G rant S uiter, Secretary

They w ill a ll be taught by Jehovah." John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 5 4 :1 3

CONTENTS

A verage prin tin g each issue: 4,950,000 Five cents a copy

The Refining Power of Adversity

419

True Christianity Inspires Unselfishness

421

Festivals of Praise to Jehovah

425

The Three Annual National Conventions

435

The Removal of Mankinds

Chief Disturber

444

Questions from Readers

447

The Bible translation used in The Watchtower is the New World

T r a n s la t io n o f th e H o ly Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols w ill appear behind the citations:

A S - American Standard Version

A T An American Translation
A V - Authorized Version (1611)
D g - Catholic Douay version
Jewish Publication Soc.

Le M oRo RSYg-

Isaac Leeser's version

James Moffatt's version
J. B. Rotherham's version
Revised Standard Version
Robert Young's version

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OW prone we are to shrink back

or try to come out from under the
trials and sufferings of adversity! Yet are
not all such the common lot of human
kind? As patient Job exclaimed in the
midst of his trials: Man, born of woman,
is short-lived and glutted with agitation.
And as wise King Solomon observed, the
lot of man means pains and vexation.
Job 14:1; Eccl. 2:23.
Since adversity is the lot of human
kind, why rebel against it? Adversity, re
gardless of its cause or nature, can ac
tually work out good for us if we bear up
under it in the right frame of mind and
for the sake of principle. Not without
good reason does the Bible repeatedly rec
ommend to us the virtue of endurance.
Matt. 24:13; Heb. 12:1; 2 Pet. 1:5, 6.
Yes, submitting to conditions that cause
suffering, mental or physical, can exert a
refining power upon us. It can cause one
to become a better person, more under
standing, more unselfish. This refining
power might be likened to the heat that
419

in olden times was used to refine gold and

silver and that today is used to temper
steel. Using this illustration, Jehovah God
prophetically caused to be recorded of his
faithful people: I shall certainly bring
the third part through the fire; and I
shall actually refine them as in the refin
ing of silver, and . . . gold. As a result of
this refining work God wifi be able to say
to them, You are my people, and they
will readily acknowledge, Jehovah is our
God.Zech. 13:9.
How does this principle apply to our
everyday lives in these modern times? For
example, through misfortune, lack of good
judgment or selfishness, one may have
gotten into financial deep waters, so to
speak. One could take the easy way out
by going into personal bankruptcy, which
is what many people are doing. Accord
ing to U.8. News & World Report, April 3,
1967, the number of such bankruptcies for
the twelve months ending June 30, 1967,
would be at least 186,000. This is three
times that of ten years ago and involves
a loss to creditors of $1,500,000,000. But
one may have quite a bit of carelessness
or selfishness refined away by honoring
the obligations, practicing rigid economy
and working hard to meet them, if at all
able to do so; not to say anything about
keeping ones self-respect and a clearer
conscience.
This more honorable course is the one
that the psalmist of old, King David, rec-

420

SReWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

ommended when he spoke favorably about low when persons lacking in understand
the one that has sworn to what is bad ing marry, as in the case of teen-agers.
for himself, and yet he does not alter. Many seek the easy way out, by means
Or as worded by a modern free transla of separation or divorce; and this is the
tion, David commended him who stands course that many teen-agers in the United
by his pledge at any cost. Ps. 15:4, States are taking, with divorces being
from three to four times as high among
The Jerusalem Bible.
teen-age
married persons as among older
Another example that might be given
persons.
of the refining power of adversity endured
However, there are great possibilities
because of principle and in the right frame
of mind is that which at times comes to for the refining of the personalities of
parents with the discovery that a child of each by each resolving to endure the pe
theirs is what used to be called mentally riod of adjustment needed; by learning to
retarded, but now is more considerately exercise self-control under provocation,
and accurately described as a slow learn learning to express unselfish interest in
er. What shall they do? Become bitter the other, thereby progressing to the emo
and resentful? Or lightly shift their bur tional maturity each should have had be
den to a state institution and forget all fore getting married in the first place.
about the child, as some parents have After all, did they not marry for better
or for worse, and does it not largely de
done? No, there is a better way.
True, keeping such a child at home may pend upon themselves as to just how much
place quite a burden upon the rest of the joy or pain each gets from the relation
family, but what possibilities the bearing ship? Those who want to make a success
of this burden holds out in the way of re of it can find much helpful counsel in the
fining them by training them to exercise Word of God, the Bible. 1 Cor. 7:10, 11;
patience, sympathy, understanding and Eph. 5:22-33.
empathy; in brief, unselfishness! As one
Of course, all of this has the most per
of Americas leading writerswhose au tinent application to Christians who have
tobiographical book has proved a great dedicated themselves to God, for the do
comfort to ever so many parents with ing of his will, and to follow in the foot
slow-learning children expressed it: My steps of Jesus Christ. In carrying out their
helpless child has taught me so much. She dedication they may well find hardships
has taught me patience, above all else. in the form of discipline and adversity
In fact, latest medical opinion holds that
that they had not foreseen. But by en
if it is at all practicable, it is the best
for all concerned, for society, for the par during they will be refined, even as in
ents and for the child itself, to keep it at dicated by the inspired words: No dis
home. The Child Who Never Grew, cipline seems for the present to be joyous,
but grievous; yet afterward to those who
Pearl Buck (1950).
have
been trained by it it yields peace
Then, again, the refining power of ad
able
fruit,
namely, righteousness. And,
versity can be experienced by standing by
ones pledge, ones marriage vows, at any additionally, Christians have the promise
cost, in spite of keen disillusionment and of receiving everlasting life by enduring
disappointment. Unhappy results often fol- to the end.Heb. 12:11; Matt. 24:13.

HE was a young Puerto Ri

can, the mother of two small
children, and her husband was
the village barber. She also was a
devoutly religious person, so
much so, in fact, that she wor
ried herself sick over the tor
ments of purgatory and hell. She
would go about clenching a cru
cifix. The doctors could not do
anything for her; her priests
gave her pills but they did not
help. What finally brought relief
to this young mother? It was
learning that God is love, that the
wages sin pays is death, and that true
Christianity causes one to be concerned
about others and not merely with oneself.
1 John 4:8; Rom. 6:23.
That a devoutly religious person should
find herself in such a frame of mind is
not at all surprising. Apparently the en
tire tenor of her religious teaching was to
be concerned with self, and such concern
can easily go to extremes, as can be seen
in the case of ascetics and mystics. In
days gone by, very devout persons literal
ly tortured themselves, as Martin Luther
did as a monk and priest, in their con
cern over the saving of their own souls.
However, this self-centered way of
viewing religion often brings forth a very
different kind of fruit. A case in point is
that of the priests that offended the Nazis
and were interned in the Dachau concen
tration camp during World War II. Telling
about them is Nerin E. Gun, in his book
The Day of the Americans (1966). He
himself was and is a devout Catholic, who,
as a correspondent of a neutral country,
was nevertheless jailed by the Nazis and
landed at Dachau because of his honest

421

DiNSBI RES

How did it do so in times

past? W hat proof is there
that it does so today?

dispatches out of Berlin during the last

world war.
In his book he has the following to say
about these priests, who must certainly
have had some strong convictions or the
Nazis would not have locked them up in
this camp: Mass was said in the chapel
of Block 26, the priests block. Entry to
this chapel was only given to a privileged
few . . . This Block 26 had at first been
open to all Catholic priests as a kind of
concession to the Vatican. Conditions
there were better than elsewhere in the
camp and many packages were received
from the outside. However, this chapel
was later made off limits to all nonGerman priests as well, even as it had
been for all of the rest of the camps in
ternees, Roman Catholics though they
may have been. A Bavarian priest stood
guard outside the door, blackjack in hand,
and woe to anyone who tried to get by
him in order to benefit from the reli
gious services inside.
Mr. Gun next quotes a devout top mem
ber of the French Catholic Party who was
also in this camp at Dachau: We were
thrown out of the chapel, sometimes with

422

f&eWATCHTOW ER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

punches to boot . . . Of course, the Block James and John to leave their fishing busi
was full of packages . . . Where might it ness and follow him? Merely that they
not have led if all the camps starvelings might be saved? No, but that they might
had suddenly felt overcome with piety and become fishers of men, that they might
thereby come in contact with the stores bring salvation to others. Matt. 4:19-22.
of food stuffs kept in the priests lock
In particular let us consider the apostle
ers? * Had those priests taken seriously Paul, concerning whom the Scriptures
their beliefs as to the reality of the tor have more to say than of any other of Je
ments of purgatory and hell, would they sus followers. As a learned Pharisee he was
have denied the lay members of their held in high esteem and had a most prom
faith the benefits of their religion? Ob ising future ahead of him. But upon be
viously they were more concerned with coming a Christian he turned his back on
their own physical needs than with the all the advantages and prospects he en
spiritual needs of their fellow Catholics. joyed as a Pharisee and devoted his life
Yes, contradictory though it may seem, to bringing Christianity to others, unself
what was wrong with that young Puerto ishly putting their interests ahead of his
Rican mother was also what was wrong own, even as he tells us: For, though
with these German priests in the Dachau I am free from all persons, I have made
1 may gain
concentration camp. And what was that? myself the slave to all,
the
most
persons.
And
so
to
the Jews 1
They both labored under the misapprehen
became
as
a
Jew,
that
I
might
gain Jews
sion that Christianity is a selfish propo
.
.
.
To
those
without
law
I
became
as
sition, that one can be a good Christian
without
law,
.
.
.
that
1
might
gain
those
and yet be chiefly concerned with ones
self. But not so. In fact, an identifying without law. To the weak I became weak,
mark of true Christianity, distinguishing that I might gain the weak. I have become
it from imitations, is its capacity to in all things to people of all sorts, that I
might by all means save some. But I do
spire unselfishness in its devotees.
all things for the sake of the good news,
THE EXAMPLE OP THE APOSTLES
that I may become a sharer of it with
Not that a Christian is not to be con others." 1 Cor. 9:19-23.
cerned with his own spiritual needs, his
And what did this putting the interests
own salvation. Indeed he must. He is un of others ahead of his own involve? As he
der obligation to do so; is encouraged to himself tells us: By Jews I five times re
do so. (Matt. 5:3) That is why we read ceived forty strokes less one, three times
that to please God we must not only be I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned,
lieve that he is, that he exists, but also three times I experienced shipwreck, a
that he becomes the rewarder of those night and a day I have spent in the deep;
earnestly seeking him. (Heb. 11:6) But . . . in dangers from highwaymen, . . . in
Christianity does not stop with this. It is dangers in the wilderness, . . . in hunger
only the start. Proof of this is seen in and thirst, . . . in cold and nakedness,
Christianitys very beginnings. Why did and so on. Did Paul endure all this merely
Jesus Christ invite Peter and Andrew, for his own salvation? No, that did not
require such heroic exploits. He did it
* H o w e v e r, t h a t it is p o ssib le to ho ld on to h ig h
primarily for the honor of his Maker and
C h r is t i a n p r in c ip le s in sp ite of co n ce n tra tio n cam p
c o n d itio n s th e a u t h o r G u n sh o w s b y h is h ig h w o rd s
to bring salvation to others. That is also
o f p r a is e fo r th e w itn e s s e s of Je h o v a h in ca rce ra te d
why
he wrote fourteen of the twentyin t h is cam p .

Ju l y 15, 1967

fKeW ATCHTOW ER.

seven books of the so-called New Testa

ment. No question about the apostle Pauls
having become fully saturated with Chris
tianitys spirit of unselfishness! 2 Cor.
11:22-33.
That unselfishness was indeed a char
acteristic of early Christianity is testified
to by secular historians. Thus C. Brinton,
J. Christopher and R. Wolff state in their
book, A H istory of Civilization: The
Christian was by no means content with
the prospects of his own salvation. His
acceptance of the will of God was not pas
sive. He was from the first an ardent mis
sionary, anxious to convert others. These
authors also speak of the unselfishness,
unself-consciousness of Christianity, add
ing: In the true Christian life all men
are one, and subsidiary groups are a dis
traction or worse, a padding for the self
ish ego. The important thing is for the
individual to avoid all kinds of personal
triumphs over others, all competitive suc
cesses, all the things that set off and
sharpen his ego . . . The ideal of unselfish
ness is there. Christianity tries to tame
the more extravagant flights of the com
petitive human spirit, tries to subdue self
assertiveness, truculence, boasting, pride,
and other manifestations of the natural
man. The Christian was not only to sub
due his own ego; he should open his heart
in loving kindness to all his fellow men. *
It may well be asked, To what extent have
agnostics and atheists displayed such mis
sionary zeal? Whoever heard of their go
ing into the heart of Africa, or any other
foreign land, for that matter, to enlighten
superstitious natives the way thousands of
Christian missionaries have?
JEHOVAH GOD AND JESUS CHRIST UNSELFISH

It can be no other way. Why not? Be

cause the Bible shows us that Jehovah God
* I n proof of w h ic h see th e fo llo w in g : 1 C o r in th ia n s
10:33; 13:4-8; G a la tia n s 5 :26; P h ilip p ia n s 2:3, 4.

423

and Jesus Christ are the personifications

of unselfishness. Jehovah God, the selfexistent One, who never had a beginning,
has ever been self-contained. He did not
need to create. His doing so was entirely
motivated by love, by unselfishness. Fur
ther, he showed great unselfishness in per
mitting the first human pair to continue
living after their meriting death by reason
of their rebellion; and in particular did
Jehovah God express love by sending his
dear and only-begotten Son to earth to
die for our sins. As the loving apostle
John wrote: God is love. By this the
love of God was made manifest in our
case, because God sent forth his onlybegotten Son into the world that we might
gain life through him. The love is in this
respect, not that we have loved God, but
that he loved us and sent forth his Son
as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:8-10.
Like father, like son, may well be
said about Jesus Christs imitating his
heavenly Father in being unselfish. Well
could he therefore say: He that has seen
me has seen the Father, for Jesus acted
just the way his Father would have acted
under the same circumstances. Jesus had
a glorious prehuman existence in the heav
ens before he came to earth, existing in
Gods form. He left all this and came to
earth, not for his own salvation, not to be
served, but to serve and to give his soul
[life] a ransom in exchange for many.
John 14:9; Matt. 20:28; Phil. 2:5-8.
Yes, as the apostle Paul also noted:
You know the undeserved kindness of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was
rich he became poor for your sakes, that
you might become rich through his pov
erty. Jesus said he had no place to lay
his head, not a place he could call his own,
yet how rich he could have been had he
wanted to profit financially as so many

424

SfieWATCHTOWER

professed healers do today! 2 Cor. 8:9;

Luke 9:58.
W H AT ABOUT TODAY?

Yes, what about today? Does true Chris

tianity inspire unselfishness in our times,
in this last third of the twentieth century,
as it did nineteen centuries ago? Yes, it
does. Among whom? Among the Chris
tian witnesses of Jehovah. They have an
organization patterned after the early
Christians in which there is no clergylaity distinction but in which every Chris
tian is a minister of the good news. The
emphasis in their training is on giving, not
on receiving, giving of their time to serve
Jehovah and others, giving of their energy
and their means. Many of these enter the
full-time field ministry even though they
know that it of itself is not required of
everyone in order to gain salvation, ever
lasting life.
In their local congregations there are
servants who take the lead. These have
specific duties to perform in ministering
to the spiritual needs of the congregation
that consume much time and energy and
that represent weighty burdens of respon
sibility. Do they receive any financial or
honorary remuneration? No, they do not,
no more than did the early Christians.
They all serve their God and their broth
ers out of love, unselfishly, knowing that
there is more happiness in giving than in
receiving.Acts 20:35.
Illustrating this principle is the follow
ing true-life incident. A Brooklyn Jewish
youth once accepted an invitation to at
tend a certain meeting at the local King
dom Hall, at which the Witnesses received
instructions for the field ministry. Among
other things considered was the report of
the previous months ministerial activity

rooklyn

N .Y .

and the service goals toward which they

were striving.
Afterward he asked his Witness friend:
Did you meet the goals during the past
month? His Witness friend assured him
that he had. The youth then asked: What
do you get when you meet the goals?
He was told that there was no reward
other than the satisfaction of having done
well in Jehovahs service. He next asked:
What happens if you fail to meet the
goals? What are the penalties? He was
told: No one is penalized for failing to
meet the goals. It all seemed so incredible
to this Jewish youth, who had ever mea
sured motivation by material considera
tions.
Giving eloquent testimony to the power
of true Christianity to inspire unselfish
ness is the annual Yearbook of Jehovahs
Witnesses, which, in addition to listing the
activities of the Witnesses in every land,
nearly 200 now, in which they are active,
also gives hundreds of pages of interest
ing field experiences. The latest edition
shows that during the previous year,
1,058,675 Christian proclaimers of the
good news preached monthly, devoting
a total of more than 170 million hours
during the year, making more than 60
million return visits on interested persons
and monthly conducting upward of 800,000 Bible studies in the homes of the
people.
And all this is just as it should be.
Since God is love, the very personification
of unselfishness, the true worship of him
must inspire unselfishness. His Son came
to earth to set us a perfect example, and
in Gods Word we find many other fine
examples. It is by producing such fruit
that Christians glorify their God Jehovah
and prove that they are indeed disciples
of Jesus Christ. John 15:8.

 The seasonal festivals of

E S T IV A L S are o c c a
2 These festivals not only
Jehovah that you should pro
sions of joy, as we read claim are holy conventions."
were occasions of joy and
Lev. 23:2.
in D eu teron om y 1 6 :1 4 :
physical rest, but were pri
And you must rejoice during your festi marily occasions of religious and spiritual
val. This is especially true if a feast is upbuilding. They were festivals of Jeho
celebrated in praise of Jehovah, the Al vah, to his praise and honor. By means of
mighty God. When Jehovah organized his these festivals Jehovah, the great King
people into a nation back in the year 1513 and Lawgiver, the Organizer of the na
B.C.E., he gave them many festivals. They tion, taught his people his divine will and
are listed in Leviticus, chapter 23. Every purpose, together with many basic prin
seventh day was a sabbath, a day of com ciples, and gave them the opportunity of
plete rest, a holy convention. The Pass- expressing their appreciation and grati
over was celebrated on Nisan 14, followed tude to Jehovah for his goodness and mer
by the festival of unfermented cakes, cy and for all the blessings he had pro
which lasted seven days. Fifty days from vided during the year. In addition, and
Nisan 16, when the firstfruits of the bar this is most important to us, Jehovah not
ley harvest were offered, was the feast of only teaches Christians the same princi
weeks, also known as Pentecost. On the ples today, but also by means of these
first day of the seventh month was the Jewish festivals he has made many proph
festival of trumpets, and on the tenth day ecies that find fulfillment in our day. In
the people celebrated the great day of other words, Jehovah, with the people of
atonement. This cycle of festivals was con a whole nation as actors, has produced on
cluded with the most joyous one of all, the the vast stage of the country of Palestine,
festival of booths, which was kept from the and especially of the city of Jerusalem,
scenes that are a shadow of the good
fifteenth to the twenty-first of the same
things to come. (Heb. 10:1) So by watch
month, with a final holy convention on
ing the Israelites celebrating their festi
the twenty-second. In the course of time vals, we today receive instruction on im
additional festivals were added, such as portant things fulfilled in our time, and
the monthly new moon, the festival of are in addition taught many lessons re
Purim and the festival of Dedication, garding Jehovahs will, his purposes and
thus making more days for special ob principles. Therefore, let us sit back now
servance in worship to Jehovah. Num. and watch the players as they enact the
scenes of each of these Jewish festivals.
10: 10.

2. (a ) W h a t d id J e h o v a h te a c h h is p eo ple b y m ean s
of f e s t iv a ls ? (b ) W h y do C h r is t ia n s to d a y s tu d y these
fe s tiv a ls ?

1. W h e n a re fe s tiv a ls o c c a sio n s of j o y ? N a m e som e of

t h e Je w is h fe stiv a ls.
425

426

STieWATCHTOWER-

Brooklyn,

N .Y.

SABBATH

3 S ix days
m a y w o r k be
done, but on the
seventh day is a
sabbath of com
plete rest, a holy
convention. Y ou
may do no sort
of work. It is a
sabbath to J e
h o v a h in a ll
places where you
dwell. (Lev. 23:
3) The Israelites
re ce iv e d a sa b
bath regulation
shortly after
their deliverance
from slavery in
Egypt on their way to Mount Sinai. It the sabbath was a day of great reli
became fully expressed in the fourth of gious activity. The priests were busier
the Ten Commandments. (Ex. 20:8-11) than on the other days of the week.
The sabbath day began at sunset of the There were two lambs to be offered along
sixth day and lasted till sunset of the sev with the two offered every day as a
enth day. In Jesus time, six loud trum constant burnt offering (Num. 28:9, 10),
pet blasts on the sixth day, three at about and the twelve loaves of showbread were
the ninth hour (3 p.m.) and three at sun changed in the holy place. (Lev. 24:5-8)
set, heralded its beginning. The sabbath A holy convention was held, an assembly
was a day of complete rest, even for slaves of public worship and instruction. The
and beasts. It was Jehovahs day, a day people were instructed in the law of God.
he had blessed and set apart for obser In the time of Jesus apostles, as we read
vance. Recognizing and obediently carry in Acts 15:21, Moses was read aloud in
ing out the purpose of the sabbath would the synagogues on every sabbath. What
bring true enjoyment. (Isa. 58:13,14) But a grand provision for a whole nation to
willfully breaking it would bring the in have a day off every week to worship
their God, to assemble together and to be
fliction of the death penalty.
4
The Israelites could appreciate the valeducated in Gods laws, free from the
ue of such a humanitarian law after being daily toil and all its worries! It made
slaves under the cruel Egyptian rule. By them appreciate the goodness of their God,
ceasing from secular work the Jews were Jehovah, and reminded them of the mi
able to concentrate on prayer, worship raculous deliverance from bondage in
and meditation upon Gods Word. In fact, Egypt. Each sabbath was refreshing to the
body and each and all felt spiritually up
3 , 4 . (a ) D e s c rib e a sa b b a th d a y . (b ) W h y d id the
J e w s fe e l p h y s ic a lly a n d s p ir it u a lly re fre sh e d b y ob
lifted.
s e rv in g th e s a b b a th ?

Ju l y 15, 1967

427

3HeWATCHTOWER

5It is good to know that this weekly

sabbath of the Jews is only a shadow of
the good things to come. The Bible in
dicates that Jehovah created the heavens
and the earth in six days, each 7,000 years
in length. On the seventh day Jehovah
rested from his creative work and entered
into his sabbath. Mankind, however, did
not keep peaceful rest or sabbath with Je
hovah, but through disobedience came in
to bondage to sin, imperfection and death.
Almost six thousand years of the seventh
day have passed and there is only a little
more than a thousand years left. Jesus,
speaking of the weekly sabbath day, said:
The sabbath came into existence for the
sake of man, and not man for the sake
of the sabbath. So these last thousand
years are set aside by Jehovah for a spe
cial purpose foreshadowed by the weekly
sabbath of the Jews, namely, for the reign
of Christ Jesus, his Son, for Jesus went
on to say: Hence the Son of man is Lord
even of the sabbath. (Mark 2:27, 28) It
is a thousand-year sabbath within Jeho
vahs great 7,000-year sabbath of rest.
Like the weekly sabbath, the greater
thousand-year sabbath will be
devoted to the worship of Je
hovah, and to the education
of all the living, includ
ing those re su rre cte d
f r o m the m e m o r i a l
tombs, in the righteous
requirements of Jeho
vah.Heb. 10:1; Gen. 2:1-3;
John 5:28, 29.
6Back in the years 29 to 33
C.E. Jesus performed many
powerful works, especially on
the sabbath. He caused the
blind to see and the deaf to
hear, the crippled to walk and the sick to
5. (a) W h e n does th e w e e k ly s a b b a th find it s fu l
fillm e n t? (b) W h a t p u rp o se is s e rv e d b y th e g re a te r
S a b b ath ?
6. W h y did Je s u s p e rfo rm m a n y w o r k s of h e a lin g on
th e sa b b a th ?

become well, and he even raised some from

the dead. Thus he foreshadowed what won
drous works of deliverance and relief he
will perform during the thousand-year sab
bath day of his reign. No one will be per
mitted to disturb the peace and rest of this
day, as was foreshadowed by putting to
death all sabbath breakers. (Num. 15:3236) During this thousand-year sabbath,
mankind will receive real refreshment for
body and spirit, gradually progressing to
perfection, being able to enjoy to the full
all the goodness that Jehovah provides
through his King, Christ Jesus, rendering
whole-souled worship and obedience to
Him. It is a delightful experience to antici
pate that, after six thousand years of toil
and bondage to sin, imperfection and death
under Satans cruel rule, believing man
kind now stand on the threshold of their
greatest deliverance, to enjoy a far great
er sabbath over which Gods Son is Lord.
What a joyous day!
NEW MOON AND THE FESTIVAL OF TRUMPETS

In two passages the law of Moses gives

instructions about the
observance of the new
moon, which marked
the beginning of each
month. Trumpets were
to be sounded and spe
cial sacrifices were to
be offered, just as on
the other days of re
joicing and festal sea
sons. (Num . 1 0 :1 0 ;
2 8 : 1 1 - 1 5 ) In t h e
course of time obser
vance of the new moon
developed into an im
portant festival, being mentioned alongside
sabbaths and festal seasons. (Isa. 1:13;
Ezek. 46:1; Hos. 2:11) The Law did not
7. W h a t w e re som e
th e n e w m o o n ?

fe a tu re s

m a r k in g

th e

fe stiv a l of

428

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

fReW ATCHTOW ER.

specify that all sorts of work were to

cease on the day of the new moon of the
ordinary month. But we find the prophet
Amos, in the ninth century B.C.E., re
proving the merchants who were anxious
ly waiting for the end of the new moon
so that they could resume their fraudu
lent business, which fact indicated that it
was customary for the people neither to
trade nor to engage in secular work on
new-moon days, but to employ the day in
gatherings and association. Amos 8:5;
1 Sam. 20:5, 24.
8Like the sabbath, the new moon was a
day for special worship and a favorable
occasion for public instruction in the tem
ple. It was a busy day for the prophets
and other ministers of God, since it was
customary for people who had problems
to go to see these servants of God and to
receive private instruction and help.
(Ezek. 46:1; 2 Ki. 4:22, 23) Special pro
visions were laid down in the law for the
new moon of the seventh month, called
Ethanim or Tishri, and it was considered
a holy convention. It was specifically stat
ed that no laborious work of any sort
should be done on this day. Thus, in ad
dition to the fifty-two weekly sabbaths,
the Jews had twelve more special days
each year in which to praise and worship
Jehovah and to receive education in his
Word. The fact that Jehovah provided for
so much religious instruction and activity
should teach Christians today the impor
tance of setting aside time in which to
worship Jehovah and to study his Word,
privately and with the Christian congre
gation.
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

9 In the month of Ethanim, nine days

after the joyous festival of trumpets an8. (a ) W h y w a s i t a fa v o ra b le occasio n fo r re lig io u s
in s t r u c t io n ? (b ) W h a t c a n C h r is t ia n s le a rn th e re fro m ?
9. (a ) W h e n w a s th e d a y of a to n em en t, and w h a t
r e q u ire m e n t w a s m ad e of a ll th e p e o p le ? (b ) S u m
m a r iz e th e h ig h lig h ts of th e a to n e m e n t d a y pro ced u re.

other celebration was scheduled. It was

Israels most important day, the day of
atonement, to be observed on the tenth
day of the seventh month. A holy con
vention was held and no sort of work was
done. The Israelites were commanded to
afflict their souls, most likely by fasting.
In Leviticus, chapter 16, the procedure of
the whole day is outlined in minute de
tail. To get the most benefit from this
study we would like to encourage you to
read the entire chapter. As you notice,
the high priest presented a young bull for
the sins of Aaron and his household, and
tribe of Levi, and two goats, one, the
goat for Jehovah, to be slaughtered as
a sin-offering for the rest of the nation
and the other to be kept as a live goat
for Azazel. After first going with in
cense into the Most Holy of the taber
nacle, the high priest brought some of
the blood of the two sin-offerings, first of
the bull, then of the goat, into the Most
Holy, to be sprinkled before the cover of
the Ark. Later the animal carcasses were
taken outside the camp and burned. After
the high priest confessed all the sins of
the people over the live goat, it was led
away into the wilderness, never to return.
Afterward the high priest bathed and
changed garments. Then two rams were
offered as burnt offerings, one for Aaron
and his house and the other for the rest
of the nation.
10
While the day of atonement in Israel
was spiritually uplifting and encouraging,
it was a shadow of something far greater,
pointing the Jews to the Messiah the De
liverer who was to come, for their ani
mal sacrifices could never actually take
away sins. Sincere Hebrews who kept the
Law to the best of their ability could see
that men can never with the same sacri10. W h a t g re a te r p u rp o se
a to n e m e n t?

w as

se rv e d

by

th e

d a y of

Ju l y 15, 1967

429

SKeWATCHTOWER,

fices from year to year which they offer

continually make those who approach per
fect. Otherwise, would the sacrifices not
have stopped being offered . . . ? To the
contrary, by these sacrifices there is a re
minding of sins from year to year. (Heb.
10:1-3) Faithful Jews, by following the
atonement-day sacrifices, were thereby di
rected to look for the greater High Priest
with the better sacrifice, the real one that
could remove sins. In the Psalms it is
shown that the redemption price was so
precious that it was completely beyond
the reach of any of them. (Ps. 49:7, 8)
The apostle Paul, a faithful Hebrew, said:
"Consequently the Law has become our
tutor leading to Christ, that we might be
declared righteous due
to faith. Gal. 3:24.
11
The apostle, there
fore, devotes consid
erable space in his let
ter to the Hebrews to
show the significance
of these things. He de
scribes the tabernacle
and its features, with
the high priests en
tering the Most Holy
on only one day in the
year with the blood of
animals, to offer sac
rifices not only for the
sins of the people but
also for himself, and
says: Thus the holy
spirit makes it plain
that the way into the
holy place had not yet
been made manifest while the first tent
was standing. This very tent is an illustra
tion for the appointed time that is now
here. Then he points out that the sacri

fices they offered are not able to make

the man doing sacred service perfect as re
spects his conscience. However, when the
high priest of Israel performed his ser
vices, the Israelites enjoyed a measure of
satisfaction. They were doing Gods will
for their time, because they were legal
requirements pertaining to the flesh and
were imposed until the appointed time to
set things straight. Heb. 9:1-10.
12
Now the apostle goes ahead to ex
plain that the things of the Law, includ
ing the day of atonement, were pictorial
of far grander things. He says: However,
when Christ came as a high priest of the
good things that have come to pass
through the greater and more perfect tent
not made with hands, that is, not of this
creation, he entered, no, not with the
blood of goats and of young bulls, but
with his own blood, once for all time into
the holy place and
obtained an ever
lasting deliverance
for us. (Heb. 9:
11, 12) The tent in
the wilderness was
an arrangement of
God whereby the
Is ra e lite s c o u l d
a p p r o a c h him
through their high
priest and receive
a typical forgive
ness of sin, which
would keep them in
G o d s f a v o r and
hold them in line
until his time to
provide the real sacrifice. During this time
they were clean in a fleshly sense, for Paul
says that they were sanctified to the ex
tent of cleanness of the flesh.Heb. 9:13.

11. W h a t w ere th e sa c rific e s u n a b le to do fo r

J e w s , bu t w h a t s a tis fa c tio n d id t h e y p ro v id e ?

12. W h a t
d e rn ess ?

th e

w as

a cc o m p lish e d

by

th e

te n t

in

th e w il

430

SEeW ATCHTOW ER,

rooklyn

N. Y.

THE GREATER TENT

the goat for Azazel, keeping perfect in
13 But, now, what is the greater and tegrity under test and cruel persecution
more perfect tent not made with hands ? to death by Satan, bearing the sins of the
It is no literal structure, but is Gods ar people off into the wilderness, into ob
rangement for atonement for humankind. livion forever. (Isa. 53:3-7) His prayers,
God has also provided the great High devotion and course of integrity, like the
Priest, Jesus, the perfect One, who needed incense brought into the Most Holy,
to offer no sacrifice for himself; his sac pleased Jehovah and fulfilled Jesus pri
rifice could cover the sins of others. mary purpose in coming to earth as Gods
Through Jehovahs provision he was res Vindicator. The antitypical day of atone
urrected in the spirit and appeared in the ment included his ascension into heaven,
real Most Holy, heaven itself, where God which is parallel to the entry of the high
had established the legal arrangement for priest into the Most Holy with the blood
him to offer the value of his sacrifice. of the bull and then of the goat. Jesus
(Heb. 9:24) Referring to this, Paul says: came through his sacrificial work clean,
How much more will the blood of the pure, now clothed in the changed gar
Christ, who through an everlasting spirit ments of glory and immortality as High
offered himself without blemish to God, Priest forever according to the manner
cleanse our consciences from dead works of Melchizedek. (Heb. 6:20) But with the
that we may render sacred service to the bringing of the value of his lifeblood into
living God? (Heb. 9:14) Those coming the Most Holy the antitypical day of
to him therefore experience more than a atonement was brought to an end.*
cleanness of the flesh. They can actually
15
The apostle Paul indicates that the ap
have rest from the tormenting conscious plying of the benefits of the great day of
ness of sin and enjoy the good conscience atonement is another thing when he goes
that they have requested from God on to say: And as it is reserved for men
through Christ. 1 Pet. 3:21.
to die once for all time [due to Adams
sin], but after this a judgment, so also the
THE ANTITYPICAL ATONEMENT DAY
Christ was offered once for all time to
14 Israels day of atonement took up the
bear the sins of many [who inherited sin
daylight hours of the tenth day of the
from Adam]; and the second time that
seventh month. What period of time is oc
he appears it will be apart from sin and
cupied by the great antitypical day of
to those earnestly looking for him for
atonement? Well, it began at the time of
their salvation. (Heb. 9:27, 28) All men
Jesus baptism, when he presented him
have fallen under the condemnation of sin
self to do Gods will in taking up a sacri
due to descent from their forefather Ad
ficial course in the fall of 29 C.E., just
am. But through Christ judgment is
as the bull and the two goats were pre
provided apart from Adamic sin so that
sented at the altar in the tabernacle court all may have opportunity to be relieved
yard. The day continued into the year
page 267, fi43, of T h e W a tch to w er a s o f S e p
33 C.E., during which time he served as te m* See
b e r 1, 1942, u n d e r the t it le A to n e m e n t f o r the
13. (a ) W h a t is th e g re a te r a n d m o re p e rfe ct tent
n o t m ad e w it h h a n d s ? (b ) W h a t is a cco m p lish e d fo r
th e w o r s h ip e r s a p p ro a c h in g th is t e n t ?
14. (a ) W h e n a n d w it h w h a t d id th e a n t it y p ic a l d a y
o f a to n e m e n t b e g in ? (b ) H o w d id Je s u s serve a s the
g o a t fo r A z a z e l ? (c ) H o w d id he fu lfill the p ictu re
o f t a k in g th e b lo o d of th e b u ll a n d th e goat in to th e
M o st H o ly ?

N e w W o r ld , P a r t 3. A lso , page 40, tfl4, o f th e book

Y ou M a y Survive Arm ageddon into Gods N e w W orld .
15. (a ) H o w does P a u l in d ic a te t h a t t h e o ffe rin g of
th e m e r it of C h r is t s sac rific e in h e a v e n w a s so m e th in g
else b e sid es a p p ly in g benefits of th e a n t it y p ic a l day
of a to n e m e n t? (b ) H o w m u st those w h o w is h to bene
fit fro m th e ra n so m do no la b o rio u s w o r k but
m u st afflict th e m s e lv e s?

Ju l y 15, 1967

431

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

of the disability that came upon them

through no fault of their own and may
prove themselves individually. (Rom. 8:
20) All who will profit from the ransom
must have it applied to them to get its
healing benefits. They cannot save them
selves by mere knowledge that the ran
som has been offered in heaven. They
must repent and rest by faith and obedi
ence in the provision of Christs sacrifice
and his services as High Priest. They can
not do any laborious work of their own
by attempts at self-justification by self
works. So the High Priest still has work
to do in applying the benefits of his sinatoning sacrifice. Heb. 4:3, 10.
16 The application of Christs ransom
has two aspects just as there were two
sin-offerings on Israels atonement day.
Having paid the value of his human life
to his Father Jehovah and having pur
chased the human race, Christ must now
apply the ransom benefits to mankind. We
remember that Aaron sprinkled the blood
of the bull before the ark of the covenant
in behalf of the priestly tribe of Levi.
From 33 C.E. to the present time, Christ,
from heaven, has blessed his 144,000
anointed spiritual brothers by applying the
benefits of his sacrifice directly to them.
They are brought into the new covenant,
to be kings and priests with Christ during
his thousand-year sabbath reign. (Luke
22:20; Rev. 20:6) But they are not the
only beneficiaries of Christs sacrifice. The
blood of the goat for Jehovah was sprin
kled after that of the bull, for the people.
Christs sacrifice was for all mankind and
must be applied impartially to all who ex
ercise faith. When?
17It will take the thousand years of
Christs reign to apply the benefits of his
16. Sh o w w h e re th e 144,000 get th e fu ll a p p lic a tio n of
the ran so m a n d th a t th is is n o t th e en d of C h r is t s
u se of the ransom .
17. W h e n a re the ra n so m ben efits a p p lie d to th e people
o n e a rth , and w h e n does th e a p p ly in g of benefits of
th e g re a t day of ato n e m e n t com e to c o m p le tio n ?

ransom sacrifice to all those who by faith

take hold of it, including those resurrected
from Sheol or Hades. (Rev. 20:13) By the
end of the thousand years the seed of
Abraham will have brought blessings to
all families of the earth. (Gen. 12:3; 22:
18) All who will avail themselves of the
blessing will have been brought to per
fection. Then the work of applying the
benefits of the great atonement day will
have been completed. The benefits of the
ransom sacrifice of Christ will have been
applied in completion, impartially, and Je
hovahs great day of atonement will prove
not to have been in vain.
A DWELLING PLACE FOR PERFECT HUMANS

Now, Jesus ransom covered the pur

chase of the human race and operates to
bring them to perfection. But what about
the earth, the home in which they are to
live? When looking at Gods original pur
pose in the garden of Eden, we see that
the garden was a sanctuary, a place for
God to dwell in by spirit. It was a place
of perfection and beauty, a proper envi
ronment for those who would serve their
God in perfect holiness. Since Jehovah will
again dwell with men and they will come
into relationship with him again as sons,
it follows that a paradise earth is concomi
tant with the perfection of mankind. This
means that the entire earth will be made
a paradise according to the pattern of
Jehovah, the great Architect who original
ly purposed it so. How uplifting and en
couraging it is to understand the pro
phetic meaning of the typical atonement
day and the benefits that follow therefrom!
Rom. 8:20, 21.
FESTIVAL OF PURIM

19 In about the year 474 B.C.E. another

festival was added to the list of Jewish
18. W h a t g u a ra n te e s th a t a p a ra d is e e a r t h is a h e ad lo r
m a n k in d ?
19. W h a t a re th e h is t o r ic a l f a c ts le a d in g to th e fe stiv a l
of P u r im ?

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f& eW ATCH TOW ER

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feasts. The historic events that caused king granted the request. The law was
Mordecai to inaugurate this two-day fes issued to kill the Jews in the whole Per
tival, called Purim, are of such important sian realm on the thirteenth day of Adar.
prophetic meaning and encouragement to It seemed as if Haman had reached the
Christians today that we would like to zenith of his glory. But things changed
discuss them with you. The Jews were un fast.Esther 3:9-15.
21
Through the fearless action of Queen
der Persian rule and scattered through
out the 127 provinces. A certain Haman, Esther, herself a Jewess, a counterlaw was
an Amalekite and hater of the Jews, was issued granting the Jews the right to
chief of all the princes of the Persian Em stand for their souls, to annihilate and
pire. This man had determined in his kill and destroy all . . . that were showing
heart to exterminate all the Jews in the hostility to them, . . . on the thirteenth
entire Persian realm. As a religious and day of the twelfth month, that is, the
superstitious man he asked his gods on month of Adar. Under the fine leader
what day he should order the Jews to be ship of faithful Mordecai the Jews were
exterminated, by casting the Pur, or Lot. preparing their defense. And when the
The Lot fell on the thirteenth day of the day arrived, they were assisted not only
twelfth month, or Adar. This gave him by the Persian people but, according to
about one year to prepare the slaughter, the historic record, by all the princes . . .
since the Lot was cast in the first month. and the satraps and the governors and the
But it also gave the Jews time to turn to doers of the business that belonged to the
their God and pray for deliverance and to king . . . for the dread of Mordecai had
fallen upon them. . . . and there was an
prepare for it. Esther 9:20-22; 3:1-7.
20
Now Haman, after knowing the dateavenging of themselves upon their ene
superstitiously
mies and a killing among
selected, pre
those hating them o f
seventy-five thousand.
sented his re
quest be fo re
In Shushan the Castle
the king, rep
the fight extended into
resenting the
the next day, with a to
Jews as a sedi
tal of 810 of the enemy
tious and dan
killed, including Hagerous people,
mans ten sons. The Jews
not obeying
in the provinces and in
the laws of the
Shushan banqueted on
king, but hav
the fourteenth and fif
ing their own
teenth days respectively.
customs different from all the people. Consequently, Mordecai put them under
Haman said that the money necessary obligation to keep the fourteenth and fif
to defray the expenses of the slaughter teenth days of the month of Adar in each
would be forthcomingit would not cost and every year as days of banqueting and
the crown anythingthat ten thousand rejoicing and sending of portions to one
silver talents (about $8,456,400) would another and of gifts to the poor people.
be brought into the kings treasury. The The Jews were thereby reminded every
20. O f w h a t w e re th e J e w s f a ls e ly a c c u s e d ? W ith w h a t
r e s u lt ?

21. (a ) H o w d id th e J e w s c o u n te ra c t th e a t t a c k , and
w h a t w a s th e o u tco m e? (b ) W h a t d a y s w e re se t aside
fo r th is fe s tiv a l, a n d w h y ?

Ju l y 15, 1967

W ATCH TOW ER,

year of their deliverance, and year by year

they gave praise and honor to Jehovah,
the God of deliverance. Esther 8:9 to
9:22.

433

22Like the Jews back in Mordecais day,

the small number on earth of Christs
spiritual brothers, the remnant of spiri
tual Israel, have been accused of being
seditious and a security risk. Their exter
mination as witnesses for the Most High,
Jehovah, had been decreed by the modernday Haman class, the religious leaders of
Christendom. Jesus Christ, exercising re
gal power over the entire earth since 1914
as Ahasuerus did over the Persian Empire,
has permitted such vicious attempts upon
the life of the remnant under all kinds of
false accusations, for a severe test. But as
the Persian king permitted the Jews to
fight for their lives, so, too, Christ Jesus
has allowed the remnant to stand for
their lives as Jehovahs witnesses against
their enemies.
23Would the religious clergy of Chris
tendom, with the help of the political
state, be able to kill the remnant as Jeho
vahs witnesses, kill their work of preach
ing Jehovahs kingdom? Never! As the
Jews in Ahasuerus time, the Lords peo
ple have fought zealously for their lives
and rights as preachers and witnesses, not
with material weapons of destruction, but
using all the legal means at their disposal,
together with the sword of the spirit,
that is, Gods Word. (Eph. 6:13-17) They
have steadfastly continued preaching the
good news of the established Kingdom.
With their spiritual weapons and the use
of all available legal means, not only have
they preserved their spiritual lives as wit
nesses of Jehovah and the right of preach
ing his name world wide, but they have

symbolically killed many attackers by

killing the power and influence of their
enemies, who were unable to kill their
preaching work.
24
The work of the remnant has killed
the influence of false religion to such a
degree that thousands of honest-hearted
people have left its ranks and have taken
sides with the remnant, just as it was in
the days of Mordecai: Many of the peo
ples of the land were declaring themselves
Jews. (Esther 8:17) There they had seen
that the kings favor had turned away
from Haman to the Jews, even making
provision for their preservation. Thus
since 1931, and with special momentum
since 1935, many people have been im
pressed as they have seen the evidence of
Gods favor upon the small remnant of
spiritual Jews. They have observed the
fight of the remnant to save their lives as
Jehovahs Christian witnesses against the
whole world. They have been awakened to
a lively interest in the remnants firmly
maintained fight for true worship and
clean moral principles. Even some men of
high worldly status, like the princes and
governors of Mordecais day, have assisted
the remnant in their fight with what of
ficial or judicial help they could lend. In
the eyes of the remnant and the great
crowd of people who have joined the rem
nant in preaching the good news of the
Kingdom, the antitypical religious leaders
are already without power and influence,
they are dead, and it is only a matter of
a short time until Jesus Christ, who holds
regal power, will bring about the total ex
termination of all his enemies on earth
in the battle of Armageddon. Until then,
many more people will take their stand
with the remnant, as pictured in the dra
ma. Thus the anciently celebrated festival
of Purim has an antitypical significance

22. (a ) W ho a re p ic tu re d b y th e J e w s ? b y H a m a n ?
W h a t fa lse a cc u s a tio n s h a v e been m a d e ?
23. H o w have the r e m n a n t fo u g h t fo r t h e ir liv e s ?

24. (a ) W h a t w a s p ic tu re d b y th e k illin g o f th e J e w s '

e n e m ie s ? (b ) A s in th e ty p e , w h o jo in w ith the
re m n a n t, a s s is t in g th e m ?

MODERN-DAY FULFILLMENT

(b)

434

STieWATCHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

temple, the sanctuary was cleansed and re

dedicated to Jehovah. This was a memo
rable day, and is remembered by the Jews
FESTIVAL OF DEDICATION
even down to our present day. Year by
25 The background leading to the inau year on the 25th of Chislev (Novemberguration of the festival of Dedication is December) the Jews celebrated the dedi
very interesting. In the year 198 B.C.E. cation of the temple. The festival lasted
for eight days. They
Palestine came un
a s s e m b l e d in th e
der the rule of the
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
temple or in the syn
Syrian king, Antio Keeping Free from the S p irit of C om plaint.
agogues of their lo
c h u s III. H is son,
Finding C ontentm ent w ith Jehovah's
O rganization.
calities.
According to
A n t i o c h u s IV
A New A dm inistratio n of E arth 's A ffa irs .
Jewish tradition, it
Judge Ehud Resourceful and V a lia n t
Ephiphanes, was a
fo r Jehovahs Cause.
was an occasion of
religious fanatic. He
much joy and festiv
made great efforts to
convert the Jews to the Greek religion. He ity. Thus by accretion the festival of
looted the temple in Jerusalem and put in Dedication was added to those mentioned
to office a high priest favoring the Hellen- in the law of Moses.
27 The cleansing of Jehovahs temple
izing process. In defiance of Jehovah he re
dedicated the temple and assigned it to from pagan idolatry was certainly a good
the Olympian Zeus or Jupiter. He erected reason for a joyful feast to be commemo
a new pagan altar on top of the great al rated annually. Jehovah preserved the
tar of Jehovah in the temple courtyard, temple until the Messiah should arrive.
where the daily burnt offerings to Je Jesus Christ himself was present at the
hovah were formerly offered. Finally, on temple during the days of the dedication
Chislev 25, 168 B.C.E., the first sacrifice festival. (John 10:22, 23) But the Jews
was offered on this pagan altar to the had long before that ceased to act in har
honor of Zeus of Mount Olympus in mony with this festival and had them
Greece. Copies of the Law were burned, selves polluted the temple in such a way
and to have one in possession was punish that Jesus told them they were making
able by death. Circumcision was a capital this house of prayer into a cave of
crime and the Jews were even forced to robbers. Their apostasy even led them
eat the flesh of swine.
to the rejection of their Messiah, which,
26 This desecration of the sanctuary of in turn, caused Jesus to tell them: Look!
Jehovah and the Hellenizing of the Jews Your house is abandoned to you. So we
by cruel force led to the uprising under see that festivals are to the praise and
the leadership of the Maccabees in the honor of Jehovah only if those celebrating
year 167 B.C.E. For three years the Syr are also acting in harmony with the mean
ians waged a bitter war against the Jews ing of the festival. (Matt. 21:13; 23:38)
but were finally defeated, despite the Syr In the next article we are going to discuss
ians overwhelming military force. Jeru a further exciting provision in connection
salem was recaptured by the Jews in 165 with Jehovahs seasonal festivals, and
B.C.E., and on Chislev 25, or exactly three will see how Jehovah is having them ful
years after the Syrians had desecrated the filled in a way that brings honor to his
25. W h a t b ro u g h t a b o u t th e need fo r re d e d ic a tin g the
name.
te m p le ?

that gives Christians today the unfailing

hope of Gods victory over all his enemies.

26. W h y w a s th e fe s tiv a l of
w h a t d a te w a s it c e le b ra te d ?

D e d ica tio n

added?

On

27. W h a t im p o rta n t le sso n m a y tru e w o r s h ip e r s le a rn

abou t c e le b ra tin g fe s tiv a ls ?

T he T hree Annual
N a tion a l
z'T T ESIDES the festivals
ventions would not benefit
*
I J that the Jews cele
.
themselves greatly from the
brated locally, in their home- Joi of"yours" should A pp ear gathering. The fellowship
towns and Villages, there before Jehovah your God in the
made them appreciate the
were provisions made fo r
p,ace thq>[,eh* S ! * -"
fact that they were one peo
three great national conven
ple, one holy nation, unitedly
tions. They were holy conventions to Jeho serving Jehovah, the only true God. The
vah, and the law commanded: Three daily worship at the temple, the praise and
times in the year every male of yours thanksgiving publicly offered to Jehovah
should appear before Jehovah your God in for his goodness and his blessings, the
the place that he will choose. Thus it was counsel given by the priests, all this
Jehovahs desire to have the whole nation strenthened the conventioners to continue
assembled together at one place three faithfully serving Jehovah. The festivals
times a year, at a place of His own choice. were an encouragement for all, especially
From the days of King Solomon this place for those coming from faraway or isolat
was the temple in Jerusalem. Jehovah also ed places. They were occasions of great
set the time and outlined the program for rejoicing before Jehovah and happy fel
these annual gatherings. The first con lowship, joyful, upbuilding reunions of the
vention was to be held in early spring and entire nation.Lev. 23:4; Deut. 16:16,17;
lasted eight days, from Nisan 14 to 21, to Lev. 23:40; Deut. 14:24-27.
3Jehovah knew well how vital these an
celebrate the Passover and the festival of
unfermented cakes. Late in spring, on Si- nual national assemblies were for the uni
van 6, a one-day convention was held, to ty of the nation and the purity of his wor
keep the festival of weeks or Pentecost. ship throughout the entire country. That
The third and last convention was sched is why he commanded attendance of all
uled for the fall, Ethanim 15 to 21, and was the males and, as to the Passover, he de
dedicated to the festival of booths, with creed the death penalty upon every male
a solemn final convention day on Ethanim Israelite who was qualified to attend, be
22.Deut. 16:16; Lev. 23:4-22, 33-36; Ex. ing ceremonially clean and who did not
happen to be off on a journey, if he
23:14-17.
2These conventions were seasonal fes should deliberately fail to observe it.
tivals of Jehovah and none should ap (Num. 9:13) Many of the Israelite family
pear before Jehovah empty-handed. The heads esteemed the educational, upbuild
gift of each ones hand should be in pro ing and social value of these conventions
portion to the blessing of Jehovah your so highly that they did not go alone up to
God that he has given you. But this does Jerusalem, but took their wives and chil
not mean that those attending these con- dren along with them. What an exciting
3. (a) H o w d id Je h o v a h sh o w t h a t he c o n sid e re d the
th re e
se aso n a l fe s tiv a ls
im p o r ta n t ? (b ) H o w
did
m a n y f a m ily h ead s v ie w th e co n v e n tio n s?

1.
n a tio n a l co n v e n tio n s w e re h e ld y e a r ly in
a n c ie n t Is r a e l?
2. H o w did the p eo ple b en efit fro m th e se c o n v e n tio n s?
435

436

SHeWATCHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

FESTIVAL OF THE PASSOVER

and interesting trip for a family and what
5At the observance of this Passover on
a lasting impression upon those young
minds! And many families heeded the Nisan 14, when the small Jewish son
counsel in the law to put some money would ask his father: What does this
aside each month to attend these annual service mean to you? (Ex. 12:26) then
conventions, and so these trips were not the father would answer: It was on Ni
too great a financial burden. Joseph the san 14 [1513 B.C.E.], when our fore
foster father of Jesus was such a consid fathers had been dwelling 215 years in
erate and loving family head. His house Egypt, much of this time as ill-treated
hold was accustomed to go from year to slaves under harsh Egyptian rule, that Je
year to Jerusalem for the festival of the hovah delivered his people and proved
himself mightier than all the gods of the
passover. Luke 2:41-50.
Egyptians. Four days previously, on the
4
This going up to Jerusalem of all male
tenth of the month, each family head had
Israelites three times a year to attend the
conventions, either alone or with the to take into the house a sound male lamb
whole family, was a test of strong faith in or goat, a year old. After sunset of Nisan
Jehovahs protection. Why? The historic 14 it was slaughtered without a bones
account in the Hebrew Scriptures shows being broken and then roasted whole.
that the Jews were surrounded by enemies Meantime the blood was splashed upon the
and had to fight constantly for their in upper part of the doorway and upon the
dependence. There were the Philistines, two doorposts, where every passerby
the Syrians, the Amalekites, the Amo- could see it. After this no one was permit
rites, the Ammonites and Moabites, the ted to leave the house.
6 Later in the evening the whole fami
Egyptians, the Assyrians and the Babylo
ly
assembled around the table to eat the
nians, all with a greedy eye on the land
passover
lamb or goat with unfermented
of Palestine. What an opportunity, it
cakes
and
bitter herbs. They ate in haste,
would appear, for these enemies to attack
the land with all the men at the festivals 5, 6. D e s c rib e th e P a s s o v e r fe s tiv a l.
in Jerusalem! Only a few women
and children were left at home.
Would an entire nation put faith
in Jehovah to protect the country,
the vacant cities and homes ac
cording to his promise that no
body will desire your land while
you are going up to see the face of
Jehovah your God three times in
the year ? (Ex. 34:24) But let us
turn our attention again to the
stage set in Jerusalem and watch
the Jews at their annual gather
ings; it will be for our encourage
ment and upbuilding.
4. W h y w a s f a it h r e q u ire d fo r a ll th e m ale
p o p u la tio n to go u p to J e r u s a le m th re e tim e s
a y ea r?

Ju l y

15, 1967

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

437

not sitting down at their tables, but stand born, but also brought the great libera
ing, with their hips girded, their sandals on tion of our people. And celebrating this
their feet and a staff in their hand. They festival should make the Jews thankful
were ready to leave that very night as and appreciative toward Jehovah, their
Jehovah had promised through his proph great God and Deliverer. It must prove
et Moses. And Jehovah proved himself the to be a joyous festival to the praise and
true God. At midnight the angel of Jeho honor of Jehovah. Ex. 12:14, 27-42.
vah struck down every Egyptian first
A BETTER DELIVERANCE
born of man and animal, from Pharaoh
8Passover not only was a joyous festi
down to the lowliest one. But because of
the blood on the doors of our forefathers, val commemorating past events, but was
the angel passed over their houses. That also a shadow of better things to come,
is why the festival is called passover, pointing forward to the real and greater
because the angel passed or skipped over Passover Lamb. The apostle Paul identi
the homes of the Israelites and thus all of fies the real Passover Lamb for us: For,
their firstborn were saved. This tenth indeed, Christ our passover has been sac
plague forced stubborn Pharaoh to let Je rificed. (1 Cor. 5:7) Yes, Christ Jesus
hovahs people go. Six hundred thousand was offered as the perfect Lamb of God
men, besides women and children and a exactly on Nisan 14, in the year 33 C.E.
vast mixed company, marched out the By this sacrifice the basis was laid for
next morning as a free people. A marvel a far greater deliverance than the release
from Egyptian captivity.
ous liberation!
7
This day is always to be remembered 9 This deliverance is for Jehovahs spiri
by Israel. Even before the deliverance Je tual firstborn ones and Christs spiritual
hovah commanded Moses: And this day brothers, the 144,000. Jehovah has deliv
must serve as a memorial for you, and ered them from the captivity of sin and
you must celebrate it as a festival to Je death and has made them spiritual sons
hovah throughout your generations. The with prospects of immortal life in heaven.
eating of the passover lamb with unfer However, at the Passover, the Israelites
mented cakes and bitter greens reminds celebrated the deliverance of the first
the Israelites, not only of the afflictions born; but the festival of unleavened bread
while they were in Egypt and the hasty that followed for seven days corresponded
departure, but also of the miraculous de with the time of the deliverance of all Is
liverance from cruel slavery under the rael, along with the mixed multitude at
mighty Pharaoh. This has made Passover the Red Sea. The sacrifice of Christ there
a joyous festival. To express this joy, wine fore lays the foundation for the great
was added later to be used during this crowd of Jesus other sheep also to be
festival of liberation and songs were sung, delivered at Armageddon from this world
such as the Egyptian Hallel during the under the control of the greater Pharaoh
first part of the celebration, that is, Satan the Devil, with opportunity of ever
Psalms 113 and 114, and at the conclu lasting life on earth. Ex. 12:37-39, 42;
sion of the feast Psalms 115 to 118. Thus 1 Cor. 5:8; Rev. 7:9; John 10:16.
you see, my son, the sacrifice of the passover lamb, not only saved the Jewish first7.

W h a t ce re m o n ia l fe a tu re s w e re

added?

W hy?

8. W h o is th e tru e P a s s o v e r L a m b ?
9. (a ) W h a t w a s p ic tu re d b y th e s p a r in g o f th e first
b o rn ones a t th e P a s s o v e r in E g y p t ? (b ) W h a t w as
c e le b rate d a f t e r th e P a s s o v e r fe s tiv a l, a n d w h a t does
it p ic t u r e ?

438

S&eWATCHTOWER
FESTIVAL OF UNFERMENTED CAKES

10 The day following Passover marked

the beginning of the festival of unferment
ed cakes, which ran for seven days, from
Nisan 15 to 21. During these seven days
the Israelites continued to eat unferment
ed cakes; in fact, no fermentation was to
be found in their homes. This law was
very strict;

anyone

f ound ea t
ing wh a t
was l e a v
ened was to
be c u t o f f
f r o m the
people, put to death. The removing of all
fermentation and old leavened bread in
dicated that the Jews had left behind the
bad Egyptian influences religiously, po
litically and morally, and had started to
live as a cleansed, free people, wholly de
voted to Jehovah their God and Protector.
Therefore, the festival would remind them,
not only of the deliverance from the af
flictions of Egypt and their hasty exodus,
but also that they were to stay free from
all pagan practices, free from the leaven
of Satans world. The unfermented cakes
were to impress upon their minds that
they should serve Jehovah in sincerity and
in truth. Ex. 12:39; Deut. 16:3.
11 The next day of the convention, Ni
san 16, was another featured day. It was
the second day of the festival of unfer
mented cakes, the official opening of the
harvest. The Jews were not allowed to
eat from the product of the new harvest
before this day, when the firstfruits were
offered to Jehovah. On this day the high
priest was required to wave a sheaf of the
barley firstfruits to and fro before Jeho
vah at the sanctuary. (Lev. 23:10-14)
During the seven-day festival, in addition
10.
O f w h a t w e re th e J e w s re m in d e d a t the fe s tiv a l of
u n fe rm e n te d c a k e s ?
31. W h a t o ffe rin g w a s m ad e on N is a n 16? W h y ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

to the regular sacrifices, two bullocks, one

ram and seven male lambs were offered
day by day as burnt offerings and a hegoat as a sin offering, besides the many
voluntary offerings by individuals. The
festival climaxed with a final general as
sembly on the seventh day, Nisan 21.
Lev. 23:8; Num. 28:19-24; Ex. 23:15.
12
Those attending the co
tion felt much like those Jews
who went up to Jerusalem in
Hezekiahs day: So the sons of
Israel that were found in Jeru
salem held the festival of the un
fermented cakes seven days with
great rejoicing; and the Levites
and the priests were offering praise to
Jehovah day by day with loud instru
ments, even to Jehovah . . . And they
proceeded to eat the appointed feast
for seven days, sacrificing communion
sacrifices and making confession to Je
hovah the God of their forefathers.
(2 Chron. 30:21, 22) It was a joyous and
edifying convention, reminding the whole
nation of their deliverance from Egypt,
their obligation to stay clean and loyal in
Jehovahs service and worship. The whole
nation was strengthened, and each indi
vidual was spiritually uplifted.
LET US KEEP THE FEAST

13
In 1 Corinthians 5:7, 8 the apostle
Paul instructs Christians, even of our
twentieth century, to keep the festival of
unfermented cakes, with these words:
Clear away the old leaven [as the Jews
did], that you may be a new lump, ac
cording as you are free from ferment. For,
indeed, Christ our passover has been sac
rificed. Consequently let us keep the fes
tival, not with old leaven, neither with
leaven of injuriousness and wickedness,
but with unfermented cakes of sincerity
12. W h a t do w e le a rn fro m 2 C h r o n ic le s 30:21, 2 2 ?
13. H o w do C h r is t ia n s keep th e f e s tiv a l t o d a y ?

Ju l y

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

439

and truth. On the basis of Jesus sacri waved on Nisan 16 Jesus was raised as the
fice the 144,000 spiritual Israelites have first fruits, or the firstborn from the
been freed from the world under Satan dead, on Nisan 16, 33 C.E. Since Jesus is
and from its condemnation. They have called the first fruits or first-born from
been pronounced a chosen race, a royal the dead, there must be more fruit
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for following him. This is foreshadowed by
special possession for Jehovah. (1 Pet.
the next festival. 1 Cor. 15:20-23; Heb.
2:9) As long as they are on earth they
7:26; Acts 26:23; Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5.
must remain in this holy condition, as
foreshadowed by the unfermented cakes.
FESTIVAL OF WEEKS
They must keep free from the leaven of
15 Fifty days after Nisan 16, on Sivan
the old system of things, its false religion
and moral degeneration. No spiritual or 6, the second national convention was
moral uncleanness is permitted among held, the festival of weeks, also called
them. They must celebrate a continuous Pentecost, meaning the fiftieth day. It
feast of praise and joy, in sincerity and was a one-day convention. Many conventruth, publishing the purposes of Jehovah tioners stayed in Jerusalem from Passover till Pentecost. Pentecost was a very
world wide with
joyful gathering; it was the festival of
gladness. Those
harvest of the first ripe fruits of your
o f th e g r e a t
labors, of what you sow in the field.
crowd of other
(Ex. 23:16) In most districts the wheat
sheep associat
harvest had ended and now, at the
ing today with
sanctuary, the firstfruits were
them must have
offered to Jehovah. Out of your
the same mental
dwelling places you should bring
attitude.
two loaves as a wave offering.
14
By the wav
. . . They should be baked leav
ing of the sheaf
ened, as first ripe fruits to Je
of the firstfruits
hovah. It is interesting to notice the
o f th e b a r l e y
use of leaven during this festival. Many
harvest, another
additional sacrifices were offered and
important point
the people made personal voluntary of
w as f o r e s h a d
fering just as Jehovah their God had
owed. Again it is
blessed them. All were to rejoice, in
the apostle Paul
who gives us the correct understanding: cluding slaves, foreigners, orphans and
However, now Christ has been raised up widows. Lev. 23:17-21; Deut. 16:10-12.
from the dead, the first fruits of those who
16 The most notable festival of weeks
have fallen asleep . . . Christ the first ever held was the one celebrated after
fruits. No ferment or leaven, represent Jesus resurrection in the year 33 C.E.
ing sin, was associated with the presenta The historian Dr. Luke has recorded the
tion of the barley firstfruits, for Jesus events of this memorable Pentecost in de
Christ was loyal, guileless, undefiled, sep tail. (See Acts, chapter 2.) It was on this
arated from the sinners. As the sheaf was
14. W h a t is p ictu re d b y th e w a v in g
b a r le y firs tfru its b y th e h ig h p r ie s t ?

o f th e sh e a f of

15. (a ) W h e n w a s th e f e s tiv a l of w e e ks h eld ? (b) What

s p e c ia l o fferin g w a s m a d e ?
16. W h a t do th e tw o lo a v e s p ic t u r e ? W h y tw o ?

440

SnkWATCHTOWER.

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

day that the waving of the two fermented ones . . . bought from among mankind as a
loaves began to have fulfillment. The two first fruits to God and to the Lamb. They
afirst fruits, a certain first fruits.
loaves symbolically represented the entire are
Just
as
the barley, not the wheat, was
body of 144,000 spirit-begotten members
THE firstfruits, so Jesus Christ is the pri
of Christs body as being waved or pre
mary firstfruits to God. In turn, since
sented by Christ Jesus, the greater High
these 144,000 sire called a firstfruits from
Priest, before Jehovah as holy unto Him. among mankind, there must be a much
The 120 disciples who were gathered in larger number of mankind who will be
the upper room were the first members saved to everlasting life, not in heaven,
presented and the ingathering of the re but on earth. Interestingly this is fore
maining ones has continued from Pente shadowed by the third and last conven
cost 33 C.E. until our day, with a rem tion. Jas. 1:18; Rev. 14:4.
nant yet living on earth. The first ones
FESTIVAL OF BOOTHS
were taken from the natural Jews, as fore
1
8
In
the
fall, at the close of the year,
shadowed by one of the loaves, and then
the third and last national convention was
others were taken from the Gentile na
held. It was scheduled for Ethanim or
tions, beginning in 36 C.E., when Peter
Tishri 15 to 21, with a final assembly on
preached to Cornelius, as represented by the 22d. Again all the male Israelites had
the second loaf. Acts 10:1-48.
to appear before Jehovah at the sanctuary
17
The fact that the two loaves werein Jerusalem, this time to celebrate the
fermented pictured that they all were by festival of booths. During this festival the
conventioners had to dwell for seven
inheritance sin
days in booths or tabernacles, made
fu l c r e a t u r e s ,
out of the fronds of palm trees and
needing Jesus
the boughs of branchy trees. The
s a c r if ic e to be
booths were erected on the roofs and
come holy to Je
in the courtyards of the houses, in the
hovah. Just as
streets and the temple courtyard, and
the two loaves
even in the open country up to
were the firstthe distance of a sabbath-days
f r u i t s of the
journey outside the city wall.
wheat harvest, so
also these 144,The festival reminded the Is
raelites of their nomadic life,
000 are the first
ones taken out
when Jehovah made them dwell in
booths during their forty-year trek
from sinful man
through the wilderness, and especially
kind and declared
of Gods care for them after deliver
justified and holy
to Jehovah, as we
ing them from Egypt. They could
read: Because
think back with joy and thankfulness
he willed it, he brought us forth by the over Jehovahs fatherly loving-kindness to
word of truth, for us to be a certain first them when he provided them shelter and
fruits of his creatures. These are the nourishment, who caused [them] to walk
through the great and fear-inspiring wil17. (a ) W h a t w a s p ic tu r e d b y th e lo a v e s b ein g b aked
w it h le a v e n ? (b ) I n w h a t w a y a re those p ictu re d b y
th e w h e a t lo a v e s f ir s t f r u it s ?

18.

H o w d id th e J e w s c e le b ra te th e f e s tiv a l o f b o o th s?

Ju l y

15, 1967

SfreWATCHTOWER-

derness, with poisonous serpents and scor

pions and with thirsty ground that has no
water; who brought forth water for you
out of the flinty rock; who fed you with
manna in the wilderness, which your fa
thers had not known. Lev. 23:40-43;
Deut. 8:15, 16; 16:16; Neh. 8:16.
19 The feast was also called the festival
of ingathering because it was celebrated
at the end of the ingathering of the prod
ucts of the land, the grainfields, olive
yard and vineyard. It was a harvest fes
tival, with all the people assembled to of
fer thanksgiving to Jehovah for his good
ness and to show their appreciation by
offering many sacrifices. The special burnt
offering amounted to seventy bullocks for
the seven days, besides many other offer
ings.Num. 29:12-34.
20The festival of ingathering was held
only five days after their ceremonial
cleansing from their sinfulness on the day
of atonement. Thus the people had a feel
ing of cleanness, a standing before Jeho
vah as his people, and could therefore cele
brate this last feast with great joy and
gladness. It was the most joyful conven
tion of the year. Every seven years, when
there was no harvest because of the Sab19. W h y w as th e fe a s t a lso c a lle d fe s tiv a l of in
g a t h e rin g ?
20. W h y w as it th e m o st jo y o u s fe s tiv a l of th e y e a r ?

441

bath year, and again on the

fiftieth or Jubilee year, the peo
ple assembled during this festi
val of the booths to hear the
reading of the law. Deut. 16:
16; 31:10-13.
21
In course of time other fe
tures were added. The Jews be
gan to carry palm branches as
a sign of joy and victory. Each
morning a priest filled a golden
vessel with water from the pool
of Siloam and carried it to the
temple, where trumpets were
blown and the words of Isaiah 12:3
were spoken: With exultation you peo
ple will be certain to draw water out
of the springs of salvation. In the eve
nings it was customary to illuminate the
Court of Women at the temple with great
golden lamps. The whole cycle of three
national conventions was concluded with
a fitting general assembly of the entire
nation on the eighth day, without various
features of the preceding seven days. This
was the climax of the joyous feasting and
an expression of praise and honor to Je
hovah their God. Each and every one re
turned to his home with a thankful heart,
spiritually strengthened and encouraged.
OTHER SHEEP

22
Jesus said: I have other sheep,
which are not of this fold; those also I
must bring. (John 10:16) The ingather
ing of these other sheep in our day was
also marvelously pictured by the festival
of ingathering. The remnant of spiritual
Israel are busy since 1919 preaching the
good news of Gods kingdom. As a result
of this preaching work a great crowd,
which no man was able to number, has
come to join them, out of all nations and
21. D e s c rib e th e a d d itio n s la t e r b ro u g h t in a t the
fe s tiv a l of booths.
22. W h a t r e la tio n is th e re b e tw e e n J o h n 10:16 a n d th e
fe s tiv a l of in g a th e r in g ?

442

SHeWATCHTOWER-

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

24During the festival of booths the peo

tribes and peoples and tongues. (Rev. 7:
9) They are harvested, gathered to Jeho ple were instructed in the Law, and Jesus
vahs temple class, as represented by the himself followed this custom, as we read:
remnant, to be protected during the com When by now the festival was half over,
ing war of Armageddon. Just as Jehovah Jesus went up into the temple and began
blessed the ingathering of the Jews in an teaching. The same is true of the rem
cient times, so he blesses the ingathering nant today; they are preaching and teach
ing the law of God throughout the whole
of the other sheep today.
23
The Jews dwelling in booths duringearth, supported by about a million other
sheep already gathered. This teaching
the festival pictured that the remnant and
points to something more refreshing than
the other sheep consider their sojourn
the waters from the well of Siloam. That
here in this old system of things as but a is why Jesus said to his listeners in the
temporary abode, as they look forward to temple on the last or seventh day of the
a permanent dwelling place, in heaven for feast: If anyone is thirsty, let him come
the remnant and in a paradise on earth to me and drink. He that puts faith in me,
for the other sheep. Those booths were just as the Scripture has said, Out from
not elaborately furnished; likewise today, his inmost part streams of living water
Jehovahs people, along with godly devo will flow.
25 This teaching is also more enlighten
tion, have self-sufficiency . . . having sus
ing
than the four golden lamps that light
tenance and covering with which they
ened
up the Court of the Women at the
are content. (1 Tim. 6:6-8) They are hap
temple
on evenings of the feast. That is
py and full of joy in having a share in
what
Jesus
may have had reference to
this greater ingathering work and in help
when
he
said,
possibly the day after this
ing people now to accept Jesus as the ran
festival in 32 C.E.: I am the light of
som. They know that Jesus sacrifice alone
the world. He that follows me will by no
will bring real forgiveness of sin. The
means walk in darkness, but will possess
seventy bullocks sacrificed during the sev
the light of life. The great festival of
en days of the festival indicate that Jesus
ingathering is under way, thousands of
sacrifice is complete, from a human and
other sheep have already been brought
heavenly standpoint, and is for all man
into Jehovahs organization and thousands
kind typified by the seventy generations
will yet come, to the vindication of Je
named in Genesis, chapter ten. As a token
hovah and to His praise and honor. John
of joy the Jews back there carried palm
7:14-16, 37, 38; 8:12.
branches, and it is interesting that in Rev
elation 7, verse 9, the great crowd of peo
MODERN-DAY ASSEMBLIES
ple have palm branches in their hands.
26With great appreciation we have
Certainly they have good reason to ex watched the Jews celebrating their festi
press their joy as they shout with a loud vals. During the study of these festivals
voice: Salvation we owe to our God, who you may have felt a strong desire to be
is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.
24. W h a t d id J e s u s do a t th e fe a st, a n d w it h w h a t
Vs. 10.
sig n ific a n ce to u s ?
23. (a ) W h a t does th e d w e llin g in booths fo re sh a d o w ?
(b ) T h e s e v e n ty b u llo c k s o ffe re d ? (c) T h e c a r r y in g of
p a lm b r a n c h e s ?

25. W h a t re fe re n ce m a y J e s u s h a v e m ad e to th e cele
b ra tio n c a r r ie d on d u rin g ev e n in g s of t h is f e s tiv a l ?
26. W h y a re a sse m b lie s a n d co n v e n tio n s n e c e s s a r y fo r
C h r is tia n s t o d a y ?

Ju l y 1 5 , 1 9 6 7

SK eW ATO iTO W ER .

443

with your family among the conventioners

in Jerusalem, to share with them in the
companionship, the worship, the offerings
of sacrifices and praises to Jehovah, and
have a part in this joy and gladness. Your
desire may be gratified in an enlarged
way today. As Jehovah made provision
for his ancient people to celebrate festi
vals and assemblies in holy convention,
in the same way he provides for his peo
ple today. As in the days of the Jews, the
same need exists today for Christians to
come together in joyous and upbuilding
conventions. And the historic record of
modern-day Christians proves that such
conventions are of great benefit.
27Besides assembling locally at five con
gregational meetings each week, Jeho
vahs witnesses usually gather together
three times a year in circuit and district
assemblies, national or international con
ventions. They take these gatherings se
riously by being present at them. Like the
ancient Israelites they are thankful for
such a provision and they appreciate the
educational and encouraging value of such
assemblies. They heed the counsel of Paul
by not forsaking the gathering of our
selves together, . . . but encouraging one
another, and all the more so as you be
hold the day drawing near.Heb. 10:25.
28 Just as the Israelites, when attending
the seasoned festivals of Jehovah, were not
to appear before Jehovah empty-handed,
so Jehovahs witnesses today rejoice to
contribute something to assemblies they
attend, whether they be weekly meetings
or large conventions. They are joyful and
their joy finds expression. They manifest
it by preparing well for whatever parts
they may have on the program. They
prepare in advance to comment at the
Bible-study meetings. They do not let their

personal difficulties cause them to appear

at the meetings with a sad and mournful
appearance, but come with happiness on
their countenances, glad to see and asso
ciate with their brothers in friendliness
and kindness, welcoming the stranger at
the meetings. In this way they carry out
Pauls counsel to encourage one another
in a very practical way.
29At the larger assemblies they are hap
py to volunteer their services in the vari
ous convention departments, whether it be
serving as an attendant, in the cleaning
crew, on the program or any place where
they can use their talents and abilities as
a contribution to Jehovahs service. Some
open their homes to convention delegates.
Others volunteer use of their equipment.
Some contribute from their private funds
toward convention expenses. Thus moved
by Jehovahs spirit, conventions are a joy
ful success and a praise to His name,
which conventions people on the outside
see as a model and are thereby impelled
toward greater respect for Jehovah, his
Word and his organization.
30 And just as the Israelites of old set
aside the products of their fields and herds
in advance for their seasonal festivals, so
today Jehovahs witnesses prepare in ad
vance by arranging their vacations and by
saving their money so that their entire
families can come to the assemblies. This
has resulted in a great witness to Jeho
vahs name and an encouragement to one
another, as during the recent assemblies
held in Latin America, where hundreds of
fellow Witnesses from the United States,
Canada and other lands were able to at
tend, forming a stronger bond of unity
among their Christian brothers and in
creasing their understanding and love for
one another. Deut. 14:22-27.

27. W n a t p ro visio n s a r e m ad e b y J e h o v a h s o rg a n i
z a tio n for a sse m b lie s, a n d ho w s h o u ld one v ie w th e m ?
28. H o w is it th a t Je h o v a h s m o d e rn -d a y s e rv a n ts do
n o t ap p e a r e m p ty -h a n d e d a t t h e ir w e e k ly m e e tin g s ?

29. H o w
is
t h is
sam e
p r in c ip le
tru e
at
la rg e r
a s s e m b lie s?
30. H o w do Je h o v a h s w itn e s s e s v ie w a sse m b lie s, and
w h a t effect h a v e t h e y h a d ?

The
REMOVAL
o ff
E OFTEN see a situation
where a change of admin
istration is made, a person placed
in a political office of rulership
by vote, the hope of the people support
ing him being that he will bring about
better conditions. But after a little while
complaints arise, even some of his own
supporters blaming him for the undesir
able things taking place. It may be a bad
economic situation, unemployment, or it
may be a war, or certain groups may not
feel that they are getting equal treatment
and enjoying their civil rights.
Everyone is aware that there are many
corrupt politicians, and sometimes some
of the conditions may be partly due to
corruption on the part of the individual
in office. But, again, everyone realizes that
one man, no matter how honest and zeal
ous for good government and the good of
the people he may be, cannot by himself
correct the many bad situations that ex
ist. Actually no individual can be singled
out as the cause for the trouble. No, it is
the system of things that controls. Things
are so interrelated and there is such a
hopeless tangle and conflict of interests
that it is impossible for one man or a
group of honest men to straighten it out.
That is why the Bible shows that the
entire system of things, first the false re
ligious systems, followed by the political
and commercial systems, will have to be
wiped out in completion. But one may ask,
How will that do any good? Men will just
start over and do the same thing again,
as past history shows.

444

THE REAL DISTURBER

That is a good question, but there is an

answer, for in asking such a question we
are overlooking one important thing,
namely, the cause for the worlds taking
such a course, when actually the majority
of people would much prefer to live in
peace. The real cause is an invisible one,
but, nevertheless, very powerful and in
fluential. Even in the present-day mate
rialistic system people are afraid that they
are being watched by some unseen and
menacing enemy. They really believe and
fear that creatures from outer space may
be watching their every move. Fear is
heightened by the unexplained flying
saucers or unidentified flying objects
sighted in different parts of the earth. The
real source of earths troubles, however,
is much more dangerous and insidious and
is absolutely invisible. The Bible describes
this source as being the one who is called
the god of this system of things and
the ruler of this world, who Jesus said
had no hold on him and who would be
cast out. (2 Cor. 4:4; John 12:31; 14:30)
It is none other than Satan the Devil, who
is misleading the entire inhabited earth.
(Rev. 12:9) That is why, not only this
system of things, but also the ruler of the
system must be put out of action for the
earth to have rest from constant trouble.
FIRST, AN EARTHLY FIGHT

In our previous issue we discussed the

war of Har-Magedon (Armageddon),

Ju l y 15, 1967

SKeW ATCHTOW ER

which takes place after false religion has

been wiped out by the political rulers
and which war, in turn, wipes out all poli
tics on earth and those who stubbornly
hang on, trying to perpetuate mans sover
eignty. Although the wild beast, rep
resenting the political organization of
earth, got its authority from the Dragon
(Rev. 13:2), the Dragon is unable to back
it up and support it for success and sal
vation in the war of Armageddon. Because
the great issue of universal sovereignty is
between Jehovah God and Satan, God pur
poses that Satan will get to see his entire
earthly seed destroyed, knowing that he
personally must be next to come into di
rect clash with the heavenly commander
of Gods armies. His earthly seed will
be destroyed before he faces the bruising
of his head. Gen. 3:15.
The destruction of Satans visible polit
ical organization means the finale of the
time of the end that began when the
Gentile Times ran out in the year 1914
C.E. (Dan. 12:1, 4; Luke 21:24) To clean
up the universe the only need left after
that is to put Satan and his demon hosts
out of action. Since this is a heavenly act
it is undoubtedly the greatest part of the
cleanup work. Can it be done?
Well, in 1914, when Gods Messianic
kingdom was set up in the heavens, the
first act of the newly enthroned King was
to start war against this enemy of God
to hurl him and his demons down to the
earth, cleansing the heavens. There the
angelic forces under Michael, which is the
heavenly name of Jesus Christ, were vic
torious. Since that time the wrathful
Dragon and his demons have made it their
prime business to wage war with the re
maining ones of [the womans] seed, who
observe the commandments of God and
have the work of bearing witness to Je
sus. Their efforts are more than ever
concentrated because these invisible ene-

445

mies of God can no longer have access to

the heavens. Rev. 12:3-17.
In 1914 Jesus Christ ended his nineteenhundred-year-long wait at Gods right
hand and took up the long-promised King
dom authority. He went forth subduing in
the midst of his enemies, first conquering
by hurling the demons out of heaven and
later to conquer by completely crushing
all the visible earthly seed of the Dragon.
(Ps. 110:1-6; Rev. 6:2) These enemies
have made it hard on the remaining ones
on earth of the 144,000 who are to be
kings in heaven with Jesus Christ. Addi
tionally, they have made it hard upon the
great crowd of persons who have given
heed to the good news of the Kingdom as
proclaimed by the womans seed and who
have taken up the proclamation of the
Kingdom themselves, hailing the King en
throned. But right up through the battle
of Har-Magedon Satan is powerless to
crush them out. Har-Magedon completed,
there will be no danger to these faithful
ones on earth. Rev. 7:9, 10, 15.
LAST, A HEAVENLY BINDING

But there would be danger to them if

Satan and his invisible demons were left
to war against them. Therefore, John, in
the vision, describes the next step to be
taken: And I saw an angel coming down
out of heaven with the key of the abyss
and a great chain in his hand. And he
seized the dragon, the original serpent,
who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him
for a thousand years. And he hurled him
into the abyss and shut it and sealed it
over him, that he might not mislead the
nations any more until the thousand years
were ended. After these things he must
be let loose for a little while. Rev. 20:
1-3.
Who is the angel, here unnamed, who
has the key to the abyss and who comes
down out of heaven to bind the Devil? He

446

SHeWATCHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

must be one of tremendous power, for he of death and Hades. (Rev. 1:18; Rom. 10:
accomplishes the binding of Satan with 7) Therefore all the evidence points to
out any help. We know that it is harder him as the one whom Jehovah uses to bind
to bind a strong man than it is to over Satan and to throw him with his demons
come and kill him in combat. Let us iden into the abyss and shut it and seal it over
tify this angel, for it is important to our him, that he might not mislead the na
tions any more until the thousand years
understanding.
Since Satan has seen all his earthly [are] ended. He is the mightiest angel of
seed go, the rest of the prophecy of Gene all, the angel of angels, the archangel
sis 3:15 has to be fulfilled: his head must Michael.Dan. 12:1; Jude 9; 1 Thess. 4:
be bruised. Who is the one to do the bruis 16; Luke 11:20-22.
Why is it that it is the abyss, not Sheol
ing? The prophecy says the seed of the
woman. In the fight just preceding this, or Hades, into which the angel or messen
namely, Har-Magedon, none other than ger of God, Jesus Christ, hurls Satan?
the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus For the reason that Hades or Sheol is the
Christ himself, in command of Jehovahs common grave of dead humans and is in
invisible army, destroyed the wild beast the ground of our earth. Satan and his de
and the false prophet and gave the bodies mons are not earthly, visible, but are of
of the kings and military commanders as a different nature, angelic or spirit. The
food for the birds of heaven. (Rev. 19: binding and hurling into the abyss will
11-21) It was the same one, the archangel consequently be something invisible to the
Michael, who hurled Satan and his demons eyes of the survivors of the war of the
out of heaven earlier, 1914-1918. There great day of God the Almighty. Already
fore, it is unreasonable to think that it these invisible spirit persons have been
would be anyone less than the Son of God cast out of heaven and no one on earth
Jesus Christ himself who would be as saw this, for it was something in the in
signed to such an important task, one re visible realm. When Jesus was in the
quiring such great power.
abyss he was dead, unconscious, out of
action. The condition of Satan and the
WHERE THE DISTURBER IS PUT
demons when they are in the abyss means
Are the demons also defeated along that they will be in the condition of
with their leader Satan even though they deathlikeness, likely an unconscious state,
are not mentioned here in the Revelation with no ability to do anything at all to
vision? Yes. This is in harmony with the disturb mankind and mislead the nations
custom of mentioning only the leader of into captivity to form another oppressive
an army as losing a battle, the under system of things such as we see today.
standing being, of course, that his army
actually lost under his leadership. When
A THOUSAND-YEAR REBUILDING PERIOD
Jesus was on earth as a man, the unclean
According to the Bible timetable, mems
demons entreated him not to order them history on earth has been nearly 6,000
into the abyss. (Luke 8:31) Jesus is the years. Adam was created in 4026 B.C.E.,
starlike One who has the key of the pit which means that six thousand years of
of the abyss. (Rev. 9:1) He himself went human history end about the fall of 1975
into the abyss when he died but was raised C.E. We are in the great 7,000-year rest
out of it by his own Father, Jehovah God, day of God, starting at the time he rested
on the third day and was given the keys after the creation of Adam and Eve. There

Ju l y 1 5 , 1 9 6 7

SfteWATCHTOWER

are, therefore, a thousand years left to

run. Without Satan and his demons to
disturb mankind it will indeed be a restful
time. It will be like a sabbath. In a way
it will be a sabbath within a sabbath. The
last thousand years of God's great seventhousand-year rest is a special sabbath
over which the Son of man will be Lord.
Matt. 12:8.
Since Satan is to be loosed along with
his demons for a little while, by the end
of this sabbath millennium mankind will
have to be considerably changed, so that
Satan will be unable to influence them so
easily to take the course of wickedness
that past history records. They will have
to be helped so that they are able to with
stand the final test at the loosing of the
Serpent and the demons. This work,

447

therefore, is to be done during the

thousand-year reign of Christ. During his
rule righteousness will be in the earth and
the people will be taught righteousness.
Christ and his 144,000 associate kings and
priests will minister to mankind and raise
them up from the imperfect state in which
desires of the flesh have such a hold upon
them. They will be able to make over
their personalities and arrive at physical
perfection. But as we go on farther into
the Revelation prophecy we get much
more detail and enlightenment on this, for
the blessings that God has in store for
mankind when the Great Disturber is out
of the way are greater than man by his
own reasoning can conceive. John 5:22,
28, 29; Acts 17:31; 2 Pet. 3:13; Eph. 4:
22, 23.

one. For I tell you that this which is written

must be accomplished in me, namely, And
he was reckoned with lawless ones. For that
which concerns me is having an accomplish
ment.' Then they said: Lord, look! here are
two swords.' He said to them: It is enough.'"

According to Luke 22:37, Jesus was to be

reckoned with lawless ones, in fulfillment of
Isaiah 53:12. Are Christ's disciples to be viewed
as the lawless ones because some were carry
ing swords? A . F., U.S.A.
No, it does not appear that Jesus' followers,
even though they had two swords at that
time, were the lawless ones. Rather, this
portion of Isaiah 53:12 was fulfilled when
he was impaled between two criminals. By
examining the context of Jesus' words we can
better understand the point he was making.
Luke 22:35-38 reads:
He also said to them: W h e n I sent you
forth without purse and food pouch and san
dals, you did not want for anything, did you?'
They said: N o !' Then he said to them: But
now \et the one that has a purse take it up,
likewise also a food pouch; and let the one hav
ing no sword sell his outer garment and buy

The Lord was spending his last night with

the disciples before his death. H e realized that,
once he was arrested and executed, conditions
would change fo r them. W hen he had sent
them out before, they had been welcomed and
provided for by the people, but, in general,
things were going to be more difficult now.
(Mark 6:7-11) From this time forward they
would not be welcomed by the majority, but
would be rejected and scorned. Consequently,
they would have to make some provisions for
themselves.
A fter stating what their situation would be
in the future, Jesus explained to his disciples
why things were going to change; he gave
them the reason. It was because he was to be
killed, taken away like a transgressor and
executed with lawless ones in fulfillment of
Isaiah 53:12. The lawless ones were not the
disciples to whom he was speaking, but, in
stead, were the evildoers between whom Jesus
was impaled. (Matt. 27:38) Some manuscripts

448

S&eWATCHTOWER.

have a verse inserted in M ark 15 directly link

ing these evildoers with the prophecy in Isaiah
5 3 :1 2 ; but older and more reliable Bible manu
scripts omit Mark 15:28.
A fter Jesus provided the explanation of why
the disciples could expect problems ahead,
Jesus' followers commented: Lord, look! here
are two swords." N ot that Jesus' followers
customarily carried swords, but on this occasion
they were provided. In mentioning a sword
to them, Jesus was not recommending that
they arm themselves for attack. Quite the
opposite! His next words showed he had some
thing else in mind and that he was using the
swords to teach his followers an important
lesson.
Shortly he was going to be arrested by an
armed band, including Roman soldiers; and
the circumstances could provoke armed resis
tance. (Matt. 26:47; John 18:12) In order to
accomplish what was prophesied, however,
Jesus chose not to resort to armed resistance
but voluntarily allowed himself to be seized.
The two swords would not be enough to de-

rooklyn

N.Y.

fend the group victoriously against the mob,

but they would be enough fo r the purpose of
teaching a lesson, to emphasize that Jesus
was submitting of his own will, freely, and not
violently resisting, as his group was equipped
to do. (John 18:11, 36) W hen Peter impetuously
drew his sword and cut off the ear of the slave
Malchus, Jesus reprimanded him. H e said that
those who take the sword will perish by the
sw ord"; besides, if he wanted to he could
have called on the angels for help. (M att. 26:
52, 53) But that was not what he wanted. A s
shown by his not engaging the two swords
for defense, Jesus was willingly giving him self
to die on the stake between two lawless ones."
As for Jesus' faithful followers, they had
learned their lesson well, so that Justin M artyr
wrote in his Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew (155160 C .E .): W e who were filled with war, and
mutual slaughter, and every wickedness, have
each through the whole earth changed our
warlike weapons, our swords into plough
shares, and our spears into implements of till
age."

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WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

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TO KEEP YOU INFORMED

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1119-27, and The Three Annual National
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August 20: The Three Annual N ational Con

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Used: 9, 110.

AUGUST 1, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

KEEPING FREE FROM THE

SPIRIT OF COMPLAINT
FINDING CONTENTMENT
WITH JEHOVAHS ORGANIZATION
A NEW ADMINISTRATION
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YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JEH O VA H .-lsa.43:f2

T H E PURPOSE O F T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very watchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h at is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
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facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tch to w e r
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predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
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under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

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WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
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They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

C O N T E N T S
Is It Love or Infatuation?
A New Administration of Earth's Affairs
Keeping Free from the Spirit of
Complaint
Finding Contentment with Jehovah's
Organization
Large and Small Testify to Creator
Keep Useful Habits by Good Associations
Joys, Trials and Blessings in the Service
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Judge Ehud Resourceful and Valiant for
Jehovahs Cause
Questions from Readers

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Is it

LOVE or

OVE or infatuation? That is an im

portant question. Why? Because the
chances for happiness in marriage in many
cases depend upon whether it is love or
infatuation that brings the two together.
This question is especially important for
young folk, since one out of two teen-age
marriages in the United States ends in
separation or divorce.
Nor does that dismal picture present the
whole of the tragedy. According to Clark
W. Blackburn, General Director of the
Family Service Association: There is no
question that a tragically high percentage
of the young couples who remain married
are disillusioned and dissatisfied with
their marriage to the point where it has
become a bore, a mockery, a burden, a
failure.
No doubt these young folks felt that
they were in love ; being in love
means being under the spell of the physi
cal attraction of one of the opposite sex.
Of itself it does not guarantee happiness
even though at the time it appears a most
pleasant state and holds out great hopes.
But with a measure of unselfishness, that
is, concern for the others happiness, and
a lot of common sense, such love can and

often does result in happiness, even as we

read of the ancient Hebrew Isaac, that
he fell in love with [Rebekah], and . . .
found comfort after the loss of his moth
er. Gen. 24:67.
Infatuation, however, is something dif
ferent. It is defined as strong and un
reasoning attachment. The word comes
from the Latin fatuus, meaning foolish,
from which also comes the English word
fatuous, defined as marked by a want
of intelligence and rational consideration,
especially marked by futile, ill-founded
hope or desire.
That members of the opposite sexes
should form strong attachments for each
other is natural. So that humankind would
indeed become many and fill the earth
the Creator put strong forces of attraction
for the opposite sex in each. Medical
science shows that the sex drive chiefly
originates, not in the lower gonads or sex
glands, but in the midbrain, in the hypo
thalamus. The fact that the center of the
sex drive is located in the brain also helps
to account for the fact that this drive in
fluences the higher portions of the brain,
such as mans reasoning, imagination and
veneration. The question therefore is,

451

452

fReWATCHTOWEFL

Which will we let control the other? Will

we let the sex drive control the higher
faculties or the higher faculties control the
sex drive? Gen. 1:28.
Infatuation obviously is the product of
immaturity. It makes another person the
object of desire or possession with little
or no regard to the responsibilities in
volved and often regardless of the feelings
or welfare of the other, as when girls
idolize some popular entertainer.
Not, however, that only young persons
err in mistaking infatuation for love. Age
is no protection against this mistake, nor
even experience, as can be seen from the
frequency of cases in which divorced per
sons divorce or separate a second time.
Infatuation fails to take the facts into con
sideration. It is based on neither reason
nor principle. A very young person may
become infatuated with a very old person,
a single person with one already married,
or one person with another whose tastes,
way of life, principles or religion radically
differ. In such cases each can contribute
little to the happiness of the other except
the pleasure each can give because of sex
attraction.
There also seems to be something con
trary about infatuation, in that the more
unreasoning it is, the stronger it is likely
to be. It ignores the advice of parents or
friends and is marked with haste for the
physical relationship and therefore results
in either feelings of frustration or a guilty
conscience. It is a strong, uncontrolled
feeling, but, like other uncontrolled things
such as earthquakes and cyclones, it usu
ally is short-lived and destructive.
Some say love is blind, but true love
is not blind. No doubt the ancient lover
Jacob, whom the Bible tells about, and
whose love for beautiful Rachel was such
that in his eyes seven years proved to be
like some few days because of his love for

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

her, saw much in her, and his fondness

for her throughout her life proved that it
was love and not infatuation. Further, had
it been infatuation he could not have
waited seven years, for, as it has well been
said, infatuation is haste to mate. Gen.
29:20.
But infatuation is blind, at least in one
eye. It sees only what it wants to see or
imagines it sees and, being self-centered,
is almost invariably doomed to unhappi
ness. The infatuated person does not take
an honest accounting of himself, of what
his potential is for making the other per
son happy and what the prospects are for
a long and happy married life. He does not
ask, What do we truly have in common
aside from both of us liking fine food, nice
clothes and fun ? He ignores the prin
ciple that there is more happiness in giv
ing than there is in receiving, even as
Jesus Christ said.Acts 20:35.
However, let it be noted that not all
unwise marriages need to end in separa
tion or divorce. Two self-centered, imma
ture young persons finding themselves
within the bond of matrimony can grow
up together, can learn to adjust to and
learn to love each other. They can salvage
their marriage if they really want to. But
it will take humility, patience, persever
ance, self-control, empathy and unselfish
regard for the other. Gal. 5:22, 23.
So, guard against infatuation. That the
power of sex attraction can and must be
controlled the Bible clearly indicates by
warning, not only against fornication and
adultery, but also against Gods servants
marrying unbelievers. (Deut. 7:3, 4; 1 Cor.
6:9, 10; 7:39) This of itself shows that
the power of sex attraction can be and
should be controlled, directed into wise
channels. Only then can it promise hap
piness; only then can it result in honor to
God and be pleasing to Him. 1 Cor. 10:31.

HE problem that has always troubled

reasoning man is, What is the pur
pose of it all? He looks around at the
beauty of the earth, thinks of the fine
place it could be in which to live, but sees
so much going on that brings distress and
sadness. Yet even with that, most persons
enjoy what little life they have, but then
it comes to an end. What is the purpose
in living a short while, only to die? It
does not seem reasonable. For example, we
see a young man who has a high aim in
life. He has the altruistic goal of equipping
himself to help his fellowman. He studies
hard, attends a university, with plans to
be a doctor or surgeon or an engineer. He
stores up much information, so that his
worth to humankind cannot be calculated
in money values. Yet when he has not
much more than begun to apply his learn
ing and ability for the benefit of his fel
lowman he is called to war and a bullet
from someone who never saw him before
cuts off his life. What a loss!
In view of this, should we throw up our
hands despairingly and give up the search
for a purpose in life? No, for an answer is
available and it is an answer that satisfies
to the full the mind and the heart. Al
though the situation just described has
been the case for six thousand years of
human history, there are a thousand years
yet to come that will be governed by an
administration so powerful and wise and
so ofeneficial to humankind that all dam
ages of the past six thousand years will

453

be completely erased. Yes, completelyto

the point where the remembrance of even
the most saddening of world events will
not be able to have the slightest clouding
effect upon the subjects living under that
administration. Let us look into and con
sider very carefully and analytically the
answer. The analysis to be made is at
Revelation, chapter twenty, verses four
through six.
Revelation, chapter nineteen, has just
given a description of earths final war
Har-Magedon doing away with all wicked
ness. The opening verses of chapter twen
ty show the source of the wickedness,
Satan and his demons, bound (as dis
cussed in our last two preceding issues).
There are now no obstacles to the full
and complete blessing of humankind. The
thousand-year sabbath day for mankind
begins. We shall consider, sentence by sen
tence, the description of the vision of
earths new administration.
WHO THEY ARE

And I saw thrones, and there were

those who sat down on them, and power
of judging was given them. The ones sit
ting on the thrones can be easily identi
fied. Jesus, while on earth, said to his
apostles: In the re-creation, when the
Son of man sits down upon his glorious
throne, you who have followed me will
also yourselves sit upon twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matt.
19:28; Luke 22:28-30) The twelve apos-

454

SlieWATCHTOWER

ties are spoken of as twelve foundations of

Jehovahs spiritual temple, built upon the
chief cornerstone, who is Jesus Christ.
However, the foundation of a building is
not the entire structure. There are others
built as a superstructure upon this foun
dation. This temple constitutes a spiritual
palace or sanctuary where God dwells, in
which he is shown to be enthroned, ac
companied by his Son Jesus Christ. Rev.
21:14; 1 Pet. 2:4.
There were more than twelve thrones
in the vision that John saw. In fact, a few
chapters earlier he saw 144,000 standing
with Jesus Christ upon Mount Zion, where
the temple was located. In the earlier
part of the Revelation vision he had
seen twenty-four older persons about the
throne, representing the same group. It is
significant that they are not shown here,
for they are another symbolic presenta
tion of the 144,000. In this view, John sees
144,000 on thrones. Rev. 14:1-3; 3:21.
That this understanding is correct is
supported by the apostle Paul. He wrote:
Do you not know that the holy ones will
judge the world [of mankind] ? . . . Do you
not know that we shall judge angels?
(1 Cor. 6:2, 3) These 144,000, then, are
royal judges as well as priests sitting on
thrones. Whereas in Israel the kingship
and priesthood were divided, which pre
vented undue concentration of power in
human kings, these heavenly kings have
been tested here on earth and have been
proved righteous, trustworthy, qualified.
They exercise their powers under their
King and High Priest Jesus Christ.
The apostle John himself wrote while
on earth with regard to the hope held by
the spiritual brothers of Christ: Beloved
ones, now we are children of God, but as
yet it has not been made manifest what
we shall be. We do know that whenever
he is made manifest we shall be like him,
because we shall see him just as he is.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

(1 John 3:2) No earthly, fleshly person

can see or visualize just what the immor
tal, heavenly body is like, because those
with the heavenly invitation have to ex
perience a change of nature. Therefore
John, when he saw 144,000 on thrones, one
of which was reserved for him, does not
say that he saw himself among them. He
says:
W H Y THEY QUALIFY

Yes, I saw the souls of those executed

with the ax for the witness they bore to
Jesus and for speaking about God, and
those who had worshiped neither the wild
beast nor its image and who had not re
ceived the mark upon their forehead and
upon their hand. John said he saw
souls. These would be the same souls
that John had previously seen under
neath the altar, who had been slaugh
tered because of the word of God and be
cause of the witness work that they used
to have. (Rev. 6:9-11) Men had killed
their human bodies but had been unable
to kill their souls, that is, their right and
title to life in Gods heavenly kingdom.
They still were, in effect, living, for Je
hovah is the God, not of the dead, but
of the living. These Christian martyrs, or
witnesses of God, were dead at the time
John saw their souls underneath the al
tar, yet their life as intelligent creatures
was assured to them in Gods due time.
Matt. 22:32.
Some of them were, actually, literally
executed with the ax for witnessing to
Jesus and God, not all of them. But all of
them, in order to follow in Jesus footsteps,
must die a sacrificial death like his, that
is, they must die in integrity. Some of
them were martyred in various ways, but
not a single one of them had worshiped
the symbolic wild beast, the world sys
tem of politics; and since the formation
of the League of Nations and the United

A ugust

1, 1967

S&eWATCHTOWER

Nations, none of them have worshiped the

political image of the symbolic wild
beast. They have not been marked in the
head as supporters of it in thought or
word, neither in the hand as being active
in any way for the perpetuation of the
image. As members of the Bride they
have had to keep themselves clean and
without blemish or spot from the world.
They have taken a course exactly oppo
site to Babylon the Great and her harlot
daughters, the religious institutions of
this world. Those harlots have commit
ted spiritual fornication by meddling in
politics and rendering everything to Cae
sar and nothing to God. (Matt. 22:21) The
faithful members of the 144,000 have
waited for Gods kingdom to be established
and let it minister earths affairs. Jas.
1:27; 2 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:25-27.
WHEN THE ADMINISTRATION BEGINS

And they came to life and ruled as

kings with the Christ for a thousand
years. The thousand-year reign of Christ
begins immediately after the binding of
Satan and his demons and the hurling of
them into the abyss. We can appreciate
that not every member of the 144,000 will
be in the heavens at the start of the
thousand-year reign, for there will be a
small remnant on the earth who survive
Armageddon and who remain on earth for
an unstated time. So the statement does
not mean that every last one has to be in
the heavens with Christ for the entire
thousand-year reign. Those who died prior
to the establishment of the Kingdom were
resurrected at the time of Jehovahs com
ing to the temple with his messenger of
the covenant in 1918. Revelation 14:13 in
dicates that a number of the remnant die
after the birth of Gods Messianic king
dom in 1914. These do not have to sleep in
death until Satan the Devil is bound. They

455

join him by a resurrection without delay.

1 Thess. 4:15, 16; 1 Cor. 15:51-54.
Therefore, when Christs thousand-year
reign begins, the remnant left on earth
will not glorify themselves as kings, but
they will be here serving the Kingdom in
terests until their death occurs and they
are resurrected. (2 Pet. 3:11-14; Mai. 3:
17 to 4:3) They will share in Christs
thousand-year reign. But Christ is the
King and it is
histhousand-year rule
is not necessary for all to be with him the
full thousand years. He has been given
full Kingdom power. (Rev. 12:5, 10; Ps.
2:8) His reign is a thousand years long
from the time of the abyssing of Satan,
and most of the 144,000 are with him from
the beginning of this period. The paren
thetical statement, The rest of the dead
did not come to life until the thousand
years were ended, is here inserted be
cause the 144,000 who share with Jesus
Christ as his new administrators get the
reward of life first. John writes of the
144,000: This is the first resurrection.
It is first in time, importance and quality,
for the first resurrection is the same kind
of resurrection that Jesus Christ experi
enced. 1 Pet. 3:18; Rom. 6:3-9; Phil. 3:
9-11; 2 Tim. 2:11, 12.
Happy and holy is anyone having part
in the first resurrection; over these the
second death has no authority. Jesus
looked forward to sharing in a marvelous
resurrection, and his followers happily an
ticipate this. They are raised up from their
earthly bodies, which are mortal and cor
ruptible, and changed, in that they are
given incorruptible, immortal bodies. They
are able to enter into the very presence
of God, who is immortal. The second
death symbolized by the fiery lake that
burns with sulphur into which the "wild
beast and the false prophet were hurled

456

fiieW ATCH TOW ER.

has no authority over the 144,000, for

immortality means deathlessness. Jesus
Christ was given indestructible life and
these are sharers with him. 1 Cor. 15:
53, 54; Heb. 7:16.
SUBJECTS OF THE ADMINISTRATION

While the parenthetical sentence, The

rest of the dead did not come to life until
the thousand years were ended, does not
appear in the fourth-century Sinaitic
Manuscript, it may have been on a miss
ing page of the fourth-century Greek Vati
can Manuscript No. 1209, and it is found
in the Greek Alexandrine Manuscript of
the fifth century and in the Latin Vulgate,
in Revelation 20:5.
The ones here mentioned are the ones
who will live on the earth. The great
crowd is a class of persons who stand
alongside Christs spiritual brothers and
who survive the battle of Har-Magedon
and the binding and abyssing of Satan the
Devil. There are also others of the ones
Jesus called other sheep who must be
resurrected. They will join with the
great crowd in serving God during the
thousand-year judgment day, and all of
these together will have to be obedient,
standing loyally through the test of the
little while that Satan and his demons
are loosed from the abyss.Rev. 7:9;
John 10:16; Rev. 20:3.
God is the Judge who personally de
cides who will live forever in his universe.
God is the One who declares them righ
teous. After the test he will declare these
faithful ones unswervingly and unchange
ably devoted to righteousness. He is able
to judge in perfection and he knows that
these will never, in the ages to come, turn
against his sovereignty. Therefore he re
wards them with the title to eternal life
on earth in a paradise state. It is then

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

that they will really come to life from

Gods viewpoint. Rom. 8:33.
WORK OF THE ADMINISTRATORS

As to the 144,000 immortal ones, John

further states: They will be priests of
God and of the Christ, and will rule as
kings with him for the thousand years.
On earth will be the great crowd and
those who are resurrected, the faithful ser
vants of God of ancient times and many,
perhaps billions, of others who have died.
It will be the tremendous but enjoyable
task of earths new administrators, Jesus
Christ and his 144,000 associate kings and
priests, to apply the merits of the ransom
sacrifice of Jesus Christ to those who
prove obedient. They will administer the
government in righteousness to bring
about Gods purpose to have humankind
living on the earth in perfection with ever
lasting life. The earth will be a beautified,
paradise garden, with the animals in sub
jection to mankind. There false religion
has no place; politics is gone forever; only
the will of the Creator who made man
kind in his own image and who has lov
ing purposes for them will be carried out.
Gen. 1:27; Matt. 6:10.
Then the reverse of what we now see
will be true. It will be very easy to discern
that there is a purpose in life. The wicked
system of false religion and political cor
ruption that has a stranglehold upon man
kind will be a thing of the past, never
more to ruin the earth or those living upon
it. The chief disturber of mankind, Sa
tan the Devil, will be out of the way. The
new administrator is immortal and, being
at Jehovahs right hand, will be perma
nent, so that corruption and evil cannot
rise up again. Earth will then stand out
as a jewel in the starry heavens of Jeho
vah God, being an eternal praise to his
name. Psalm 150.

FROM THE

SPIRITOFCOMPLAINT
Keep doing all things free from murmurings
and arguments." Phil. 2 :1 4 .

ODAY we live in critical times hard

to deal with. International, national
and individual problems arise daily and
often seem insurmountable. We have been
witnesses to bloody wars, famines, deadly
epidemics, juvenile and adult crime and
pitiful poverty. True to the prophetic
words of the Bible writer Paul, men have
become lovers of themselves, lovers of
money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphem
ers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
disloyal, having no natural affection, not
open to any agreement, slanderers, with
out self-control, fierce, without love of
goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up
with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than
lovers of God. 2 Tim. 3:1-4.
2The reaction to these conditions varies
with the individual. Many of those who
observe this wicked state of affairs blame
God for the things happening. They feel
that he is slow to act to remedy the situa
tion and so they complain, saying in ef
fect: Where is this promised presence of
his? Why, from the day our forefathers
fell asleep in death, all things are continu
ing exactly as from creations begin
ning. (2 Pet. 3:4) Jude, the half brother
of Jesus, says that these men are mur-

murers, complainers about their lot in

life. Jude 16.
3 Sincere, righteous-hearted persons,
however, reason as did the prophet Jere
miah in Lamentations 3:38, 39: From
the mouth of the Most High bad things
and what is good do not go forth. How
can a living man indulge in complaints,
an able-bodied man on account of his sin?
True, these people are sighing and groan
ing because of the detestable things go
ing on around them, but, instead of blam
ing God, they humbly say along with
Jeremiah: Do let us search out our ways
and explore them, and do let us return
clear to Jehovah. We ourselves have trans
gressed, and we have behaved rebelliously. (Ezek. 9:4; Lam. 3:40, 42) They cry
to Jehovah for salvation, and in his boun
tiful loving-kindness he hears their cry
for help and delivers them from the pres
ent evil system of things, bringing them
into spiritually well-watered resting
places in association with his Christian
witnesses. Ps. 23:2.
4 These true Christians have every rea
son to be happy and contented. Although
living in 199 different lands, speaking

1, 2. What conditions exist world wide today, and how

do many people react to them?

3. How do righteous-hearted persons reason on world

conditions, and with what favorable results to them
selves ?
4. Give several reasons why Jehovahs witnesses today
are a contented people.

457

458

SReW ATCHTOW ER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

many different languages and coming

from various backgrounds, they are liv
ing at peace and unity, hundreds of thou
sands of them! They enjoy a close, pre
cious relationship with their God and a
clear understanding of his will. This under
standing frees them from the heartaches
and misery of those still part of the pres
ent wicked system and they optimistically
look forward to a righteous new order of
things in the very near future. Happily
expressing this joy, they spend much of
their time encouraging others, visiting
them in their homes, cheering up those
who are downhearted and urging them:
Become reconciled to God. 2 Cor. 5:

vidual Christian must wage a continuous,

progressive fight to keep free, as is indi
cated by the words, "K eep doing all things
free from murmurings. Phil. 2 :1 4 ;
1 Cor. 2:12.

5. (a) What questions arise in view of the spiritual

prosperity of Gods people, and what three reasons are
given in answer? (b) What is necessary in order to
keep free from the spirit of complaint?

8.

ITS CAUSES AND EFFECTS

6In order for us to keep free from the

spirit of complaint and dispel it in the
Christian congregation, we need to be able
to recognize it in its various forms as it
may arise in daily life and in association
with our brothers. We should know some
thing, too, of the things that lead to a
complaining spirit and of its destructive
effects. This is important, since, in many
cases, those who complain do not even
20.
5
In view of this happy spiritual conrealize it themselves or do not fully ap
dition existing among Jehovahs people, preciate its harmful consequences.
7To complain is defined in one diction
why was it necessary for the apostle Paul
ary*
as to give utterance to grief, pain,
to write to early Christians in Philippi,
discontent,
censure, regret, etc.; to lament;
Keep doing all things free from murmurmurmur.
Thus
it can be seen that a com
ings and arguments ? Why is it necessary
plaint
is
an
expression
of an inner feeling
for
TheWatchtower to discuss this sub
of
discontent,
irritation
or pain. This out
ject and give counsel on it? It is necessary
ward
expression
of
ones
grievances is usu
because these Christians, while free spiri
ally
done
by
means
of
the tongue, al
tually, are still imperfect and subject to
though
at
times
a
gesture
of disgust or a
the weak fleshly tendencies inherited from
sour
facial
expression
may
also serve to
Adam. They are also still living in the
convey
your
feelings
to
other
people. Ac
present wicked system of things and, if
tions
often
speak
louder
than
words, and
they do not exercise care, they can be
people are quick to sense a disgruntled
come influenced by the spirit of the
spirit even if no actual words of com
world, included in which is the spirit of
plaint are uttered.
complaint. In addition, each year tens of
8There is not one son of Adam who has
thousands of persons associate themselves
not
sinned with his tongue. Because of
with Jehovahs witnesses, having only re
cently left behind the many unwholesome this Jesus disciple James wrote, in James
traits common to this wicked world. To 3:2, 8-10: For we all stumble many times.
become fully free from the spirit of com If anyone does not stumble in word, this
* Websters New International DictionaryJ 2d edition.
plaint will require time and effort for
these individuals, along with Jehovahs 6. What things do we need to know to help us keep
from the spirit of complaint?
help and guidance. Once free, each indi- free
7. How is complaining defined, and in what ways may
it be expressed?
(a) What did James write about the difficulty of
controlling the tongue? (b) How may complainers not
use these words of James, but how can an unintentional
transgressor take comfort from them?

A ugust

1, 1 9 6 7

SfreWATCHTOWER,

one is a perfect man, able to bridle also

his whole body. . . . the tongue, not one
of mankind can get it tamed. An unruly
injurious thing, it is full of death-dealing
poison. With it we bless Jehovah, even
the Father, and yet with it we curse men
who have come into existence in the like
ness of God. Out of the same mouth come
forth blessing and cursing. However, let
no one use these words as an excuse for
possessing the spirit of complaint, for
James continues: It is not proper, my
brothers, for these things to go on occur
ring this way. While it is true that we
all sin at times, yet habitually to make a
practice of sinning with our tongue to the
extent of actually becoming a complainer,
that is, one having the spirit of complaint,
is something not compatible with true
Christianity. On the other hand, we can
take comfort from James words if we sin
unintentionally while striving hard to
overcome our fleshly tendency in this
regard.
9 Jesus stated an indisputable fact when
he said: Out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaks. (Matt. 12:34)
Thus, while it is important to control the
tongue and prevent it from speaking complainingly, it is even more important to
control the thoughts that lead one to com
plain. The tongue utters only what is in
the mind and heart of an individual, thus
giving verbal expression to it. What kind
of thoughts can lead a person to complain?
10Pride may be one cause for complain
ing. A person may think too highly of
himself and, in order to build up his own
ego and his stature with his brothers, he
may resort to criticizing the faults of oth
ers. In this way he draws attention to the
9. As indicated in Jesus words at Matthew 12:34, what
is even more vital than control of the tongue, and why?
10, 11. (a) Give some possible reasons why people com
plain. (b) What, basically, is the root cause for a
complaining attitude?

459

fact that he does not have these particular

faults to the same extent. Another may be
impatient because his brothers are not as
quick to grasp things as he or become ir
ritated at what he considers to be their
weaknesses. Others who suffer some unu
sual hardship may feel self-pity when
comparing their condition with other
brothers in the congregation and thus may
complain because of this. A desire for
greater efficiency may cause some to com
plain, feeling perhaps that they could do
the job better than the one who is ap
pointed to serve.
However, after our analyzing only a
few of the many possible reasons why
brothers complain, one fact stands out
clearly: It is caused in all cases by put
ting too much emphasis on self, by at
taching too much importance to ones own
feelings or position. It is thus an expres
sion of selfishness, which is the opposite
of love.
12 In this regard it is good to reflect on
how the one who became Satan the Devil
came to be dissatisfied with his very privi
leged position of oversight. The Bible tells
why, saying to the king of Tyre who be
trayed the spirit of the Devil: Your
heart became haughty because of your
beauty. You brought your wisdom to ruin
on account of your beaming splendor.
(Ezek. 28:17) His proud desire to be the
ruler of the universe caused him to rebel
against the Sovereign Jehovah. He began
to think too highly of himself and thus
developed a complaining spirit, which soon
expressed itself in action, leading to much
misery and unhappiness for the human
race.
While not all complaints have such
disastrous consequences, yet even the
12. How did the one who became Satan develop a
complaining spirit, and with what consequences?
13. Show the effect that complaining has (a) on the
one spoken against, (b) on the one who hears it,
(c) on a new or weaker brother and (d) when directed
against the organization.

460

SEeWATCHTOWEFL

least expression of discontent brings harm

ful results. If the complaint is against a
brother or sister, then it will tend to low
er the reputation of that one in the eyes
of the one to whom you are talking. It
focuses attention on things that are weak
and it is thus negative and discouraging.
If spoken to a weak or new brother, it
may make him so disillusioned that he
could become badly weakened in faith and
trust in his brothers. If spoken against
the organization of God or its appointed
representatives, it has an even more harm
ful effect, that of undermining confidence
in the organizational arrangements, hence
weakening faith in Jehovah himself.
14 Even if one is not stumbled or seri
ously affected spiritually by listening to
a complaining tongue, due to his being
mature and so recognizing it and putting
it out of mind, still it is not pleasant to be
around a complaining person. Complaining
has the same effect as putting sand into
a well-oiled machine. It puts a damper on
the joy of the congregation. It is as if a
dark cloud has suddenly appeared on the
horizon. It has the same effect on broth
ers as a contentious wife has on her hus
band, as recorded in Proverbs 21:19: Bet
ter is it to dwell in a wilderness land than
with a contentious wife along with vexa
tion.
10Besides the demoralizing effect on
those who listen to his complaining, the
one uttering the grievance is himself ad
versely affected. He is discontented, un
happy, and in many cases suffers guilt of
conscience after uttering his complaint.
Truly, the wise man spoke well when he
said under inspiration: He that is keep
ing his mouth and his tongue is keeping
his soul from distresses. Prov. 21:23.
14. What effect does a complaining tongue have on the
entire congregation? Use Proverbs 21:19 to illustrate
your answer.
15. How is the complaining one himself affected?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

GUARD YOUR HEARTS

AND YOUR MENTAL POWERS

16 Since complaints originate in the

heart and mind, it is essential that our
thoughts be properly controlled and di
rected to upbuilding and encouraging mat
ters. The apostle Paul showed that Jeho
vahs help must be sought in order to do
this, saying: Do not be anxious over any
thing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication along with thanksgiving let
your petitions be made known to God; and
the peace of God that excels all thought
will guard your hearts and your mental
powers by means of Christ Jesus. Yes,
if you have a weakness in this regard, do
not hesitate to ask for Jehovahs help to
overcome it. Such earnest petitions will be
heard by Jehovah and he will grant you
peace and contentment of mind to replace
a complaining, dissatisfied spirit. Paul,
however, goes on to show that the indi
vidual must work hard in harmony with
his prayers, saying: Finally, brothers,
whatever things are true, whatever things
are of serious concern, whatever things
are righteous, whatever things are chaste,
whatever things are lovable, whatever
things are well spoken of, whatever vir
tue there is and whatever praiseworthy
thing there is, continue considering these
things. Phil. 4:6-8.
17 In this way Paul emphasizes that the
individual must exercise control, not only
over his tongue, but also over his very
thoughts, concentrating on good, virtuous
and lovable things in our brothers. The
tendency of the fallen flesh is to see the
weaknesses of an individual first, which
often blinds one to the many fine, lovable
and praiseworthy qualities that he pos16. Whose help did Paul show we should seek in order
to guard our hearts and mental powers, and on what
should our thoughts be focused?
17. (a) Why does it require a continuous fight to apply
Pauls words at Philippians 4:8? (b) What should we
do when we begin to feel irritation at our brothers
faults ?

August 1, 1967

461
3 ReW ATCH TOW ER.
PERSONAL COMPLAINTS
sesses. And, since it is so easy to find
19 In analyzing this matter of complain
weak points in any one of us, it is thus not
difficult for the complaining spirit to find ing, we can divide it into two general cate
fuel to keep itself burning. That is why gories: (1) Complaints against individuals
we have a continuous fight to keep our and (2) complaints of a more serious na
thoughts under control. When we note ture involving Jehovahs organization or
something that makes us feel jealousy or his purposes. We will take up the matter
irritation, we should try to put it out of of personal complaints first, and the suc
our mind immediately and think of the ceeding Watchtower article will discuss
good qualities instead. This will not be the second aspect.
easy at the beginning, but, by working at
20By far the majority of complaints
it with Jehovahs help, you will find that against individuals are caused by minor
you will develop a closer relationship with misunderstandings or personality con
your brothers and a deeper appreciation flicts. A sister who is quiet and reserved
of their devotion to Jehovah, and, of may become irritated at another sister
course, you yourself will be a much hap who is far more outspoken in her manner,
pier person to be around.
and she may express this irritation to
others.
Personal habits, customs and ac
18
One who complains puts emphasis on
tions
may
be acceptable to some, but to
the flesh and its weaknesses and is thus
others
they
may be very annoying, caus
acting like a spiritual babe in that particu
ing
them
to
complain at times. Most of
lar regard. Instead of looking at the heart
these
complaints
are not premeditated,
devotion and love shown by his brothers,
but,
rather,
are
provoked
on the spur of
he looks at the fallen, sinful flesh. The
the
moment
by
some
little,
annoying
thing
congregation at Corinth was also guilty of
that
occurs.
They
are
often
spoken
hastily
this, and so Paul wrote to them: I was
not able to speak to you as to spiritual and frequently are regretted later. What
men, but as to fleshly men, as to babes in can be done to keep free from this kind
Christ.. . . For whereas there are jealousy of complaining?
21 First, it is essential that we recognize
and strife among you, are you not fleshly
and are you not walking as men do? these complaints for what they are: petty,
(1 Cor. 3:1, 3) In Romans 8:5, he gives unimportant, even childish in many cases.
the reason why this is true, saying: For There is no real ground for complaint, but
those who are in accord with the flesh set it is just that a certain brother or sister
does not do things the way you feel they
their minds on the things of the flesh, but
should be done. It will help us, too, to con
those in accord with the spirit on the
sider seriously how Jehovah views these
things of the spirit. Therefore, one who weaknesses of our brothers, realizing
keeps filled with Gods holy spirit by that he is willing to overlook and forgive
regular Bible study, meeting attendance, them. Does not Jehovah freely forgive you
prayer and active service to Jehovah will in spite of your many failings? Do you
find it less difficult to overcome a com not make allowances for your own shortplaining tendency than will one who is
19. Into what two general categories do complaints
irregular in these spiritual activities.
fall?
18. (a) What mistake is the complaining one making,
according to Paul's words to the Corinthians and to
the Romans? (b) So who find it easier to overcome
a complaining attitude?

20. What causes by far the majority of personal

complaints, and are they generally premeditated?
21. How should we view these minor failings on the
part of our brothers, especially in the light of Jesus
words at Matthew 6:14, 15?

462

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
3 ReWATCHTOW ER
comings, asking Jehovah for forgiveness nature, you are unable to forget it and
over and over again, perhaps for the same put it out of your mind. You may find
weakness? A prerequisite for gaining Je that it is disturbing you considerably and
hovahs forgiveness is that we forgive is even affecting your service to Jehovah.
others, as Jesus pointed out in Matthew It is for just such occurrences that Jesus
6:14, 15: For if you forgive men their gave his very sound advice at Matthew 18:
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also 15: If your brother commits a sin, go
forgive you; whereas if you do not for lay bare his fault between you and him
give men their trespasses, neither will alone. If he listens to you, you have gained
your brother.
your Father forgive your trespasses.
25 Even if you do have grounds for com
22 Really, then, we would be showing a
lack of love and forgiveness if we held plaint, never should this be spread abroad
such minor failings against our brothers in the congregation by your complaining
and magnified them by bringing them to about the brothers action to others. This
the attention of others. That would cer will not make for peace but will disturb
tainly not be in imitation of our heavenly the entire congregation, possibly even cre
Father. In describing love Gods Word ating a division among the brothers. It
says: Love is long-suffering and kind. will certainly not be of help to the of
Love . . . does not become provoked. It fending party, who will undoubtedly hear
does not keep account of the injury. your complaint secondhand from others.
Love covers a multitude of sins. Be hos Complaining will only make matters worse
pitable to one another without grumbling. instead of healing the breach, as the prov
(1 Cor. 13:4, 5; 1 Pet. 4:8, 9) In view of erb shows: He that keeps talking about
this, it is not hard to understand why we a matter is separating those familiar with
are counseled to keep on putting up with one another. (Prov. 17:9) No, a com
plaining attitude will not help anyone. The
one another in love. Eph. 4:2.
23 Thus, if we are not to keep account correct way is to approach the brother in
of the injury, it is our Christian obliga private and discuss the matter calmly and
tion to forget these minor grievances that peacefully with him. You may find that
arise, putting them out of our mind com he did not even realize he had hurt you
pletely. Do not let them grow to unreason and, if this is the case, imagine how hap
able proportions, but cut them off early, py he will be that you approached him di
before they have time to take root and rectly instead of spreading a complaint
flourish. Quench the spirit of complaint within the congregation!
26 When your brother humbly asks for
and prevent much unhappiness for your
self and others.
your forgiveness, it is your obligation to
24 There may be times, however, when accept his apology and forgive him, just
a brother or sister really does have a as your heavenly Father forgives you.
cause for complaint against another. Love is a debt that is never completely
Whether knowingly or unknowingly, a paid off. (Rom. 13:8) Thus, when the
brother may have done something that has apostle Peter asked Jesus, How many
hurt you in some way and, because of its 25. (a) What should never be done by one having a
22. Show how complaining about minor shortcomings
betrays a lack of love.
23. What, then, should be done about these minor
grievances ?
24. How did Jesus say more serious personal complaints
should be handled?

serious complaint against his brother, and why?

(b) Show why following the counsel at Matthew 18:15
is very wise.
26, 27. (a) What obligation rests on the one offended
when his brother asks for forgiveness, and how farreaching is it? (b) Show how Pauls counsel at Colossians 3:12-14 will help in all cases of personal
complaints.

A ugust 1, 1967

fikW A TC H TO W ER .

times is my brother to sin against me and

am I to forgive him? Up to seven times? ,
Jesus answered: I say to you, not, Up
to seven times, but, Up to seventy-seven
times. (Matt. 18:21, 22) By being gen
erous with our love, mercy and forgive
ness in relation to our brothers, we will
reap in return much joy and happiness
and will be able to keep free from the
corrosive, divisive spirit of complaint. By
having a deep appreciation for Jehovah
and a love for him and our brothers we
will be able to fix our minds on the more
important things that will affect our fu
ture life instead of the many petty things
that characterize the present imperfect
system of things. Phil. 1:10.

i n d i n g

27 In concluding this discussion, let us

listen carefully to and diligently apply the
words of Paul many years ago to the Colossians. If we do, we will be greatly helped
to keep free from all kinds of personal
complaints. Paul urged: Accordingly, as
Gods chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe
yourselves with the tender affections of
compassion, kindness, lowliness of mind,
mildness, and long-suffering. Continue put
ting up with one another and forgiving one
another freely if anyone has a cause for
complaint against another. Even as Jeho
vah freely forgave you, so do you also.
But, besides all these things, clothe your
selves with love, for it is a perfect bond
of union. Col. 3:12-14.

c o n t e n t m e n t

J E H O V A H 'S
Lord, whom shall we go aw ay to?

463

with

O R G A N IZ A T IO N
You have sayings of everlasting life.-John 6 :6 8.

EHOVAH is and always has been in full well-balanced way when dealing with his
control of everything in the universe. creatures. Never does he carry his justice
It is his almighty power that keeps the to the extreme without tempering it with
stars, sun, moon and planets in their re love and mercy. Never does he misuse his
spective orbits and it is he who lovingly limitless power, but always exercises it in
maintains and preserves the earth as love and with wisdom. He never contra
mans home. Everything he does is abso dicts himself, nor is he inconsistent with
lutely perfect and because of this his crea himself in the use of his attributes. Since
tures can have full confidence in his sover this is true, why do some of his creatures
eign rule and merciful oversight.
complain at times about his arrangements
2
Being almighty and all-seeing, Jehovahand ways of doing things? Many times it
exercises his unlimited qualities of love, is because of a lack of understanding of
wisdom, justice and power in a perfectly the way Jehovah works out his purposes,
1. Why can Jehovah's creatures have full confidence or because of having a very shortsighted
in him?
2. (a) How does Jehovah exercise his attributes? view of Jehovahs dealings with his crea
(b) Why, then, do some complain, and against whom,
tures. However, while it may be true that
in fact, are they complaining?

464

SEeWATCHTOWER.

often we do not fully appreciate the rea

son why Jehovah does certain things, our
complaining about this would show a lack
of trust and faith in Jehovah God and in
his ability to accomplish things in his own
way and time. This is a most serious mis
take. About 3,500 years ago, when Gods
people Israel were traveling in the wilder
ness in southern Palestine, they began to
complain to their overseers, Moses and
Aaron, about a lack of food. Moses showed
them just how serious their complaining
spirit was when he said: Your murmurings are not against us, but against Jeho
vah. Ex. 16:8.
FINDING JOY IN OUR ASSIGNMENTS

3 Some brothers today who have been in

the truth for a number of years may be
gin to show a discontented spirit similar
to that shown by the Israelites of Moses
day. For many years they have been tell
ing their friends and neighbors that the
battle of Armageddon is very close. No
doubt they have gone to
the sam e houses tim e
after time with the mes
sage of Gods kingdom.
Now, however, they feel
that Armageddon should
come quickly and they
begin to feel impatient
because God does not im
m ed ia tely d e stro y all
wickedness. They begin
to utter words of com
plaint.
4It would be well for such brothers to
remember the prophet Jonah, who was
assigned to preach to the people of Nine
veh in the ninth century B.C.E. His mes
sage was a startling one: Only forty
3. What causes some to complain in regard to their
preaching work?
4, 5. (a) Relate the Bible account of what happened
when Jonah preached to the Ninevites. (b) What was
Jonahs big mistake, and how did Jehovah teach him
a lesson in mercy?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

days more, and Nineveh will be over

thrown. (Jonah 3:4) As soon as the peo
ple of the city heard this, they immediate
ly repented of their wickedness and turned
toward Jehovah. Even the king dressed
himself in mourning clothes and instruct
ed all the people to fast and call on God
for mercy. He said: Who is there know
ing whether the true God may turn back
and actually feel regret and turn back
from his burning anger, so that we may
not perish? (Jonah 3:9) Because of this
mass expression of repentance and hu
mility, Jehovah did not bring the promised
destruction after forty days. How did Jo
nah feel about this?
5 The inspired Record tells us: To Jo
nah, though, it was highly displeasing, and
he got to be hot with anger. (Jonah 4:1)
Jonah had a very unbalanced and selfish
view of the entire situation. At a time
when the lives of tens of thousands of peo
ple were at stake, he was more concerned
with his own feelings, thinking that he
had lost fa ce
b e c a u s e h is
prophecy had
not immediately c o m e to
pass. He impa
tiently wanted
Ninevehs de
s t r u c t i o n to
come immedi
ately after for
ty days, and
because of this
he forgot the quality of mercy. As he
was brooding unhappily over his com
plaint under the hot sun, Jehovah caused
a big plant to come up to shade him.
The next day, however, he caused a worm
to dry up the plant, and Jonah imme
diately began to complain again. A t this
opportune moment Jehovah drove home
the point to Jonah: You, for your part,

A u g u s t 1, 1 9 6 7

SfkW ATCHTOW ER.

465

felt sorry for the bottle-gourd plant, things, such as the customs, language and
which you did not toil upon or make get habits of the people in whose country he
big, which proved to be a mere growth is living. He starts to criticize openly
of a night and perished as a mere growth these and many other minor things that
of a night. And, for my part, ought I not he feels are not just right. Some of these
to feel sorry for Nineveh the great city, may have nothing at all to do with the
in which there exist more than one hun preaching of the Kingdom good news, but
dred and twenty thousand men who do not still he is outspoken in complaining about
at all know the difference between their them. He complains about things that he
right hand and their left, besides many would never normally complain about in
domestic animals? Jonah 4 : 1 0 , 1 1 .
his own land, because he now has a dis
6 Yes, Jehovah is merciful and abundant satisfied, discontented spirit. Such a broth
in loving-kindness, and any time that he er will never be happy in his assignment
permits before he destroys the wicked at as long as this attitude persists.
Armageddon is a wonderful expression of
8This reminds us of a mixed crowd of
his love and patience. Jehovah is not slow fugitives who left the land of Egypt to
respecting his promise, . . . but he is pa travel with the Israelites in the wilderness
tient with you because he does not de 1,500 years before the time Jesus walked
sire any to be destroyed but desires all to the earth. They had been traveling for
attain to repentance. (2 Pet. 3:9) What over a year under the direction of Jehovah
a lofty view of matters! By understanding when they began to complain. They had
Jehovahs mind on this matter and imi not gone hungry, nor had their shoes and
tating his matchless qualities, we will clothing worn out on the journey. They
never become impatient, but will be con had sufficient for their daily needs. Yet
tent to wait upon him and his due time. they were not satisfied with this. They
We will go on preaching with the motive began comparing their nomad life with
of love, taking advantage of every minute their life in Egypt previously, and because
Jehovah allows to aid them to repentance. of this, even the Israelites joined them in
By doing this we will be full of joy in our crying: How we remember the fish that
ministry and will avoid becoming unhappy we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the
cucumbers and the watermelons and the
complainers.
7 A brother may be sent to a foreign leeks and the onions and the garlic! But
assignment as a missionary and fall into now our soul is dried away. Our eyes are
the snare of complaining. How? By having on nothing at all except the manna.
the mental attitude that everything in his (Num. 11:5, 6) What a lack of gratitude
new country should be comparable to con for Jehovahs provision of miraculous
ditions in his own land. He may expect the bread from heaven!
same living standards and comforts that
9 Instead of imitating this ungrateful
he enjoyed at the Watchtower Bible School mixed crowd and these Israelites, we
of Gilead in New York city. If he finds should endeavor to be like the apostle
that this is not so, he begins to feel un Paul, who lived under many varied con
happy and discontented. This spirit of dis ditions and in many different lands. Recontent then quickly spreads to other 8. Who in ancient times became dissatisfied with their
conditions, and did they really have cause to
6. What view did Peter take of Gods mercy, and how living
complain?
can we avoid an impatient, complaining attitude in our
ministry?
7. Explain how a complaining spirit can develop in the
mind of a missionary.

9. How is the apostle Paul a fine example for modernday missionaries and special pioneers, and what will
they avoid by imitating him?

466

SHeWATCHTOWER.

ferring to his varied experiences as a mis

sionary, he told the Philippian Christians:
I have learned, in whatever circum
stances I am, to be self-sufficient. I know
indeed how to be low on provisions, I know
indeed how to have an abundance. In
everything and in all circumstances I have
learned the secret of both how to be full
and how to hunger, both how to have an
abundance and how to suffer want. For
all things I have the strength by virtue
of him who imparts power to me. (Phil.
4:11-13) No matter where Paul went he
had learned to adapt himself to the condi
tions there and to be happy and contented
in any assignment given him by Jehovah.
Missionaries and special pioneers today
can learn much from his fine example and
will thus avoid the frustrations and heart
aches caused by unhappily complaining
about their assignments.
RESPECT FOR THEOCRATIC AUTHORITY

10Since Jehovah uses imperfect men to

represent him within his earthly organi
zation, it becomes difficult for some to
recognize and respect theocratic authori
ty. These lose sight of the fact that it is
Jehovah who appoints such individuals and
they begin to see only the weak, imper
fect man. Instead of respecting the posi
tion held by a brother, they quickly com
plain when he makes some minor error
because of his inherited shortcomings.
This is a grave mistake and can lead to
much unpleasantness and discontent in a
congregation of Jehovahs people.
11Many hundreds of years ago, a group
of over 250 men made such a mistake in
viewing Jehovahs representatives Moses
and Aaron. These men felt that they were
equally well qualified to oversee the na10. Why do some have difficulty in respecting theo
cratic authority, and to what can this lead?
11. (a) What complaint did over 250 Israelites make
against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, raising
what issue? (b) How did Jehovah express his anger
at this lack of respect for his appointed representatives?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

tion of Israel as these two and so they

congregated themselves against Moses and
Aaron and said to them: That is enough
of you, because the whole assembly are
all of them holy and Jehovah is in their
midst. Why, then, should you lift your
selves up above the congregation of Jeho
vah? They thus improperly accused
Moses and Aaron of lording it over the
congregation. Dathan and Abiram, two of
this group, said to Moses later that he
was trying to play the prince over them.
Was this true? Had Moses and Aaron set
themselves in their positions of oversight
for their own selfish ends, or had Jehovah
placed them there? The next day the en
tire nation was made to know the answer
from Jehovah himself. By splitting open
the earth and by fire, Jehovah wiped out
the rebels and their families, thus con
firming Moses statement: By this you
will know that Jehovah has sent me to do
all these deeds, that it is not of my own
heart. May we never make such a fatal
mistake by complaining against Jehovahs
appointed representatives! Num. 16:3,
13, 28.
12
As with those disrespectful rebels long
ago, no brother today will enjoy true con
tentment with Jehovahs organization as
long as he views appointed servants from
a fleshly or human viewpoint. They will
be constantly noticing the weak points of
a servant and will openly complain about
the way he handles things, feeling per
haps that they could do it more efficiently
themselves. It is good, however, to remem
ber Jehovahs command to his prophet
Samuel, who was charged with the re
sponsibility of anointing the next king in
Israel. Samuel took one look at Eliab, one
of the sons of Jesse, and felt sure that
this must be the one chosen by Jehovah
because of his impressive personal appear12. What is the danger of viewing appointed servants
from a fleshly viewpoint, and how did Jehovah show
this in his words to Samuel, at 1 Samuel 16:7?

August 1, 1967

SfteW ATCHTOW ER

ance. Jehovah warned Samuel, however:

Do not look at his appearance and at the
height of his stature, for I have rejected
him. For not the way man sees is the way
God sees, because mere man sees what ap
pears to the eyes; but as for Jehovah, he
sees what the heart is. (1 Sam. 16:7)
Realizing this, all dedicated Christians will
respect Jehovahs appointment of an in
dividual, even if to all outward appear
ances and from a worldly viewpoint he
does not appear to be the best qualified.
13 Such respect and wholehearted sub
mission and cooperation on the part of
publishers and pioneers in a congregation
help to make the work of an appointed
servant joyful and rewarding. That is why
Paul told Hebrew Christians: Be obedi
ent to those who are taking the lead
among you and be submissive, for they
are keeping watch over your souls as those
who will render an account; that they may
do this with joy and not with sighing, for
this would be damaging to you. (Heb.
13:17) Any complaints made against such
brothers in positions of oversight would
rob the congregation of much joy. It
would be damaging to the congregation
and would indicate a spirit of discontent
with Jehovahs arrangement of things.
14 What, though, would be the position
if the overseer in a congregation became
negligent in arranging for the meetings
and failed to take the lead in service? Per
haps it will be two or three more months
before the circuit servant is due to visit
the congregation. Would it not be proper
in this case for a brother publicly to com
plain about this, even going so far as to
have all the publishers sign a petition to
send to the Society asking that this broth
er be removed from his position of over13. What contributes much to the joy experienced by
an appointed servant, but what could destroy such joy?
14. What should never be done even if an overseer is
becoming neglectful of his duties? Give a Scriptural
example to back up your answer.

467

sight? No, this would definitely be out of

order! Remember that David did not at
tempt to usurp wicked Sauls throne in Is
rael, although he knew that he was to be
the next king. He did not feel justified in
taking action to kill Saul, even though
Saul was a wicked man who had lost Gods
favor. He respected the fact that Saul was
the anointed of Jehovah and he was
willing to submit to this arrangement until
Jehovah saw fit to remove him from his
position. 1 Sam. 24:6.
15David showed great faith in Jehovah
at all times. He knew that Jehovah was in
full control and he was content to wait
for His due time to act. Unlike David, any
brother who democratically arranges for
a petition or openly complains against an
appointed servant is showing a lamentable
lack of trust and faith in Jehovahs ability
to oversee His organization. In effect, such
a brother is saying that, since God is not
handling the matter speedily enough, he
will need to take action instead. What a
shortsighted and immature way of view
ing things! Jehovah does not always do
things the way we think they should be
done, but we can rest assured that they
will be done properly and at the right time.
So the thing to do is to wait upon Jeho
vah, keep busy in service, lovingly help
our brothers, and encourage respect for
the theocratic arrangement of things. Any
other hasty action would undermine re
spect for theocratic authority and would
cause much spiritual damage to the con
gregation.
16We can have full confidence that Je
hovah knows what is going on in every
congregation of his people. And there is
not a creation that is not manifest to his
15. (a) Show how one who complains against an ap
pointed servant is actually showing a lack of faith, in.
Jehovah, (b) What would a mature brother do in the
event an overseer is neglecting his work?
16. Of what can we be confident, and so what should
we be busily doing?

468

SfieWATCHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

18 Moses, an appointed overseer, once

sight, but all things are naked and openly
allowed
himself to get into a complaining
exposed to the eyes of him with whom we
frame
of
mind while guiding the rebellious
have an accounting. (Heb. 4:13) He is
not asleep and nothing goes unnoticed by Israelites in the wilderness. He even ad
him. He does not need to be informed by dressed his complaint to God in prayer,
a complaining brother if something is in saying: Why have you caused evil to
need of correction. The Scriptures tell us: your servant, and why have I not found
The eyes of Jehovah are in every place, favor in your eyes, in placing the load of
keeping watch upon the bad ones and the all this people upon me? Have I myself
good ones. (Prov. 15:3) With this com conceived all this people? Is it I who have
forting thought in mind, we can content given them birth, so that you should say
ourselves with doing our assigned tasks, to me, Carry them in your bosom, just as
happy in the knowledge that the Almighty the male nurse carries the suckling, . . . ?
Sovereign himself is in complete control I am not able, I by myself, to carry all
this people, because they are too heavy
of his visible organization.
for me. So if this is the way you are doing
17
Sometimes even an appointed servant
is affected by the spirit of complaint, feel to me, please kill me off altogether.
ing that he has too much work to do. He Num. 11:11, 12, 14, 15.
19 Moses was normally a happy, content
may feel overburdened in taking care of
the flock of God or he may become impa ed servant of Jehovah and certainly was
tient with the brothers, complaining that not a habitual complainer. Yet on this oc
they do not cooperate with him or do not casion the grumbling of the Israelites just
grasp things as quickly as he would like. became too much for him, and he became
This brother has lost sight temporarily infected with the spirit of complaint. How
of the fact that it is Jehovahs organiza ever, no human overseer today has such
tion he is working with and Jehovahs a large congregation to care for, and few
sheep he is overseeing. He feels as if the have to deal with the difficult problems
entire burden of caring for these sheep that Moses handled. Also, overseers today
has fallen on his shoulders. This is not have the loving guidance of the organiza
true, however. It is Jehovah who takes on tion to back them up, along with the sup
himself the responsibility of caring for his port of Jehovah and his enthroned King.
sheep and it is Jesus Christ his Son who There is thus no reason to feel overbur
gave his life for them. No overseer should dened or to complain. By keeping sight of
attempt to take on the responsibility of their wonderful privilege and viewing it
taking care of Jehovahs sheep alone. with joy, they can imitate the Chief
He needs to rely heavily upon Jehovah and Agent and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus.
show complete faith in him. David, who By doing this, and by dealing with the
had experience for thirty-three years as brothers in love, not expecting too much
from them, an overseer will not give voice
the overseer of an entire nation, urged:
to complaints, but, rather, will be opti
Throw your burden upon Jehovah him
mistic and happy, thus spreading a joyful
self, and he himself will sustain you. Never
atmosphere throughout the entire congre
will he allow the righteous one to totter.
gation. Heb. 12:2.
Ps. 55:22.
17. (a) How may an appointed servant develop a spirit
of complaint? (b) Of what has such a brother lost
sight, and so what does he need to do?

18, 19. (a) How did Moses show a complaining attitude

on one occasion, but could we say he was a complainer?
(b) Why do overseers today have every reason to be
optimistic?

A ugust 1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWEFL

CONTENT WITH REVEALED TRUTH

20At times we hear brothers talking

complainingly about the Scriptural expla
nations and truths published in The
Watchtower. Being unable to understand
fully why a certain point is made or why
a clearer understanding of a particular
point has been given, they begin express
ing their doubts to others. This, of course,
creates confusion among the brothers, es
pecially among the newer ones, and it cer
tainly does not help the complainer in any
way. He is showing a spirit of discontent
with Jehovahs channel of communication,
in many cases doing so hastily and pre
maturely without a full knowledge of all
the facts involved.
21This same spirit existed among some
of Jesus early followers. Once, after listen
ing to Jesus teach them some strong new
truths, some said: This speech is shock
ing; who can listen to it? The inspired
record tells us the result of this, saying:
Owing to this many of his disciples went
off to the things behind and would no
longer walk with him. Because of this,
Jesus asked his twelve apostles: You do
not want to go also, do you? Peter
promptly answered: Lord, whom shall
we go away to? You have sayings of ever
lasting life. (John 6:60,
66-68) The ones who were
stumbled became discon
tented hastily. They did not
take the time or make the
e ffo r t to exam in e the
truths explained to see if
they were in harmony with
Gods Word. The apostles,
however, were content to
20. How do some complain about
the Societys explanation of the
Scriptures, and why is this dan
gerous both to themselves and
others?
21. la') Why did some of Jesus dis
ciples leave off from following him?
(b) In contrast to this, what com
mendable attitude did the twelve
apostles take, with what results?

469

stay with Jesus and be taught by him

gradually. This did not mean that they
fully understood everything he told them
at that time, since there were many things
they could not grasp. However, they had
real faith. They knew that Jehovah would
not give them a stone if they asked for
bread, and therefore were satisfied to lis
ten and learn, asking questions when they
did not grasp a point fully. (Matt. 7:9-11)
They were richly blessed for this and were
given a full vision of Jehovahs will at that
time when they received the holy spirit at
Pentecost, 33 C.E.
22
We can learn much from the example
of these faithful men. It is true that some
points are difficult to grasp at first, but,
instead of complaining or arguing about
them, thus in effect pitting our puny
knowledge against the almighty wisdom
of Jehovah and the experience of his
spirit-guided organization, would it not be
wiser to look into the matter farther?
After studying it carefully yourself, talk
to mature brothers about it, not in a com
plaining manner, but to get their mind on
the matter. If, after doing this, you still
22. Explain what should be done when we have difficulty
in grasping a point of truth, and show why this is the
only reasonable course.

470

ffceW ATCH TOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

24 As the examples we have discussed

have difficulty understanding the point, it
may be better to leave it for a while, wait show, complaining against the organiza
ing for further clarification, just as the tion is generally caused by a lack of under
apostles did. Take the matter to Jehovah standing of Jehovahs way of doing things
in prayer, asking for wisdom to under and a lack of complete faith in him and
stand the point of truth. You will be his arrangements. Therefore, in order to
granted a full understanding in due time overcome a complaining tendency, we need
as Jehovah reveals it through his organi to build up our faith in Jehovah and his
zation, providing you stay close to that organization, getting a deeper insight and
a mature understanding by personal study,
organization in faith.
23
Certainly we do not want to becomeprayer and close association with his
like those mentioned by Paul at 1 Timothy people.
25 So let us all be content to work in our
6:3-5: If any man teaches other doc
trine and does not assent to healthful assigned places within the organization,
words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, recognizing Jehovah as the sole Founder
nor to the teaching that accords with god and Organizer of his people and appreciat
ly devotion, he is puffed up with pride, not ing that Jesus Christ is his appointed King
understanding anything, but being men now enthroned in the heavens. By doing
tally diseased over questionings and de our work uncomplainingly we will have
bates about words. From these things many joys now along with our brothers in
spring envy, strife, abusive speeches, wick the congregation, and, in the coming sys
ed suspicions, violent disputes about trifles tems of things, we will enjoy more bless
on the part of men corrupted in mind and ings than our minds can now comprehend
despoiled of the truth. Many have be as Jehovah unfolds his glorious purposes
come apostate because of allowing a com over the centuries to come. Do not lose out
plaining spirit to embitter them against on this delightful future by becoming an
Jehovahs organization. To avoid becom unhappy, shortsighted complainer, but en
joy true satisfaction and peace of mind
ing like them, we must avoid complaining
along with Jehovahs proved, faithful peo
even about small things, trifles, but need
ple.Eph. 2:7.
to be content with revealed truth from
24. What lack is betrayed by those who complain
Jehovah.
against Jehovahs organization, and how can this be
23. How can we avoid becoming like the apostates
described at 1 Timothy 6:3-5?

counteracted ?
25. How can we be sure of gaining many joys both
now and in the coming systems of things *?

Jlatye and Small "Testify to Steatot

The power of the Creator, as well as his wisdom, can be seen in the
large and in the small. (Rom. 1:20) The visible universe is so large and
contains so many heavenly bodies that man cannot see the end of them
with the most powerful telescopes. Nor can he see the smallest particles
within the core of the atom, even with the most advanced microscopes.
In regard to smallness, scientists have estimated that if all the heredi
tary material, the chromosomes, needed to produce all the people living
today (more than 3,000,000,000!) were brought together, the amount of
it would add up to less bulk than an aspirin tablet. Heredity, Race
and Society, by L. C. Dunn and T. Dobzhansky.

Keep Useful Habits by Good Associations

HAT are useful habits ? By useful
habits we do not here mean merely
polished manners or nice ways of doing
things. Rather, we mean habits that are use
ful, practical, in keeping us m orally sound
and spiritually strong, habits that honor
Jehovah God and that upbuild others.

ites were commanded to assemble regularly

with one another, not only to be instructed
but to be kept from bad associations. (Deut.
31:12) By telling us that he would be present
where two or three met in his name, Jesus
Christ was encouraging right association.
(Matt. 18:20) And we all certainly are familiar
with Pauls counsel at Hebrews 10:23-25 about
the need of our associating together.

The daily reading of God's W ord is a use

ful habit and so is regularity in prayer. Punc
tual and regular attendance at the five weekly
meetings of the Christian congregation and
witnessing about God and his purposes from
house to house and on other occasions as we
have opportunity are also habits that certain
ly must be termed useful. Then, again, the
practice of marriage mates' showing thought
ful, loving consideration for each other is a
very useful habit and so is the rendering
of respectful obedience to parents on the
part of their children. Luke 6:31.

Surely only our Christian brothers can pro

vide us with good association that will help
us to keep our useful habits. Are we thinking
of relaxing? How enjoyable it is to invite
some of them for an evening of refreshment
and interesting Bible games or to have sever
al Christian families join fo r a one-day outing,
as many missionary groups do in foreign
lands!
However, especially at the Kingdom H all is
where we will find the good associations that
will help us to keep our useful habits. The
same is true of the larger gatherings, such as
our circuit assemblies and this summers dis
trict assemblies. A t all these gatherings we are
encouraged to cultivate and to keep our use
ful habits both by what is said on the platform
and by our association with those who them
selves manifest such useful habits in their
everyday lives.

It takes real effort to cultivate these useful

habits; they do not come instinctively. And
having acquired these habits, we want to keep
them, do we not? W h at will help us to keep
them ? Good associations. W h at will tend to
spoil them? Bad associations.
N o question about it, as Gods W ord warns:
Bad associations spoil useful habits. (1 Cor.
15:33)* The ancient Israelites grew careless
regarding their associations, and what hap
pened to them ? They went mingling with
the nations and took up learning their [pagan]
works. And they kept serving their idols, and
these came to be a snare to them. That is
why the apostle Paul, after telling how wick
ed men would act in these last days, warns
us, from these turn away. Yes, associating
with worldlings will tend to spoil our useful
habits. Ps. 106:35, 36; 2 Tim. 3:1-5.

Valuable as these occasions for good associ

ation are for keeping our useful habits, it
appears that not all of Jehovahs witnesses
appreciate their value. On the average, only
75 percent of those who share in the preaching
work attend the congregational meetings. Of
course, some miss due to illness. But how is it
that in some lands the attendance is 100 per
cent or m ore? Perhaps they are not as dis
tracted by material possessions and easy trav
el, and there are also in attendance those
who are old enough physically or spiritually
to listen and to learn but who have not started
to go from house to house as active associates
of Jehovahs witnesses. So they have more
than 100 percent present at their meetings.
Could that be true of your home congregation
too? Do you individually attend regularly?
Could you help others to associate regularly?

That is why Christians must ever be on

guard to keep their contacts, their associations
with worldlings at a minimum. As long as we
are in the world we cannot avoid all contact
with worldlings in such places as school or
places of employment. But we can avoid asso
ciating with worldlings voluntarily. They may
tempt us to fall, perhaps never to recover.
How wise, therefore, are the Scriptural com
mands for servants of God to limit themselves
to good associations! That is why the Israel-

Truly, many are our opportunities fo r culti

vating the kind of associations that will help
us to keep useful habits!

* For details see The Watchtower, January 15, 1966.

471

N THE summer
o f 1 91 8 G e r
m any w as fig h tin g a
desp erate battle, its
m en d istrib u ted on all
fronts. Behind the lines
women and children were
starving and many thousands died daily
from malnutrition and influenza. How the
multitudes now longed for peace! In the
large industries most of the work was be
ing performed by older men, women and
the youth of the land. I was eighteen years
of age and was employed in a Leipzig
bookbindery, where I had but lately con
cluded an apprenticeship as gold-embosser
and bookbinder.
It was during this time that I first re
ceived a message of hope. It came from
a middle-aged woman who talked much
about her convictions with others. One
day she told me about a marvelous book,
The Divine Plan of the Ages, and, noting
my keen interest, gave me a tract called
Old Theology Quarterly, containing
proof that the times of the nations had
run out. (Luke 21:24) I read it over and
over again, so absorbing did I find this
message from the Bible.
Later that same lady told me about
weekly meetings where similar subjects
were discussed, so I accepted her invita
tion to attend. On the agreed date I was
waiting at the entrance to the school au
ditorium where the meetings were held,
and when the lady arrived she took me
inside. About fifty people were present.
The topic of discussion was a chapter in
The Divine Plan of the Ages, and my in-

terest was now

thoroughly aroused.
I decided to procure
the book and started
reading. In fact, I became
so engrossed in its pages
day after day that my par
ents began to worry about me, and I had
to find some quieter spot to do my read
ing. What quieter place than the nearby
cemetery, where I felt I would be unseen
and undisturbed. It was marvelous to learn
from this book that God had long ago
foreknown and foretold the rise and fall
of the world powers and how they would
all come to their end.
The taking in of this thrilling informa
tion brought me so much joy and satis
faction that I just had to begin talking to
others about it. Naturally, my parents
were the first to hear from me, but did
not at this time respond. At the meetings
I was attending I obtained a supply of
tracts and began going from house to
house introducing the Bible prophecy at
Daniel 2:44, in which is foretold the es
tablishment of Gods kingdom and the
dissolution of all the kingdoms of the
world. One day I happened to call on one
of my fellow workers at the factory, and
he was quite surprised to hear what I had
to say and curious to learn how I came
to be a preacher of the Bibles message.
Thereafter I started to use opportune
moments to speak to other employees at
the factory, inviting them to attend, the
Bible-study classes or the special public
lectures on Bible chronology as it relates
to our times. By October 1918 I was grati-

A ugust 1, 1967

SReW ATCHTOW ER

fied to see some fruits from those labors,

for five of my fellow workers responded
and eventually took the same course that
I did, namely, dedicated their lives to
Jehovah God and submitted to water
baptism. Since the war was still raging,
my baptism had to be conducted quite
secretly.
Soon I had thoroughly considered the
six volumes of Studies in the Scriptures
published by the Watch Tower Society as
well as the booklet Tabernacle Shadows
of Better Sacrifices. How thankful I was
to be enjoying such spiritual plenty at a
time when famine for both material and
spiritual food was so widespread! My de
sire to help many others to enjoy these
same blessings continued to grow. People
must be told about the end of all human
kingdoms and the righteous government
that would replace them according to the
promises of God.
In 1919 the seventh volume of Studies
in the Scriptures was published in Ger
man, having been printed in a commer
cial printery. Entitled The Finished Mys
tery, it discussed the fall of Babylon as
described at Revelation, chapters seven
teen and eighteen. The 21st day of Au
gust was the date set for a wide distribu
tion of this book, and tracts entitled The
Fall of Babylon would be used to publi
cize it. With great anticipation we await
ed that date. How happy I was that I
had already heeded the command record
ed at Revelation 18:4: Get out of her,
my people, if you do not want to share
with her in her sins, and if you do not
want to receive part of her plagues.
On the way to the territory assigned
me, pulling my handcart loaded with The
Fall of Babylon tracts, I passed a monu
ment commemorating Gustavus Adolphus,
king of Sweden, champion of Protestant
ism. On the plaque I read: Gustavus
Adolphus, Christian and hero, by [the

473

battle of] Breitenfeld saved freedom of re

ligion for the world. As I proceeded with
my ministry I could not help thinking that
I was one of a group of true freedom
fighters. Later that evening, tired but con
tent, I returned home with my empty cart.
All my tracts were gone.
"MILLIONS NOW LIVING WILL NEVER DIE

The following year, 1920, the theme

Millions Now Living Will Never Die
was proclaimed in Germany as in so
many other parts of the world. The Ger
man booklet bearing that title was re
leased and public lectures on the subject
were presented wherever a hall could be
engaged. I can well remember following
up the lectures with distribution of the
booklet, and keeping record of people who
manifested interest. Handbills and plac
ards advertised the talks. One night I had
the privilege of pasting signs on traffic
centers throughout Leipzig. How satisfy
ing to see the Alberthalle, largest lecture
hall we could get, crowded out by an au
dience of 4,000, many of whom had to
stand!
Our efforts to spread the Kingdom mes
sage had not ended with the wars end.
Rather, we were moved to redouble our
efforts when the Watch Tower magazine
called attention to our serious obligation
in the light of Jesus prophecy that on
account of the chosen ones those days [of
great tribulation] will be cut short. We
discerned that it was the responsibility of
Gods servants on earth to give a wide
witness to the Kingdom so that some
flesh would be saved. Matt. 24:21, 22.
In 1921 the Dresden Bank in Leipzig of
fered me a job as bookbinder with an an
nual income of $2,460. However, it was
intimated that there would be days when
I would have to work longer than the
usual eight and a half hours. I turned
down the offer. It was my fondest desire

474

fHeW ATCHTOWER,

to give Gods service first place in my

life.
TASTING THE JOYS OF FULL-TIME SERVICE

An announcement in
Watch Tower
early in 1923 invited those with bookbind
ing experience to apply for service at the
Watch Tower Societys branch office, then
located at Barmen. After prayerful con
sideration of my circumstances I deter
mined to respond, and soon received a
telegram, saying: Please come imme
diately. I sold some of my valuables,
bought a ticket to Barmen, and arrived
there on May 11, 1923. This was the start
of a new life for me, the happiest period
of my whole life.
That year the Societys own presses be
gan to print The Watch Tower and The
Golden A ge (now Awake!) for Germany.
It was my privilege to run a small handoperated trimming machine. Soon the
building and the presses were inadequate
for the growing volume of the work.
President J. F. Rutherford of the Watch
Tower Society directed that a larger
building in a more central location be ac
quired. On June 19, 1923, we began mov
ing all our equipment to new and larger
quarters in the city of Magdeburg.
But, again, the expansion of the work
in Germany required further enlargement
of our facilities. Following a visit by the
Societys president, it was arranged that
extra land adjacent to the headquarters
property be purchased. On this a much
larger building was constructed, includ
ing a spacious assembly hall and im
proved equipment for printing and bind
ing. It was wonderful to reach the stage
when we were producing 7,000 bound vol
umes each dayhelps to the study of the
Bible.
The year 1931 was memorable, for it
was then that special conventions of Je
hovahs people were conducted throughout

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

the world, and the name Jehovahs wit

nesses came to the fore. I had the plea
sure of attending the assembly in Paris
that year. It was quite a novel experience
for me to go from house to house with
a printed card explaining my mission.
You see, I did not know any French. It
was in September of the same year that
I took up the auxiliary pioneer ministry,
that is, an arrangement under which I
spent half my time preaching from house
to house. My aim was to have a larger
personal share in the spread of the book
let released that year, The Kingdom, the
Hope of the World. We started off the
campaign by forming a long line and
marching through the center of the city
carrying placards showing an enlarged
picture of the booklet. We offered them
to people right on the street. In four
weeks millions of copies were put into the
hands of the people.
On one occasion we narrowly missed
being mobbed by a gang of Communists
who had just ended a rally in their own
hall. As they emerged and caught sight of
our group they began threatening us with
a beating. Just then the police flying
squad arrived on the scene and stood, pis
tols drawn, between us and the Commu
nists.
THE TESTING OF OUR FAITH

In April 1933 Hitler declared the work

of the Witnesses illegal and forbade their
meetings for Bible study. Nevertheless,
our worship and service of the Creator
continued, though underground. On Octo
ber 9, 1934, a resolution was sent to the
dictator informing him that we were de
termined to hold to our worship of Jeho
vah. During that trying time I can recall
enjoying the privilege of visiting seven
small groups of Witnesses each week.
Eventually many of the places of meeting
were discovered, and in due course I was

August 1, 1967

fReW ATCHTOW ER.

475

one of thousands arrested merely for be of service. The response brought us great
ing a Witness, reading the Bible and talk happiness, for on October 1, 1945, we had
ing to others about its message.
the privilege of resuming full-time ser
In 1937, about a year after my arrest, vice. True, by this time the Magdeburg
the court trial opened. One hundred and office had been reduced to a desolate state,
eighty-six of us were named in the lengthy but soon willing hands promoted a won
indictment. S o m e
derful restoration. At
tw enty h e a v ily
first, paper was so
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
armed men w e r e
scarce that we had
Th e Need fop S ecurity.
posted in court as
to press old paper in
T h e W a y to S ecurity.
the long line of men
to bundles for sale to
Th e T ran sfo rm ing Power of God's W ord.
and women, many of
the paper mills in or
G etting a P erm anent Hold on Life.
them elderly, en
der to get some new
tered. All present
paper. Half of Mag
well knew that these witnesses of Jeho deburg had been wiped out, and it was not
vah had never done anything injurious at all unusual to receive as many as eight
to anyone, yet they were objects of fear. whole streets as a personal territory in
When
TheWatchtower had been strongly
which to preach, so few people lived there
condemned as a source of political agita now.
tion, and I was later asked if I had any
In October 1948 I was called to the So
thing to say, I replied: I consider The cietys headquarters, now located at Wies
Watchtower to be revealed truth from Je baden, where once again I enjoyed the
hovah God. The majority of us received privilege of serving in the bookbindery,
prison sentences of from ten months to while my wife served in the office. To this
five years.
day we have experienced the joy of full
During my imprisonment I was, on one time service of the interests of Gods king
occasion, brought before the prison offi dom, a service that has so filled our lives
cials and asked what I thought about the with satisfaction that the past twenty
defense of my country. I answered: All years have flown by, it would seem. It is
those who take the sword will perish by true we are not as young and vigorous as
the sword, just as Jesus declared, and if we once were. We have had trials and
I were ever to forsake his lead I would hardships, but we have also had many
be the most miserable person on earth. offsetting joys and privileges. We are
(Matt. 26:52) They told me that with that thankful to Jehovah for his undeserved
kind of attitude I would never be released.
kindness in permitting us to continue on
In reply I stated: That lies in someone
as his servants, and to witness the vast
elses power. And happily it came about
expansion of his Kingdom preaching work
that on September 7, 1940, the recruiting
in all the earth. It is also a source of deep
office removed me from draft eligibility.
satisfaction to look back on the time of
youth and be able to say that one has heed
OUR CUP WELL FILLED
Shortly after the wars end my wife and ed the wise counsel: Remember, now,
I offered our services to the Watch Tower your grand Creator in the days of your
Society in whatever capacity we could be young manhood. Eccl. 12:1.

JUDGE

KIQDLs
Resourceful

and Ualiant
fo r Jehovah's Cause
*"Tk T O T without good reason do
Scriptures liken the people of
to sheep. Sheep need to be led, to be pro
tected and fed. When the people of Israel
first became Jehovahs nation, God pro
vided a shepherd for them in Moses, who
led, protected and fed them for forty
years. After Moses death Joshua carried
on.
After the death of Joshua and the older
men of his day the Israelites kept falling
away from the pure worship of Jehovah,
for which reason He let them become op
pressed by the pagan nations surrounding
them until they came to their senses. Be
cause of such conditions, there arose the
need of shepherds to serve as judges
and saviors, even as we read: When
Jehovah did raise up judges for them,
Jehovah proved to be with the judge, and
he saved them out of the hand of their
enemies all the days of the judge; for Je
hovah would feel regret over their groan
ing because of their oppressors. Judg.
2:18; Neh. 9:27.
Ehud was the second of these judges,
but the first of whom we have a compara
tively detailed account. He is generally re
membered by those familiar with their
Bibles as the left-handed Benjamite who
killed one of Israels oppressors by a ruse
and freed his people from that ones yoke.
However, there is far more to be said in
favor of Ehud than that.
Ehud apparently administered justice in

Israel for a long period of time, during

which he kept his nation both faithful and
loyal to Jehovah God and free from war.
As the inspired Record reads: Moab
came to be subdued on that day under
Israels hand; and the land had no fur
ther disturbance for eighty years. Then
the sons of Israel again began to do what
was bad in Jehovahs eyes now that Ehud
was dead. Judg. 3:30; 4:1.
It was when the sons of Israel went
doing what was bad in Jehovahs eyes
that Jehovah let Eglon the king of Moab
grow strong against Israel. Eglon, by
means of an alliance with Ammon and
Amalek, was able to subdue the Israelites,
after which he oppressed them for eigh
teen years. Judg. 3:12-14.
Then the sons of Israel began to call
to Jehovah for aid and so Jehovah
raised up for them a savior, Ehud the
son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left-handed
man. (Judg. 3:15) While the Hebrew
word for left-handed here simply means
unable to make natural use of the right
hand, from the Scriptural record it is ap
parent that Ehud was skillful with his left
hand. Of the tribe of Benjamin we read
that on one occasion there were among
them seven hundred chosen men lefthanded. Every one of these was a slinger
of stones to a hairbreadth and would not

476

A ugust 1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER

477

miss. The
Septuagintsays they were
am he sent the rest on their way,
at Gilgal,
bidextrous. Later other Benjamites who while he returned to King Eglon. For the
were noted for being ambidextrous are business he now had at hand others would
mentioned as being in Davids army. They prove to be an encumbrance, for not only
were said to be using the right hand might they arouse suspicion but escape
and using the left hand with stones or would be more difficult for a group than
with arrows in the bow. Judg. 20:16; for just one man. Judg. 3:18, 19.
1 Chron. 12:2.
By saying that he had a secret message
for King Eglon, Ehud succeeded in getting
EHUDS STRATEGY
a private audience with the king as he
Jehovah God, having raised up Ehud for was sitting in his cool roof chamber that
the purpose of delivering his people, would he had to himself. Curious to know what
put His spirit upon him. It no doubt quick it was, King Eglon ordered all his atten
ened his mind as well as strengthened his dants from his presence. Then Ehud said
heart for the work God had for him to do. to him, A word of God I have for you.
For one thing, it gave him insight to see Whether out of respect for such a mes
that he could strike a decisive blow for sage or because of expecting a valuable
the freedom of his people Israel simply by gift, King Eglon, who was very fat, pon
doing away with King Eglon himself; and derously arose. Then, quick as a flash,
also how he could go about doing this suc before King Eglon could utter a sound,
cessfully and make his escape.
Ehud with his left hand pulled his sword
First of all, he needed a weapon especial from his side and plunged it deep into
ly suited for his purpose. And so he made Eglons belly. Apparently the sword did
himself one, a sharp two-edged sword or not have a crosspiece between the blade
dirk a cubit or eighteen inches long. Such and the handle, for the record tells us:
a weapon he could easily hide on his side And the handle kept going in also after
under the folds of his long flowing gar the blade so that the fat closed in over the
ment, which was what men wore in his blade, for he did not draw the sword out
day. There it would not arouse suspicions, of his belly, and the fecal matter began
and yet from there he could quickly draw to come out, as King Eglon fell heavily
it with his skillful left hand.
onto the floor. Judg. 3:20-22.
Important also to the success of his
Thinking quickly, Ehud first locked the
strategy was for Ehud to choose the right doors of the kings roof chamber before
time and occasion. He chose the time escaping through a ventilating passage.
when Israel was due to bring tribute to This delayed discovery of Eglons death
King Eglon, and Ehud saw to it that he and so gave Ehud more time to flee before
headed the delegation bringing it. Most an alarm could be sounded. The kings
likely the delegation was quite large, as attendants, noting that the doors were
it was customary to bring the tribute in locked, thought that their king was easing
the form of produce of the land. Of course, nature and patiently waited so as not to
receiving this tribute put King Eglon in embarrass him. After waiting as long as
good spirits and made him quite favor they dared they finally unlocked the doors
ably disposed toward Ehud.
to find out what was wrong with their
After presenting the tribute, Ehud and king, and something wrong they did find
those with him started back; and upon their king lying dead on the floor with
reaching the quarries, or graven images, a mess all around him! What consterna-

478

fEeWATCHTOWER

tion that must have caused! Judg. 3:

23-25.
While Ehud had carefully planned it all,
and it had worked out as he had planned,
it took no little courage for him to em
bark on such a mission. No fear of man
could he dare betray, even though King
Eglon had oppressed Israel for eighteen
years. He also knew that he could not be
certain of finding the king alone by him
self and that it would be a question of
how far he would escape until an alarm
was sent out after him. Some condemn
Ehuds strategy, but they forget that God
was using him as a savior for Israel. How
many Israelites had King Eglon killed in
subjugating them with the help of Ammon
and Amalek? Besides, had he not op
pressed Israel for eighteen years, with no
justification on his part except that with
the help of allies he had been able to do it?
MOAB DEFEATED ISRAEL FREED

Continuing his successful strategy, Ehud

took advantage of the consternation and
confusion caused to the Moabites by the
sudden death of their king and so rallied
an army of Israel to his side by blowing a
horn in the mountainous region of Ephra
im, adjoining his land of Benjamin. Indic
ative of his reliance upon Jehovah are
the words he said to his army: Follow
me, because Jehovah has given your ene
mies, the Moabites, into your hand. By
mustering his forces while the Moabites
were in confusion because of the death of
their king, he was able to seize the ini
tiative. Then, to block the retreat of the
occupational forces of Moab, he had part
of his army seize the fords of the Jordan,
which maneuver at the same time pre
vented any help from coming from Moab.

Brooklyn, N.Y.

As a result 10,000 robust and valiant

Moabites were slain. Judg. 3:26-29.
After that, as already noted, Israel en
tered upon a long period of peace and wor
ship of Jehovah. And while Ehud is not
mentioned again in the Scriptures, he
without doubt is presented to us as an ex
ample of faith, being included among those
who through faith defeated kingdoms
. . . , became valiant in war, routed the
armies of foreigners. Heb. 11:33, 34.
The inspired record of Ehud finds a
parallel in our day and in the near future.
How so? In that, Ehud-like, Jesus Christ
in modern times has freed his people from
bondage to the oppressive world empire
of false religion. And even as Ehud and
his army destroyed Eglons army, so at
Armageddon Jesus Christ and his heaven
ly forces will destroy all the oppressors of
Gods people on earth, bringing in peace
and establishing the pure worship of Je
hovah throughout the earth for a long,
long time, in fact, forever. Rev. 16:14,
16; 2 Pet. 3:13.
From another standpoint Jehovahs
people on earth might themselves be lik
ened to Ehud. They are not revolution
aries. Instead of fleshly weapons they use
spiritual ones, such as the sword of the
spirit, that is, Gods word, to carry on a
warfare as fine soldiers of Jesus Christ.
By means of such spiritual weapons they
are able to kill the enslaving power that
the enemies of Gods people have had over
lovers of righteousness and thus bring
them spiritual freedom. All who are en
gaged in the spiritual warfare should be
concerned to prove themselves as re
sourceful and as valiant as was Ehud, so
that success might crown their efforts.
Eph. 6:17; 2 Cor. 10:3, 4; 2 Tim. 2:3.

gesting that he did not support the worship

carried on at the temple, Jesus saw that the
tax was paid.

What is the meaning of Jesus statement,

at Matthew 17:26, that the sons are tax-free ?
E. D., U.S.A.
Jesus was showing by illustration why he, as
the Son of God, was not obligated to pay the
temple tax customary among the Jews, collec
tors of which tax visited each town of Judea
yearly at a certain time. After the fall of
Jerusalem, the Romans collected this tax,
Josephus saying that Caesar laid a tribute
upon the Jews wheresoever they were, and
enjoined every one of them to bring two drach
mae every year into the capitol, as they used
to pay the same to the temple at Jerusalem.
The Jewish War, VII, 6, 6.
The account is unique to Matthews Gospel
and reads: After they arrived in Capernaum
the men collecting the two drachmas tax ap
proached Peter and said: Does your teacher
not pay the two drachmas tax? He said: Yes.
However, when he entered the house Jesus got
ahead of him by saying: What do you think,
Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth
receive duties or head tax? From their sons
or from the strangers? When he said: From
the strangers, Jesus said to him: Really, then,
the sons are tax-free. But that we do not
cause them to stumble, . . . give it to them for
me and you. Matt. 17:24-27.
Possibly in an attempt to involve Jesus in
some breach of accepted custom, Peter was
questioned about Jesus position. In later dis
cussing the matter with Peter, Jesus pointed
out that, in the normal course of things, kings
of the earth do not tax their own sons, but,
rather, impose taxes on others, strangers. The
sons are tax-free.
The point Jesus made was that as the Son of
God, according to the normal practice, he would
be able to claim exemption. This was on the
basis that the kings son belongs to the royal
household for whom tax is collected and not
by whom it is rendered. Similarly, Jesus
Father, King of the universe, was the God wor
shiped at the temple, so the Son was not obli
gated to follow the custom, it not being a legal
requirement. (Ex. 15:18; 1 Tim. 1:17) Never
theless, not wanting to stumble others by sug
479

Under the Mosaic law, what was the differ

ence between the sabbath year and the Jubilee
year? Were not debts canceled on both years?
E. P., U.S.A.
The Jubilee year shares some features of the
regular seventh-year sabbath, but there are
marked differences. As to the sabbath year,
according to Deuteronomy 15:1, 2, there was a
releasing from debt: At the end of every seven
years you should make a release. And this is
the manner of the release: there will be a re
leasing by every creditor of the debt that he
may let his fellow incur. He should not press his
fellow or his brother for payment, because a
release to Jehovah must be called. The expres
sion at the end of every seven years is under
stood as meaning in the seventh year. Com
pare Deuteronomy 14:28.
This sabbath year was thus fittingly called
the year of the release. (Deut. 15:9; 31:10)
During that year, not only the land enjoyed a
rest or release, lying uncultivated (Ex. 23:11),
but there was also to be a rest or a release in
connection with debts incurred. (Deut. 15:3)
It was a release to Jehovah, in honor of him.
As to the matter of the releasing of debts on
the sabbath year, though some commentators
view it differently, apparently the debts were
not canceled, but a creditor was not to press a
fellow Hebrew for payment of a debt. He was
released from paying on any debt that year.
This was a loving provision, especially since the
land was not cultivated during the sabbath
year and, with no crops, there would be no in
come for the farmer during the year.
This year of release from being pressed for
payment of debts did not bring release to
slaves, many of whom would be in slavery
because of indebtedness. Rather, the Hebrew
slave was released on the seventh year of his
servitude, or on the Jubilee if it came first.
(Deut. 15:12; Lev. 25:10, 54) This regulation
is mentioned at Exodus 21:2: In case you
should buy a Hebrew slave, he will be a slave
six years, but in the seventh he will go out as
one set free without charge. It is to be noted
that the freedom of the slave here did not nec
essarily coincide with the sabbath year.
However, on the Jubilee year all who had
sold themselves into servitude, whether the six
years of servitude had been completed or not,
were set free; there was liberty. You must

480

SHeWATCHTOWER

sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty

in the land to all its inhabitants. It will become
a Jubilee for you, and you must return each
one to his possession and you should return
each man to his family.Lev. 25:10.
As to the Jubilee year, seven of the seven-year
periods ( 7 X 7 = 49) were to be counted, and
the following year, the fiftieth, was a Jubilee
year. The land again had complete rest. (Lev.
25:11, 12) The Jubilee was in a sense an entire
year of festival, a year of liberty. The keeping
of it would demonstrate Israel's faith in their
God Jehovah and would be a time of thanks
giving and happiness in his provisions.Lev.
25:20-22.
The Jubilee horn announced that all heredi
tary land possessions that had been sold (usu
ally because of financial reverses) were to be
returned; and each man returned to his family
and his ancestral possession. No family was to
sink into the depths of perpetual poverty. Every
family was to have its honor and respect. Even
one who squandered his substance could not
forever lose his inheritance for his posterity.
After all, the land was really Jehovahs and the
Israelites themselves were temporary residents
from Jehovahs standpoint.Lev. 25:9, 23, 24.

rooklyn

, N .Y .

By reason of the Jubilee law none of the land

could be sold in perpetuity. God provided that,
if a man sold any land of his hereditary pos
session, the sale price was to be gauged accord
ing to the number of years left until the Jubilee.
The same rate was in effect when hereditary
land was repurchased by its owner. In effect a
sale of land, therefore, was actually only the
sale of the use of the land and its produce for
the number of years left until Jubilee year.
(Lev. 25:15, 16) This applied to houses in un
walled villages, which were counted as the open
country, but houses in walled cities were not
included in property returned at Jubilee. An
exception to this was the property of the Levites
in Levite cities, whose only possessions were
the houses and the pasture grounds around the
Levite cities; these had their property returned
at Jubilee.Lev. 25:29-34.
The seventh-year sabbath brought about a
rest or a releasing from being pressed for debts
and rest for the land, but the Jubilee year
brought much morecomplete liberty from
indebtedness and from servitude to any fellow
citizens and the return of hereditary posses
sions, as well as another year of rest for the
land.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
A WISE CHOICE IN READING

In spite of the growing popularity of

picture magazines and newspapers and the
demands of television on leisure time, there is
still a mass of reading material vying for at
tention. All this highlights the great need for
reading material that is healthful food for the
mind. As never before all persons need to know
what is the truth concerning Gods purpose for
mankind. The book Things in Which It Is
Impossible for God to Lie meets that need.
Send today and receive free a timely booklet
on a Bible subject. Send only 50c.

ministry they offer Bible literature that pro

motes fine habits such as prayer, the putting
of Gods kingdom first in ones life and the reg
ular study of the Holy Scriptures. Such lit
erature also stresses the right kind of associa
tion that is needed to keep these good habits.
To help all interested persons find the happiness
that comes from keeping divinely approved
habits, Jehovahs witnesses are offering dur
ing the month of August the Bible-study aid
Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of
God and a booklet, for just 50c.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

FIELD MINISTRY

The Holy Bible emphasizes the need for

keeping useful habits. (1 Cor. 15:33) To help
others cultivate and keep the good habits that
God approves, Jehovahs witnesses carry on
their ministry from door to door. In their field

August 27: Keeping Free from the Spirit of

Complaint. Page 457. Songs to Be Used:
41, 45.
September 3: Finding Contentment with Jeho
vahs Organization. Page 463. Songs to Be
Used: 54, 60.

AUGUST 15, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

THE NEED FOR SECURITY

THE W AY TO SECURITY
THE TRANSFORMING POWER
OF GODS WORD
LIMPING UPON TWO OPINIONS
W TB& TS

YOU ARE MY W ITNESSES SAYS JE H O V A H .-lsa.43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F "T H E W A T C H T O W E R *
E very w atchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h at is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tc h to w e r " this magazine Justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch to w e r" began to be published in Ju ly o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious n ew order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tch to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tc h to w e r " is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? T h e Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tc h to w e r " is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H. K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

CONTENTS
W a s It Foretold in the Bible?

483

The Transforming Power of Gods Word

485

Limping upon Two Opinions

489

The Need fo r Security

493

The W a y to Security

498

Getting a Permanent Hold on Life

504

Benefits Recognized

509

Happy Coincidences

509

Latin and the Christian Greek Scriptures

510

Questions from Readers

511

The Bible translation used In The Watchtower Is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
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Publication Soc.

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'y ^ T m o u T z c i r i g r

J E H O V A H S
KING DO M

W a s It Foretold in the Bible?

ARLY in June the news headlines
proclaimed the swift developments of
the war in the Middle East: Israel
Sweeps Ahead on All Fronts, Israelis
Rout Arabs; Approach Suez. Within a
few days it was over. Israeli troops oc
cupied all of Jerusalem, all Jordanian ter
ritory west of the Jordan and the whole
Peninsula of Sinai.
Meanwhile there was widespread specu
lation about the significance of these hap
penings. Could it be that the ancient
prophecies of the Bible are being fulfilled?
many are asking. For example, these
words of Jehovah God written down more
than 2,500 years ago: I will bring them
back to the land that I gave to their fore
fathers, and they will certainly repossess
it. Jer. 30:3; see also Ezekiel 37:21.
Not insignificant on this subject are the
views and attitudes of the Israelis them
selves. Has the dispersion of Jews ended?
Do the Israelis claim to have in any sense
a theocratic or God-ruled state, and do
they depend upon God for protection?
Consider some of the facts.
In the year following the declaration of
Israels independence as a state, a promi
nent German rabbi, Ignaz Maybaum, made
this pertinent admission: Zion is not yet.
We must still pray for it to be established.

The Messiah has not yet come, only a

Jewish State has been established. The
world is not yet redeemed. We must still
wait, hope and pray. We are still in the
galut [exile]; the citizens of Israel as
well. The Christian Century, April 3,
1963.
Former premier David Ben-Gurion has
always opposed the idea of forming a mod
ern theocratic state. And it is noteworthy
that in his review of the first ten years
of Israeli statehood he had nothing to
say about the direction and help of God.
He declared: Israel is determined to
strengthen her military preparedness and
to persevere in her work of rebuilding and
redemption; to bring in Jews from the
lands of oppression and misery; to con
quer the desert and make it flourish by
the power of science and the pioneering
spirit. New York Times Magazine, April
20, 1958.
The active, militant segment in Israel
have no faith in the Bible accounts of
Gods miraculous dealings with their an
cestors. They do not accept them as his
torical. They insist that theirs is a secu
lar state governed by secular laws enacted
by their own Knesset (parliament) and
not by the laws of the Torah. They dis-

483

484

SfieWATCHTOWER

Brooklyn,

N .Y .

agree with the Scriptural principle: Un Christ, you are really Abrahams seed,
less Jehovah himself builds the house [or heirs with reference to a promise. Gal.
state], it is to no avail that its builders 3:28, 29.
The apostle Paul identified those who
have worked hard on it. (Ps. 127:1)
They trust in their own strength and would receive protection and salvation
when he wrote: If you publicly declare
ability for success.
But what does the Bible, Gods written that word in your own mouth, that Je
Word, say about the matter of Gods deal sus is Lord, and exercise faith in your
ing with the Jews? It reveals that he per heart that God raised him up from the
mitted their dispersion in 607 B.C.E. when dead, you will be saved. For everyone
the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and who calls on the name of Jehovah will be
carried the Judean population into exile. saved. Rom. 10:9, 13.
After seventy years, and in harmony with
It is obvious today that modern Israel
Jeremiahs prophecy, the Jews experi neither confesses Jesus Christ as Lord nor
enced a restoration to their land. Jer. calls upon the name of Jehovah. It is not
29:10; Dan. 9:1, 2.
a religious, but a political state. Though
But is it possible there is still to be a individual Jews may accept Christ and be
larger fulfillment of restoration prophe brought into the congregation of his fol
cies, this time upon the modern state of lowers, it is evident that God is no longer
Israel? What do the Scriptures and the dealing with the Jews as a nation. Nor is
facts show? Certain it is that when the the literal city of Jerusalem any longer
foretold Messiah arrived 1,900 years ago significant in connection with true wor
the Jews rejected him, and he, in turn, de ship, for in all parts of the earth there
clared of them: Look! Your house is are those who serve God and Christ, his
abandoned to you. The Kingdom of God appointed King. John 4:21.
will be taken from you and be given to a
How, then, are we to view the current
nation producing its fruits. (Matt. 23:38; developments in the Middle East? As part
21:43) The final blow came in the year of a global condition, foretold by the Bible,
70 C.E. when the Romans destroyed Je in which international strife, crime and
rusalems temple and dispersed the Jews. violence would mark these as the last
Luke 19:43, 44.
days of this wicked system of things.
God is no longer, since that time, deal (2 Tim. 3:1-5) Yes, these events consti
ing with a Jewish system of things. (Col. tute definite evidence of the closeness of
2:14; Gal. 3:24, 25) Indeed, from and af the end of this system of things. As all
ter the outpouring of Gods spirit on the nations vainly seek for peace while at the
followers of Jesus Christ at Pentecost of same time they arm for war, they ignore
33 C.E., he has been dealing with the the decree of the Sovereign Ruler of the
Christian congregation, concerning which universe giving Christ the power and au
the apostle Paul wrote: Theie is neither thority to trample them all down in utter
Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor defeat. (Dan. 2:44; 1 Cor. 15:24, 25) Sub
freeman, there is neither male nor female; mit to Gods Son! is the urgent appeal to
for you are all one person in union with men of all nations who would survive that
Christ Jesus. Moreover, if you belong to greatest of all tribulations.Ps. 2:12.

MONG Gods creations

< A ' there are m any
m arvelous transform a
tions that delight and as
tound. For example, if
a person had not seen
it or been told about
. m thc
form peoples

it, COUld he ever

lives? What
evidence is there that it can?

ards. B ut then they aban

doned that course of life and be
came upright men and women.
What a remarkable transforma
tion! How was it ever made? Was
it a change then commonly experi
enced? Can such transformations be
realized today?

imagine that an
EFFECT OF CHRISTIAN TEACHING
offensive-looking little caterpillar would
The
transformation of those Corin
change into a breathtakingly beautiful
thians
was
accomplished by their listening
butterfly? Yet this is what occurs. Is it
to
and
putting
faith in the message about
not also amazing that tiny seeds planted
Jesus
Christ.
Evidence
presented to them
in the spring become nutritious red beets,
from
the
Scriptures
convinced
the Corin
green beans or ears of corn a short time
thians
that
Christ
was
indeed
the
Son of
later?
God,
that
he
had
been
raised
from
the
Despite the grandness of these trans
dead,
and
that
by
following
his
blameless
formations, there is another that is even
more beautiful and desirable. It is the example they, too, could win their Cre
change made in a human whose former ators favor and blessing. Their convic
course of life was molded by the wicked tions were so strong that, with the aid of
environment of the world. The Christian Gods spirit, they put away their former
apostle Paul calls attention to this mar bad practices and became footstep follow
velous transformation in a letter to per ers of Jesus.
This transformation, however, was not
sonal friends in Corinth, Greece, writing:
limited
to persons in Corinth. Throughout
What! Do you not know that unrigh
the
Roman
Empire sexual abuses, un
teous persons will not inherit Gods king
righteousness,
wickedness, covetousness,
dom? Do not be misled. Neither fornica
injuriousness,
.
. . envy, murder, strife,
tors, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men
deceit,
malicious
disposition were preva
kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who
lent.
(Rom.
1:26-31)
Nevertheless, the
lie with men, nor thieves, nor greedy per
Christian
message
effected
a change in
sons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor ex
many,
including
ones
in
the
city
of Colostortioners will inherit Gods kingdom.
sae
to
whom
the
apostle
Paul
wrote:
In
And
yetthat is what some of you were.
those
very
things
you,
too,
once
walked
But you have been washed clean. 1 Cor.
when you used to live in them. Col. 3:
6:9-11.
5-7;
see also Ephesians 4:17-19.
Think of that! Some Christians in Cor
The
apostle Paul himself once had a
inth. had formerly been fornicators, adul
terers, homosexuals, thieves and drunk malicious disposition and practiced wicked
485

486

fKeW ATCHTOW ER.

works, even being an instigator in the ar

rest and murder of Christians. (Acts 7:
58; 8:1; 9:1, 2) Before becoming a Chris
tian his fellow worker Titus, too, followed
an unrighteous course, as Paul reminds
him: For even we were once senseless,
disobedient, being misled, being slaves to
various desires and pleasures, carrying on
in maliciousness and envy, hateful, hating
one another. Titus 3:3.
The apostle Peter also noted that many
Christians had once proceeded in deeds
of loose conduct, lusts, excesses with wine,
revelries, drinking matches, and illegal
idolatries. But then they changed, Peter
explained. And what an effect it had!
Others simply could not understand it.
1 Pet. 4:3, 4.
Many historians have well documented
the tremendous transformation Christian
teaching effected in the lives of people.
Observed one of them in the book Read
ings in Ethics: Christianity, within
twenty-five years of its inception, gave
a totally new life to thousands and thou
sands. This new life most noticeably
expressed itself in a virtue which the
Stoics condemned and which certainly was
absent from the practice of the public.
And the noted historian John Lord ob
served in The Old Roman World: The
true triumphs of Christianity were seen in
making good men of those who professed
her doctrines . . . We have testimony to
their blameless lives.
W HAT ABOUT TODAY?

Is the Christian message now having a

similar effect on the lives of men and
women? Are people changing from their
former immoral ways and patterning
their lives in harmony with Jesus exam
ple? Does Gods Word truly have trans
forming power today?
A look at Christendom might indeed
cause one to believe that the Bible no

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

longer exercises beneficial effects on the

lives of people. For everywhere there ex
ists a cesspool of crime and immorality.
Malicious disposition, hatred, strife, envy,
murder, deceit, along with drunkenness,
drug addiction and sexual immorality, are
rampant.
This does not mean, however, that Gods
Word has lost its transforming power. The
fact is that Christendom is really not
Christian. She has only assumed the name
of Christ. Actually her principal teachings
and practices are as pagan as those of an
cient Rome. The Bible is not really ac
cepted in Christendom as a guide by which
to live. However, when individuals do em
brace its teachings, Gods Word can trans
form their lives just as surely as it al
tered peoples lives in the first century.
There is ample evidence of this.
POWER TO END IMMORALITY

The ministry of Jehovahs witnesses is

designed to acquaint people with this Book
that has such tremendous force for good.
Instruction in Gods Word has caused
thousands of persons willingly to cease
from immoral conduct. Typical is the ex
ample of the young woman who explained
earlier this year:
At the time I was studying the Bible
with Jehovahs witnesses I had a man
rooming at my house. I had really grown
fond of him. Although we didnt share the
same bed, there were times we did get
together. We thought this was all right.
But things changed when the minister of
Jehovahs witnesses that I was studying
with read me the scripture at First Corin
thians 6:9, showing that neither fornica
tors nor adulterers would inherit Gods
kingdom. I realized that what we were
doing did not meet the Bibles high stan
dards for Christians. I realized, too, that
if I wanted to have Gods favor, if I want
ed to tell others the good things I had

ugust

15, 1967

9EeW ATCHTOW ER.

learned, I would have to change my way

of living. So I told him, No more sexual
relations.
She not only stuck to this decision, but
later was honorably married, and now
shares in teaching others the Bibles righ
teous principles. Even as many in the
first-century Christian congregation for
merly had been fornicators and adulterers,
the same is true in the Christian congre
gation today.
The extent of the Bibles transforming
power is seen in the fact that even har
lots have been aided by Bible truths to
give up their unclean activities. (Matt.
21:31, 32) Sometime ago, for instance, a
woman in South America who ran a broth
el began studying the Bible with Jehovahs
witnesses. Soon she realized that to be a
true Christian she must make a radical
change. And this she did! She gave up her
business of prostitution, married the man
with whom she had been living, was bap
tized, and now is actively engaged in help
ing others also to learn Bible truths.
POWER OVER ALCOHOL

One of the greatest causes of troubles

in the family and community is alcohol
ism or drunkenness. In the United States
it is considered the number four health
problem, and in other lands of Christen
dom it is as bad a problem or even worse.
Yet, Gods Word has time and again
proved successful in transforming drunk
ards into upright, sober Christians, even
as it did in the first century. 1 Cor. 6:
10, 11.
In one instance an Oregon man, when
under the influence of alcohol, would
harshly mistreat his wife and four chil
dren. For years his drunken bouts con
tinued, even after his wife started study
ing the Bible and became an exemplary
Christian. Then, in 1957, he agreed to
have a Bible study. His eldest son, now

487

a member of the headquarters staff of Je

hovahs witnesses in Brooklyn, New York,
observes:
Within just a short time Bible prin
ciples started to affect my fathers life.
He quit drinking, changed his bad habits
and became a very good example to those
in the small community where we lived.
He was baptized in 1958, and now serves
as a ministerial servant in the local con
gregation of Jehovahs witnesses. How
happy this family is that Gods Word has
such transforming power!
Even persons who have sunk to the
depths of alcoholism on skid row have
been transformed by the Word of God.
One alcoholic spent thirteen years on the
skid row of New York city. During this
time he would, on occasions, obtain a copy
of The Watchtower or Awake! and read it.
The Bible articles impressed him. In 1954,
when he went into the hospital for treat
ment, he swore never again to take anoth
er drink, and he never did. As soon as he
came out of the hospital he located a
Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs witnesses and
began to attend regularly. He explained:
For the first time in my life I truly be
gan to live. In 1958 he was baptized, and
he has served as a faithful minister with
a New York City congregation ever since.
TRANSFORMING HOSTILE ATTITUDES

How often hostile feelings develop be

tween individuals, families and nations!
And over such insignificant matters!
Fights, feuds and wars then result, and
much blood is spilled. Happily, Gods
Word has the power to destroy these hos
tile attitudes, and replace them with feel
ings of love, peace and friendliness.
An interesting instance is that involv
ing two neighbor ladies in Switzerland
who for years had quarreled and feuded.
All members of both families suffered
from the resulting tensions. Then, not long

488

3EeWATCHTOWER

ago, one of the ladies began a study of

Gods Word. The minister studying with
her explains the effect this had: The day
came when she had the courage to speak
to her neighbor with whom she had hardly
exchanged a cordial word for years, and
asked her pardon, although she was cer
tainly not alone to blame for the state of
affairs. All concerned were happy and felt
freed.
But this was not the conclusion of the
matter. Although the neighbor lady had
previously rejected the Bible message,
when a minister of Jehovahs witnesses
next called, her response was: Please
come in, I must quickly tell you some
thing. Then, after telling about her
neighbors wonderful change of attitude,
she said: There is really something in
your religion, because I am sure that my
neighbor was encouraged by a woman in
your faith to make peace with me. I have
seen her going there regularly. This lady
also began studying the Bible with Jeho
vahs witnesses. Gods Word truly does
have the power to destroy hostile attitudes
and to bring peace!
Although the Bibles counsel to beat
swords into plowshares and spears into
pruninghooks has not been heeded by the
unchristian nations of Christendom, indi
viduals and even entire communities have.
(Isa. 2:4) A few years ago the people in
two villages in Mexico were armed with
pistols and rifles for use during feuds. As
a result, slayings would frequently occur,
but when the government would try to
prosecute the guilty, no one would say
anything. Then one family accepted a Bi
ble study with a visiting minister of Je
hovahs witnesses. Eventually practically
every one in the villages began studying
and embraced the Bible truths. Hostile at
titudes were soon replaced with friendly
ones, and the weapons were sold and with
the money Bibles were purchased.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

POWER TO CREATE NEW PERSONALITIES

Gods Word truly has power to trans

form personalities! The change begins in
the mind, as the Bible notes in the en
couragement: Quit being fashioned after
this system of things, but be transformed
by making your mind over. (Rom. 12:
2) So, first, knowledge of Jehovah God
and his grand purposes must be taken into
the mind through Bible study. But, then,
to be rid of the malicious disposition and
strife of this system of things, ones heart
must be moved by the information. He
must have the desire to please his Creator,
whose appeal is: Strip off the old per
sonality with its practices, and clothe
yourselves with the new personality.
Col. 3:9, 10; Eph. 4:22-24.
Everywhere Gods Word is transform
ing lives and making good people from
bad, even as it did in the first century.
A few years ago a minister was calling
on homes in the Fiji Islands when he met
a leading businessman who warmly wel
comed him in and told him: For years
the village was plagued by a group of
hooligans who caused the businessmen
much trouble and loss of property. Then
about a year ago Jehovahs witnesses came
to town. Before long certain of the leading
ones of this band of hooligans became
Witnesses and are now peaceable and re
spectable citizens. The entire situation has
seen a great improvement within the past
year because of this.
Become acquainted with the power of
Gods Word! Accept the offer of Jeho
vahs witnesses to conduct a personal Bi
ble study with you and your family free
of charge. You will find that what an early
president of the United States, Thomas
Jefferson, once said is indeed true: Stu
dious perusal of the Sacred Volume will
make better citizens, better fathers, bet
ter husbands . . . The Bible makes the
best people in the world.

A N Y are
the persons
who are afflicted by
a physical limp, of
ten through no fault
of their own, perhaps
through some acci
dent or defect at birth. Can it be
rectified? Sometimes yes, but most
often they have to make the best of
the situation and let positive think
ing offset the physical handicap. But
did you know that there is a mental
limping that constitutes a graver
handicap to progress and happiness?
May it never be your misfortune to
become its victim.
But just what is this mental limping?
How does it affect one? Can those affected
throw it off? How can they be assisted
to do so? And is it possible that one may
suffer from this handicap without dis
cerning the source of his difficulty? These
are a few of the inquiries we might pon
der, with benefit to ourselves and possibly
also to others we may be able to aid.
First, consider the symptoms of this
ailment. An almost continual state of hesi
tancy is one of the indications of mental
limping. The person never seems to be
able to make up his mind on any matter,
be it ever so simple. Even when it is a
question of deciding between two courses,
and one of them is definitely proved to be
undesirable, the irresolute person still
seems to find a strong attraction toward
going against his own better judgment.
Strange, is it not?
Many and varied are the thoughts upon
this subject that thinkers of all ages have
come up with. Says one: Irresolution is
a worse vice than rashness. He that shoots
best may sometimes miss the mark; but
he that shoots not at all can never hit it.
And another: A man without decision
can never be said to belong to himself; he

lim ping

489

u p o n

is as a wave of the sea, or a feather in

the air which every breeze blows about as
it listeth. Indeed, several have concluded
that irresoluteness, under circumstances
that demand decision, is a sign of coward
liness.
Here is how another writer analyzes
this mental weakness: In matters of
great concern, and which must be done,
there is no surer argument of a weak mind
than irresolution to be undetermined
where the case is plain, and the necessity
urgent. To be always intending to live a
new life, but never to find time to set
about it.
GODS WORD ON THE SUBJECT

The Bible, for its part, offers powerful

instruction on the subject by way of il
lustration from real-life experience. Pic
ture in your mind that crowd of Israelites
assembled on Mount Carmel during the
reign of wicked King Ahab. They were a
badly confused people. For many years
now, in spite of Jehovahs law against
image worship, they had been persuaded
to worship calf idols set up at Dan and
Bethel under the pretense that those idols
stood for Jehovah, their deliverer from
Egyptian slavery. 1 Ki. 12:28, 29.

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SEeWATCHTOWER

As though this were not bad enough,

King Ahabs wife, Jezebel, had now in
troduced Baal worship into the kingdom
in a big way. By coercion and persuasion
she had induced most of the people to
adopt this Canaanite cult, and to mingle
its rites with those of their calf worship.
Scores of priests of Jehovah had been
slaughtered. The spirit of compromise was
abroad in the land. Doubtless many rea
soned that, since Baal signifies owner
or lord, they could outwardly comply
with the rites demanded by Jezebel, while
mentally transferring devotion to the true
God. They were willing to purchase a false
peace at the price of truth and honesty.
Are we not reminded of people today
who take refuge in the assumption that
all religions are right as long as the ad
herents live up to them? Thus they feel
they are saved the irksome responsibility
of measuring their respective merits and
determining which religion most nearly
conforms to the requirements of true re
ligion as set out in the Holy Bible. They
think they are relieved from having to
make a decision.
However, back there Gods prophet
Elijah and seven thousand other Israel
ites had not succumbed to such crippled
thinking. They knew their God and they
refused to bow the knee to Baal or
participate in any other form of false wor
ship. (1 Ki. 19:18) And the prophet fear
lessly challenged the compromising Israel
ites and their king: How long will you
be limping upon two different opinions?
If Jehovah is the true God, go following
him; but if Baal is, go following him.
(1 Ki. 18:21) Yes, he put his finger right
at the root of the troubletwo opinions!
Jehu, an anointed executioner of Jeho
vahs judgment, was another who despised
the wavering course of the mental limpers.
When confronted by the peace overtures
of King Jehoram, son of Ahab and Jeze-

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

bel, he stoutly declared: What peace

could there be as long as there are the
fornications of Jezebel your mother and
her many sorceries? (2 Ki. 9:22) He
knew that, as long as Jezebel lived, the
murderous campaign against true wor
shipers of Jehovah would be maintained.
Either she and her progeny must be exe
cuted or else all loyal servants of Jehovah
would be marked for slaughter. There
could be neither truce nor delay.
Doubtless Jehu called to mind the choice
of religion offered by Joshua to his fore
fathers some years after they entered the
land of their inheritance. He would vividly
recall Joshuas own unequivocal stand as
he announced: As for me and my house
hold, we shall serve Jehovah. (Josh. 24:
15) There was no quibbling, no attempt to
accommodate conflicting opinions, no giv
ing place to interfaith ideas. His God was
no God of confused religious cults. No, he
was the God of truth, the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, and he would never share
his glory with false deities. Isa. 42:8.
IN THE FIRST CENTURY C.E.

At the time Jesus Christ was on earth

the spirit of compromise, of limping be
tween two opinions, was very much in
evidence. Religious leaders showed their
preference for Oriental philosophy and
Babylonish rites, yet still maintained an
outward semblance of subjection to the
Mosaic law. To them Jesus applied the
scathing words: You also, outwardly in
deed, appear righteous to men, but inside
you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
(Matt. 23:28) To the people in general he
said: No one can slave for two masters;
for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will stick to the one and
despise the other. Matt. 6:24.
He frankly announced that the purpose
of his coming was not to initiate a peace
based on compromise, but, rather, to make

A ugust

15, 1967

5fieW ATCHT0W ER

clear separation between those who would

worship Jehovah with all their heart and
those who would not do so. Said he: I
came to put, not peace, but a sword. For
I came to cause division, with a man
against his father, and a daughter against
her mother. Matt. 10:34-36.

491

urgent is that God has made it plain that

the time of his execution of judgment upon
Babylon the Great, the world empire of
false religion, is at the door. This is no
time to be limping upon two different
opinions. The warning from heaven for
our day is: Get out of her, my people,
if you do not want to share with her in
IN OUR OWN DAY
her sins, and if you do not want to receive
But, now, what of today? Can we ob part of her plagues. (Rev. 18:4) There
serve the same spirit of indecision and is no time for dallying. God will no more
compromise? Surely no one can deny that spare the organizations of false religion
we are living in an era of compromise, than he spared the glorious temple built by
when catholicity or
Solomon at Jerusa
e c u m e n is m is in
lem.
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
vogue, when inter
And it is not only
Keeping the Tongue Under Control.
T h e Tongue a Pow er fo r Good
faith seeks to build
in the larger matters
or fo r Bad.
up on e g r e a t c o n
involving active sup
Strengthening Y o u r M arriag e Ties.
W ill You See Y o u r Dead Loved Ones
glomerate religion,
port of Great Bab
Again?
when being frank
ylons religions that
and forthright about
y o u m u s t be on
Bible truth is frowned upon! The peace guard. Some of the smaller matters are
at any price plea is to be heard on all those that appear harmless and yet do
sides. The seeds of compromise are being much to reveal where your heart is. Lots
spread world wide by winds of false doc wife probably thought it could do no harm
trine and are finding lodgment in un just to look back at Sodom. Yet she per
ished. Gen. 19:26; Luke 17:32.
settled, irresolute minds.
People who love God need to be on
Some parents, though no longer mem
guard. They need to examine themselves bers of a Babylonish church system, feel
and their motives from time to time, to it is all right to send their children to Sun
be sure that they are not infected. To his day school in one of those systems. They
true worshipers Jehovah reveals himself imagine that any Bible stories they will
as no vague Lord, whose personal name hear there will do them no harm. They
can be forgotten and suppressed in favor overlook the danger that the foundation
of an artificial religion that will please for some false doctrine may well be laid
everybody. He is not the God of all the in their young minds and that the young
confused sects with their contradictory sters are being exposed to association with
teachings. He is not the God of those who those who conform to Babylonish rites and
deny, who add to or take from the words religious duties.
of his holy Book, the Bible. Nor is he the
Then, again, there are some who feel
God of those who are halfhearted in their they can personally attend Christendoms
worship. Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Daniel religious services from time to time just
and Nehemiah are a few examples of the to keep up with what is going on or to
worshipers Jehovah delights to own as his please some worldly relative or acquaint
servants.
ance. Yet, the apostle Paul, following his
What makes the situation today most conversion to the true faith, publicly de-

492

SEeWATCHTOWER.

nounced interfaith attitudes: Do not be

come unevenly yoked with unbelievers.
For what sharing do righteousness and
lawlessness have? Or what fellowship does
light [true Bible teaching] have with
darkness [superstition and human tradi
tion] ? . . . And what agreement does Gods
temple have with idols? For we [the apos
tle and fellow anointed Christians who
abide by Gods Word] are a temple of a
living God . . . Therefore get out from
among them, and separate yourselves,
says Jehovah, and quit touching the un
clean thing. 2 Cor. 6:14-17.
To still others it may seem a small
thing to give time and attention to read
ing literature put out by Babylons false
religions. Perhaps they feel strong enough
not to be easily moved from their stand
for Bible truth. Nevertheless, they will
probably wonder why they do not get the
same clear-cut understanding and the
same positive attitude as others who are
zealous in the worship of the true God.
The fact is that they lack the whole
heartedness that is pleasing to Jehovah,
and so cannot expect to enjoy his fullest
blessing. They are in danger of developing
a limp in their thinking.
NEED FOR RESOLUTE ACTION

Those who would please Jehovah and

gain life cannot afford, in these last
days, to hesitate long over the choice be
tween light and darkness, truth and error,
Gods congregation of servants and the
organizations of their opponents. They
must avoid the division of allegiance that

Brooklyn,

N. Y.

results in an indecisive man, unsteady in

all his ways. (Jas. 1:8) It takes only a
little dabbling in false religious teaching
to spoil ones attitude and capacity for
pure worship. (Gal. 5:9; Matt. 16:6, 12)
Keep making straight paths for your
feet, is the urgent counsel of the apostle
Paul.Heb. 12:13.
No longer should there be curiosity
about or hankering after the nutritionless
diet of Great Babylons religions. Espe
cially so since it takes all available time to
pursue a diligent study of the Bible and its
message in order to get ones feet fixed
firmly on the pathway to life. We can
avoid the dangerous limping upon two dif
ferent opinions if we humbly recognize
that lifesaving truth comes to us from
Jehovah through the spirit-filled organi
zation over which Christ Jesus presides.
(Matt. 24:45-47) Progress and happiness
will be the immediate reward for the
single-minded ones.
So resolute action is what is called for
in this vital time of decision. We dare not
stand on the sidelines in this time when
Christ Jesus is conducting the great work
of dividing sheep from goats. If we
would be gathered to the right side of the
Kings favor, we must show ourselves to
be sheep who refuse to listen to false
shepherds or to wander away and depend
upon our own meager resources. (Matt.
25:31-40) We must listen to and act
the earnest counsel implicit in Elijahs
challenging question: How long will you
be limping upon two different opinions?
1 Ki. 18:21.

THE N E E D

for

You yourself alone, O

make me dwell in security."Ps.
HE life of mankind has been marked alities, headlined in the world press, time
by insecurity nearly all the time that and again revolve around the terms
men have lived on earth. History reveals peace and security. They reflect clear
the many dangers to which they have ly the prevailing uncertainty in the world.
been exposed. Illness in all its forms has
3 In spite of all the efforts undertaken
carried men off. Disasters and famines by worldly men, no real security is being
have taken their toll of unnumbered hu reached. Hardly has one conflict been set
man lives. Wars, small and big, have dev tled when another breaks out. Many peo
astated many countries and brought mil ple looking into the future see nothing but
lions of men to an early grave. Crime also a big question mark. Insecurity and uncer
has been ever present, and multitudinous tainty are increasing. Here is how the Bi
are the ones who have fallen victim to it. ble accurately foretold just these condi
2
Although the progress due to sciencetions in our day: Also, there will be
has provided men with many commodities signs in sun and moon and stars, and on
not previously available for example, the earth anguish of nations, not knowing
medicines to treat some of his ailments the way out because of the roaring of the
yet the life of man has not become safer sea and its agitation, while men become
in our scientific age. To the contrary. The faint out of fear and expectation of the
scientific development in the field of ar things coming upon the inhabited earth.
mament is so colossaljust think of the Luke 21:25, 26.
atomic, biological and chemical weapons
4According to the Bible we may never
producedthat the life of men, not only expect that the present agitated world will
in a few countries, but around the globe, find peace and security. Why is this so?
is threatened to a degree never before Because it is seeking security in the wrong
known in the whole history of mankind. direction and in the wrong manner. Men
Truly, life has become more modern, but in general have not learned that humans
at the same time very uncertain and peri and human organizations can never pro
lous. No wonder, then, that the speeches vide true security. They ignore the clear
of statesmen and other prominent person-

1. What has made the life of man uncertain during

almost all the time he has been on earth?
2. How have the developments of science affected mans
security?

3. How did the Bible foretell our days, which are

marked by uncertainty?
4. (a) Why will this present world never find real
peace and security? (b) Who is the source of true
security?

493

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B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

pie of Israel had received a fine code of

laws. Centuries before, it had been made
known by Jehovah to Moses and through
him to the nation of Israel. This uniform
legislation was to be applied throughout
the whole territory of that nation, and it
applied generally to Israelites and foreign
ers alike. It governed the relations of this
people to its God and also the relations
between individuals. It was a good law. To
this the Christian apostle Paul testifies,
when he wrote: Wherefore, on its part,
the law is holy, and the commandment is
holy and righteous and good. (Rom. 7:
12) The more strictly the people observed
SECURITY IN ANCIENT ISRAEL
this law, both rulers and subjects, the
6
As is generally known, the Israelites,more they enjoyed the favor of their God,
that is, the descendants of the Hebrew Jehovah, and the more they enjoyed peace
Abraham through his son Isaac and his and security. But the more they departed
grandson Jacob, were at one time the cho from the law, usually led on by a ruling
sen people of Jehovah. In Jehovahs deal class that had turned wicked, the greater
ings with Israel there are revealing fore their insecurity became. This is very
gleams of how security can be gained and tragically illustrated in what happened to
how it can be lost. As the history of Is Israel after the majority had rejected the
rael shows, national security and individ Messiah, the one whom God had sent to
ual security were very likely at their them as their Redeemer. In 70 C.E., when
zenith during the reign of the wise, peace the Romans destroyed Israels famous cap
ful and famous king Solomon, one of the ital, Jerusalem, this highly favored peo
human kings who ruled representatively ple lost its national existence. The history
for the invisible King Jehovah. In im of the Jews during the nineteen centuries
pressive words a chronicler reports about that followed is unparalleled as far as in
that blessed time: And peace itself be security and adversity are concerned. It
came his in every region of his, all around. all goes to show that true security can
And Judah and Israel continued to dwell never be found outside of a proper rela
in security, everyone under his own vine tionship with mans Creator. Ps. 91:2.
and under his own fig tree, from Dan to
THE CITY OF REFUGE
Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.
A PROTECTIVE PROVISION
1 Ki. 4:24, 25.
7
Let us now consider one of the pro
6
This peace, security and welfare durvisions of the Mosaic law more closely.
ing the reign of King Solomon were not It is true that the Mosaic law with its
the result of human wisdom. Rather, they many decrees and penal sanctions is no
resulted from heavenly wisdom. The peo- longer in force. When the Messiah, Jesus

advice of the Bible: Do not put your

trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling
man, to whom no salvation belongs. (Ps.
146:3) No man, regardless of how promi
nent he may be and with what power he
may be invested, religious or political, no
nation of this world and no international
organization can provide true security and
salvation for mankind. These precious,
sought-after goals can derive only from
one source, namely, God the Almighty,
whose name is Jehovah, and only in har
mony with the provisions he has made.
Isa. 43:11.

5. (a) What does Israels history show as to security?

(b) Describe the blessed reign of King Solomon.
6. (a) What were the factors contributing to Israels
welfare and security? (b) But what does Israels later
history show?

Christ, came, nineteen centuries ago, the

time of this law was up. It had served its
7. Why is the law of Moses still of interest for us?

ugust

1 5, 1 9 6 7

SfieWATCHTOWER,

495

purpose. By its being fulfilled it was tak tainous region of Ephraim, and Kiriathen out of the way. The Bible so informs arba, that is to say,
Hi
n the moun
us in these words: He kindly forgave tainous region of Judah. And in the
us all our trespasses and blotted out the region of the Jordan, at Jericho, toward
handwritten document [the Mosaic law] the east they gave Bezer in the wilderness
against us, which consisted of decrees and on the tableland out of the tribe of Reu
which was in opposition to us; and He ben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe
has taken it out of the way by nailing it of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the
to the torture stake [of Jesus Christ]. tribe of Manasseh. Josh. 20:7, 8.
(Col. 2:13, 14) But this old
9
A look at the m
body of law, although no
the Promised Land shows
more being in force after
that these cities were rath
Jesus Christ was used to
er eq u a lly d istribu ted
bring it to an end on Nisan
throughout the land. Why
14, 33 C.E., contains many
was this so? These cities
instructive types or shad
were to be within reach of
ows, as well as principles,
any inhabitant the Israel
from which Christians may
ites as well as the alien res
draw enlightenment and
idents and settlerswho
benefit. The weekly sab
might need the citys pro
bath or day of rest, for ex
tection. These cities were
ample, which was stipulat
havens of refuge, places of
ed in the Mosaic law, was
protection, open to persons
such a s h a d o w o f g o o d
whose lives were in danger,
things to come, pointing
and therefore they were so
forward to something in
located that the ones seek
ing protection might rea
the future, namely, the
sonably have the necessary
thousand years of peace
and tranquillity under the reign of Christ, strength and time to flee there. The na
the Messiah.Col. 2:16, 17; Heb. 10:1. tional law ruled on who was eligible for
8
A very interesting provision in theprotection. Anybody could flee to one of
Mosaic law was that of the cities of refuge. these cities who, due to accident, without
Where were they located and what pur any evil intent, had caused the death of
pose did they serve? The Law provided another person or persons, be it while
for a total of six of these cities, three of working or in any other situation.
them on the east side of the Jordan River
and three on the west side. Concerning the
names and geographical locations of these
cities we are informed by Joshua, Moses
successor as visible leader of Israel: Ac
cordingly they gave a sacred status to Kedesh in Galilee in the mountainous region
of Naphtali, and Shechem in the moun8.

How many cities of refuge were there, and what

were their names ?

10
To illustrate, here is an example of
such a situation, one that would make
flight to the city of refuge necessary.
Now this is the case of the manslayer
who may flee there and has to live: When
he strikes his fellow man without knowing
it and he was no hater of him formerly;
9. (a) How were these cities distributed over the land?
(b) What purpose did they actually serve?
10. Under what circumstances, for example, could a
man flee there?

496

STkWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

with his own life, after the murder had

been proved and established by witnesses.
(Deut. 17:6) Even a person who caused
the death of a fellowman involuntarily,
without evil intent, made himself bloodguilty. But then the Law provided that
such an unfortunate person could escape
death by fleeing into the nearest city of
refuge. The relevant passage in the Law
THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
reads: And Jehovah continued to speak
11 But we might ask, Why should such to Moses, saying: Speak to the sons of
a man have to flee to a place of protec Israel, and you must say to them, You
tion? Because, after having caused the are crossing the Jordan to the land of Ca
death of a fellowman, he was now himself naan. And you must choose cities conve
in danger of losing his life. The nearest nient for yourselves. As cities of refuge
relative had the right to act as avenger they will serve for you, and the manslayer
of the blood of the person killed; he was must flee there who fatally strikes a soul
entitled to act as executioner and in this unintentionally. And the cities must serve
capacity he could act swiftly, without de you as a refuge from the blood avenger,
lay. At that time this right of the avenger that the manslayer may not die until he
of blood was fully recognized. Undoubted stands before the assembly for judgment.
ly it had its origin in the ordinance we And the cities that you will give, the six
find in the first book of the Bible, in Gene cities of refuge, will be at your service.. . .
sis 9, verses 4 to 6. There we find the For the sons of Israel and for the alien
words spoken by Jehovah to Noah and resident and for the settler in the midst
his sons, survivors of the global flood, and of them these six cities will serve as a
these words underscore the great value refuge, for anyone to flee there that fatally
the Creator attaches to human life. Only strikes a soul unintentionally. Num.
flesh with its soulits bloodyou must 35:9-15; Josh. 20:1-6.
not eat. And, besides that, your blood of
13
It can thus be seen that, for everyone
your souls shall I ask back. From the hand meeting its terms, this was a legal pro
of every living creature shall I ask it vision to save precious human life. These
back; and from the hand of man, from the six cities were at the same time cities of
hand of each one who is his brother, shall the Levites, and one of them, Hebron, per
I ask back the soul of man. Anyone shed tained to the Aaronic priests. But what
ding mans blood,
byman
ownwho made use of the legal
about a his
person
blood be shed, for in Gods image he made protection in one of the six cities and who
man. From this old ordinance was de was actually not entitled to it, for exam
rived the right to inflict the death penalty ple, a wicked murderer? The Law ruled
upon those who shed human blood illegally. out any protection for a murderer, such
12 This old ordinance was recognized in a person being considered unworthy to
the Mosaic law. Anyone who willfully and come within the protective shield of these
illegally shed human blood had to pay cities. To ensure that no unworthy per
son would gain refuge, the law demanded

or when he goes with his fellow man into

the woods to gather wood, and his hand
has been raised to strike with the ax to
cut the tree, and the iron has slipped off
from the wooden handle, and it has hit
his fellow man and he has died, he him
self should flee to one of these cities and
must live. Deut. 19:4, 5.

11. (a) Why should a person have to flee to the city

of refuge? (b) What do Jehovahs words to Noah show?
12. Was bloodguilt attached only to the willful mur
derer?

13, 14. (a) Was a willful murderer permitted to gain

protection in the city of refuge? (b) How was the
fugitives worthiness or willfulness determined?

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SEeWATCHTOWER

497

that a hearing be held and the circum ugees. The case was closed. There was no
stances be examined, before a person was longer any bloodguilt for which to ac
taken up definitely into the protective city. count. For he ought to dwell in his
It was the elders of the slayers dwelling city of refuge until the high priests death,
place who had to examine the case and and after the high priests death the man
render the final decision. If the decision slayer may return to the land of his pos
turned out to be favorable for the refugee, session. Num. 35:28.
then henceforth he was shielded by the
18The provision of the city of refuge
sacred status of the city of refuge. Thus teaches us more than one thing. It shows
we read:
us clearly that the Creator of man, Jeho
14
But if it was unexpectedly withoutvah, values human life as something pre
enmity that he has pushed him or has cious. There is no question that He has
thrown any article toward him without the full and indisputable right to destroy
lying in wait, or any stone by which he human life, if men oppose his sovereign
could die without seeing him or he should will and ignore his purpose. Man, how
cause it to fall upon him, so that he died, ever, certainly is not in the same position
while he was not at enmity with him and as his Creator and therefore has no right
was not seeking his injury, the assembly to snuff out human life just as he pleases.
must then judge between the striker and Life is so precious. In a way it is holy.
the avenger of blood according to these The Mosaic law ruled that even the unin
judgments. And the assembly must deliver tentional manslayer became bloodguilty,
the manslayer out of the hand of the showing thereby the severity of God in
avenger of blood, and the assembly must matters of bloodshed. No doubt this rigor
return him to his city of refuge to which was to impress the Israelites and convey
he had fled, and he must dwell in it until to their minds the proper appreciation for
the death of the high priest who was the sanctity of human life. It also taught
anointed with the holy oil. Num. 35: them in all their dealings to give careful
22-25.
consideration to this most precious pos
1KThe last part of the scripture just session of their fellowmenlife. Pointing
quoted explains just how long the unin to the great Source, the psalmist wrote:
tentional slayer had to remain in this For with you is the source of life.
legally provided asylum. He did not nec Ps. 36:9.
essarily have to stay there for all his life,
17 On the other hand, the provision of
but only until the death of the high priest the city of refuge shows that Jehovah is
occurred, whichever high priest was in
a God of mercy and that He, as the Su
office at the time the refugee fled to one
preme Judge, knows the hearts of men
of these havens. When the high priest
and makes a distinction between one who
died, then at once all who had fled there
were fully entitled to leave the city and commits a wrong unintentionally and one
return to their former dwelling places. who is wicked in heart and who willfully
Were they not in danger of being over and presumptuously breaks the divine law.
taken by the avenger of blood? No, not So the provision of the protective city as
anymore. The avenger of blood now had it existed in ancient Israel reveals two
no right to do harm to the released ref15. How long must the unintentional manslayer stay
in the city of refuge?

16. What does the provision of the city of refuge teach

us as to the value of human life?
17. Which two great qualities of Jehovah are reflected
in this special legal provision?

SReWATCHTOWER.

498

great attributes of Jehovah: his justice

and his mercy. The psalmist wrote:
Righteousness and judgment are the es
tablished place of your throne; loving
kindness and trueness themselves come in
before your face. Ps. 89:14.
18 Since the provision of the city of ref
uge was of prophetic significance, pointing
forward to greater things to come, the
following questions arise: What does this
city picture? Who is typified by the un
18. Since that provision was a prophetic type, what
questions now arise?

amthe

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

intentional manslayer who was permitted

to flee there and who by the avenger of
blood who pursued the unintentional manslayer? What is meant by the road lead
ing up to these cities? Who is the high
priest? And what is shown by the fact
that the refugees could leave the city af
ter the high priest died? All these ques
tions can be answered satisfactorily as we
let Gods holy spirit lead us into all the
truth. (John 16:13) For further discus
sion of these questions we refer the read
er to the following article.

way and the truth and the life ."John 14:6.

MONG the ancient people of Israel

the provision of the cities of refuge
must often have proved to be lifesaving.
Their purpose was to grant protection and
security to unintentional manslayers, in
view of threatening death by the hand of
the legal avenger of blood. These cities
were not to offer protection to criminals.
And since the provision of these cities, as
with so many other shadows of the Law
(Heb. 10:1), was a prophetic type, from
which Christians may learn much, the
conclusion is inescapable that it typifies
the grand provision of salvation that God,
Jehovah, brought into operation for the
eternal benefit of men of all kinds, to re
lieve and save them from the penalty of
bloodguilt. How so?
2 God sent his highest Son, Jesus Christ,
1. What do the cities of refuge typify?
2. What were some of the reasons for Jesus Christs
coming to earth ?

to earth to make known here the great

truths of this provision and also that he
might die a sacrificial death, in order to
save those truly exercising faith in him
from a certain and everlasting death, and
give them life without end. Thus we read
in Ephesians 1:7: By means of him we
have the release by ransom through the
blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of
our trespasses, according to the riches of
his undeserved kindness. Matt. 20:28.
3
Even as with the typical city of refuge,
so also the antitypical city of refuge is a
merciful provision of God, to forgive re
penting violators of His law on the basis
of the ransom of Jesus Christ and to ac
cept him into his care and protection.
Writes the apostle Paul: So that is why
he is a mediator of a new covenant, in
3. What is shown by the fact that both Israelites and
alien residents could find refuge in the city of refuge?

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order that, because a death has occurred tection. Jehovahs spirit and his angels all
for their release by ransom from the tend to a bringing together in unity of
transgressions under the former covenant, thought, aim and action. So there is a vital
the ones who have been called might re connection between Jehovahs protection
ceive the promise of the everlasting in in the antitypical city of refuge and His
heritance. (Heb. 9:15) In the literal city visible congregation of spiritual Israelites,
of refuge, both Israelites and alien resi supervised by the faithful and discreet
dents could find refuge. (Num. 35:15) slave. Eph. 4:3-6; Matt. 24:45-47.
That pictures that the antitypical city of
THE ANTITYPICAL
refuge offers its powerful protection, not
UNINTENTIONAL
MANSLAYER
only to spiritual Israelites, that is, those
5
But
who,
then,
actually
is typified by
who become members of the heavenly
the
unintentional
manslayer
who found
class and rule and serve as priests with
refuge
in
the
protective
city?
He
is a pic
Christ Jesus, but also to all those who are
in line to receive everlasting life on ture of all those who become conscious of
the fact that they, in some way and from
earth, other sheep. John 10:16.
Jehovahs
viewpoint, share in bloodguilt.
4
The unintentional manslayer in Israel
This
fact
becomes
clear to them when such
did not flee abroad, leaving his country,
sincere
persons
come
in touch with the en
but headed for the city of refuge, which
lightening
message
of
Gods Word, the
belonged to the nonpriestly Levites; the
Bible,
which
teaches
the
sanctity of hu
city of Hebron belonged to the Aaronic
man
life.
As
in
ancient
Israel,
even so to
priests. This signifies that the provision
day,
a
person
may
have
been
the cause
of salvation is closely connected with Je
of
an
accident,
fatal
to
some
other
person
hovahs organization. A remnant of the
or
persons.
Year
by
year,
tens
of
thou
spiritual priestly class is still on earth to
sands
of
people
lose
their
lives
on
the
day, forming the nucleus of the congre
streets
of
the
world
due
to
traffic
acci
gation of Jehovahs people. We cannot ig
nore the role the visible congregation of dents. Although there is no evil intent
Jehovahs witnesses plays in this provi present, nevertheless, there is a certain
sion of salvation. In Acts 2:47 we read: amount of guilt involved, and, as a rule,
At the same time Jehovah continued to the law codes of the nations stipulate pe
join to them daily those being saved. nal sanctions for such cases.
6But the application of the meaning of
That means that those being saved
the
unintentional manslayer in the pres
were added to the visible body of the
ent
antitype
is broader in scope and does
early Christian congregation. They were
not
limit
itself
to those cases just men
gathered together into one united family
tioned.
Our
age
is
the period of the great
of faith. So the visible congregation of
est
wars
in
human
history. Just think of
Gods people has something to do with the
provision of salvation today. Indeed, it World War I and World War n . Millions
has an important place in that provision. of men were forced to have a part in
Every congregation forms a small part of these bloody events, without actually
Gods people. We cannot remain outside wanting it. Tens of millions of men have
the organization of Gods people, separated thus died since 1914, due to the struggle
from it, if we want to have Jehovahs pro4. (a) What cannot be overlooked in the provision of
salvation? (b) To what end do Gods spirit and his
angels work?

5. Who was foreshadowed by the unintentional man

slayer?
6. How have many persons shared in bloodguilt in our
age?

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B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

for world domination and also in the resented Gods purpose and justified wars
course of cruel ideological revolutions. In is underlined by the following from a Ger
deed, since 1914 C.E. alone the blood ac man Protestant Sunday paper during
count of mankind has mounted as never World War I: Our combatants are not
before in all history. It goes without say merely fighters for homeland and home,
ing that the Creator of man, the one who for king and fatherland, but they are Gods
declared the sanctity of life, must have armies, fighting in his service as his in
viewed all this with great displeasure. struments and administrators. It is good
for our Christian soldiers to know that
Hab. 1:13.
7 The fact that religious leaders in all they really stand in a far higher service
the world gave their blessing and support and office, that they take care of Gods
to such organized, mass spilling of human business and that therefore the Lord has
blood has led many persons to believe that been so marvelously with us . . . to bring
it was indeed Gods will and even com the war to a good end. Honor be to God
patible with Christianity. So it can be pre alone! Also this war is a step forward on
sumed that many have done wrong while the way to the realization of the kingdom
Kirche,K rieg, Kriegsdienst, b
believing their course was right. The sup of God. (
port of organized shedding of blood by the Walter Dignath, page 51) How tellingly
numerous churches and religions inside the words of the prophet Jeremiah apply
and outside Christendom reveals one thing to the bloodguilt attached to false reli
very clearly: the immense bloodguilt that gious systems of Christendom! Says the
attaches to false religion throughout the prophet: Also, in your skirts there have
entire world. This bloodguilt has accumu been found the blood marks of the souls
lated, not merely in the past few decades, of the innocent poor ones. (Jer. 2:34)
but also during the many centuries of the But bloodguilt also attaches to pagan re
past. Blood indeed has flowed in streams ligious organizations.
in many religious wars, in wars inspired
THE ANTITYPICAL AVENGER OF BLOOD
by religious leaders and supported by
9
Where there is so much bloodguilt,
them, in crusades, during the so-called In
quisition and during the persecution of punishment is due and unavoidable. It will
faithful servants of God before and after come without fail, swiftly, yes, within our
Christ. In Revelation, chapter 17, this generation. Speaking about this divine
world empire of false religion is signified punishment, the prophet Isaiah wrote:
or described in symbol as an immoral For, look! Jehovah is coming forth from
woman, called Babylon the Great. We his place to call to account the error of
read: And upon her forehead was writ the inhabitant of the land against him,
ten a name, a mystery: Babylon the and the land will certainly expose her
Great, the mother of the harlots and of bloodshed and will no longer cover over
the disgusting things of the earth. And her killed ones. (Isa. 26:21) In ancient
I saw that the woman was drunk with the Israel it was the legal avenger of blood
blood of the holy ones and with the blood who settled the account and imposed pun
of the witnesses of Jesus. Rev. 17:5, 6. ishment. Who, we ask, is the avenger of
8How much the churches have misrep- blood in the antitype? It is Jesus Christ,
to whom all authority has been given in
7. (a) How has heavy bloodguilt become attached to
false religion? (b) How does Revelation 17:5, 6 de
scribe this?
8. How have churches misled the people?

9. (a) When will punishment come upon the bloodguilty? (b) Who is the antitypical avenger of blood?

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heaven and on the earth. In Revelation, men, who really want to find this real se
chapter 19, he is described as a rider on curity, can find it. Salvation is within
a white horse, carrying on war in righ reach. The way to it is not too far. The
teousness. The armies in heaven follow protective city, Gods provision of salva
him. About nineteen centuries ago Jesus tion, is near. But it takes some effort to
was born on earth as a perfect human, get there. The way into security is not
and for this reason he often referred to like a gay walk in springtime. It means
himself as the Son of man. (Matt. 28: hard work, yes, a fight, the fight of the
18; 25:31) Due to this he became, so to faith. 1 Tim. 6:12.
speak, the closest relative of mankind and
12 For this we have an excellent exam
is therefore fully entitled to be the anti- ple in the apostle Paul. He too had a share
typical avenger of blood.
in the bloodguilt resting on the Jewish
10
In 1914 C.E. the time of the endreligious system, at the time when he was
came upon this order of human society, called Saul. He approved of the killing of
and particularly since that time the pic true Christians. About the murder of Ste
ture of the city of refuge has become phen, for example, we read: Saul, for his
timely and applicable. Why is this so? Be part, was approving of the murder of
cause it is in our time, within this genera him. (Acts 8:1) But after this Saul had
tion, that Jesus Christ will act as the great converted to Christianity, what a fine
and powerful avenger of blood. He will fight he then fought for the true faith!
make a complete end to this bloodguilty What efforts he made to run the way to
order of society. (Dan. 2:44) The avenger its end, in order to assure his salvation!
of blood and his vast army of holy angels He preached, he wrote numerous letters
will overtake each and every one who has to his Christian brothers, he went through
not escaped in time to the shielding city all kinds of difficulties and finally was put
of refuge. Absolutely nothing can stop this to death for being a Christian. The ex
oncoming catastrophe. No nation will es ample of Paul and that of many others
cape. But individuals can escape it. Prov. show us that it takes real effort to gain
everlasting life. 2 Cor. 11:23-27; 2 Tim.
1:24-33.
4:6-8.
FLIGHT TO SAFETY
THE W A Y TO SECURITY
31
But how can individuals avoid being
13Basic in starting this flight to safety
overtaken by the oncoming avenger of
blood, Jesus Christ? The answer is: by is the consciousness that one has acted
flight to safety while there is yet the wrongly before Jehovah God and is guilty
time. Flight to security is indeed possible. in his sight. (Ps. 51:3-5) This will lead
In ancient Israel there were six cities of the honest person to repentance, which
refuge, rather equally located over the na also means a change of mind. Along with
tions territory. Thus the way to the place this goes faith in the Bible, in Jehovah
of safety was not too long for any who God, in Jesus Christ and in Gods king
were in need of it. Security was within dom. (Acts 3:19; Heb. 11:6; Acts 16:31)
reach. So it is in the fulfillment of this But faith means much more than just be
prophetic picture. Honest and truth-loving lieving that God exists and that Jesus
10. Since when does the picture of the city of refuge
apply in particular, and why?
11. How can a person avoid being overtaken by the
avenger of blood ?

12. Whose course furnishes an excellent example of

how bloodguilty persons should act ?
13. (a) What are some requirements for undertaking
this flight? (b) What, actually, does faith mean?

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Christ came to save sinners. Many people ble makes this obligatory for anyone who
have this kind of faith, but it is wholly does not want to share in the destructive
insufficient. Faith according to the Bible judgment upon her. Get out of her, my
means much more: it means having com people, if you do not want to share with
plete confidence in Jehovah; it means her in her sins, and if you do not want to
complete obedience to God and it means receive part of her plagues. For her sins
action. (Heb. 11:1) It really means to ded have massed together clear up to heaven,
icate oneself to Jehovah and become a fol and God has called her acts of injustice to
lower of Christ, that is, his disciple, one mind. Rev. 18:4, 5.
15That the churches of Christendom are
who lives according to the divine will as
it is set forth in the Bible. Do you see the a part of this Great Babylon is even ad
big difference between faith as this term mitted by their own prominent members.
is commonly understood and faith in the One who certainly must be quite familiar
true and deep Biblical sense? Jesus Christ with the situation the churches find them
declared: Most truly I say to you, He selves in is the former Secretary-General
that exercises faith in me, that one also of the Ecumenical Council of Churches,
will do the works that I do. (John 14:12) Dr. Vissert Hooft. Commenting on a
The road to security to the antitypical, speech he recently gave, a religious press
lifesaving city of refuge is actually iden bulletin said: As another obstacle in the
tical with the cramped road Jesus spoke way to [religious] unity, Dr. Vissert
about: Narrow is the gate and cramped Hooft mentioned the Babylonian captivi
the road leading off into life, and few are ty of the church. Every church has en
tered into some alliance with worldly pow
the ones finding it.Matt. 7:14.
14
To follow this cramped road meansers, not only with states and peoples, but
that we cannot follow at the same time the also with races and cultures and national
broad and spacious road leading off into realities. Schweiz, evang.
destruction. This means that we have to Sept. 30, 1964.
16The wise person who loves life and
separate ourselves from the present wick
ed system of things. (Rom. 12:2) The true wants to do what is right in Gods sight
Christian will keep away from any move will not delay his separation from this
ment that could involve him in bloodguilt. bloodguilty world in which we live, from
He will take a neutral position toward the whatever part he may have been in, polit
affairs of this world. (John 18:36) As al ical, social, religious. It is high time to
ready pointed out, there is a tremendous flee, not when it is too late, when the
bloodguilt attached to this world, and es avenger of blood commences to execute
pecially to the religious part of it. If we punishment. Stressing the need for flight
stay in these systems, we are a part of in time, the antitypical avenger of blood,
them and hence share in the bloodguilt Jesus Christ, says: Keep praying that
resting collectively on these systems. So, your flight may not occur in wintertime,
as the apostle Paul separated himself from nor on the sabbath day; for then there
bloodguilty Judaism, honest persons today will be great tribulation such as has not
will separate themselves from Babylon the occurred since the worlds beginning until
Great. It means that they break their now, no, nor will occur again. (Matt. 24:
20, 21) The time will come when circumconnections with all false religion. The Bi14. From what should a person separate himself, and
why?

15. How Is it admitted that the churches of Christen

dom are a part of Babylon the Great?
16. Why should not the flight be delayed?

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SfreWATCHTOWEFC

stances will no longer permit a successful

flight, namely, at the destruction of Bab
ylon the Great and the succeeding war of
Armageddon. Rev. 1 6 : 1 4 to 1 7 :1 8 .
REMAINING IN THE CITY OF REFUGE

17As we have seen, the unintentional

manslayer who found protection in a city
of refuge had to stay there until the high
priest who was officiating when he fled
had died. Then he was free to return to
his former place of dwelling. The avenger
of blood then had no right anymore to
touch him. In fulfillment of the prophetic
type Jesus Christ also fulfills the role of
the high priest, for indeed he is such a
high priest, as we read in Hebrews 3:1:
Consequently, holy brothers,. . . consider
the apostle and high priest whom we con
fessJesus.
18In the interesting picture of the city
of refuge, Christ therefore takes on a dou
ble role, that of the avenger of blood and
that of the high priest, whose death spelled
liberty for those in the protective city.
What, then, does it mean to remain in the
antitypical city of refuge until the death
of the high priest? Since, actually, mem
bers of two classes are seeking refuge in
that city Israelites and alien resi
dents that is, members of the heavenly
kingdom class and members of the earthly
class, it means the following: When the
members of the heavenly class, the spiri
tual Israelites, finish their earthly course
as imperfect humans and are rewarded
with a heavenly spiritual resurrection,
then the high priest dies toward them,
so to speak, that is, he ceases to function
in the capacity of a high priest in their
behalf. Being no longer human, they no
more need his sin-atoning services, being
themselves raised to immortality, to rule
17. Who is the high priest in todays city of refuge?
18. What does it mean to stay in the city of refuge
until the high priest dies, (a) for the heavenly class?
(b) for the Armageddon survivors?

503

as kings and priests with Christ for a

thousand years. (Rev. 2 0 : 6 ) As regards
the Armageddon survivors, Jesus Christ
will cease to function in their behalf as
high priest when the thousand years of
his royal rule have ended and all men will
have been brought to human perfection on
earth. To speak in the terms of the pic
ture of the city of refuge, Jesus Christ
will then die as respects them, that is,
leave the scene as a sin-atoning high
priest. These services will then no more
be needed. Then they will come directly
into Gods hands to prove their perfect
devotion to righteousness forever.-1 Cor.
1 5 : 2 4 - 2 8 ; Rom. 8 : 3 3 ; 6 : 7 .
19
If, however, the one who in his hu
man imperfection fled to the city of refuge
were to leave the city before the High
Priests death, he would expose himself to
the danger of death, the danger of being
executed by the legal Avenger of Blood,
as he would no longer be under benefit of
the ransom sacrifice of the High Priest,
Jesus Christ. This is a warning for us. It
shows us that we must remain in the anti
typical city of refuge as long as the di
vine provision demands it. If we want to
assure our everlasting salvation, we must
stay within the bounds of Jehovah Gods
loving provision associated with his visi
ble organization, presided over by his
High Priest. Let us not be tempted to for
sake the shielding and powerful city of
refuge in order to enjoy for a short time
a deceptive freedom that exposes us to
everlasting death. It is true that remain
ing in the city of refuge imposes some
restrictions on us. We are not entirely
free to do and say what we please. We
have to obey Gods will, abiding under our
Ransomer, Jesus Christ the High Priest,
and yet that means we have full freedom
to do what is right and good.
19. What warning is given us?

504

3fteW ATCHTOW ER

20 So the provision of the city of refuge

in the old Mosaic law speaks with life-ordeath urgency. It conveys a sobering les
son. It is a timely lesson for us who are
living in this bloodguilty human society
of the twentieth century. It shows us how
as individuals we may escape both the
worlds collective bloodguilt and the ap20. What

advice does the disciple James give us?

B rooklyn,

N .Y.

proaching divine punishment of this wick

ed system of things. Happy indeed is the
person who, not only reads and hears
what Gods requirements are, but applies
them immediately and diligently in his
life! Says the disciple James: However,
become doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving yourselves with false rea
soning. Jas. 1:22.

GETTING A PERMANENT HOLD

V \
\

o
!?/

In this series of articles on the Bible book of

Revelation, we have come to chapter 20, verses
7 to 10. The preceding six verses deal briefly
with the thousand-year reign of Christ, during
which the earth will be ruled by his kingdom
without interference from Satanic influence. This
rule of the promised Seed to bless all families
of the earth has the purpose of eventually
bringing real life in the full, in its perfection
to mankind. Verses 7 to 10, discussed in this
article, show a marvelous universal purpose that
God has in connection with those on earth at
that time.

I |LJJ

/ /
/

AN you feel comfortable and secure

in your home if it is heavily mort
Well, it is possible, for it is the very pur
gaged, even though you have steady em
pose that God has toward this earth, to
ployment or a good income? Hardly. You
have it peopled with obedient humankind
realize that sickness, accident or financial
living in perfection, able to employ all
reverses can take away everything you
their talents and abilities, as he arranged
have almost overnight. The same is true
for them at the beginning. Again, you may
of life, which is like a shadow. But say,
say, Yes, but I observe the word obedi
now, that you were perfect in physical
ent/ obedient mankind. How would I be
organism, living in a world where there
sure that I would always be obedient? It
was no war, no crime, where you pos
would be a sword hanging uncomfortably
sessed your own home and had it land
scaped and beautified to delight your over my headthe fear that I might do
heart; also, where you had work to do as Adam and Eve did, and lose life.
God realizes this and, in his love for
that challenged your abilities and would
keep your mind occupied in joyful activity. those who love him, has kindly purposed
something
beyond our capacity to accom Fine, you say,
ifthat
were possible.

ugust

15, 1967

SKeWATCHTOWER

plish, but which he will do as he describes

it for us in the seventh to tenth verses of
Revelation, chapter 20.
PERFECTION REACHED

We look in at the point where the

thousand-year reign of the Son of God
has just ended. The special purpose of this
reign, namely, that of bringing mankind
back to the perfection originally given
and of bringing about the necessary en
vironment for perfect persons, a paradise
earth, has been accomplished. During the
thousand years, as theapostle ,Paul ex
plains, all enemies of God and man, even
death, as the last enemy, will be brought
to nothing. By that time all traces of sin
from Adam will have been removed from
every person living on earth by reason of
obedience during Christs reign. This will
mean the removal of all traces of death in
herited from Adam, for the sting produc
ing death is sin and the wages sin pays is
death. 1 Cor. 15:26, 56; Rom. 6:23;
1 John 3:8.
Next, the end, when he hands over the
kingdom to his God and Father, when he
has brought to nothing all government and
all authority and power. (1 Cor. 15:24)
While it is true that Jesus Christ is at the
right hand of God as his appointed king,
yet here he hands over the kingdom to
Jehovah, his God and Father. The context
shows us that he hands over his kingship
with regard to the special thousand-year
reign toward the earth. He has completed
his job and has turned the finished
work over to his Father for final inspec
tion and approval. Out of all the universe,
the earth has, in relation to Gods sover
eignty, been the only place that has been
out of orbit, figuratively speaking. Now,
with everything brought back into line
with Gods will, it is again in its proper
orbit.Phil. 2:9-11; Rev. 11:15.

505

FINAL QUESTION YET TO BE ANSWERED

However, there is yet one more question

demanding a final answer. Can wickedness
again arise to throw the earth or any part
of the universe into a wild, disobedient or
bit, to the detriment or disturbance of all
creatures in it, as was the case during the
first six thousand years of human history?
That uncomfortable question still exists,
because perfection does not make one un
able to sin or to disobey. The issue of Gods
universal sovereignty, therefore, still has
one feature yet to be settled before God
is satisfied and before, complete and ever
lasting life can be granted to those living
on earth.
For this reason it was not meant for
Satan and his demons to remain forever
in the abyss into which they were hurled
just before Christs thousand-year reign
began. By the Messianic kingdom, God has
had Satan held only in reserve, pending his
everlasting destruction. This is not done
as a mercy to Satan, but God has a pur
pose, namely, to settle the controversial is
sue of universal sovereignty forever, so
that it may never rise again and create
disturbance for those who want to serve
God and who love his sovereignty.
God tells us through his angelic servant,
Now as soon as the thousand years have
ended, Satan will be let loose out of his
prison. (Rev. 20:7) Satan is the one who
brought up the issue of the rightfulness
and righteousness of Gods sovereignty,
and who caused Adam and Eve to bring
death upon the human race by inducing
them to rebel against Gods sovereignty.
The angel of the abyss, the one previously
given the key of the pit of the abyss
(Rev. 9:1, 2), is the one now commanded
by Jehovah to break the seal of the abyss
and to let Satan and his demons out, un
chaining them, turning them loose at the
earth. Who is this angel? Obviously the
same angel that hurled them into the

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SKeWATCHTOWER.

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

out, endangering his own selfish interests

to uphold Gods sovereignty, then he may
act differently, for perfection in organism
does
not mean that a perfect creature can
2 : 8.
not be tempted to commit sin. All on earth
GOD BECOMES ALL THINGS TO EVERYONE
at that time must be tested finally as to
The apostle Paul goes on to tell us that, whether their love for Gods sovereignty
when Jesus comes to the end of his is unchangeable. They must desire it above
thousand-year reign, Jesus, in turn, sub everything. They must want Gods sover
jects himself to the One who subjected eignty and must be willing to fight for it
all things to him. Why? That God may and, if necessary, give up their lives for it.
be all things to everyone. (1 Cor. 15:28)
How this test comes about Revelation
Up to this point Christ has ruled in the proceeds to show: And he [Satan, accom
name of his Father, and the ransom sacri panied by his demons] will go out to mis
fice has been made available and has been lead those nations in the four corners of
taken hold of by those on earth, but by the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them
this time the ransom benefits have been together for the war. The number of
completely applied. Christ as High Priest these is as the sand of the sea. (Rev. 20:
steps aside, as it were, in order that per 8) By the end of the thousand years the
fected humankind might stand before God earth will be populated to its four cor
on their own merit without Christ as a ners, in its four quarters, as a result of
sacrificing high priest to minister for the resurrection of all the dead from
them and come to their rescue when they earthly and watery graves during Christs
make mistakes. Now they are humanly millennial reign. This population may have
perfect, fully in control of all their facul been contributed to by those of the great
ties, and anything they next do is because crowd of Armageddon survivors who
of their own will and is not a mistake due marry or are already married and who for
to imperfection. Since God is the One who some time after the end of this wicked
declares righteous, God reserves to him system raise families, as Noahs children
self the authority to give everlasting life did after the global flood. We do not know
a permanent right to life in his universe. now how many
intoto will inha
Rom. 8:33.
earth, although during the thousand years
These perfected humans, therefore, censuses may be taken. The number of
must prove their unbreakable attachment those who fight against Gods sovereignty
to his sovereignty. There are many people when Satan is released and who follow
who would appreciate and enjoy Gods him and his demons is not revealed to us.
sovereignty as long as it meant good It will be a considerable number, although
things for themselves. They would be obe indefinite as the sand grains along the
dient to the laws, for they would see that seashore. Compare Genesis 22:17.
it meant to them all the desires of the
heart. But it is different when Gods sov
GOG AND MAGOG
ereignty is challenged and there is an issue
In the Revelation a reminder is made
powerfully drawn, where one might feel of Gog of the land of Magog foretold
that he has an opportunity to become ab in Ezekiel 38:1 to 39:16. Ezekiels proph
solutely independent and do exactly as he ecy describes Satan in his debased realm
pleases. If, moreover, he has to put himself now since being hurled out of heaven and
abyss, the Seed of Gods woman, the
Lord Jesus Christ, for God subjects all
things under him. 1 Cor. 15:27; Heb.

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15, 1967

507

SEeWATCHTOWER

down to the earth about the World War I

year of 1918. Revelation 20:8 makes a
comparison here, because, in Ezekiels
prophecy, Gog of the land of Magog had,
a thousand years previously, made his at
tack upon Jehovah Gods spiritually pros
perous people after their restoration in
1919 C.E. This attack at that time brought
on Jehovah Gods wrath and resulted in
the destruction of Satans visible earthly
organization. But now at the end of the
thousand years these misled humans make
their attack after an Edenic paradise has
been restored to all the earth by Gods
kingdom, after all living mankind have
been uplifted to the human perfection and
godlikeness that Adam and Eve had in the
garden of Eden. These rebellious people
who follow Satan have the same spirit as
Gog had back at that time. Therefore, they
are described by the terms Gog and Ma
gog, just as people today might call a
violent crowd a Hitler-like mob, or an
immoral neighborhood a Sodom and Go
morrah. Revelation speaks of them as
nations in the four corners of the earth.
By their being spoken of as nations we can
understand what is meant, for today na
tionalism is an issue. More and more of
the nations want their independent sover
eignty. The nations in the four corners of
the earth at that time would be those who
have rebelled and set themselves up inde
pendently as nations far away from Jeho
vah God and his central organization.
What action do these nations take?
And they advanced over the breadth of
the earth and encircled the camp of the
holy ones and the beloved city. (Rev.
20:9) These rebellious people, like the
former Gog of Magog, have separated
themselves from Gods people and there
fore are described as being in a distant lo
cation. They hate the beloved city; of
course, they also hate those on earth who
serve that beloved city, but the beloved

city here refers to Zion or Jerusalem, the

heavenly city composed of those holy
ones who had part in the first resurrec
tion and who have by this time reigned
with Christ for the thousand years. (Ps.
87:2, 3; Isa. 49:14-16) It is a revolt
against Jehovahs sovereignty, which es
pecially goes into force when Christ hands
the Kingdom over to the Father. They do
not want this sovereignty. Now that the
Devil has handed them a supposed oppor
tunity to come out from under Gods sov
ereignty, they take advantage of it. So the
revolt, although directly against the righ
teous ones on earth, is actually against
Gods capital government. The issue is the
same as the one raised in Eden, the old
universal issue. It is over this issue that
the rebellious ones are prompted to attack
the beloved city.
A SOUL-SEARCHING TEST

Of course, these nations cannot touch

the heavenly Zion; therefore, they bring
great danger to the ones on earth who
stand firm for the rule of the beloved city
and Jehovahs sovereigntywho retain
allegiance to Jehovahs sovereignty. But
these faithful ones will not be harmed in
the least, though it may look very menac
ing and will certainly provide a thorough,
soul-searching test. God protects his faith
ful ones, for fire will come out of heaven
and devour the enemies. (Rev. 20:9) They
do not go into Sheol or Hades but are
burned up, annihilated forever.
Satan the Devil and his demons quickly
follow with a plunge into the lake of fire
and sulphur themselves. This, of course,
will be at the hands of the royal Seed of
Gods woman, the King Jesus Christ. Al
though he has handed the Kingdom over
to the Father, it has been for the purpose
of this test and he is still Chief Executive
Officer of Jehovah God and is his Execu
tioner. The symbolic wild beast and

508

SflkWATCHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

completely and thoroughly settled. There

fore, anyone who would make any state
ment out of harmony with Gods sover
eignty would be judged on the basis of
this precedent and immediately destroyed
in the lake of fire and sulphur. So God
has not wasted time in allowing wicked
ness to come to a head during 6,000 years
of human history. The touchstone (
nos) on universal sovereignty, being for
eternal use, will forever torment or heap
disgrace on the name of Satan the Devil.
This could be illustrated. Say, for ex
ample, that a good man in a community
has a family loyal to him. There is a
wicked hater of him in the neighborhood
who slanders him and lies about him,
bringing his name or reputation into
question in the minds of the townspeople.
ISSUE NEVER TO RISE AGAIN
An investigation is made, the facts are
In the original Greek the word trans assembled, and in the ensuing court case
lated will be tormented is the future the one bringing the lying charges is fully
tense of the Greek word
It means shown up to be a slanderer and a thor
primarily to rub on the touchstone, to oughly wicked person. From that time on
put to the test, then, to examine by tor that wicked mans name, when mentioned
turing (
o,) touchstone, torment. in the community, would be like a stench
sn
a
b
The Expository Dictionary of New Tes
in the nostrils of the people. They would
tament Words, Volume IV, page 141, by
say, Oh, that liar and slanderer, when
W. E. Vine, published by Oliphants Ltd.,
his name was mentioned. Such a record
London, England.
and repeated mention of what he was ex
You can see from this that, in the settle
posed
to be would be a torment or dis
ment of the issue of Gods sovereignty,
tress
to
his name and, if he had a family,
which had been challenged seven thousand
years previously, the judicial judgment of this would result in torment for them to
the Most High God Jehovah will stand as bear that name. So, should the issue of
an eternal precedent. If ever the issue of Gods sovereignty come up in any place,
Jehovahs sovereignty should rise again on it would only be a reminder of Satans
the part of any individual, spiritual or rebellion, which is a stench in the nostrils
physical, in any part of the universe, this of all those who love Gods sovereignty.
case or court precedent could be referred Such a challenger of Jehovahs universal
to as the touchstone concerning who right
sovereignty would be put to death.
fully holds the universal sovereignty. This
is because the case involving Satan has
EVERLASTING LIFE ASSURED
gone to the very bottom of things as proof
On the part of any of those who stand
that there is no question unanswered with faithful during the final test there will be
regard to Gods sovereignty. It has been no fear that they will ever become such

false prophet, representing Satans po

litical system, have been in the lake of fire
already now for a thousand years and
have never reappeared. The Devil joins
them there finally for his everlasting de
struction. The Serpents head is finally
completely and everlastingly crushed by
the Seed of Gods woman, Jesus Christ.
(Gen. 3:15) The triumphant King has
used the keys of death, of Hades (Sheol)
and of the abyss, but he has no key for
this lake of fire and sulphur. He never
lets the symbolic wild beast and false
prophet and Satan the Devil and his de
mons out of the fiery, sulphurous lake.
That is why it is said that there they
will be tormented day and night forever
and ever. Rev. 20:10.

A ugust

15, 1967

3EeW ATCHTOW ER.

wicked challengers of Gods sovereignty.

The test administered by Jehovah himself
will be complete, thorough, guaranteeing
the everlasting obedience of those who
pass it successfully. He issues the judicial
decisions approving or justifying them, de
claring them righteous, with a right to a
permanent place on earth. Under his ever
lasting sovereignty they can be assured
that he knows that their faithfulness is
such and their integrity is such that they

^enejits

A t a circuit assembly in California the

following experience was related: A t m y
place of employment a group of workers
had evidently discussed Jehovahs witnesses,
one of them expressing the belief that the
Witnesses are right and that they had an
enlightening book with the word Babylon
in the title. A co-worker of mine told him she
felt I would be able to get the book for him.
The next morning she told me about the dis
cussion; and I was able to tell the man that
I could get him the book, adding that I did
have with me a copy of the book All Scrip
ture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial/ He
said: I will take it. I told him that I would
bring the book Babylon the Great Has
Fallen! God3s Kingdom Rules! tomorrow. He
said, OK! Bring me ten !
Arrangements were made to deliver them
during the lunch hour, at which time I asked,
W hat are you going to do with all these
books? He said, I am going to mail some
of them and pass some of them out to my
friends. If a little bit of this truth rubs off
on whoever reads it, it will do a mighty lot
of good. Later, through a telephone call
he asked me for two more Babylon3 books,
two All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
Beneficial3 and two copies of the New World
Translation of the Holy Scriptures. H e sub
scribed for both The Watchtower and Awake!
and placed an order for more Bible-study
aids. Though he has been transferred, I
learned that one of the Witnesses who works
nearby has made arrangements for further
helping this interested man.

509

will never turn from him. They look for

ward to life a million years, yes, a thou
sand million years in the future with full
certainty that the loving God Jehovah will
protect and sustain their lives for all eter
nity. He will provide them with progres
sively marvelous things from his inex
haustible storehouse of riches through the
continued administration of his beloved
Son and Chief Agent, Jesus Christ. Rom.
11:33-36; Phil. 4:19; 2:9-11.

'ukfappy Coincidences
From 1946 to 1948 an American soldier
and a German civilian worked together
at an American base in W est Germany
and became good friends. A fter several
transfers, both met again in 1951 and worked
together until 1952. It was during this period
of time that the wives of both started to
study the Bible with Jehovahs witnesses,
much to the unconcern of the soldier and
the opposition of the German.
In 1952 the two parted ways and lost con
tact with each other for the next fifteen years.
Then they met again in February of this
year at South Lansing, New York. Both of
them were there to attend the two-week King
dom Ministry School, a refresher course for
overseers and ministerial assistants of Jeho
vahs witnesses. W h at a joy to meet after
all these years! Especially to be united in
the worship of the only true God, Jehovah!
When the two sat together at the school
and examined their lives, it was interesting
to note that the wife of one was able to over
come the lack of interest, while the wife of
the other overcame opposition. It was also
interesting to note that both of them had
begun to study the Bible in 1953; both were
baptized in 1956, within two months of each
other; both received their first appointment
as ministerial servants in the congregation
in 1958. And now, in 1967, both attended the
90th class of the Kingdom Ministry School!
Both of these ministers are thankful to
Jehovah God for blessing them with a new
start in life, and hope that they can be used
still further to give honor to His name.

Latin a n d the Christian Greek Scriptures

O D A Y Latin is a dead language. However,
there w as a time when it was a vital, living
language. Due to the conquests of imperial
Rom e it was spoken not only in all parts of
Italy but also in Gaul (France), Spain and
northern Africa as well as being the official
language in all of Rom es dominions.

tine at the time of Christ, it is not surprising

to find some Latinisms in the Christian Greek
Scriptures. The word Latin itself occurs but
once in modern Bible translations, at John
19:20, where we are told that the inscription
placed above Jesus on the torture stake was
also written in Latin.

H istory records some four general periods of

Latin literature. The first dated from the preliterary or prehistoric beginnings of Latin to
240 B.C.E. The second, the preclassical, lasted
from then until about 80 B.C.E. The third,
which m any divide into two parts, lasted from
80 B.C.E. to 14 C.E. and is known as the Golden
Classical Period. The fourth, the Silver
period, lasted from 14 C.E. to 130 C.E. In the
succeeding centuries Latin gradually declined,
becoming fragmented into the various Romance
languages, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese
and Romanian, while it itself became a dead
language.

Latinisms are found mostly in the Gospels

of Mark and Matthew, Mark having more than
any other Bible writer; this lends credence
to the position that he wrote his Gospel in
Rome and for Romans. The apostle Paul, pen
man of fourteen of the twenty-seven books of
the Christian Greek Scriptures, made little
use of Latinisms and none occur in the Greek
Septuagint Version of the Hebrew Scriptures.

In addition to its literary and political lives,

Latin also had a religious life. In the last half
of the second century C.E. the religious powers
of Rome began to have Latin replace Greek as
the language of the Roman bishopric.* After
some seventeen centuries Vatican Council II
has allowed a return to the local vernacular in
the saying o f the mass.
For centuries Latin, though declining in use
among the common people, was not only the
official language of the Church of Rome but
also of all culture (together with Greek), ever
so m any learned writers using Latin, including
such notable figures as Martin Luther and
Sir Isaac Newton. The Latin of classical liter
ature preserved until our day was the style
used by the learned and elite classes, there
having been a common or everyday Latin even
as there was for a time a koin6 Greek. Doctors,
pharmacists and botanists still use Latin in
their professions.
Most European languages got their alpha
bet from the Latin, which, in turn, got it from
the Greeks. One-half of the words of the
English language have their origin in Latin.
Since Latin was the language of imperial

Rome and hence the official language of Pales* This accounted for the Latin Vulgate Bible trans
lation by Jerome.

Latin in the Christian Greek Scriptures occurs

in various forms. Thus there are more than
forty proper Latin names of persons and places
found in them, such as Aquila, Luke, Mark,
Paul, Caesarea and Tiberias. There are also
some thirty words of military, judicial, mone
tary and domestic nature found in them, such
as centurio (arm y officer); colonia (colony);
denarius (penny ) ; speculator (bodyguardsm an ); titulus (title) and sicarius (assassin).
There are also certain Latin expressions or
idioms that appear in the Christian Greek Scrip
tures. Among these are wishing to satisfy the
crowd (M ark 15:15), you must see to that
(Matt. 2 7 :4 ), and taking sufficient security.
Acts 17:9.
Then, again, there are certain adjectives in
the Christian Greek Scriptures that, accord
ing to the Greek authority Robertson,* are
formed after the Latin rather than after the
Greek manner. Am ong these are Herodianoi
(Mark 3 :6 ) ; Christianoi (Acts 26:28) and
Philippianoi. Phil. 4:15.
The appearance of Latinisms in the Christian
Greek Scriptures is of more than academic
interest to Bible lovers. It is in keeping with
what the Bible shows about Palestines being
occupied by Rome in the days o f Christ.
Further, since these Latinisms are found in the
best Greek writings of the same period, it
argues that the Christian Greek Scriptures were
indeed written during the times they tell about.
This fact, therefore, further testifies to the
authenticity of the Christian Greek Scriptures.
* A Grammar of the Greek New Testament (1934).

510

 In connection with Jesus parable of the

man and Lazarus, the name Dives is
quently given the rich man. W here does
name originate? Did not Jesus leave the
man without a nam e? A. K., U.S.A.

rich
fre
this
rich

It is true that Jesus Christ did not dignify

the rich man in the parable with a given
name but rather described him in order to
portray the class of persons he represents.
(Luke 16:19-22) Though the Bible does not
give a name for the rich man, he has become
known, over the years, as Dives. This is
because dives is the Latin word meaning rich,
and this word appears in the Latin Vulgate
Version (homo quidam erat dives; there
was a certain rich m an ). So the word dives is
not strictly a proper name but a Latin adjective.
However, in English literature, as early as the
time of Chaucer, the word Dives appears in
popular usage as the name for the rich man
of the parable. Later, theological literature
adopted the name, and its usage is now wide
spread. Yet the popularity of the word Dives
does not contradict the fact that Jesus did not
assign an actual name to this symbolic rich
man.
Is a Christian obligated to submit to a blood
transfusion simply because a court orders it?
M. C., U.S.A.
The true Christian governs his life by the
laws of God, obeying all human laws that do
not conflict with Gods. (M ark 12:17) Of inter
est to Christians is Gods law to ancient Israel:
Be firmly resolved not to eat the blood, be
cause the blood is the soul and you must not
eat the soul with the flesh. (Deut. 12:23) So
God expected the Israelites to be firmly re
solved not to eat blood, even if someone might
try to force them to eat it. See also Genesis
9 :4 ; Leviticus 17:11, 12, 14.
Is it any different with worshipers of Jehovah
today? No, for the divine law regarding blood
is still the same, just as stated in the Chris
tian Greek Scriptures: The holy spirit and we
ourselves have favored adding no further
burden to you, except these necessary things,
511

to keep yourselves free from things sacrificed

to idols and from blood and from things
strangled and from fornication. (Acts 15:28 ,
29, 25) Please note that this prohibition on the
use of blood to nourish the human body is
linked with the prohibition of what amounts to
idolatry. W ell, would you commit an act of
idolatry if ordered to do so by a court? If a
judge ordered you to bow to an idol, would
you do so? Or would you be firmly resolved to
put Gods law first, obeying God as ruler
rather than m en? (Acts 5:29) The early
Christians refused demands for them to per
form idolatrous acts, even though it meant
death in a Roman arena.
So dedicated Christians today must be just
as firmly resolved to obey God as the faithful
Israelites and early Christians were. However,
it has been noted that in some cases in which
courts have ordered blood transfusions there
has evidently not been a firm resolve on the
part of the one professing to be a Christian.
Some have indicated to the court that, while
they would not authorize transfusions, they
would not resist them if the court ordered
them. In one case, after such a statement, the
judge ordered a transfusion, stressing heavily
the fact that the individual seemed to indicate
that, as long as he him self did not authorize the
blood transfusion, it would be all right. But is
this all right with God? Is this being firmly
resolved to obey Gods law on blood?
It is true that the court bears the responsi
bility for what it does, if it orders blood; but
if any Christian tells a judge that, while he
would not agree to a transfusion, he would not
resist if the court ordered it, he is in actuality
cooperating with them in violating Gods law.
Is that what he wants to do? I f a Christian is
firmly resolved to obey Gods law on blood,
it is difficult to see how he could simply be
passive about the matter. The extent to which
a Christian will resist the administration of a
blood transfusion in his case or in the case of
a dependent is something for that person to
decide and his congregation to examine.
The Christian firmly resolved to obey God
can usually take steps to avoid anyones try
ing to force blood transfusions upon him. H ow ?
By discussing the blood issue with his doctor
before registering as a patient in a hospital.
Keep in mind that the cooperation of the
anesthetist is often needed, as well as that of
the surgeon. There is also a release that can
be signed, requesting that no blood transfusion
be given and releasing the hospital of any

512

Brooklyn,

ffEeWATCHTOWER.

responsibility for their not administering blood

transfusions. But that is not all.
W hen one enters a hospital, one will likely
be asked to sign a statement granting the
hospital the right to administer to the patient
whatever operative and medical procedures
that m ay be deemed necessary or advisable.,,
W h en one agrees to a statement such as that,
one is signing a general consent. Unless an
exception is inserted with regard to blood trans
fusions, such agreement of general consent

N. Y.

for any medical procedure deemed necessary

can be construed to include blood transfusions.
A clerk at a hospital m ay believe that it is
unnecessary to make such an insertion; how
ever, such view is not the correct one.
In this time when disregard fo r Gods law
prohibiting use of the blood of any other crea
ture is ignored by the world in general, those
who desire to please God need to be vigilant
and firm for what is right.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

The H oly Bible emphasizes the need for

keeping useful habits. (1 Cor. 15:33) To help
others cultivate and keep the good habits that
God approves, Jehovahs witnesses carry on
their ministry from door to door. In their field
ministry they offer Bible literature that pro
motes fine habits such as prayer, the putting
of Gods kingdom first in ones life and the reg
ular study of the H oly Scriptures. Such lit
erature also stresses the right kind of associa
tion that is needed to keep these good habits.
To help all interested persons find the happiness
that comes from keeping divinely approved
habits, Jehovahs witnesses are offering dur
ing the month of August the Bible-study aid

Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of

God and a booklet, for just 50c.
ANNUAL MEETING
OF PENNSYLVANIA CORPORATION

W atch Tower Bible and Tract Society of

Pennsylvania will hold the annual meeting of
the members of the corporation on Sunday,
October 1, 1967. In view of the fact that the
annual meeting does fa ll on Sunday this year
it is anticipated that the attendance m ay be
larger than usual, thus making it advisable for
the meeting to be held where we believe there
w ill be sufficient room for all who wish to come.
Therefore, the plans are for the annual meet
ing to be held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.
The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the

doors to the Civic Arena will be open well in

advance of program time.
Formal letters of notice will be sent to the
members of the corporation. Mention is made
of the annual meeting here as a reminder to
the members to provide the Societys Secretary
with their mailing address and also to inform
the readers of The Watchtower who desire to
attend that they will be welcome and that the
meeting will be held this year at the Civic
Arena in Pittsburgh.
LET HIM SING PSALMS

James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote (Jas.

5 :1 3 ): Is there anyone in good spirits? Let
him sing psalms. W h a t w o n d erfu l' counsel
that is! And the apostle Paul admonished
singing and accompanying yourselves with
music in your hearts. That is the title o f the
songbook of 128 pages and 119 songs contain
ing words and music written by. Jehovahs
witnesses. Regular edition is 20c; deluxe edition,
gold-edged and gold-embossed cover, 50c. A c
company yourself with a fine orchestral ren
dering of all 119 songs on ten monaural 12-inch
vinyl long-playing records (331 r.p.m .), the set
for only $8.50. Send today.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE W EEKS

September 10: The Need fo r Security. Page

493. Songs to Be Used: 72, 44.
September 17: The W a y to Security. P age 498.
Songs to Be Used: 79, 77.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1967
Semimonthly

KEEPING THE TONGUE

UNDER CONTROL
THE TONGUE A POWER
FOR GOOD OR FOR BAD
CHRISTIAN CONDUCT
IN THE FACE OF VIOLENCE
WILL YOU SEE YOUR DEAD
LOVED ONES AGAIN?
WT B &T S

T H E PURPOSE O F T H E W A T C H T O W E R
Every w atchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h at is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common world danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious n ew order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h tow er
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w e r is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.
*

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H. K norr, President
G r a n t S uiter , Secretary
They w ill all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54 :13

CONTENTS

A v e r a g e p r in t in g e a c h is s u e :

515

Christian Conduct in the Face of Violence

517

W ill You See Your Dead Loved Ones Again? 521

Preserving Our Possession of
Christian Peace

526

Do You Rem ember?

527

Keeping the Tongue Under Control

528

The Tongue A Power for Good or for Bad

534

Appreciation for Jehovahs Organization

540

Questions from Readers

543

T h e B ib le translation used in The Watchtower Is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols w ill appear behind the citations:

ASATAVDu JP -

American Standard Version

An American Translation
Authorized Version (1611)
Catholic Douay version
Jewish Publication Soc.

Le M oRo
RS
Yg -

4 ,9 5 0 ,0 0 0

F iv e c e n ts a co p y

The Watchtower Is Published in the Following 7 1 Languages

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M o n t h ly

Do You Meet the Challenge of Doing Your

Best?

Isaac Leesers version

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j. b . Rotherhams version
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y ^ n n o u r L c i r i a

J E H O V A H S
K IN G D O M
Septem ber 1, 1967

Num ber 17

Do Vou Meet the Challenge of Doing Your Best?

N A competition or race it is quite
natural for one to do his best. The
artist who seeks to win a prize for his
painting at an exhibition will most likely
do his best, as will also a musician who is
trying to win recognition or a prize at a
music festival. The athlete, anxious to win
the prize, is also most likely to exert his
best powers. 1 Cor. 9:24.
But what about the many others? Un
fortunately, more and more workers in of
fice and factory, mothers and housewives
in homes, and students in school are less
and less concerned with giving their best.
The trend is to be content with merely
putting in time, giving only as much as
is needed to get by.
Failing to do ones best might be said
to be a part of the moral sickness that
afflicts the modern generation. Due to the
foretold increasing of lawlessness and
moral breakdown, there is today a marked
lack of conscientiousness, a lack of the
sense of accountability to God; there is
less and less willingness to put forth the
effort to do ones best. Matt. 24:12.
But life and the possession of physical
and mental faculties are a trust from the
Creator. Each one has the obligation to do
his best in whatever he is given to do. As
wise King Solomon counseled: All that
your hand finds to do, do with your very
power, for there is no work nor devising

nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol [the

grave], the place to which you are going.
And the apostle Paul counseled: What
ever you are doing, work at it wholesouled. The obligation to work with
ones very power, whole-souled, might
be said to be threefold: Doing all that one
has to do as well as it can be done; doing
as much as one can do in view of his
skills, energy and time; and doing it from
the right motive. Eccl. 9:10; Col. 3:23.
For you to do your best you must keep
your mind on your work, concentrate on
the work at hand. Taking an interest in
your work and trying to find pleasure in it
will also help. Not to be overlooked are
such practical considerations as keeping
physically fit by getting enough sleep, eat
ing right, both in kind and in quantity,
and avoiding all excesses and dissipation.
Since the Bible contains fine admonition
for doing ones best, it is to be expected
that one who regularly reads the Bible
would be aided in doing his best. Among
the men in American public life who made
a regular habit of reading the Bible and
who were also concerned with doing their
best was the president of a previous cen
tury, Abraham Lincoln. He once stated:
If I were to try to read, much less an
swer, all the attacks made on me, this
shop might as well be closed for any oth
er business. I do the very best I know

515

SReWATCHTOWER

516

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

the best I can; and I mean to keep do well lead to advancement, as in the case
ing so until the end. Incidentally, here of Joseph the son of the patriarch Jacob.
is one benefit that comes from doing ones The Bible tells us that God was with him
best: it helps one to weather unfair at both while Joseph was a household slave
and while in prison, but he certainly must
tacks.
Among other rewards that come from also have done his best, to be advanced
doing ones best is self-respect. There is each time above all his fellows. Gen. 39:
an inner satisfaction from knowing that 1-23.
Another Scriptural example showing the
you have not yielded to the temptation to
wisdom
of our doing our best is found in
do careless or indifferent work, just be
faithful King Hezecause you could have
kiah Thus we read
gotten away with it;
NEXT ISSUE
concerning him: In
but that you have
Gods S p irit and W ord D ivine Provisions
fo
r
Life.
every
work . . . it
disciplined yourself
Recognizing the P a rt Played by
was
his heart
and have done the
Jehovahs O rganization.

Give
Respect
to
W
hom
It
Is
Due.
that
he
acted,
and he
very best you were
Can You Get Along W ith o u t God?
proved successful.
able to do. Whether
Yes, he acted with all
you did your very
best in a certain task or assignment others his heart and Jehovah blessed him.
may never know; but you do, and, if you 2 Chron. 31:21.
did, yours is the satisfaction of knowing
For a Christian minister the greatest
that you are measuring up to what you aid to his doing his best may well be his
know you should require of yourself. The knowing that it pleases Jehovah God and
Bible shows that the apostle Paul took sat will be rewarded by Him. And that this
isfaction in doing his best, in measuring involves not just his ministry but what
up to high but difficult standards, such as ever he may be doing is apparent from the
preaching where no one else had preached words of the apostle Paul: Whether you
before and not accepting financial support are eating or drinking or doing anything
from certain Christians. 1 Cor. 9:18; else, do all things for Gods glory. Gods
2 Cor. 10:15-17.
glory certainly deserves the best. And as
Then, again, there is the satisfaction Paul wrote the Christian slaves at Colosthat comes from viewing the results, if sae: Be obedient in everything to those
you have done your best. These certainly who are your masters in a fleshly sense,
will be much better if you have done all not with acts of eyeservice, as men pleasyou could as well as you could do it. Do ers, but with sincerity of heart, with fear
ing so, you may well be rewarded with a of Jehovah . . . for you know that it is
sense of pride in your achievement, which from Jehovah you will receive the due
is normal and proper. The man skillful in reward. 1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:22-24.
his work stations himself before kings.
Yes, there are many reasons for ones
Prov. 22:29.
trying to do his best. It brings with it
Doing your best is also the course of self-respect, satisfaction with ones work
practical wisdom in that it makes it less and the prospect of success and advance
likely that you will receive censure from ment. For the dedicated Christian minis
those for whom you are working or ob ter it also means the reward of Gods
ligated to please. More than that, it may approval.

H RO U G H -

f j 'P

the
/
world violence
of all kinds is
on the increase. On an international
scale its growth caused United Nations
Secretary-General U Thant to say that he
feared we are witnessing the initial
phases of World War III. *
On a national scale violent internal up
heavals have toppled many governments
in recent years. In some lands opposing
factions threaten to engulf the entire
nation in bloodshed.
Also, in almost every nation on earth,
violence in the form of crime and rioting
rapidly mounts. Of the United States, one
report stated: Crime is increasing four
or five times as fast as our total popula
tion in this country. If there isnt a
change, inevitably it will lead to anar
chy. ! And a late report shows that in
the first three months of 1967 major
crimes skyrocketed 20 percent above the
same period the previous year, more than
fifteen times the rate of population in
crease!
Why so much violence throughout the
world? Will it continue to increase in
the years ahead? What will be the ulti
mate outcome of it all? And in view of
such violence, what course should the
Christian follow?
OUT

W H Y SO MUCH VIOLENCE?

The basic cause of violence is that man* The New York Times, May 12, 1967, p. 1.
t U.8. News & World Report, October 17, 1966, p. 86.

kind in general has

rejected guidance by
God. Man was not
created to govern his
affairs su ccessfu lly
without God. As long
as he followed the
standards God gave
him, he would be as
sured of peace and
happiness. But sadly
Violence rapidly in for all, our first par
creases. What course
ents rejected God as
should you take?
their Guide. Instead,
wanting independence from God, they re
belled and went their own way. The Al
mighty God allowed men ample time to
pursue their course so that, among other
reasons, time would demonstrate that the
ways of man apart from Gods rule could
never bring peace and happiness.Gen.
3:17-19.
History has proved this to be the case.
Men and nations not ruled by God have
adopted their own brands of governments,
ideologies and philosophies. Not being
guided by the same divine laws and prin
ciples, conflict inevitably resulted within
human ranks. What has been demon
strated over and over again since mans
rebellion is the truth of these inspired
words of Jeremiah: I well know, O Jeho
vah, that to earthling man his way does
not belong. It does not belong to man who
is walking even to direct his step. (Jer.
10:23) Jeremiah also wrote: Look! They
have rejected the very word of Jehovah,
and what wisdom do they have? (Jer.
8:9) Rejecting Gods wisdom and choosing
to lean on their own, mankind lost peace.
Over the centuries there has been no
improvement in mans relations with his
fellowmen. Why not? Because when men
left off being submissive to God they could
go in only one direction downward. The
longer man stayed away from God, the

517

518

SEeWATCHTOWER

worse his condition would become. This

would happen just as surely as one could
predict the course of a rock thrown from
a cliff downward, in harmony with the
law of gravity. Departing from Gods laws
could result only in a downward trend
toward chaos.
In addition to the progressive worsening
of mans affairs or to the long time he
has been outside of Gods guidance, there
is another factor that has greatly in
creased violence in our time. The Bible,
at Revelation 12:12, states: Woe for the
earth and for the sea, because the Devil
has come down to you, having great anger,
knowing he has a short period of time.
Satan the Devil and his demons, spirit
creatures who also rebelled against God,
are the chief instigators of violence. From
the invisible spirit realm they prod willing
humans on earth to bring grief to man
kind. What is the scope of their influence?
The Bible, at 1 John 5:19, says: The
whole world is lying in the power of the
wicked one. In our century, as the physi
cal facts compared with Bible prophecies
verify, Satan and his demons have been
cast out of the heavenly realm down to
the vicinity of the earth. (Rev. 12:7-9)
These invisible forces add to mans de
basement by egging people on to more
violence. Why? They know that Gods
time for executing all the wicked, includ
ing wicked spirit forces, nears. Knowing
they will without fail be executed for
their gross wickedness, they do their ut
most to ruin mankind. Your adversary,
the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion,
seeking to devour someone. 1 Pet. 5:8.
Thus, due to mans long estrangement
from God and the influence of wicked
spirit forces, the human family grows
more calloused in its behavior. How ac
curately the Bible foretold the very con
dition we see today when it said: Know
this, that in the last days critical times

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

hard to deal with will be here. For men

will be lovers of themselves, lovers of
money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphem
ers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
disloyal, having no natural affection, not
open to any agreement, slanderers, with
out self-control, fierce, without love of
goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up
with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than
lovers of God. 2 Tim. 3:1-4.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

Is the violence we now experience

going to decrease or increase in the
days ahead? Bible prophecy guarantees:
Wicked men . . . will advance from bad
to worse. (2 Tim. 3:13) Also, it says:
The inspired utterance says definitely
that in later periods of time some will
fall away from the faith, paying attention
to misleading inspired utterances and
teachings of demons. (1 Tim. 4:1) And
Jesus Christ foretold: Because of the
increasing of lawlessness the love of the
greater number will cool off. Matt. 24:
12.
Violence will thus continue to grow for
a little while longer, until these last days
come to their completion. Then God will
bring all violence, and those responsible
for it, to their finish.
Without a doubt, the world is passing
away and so is its desire. (1 John 2:17)
In one orgy of violence after another, it
speeds to its near end at Gods own hand.
Yet, Gods Word also promises that he
that does the will of God remains forever.
Thus, the comforting promise of surviving
the end of this violence-filled system is
held out to honest-hearted persons every
where who do Gods will.
CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

However, what is Gods will in connec

tion with the many situations that arise
that could lead to violence? Should the

Septem ber

1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOW ER

Christian share in the violent overthrow

of governments that are oppressive?
Should he march on city halls, demon
strating for various rights or grievances?
If some rough him up, or insult him,
should he give them a taste of their own
medicine and show them they cannot get
away with it?
Gods inspired Word states: A slave
of the Lord does not need to fight, but
needs to be gentle toward all, qualified to
teach, keeping himself restrained under
evil. (2 Tim. 2:24) The wisdom of this
counsel can be seen in whatever circum
stance one applies it.
For example, by applying this counsel
you, as a Christian, would not work to
overthrow a government violently, even
if it is oppressive. Many who have done
so often find themselves under a worse
form of government than the one they
overthrew. And in the process, they may
lose their lives for a cause that God does
not sanction. Jesus told his followers
to pray for Gods kingdom, not to fight
to overthrow present governments. (Matt.
6:9, 10; John 18:36) He knew that in due
time God himself would bring a permanent
end to all oppressive governments. Thus,
the Christian does not need to fight,
but needs to wait patiently for Jehovah
to bring his own remedy, the only satis
factory one that will benefit all mankind.
Within any nation there is preju
dice and discrimination. When recourse
through the legal systems of the land
fails to bring justice, should you resort
to such things as picketing and rioting in
the streets? If you, as a Christian, did
that, then you would become lawless.
Christianity is a law-abiding arrangement,
not a license for lawlessness. Lawlessness
will never bring justice, but instead brings
more oppression and discrimination. The
practical wisdom of God tells us: Let
anger alone and leave rage; do not show

519

yourself heated up only to do evil. For

evildoers themselves will be cut off. (Ps.
37:8, 9) And the apostle Paul wrote: Put
them all away from you, wrath, anger,
injuriousness, abusive speech. (Col. 3:8)
The Christian waits upon Jehovah for
justice, appreciating that, not he, but Je
hovah will correct the wrongs of a wicked
system of things.
When riots or demonstrations do erupt
within ones community, the Christian
does well to exercise great care, not ex
posing himself to violence. Whenever pos
sible, he retires to a safe place until the
violence subsides. This course reflects god
ly wisdom: He who meddles in a quarrel
not his own is like one who takes a pass
ing dog by the ears. Thus the Christian
does not participate in riots or demonstra
tions or try to get close to them even out
of curiosity. Prov. 26:17, RS.
But what should you do if someone
jostles you, or insults you, or roughs you
up? Should you give back in kind? The
Bible warns: A word causing pain makes
anger to come up. (Prov. 15:1) A re
sponse in kind will far more likely provoke
more anger, perhaps enraging the offend
er to resort to physical violence, espe
cially today when so many persons are
controlled by the demons or under the
influence of drugs. No, instead of heating
up the situation, the Christian does one of
several things. An answer, when mild,
turns away rage, so he uses a mild reply.
And if that does not overcome the situa
tion, then Gods Word counsels: Before
the quarrel has burst forth, take your
leave. Prov. 17:14.
The Christian also takes steps to avoid
being overcome by the violence of the
criminal element. In dangerous areas he
takes the precaution of not walking alone
on dark streets whenever he can avoid
it. Even when calling on persons to talk
to them about Gods purposes, the Chris-

520

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B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

For example, internal strife in one Afri

can country caused police and army forces
to mount roadblocks. The checking at
these points was very rigorous and time
consuming. But in almost every instance,
the soldiers and police let Jehovahs wit
nesses through with a minimum inspection
after positive identification. Often the au
thorities remarked: We trust you peo
ple. Or they were heard to say: Never
NEUTRALITY
mind, we know Jehovahs witnesses.
The Christian does not search out one When some of these Christians were trav
side or the other in national and inter eling to an assembly of ministers, they
national disputes that lead to violence and were told at the checkpoint: Some of
bloodshed. As a slave of God, he remains your people have gone to the assembly
neutral concerning this worlds conflicts, already; go ahead! The law-enforcement
thus avoiding the bloodguilt associated officers, being familiar with the neutral
with them. Jesus said of his followers: position of Jehovahs witnesses, treated
They are no part of the world, just as them with respect, knowing they were
I am no part of the world. (John 17:16) not responsible for the countrys disorders.
So the Christian does not participate in
However, even when authorities perse
the worlds violent struggles. He knows cute Christians, the individual Christian
that in due time God will bring all wrong maintains his neutral stand. His right
to an end, and that without hurting in course of conduct has been outlined by
nocent persons in the process.
Jehovah God in his Word. The Christian
By avoiding worldly entanglements the does not compromise it for any reason.
Christian today does just what the first- Thus, he avoids responsibility for this
century Christians did. Note what Justin worlds violence and avoids the adverse
Martyr wrote in the second century: We judgment God will bring against it.
who were filled with war, and mutual
Very shortly now God will bring to an
slaughter, and every wickedness, have end this violence-racked system of things.
each through the whole earth changed He will replace it with his new system of
our warlike weapons, our swords into things, where righteousness is to dwell.
ploughshares, and our spears into imple (2 Pet. 3:13) Christians who have main
ments of tillage,and we cultivate piety, tained right conduct in the face of violence
righteousness, philanthropy, faith, and will reap marvelous benefits then, benefits
hope, which we have from the Father of life, health, peace and happiness. They
Himself through him who was crucified. will forever enjoy living in a new order
The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. I, p. 254. without violence. The meek ones them
While many authorities among the na selves will possess the earth, and they
tions do not appreciate the neutral course will indeed find their exquisite delight in
of Christians, there are those that do.
the abundance of peace. Ps. 37:11.

tian does well to take a companion with

him in localities where crime is rampant.
This does not mean that the Christian
seeks to escape harm at all costs. Indeed,
he is willing to undergo persecution, even
death, where his worship to God is in
volved. But he will not jeopardize his life
for any reason not in harmony with his
integrity to God.

LL of us have
lost in death
persons whom we
loved and who loved
us. Most of us great
ly desire to see
them again, but on
contemplating the
thought of their
coming back, we
might shake our
heads and say:
Well, from a self
ish standpoint, I would like to see them
back, but when I think of all the trouble
they would have to endure and then die
again, I would say, No, let them rest.
From a strictly human way of reasoning
we would be right; yet, we would be very
much wrong because we would be over
looking what the One who conceived the
idea of resurrection tells us about the pur
poses, conditions and circumstances of the
resurrection.
Some of those whom we have loved
tried to live Christian lives; others did not.
Some not professing any religion at all
have, nonetheless, been honest and decent
and have displayed some fine qualities. All
have been imperfect and have, to a greater
or lesser extent, exhibited bad qualities.
In connection with the resurrection, the
disturbing thought arises that there may
be categories or different locations in
which the dead are, such as purgatory,
hellfire, limbo, nirvana, a world of shades
or disembodied spirits, as taught by vari
ous religions of earth. If such were the
case, our chances of seeing our loved ones
on earth would be small. But these ideas
are entirely unscriptural. We can see what
the Creator of all living souls purposes for
the dead by considering what He has to
say about it in the twentieth chapter of
the Bible book of Revelation or Apoca
lypse.
It is true that Revelations description
521

does tell us that there are some who will

receive a heavenly resurrection, being
called the first resurrection, and that
they will be priests of God and of Christ.
This number, however, is extremely small
compared to the billions who have lived
on earth. It is only 144,000, a little flock
indeed. These, being priests in heaven, will,
of necessity, see those who are resurrected
to live on earth, for they will be minis
tering to them to assist them. Luke 12:
32; Rev. 20:4, 6; 14:1.
Students of the Bible know that, when
the Bible was written, it was not divided
into chapters and verses. This was a later
man-made division for convenience in Bi
ble study. So chapters in the Bible do not
necessarily confine themselves to one sub
ject or one phase of a subject. The apostle
John, in the Revelation, completes the ac
count of the things that are to take place
at this time of the end and the defeat of
all of Gods enemies, including Satan, who
is hurled into the abyss of deathlike in
activity and at the end of the thousand
years comes back for a short time and
is then annihilated forever. Thus dispos
ing of the destiny of Gods enemies, John
now turns back to the beginning of the
thousand-year reign of Christ and the ac
complishments to take place during that
time. He has already informed us that
there will be a great crowd of unspeci
fied number out of all nations who will,

522

SEeWATCHTOWER,

by taking a righteous stand now, survive

destruction of this system of things. (Rev.
7:9, 14-17) With wickedness gone and the
righteous rule of Christ dominating the
earth, these will be on hand to welcome
the resurrected ones.
JUDGMENT BEFORE THE
GREAT WHITE THRONE

All who have read the Bible realize that

there will be a judgment day for the dead.
Here, at Revelation 20:11-15, we find just
what it is. In the eleventh verse John
writes: And I saw a great white throne
and the one seated on it. From before him
the earth and the heaven fled away, and
no place was found for them. The great
white throne is the throne of Jehovah
God himself, the Judge of all. (Heb. 12:
23) It is pure, just, established on righ
teousness. (Ps. 89:14) When God sits to
judge those then living and the dead, the
old symbolic earth with the wild beast
and the false prophet who dominated it
under Satans control will be in the lake
of fire and sulphur, from which there is
no return. The Devil and his invisible de
mons will also have been put out of the
way, namely, in the abyss. After the thou
sand years are ended, he and his demons
will be hurled into the lake of fire and
sulphur to join the wild beast and the
false prophet.
Jesus Christ is the one appointed to do
the judging according to the judgments of
his Father, Jehovah God. (Acts 17:31; 10:
42; Rom. 14:9-12) Included in this judg
ment work are the associate kings and
priests who have a share in the first res
urrection, for the power of judging as as
sociates of Jesus Christ is given to those
144,000. (Rev. 20:4, 6) The ones to be
judged are the ones John mentions in pass
ing at verse 5: The rest of the dead did
not come to life until the thousand years
were ended. Concerning these there is
some very comforting information: And

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

I saw the dead, the great and the small,

standing before the throne, and scrolls
were opened. But another scroll was
opened; it is the scroll of life. And the
dead were judged out of those things writ
ten in the scrolls according to their deeds.
And the sea gave up those dead in it, and
death and Hades gave up those dead in
them, and they were judged individually
according to their deeds. And death and
Hades were hurled into the lake of fire.
This means the second death, the lake of
fire. Furthermore, whoever was not found
written in the book of life was hurled into
the lake of fire. Rev. 20:11-15.
NO PARTIALITY

What is so comforting about this? Well,

first you will notice that John saw the
great and the small they are all stand
ing before the throne, in the one place, on
the earth. Some have made great names
for themselves during their life on earth,
others have been insignificant, but there is
no partiality in the judgment. Another
thing you will notice is that they are stand
ing there for judgment, and it includes all
those who are in Hades (the equivalent of
the Hebrew Sheol), which is the common
grave of dead mankind in the earth, as
well as those who may have died in the
sea and so not been buried in the earth
and whose bodies may have been eaten
by the fishes of the sea. All these dead
ones are remembered, as if being in memo
rial tombs from which they will come
forth when Christ calls them. John 5:
22-29.
The great crowd of unspecified num
ber who have survived the destruction of
this old system of things will be there to
welcome the resurrected ones, but all, in
cluding this great crowd, will have to
stand before the throne of judgment. Why?
Because none of them are yet perfect.
The great crowd have been following

Septem ber 1,

1967

SffieWATCHTOWER.

Jehovahs principles in order to make over

their minds and personalities. Those res
urrected will not experience a resurrec
tion of the aforetime human body, for
God gives the ones resurrected to earth a
fleshly body to suit his purpose, but it is
the personality that is resurrected, the
soul you. Now, we know that the per
sonalities we have are imperfect, because
we have inherited death from our first
human father, sinful Adam, so that we
all have been born sinful. (Rom. 5:12)
Even the great crowd, if left to them
selves and not relieved of this condemna
tion to death, would all die off in time and
need a burial.
From this standpoint those before the
throne will still be in death or under a
liability of death as inherited from sinful
Adam, and they will need to be brought
out of this condition. How will they get
rid of this death-dealing state? By the
priestly work of the great King, Jesus
Christ. Christ is a priest, like Melchizedek
of ancient Salem. (Ps. 110:1-4; Heb. 5:5,
6, 10; 6:20 to 7:17) He is Jehovahs High
Priest, and the 144,000 are underpriests,
which fact is why it is said that they will
be priests of God and of the Christ, and
will rule as kings with him for the thou
sand years.Rev. 20:6.
The procedure of Jehovahs High Priest
now corresponds with that of Israels high
priest Aaron on the annual Day of Atone
ment. We remember that he entered into
the Most Holy of the sacred tabernacle to
present to God, not only the blood of the
bull for the priestly tribe, but afterward
the blood of the sacrificial goat that was
shed for all the other twelve tribes of Is
rael.Lev. 16:15; Heb. 13:11, 12.
JUDGED ON W H AT BASIS?

What are the scrolls that will be opened

during that thousand years? They are not
the record of the past earthly life of the

523

ones being judged. There would be no

sense in bringing forth this record, for,
since no one is righteous in his own works,
it would only condemn him. It is this
imperfection that they are trying to get
rid of. The scrolls are the law books of
Jehovah, publications setting forth his will
for all people on earth during Christs mil
lennial reign. Under the full rule of the
Kingdom arrangement there will be many
new additions and many things to be done,
requiring these books of instruction that
will come from Jehovah through his King
dom government under Christ. Depending
on the way that those facing judgment
obey what is written in these scrolls, ac
cording to these deeds, they will be judged.
With the government in the hands of
Jesus Christ, and assisted by his 144,000
subordinate kings and priests, people will
be able successfully to make over their
personalities and to practice complete righ
teousness. (Isa. 26:9) While those resur
rected will likely not be brought back all
at the same time, they will be received
from the dead as the educational and judg
ment program progresses and as those
living are able to equip themselves to care
for the greater numbers of those coming
back from the graves.
TRAINING FOR ALL
RESURRECTED EASILY POSSIBLE

A question has arisen about the possi

bility of all the dead coming back for judg
ment without overwhelming those on earth
who will represent the heavenly Kingdom
in controlling, assisting and educating
them. As to the number of persons who
have lived on earth, a fairly liberal esti
mate of twenty billion (twenty thousand
million) has been made. If this figure is
divided by one thousand, it gives twenty
million a year or nearly 55,000 a day. This
is a great number of persons for whom
food, living quarters, clothing and employ-

524

SfteWATCHTOWER,

ment would have to be provided. But let

us view the problem in the light of Jeho
vahs past dealings with his people.
Among Jehovahs witnesses, whose work
is to preach and teach the good news of
the Kingdom, it is a big task to study
the Bible with a person, help him to apply
Bible principles to his life to bring it
around to Gods way, train him in the
ministry and assist him to become a ma
ture Christian, able, in turn, to help some
one else. In their work, the Witnesses have
seen annual increases in number, from 2
percent to 20 percent or more. A 10-percent increase has been considered normal,
giving a ratio of one new person to ten
who are able to aid him during an entire
year. This has been successfully done so
that a firm, solid organization has ex
isted, a very small percentage dropping
out or falling away. The number preaching
nearly doubled in the ten-year period 19551965.
Let us, therefore, not as making a
prophecy, but merely for the purpose of
illustrating the point, start our calculation
with the figure of a million Armageddon
survivors. With even this small start, and
with only, say, a 3-percent increase each
year (a ratio of one resurrected for each
thirty-three living on earth), the number
of persons living would double about every
tw e n ty -fo u r yea rs. If tw en ty billion
(twenty thousand million) are resurrect
ed, it could be done in less than four hun
dred years. Ample time would thereby be
allowed and ample help would be avail
able for the training and disciplining of
all, bringing the obedient ones to the point
where they, in turn, could train others
without any disturbance to the progress
of that new order of things. With earths
production and resources brought up to
their potentiality and properly distributed
and used for mankinds benefit, there

rooklyn

N.Y.

would be no food problem, as present-day

economists envision.
DEATH AND HADES OUT OF EXISTENCE

The time will come, of course, when the

resurrection will stop. Hades and the sea
will have given up the last of the dead
people in them. Likewise Adamic death,
the death that resulted to all mankind
from Adams original sin, will cease; it
will be the last enemy to be brought to
nothing. This will be true when there will
be no one having any trace of the inherit
ed effects of Adams sin. They will have
first exercised faith in Jesus Christs sac
rifice and will have had its cleansing merit
applied to them with the forgiveness of
their confessed sins, and, furthermore,
they will have practiced works in harmo
ny with their faith, in obedience to the
scrolls written. Only when mental and
physical imperfection and weakness have
been worked out of them and they stand
in the human perfection that the innocent
Adam and Eve originally had in the gar
den of Eden, only when the last trace of
sin, which is the sting that brings forth
death, is destroyed, will they be able to
obey all of Gods law perfectly, including
the things written in the scrolls. 1 Cor.
15:56.
At that point will be fulfilled Revela
tions prophecy that death and Hades are
to be hurled into the lake of fire. The
lake of fire pictures complete annihila
tion, the second death, not a place of
conscious torment, for how could death
and Hades be tormented? When Hades,
the grave of mankind, is emptied and when
death inherited from Adam has no more
existence among mankind and cannot
therefore have any hold or influence on
them, death and Hades will be no more
completely annihilated.Rev. 21:4.
Long ago in the Gehenna or rubbish
dump outside the wall of ancient Jerusa-

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SHeWATCHTOWER

lem the city trash, including the bodies of

criminals who had first been put to death,
used to be destroyed by fire and sulphur.
(Matt. 10:28; Mark 9:43-48) As if pitched
into Gehenna, Adamic death and Hades
or Sheol (hell ) will be destroyed for
ever. This will occur before Satan is loosed
from the abyss at the end of the thousand
years.

525

forever.Matt. 12:31, 32; 1 John 5:16, 17;

Rom. 8:33.
The words of Jesus will then be com
pletely fulfilled. Viewing all those to be
resurrected, both those to heaven and
those to the earth, he said: All those in
the memorial tombs will hear his voice
and come out, those who did good things
to a resurrection of life, those who prac
ticed vile things to a resurrection of judg
NAMES IN JEHOVAHS SCROLL OF LIFE
ment. Here Jesus was speaking from the
Jehovahs scroll of life is different from standpoint of the end of his thousand-year
the Lambs scroll of life, in which the rule and looking back to the judgment,
names of the 144,000 are written as being first of the 144,000 and then of the rest
worthy to enjoy immortal life forever with of mankind. The resurrection of all, by the
the Lamb of God in heaven. (Rev. 3:5; thousand years end, has turned out to be
13:8; 21:27) Jehovahs scroll of life will one of life or one of judgment to destruc
have in it the names of those deserving of tion, according to their practice of either
everlasting life in a paradise earth. Righ good or vile things. John 5:28, 29.
teous Abel is the first one to have his name
Christs 144,000 faithful footstep follow
in the scroll and many others have been
ers who eventually reign as kings and
added, but anytime during the thousandpriests with him receive the full merit of
year reign one may get his name blotted
Christs sacrifice during their earthly life
out of the scroll by willful disobedience.
course and they are fully judged by the
(Matt. 23:35; Heb. 11:4) At the end of
time of their death. They did good
the thousand years, with all living man
things. They are resurrected to the heav
kind perfected and having the complete
ens and their resurrection has turned out
ability to obey Gods law perfectly, they
to be a resurrection of life. For the
will be put through their final and decisive
great crowd of Armageddon survivors
test. If anyone lets the Devil mislead him
and those dead in Hades and the sea, the
because he lets a bad heart condition de
final determination of their future will be
velop in him, even as Adam did in Eden,
made by their obedience to the things
he will be hurled into the lake of fire,
written in the scrolls during the thousand
which means everlasting wiping out of ex
years and by their successfully passing the
istence, endless destruction. He will have
test at its end. Then, at that time, they
committed the sin against the holy spirit
will also be those who did good things,
of God, the sin that incurs destruction,
theirs proving to be a resurrection of
and his name will not be found written
life. All those who will at that time have
in the book of life. (Rev. 20:15) Those,
been destroyed will be those who prac
however, who hold on to their integrity
ticed vile things, their resurrection prov
through the final test will show that it is
ing to be a resurrection of judgment,
an integrity of the unbreakable type, qual that is, adverse judgment, condemnation.
ifying them to have their names written
indelibly, as it were, into Jehovahs scroll
RANSOM TRIUMPHS OVER SIN AND DEATH
So, then, it is a marvelous thing to an
of life, being declared righteous, justified
to everlasting life, with certainty of living ticipate with the joyful realization that all

526

3fteWATCHTOWER.

the evil that has been brought on through

the sin of Adam and under which all man
kind was subjected, not of its own will, will
be absolutely removed so that it will not
have brought permanent damage. (Rom.
8:20) In Gods judgment of mankind, each
one will be judged, not according to the
condemnation he received from Adam, but
individually, according to his deeds. (Rev.
20:13) The ransom sacrifice of Christ and
his priestly services prove stronger, there
fore, than the sin of Adam. All have in
herited sin and death from Adam and
many have died, but in the final result it
will be found that no one will be deprived
of life because of what Adam did. If any
one does not live in Gods righteous new
order, it will be because he does not want
righteousness. Of his own choice he fol
lows unrighteousness and comes to be in
the annihilated, nonexistent condition of
the lake of fire and sulphur. 1 John
3:8.
Should we, then, look forward to seeing
our dead loved ones? From the proper,
Bible-based viewpoint we can gladly say,
Yes, in every respect. Since such loving
kindness and mercy are extended by God
to mankind, does this mean it makes no
difference how we live today, because the

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

above-described judgment is coming in the

very near future? No, it does not. If we
follow that reasoning we will find our
selves to be willful sinners against God
and fighting against him at the time that
he annihilates all his earthly enemies
along with the wild beast and false
prophet at Armageddon. Moreover, the
greater the effort that we make now to
conform our lives to Gods eternal prin
ciples and to make over our personalities
to be in harmony with his Word of truth,
the more rapid will be our progress in the
righteous new order and the greater our
opportunity to help others. This will in
clude our loved ones who will come back
and whom we can assist to make progress
on the pathway to life. Let us, then, equip
ourselves in full, helping as many as pos
sible now to be of that great crowd
who survive Armageddon and then having
the indescribable joy of being part of
Gods reception organization who will wel
come back from the dead our loved ones
and others. We will have a share in being
educators, aiding them to walk upward on
the road to everlasting life and also shar
ing in the beautifying of the earth as a
paradise, to the praise of the eternal King,
Jehovah God.

PRESERVING OUR POSSESSION OF CHRISTIAN PEACE

R U L Y pleasant is the very sound of the
word peace ! It suggests freedom from
U | fear, calmness and tranquillity. There is
very little peace in the world today, but, true
to Jehovahs promise, his people do have peace.
M y people must dwell in a peaceful abiding
place, he foretold. Isa. 32:18.*
This is as it should be. Peace should pervade
every Christian personality, every Christian
home, every Christian congregation, for is not
Jehovah the God of peace, and his Son the
Prince of Peace ? And are not Christs fol
* For details see The Watchtower, August 15, 1966.

lowers sent forth as peace m essengers? Phil.

4 :9 ; Isa. 9 :6 ; Eph. 6:14, 15.
This peace that we as Jehovahs Christian
witnesses are to preserve as our possession
is a unique peace. It is a peace that excels
all thought. It is not dependent upon environ
ment, nor is it peace at the price of compro
mise. It is always based on righteousness and
can be acquired only by getting to be at peace
with Jehovah God through dedication and bap
tism and then by living in harmony with Gods
righteous principles, so as to have Gods good
will. Phil. 4 :7 ; Luke 2:14.

Septem ber

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1, 1967

To preserve our possession of peace we must

be on guard against the many peace disturbers,
chief of which are all the works of the flesh.
(Gal. 5:19-21) Materialism also is a great peace
disturber, for we simply cannot serve God and
Riches at the same time. (M att. 6 :2 4 ; 1 Tim.
6:9, 10) On the other hand, God's W ord assures
us that abundant peace belongs to those lov
ing your law. If we love Gods law we will be
reading his W ord regularly, as well as the
literature based upon it. Ps. 119:165.
In particular will our cultivating the rest
of the fruits of Gods spirit aid us to preserve
our possession of Christian peace. Certainly love
will make for peace, for it does not seek its

Do

527

own interests but bears and endures all things.

And do not joy, long-suffering, kindness, good
ness and mildness make for peaceful relations?
How practical is faith to preserving our peace!
It helps us to please God and rely upon him to
supply all our needs as we keep on seeking first
his kingdom and his righteousness. Controlling
our spirit in times of stress will also go far in
preserving our Christian possession of peace.
Heb. 1 1 :6; Matt. 6:33.
Yes, let us at all times seek to preserve our
possession of Christian peace by being on guard
against peace disturbers, by meditating on
Gods law and by cultivating all the fruits of
Gods holy spirit!

Y o n R em em b er?

Have you read the recent issues of The

carefully? If so, you should
recognize these important points.

Watchtower

When did the 400 years of affliction upon

Abrahams seed begin? (Gen. 15:13)
The beginning of that affliction was when
Ishmael, son of the Egyptian Hagar, mocked
Isaac in the year 1913 B.C.E. Four hundred
years later, in 1513 B.C.E., God delivered the
Israelites from Egyptian bondage. P. 260.*
W hat does a persons moving ahead mean
in Jehovahs organization?
It is not a matter of getting ahead of others
but means to move with the organization,
to fit in, to fill in the needs, to be able to take
on increased responsibilities. Pp. 335, 336.
W h y was a man in ancient Israel who had
first married exempt from military service
for a year?
It was done out of consideration for his
wife and that he might have an opportunity
to have and to see an offspring. P. 376.
What are some of the ways a person can
develop self-control?
Pray to Jehovah for his spirit. W ork to gain
balance by means of daily Bible reading and
study. Apply the Bibles principles and coun
sel to lifes problems. Be willing to accept
discipline. Pp. 395, 396.
Why is the battle of H ar-M agedon called
the great evening meal of God ?
The ones slaughtered at the battle of H a r will be left as food for the carrion
eating birds of the heavens. This victory will
f All references are to The Watchtower for 1967.

also be a feast for those of humankind who

survive, as they will greatly rejoice at the end
of wickedness. P. 408.
How long is the great antitypical day of
atonement?
It began in the fall of 29 C.E., when Jesus
presented himself to do Gods will in taking
up a sacrificial course. It ended in 33 C.E.,
when Jesus brought the value of his lifeblood
into heaven itself. P. 430.
W hat was foreshadowed when the high
priest of Israel offered the firstfruits of the
barley harvest on Nisan 16 and the two fer
mented loaves fifty days later on Pentecost?
The barley firstfruits pictured Jesus Christ
as the firstfruits or firstborn from the dead,
and the loaves symbolically represented the
entire body of 144,000 spirit-begotten members
of Christs body as being waved or presented
by Christ Jesus before Jehovah as holy unto
him. Pp. 439, 440.
From what old, God-given, pre-Israelite
ordinance did the right come for inflicting the
death penalty upon those shedding human
blood illegally?
From the words spoken by Jehovah to
Noah, as recorded at Genesis 9:4-6: Anyone
shedding mans blood, by man will his own
blood be shed. P. 496.
W hat was prophetically typified by the
cities of refuge?
The grand provision of salvation that God
through Jesus Christ brought into operation
for the eternal benefit of men of all kinds,
to relieve and save them from the penalty of
bloodguilt. P. 498.

Do not you people speak very

haughtily so much, let nothing
go forth unrestrained from your
mouth, for a God of knowledge
Jehovah is, and by him deeds are
rightly estimated." 1 Sam. 2:3.

with his companion, and Jehovah kept

paying attention and listening. And a book
of remembrance began to be written up
HE tongue is one of the most useful before him for those in fear of Jehovah
tools man possesses and a truly great and for those thinking upon his name.
gift from Jehovah God. Should not mans (Mai. 3:16) Just consider: for those think
highest expression, then, be in honoring ing upon his name Jehovah makes an in
Jehovah and attributing greatness to him? delible record! But the use of the tongue
The Bible overflows with instances where to magnify that name, especially now
faithful servants of God used their tongues when it is widely unknown, is a rare honor.
in this manner, and such accounts are pre Our exalting that name by declaring it
served so that we can read them and then abroad brings protection to us as name
use our tongues to repeat those expres bearers. Our failing to do so may be dis
sions of thankful recognition of Gods astrous. The name of Jehovah is a strong
tower. Into it the righteous runs and is
goodness.
2
Has there ever been a more joyfulgiven protection. Prov. 18:10.
sound than a babys first words? And then,
3
How every living person should want
as the baby gradually matures, the par to let his God know how much he appre
ents tingle with excitement as words with ciates the gift of life, happiness, Jehovahs
meaning are spoken. How much more love and Jehovahs treasured counsel con
reasonable it is to assume that the heav tained in the Bible! Eventually all who
enly Father is pleased to hear his earthly merit eternal life will give honor to the
children express in words their apprecia Supreme One of the universe and to Jesus,
tion of the gift of life from him! Prayers his glorious Son. And every creature that
uttered to him by his children are music
is in heaven and on earth and under
to his ears, because they are the means
neath the earth and on the sea, and all the
of communicating to him our hearts de
sires and yearnings. Even our speaking to things in them, I heard saying: To the
gether with others concerning him brings one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb
reward: At that time those in fear of Je be the blessing and the honor and the
hovah spoke with one another, each one glory and the might forever and ever.
All you peoples, clap your hands. Shout
1. How valuable is the tongue?

2. (a) How does Jehovah show he is pleased with words

spoken to him and about him? (b) What especially
pleases him?
528

3. What should be the earnest desire of every person?

Will this someday be realized?

Septem ber

1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

529

in triumph to God with the sound of a the nations. (Ps. 46:10; 2:10-12; Luke
joyful cry.Rev. 5:13; Ps. 47:1.
11:2) It is time for the stranglehold that
4
Man is in a unique position today. The
Satan, the prince or ruler of the world, has
entire Bible, the written Word of God, has held over mankind to be broken. How can
been preserved for mans use and edifica this unholy power be broken? Can man
tion. That Word is available to practically destroy the demonic influence that is so
every man today in his own language. all-prevailing? It is Gods war against his
Paul, the most prolific Bible writer in our ancient enemy, the Devil. He will com
Common Era, says why: For all the pletely humiliate the Devil by means of
things that were written aforetime were his executive Son-King, Jesus Christ.
written for our instruction, that through John 12:31; 14:30.
our endurance and through the comfort
6
But man today has the privilege and
from the Scriptures we might have hope. duty to wage a war against the Devil and
(Rom. 15:4) Why of particular value to his demonic forces. And man can do so
day? The same Bible writer says that they successfully by taking advantage of the
are for a warning to us upon whom the weapons provided for a spiritual warfare,
ends of the systems of things have ar since the weapons of our warfare are not
rived. While it is true that Paul wrote fleshly, but powerful by God for overturn
to the early congregations at Rome and ing strongly entrenched things. (2 Cor.
Corinth, he also wrote for this day, as is 10:4) The man Jesus set us the example.
indicated by the Bible translator Dr. Rich He was able to withstand the Devil by
ard Weymouth, who records Pauls words drawing from the written Word of God,
as follows: It was recorded by way of saying, It is written. (Luke 4:1-13) He
admonition to us who live in the last days used no literal sword, no earthly weapon.
of the world. Also,
Emphatic Dia- He used his tongue, his properly educated,
glott by Benjamin Wilson, with an inter properly controlled tongue, to put the ad
linear word-for-word English translation, versary to flight. We must do likewise,
says: These things occurred to them relying on the Word of God, the sword
typically, and were written for our Admo of the spirit, to make our defense. But
nition, on whom the ends of the ages have there are other weapons or aids to assist
us in the fight with princedoms and pow
come. 1 Cor. 10:11.
5 We have now arrived at the time ofers, with those who have mastery of the
the worlds history when the ends of the world in these dark days, with malign in
ages have come. This is the time that fluences in an order higher than ours.
Gods prophets envisioned. (Heb. 11:10; The apostle Paul identifies our equipment
John 8:56; Dan. 12:8, 9) It is the time as the girdle of truth, the breastplate of
for which Jesus instructed us to pray. It righteousness, the sandals of the good
is the time for the old systems of things news of peace, the shield of faith, the hel
to vacate and give way to Gods glorious met of salvation, and the sword of the
new order of things in store for righteous spirit, along with prayer. In our own
mankind. It is the time for peoples and strength, we are no match for the invisible
nations to acknowledge the Eternal One, forces of evil. But with the divinely pro
who says: Give in, you people, and know vided aids we can succeed. Eph. 6:11-18,
that I am God. I will be exalted among Knox.
6. (a) How can we be successful in combatting the
4. (a) In what way is the present generation especially

blessed? (b) Why is the Bible of particular value today?

5. Show how these last days are important.

evil forces of Satan? (b) What example did Jesus set?

(c) What aids have been provided?

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SfteWATCHTOWER.

7So equipment is available. God's Word,

the Bible, is alive and exerts power
and is sharper them any two-edged sword
and pierces even to the dividing of soul and
spirit, and of joints and their marrow, and
is able to discern thoughts and intentions
of the heart. Our using this sword con
sistently in the fine fight of the faith
will result in our getting a firm hold on
the everlasting life and in our being safe
guarded by Jehovah now. So let us learn
how to use this sword, so as to be al
ways ready to make a defense before
everyone that demands of you a reason
for the hope in you, but doing so together
with a mild temper and deep respect.
That means using our tongue, a properly
controlled tongue. Heb. 4:12; 1 Tim. 6:
12; 1 Pet. 3:15; Ps. 31:23.
8What control the shepherd lad David
had! He had only five smooth stones and
his sling as contrasted with the weighty
coat of mail and fifteen-pound spearhead
of the nine-foot-tall Goliath. But with un
erring skill, with complete control, al
though running as he threw the stone, he
vanquished his foe, by hitting the mark.
The smooth stones were undoubtedly
beautiful, but in his shepherds bag they
would be valueless unless he knew how to
use them effectively. The Bible would be
just as useless to us if we did not learn
how to use it. More needs to be done with
it than merely having it on our bookshelf
to admire as a beautiful book, written in
beautiful language and style. The words
and righteous principles enunciated there
in must be made ours and applied. They
must be firmly embedded in our hearts
and minds, ready to be spoken by us when
the occasion arises.
7. Explain the connection the sword of the spirit
has with our tongues.
8-10. (a) How did the shepherd lad David set us a
good example? (b) Is there any excuse for losing ones
temper ?

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

MAKING USE OF KNOWLEDGE

9The control of the tongue means more

than having knowledge; there must be a
proper use of the knowledge, as noted
above at 1 Peter 3:15, doing so together
with a mild temper. The Bible shows
that Gods servants have been directed to
speak for him, sometimes words of de
nunciation. There are rare instances in
which they lost their temper, and, when
they did, they suffered for it. The mem
bers of the congregation at Philippi were
hard put to it to cope with the conditions
prevalent there. Consider the instruction
they received about the proper use of
their tongues: Keep doing all things free
from murmurings and arguments, that
you may come to be blameless and inno
cent, children of God without a blemish
in among a crooked and twisted genera
tion, among whom you are shining as il
luminators in the world, keeping a tight
grip on the word of life. Phil. 2:14-16.
10 Jesus, too, was one who had occasion
to use hard words when talking to that
crooked and twisted generation, to the
stiff-necked and rebellious people of his
day. Yet of him it was said: Never has
another man spoken like this. (John 7:
46) This statement could not likely apply
to one who spoke carelessly, thoughtlessly,
purposelessly. It would apply to one who
had his tongue under control, one who
chose his words, one who had something
worth while to say and knew how to say
it. Do your words elicit such comments
from others? Do you think before you
speak? A motto that has decorated many
a business executives desk reads some
thing like this: Dont open your mouth
before putting your mind in gear.
11Who so described Jesus words? His
flesh-and-blood relatives or neighbors? It
was men sent to arrest him. It was offi11. (a) What occasioned the expression, Never has
another man spoken like this ? (b) What made Jesus
outspoken ?

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

cers sent by the Jewish priests who were

irked because Jesus ignored their threats
and continued boldly to declare his Fa
thers word. It was when they returned
empty-handed and were asked: Why is
it you did not bring him in? that they
replied: Never has another man spoken
like this. They were so impressed with
his manner of teaching, grace or charm
having poured through his lips, that they
forgot their mission. They were so strick
en with the quality of his message, with
his complete mastery over his tongue, that
their religious employers charged them
with having been led astray, and reminded
them that not one of the rulers or of the
Pharisees has put faith in him. (John 7:
45-48) Jesus was not an outstanding ora
tor, for he had not been trained in the
rabbinical schools. But Matthew reports
that, after Jesus had given his sermon on
the mount, the crowds were astounded
at his teaching; for he taught them like
an authority, not like their own scribes.
Matt. 7:28, 29,
Mo.
12The Pharisees heard with annoyance
when Jesus used his tongue as his Father
purposed, but his disciples heard with hap
py ears and were richly blessed. Jesus
never lost control of his tongue. He main
tained self-control even when he angrily
upbraided the false religious leaders. He
was never vulgar, lewd or immodest in his
speech. Never did a rotten saying proceed
from his mouth. Matt. 13:15, 16; John
8:43-45, RS; Matthew 23; Eph. 4:26, 29.
13Jesus did not speak to win popularity
with the leaders. He spoke the truth with
boldness and thus furnished a proper ex
ample for his disciples. He had supreme
control of his tongue and a firm convic
tion that his Father would support him in
his proper use of his tongue, as he con
fessed: I do nothing of my own initiative;
12, 13. (a) Why was Jesus speech so effective? (b) Why
was he confident?

531

but just as the Father taught me I speak

these things. And he that sent me is with
me; he did not abandon me to myself, be
cause I always do the things pleasing to
him. John 8:28, 29; Acts 4:31.
14 What an example for us to follow!
We do well to follow his steps closely to
ensure Jehovahs approval. But do you
argue that it is asking too much that we
should, as did Jesus, a perfect man, have
control of our tongues, when the Bible
says: With error I was brought forth
with birth pains, and in sin my mother
conceived me, and that God would not
expect sinful man to have such perfect
control? True, we may not achieve perfect
control now, but we should not listen to
the subtle suggestion of the Devil that we
may as well give up without trying. He
knows we are imperfect, and will use every
means to cause us to sin with our lips.
His knowledge that Jesus was perfect did
not deter him from tempting Jesus. Hav
ing expressly come down to earth from
his heavenly position to settle once and for
all time the Devils challenge, Jesus may
have been inclined to blow his top and
tell off the Devil. Did he? Calmly and
dispassionately he used the Bible to an
swer by saying: It is written, and thus
he squelched the Devils attempt to over
come him. Ps. 51:5; Luke 4:1-13; Deut.
8:3; 6:13, 16; 1 Pet. 2:21.
15 Or one may think he is too old to
change. When one realizes that long-held
practices are wrong, it would be fool
hardy to dismiss the responsibility that
new enlightening information may bring
by saying, Im too old to change. One
is never too old to change his ways. If he
continues to pursue a course in conflict
with Gods Word, the Bible, he would be
displeasing to God. So when ones manner
of speech is seen to be repugnant to ones
14-16. (a) Is our imperfection any bar to having our
tongue under control? (b) Do we really have any
excuse for not bringing our tongues under control?

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

Creator, one must make a decision. Will

one face the facts even though it may in
volve a radical change? It calls for ini
tiative, courage and humility to bring
ones life into harmony with the righteous
principles of the Bible, but it is rewarding,
as it will cause God to look favorably upon
one. And it is vitally important to make
such a change if one expects to live in
Gods new system of things.
16 Not being perfect is all the more rea
son why we must diligently apply our
selves to the job of bringing our tongues
into subjection so they will not do the
bidding of the Devil but will bring honor
to God and to ourselves. And we do not
have to be skilled in speech to provide
that bulwark against the Devils attack.
Paul is an excellent example of one who
successfully contended against the ten
dencies that the fallen flesh has to be in
fluenced by the old system of things:
Therefore, the way I am running is not
uncertainly; the way I am directing my
blows is so as not to be striking the air;
but I browbeat my body and lead it as a
slave. And he was not concerned as to
what his neighbors thought of his detei'mined upright course of action: Just as
we have been proved by God as fit to be
entrusted with the good news, so we speak,
as pleasing, not men, but God, who makes
proof of our hearts. 2 Cor. 11:6; 1 Cor.
9:26, 27; 1 Thess. 2:4.
17 It is readily seen that the tongue, in
order to be an obedient servant of the
trained mind, must be captured and en
slaved. The tongue reflects the mind and
the heart. Jesus knew this, as he told the
Pharisees: You brood of snakes! how can
you, bad as you are, utter anything good?
For the mouth says only what the heart is
full of. A good man, out of the good he
has accumulated, brings out things that
17. What determines the type of speech we will utter,
according to Jesus words?

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are good, and a bad man, out of what he

has accumulated that is bad, brings out
things that are bad. But I tell you, for
every careless word that men utter they
will have to answer on the Day of Judg
ment. For it is by your words that you
will be acquitted, or by your words that
you will be condemned. Matt. 12:34-37,
AT.
RESISTANCE TO
ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES

1SOne has only to listen to his fellow

worker or fellow shopper or fellow stu
dent, or to read the newspapers or maga
zines, or to listen to the radio, to be bom
barded with careless words, words of no
moment. Foul and disgraceful language is
spoken everywhere one goes and it fills
the pages of popular books. Yes, at this
time of the meeting of the ages there is
a persistent effort to glorify loose speech
and a crooked tongue. It is so common
that people are inured to it and listen with
out annoyance. As Solomon pointed out:
The evildoer is paying attention to the
lip of hurtfulness. A falsifier is giving ear
to the tongue causing adversities. Prov.
17:4.
19
But bear in mind that this, too, is
something the righteous person must war
against. He must refuse to become a party
to this filthy campaign. He must keep
holding the pattern of healthful words.
This is the time the apostle Paul calls
critical times hard to deal with, when
it is so urgent to use our tongues to the
praise of God. (2 Tim. 3:1) The home to
day has become contaminated with dis
graceful speech. Father picks it up at
work, mother while shopping or at the
club, the children at play. Without think
ing every member of the family gets into
the rut and adopts this manner of con18, 19. In view of the critical times in which we
live and the careless manner of speech, what is re
quired of parents and children alike?

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versation. Children are not born with vul

gar speech, but without home training
they soon adopt gutter slang as part of
their everyday vocabulary. Parents, for
your own sakes, as well as for the sake
of your children, determine to divest your
minds of things that are not upbuilding
and fill your minds with things beneficial
and upbuilding. Then the tongues of your
children will speak worthwhile thoughts,
drawing them from educated minds.
20There is no better place to go for in
struction than the Bible. Consider, for ex
ample, this counsel from Philippians 4:8:
Whatever things are true, whatever
things are of serious concern, whatever
things are righteous, whatever things are
chaste, whatever things are lovable, what
ever things are well spoken of [gracious
in the telling, of good repute], whatever
virtue there is and whatever praiseworthy
thing there is, continue considering these
things. Based on this and the rule that
Jesus set out (that out of the abundance
of the heart the mouth speaks), the tongue
is brought into line with righteous prin
ciples when the mind is properly filled
with righteous thoughts. Only by guard
ing the mind can parents and children be
protected from the polluting speech origi
nating in the mind. Clean thoughts pro
duce clean speech; filthy thoughts, filthy
speech. For the speech to be clean, the
mind must be guarded against all impure
intrusions.
21The Bible contains a storehouse of
things true, serious, righteous, chaste, lov
able, virtuous and praiseworthy. But
these must be sought after. Contrary to
what some perhaps well-intentioned per20. (a) Where may we go for counsel on protection
for the mind and speech? (b) With what can the mind
be fed?
21, 22. (a) How may the counsel in the Bible become
our possession? (b) Can a lazy man expect to become
enlightened ?

533

sons may say, however, these things may

not be located by closing your eyes, then
opening the Bible at random and putting
your finger on the answer. The holy spirit
does not so direct people. Who sits down
and waits for his daily bread to appear
miraculously, or who chooses to be fed
intravenously three times daily? Most peo
ple say they live to eat. So they must
work to provide the food and then sit
down to the table and eat it. Spiritual
food, which Jesus said was more impor
tant than bread alone, must likewise be
diligently sought for, worked for and then
chewed and digested. To prove this, con
sider Solomons words at Proverbs 2:1-5:
My son, if you will receive my sayings
and treasure up my own commandments
with yourself, so as to pay attention to
wisdom with your ear, that you may in
cline your heart to discernment; if, more
over, you call out for understanding itself
and you give forth your voice for discern
ment itself, if you keep seeking for it as
for silver, and as for hid treasures you
keep searching for it, in that case you will
understand the fear of Jehovah, and you
will find the very knowledge of God.
22
Really, a person who never works for
his living, but is content to live on the
dole, does not have a true appreciation
for what he receives. Paul reminded the
congregation at Thessalonica that he did
not look to them for food free, but la
bored and toiled so as not to impose an
expensive burden upon any one of you.
. . . In fact, also, when we were with you,
we used to give you this order: If any
one does not want to work, neither let
him eat. It is a joy, therefore, and no
lazy mans way, for one to do as did the
noble-minded Beroeans, who carefully
examined the Scriptures daily.2 Thess.
3:8-10; Acts 17:11.

I tell you that every unprofitable saying that consider what the dis
H EN Jesus
men speak, they will render an account con
ciple James has to
spok e the
cerning it on Judgment Day; for by your
say
about what he
above words he may
words you will be declared righteous,
calls
an unruly in
have had in mind
and by your words you will be
jurious thing. (Jas.
Solomons words at
condemned." Matt. 12:36, 37.
3:8) He appreciated
Ecclesiastes 12:14:
The true God himself will bring every sort that there was power in the tongue, which
of work into the judgment in relation to could be an influence for good or for bad.
every hidden thing, as to whether it is An overseer in the Jerusalem congrega
good or bad. It makes one stop and think. tion and a member of the governing body
Is speech so important that it can deter of the early church or congregation, he
mine ones future life? If so, it would ap was deeply concerned about the internal
pear profitable for every person to take difficulties of the congregations, as had
inventory. Is it worth the effort so to been the apostle Paul concerning the con
control our lives from now on that we can gregation at Corinth, where there existed
hope for life in Gods new order of things? strife, jealousy, anger, contentions, back
2 For the effort to be rewarding it must bitings, whisperings, conceit and general
be purposeful. Recall that the apostle Paul disorders. (2 Cor. 12:20) James therefore
said he would rather browbeat his body called on the twelve tribes that are scat
and control it as his slave than face the tered about to consider carefully the need
consequences of rejection. Realizing that of putting away all filthiness, moral bad
mans course lies not in his own hands; ness, class distinctions and things that
it is not in a man to have control over his bring about stumbling. Jas. 1:1, 21; 2:
actions, we must seek proper guidance. 4, 9.
(Jer. 10:23, Mo) The source of such guid
4James asked them to acknowledge
ance is the Bible, Gods inspired Word. their imperfections and the natural ten
Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and dency to stumble. He said: If anyone
do not lean upon your own understand does not stumble in word, this one is a
ing. In all your ways take notice of him, perfect man, able to bridle also his whole
and he himself will make your paths body. If we put bridles in the mouths of
straight. (Prov. 3:5, 6) With such divine horses for them to obey us, we manage
guidance we ought to be able to talk also their whole body. Look! Even boats,
straight, to control our speech intelligent although they are so big and are driven
ly, and to bring every thought into cap by hard winds, are steered by a very small
tivity to make it obedient to the Christ.
rudder to where the inclination of the man
2 Cor. 10:5.
at the helm wishes. So, too, the tongue is
8 To realize the magnitude of the job,
a little member and yet makes great brags!
1, 2. Upon what might our future life depend, and how
. . . Well, the tongue is a fire. The tongue
can we control the outcome?
3, 4. About what condition in the congregations was
is constituted a world of unrighteousness
James concerned, and to what could he attribute it?

534

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fKeWATCHTOWER.

among our members, for it spots up all the

body and sets the wheel of natural life
aflame. Then James tells how this incon
sistent little member, the tongue, can act:
With it we bless Jehovah, even the Fa
ther, and yet with it we curse men who
have come into existence in the likeness
of God. Out of the same mouth come
forth blessing and cursing. Yes, the
tongue certainly has power for good or
for bad. Jas. 3:2-6, 9, 10.
5Just to read these words probably
causes you to bring to mind persons who
are just as double-tongued as that. But
wait; does a deeper consideration of James
words force you to apply them to your
self? Are you an exception to the rule?
Do you ever let your tongue get out of
control, like a forest fire, to the harm of
others as well as yourself? Do you forget
to use your tongue to reflect love of neigh
bor as well as love of God? That is to say,
do you praise or bless God part of the time
and berate your fellowmen at other times
with the same tongue? Do you even use
your lips to curse God, or misuse His
name when you speak uncomplimentarily
about others? Searching questions these,
but keep them before you; by no means
minimize their importance!
6The fact that one is imperfect does not
excuse him for continuously making the
same mistake. If he does, his employer
will find little use for his services. So it is
that in the abundance of words there
does not fail to be transgression, but the
one keeping his lips in check is acting dis
creetly. The tongue of the righteous one
is choice silver; the heart of the wicked
one is worth little. The very lips of the
righteous one keep pasturing many, but
for want of heart [or, good motive] the
foolish themselves keep dying. So do not
stop speaking for fear you will err, but
5, 6.
What questions might each person consider?
(b) By keeping our lips in check, what favor may be
ours?

determine to keep your lips in check, and

this is especially important concerning
those so signally honored today by God
to be shepherds in pasturing many.
Prov. 10:19-21, margin (1957 edition).
7It is difficult for sinful man to keep
his lips in check today when all around
there is such a disrespect for healthful
words. So many are inclined to pay back
with the same coin, that is to say, to an
swer with the same kind of speech. (Prov.
24:29) Without stopping to consider that
they are really lowering themselves to a
low level that they deplore, they lose their
temper and let their tongue get out of con
trol. Bad temper makes a man speak his
mind when he should be minding his
speech. David was one who was repeatedly
provoked to anger. But did he give vent
to it? He said: I will guard my ways to
keep from sinning with my tongue. I will
set a muzzle as a guard to my own mouth,
as long as anyone wicked is in front of
me. (Ps. 39:1) He knew the sinful ten
dency of man: With error I was brought
forth with birth pains, and in sin my
mother conceived me. So he prayed for
help: Do set a guard, O Jehovah, for
my mouth; do set a watch over the door
of my lips. (Ps. 51:5; 141:3) We, too,
can and should not only do everything to
bring our tongue into subjection but, ac
knowledging that it does not belong to
man who is walking even to direct his
step, we should pray to Jehovah to make
us do his will. Jer. 10:23.
BRIDLING THE TONGUE

8 This bridling of our tongue does not

prevent speech. But it helps to purify
speech. Some say they find it difficult, af
ter associating with people of the world
so long, to converse even briefly without
7. (a) In what wrong practice do many indulge?
(b) How might this be avoided?
8. (a) What addiction must we avoid, and why?
(b) How may one brand himself?

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B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

using curse words. The habit has be represent. As light bearers of the good
come as difficult to break as an alcoholic, news of Gods established kingdom, they
drug or tobacco habit. Without being al can bring glory to God, but only if they
lowed to use words that bring God or Je are proper light bearers. So let your
sus into the conversation in a loose light shine before men, that they may see
way, or to use vulgar words that they your fine works and give glory to your
have been accustomed to using, they feel Father who is in the heavens. Matt.
tongue-tied. This is a bad habit that 5:16.
10 Some are always running off at the
brings dishonor, not only to the one who
mouth,
seemingly not caring what re
is addicted to its use, but also to Jehovah
God, the Creator of the tongue. Shall we sults therefrom, even if it adversely af
just shrug it off and continue to use Gods fects close friends. Such persons you have
name in a worthless way when we know learned to shun; you even feel contami
it brings sorrow to Him? Is there any nated by associating with them, fearing
logical defense for the vicious habit? Re that their inconsiderate conduct might
member: You shall not use the name of rub off on you. Yes, you know that bad
the Eternal, your God, profanely; for the association spoils useful habits, that evil
Eternal will never acquit anyone who communications corrupt good manners,
uses his name profanely. (Ex. 20:7, Mo) that bad company ruins good morals.
There is nothing commendatory about (1 Cor. 15:33, NW, AV, RS) So be care
such speech. While he may not realize it, ful in the choice of friends. Why not
the person indulging in such speech au ch oose frien d s w ho have r e s o lv e d :
tomatically puts a brand upon himself Through [Jesus] let us always offer to
and puts himself in a distinct class. It is God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit
nothing to brag about. They keep bub of lips which make public declaration to
bling forth, they keep speaking unre his name ? Heb. 13:15.
11 Such excuses as Im sorry, I didnt
strained; all the practicers of what is
hurtful keep bragging about themselves. mean to say it, It was a slip of the
Ps. 94:4.
tongue, I spoke without thinking, do
9
Christians are authorized to be amhelp to some extent to heal unintentionally
bassadors substituting for Christ, to inflicted wounds when one does not keep
shine as illuminators in the world, to his tongue under control. But how much
declare abroad the excellencies of the better to think before you speak! How
one that called you out of darkness into much better for the mind to direct the
his wonderful light, to be the light of speech along constructive lines! What
the world. (2 Cor. 5:20; Phil. 2:15; 1 Pet. wreckage thoughtless speech can cause!
2:9; Matt. 5:14) To prove ourselves wor Uncontrolled speech usually is not thoughtthy of this high honor, we must keep out speech. It can lead to disunity, divi
that important little instrument, our sion, heartaches. One desiring to observe
tongue, under strict control so that the the two great commandments of love of
very purpose of its use in Gods service God and love of neighbor must, therefore,
will not be defeated. What Christians say bridle his tongue. But when one uninten
tionally, through thoughtless speech,
and do today reflects upon the message
Why is it important to make a careful choice of
they bear as well as upon the one they 10.
friends today?
9. What Scriptural reasons dictate that Christians to
day keep their tongues under control?

11. (a) To what can thoughtless and uncontrolled

speech lead? (b) How can one rectify an injury done
through an ill-spoken word, and when?

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537

wounds another, he ought to be humble hearts of guileless or unsuspecting ones.

enough to swallow his pride and apologize, 1 Tim. 3:8; Rom. 16:18; Matt. 23:6, 7.
ask for forgiveness. He should not allow
13All too often today people like to have
the breach to widen. He ought to heal it their ears tickled. They like a soft reli
at the first opportunity. He should not let gion. They like to hear things that give
the sun set upon him in a provoked state. them a feeling of security and well-being,
Making amends for indiscretions in speech not necessarily things that would awaken
is commendable. Not only will one be heal them to responsibility. Paul said a time
ing what might become a deep wound, but would come when they will not put up
his own conscience will be clear before with the healthful teaching, but, in accord
God and the one offended. Eph. 4:26; with their own desires, they will accumu
Acts 24:16; Eph. 4:31, 32; Matt. 5:22.
late teachers for themselves to have their
12
The days in which we live David proears tickled; and they will turn their ears
phetically pointed forward to, saying: away from the truth. (2 Tim. 4:3, 4) So
For faithful people have vanished from guard yourself from those who offer com
the sons of men. Untruth they keep speak plimentary speech, who indulge in smooth
ing one to the other; with a smooth lip double-talk, for smoother than butter are
they keep speaking even with a double the words of his mouth, but his heart is
heart. Jehovah will cut off all smooth lips, disposed to fight. His words are softer than
. . . those who have said: With our tongue oil, but they are drawn swords that can
we shall prevail. Our lips are with us. Who cause incalculable damage. David could
will be a master to us? (Ps. 12:1-4) well speak those words recorded at Psalm
Those with a double heart today are like 55:21. In Jesus day (as in the days of
the unfaithful priests and elders still re Isaiah) there was such double-talk that
maining behind in Jerusalem after a token he denounced, quoting what God said
number had been taken captive to Babylon through the prophet Isaiah: This people
in 617 B.C.E. Ezekiel records their boast honors me with their lips, yet their heart
ing and attempted justification for engag is far removed from me. It is in vain that
ing in false, detestable heathen worship: they keep worshiping me, because they
Jehovah is not seeing us. (Ezekiel, chap teach commands of men as doctrines.
ters 8 and 9) Peter counsels against such Matt. 15:8; Isa. 29:13.
double heart and double-tongue: He that
would love life and see good days, let him
USING IT POSITIVELY FOR GOOD
restrain his tongue from what is bad and
14 The control of the tongue is not limit
his lips from speaking deception. (1 Pet. ed to avoiding the saying of things that
3:10) He echoed Solomons words at Prov dishonor God and man, anymore than the
erbs 4:24: Remove from yourself the approval of ones employer is obtained by
crookedness of speech; and the deviousness
avoiding making mistakes. There is a posi
of lips put far away from yourself. One
tive side. Controlling the tongue means
of the requirements of the ministerial ser
vant in the Christian congregation is that using it to bring honor to the Creator, to
he be not double-tongued. Smooth talk, oneself and to ones fellowmen. What a
complimentary speech and pious greetings valuable use of the tongue when it is used
ax. aimed at seducing or turning away the to uphold the name, supremacy and king
dom of Jehovah God! Every Christian
iSTlsT(a) Why must a Christian not use smooth lips
or a double-tongue ? (b) What danger is there in
listening to smooth speech ?

14. What is involved in controlling the tongue?

538

SHeWATCHTOWER.

should resolve in his heart to set aside

some time every day to do that very
thing, and the resolve should be made now.
There is no more opportune time. Col.
4:5, 6.
15 Today the uplifting use of the tongue
can be applied to practically every phase
of our lives. As apples of gold in silver
carvings is a word spoken at the right
time for it. (Prov. 25:11) True, there
exists the one speaking thoughtlessly as
with the stabs of a sword, but the tongue
of the wise ones is a healing. (Prov. 12:
18) Perfect control of the tongue may be
beyond the reach of us in this present
wicked system of things, but a greater
work of healing with the tongue is pos
sible for most people than they are ac
complishing. Words from the healing
tongue can be given in the home when a
member is sick; when one is injured; in
time of sorrow; when there are worries
about health, insecurity or failures; com
forting words can be offered when there is
fear that others may dislike one; or even
to compensate for a fear of being alone.
A person of insight can tell of true values
and can assist in overcoming anxieties.
Anxious care in the heart of a man is
what will cause it to bow down, but the
good word is what makes it rejoice.
Prov. 12:25.
16 As a medical doctor is useless unless
he knows how to effect a cure or at least
some improvement, so unless one knows
how to pass along to those in need of it
the good word, he is, in effect, tonguetied. So to have control of the tongue
means to use it effectively. A diligent
study of Gods Word, the Bible, is reward
ing. The Bible is the only source of real
comfort, for it is the word of the God of
all comfort. It is to Jehovah God that we
15. In what various ways may the tongue be used to do
a healing work?
16. When only can real comfort be given, and how
then?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

look so we can have a properly directed

tongue and so use our tongue for good.
At Isaiah 50:4 the prophet said: The
Lord Jehovah himself has given me the
tongue of the taught ones, that I may
know how to answer the tired one with a
word. To comfort the tired, weary ones,
we need such tongue of the taught ones
and should petition Jehovah for it. He
welcomes a righteous ones prayer, as
James assures us: A righteous mans sup
plication, when it is at work, has much
force. So such prayer, being at work,
must be accompanied by works. Jas. 5:
16; 2:14-26.
17 The educated mind is responsible for
the proper direction of the tongue. So the
mind must be fed on truth. It must be led
by Gods active force, his holy spirit, so
that it can direct the tongue to speak the
sayings of Jehovah [which] are pure
sayings, as silver refined in a smelting
furnace of earth, clarified [purified] sev
en times. (Ps. 12:6) There is a group of
people today who have prayed for such di
vine direction and have accepted it and
dedicated their lives to serve Jehovah.
They have petitioned: Make me know
your own ways, O Jehovah; teach me
your own paths. Make me walk in your
truth and teach me, for you are my God
of salvation. (Ps. 25:4, 5) Hence they use
their time, effort and such resources as
they possess to do those things that please
God. They are an organization of talkers.
They endeavor to exercise strict control
of their tongues. They are not tongue-tied.
They would be embarrassed if they could
not use their tongues. More than that,
they would be unfaithful to their commis
sion. (1 Cor. 9:16) They realize, there
fore, the need of rendering their praises
intelligently. So they study the Bible.
18A study of the Bible is necessary to
17. What assures the proper direction of the tongue?
18. How valuable is congregational study, but what
else is a necessary part of our worship of God?

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give acceptable worship to God. There is another man spoken like this man. How
no substitute for personal study, but it different from the usual things they hear!
is not sufficient. For that reason Jehovahs
20 Such honest seekers for righteousness
witnesses throughout the earth (except in realize, after having been assisted to come
countries where demonistic anti-God au to an accurate knowledge of truth, that
thorities, political or religious, prevent it they now have a responsibility; that, hav
by totalitarian law) arrange for five oc ing received, they must now give, and
casions weekly to meet to study Gods they find it a joyful responsibility, as Je
Word together and also to discuss how sus said they would. (Acts 20:35) Solo
they might best use their tongues in prais mons statement now applies to them: Do
ing God. They realize that more than not hold back good from those to whom
meeting together is involved in worship it is owing, when it happens to be in the
ing God; they must obey the message power of your hand to do it. Do not say
and not merely listen to it to have Gods to your fellow man: Go, and come back
approval. Thus our keeping the tongue un and tomorrow I shall give, when there is
der control and our worship of God are something with you. (Prov. 3:27, 28)
interlocked. The servant of God must be Withholding life-giving information by
a daily praiser of God: at home with his keeping ones mouth shut for any reason
family, in association with friends, at may result in the deprivation of life, for
work, at school, and at play. Never may both the one withholding the information
he let down the bars and take tempo and the one who was denied it. But the
rary leave from having his controlled proper use of the tongue can bring life to
tongue used in a proper manner. We must both. It is written: As I live, says Je
remember that we have become a theat hovah, to me every knee will bend down,
rical spectacle to the world, both to an and every tongue will make open acknowl
gels and to men. 1 Cor. 4:9; Jas. 1:22. edgment to God. So, then, each of us will
19 Not to be overlooked is the dailyrender an account for himself to God.
praising of God in the door-to-door minis Rom. 14:11, 12.
21 One does not have to feel distressed
try. What an enjoyable and rewarding use
of the tongue! In such service the tongue, today because of his inability to dig out
put to the test, is a real power for good. of the Bible the truths so necessary for
Persons of honest heart are seeking to him to learn how to please God. Today
know what they may do to have Gods Jehovah has his faithful and discreet
favor, how they may qualify for being slave organization on earth to provide
men of good will and getting life. Jeho spiritual food at this proper time. (Matt.
vahs witnesses are glad for the privilege 24:45-47) That organization has associat
of acting as lifesavers, taking the word ed with it 24,900 congregations through
out the earth today. There is a congrega
of life to such people, sitting down with
tion in your neighborhood. You can
them in their homes and studying the Bi
identify the meeting place by the familiar
ble and showing them what is required in sign, KINGDOM HALL OF JEHOVAHS
order to put themselves in line for life. WITNESSES. That organization provides
No wonder they exclaim, as did the emis Bible-study aids in 166 languages for as
saries sent to arrest Jesus: Never has sisting persons of whatever nationality.
This magazine, The Watchtower, is itself
19, 20. (a) Describe a particularly enjoyable use of
the tongue, (b) What inescapable responsibility falls
on those who are assisted?

21. What further assistance is provided?

540

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

published in 71 languages and, at the last with the one who misused his tongue, the
printing, the edition was 4,950,000. Addi original liar, the Devil. They lost the right
tionally, that organization has associated to future life. The privilege of using that
with it over one million one hundred thou divinely provided instrument, the tongue,
sand persons busily engaged in using their in a right manner is extended to man to
tongues to magnify the Supreme Sover day. All seekers for truth should acknowl
eign of the Universe, Jehovah God, and to edge Jehovah as the giver of all good gifts,
exercise love of neighbor. That love is in including the gift of speech, and dedicate
dicated by their persistent calls on people their all to Him. We stand at the threshold
of all races, languages and religious per of Gods new order under his everlasting
suasions to assist them to have a better ap kingdom of righteousness. During that
preciation of the heavenly Father, so that new order every breathing thing shall
they may be saved and come to an ac praise Jehovah. (Ps. 150:6) Conversely,
curate knowledge of truth. (1 Tim. 2:4) anyone who does not render such praise
Welcome them when they call at your shall not be among those breathing. Now
is the especially acceptable time to use
home to render such help.
22
Our common parents, Adam and Eveour voices to honor our Creator, this
created in Gods image and likeness with course leading to life. (2 Cor. 6:2) The
the unquestioned ability to use their prayer of each one should be: Let the
tongues perfectly to honor their Maker sayings of my mouth and the meditation
dishonored and defamed Him by siding in of my heart become pleasurable before
you, O Jehovah my Rock and my Redeem
22. What death-dealing mistake did Adam and Eve
make, and so what should every creature today resolve
er.
Ps. 19:14.
to do?

APPRECIATION FOR
JEHOVAHS ORGANIZATION
AS TOLD BY

JOHANNES WEBER

S A small boy
I already had
a lively interest in the
Bible. Secular and Bible history were
among my favorite subjects in school. At
the turn of the century the outstanding
Bible stories were taught in our schools
in Alsace, then Germany, now part of
France. Religious instruction by the church
minister was mostly based on the Bible.
Large portions of the Hebrew Scriptures
were assigned as homework, to be learned
by heart or written out in the pupils own
words. Our big old family Bible became
my textbook. I found a powerful attraction

in the story of Jo
seph and his brothers,
though each time I
read it I was moved to tears.
The teachers soon noted that I usually
did good work on these subjects of sacred
and profane history; so much so that if,
by reason of negligence, I missed doing
my homework, they quickly detected this
and asked the reason why. In those days
we memorized the names of the sixty-six
books of the Bible, something that was to
prove very useful to me in later years.
Even when still quite young I used to
ponder the subjects of hell and the

S e p t e m b e r 1, 1 9 6 7

SKeWATCHTOWER

soul. When, at a funeral, our minister

would say: While the body begins to
crumble to dust, the spirit or soul wafts
toward heaven, I often wished I could see
some evidence of this development, though
naturally I never did.
On leaving school I was apprenticed to
a commercial concern in Strasbourg, and
though the church was just across the
street, I seldom attended. From my van
tage point in the shop where I worked I
preferred to watch others go in. Nor did
I accept the invitation to join the youth
club. As with so many other young ap
prentices, I tended to turn away from re
ligion. Nevertheless, I felt the urge to
read the Bible now and then.
Our shop changed hands, and the sis
ter of the new owner, who went to live
in a quiet valley of the Vosges mountains,
gave me a prospectus of Watch Tower
Society literature and recommended that
I obtain and read the volume
Divine
Plan of the Ages. This I did and read the
book thoroughly, noting that its teachings
were quite different from those of the
church. Unfortunately, the lady seldom
came to town after that, so I did not have
much opportunity for discussion of the
books contents.
INTEREST STIRRED

What did stir my interest in reading

more was an advertisement at the back
of this volume that quoted from Volume
II of the same series the statement: The
Gentile Times end in 1914. I said to my
self, One dare not make such a positive
statement without some evidence to prove
it. So I ordered the second volume, and
many things became clearer to me. I be
gan to realize that Jehovah God had an
organization of devoted servants on earth,
through whom he was dispensing spiri
tual food at the proper time. (Matt. 24:
45-47) Soon after, 1910-1911, I sent for

541

all the other volumes available at that

time and also subscribed for the German
edition of The Watch Tower. I can remem
ber going to the post office to pick up the
package myself and opening it on the way
home out of sheer curiosity.
I read through all these publications
twice, faithfully looking up all the Scrip
ture citations in my own Bible. I found
the chronology particularly interesting,
for it proved we were nearing the times
of restoration of all things of which God
spoke through the mouth of his holy
prophets of old time. (Acts 3:21) Still,
I had no one with whom to talk over
these vital truths, and my understanding
of many subjects, such as the military is
sue, was not clear. Thus I soon became
embroiled in military operations, for the
war was now raging. One thing, though,
I firmly resolved that I would not do any
killing, that I would carefully heed Gods
counsel set out at Genesis 9:5, 6 and Exo
dus 20:13. And, strangely enough, I was
able to maintain that resolve, and was of
ten saved out of most critical situations.
The other men used to joke about this and
say: Wherever Weber is you are safe!
At the end of the war I longed to get
in touch with the Watch Tower Society
again. It seemed like a long time before
the borders were opened and I could again
receive The Watch Tower from Switzer
land. At the time I was ignorant of the
fact that there was a small class of Bible
Students meeting regularly in Strasbourg.
I kept searching, however. Then one day I
spied a huge poster with a picture of Pas
tor Charles T. Russell, the Watch Tower
Societys first president, advertising a film
show entitled Photo-Drama of Creation.
It turned out to be the most beautiful
and imposing Bible drama I had ever seen.
And, at last, I was in touch with others
interested in study of the Bible with the
Societys Bible helps. Great crowds came

542

SnkWATCHTOWER.

to see the Drama showings, and often the

film would be followed by question-andanswer sessions lasting over two hours.
The next outstanding event was the
widely publicized lecture by J. F. Ruther
ford, second president of the Watch Tower
Society, on the topic Millions Now Living
Will Never Die. The meeting was a big
success, though fewer people seemed will
ing to take a real interest in the Bible.
TURNING POINT REACHED

The turning point in my life came in

1920 when I submitted to baptism in wa
ter as a symbol of the dedication of my
life to God. A convention of Bible Students
was held at Strasbourg in 1922, and it
was on this occasion that I received an
invitation to come and serve at the So
cietys branch office in Berne, Switzerland.
It was a great surprise for me, for I felt
that there were many others more capable
than I. However, believing that it might
well be the Lords direction, I accepted,
though I did not know how I was going
to straighten out my relationship with my
secular employer. As things turned out,
a substitute for me was soon located and
I was free to take up full-time service with
the Society. True, some tried to dissuade
me and to make me anxious about my fu
ture security. However, the overseer in
our congregation strengthened and en
couraged me in my decision.
When I arrived at Berne, preparations
were already under way for distribution
of a special issue of the Golden Age maga
zine (now Awake!). Snow and ice were
not permitted to interfere with a vigorous
campaign in which we spread the message
far and wide in this mountainous country.
In the Societys branch at Berne I was
assigned eventually to the bookbindery,
and there learned a second trade, so to
speak. There was always something most
satisfying about producing the finished

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

books for distribution by fellow Bible stu

dents in many lands. Much had to be done
by hand in those days and many extra
hours of work had to be performed, but
it was always a pleasure to use our time
in this manner.
With the passage of the years and the
growth of the work it became possible to
equip our factory with one machine after
another. The years passed quickly, and
today I can look back joyfully on fortyfive years of service with the Society. It
has been a joy to mark the advance of
Bible understanding and the great expan
sion of the Kingdom work in all parts of
the earth.
A WIDENED HORIZON

The year 1953 proved to be another out

standing period of my life. With others
who also had a long record of service, my
wife and I were invited to attend the New
York international convention. Our joy
knew no bounds! We managed to book the
last two berths on the Queen Elizabeth
and during the voyage enjoyed warm as
sociation with British Witnesses, joining
them in studies conducted on shipboard.
We shall never forget the New York
convention. We could note the friendly
and obliging attitude of many New York
ers, and were specially pleased to see how
business houses had cooperated in the ad
vertising of the convention. A brief visit
to the Societys headquarters office in
Brooklyn, as well as a trip to the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead (in those
days located upstate at South Lansing,
New York) were very refreshing. It all
made us feel so much more a part of this
wonderful organization that Jehovah is
using.
Time moved along and the work kept
increasing. Growth in Germany made it
necessary to expand the facilities of the
branch office in Wiesbaden. The Societys

Septem ber

1, 1967

SfteWATCHTOWER,

president, N. H. Knorr, made arrange

ments for transfer of our bookbindery
equipment to Wiesbaden. Much to my joy,
I was asked to go along and aid in its
installation. It was a wonderful opportu
nity to become acquainted with many of
our dear brothers in the faith in Germany.
As I look back over the years in which
Jehovah has kindly permitted me to serve
him, I can say that the lines themselves
have fallen for me in pleasant places.
(Ps. 16:6) True, age is now making itself

543

felt and physical troubles assail me. A t

times I regret that I am lacking my for
mer energies. Nevertheless, it is good to
know that I can still have a useful, though
small, share in making known Jehovahs
name.
I thank Jehovah for all his mercies, for
his guidance, and for the great privilege
that has been mine to share with other
dedicated servants in his grand work. May
he continue to sustain all in his happy
organization.

what darker than that of his brothers, and

the illustration indicates this.

On page 326 of the book Life Everlasting

in Freedom of the Sons of God, there is an
illustration of Noah's three sons, showing one
with skin darker than that of the others. How
is it determined that one was dark-complex
ioned? From whom did the Negroid peoples
descend? S.D., U.S.A.
The illustration mentioned presents three
men slaughtering an animal. The three men
represent Shem, H am and Japheth, Noah's
three sons. (Gen. 10:1) The one with skin dark
er than the others represents Ham. H am 's
name means sw arthy" or brown," and it also
carries the suggestion of hot." In The Popular
and Critical Bible Encyclopaedia, Volume II,
page 754, the comment is made: The general
opinion is that all the Southern nations derived
their origin from H am (to which the Hebrew
root Khawm, not unlike the Greek . . . , burned
faces, lends some fo r c e )." A Dictionary of the
Bible, by James Hastings, relates the Hebrew
word for Ham to an Egyptian word meaning
black" and shows that this Egyptian word is
an allusion to the dark soil of Egypt as com
pared with the desert sand. It seems reasonable
that if Ham received his nam e at birth, prob
ably he was a child with skin that was some

Ham had four sons: Cush, Mizraim, Put and

Canaan. The descendants of Mizraim, such as
Philistines and Egyptians, were not Negroid.
(Gen. 10:6, 13, 14) Canaan also was not Ne
groid, neither were his descendants. However,
H am 's son Put is shown on Bible maps as
having settled in the east of Africa, his descen
dants being Negroid. (Nah. 3 :9 ) As for H am 's
son Cush, he is very evidently a principal pro
genitor (perhaps along with Put) of the Ne
groid or dark-complexioned branch of the human
fam ily (Jer. 13:23), as indicated by the areas
of settlement of certain of his descendants. (Gen.
10:7) This fact disproves the theory advanced by
some who incorrectly endeavor to apply to the
Negro peoples the curse pronounced on Canaan,
for Canaan, the brother of Cush, did not pro
duce any Negro descendants but, rather, was the
forefather of the various Canaanite tribes of
Palestine. (Gen. 9:24, 25; 10:6, 15-18) Since it
was from H am that the dark-complexioned
peoples descended, the aforementioned illus
tration appropriately depicts H am as being
somewhat darker in skin color than his broth
ers, in harmony with the meaning of his name.
W as the prophecy of a famine by the Chris
tian prophet Agabus to be fulfilled earth wide?
Does secular history record such? J.E., U.S.A.
Agabus, together with other prophets,
down from Jerusalem to Antioch of
during the year of the apostle Paul's
there. Agabus foretold through the holy

came
Syria
stay
spirit

544

SEeWATCHTOW ER

that a great famine was about to come upon

the entire inhabited earth [Greek, oikoumene].
(Acts 11:27, 28) Concerning the use of the
word oikoumene in this text, Barnes9 Notes on
the N ew Testament states: The word here
used . . . usually denotes the inhabitable world,
the parts of the earth which are cultivated and
occupied. It is sometimes limited, however, to
denote an entire land or country, in contra
distinction from the parts of it; thus, to denote
the whole of the land of Palestine in distinction
from its parts, or to denote that an event
would have reference to all the land, and not
be confined to one or more parts, as Galilee,
Sam aria, etc. An example of the use of this
word in its limited scope, to denote an entire

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

realm or kingdom, is Luke 2 :1 : N o w in those

days a decree went forth from Caesar Augus
tus for all the inhabited earth to be registered.
It appears that the Christians in Antioch
understood the prophecy of Agabus as applying
to the land of Palestine, since the next verse
(29) states that they determined to send a
relief ministration to the brothers dwelling in
Judea. As the account states, the fam ine did
take place, the prophecy being fulfilled during
the reign of Emperor Claudius (41-54 C .E .).
(Acts 11:28) The Jewish historian Josephus
(Antiquities of the Jews, X X , 2, 5; 5, 2) refers
to this great famine and indicates that it
lasted for three or more years.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

The thirty-second chapter of Isaiah calls

attention to Gods Kingdom rule as the means
that will bring peace. Even now, as foretold in
that chapter, peace exists among the Christian
congregations of Jehovahs witnesses. They are
desirous of preserving their possession of
Christian peace and inviting others to share it
with them. To extend this invitation to others,
during September Jehovahs witnesses will be
offering in their house-to-house ministry the
fine Bible-study books Life Everlasting in
Freedom of the Sons of God and eeThings in
Which It Is Impossible for God to L ie either
one, along with a booklet, for 50c.
ANNUAL MEETING
OF PENNSYLVANIA CORPORATION

W atch Tower Bible and Tract Society of

Pennsylvania will hold the annual meeting of
the members of the corporation on Sunday,
October 1, 1967. In view of the fact that the
annual meeting does fall on Sunday this year
it is anticipated that the attendance may be
larger than usual, thus making it advisable for
the meeting to be held where we believe there
will be sufficient room for all who wish to come.
Therefore, the plans are for the annual meet
ing to be held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.
The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the
doors to the Civic Arena will be open well in
advance of program time.

Formal letters of notice will be sent to the

members of the corporation. Mention is made
of the annual meeting here as a reminder to
the members to provide the Societys Secretary
with their mailing address and also to Inform
the readers of The Watchtower who desire to
attend that they will be welcome and that the
meeting will be held this year at the Civic
Arena in Pittsburgh.
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE WORTH?

W hat would a man give for his life? T im e?

All his wealth? Yet Gods gift of life to man
is free, according to the Bible. It is free, that
is, in the sense that it cannot be bought. But
there are requirements that God h a s ' set for
those who will receive it requirements that
can be met by anyone. Learn what you must do.
It will take a little time and effort on your part,
but what would you give for your life ? Send
for the book Life Everlasting in Freedom of
the Sons of God, and receive the free booklet
God's W ay Is Love. Postpaid, 50c.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

September 24: Keeping the Tongue Under

Control. Page 528. Songs to Be U sed: 55,
100.
October 1: The Tongue A Power fo r Good
or for Bad. Page 534. Songs to Be Used:
81, 89.

'i

SEPTEMBER 15, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

GODS SPIRIT AND WORD

DIVINE PROVISIONS
FOR LIFE
RECOGNIZING THE PART PLAYED
BY JEHOVAHS ORGANIZATION
CAN YOU GET ALONG WITHOUT GOD?
HOW IMPORTANT
IS GOOD ASSOCIATION TO YOU?
W TB& TS

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JEH O VA H .-lsa. 43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very watchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h at is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare o r it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name 'T h e W a tch to w er* this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common world danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er* began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h tow er
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w e r is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book*
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

*8
PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H. K n o rr , President
G ra n t S uiter , Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah." John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:18

CONTENTS

A v e r a g e p r in t in g e a c h is s u e :

Give Respect to W hom It Is Due

547

Can You Get Along Without God?

549

Gods Spirit and Word

Divine Provisions for Life

553

Recognizing the Part Played by

Jehovahs Organization

559

The Bridegroom and Bride

Turn Attention to Family-rearing

566

A Clergyman Escapes Babylon the Great

571

How Important Is Good Association

to You?

572

Questions from Readers

575

The B ib le translation used In The Watchtower Is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols will appear behind the citations:

AS4 5 AVDy JP -

American Standard Version

An American Translation
Authorized Version (1611)
Catholic Douay version
Jewish Publication Soc.

he M oRo RSYg -

Isaac Leesers version

James Moffatts version
J. B. Rotherham's version
Revised Standard Version
Robert Youngs version

4 ,9 5 0 ,0 0 0

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for semimonthly editions
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Second-class postage paid at Brooklyn, N.Y.

Printed in U.S.A.

T ^ r iT z o u r ic ir ic r

J E H O V A H S
KINGDOM

GIVE RESPECT TO WHOM IT IS DUE

NCLUDED in the rule, just as you
want men to do to you, do the same
way to them, is the giving of respect to
whom it is due. To do so is not only right
but also the course of wisdom, for it con
tributes to good relations both with our
Maker, Jehovah God, and with our fellowman.Luke 6:31.
To give respect to whom it is due re
quires thought and good judgment and so
may be said to be an art. And since it is
a just and righteous requirement it can
also be called a virtue. As the inspired
apostle Paul commanded: Pay all of
them their dues, . . . respect to whom re
spect is due. (Rom. 13:7, RS) The mod
ern trend is away from giving respect, es
pecially on the part of youths. As one
officer of the law put it: Kids today sel
dom say, Sir.
Respect has been defined as the feeling
of esteem, regard, or consideration, excit
ed by the contemplation of personal worth,
dignity or power; that which is due, as to
personal worth and power. It implies a
reasoned estimation or evaluation of a per
son and the measure of recognition due
him.
The One above all others that is deserv
ing of our respect is our Maker, for he cer

547

tainly has personal worth, dignity and

power above all others. Yet perhaps never
before in the history of man has there
been such widespread disrespect of Him
as today, and that even by clergymen of
Christendom whose very vocation, it
would seem, obligates them to inculcate
respect for God in others. Surely all those
who say God is dead and who would
preach a religion without a living God are
offering God an insult by denying that he
exists.
However, all intelligent creatures who
have true understanding will accord the
Creator the respect that is due him. Of
course, one way in which we can do this
is by always treating Gods name with
respect, avoiding all blasphemy and pro
fanity. But there is also another way. As
the apostle Peter shows, by our very
course of action we can show respect for
Jehovah. Yes, as the saying is, actions
speak louder than words, and so by being
careful that we do not displease God by
our course of conduct, we are according
him due respect. 2 Pet. 2:11; Ex. 20:7.
Just as the Creator is entitled to our
highest respect by reason of his position,
qualities and powers, so to the extent that
others have personal worth, dignity and

548

31kW AT CHTOW ER

power they are entitled to a measure of

respect. Among such are fathers, who by
reason of their being the life-giver and
provider of their children are entitled to
respect, as the Bible shows: We used to
have fathers who were of our flesh to dis
cipline us, and we used to give them re
spect. Children can show respect to their
fathers (and their mothers) by always ad
dressing them in a respectful tone of voice
and manner. Especially can children show
respect to their parents by obeying them.
However, today many children fail to show
respect to their parents, and many parents
foolishly tolerate their childrens disre
spectful course. Heb. 12:9; Prov. 15:5;
Eph. 6:1-3.
Husbands, by reason of the headship the
Scriptures accord them and the security
they give their wives, are deserving of the
respect of their wives, even as the Bible
commands: The wife should have deep
respect for her husband. This certainly
would preclude the wifes bossing her hus
band. She does not say, as some do, I
sent my husband to the store to get some
milk. No, she can send her children, but
her husband she respectfully asks if he
would want to do this, that or the other
thing. Christian wives are counseled that
they might well win their unbelieving hus
bands for Christianity by their chaste
conduct together with deep respect. At
the same time the wise and loving hus
band will treat his wife with due respect,
as the modest, virtuous weaker vessel,
the feminine one. Eph. 5:33; 1 Pet. 3:

2, 7.
A measure of respect should also be giv
en to others having positions of authority,
such as a schoolteacher, a foreman in a
place of business or workshop, or a gov
ernment official. Here, again, this respect
can be shown by ones tone of voice and
by complying with their proper com-

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

mands, wishes and requests. On one occa

sion the apostle Paul referred to a person
who had ordered him to be struck as a
whitewashed wall. But when Paul was
informed that the man was the high
priest, Paul apologized and quoted the
Law: You must not speak injuriously of
a ruler of your people. Yes, this is an
other way in which respect can be shown
those in authority, by not speaking in
juriously of them. And, in particular,
whenever those in authority demand of
Christians a reason for the hope in them
are they to do so with a mild temper
and deep respect. Acts 23:3-5; 1 Pet.
3:15; Eph. 6:5.
Then, again, womankind as a whole is
to be shown a certain measure of respect.
Anything bordering on undue familiarity
is to be avoided. Wisely the apostle Paul
counseled the minister Timothy to treat
older women as he would his own mother
and the younger women as he would his
own fleshly sisters, all of which means
with respect. 1 Tim. 5:2.
This principle of giving respect to whom
it is due obviously applies also within the
Christian congregation. Certainly those
who have been given the oversight and
who have to take the lead should be given
respect, since they represent Jehovah God
and his Son Jesus Christ. Nor to be over
looked is the fact that the youthful mem
bers in the congregation should give re
spect to those well along in years. Lev.
19:32; Prov. 16:31; Heb. 13:17.
The widespread lack of respect for the
Creator, Jehovah God, for parents and for
others in positions of authority is one of
the indications that we are living in the
last days. However, those who are wise
and would do what is right will not go
along with this trend but will give respect
to whom it is due. 2 Tim. 3:1-5.

IS GOD VITAL TO
HUMAN EXISTENCE?
IS LIFE POSSIBLE
WITHOUT HIM?

THE SOURCE OF LIFE

EARLY two hundred years ago

Napoleon Bonaparte asked the fa
mous French astronomer Pierre Simon
Laplace why he made no mention of God
in his new book about the stars. Laplace
replied: I had no need of the hypothesis.
Although considering God unnecessary
was then a rather radical thought in some
circles, no longer is it viewed as such
today.
Now it is not uncommon for many per
sons to think that they can get along with
out God. Although saying that they be
lieve he exists, most persons do little or
nothing to show that they recognize a
need for him. They do not regularly pray
to him. They do not seek to learn his will.
Nor do they attempt to live their lives in
harmony with the fine principles found in
His Word the Bible. They may praise Bi
ble teachings as fine ideals, but they do
not adopt them to live by.
Some persons even boast that whatever
they have, they have obtained by their
own efforts, without any help from God.
Are they correct in such a conclusion? Are
we in no way indebted to or dependent
upon God? Can we really get along with
out Him?
549

To begin with, who

gave us life? Individ
ually, o f cou rse, it
was our parents. But
who originated or created human life?
To that Source we obviously are indebted.
But could life have occurred by chance,
and, therefore, not have had any intelli
gent source?
Recently this question was explored by
the noted French philosopher Claude
Tresmontant, who lectures on the philoso
phy of science at the famous Sorbonne in
Paris. In an interview, he observed: Only
very few scientists now seriously think
that pure chance can be put forward as
an explanation of the emergence of even
the simplest living organism.
He then went on to explain why a
chance combination of elements can no
longer be taken seriously as an explana
tion for the origin of life. W e are now
aware of the extraordinary complexity of
the large molecules which enter into the
composition of the living cell, he said.
Calculations have been made to discover
what likelihood there would be of hitting
on the simplest of these large molecules
through the operations of chance from an
initial state of primitive chaos, and the
conclusion is that the length of time and
the amount of matter needed for the
chance creation of a single molecule would

550

SfieWATCHTOWER

be out of all proportion to the known age

of our galaxy.
So Tresmontant observed that for mat
ter to have been able, on its own, to in
vent complex forms of life, it must be
gifted with great wisdom and incompa
rable genius. If one attributes to chance
what is radically contradictory to the laws
of probability, one is, in effect, spelling
chance with a capital letter, and using it
as a synonym for God.
Clearly, it is not unintelligent chance
but Almighty God who is the Source of
life! With the Bible psalmists the rever
ential person acknowledges: Jehovah is
God. It is he that has made us, and not
we ourselves. For with you is the source
of life. (Ps. 100:3; 36:9) Truly, we are
indebted to God for giving us life, and we
should gratefully thank Him for this mar
velous gift.
SUSTAINER OF LIFE AND PROVIDER

But now that we are alive, do we need

God? Are we in any way dependent upon
him? An infant simply cannot get along
without its earthly parents. It needs some
one to feed it, clothe it and take care of
its other necessities. Are humans similarly
dependent upon God, their heavenly Fa
ther, or Life-giver?
Many persons do not think so. What
has God done for me? they may ask.
True, they may labor hard to feed and
clothe their families, perhaps working
long hours to plant seed, and toiling be
neath a hot sun to harvest the fruitage.
Yet, who makes that seed develop into
nutritious food that can give strength to
their bodies and cause their children to
grow? How is it that seed, plus a little
water and soil, can produce such miracu
lous results? Is any human responsible?
No, but it is Gods doing! Long ago the
Christian apostle Paul discussed this mat
ter of growth, and said: I planted, Apol-

B rooklynt, N .Y .

los watered, but God kept making it grow;

so that neither is he that plants anything
nor is he that waters, but God who makes
it grow. (1 Cor. 3:6, 7) Although Paul
was here discussing spiritual growth, the
principle is equally true relative to the
growth of literal seed. God sustains the
miraculous processes that enable these to
germinate and produce the many things
that man needs.
The French astronomer Laplace haugh
tily assumed that, because he had discov
ered some of the laws responsible for the
orderly and complex movements of the
heavenly bodies, the hand of God was not
involved. But who arranged, for example,
that the earth should revolve on its axis
at just the right speed (about 1,000 miles
an hour at the equator) so that life on
earth is bathed in ideal periods of sun
light and darkness? And who set the speed
of earths orbit around the sun at some
66,600 miles per hour, which is just the
right speed to hold the earth on a course
at an ideal distance from the sun for ter
restrial life to grow and prosper?
The magnificent law and order govern
ing the universe rule out the possibility of
these ideal circumstances occurring by
chance. Jehovah God is the Creator and
Designer of the star and planetary sys
tems. As the Bible explains: He is count
ing the number of the stars; all of them
he calls by their names. (Ps. 147:4; Isa.
40:25, 26) And the law and order that
continue to govern the movement of the
planets and stars testify that God still
exists and is sustaining and enforcing
these laws. Yes, man could not get along
without Him; in fact, life would not con
tinue on earth.
Just as an infant is dependent upon its
parents for the necessities of life, so all
humans are similarly dependent upon Je
hovah God. The apostle Paul was correct
in telling people that God gives rains

Septem ber

15, 1967

3KeW AtCHT0W ER.

from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling

your hearts to the full with food and good
cheer. (Acts 14:15-17) We should, there
fore, credit God for these things and ren
der him heartfelt thanks. For, as the Bi
ble says, he himself gives to all persons
life and breath and all things, and by
him we have life and move and exist.
Acts 17:25, 28.
So whether humans choose to acknowl
edge it or not, they are indebted to God
for life and are dependent upon him for
the many physical necessities that make
life possible. Yet, does the heavenly Fa
ther only provide food to feed the body
and none to nourish the mind? Can hu
mans get along without the spiritual pro
visions of Jehovah God?
LIVING WITHOUT GOD

Although probably the vast majority of

earths population say they believe that
God exists, by choice most of them live
in ignorance of his spiritual provisions.
They turn a deaf ear to the Holy Scrip
tures. They make little or no effort to
learn about Gods provisions for recover
ing humankind from the deteriorating ef
fects of sin and blessing them with per
fect health and life in a righteous new
system of things.
The circumstance of such persons is
similar to that of the ancient Ephesians
before they became Christians. The apos
tle Paul wrote to these: You were at that
particular time without Christ, alienated
from the state of Israel and strangers to
the covenants of the promise, and you had
no hope and were without God in the
world. But now in union with Christ Jesus
you who were once far off have come to
be near by the blood of the Christ. Eph.
2:12, 13.
Before coming to a knowledge concern
ing Gods purposes those Ephesians were
without God. They were living in ig-

551

norance of his spiritual provisions and had

no genuine hope for life in lasting happi
ness. The prospect before them was of
living out a short life-span and dying. On
ly after responding to the message of the
Holy Scriptures did they enter a close re
lationship with God and enjoy the sure
hope of everlasting life. This prospect was
made possible by their acceptance of Gods
provision of Jesus Christ, through whose
sacrifice they were released from the con
demnation resulting from inherited sin
and brought near to God. Eph. 1:7; Rom.
5:12.
It is, therefore, true that one can live
temporarily without Gods spiritual pro
visions. Physical food alone will sustain a
person for a while. But, in time, it is un
avoidable that the effects of sin catch up
with him and he dies. Man, even with his
great advances in medical science, is un
able to do anything to prevent this. How
evident, then, that man needs God! He
cannot get along indefinitely without
knowing about Him and his provisions!
Jesus Christ emphasized this fact when
with his disciples, saying: This means
everlasting life, their taking in knowledge
of you, the only true God, and of the one
whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.
John 17:3.
RECOGNIZE YOUR NEED FOR GOD

However, apparently because they see

so much wickedness and human suffering
without discerning any intervention by
God, many persons question whether there
is a God, and conclude that, if there is,
they can get along without him. It causes
some even to become set in a course of
wickedness, as noted by the Bible writer:
Because sentence against a bad work has
not been executed speedily, that is why
the heart of the sons of men has become
fully set in them to do bad.Eccl. 8:11.
But just because God does not imme-

552

fikW ATCHTOW EFL

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

diately rise up and uproot wickedness is Grand Creator! Even dead loved ones will
no proof that He does not exist, or that be brought forth from their tombs. Then,
one can get along without Him. It is jump not just a few, but millions will realize
ing to a conclusion, perhaps one that a the joy experienced by the parents of the
person selfishly wishes to believe. The in twelve-year-old girl whom Jesus Christ
spired Bible psalmist notes: The wicked resurrected. The Bible record says: They
one according to his superciliousness were beside themselves with great ec
makes no search; all his ideas are: There stasy. (Mark 5:42) Imagine the rejoicing
is no God. (Ps. 10:4) Such a person on earth when Jesus sure promise is ful
who refuses to make an open-minded filled: The hour is coming in which all
those in the memo
search o f the e v i
rial tombs will hear
dence will never ar
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
Finding Freedom w ith Jehovah's Visible
his voice and come
rive at the truth. By
O rganization.

Following
F
a
ith
fu
l
Shepherds
w
ith
L
ife
o u t ! (John 5: 28 ,
con tin u in g in his
in V iew .
29)
No human pow
Is the Religion of Y ou r Parents the R ight
closed-minded, un
One fo r You?
er
can
accomplish
g ra te fu l cou rse he
A H eavenly Tem ple of W orship fo r A ll
M ankind.
this. It can c o m e
will miss out on the
about only through
grand blessings that
Jehovah God has in store for all those who the power of the original Source of life,
Jehovah God, who will use Jesus Christ
avail themselves of his provisions.
So be appreciative and thankful. Give to do the resurrecting. How obvious it is
God credit for the life you enjoy. Make that we need God, that we cannot get
known to Him your gratitude for the food along without Him.
If, now, like the Ephesian Christians of
you eat, the air you breathe, the beautiful
scenery that delights your eye, the melo long ago, you accept Gods provision for
dious sounds that please your ear, and His recovering mankind from condemnation to
many other blessings. Begin now! For ex sin and death, you will have the happy
ample, the next time you sit down to a prospect of never, throughout all eternity,
meal, why not give Jehovah God heartfelt being without God. Rather, you will be a
thanks for providing the food? It was He personal part of the glorious scene de
who made it grow.
scribed in Gods Word the Bible:
However, you need more than just Gods
Look! The tent of God is with man
physical provisions. Life is only temporary kind, and he will reside with them, and
and empty without His spiritual food to they will be his peoples. And God himself
nourish the mind and heart. (Matt. 4:4) will be with them. And he will wipe out
Therefore, show your appreciation for every tear from their eyes, and death will
this provision by setting aside time for be no more, neither will mourning nor
regular Bible study. Do not put it off! outcry nor pain be any more. The former
Jehovahs witnesses will be happy to as things have passed away.
sist you to obtain this valuable knowledge
Can you confidently trust that this is an
concerning God and his purposes. You authentic promise? Yes, indeed, for the
cannot get along without it. Remember: Bible goes on to give the assurance: And
Jesus said that it means everlasting life. the one seated on the throne said: Look!
O how grand it will be when the re I am making all things new. Also, he
demptive power of Christs sacrifice is ap says: Write, because these words are
plied in behalf of all who appreciate their faithful and true. Rev. 21:3-5.

Did you know,

however, that there
is a more deadly, yet
subtle, air being
breathed in today
than the literal air
F YOU
..............................................
awoke
that is becoming
from sleep to
more and more pol
find that you were
luted? or that the
breathing in deathvast m a jo r i t y of
dealing fum es,
mankind are c o n
would you not fight
suming a steady diet
y o u r w a y ou t to
o f f o o d and
fresh air? If you
drink that is send
learned that your
ing them rapidly to
diet contained poi
the grave? Spiritu
sonous substances
ally speaking, the
that were weaken
air or worldly at
ing your bod y so
mosphere that most peo
ple breathe in today is the
much that you
spirit of the w o r l d ,
w ou l d s o o n die,
which has been judged as
would you not
unclean by Jehovah.
c h a n g e to t h a t
(1 Cor. 2:12; Rev. 16:17which would give
21) There is this common
nourishment and
inclination of mind that
health to the body?
so permeates the whole
Yet, despite our
If is the spirit that is life-giving;
of society that it causes
concern to elim i
the flesh is of no use at a ll. The
people to think, to speak
nate i m m e d i a t e
sa yin g s that I have spoken to you
and to take certain at
dangers, it is get
a re spirit and a re life . John 6 : 6 3 .
titudes and viewpoints,
ting to be increasand
to
follow
a
rather well-defined pat
ingly difficult for us to live on the earth
tern
of
conduct
that runs counter to
at all because of the contamination of the
air we breathe, the food we eat and the the influence of Gods spirit and the in
water we drink. Fallout from atomic ex struction in his Word, the Bible. This is
plosions and harmful smokes and chemi not strange, since the whole world is ly
cals pollute the air, as well as food and ing in the power of the wicked one, Sa
water supplies. The growing and process tan the Devil, who is described as the god
ing of food often leave it depleted nu of this system of things, and as the ruler
tritionally and tainted with poisons and of the authority of the air, the spirit that
additives. Sewage and other wastes pour now operates in the sons of disobedience.
into the streams and lakes supplying fresh
(1 John 5:19; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2) Un
water, bringing disease and death to many
less
we get awake to the lethal effects of
who drink it. Added to this peril is the

GOD'S S P IR IT
I

'/

Divine Provisions
for Life

critical shortage of food and fresh water

in. many parts of the world.
1. What endangers the air and food supplies of man,
making it increasingly difficult to live on earth?

2. (a) What air is more deadly than natural air

that has been contaminated, and from where does it
come? (b) Contrast the outcomes of those guided by
the spirit of the world and those guided by God's
spirit.

553

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SEeWATCHTOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

this spirit that is created by the Devil and feeble. From the sole of the foot even to
that caters to the selfish desires of the the head there is no sound spot in it.
flesh, we will perish. We must, rather, Jer. 2:13; Isa. 1:4-6.
4If he is to make right decisions lead
seek to be guided by the holy spirit of
God, and thus be motivated to walk in the ing to life, man needs solid food based on
pure and righteous way that leads to life. truth on which to feed his mind, not
For those who are in accord with the worldly wisdom. Jesus put the emphasis in
flesh set their minds on the things of the the right place when being tempted by the
flesh, but those in accord with the spirit Devil: It is written, Man must live, not
on the things of the spirit. For the mind on bread alone, but on every utterance
ing of the flesh means death, but the mind coming forth through Jehovahs mouth.
ing of the spirit means life and peace. (Matt. 4:4) The mind of man needs divine
wisdom to think straight. There must be
Rom. 8:5, 6.
3
Is the spiritual diet provided for thea basis of truth on which to build. In
minds of the masses any better than the prayer to God, Jesus stated: Your word
air they breathe? The groans of a sick is truth. (John 17:17) It is by a careful
world, ready to die, give the ominous an study of the Bible, the book of truth, that
swer. The ever-growing violence, greed, we appreciate the only way to everlasting
immorality and blasphemy against God in life, that is, through the sacrifice of Jesus
the world are the terrible results. They Christ. Jesus said to them: I am the
have pushed aside the pure food of Gods bread of life. He that comes to me will not
Word, which would bring spiritual health get hungry at all, and he that exercises
and give instruction in the way to ever faith in me will never get thirsty at all.
lasting life, and have turned aside to the John 6:35; Jas. 3:13-18.
5Paul wrote to the Hebrew Christians
philosophy, the theories, the codes of
ethics, the plans, the ideologies and, yes, who were slow in understanding the deep
even the divisive influences of the religious er things regarding Jesus as the Messiah:
sects of this old system. Just as physical Concerning him we have much to say
food and water that are contaminated and hard to be explained, since you have
make the body sick and hasten death, so become dull in your hearing. But solid
the feeding on this diet has made the food belongs to mature people, to those
masses of mankind so sick that God con who through use have their perceptive
siders them dead though living. (Eph. 2: powers trained to distinguish both right
1; 1 Tim. 5:6) Two bad things that my and wrong. (Heb. 5:11, 14) He further
people have done: They have left even me, warned: Look out: perhaps there may be
the source of living water, in order to hew someone who will carry you off as his
out for themselves cisterns, broken cis prey through the philosophy and empty
terns, that cannot contain the water. deception according to the tradition of
They have left Jehovah, they have treat men, according to the elementary things
ed the Holy One of Israel with disrespect, of the world, and not according to Christ.
they have turned backwards. Where else Col. 2:8; Ps. 119:104, 105.
6No doubt about it, if we want life in
will you be struck still more, in that you
add more revolt? The whole head is in a 4. In contrast to the wisdom of this world, what type
of food does man need for his mind?
sick condition, and the whole heart is 5.
What will the solid food of Gods Word aid one
3. What is the spiritual diet of the masses of mankind,
and what has been the effect?

to do?
6. Because God wants man to live, what provisions has
he made for him?

Septem ber

15, 1967

STkWATCHTOWER

555

Gods new system of things, we must stop with the aid of Gods holy spirit. 1 Cor.
breathing in the spirit of the world and 13:8-13; 2 Pet. 1:19-21.
henceforth let Gods holy spirit be a mo
8
But does this mean that the holy spir
tivating force in our lives. We must stop it no longer works in our behalf? No,
feeding upon the husks of worldly knowl powerful works were just one operation of
edge and stop drinking the polluted waters the spirit. Paul shows that there are va
of man-made ideas, while we henceforth rieties of gifts, but there is the same spir
feast upon the spiritual food and drink in it. (1 Cor. 12:4-6) Jesus said: It is the
the knowledge and truth of Gods Word. spirit that is life-giving; the flesh is of no
The choice is really one of life or death. use at all. The sayings that I have spoken
We must accept Gods provisions for life to you are spirit and are life. When the
or we will lose out. If we really want life, helper arrives that I will send you from
He will help us to get it, because it is not the Father, the spirit of the truth, which
his will that any should perish. The divine proceeds from the Father, that one will
provisions of his spirit and Word are two bear witness about me; and you, in t o n ,
strong guarantees of this. 2 Pet. 3:9; are to bear witness, because you have
Ezek. 33:11; John 7:37-39.
been with me from when I began. (John
7
The question arises now, How can we6:63; 15:26, 27) Since Pentecost 33 C.E.,
get the greatest benefits from these divine Jehovahs holy spirit has continued to be
provisions for life? Jehovah does not mi a helper, a remembrancer, a teacher,
raculously open our minds and pour in an and a witness bearer. (John 16:7-16; 14:
understanding. He has never worked that 25, 26; Mark 13:11) After it inspired the
way. We must search for knowledge and last Bible writer, John, to close the Bible
understanding as if for hidden treasures. canon, it has fulfilled these roles primarily
(Prov. 2:1-9) If our hearts are right and by aiding Jehovahs true servants to get
we really want to serve God, he will give a progressive understanding of Gods
us understanding, but not forcibly. Wor Word and to spread the good news in all
ship must be completely voluntary, from the world as a witness. There was no need
the heart. While he gave inspiration to for additional revelations but to under
Bible writers and others, they had to use stand what had been written already. Paul
their intellect to learn Gods will and make put it this way: For it is to us God has
their own decision to serve him. Often revealed them through his spirit, for the
they did not fully understand what they spirit searches into all things, even the
received by inspiration. (Dan. 12:8, 9;
deep things of God. Now we received, not
1 Pet. 1:10-12) He does not take posses
the spirit of the world, but the spirit
sion of us as the demons do when they
which is from God, that we might know
control a persons mind that has been giv
the things that have been kindly given us
en over to them. We do not get the holy
by God. These things we also speak, not
ghost or spirit, along with visible mani
with words taught by human wisdom, but
festations, as in the days of the apostles.
with those taught by the spirit, as we
When the apostles and those closely asso
combine spiritual matters with spiritual
ciated with them died, there were no more
words. 1 Cor. 2:10, 12, 13.
powerful works or miracles performed
7. (a) Does God give us an understanding of his Word
miraculously? (b) How shall we view the operations of
God's spirit upon the prophets and Bible writers?

8. (a) While powerful works are no longer performed

by the holy spirit, what operations have continued
down until today? (b) How does God's spirit help
us to understand the things kindly given us by God ?

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

9 The process, then, calls for a change

in thinking. We have to stop breathing in
the spirit of this world and to work for
a new spirit or force within us that is in
harmony with Gods spirit and Word.
Gods spirit has always worked in har
mony with his Word. It cannot go con
trary to it. He will not give us some con
trary direction or new direction if he has
it there in his Word for us to learn, but
he will help us to understand what is writ
ten. We must get the understanding of
spiritual matters by getting the spiritual
words in the Bible clear in mind. We have
to get the related parts fitted together so
that we get spiritual understanding. Paul
wrote Timothy: Keep holding the pattern
of healthful words that you heard from
me with the faith and love that are in con
nection with Christ Jesus. This fine trust
guard through the holy spirit which is
dwelling in us. 2 Tim. 1:13, 14; Eph.
3:14-19.
10 In themselves, the pages of the Bible
are merely paper with ink upon them,
whether bound in fancy or plain cover.
However, when one begins to study these
spirit-inspired words with a good heart,
a powerful force is generated so that it
truly can be said that Gods spirit is being
absorbed by the discerning reader. This is
really one of the outstanding operations
of the holy spirit, by reason of the force
put into Gods Word by holy spirit. It
produces results when it begins to work
in our lives. For the word of God is alive
and exerts power and is sharper than any
two-edged sword and pierces even to the
dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints
and their marrow, and is able to discern
thoughts and intentions of the heart.
(Heb. 4:12) The Word of God is that pene
trating! It gets down to our motives for
9. How can we acquire the pattern of healthful words
in our minds?
10. In what way does Gods spirit work through his
Word?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

doing things. It distinguishes between

what we appear to be as a living creature,
the soul, and what we really are at heart,
in attitude, in spirit. If we let it act in our
lives, it will counteract wrong ideas, im
pure motives and selfish desires. It can
create within us a powerful force to mo
tivate toward righteousness.Jer. 17:9,

10.
WORKING FOR A NEW SPIRIT

11 When Jehovah made man, he gave

him the marvelous faculty of a reasoning
mind. What a gracious gift this was! The
minds of Adam and Eve were not printed
circuits that could produce only predeter
mined thoughts or results on a given stim
ulus. Neither were they robots, controlled
from heaven according to their every
move. Rather, Jehovah would teach them
progressively all the things they needed to
know in order to make right decisions in
life. Right and wrong were not to be
learned by the empirical (or trial and er
ror) method. Perceptions would be taken
in through the senses and would be asso
ciated together into patterns of knowl
edge. This could be put to use at the mo
ment or stored in the memory for later
use. In time man would have in his mental
reservoir a vast accumulation of learning
from his Creator that he could put to use
as wisdom in carrying out Gods purpose
for him with understanding. Prov. 3:1-7.
12 The workings of the mind are very
complex, but we know that from the time
one is born there is present a mental force
that motivates him to do things. The Bible
speaks of this mental inclination or moti
vating force as the spirit (
, He
brew;
pneuma,Greek) of man. (Prov. 25:
28; 1 Cor. 2:11) It springs from ones de11. How did God purpose that man use his mind?
12. (a) What did Jehovah create within the minds
and hearts of men to cause them to have incentive?
(b) How does man differ from the lower animals as
to the potential of this mental force ?

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sires, needs, aspirations and other stimuli from the bad way. Prov. 2:10-12; Dan.
both inside and outside the body, and is 11:3; 1 Cor. 7:37.
given intensity of force by reason of cul
14 Our first parents did not continue to
tivating them. The lower animals have a take in right knowledge and strengthen
spirit too; but, in contrast, this mental their wills to fulfill Jehovahs purpose for
force drives them to do things according them. They let wrong desire become fer
to instinct, varying little from the way tile so as to motivate them to a course of
their progenitors did things for centuries self-determination. (Jas. 1:14, 15; 2 Cor.
past. With man, the potential of this men 11:3) They sinned, and by inheritance we
tal inclination to exert itself in more than have the same tendencies. The inclina
one direction according to a reasoned-out tion of the heart of man is bad from his
course gives him the ability to choose, and youth up. (Gen. 8:21) David confessed:
thus man is a free moral agent. Yet, the Look! With error I was brought forth
freedom man has is limited. It has bounds. with birth pains, and in sin my mother
It must of necessity be that way in his conceived me. Faced with the wretched
own interests, since there are many things ness of his sinful course, he prayed con
that he can choose to do which are harm tritely: Create in me even a pure heart,
ful. The Creator of man, knowing what is O God, and put within me a new spirit,
good for him, mentally and physically, has a steadfast one. Do not throw me away
set reasonable bounds that are not burden from before your face; and your holy spir
some. 1 John 5:3; 1 Pet. 2:16.
it O do not take away from me. (Ps. 51:
13
Closely associated with this driving5, 10, 11) We have to study Gods Word
force is a persons will, which is the facul diligently and take to heart its counsel to
ty of conscious and deliberate action. It have this new spirit. We have to respond
denotes fixed and persistent intent and to the leadings of Gods holy spirit. Left
purpose. How one takes in knowledge and to our own judgment, we would often fall
relates this together so as to have under and be led into wrong pathways, despite
standing has a great bearing on the will. any sincere intentions. Hence, the apostle
There are motivating mental forces be counsels: Put away the old personality
hind our actions, and the control that our which conforms to your former course of
will exercises upon these forces deter conduct and which is being corrupted ac
cording to his deceptive desires; but . . .
mines whether we do one thing or some
be made new in the force actuating your
thing different. We call this willpower. We
mind, and . . . put on the new personality
can strengthen our will with reasons for which was created according to Gods will
doing the right thing as determined by in true righteousness and loyalty.Eph.
God and by the consequences of doing the 4:22-24.
wrong thing, and by doing this our mo
15 If one prays, studies and works for a
tivating force will direct us in the proper right spirit and is determined to have it,
way. When wisdom enters into your God is faithful in that He will help that
heart and knowledge itself becomes pleas person to have a good spirit. Jesus em
ant to your very soul, thinking ability it phasized the need to pray for Gods spirit
self will keep guard over you, discernment
14. (a) Because of sin, what is the nature of mans
itself will safeguard you, to deliver you inclination of mind? (b) How can we have a new spirit
13. Discuss the performance of ones will in relation
ship to his spirit.

to actuate our minds?

15. To keep a good heart and the right spirit, what
is needed?

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to strengthen our own spirit: Keep on spirit of cowardice, but that of power and
the watch and pray continually, that you of love and of soundness of mind. 2 Tim.
may not enter into temptation. The spirit, 1:7; Luke 11:13.
of course, is eager, but the flesh is weak.
17We should not feel that our trials are
(Matt. 26:41) Our spirit has to be given always special ones involving the great is
a boost or be inclined so strongly in the sue of universal sovereignty, such as Jobs
right direction that any fleshly desire to trial was, and yet never should we go to
go the wrong way or follow the course of the other extreme and feel that we are
least resistance is counteracted. Then we not contributing to the vindication of Je
will not give in to temptation or allow hovahs name by our course of faithful
place for the Devil. (Eph. 4:27) With ness under test. The Devil and his demons
our minds awake, alive, eager to do Gods would act to destroy Gods servants with
will, we will be able to move the flesh to out any mercy if God did not provide the
obey despite its limitations and imperfec necessary protection and the climate
tions. 1 Cor. 9:26, 27; Rom. 6:12-14.
wherein faith, hope and love could be nur
16
Thus, God does not perform a miracletured and integrity worked out. The Devil
in our case and remove imperfection and repeatedly calls into question the integrity
the inclination to sin from our bodies. It and uprightness of Gods servants and he
is still there, and we are very conscious of often maneuvers matters so that we are
it day by day, even though we apply our tempted, abused, threatened or otherwise
selves diligently to a godly course. I find, interfered with. Some issues are cut very
then, this law in my case: that when I sharply, and it may at times seem to be
wish to do what is right, what is bad is a very close decision as to whether the in
present with me. I really delight in the dividual will maintain integrity and faith
law of God according to the man I am fulness under test. If Jehovah effected mi
within, but I behold in my members an raculous deliverance indiscriminately, then
other law warring against the law of my there would be a basis for the Devil to
mind and leading me captive to sins law taunt Jehovah, that he did not let the is
that is in my members. . . . So, then, with sue run its full course: Jehovah helped
my mind I myself am a slave to Gods him right at the crucial point; if He had
law, but with my flesh to sins law. (Rom. not delivered him just then, he would sure
7:21-25) We would be unable to triumph ly have failed the test that I set up that
over the desires of the flesh in our own time. Thus the results would be inconclu
strength. That is why God grants us the sive as to the issue. Prov. 27:11; Rev.
help we need over and above what we are 7:1-4, 9-17.
able to do ourselves to meet the require
18 On the other hand, if the test or trial
ments, that the power beyond what is is being taken beyond what is reasonable,
normal may be Gods and not that out of beyond the point where it would prove
ourselves. (2 Cor. 4:7) He gives us his
anything pertaining to the issue, then
spirit, not to perform a miracle to take
there would be justification for Jehovah
away the problem, but to give us the un
to
step mercifully into the picture with
derstanding on how to cope with it, to
endure it, to be trained by it, to prove in relief, with some operation, either by his
tegrity by it. For God gave us not a
16. (a) What continues to work in opposition to our
renewed minds? (b) What is needed in order to triumph
over the desires of the flesh?

17. (a) As we undergo various trials, of what should

we not lose sight? (b) Why are we subjected fully
to the test at times?
18. What can we expect in the way of relief from
Jehovah?

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holy angels who are public servants in be It is the man we are inside that we want
half of the holy ones on earth or other to keep renewed and to safeguard. As we
wise. The individual may not feel this endure, we remember that Jehovah is
special help, but he will feel the relief. Je making an estimate of spirits. (Prov.
hovah can call a halt to matters, making 16:2) He watches to see if we are letting
a way out, if the test has served its pur the spirit of this world and its wisdom
pose, or he can allow it to run its limit, motivate us, or if we are keeping close to
in some instances, if faithfulness to death his Word and responding to his spirit. Do
is the only way the issue can be settled. not be grieving Gods holy spirit . . . go
Consequently let him that thinks he is on perceiving what the will of Jehovah is.
standing beware that he does not fall. No . . . keep getting filled with spirit. Eph.
temptation has taken you except what is 4:30; 5:17, 18; Gal. 5:16-26.
common to men. But God is faithful, and
20
If we are going to make it into Gods
he will not let you be tempted beyond new order of things for mankind, we must
what you can bear, but along with the avail ourselves of all the provisions Jeho
temptation he will also make the way out vah has made for life. In this article we
in order for you to be able to endure it. have seen how his spirit and his Word are
1 Cor. 10:12, 13; 2 Cor. 4:7-12.
indispensable aids without which we can
19
How comforting the words of Paul:not do. There is a third provision that is
Therefore we do not give up, but even if indispensable also, and in the next article
the man we are outside is wasting away, we will see how it too is a loving provision
certainly the man we are inside is being from Jehovah to his people in their quest
renewed from day to day. (2 Cor. 4:16) for life.
19. Since Jehovah is making an estimate of spirits,*
what should we be careful to do?

20. Jehovah has given us his spirit and his Word for
what purpose? What will the next article show?

JEHOVAH'S ORGANIZATION
One isolating himself will seek his own selfish longing; against all practical wisdom
he will break forth. Prov. 18:1.
HEN Jehovah God created man
and then created his helpmate
woman, he purposed that they should mul-

1. What craving did Jehovah put within human crea

tures, and what happens when this cannot be satisfied
properly ?

tiply their kind upon the earth and fill the

earth. In time, the earth would be teem
ing with perfect human creatures, yet not
overfilled. It was not Gods will that any
should live lives that were unrelated to

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others. They were to live as one huge hap

py family of God, each being concerned
for and having regard for those around
him. Man is gregarious by nature. We all
love the association of others. One of the
extreme means of punishment is to put
a person in solitary confinement. Some of
Gods servants have thus been treated and
it became necessary to call upon all the
resources at their disposed to keep their
spiritual and mental equilibrium. They
were alone as to their relationship with
other human creatures, but Jehovah
strengthened them for the ordeal by his
spirit. He caused them to remember the
things that they had studied beforehand
in his Word and all the counsel and en
couragement that had been received pre
viously in association with Gods people.
By continually going over these things in
their minds, they kept their faith strong
and filled the need for association with
others so that they were able to maintain
their spiritual balance.
2 Nevertheless, the fact remains that
man cannot easily maintain his mental
balance if cut off for long periods of time
from association with his fellow creatures.
We crave association, good companion
ship. How well this emphasizes the im
portance of Jehovahs provisions through
his organization! We need his spirit and
we need his Word, but we also need the
benefits of his organization if we are suc
cessfully to gain life in his new order. Je
hovah lovingly brings us together and has
us cooperate as a body, with mutual bene
fits to all the members. Not only this, but
we are brought into association with Je
hovah, with his Son, Jesus Christ, and
with the millions of other heavenly crea
tures. These heavenly creatures are close
ly associated with Jehovah in carrying out

his purpose and they are his heavenly

organization, referred to symbolically as
his wife. We as human creatures can have
the motherlike attentions of his wifely or
ganization, if we put ourselves in a posi
tion to receive these. We cannot feel the
presence of the angels and they do not
materialize to help us today as they did
in Bible times, but they, nevertheless, are
there to minister to our needs.Heb. 1:7,
14; Ps. 34:7; Matt. 18:10.
8
Logically the visible part of Jehovahs
organization is built around those remain
ing of the spirit-begotten disciples who
will, in time, be in heaven with Christ Je
sus as part of the heavenly government.
Jesus prophetically foretold that they
would be busily serving up spiritual food
at the proper time when he arrived the
second time. In harmony with his words
at Matthew 24:45-47, they have now been
given charge of all the Masters kingdom
interests on earth, not only to supply
spiritual food to the household of faith,
based on Gods Word, but to supervise the
preaching work world wide and to care
well for all the great crowd of righthearted ones who are coming into their
midst to be taught of Jehovah. (Isa. 2:
2-4) A great dividing work is being done,
with the sheep being divided to the one
side for life and the goats to the other
for death. How each individual responds
to the message of Christs brothers, the
spirit-begotten ones making up this faith
ful and discreet slave, will dictate on
which side he will be placed. (Matt. 25:
31-46) The sheeplike ones are glad that
Jehovah has left a remnant of these
brothers on the earth to take the lead
in worship and to serve as a channel
through which so many tangible benefits
are dispensed to help them gain life.

2. How has Jehovah taken note of the needs of his

servants in arranging for them to be associated with
others of his creatures?

3. (a) Who logically make up the nucleus of Jehovahs

visible organization? (b) What is involved in their
taking care of all the Masters interests in the earth?

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3TieW ATCHTOW ER.

4The trend today among many moderns

who adopt the spirit of this world is to
avoid being part of an organization. To
them this is regimentation and deprives
them of their freedom. They protest, they
rebel, they riot, they challenge by dis
obeying and otherwise show their opposi
tion to any restraints that society in gen
eral imposes. Rebellion against God and
against reasonable regulations may make
one less conscious of sin when indulging
the weaknesses of the body and may give
one a feeling he is not restrained by other
individuals or the rules of an organization,
but he grows old and dies just like those
of preceding generations. The principles
of God and his requirements for life do
not change as a result of a persons chang
es in philosophical views or norms of con
duct.Prov. 19:20, 21; 1 Pet. 2:16; Gal.
6:7, 8.
5A rebellious son may leave the wellordered home of his father because of not
liking the necessary restraints and con
ditions under which he is allowed to live
there. He may choose to disregard all the
instruction given to him by his parents,
thinking thereby to get real freedom.
But what father who has a natural love for
all his children would not hope that the
rebellious son would carefully consider his
immature course and see that he was not
really gaining freedom but was striking
out on a long road of hardship, heartache
and perhaps a disgraceful death? Some
where along the line, if he did not change,
his life would likely end in violence or
with him a disillusioned mental wreck.
How different from the wise son who re
sponds to needed discipline, grows to ma
turity under the loving tutelage of his
parents and then takes his place in the
larger organization, the congregation or
4. As to becoming a part of an organization, what is
the trend of most people in the world?
5. In throwing off all restraints, what does one fail
to realize? What will a wise son do?

561

community, as a useful, happy person!

Luke 15:11-32.
6 Jehovah has, therefore, wisely provid
ed that his people should be working to
gether in an organized way like a family
with himself as Father and Head. This is
done, not to unduly restrict our freedom,
but to help us to use our God-given free
dom in a right way. We enjoy meeting to
gether to talk about Gods Word and have
it explained to us. We are strengthened
when we work together in carrying out
our commission to preach the good news
to all in our community. In being brought
together, we learn how each one is faring
in his service to Jehovah, so that we can
carry the burdens of one another, yet not
prying unduly into one anothers private
lives. How would we be able to carry on
all these essentials of the Christian min
istry without working together as an or
ganization? Moreover, what confusion
would come about if Jehovah were dealing
with each of us individually, giving this
one a new truth and that one a revelation;
or that one an interpretation and this one
a commission of work, all independent of
one another! Rather, Jehovah has seen fit
to work through his organization in pro
viding food for all at the proper time.
Unifying service instructions are given so
that all might work together in preaching
the good news efficiently and to accom
plish the best results. 1 Cor. 14:26-33,
40; Rom. 15:1, 2; Eph. 4:16.
7Today Jehovahs witnesses are found
in 199 lands. There are 96 branches, all
tied in with the central headquarters in
Brooklyn, New York, namely, the Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society. There the
work of the governing body of anointed
ones is centered, and from here they give
6. Jehovahs organization might be likened to what,
and how does being organized facilitate all things
being cared for efficiently?
7. What is more important than the location of the
headquarters of the earthly organization?

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supervision to the preaching world wide soul and strength. Yet this complete de
and the preparation of publications con votion to God does not crowd out the ob
taining spiritual food. If Jehovah had not ligation to love our neighbor as we do our
long ago tested out and cleansed his peo selves, and even to love our enemies. To
ple and put his spirit upon them, and if do this, we cannot worship God and carry
they were not working closely in harmony out his commission of work independently
with his Word, they would be no different of others who are doing the same thing.
from any other religious body that was Hence, Jehovahs witnesses, wherever
incorporated to carry on a work. They they are, have the privilege of working
know that where the headquarters is lo with a congregation organized under the
cated is not the important thing, or even supervision of the governing body of Je
the name of the corporation. However, the hovahs witnesses. Where there are only
central organization is located in New one or two in a group, and a congregation
York city because of the definite advan has not yet been formed, they receive
tages in getting the good news printed and benefits directly from headquarters and
distributed world wide rapidly. Location visits from traveling representatives as
was important to the Samaritans as well they have group studies and visit others
as the Jews, this prompting the Samari with the good news. Even behind the Iron
tan woman to say to Jesus: Our fore Curtain our brothers see the need to have
fathers worshiped in this mountain; but their group meetings regularly and to
you people say that in Jerusalem is the preach to others systematically, although
place where persons ought to worship. at the risk of their lives.
Jesus said to her: Believe me, woman,
BENEFITS TO YOU PERSONALLY
The hour is coming when neither in this
9
Let us take a typical congregation and
mountain nor in Jerusalem will you peo
ple worship the Father. . . . the hour is assume that you became associated with
coming, and it is now, when the true wor that congregation in a way similar to
shipers will worship the Father with spirit that of thousands of others of Jehovahs
and truth, for, indeed, the Father is look Christian witnesses who have become as
ing for suchlike ones to worship him. God sociated. What benefits would you have
is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must received and would you continue to re
worship with spirit and truth. (John 4: ceive from Jehovahs organization in your
20-24) So location is not the important quest for life in his new system of things?
First of all, very likely you were brought
thing. It is you with Gods spirit!
the
hope of everlasting life by a member
8
Wherever a person is in the earth,
of
the
local congregation who came to
then, it does not matter. Neither do we
your
door
and gave a brief Bible sermon
have to face in a certain direction or as
sume a certain pose in worshiping the Fa to stimulate your interest in the Bible and
ther. Orderliness, but not empty ritual! then left with you some Bible literature
The main thing is, What is in our hearts? prepared by the organization. A small ter
Our spirit or motivating force must be in ritory assignment had been made up in
harmony with Gods Word of truth and cluding your home and it was issued to
responding to his holy spirit. We must that member by the congregation. Like all
love Jehovah with all our heart, mind, other ministers throughout the world, he
8.

How are Jehovahs

community level?

witnesses

organized

on the

9. How would one be assisted by the organization on

first being contacted?

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was preaching the good news therein ac

cording to instructions received through
the organization, which, among other
practical points, suggested that he try to
reach every person in the territory with
the message of Gods kingdom and to fol
low up any interest shown with return vis
its and Bible studies. He did return and
studied with you for a period.
10In time, as you took in knowledge and
your appreciation grew, you responded to
an invitation to come to one of the meet
ings of the congregation. You saw, as you
attended more frequently, that these were
all arranged so that there was a balanced
spiritual diet. The deeper things from
Gods Word were received along with gen
eral encouragement and counsel. New
truths were learned and there was re
freshment in reviewing old ones. (Matt.
13:52) There was instruction on how to
carry out the ministry. Your appreciation
of Gods channel for dispensing food at
the proper time increased steadily. You
listened to others speak from the plat
form and then you joined in commenting
when there was audience participation.
Later you enrolled in the Theocratic Min
istry School to receive special training in
speaking, composition, Bible research, ref
utation, and so forth. There was a differ
ent spirit here, and you enjoyed this
Christian association. All this built you up
spiritually and prepared you for future
service. All these benefits you began to
receive because you had begun to asso
ciate with Jehovahs organization.Heb.
10:23-25.
11As your knowledge of Jehovahs re
quirements grew, it became clear to you
that being a member of the congregation
of Jehovahs Christian witnesses did not
mean that you were just a part of the

laity, requiring no more than to listen and

put money in a collection plate. In fact,
you never saw a collection plate passed
at any of the meetings. You were learning
that your faith was, not a dead faith, but
one that was alive. You wanted to tell
others about the good things you were
learning. You accepted the invitation ex
tended by the one teaching you to accom
pany him from house to house in the wit
nessing work. You learned the best ways
of carrying on the ministry by doing the
talking. Thus you availed yourself of an
other training arrangement in the organi
zation that helped you to be a better min
ister of God.Acts 20:20, 21; Heb. 13:
15, 16; Jas. 1:22-25.
12 You noticed early in your association
that the congregation had appointed ser
vants who ministered to the needs of the
congregation. Before they were appointed
by the governing body, they had to mea
sure up to Bible standards for overseers
and ministerial assistants. (1 Tim. 3:1-10,
12, 13) They were not bosses; neither did
they expect nor want the adulation of
those whom they served. None were paid
for their willing service in behalf of their
brothers. How different from the leaders
in the many sects of Christendom! These
busied themselves with preparation of
meetings, discourses and schedules of
work. They took the initiative in provid
ing a reasonable place to meet and the
supplies for carrying on the preaching
work. Necessary records were kept and
checked to see how the congregation was
doing collectively and whether any indi
vidual needed some special help from
mature ones in some way. The sick and
infirm were visited and ministered to as
needed.John 13:12-17; Heb. 13:7.
13As you grew toward Christian matu-

10. How would one be assisted by the meetings and by

association with others in the congregation?
11. What provision does the organization make to help
all make public declaration for salvation ?

12. What organizational benefits are provided by the

overseers and ministerial servants?
13. How does the organization help with problems
encountered in growing to maturity?

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rity, some problems were encountered, you 16; Deut. 16:16; Acts 2:41, 42; 13:2-4;
became discouraged a time or two; you 14:21-28.
might even have had a few misunderstand
15 The need for working closely with Je
ings with some of your spiritual brothers hovahs organization and appreciating all
and sisters. But you saw the need to keep the benefits provided by it became more
your faith strong, to apply Bible princi and more apparent to you as you saw Je
ples. (Col. 3:12-14) You learned. You were hovahs hand in all the arrangements.
being trained. You wanted to please God This was an organization, not out just to
and gain the prize of life. The appointed get members, but one to help a person
servants in the congregation were there to get life. From the governing body to the
help in all these situations. They were not servants in the local congregation, all were
there to take away your Christian free your spiritual brothers interested in get
dom, but they were interested in helping ting Jehovahs will accomplished in the
all to work together in peace and to pro best way and making sure that all re
tect the congregation from any spiritual ceived of the spiritual benefits that Jeho
or immoral danger, remembering Peters vah is progressively giving to his people.
counsel: Shepherd the flock of God in Every publication, every branch office,
your care, not under compulsion, but will every factory, every school, every meet
ingly; neither for love of dishonest gain, ing, every preaching campaign was de
but eagerly; neither as lording it over signed to get the good news preached in
those who are Gods inheritance, but be all the world as a witness. This was and
coming examples to the flock. 1 Pet. 5: is the chartered purpose of the Watch
2, 3.
Tower Bible and Tract Society, the legal
14
You recall the first circuit servantsagency used by Jehovahs witnesses, and
visit and how he helped the congregation it has no other purpose for being in ex
with suggestions for improving the min istence. The more you examined Jehovahs
istry and with encouraging discourses. visible organization, the more you could
You attended your first circuit assembly, see that it operated just as the early
and then a large convention in a nearby Christian congregation did during the
city. You sent for a rooming assignment days of the apostles.Matt. 28:18-20; 24:
from the rooming department of the con 14; Acts 15:6, 22-29; 16:4, 5.
16 What valuable blessings and experi
vention and you volunteered to work in
ences
you were having by associating with
the convention organization. It was here
Jehovahs
organization! If you had not
at the convention that you symbolized
met with and worked with your spiritual
your dedication to do Jehovahs will by
brothers and sisters, there would have
being immersed in water along with many
been few opportunities to cultivate your
others. What outstanding spiritual bene love for them. You would not have seen
fits that you will never forget! Who made opportunities to assist others as you grew
all these arrangements? It was Jehovahs stronger and were able to help those who
faithful organization, not unlike the ar needed it. Likewise, you would not have
rangements made in a similar way by Je come into view so that your weaknesses
hovah for the nation of Israel and the
What does one come to appreciate about Jehovahs
early Christian congregation. 1 Sam. 7: 15.
organization, as to its purpose in the earth?
14. How does the organization provide benefits through
assemblies?

16. In bringing brothers and sisters together, how does

the organization help one in cultivating love and
other fruits of the spirit?

Septem ber 1 5, 1 9 6 7

SEeW ATCHTOW E R

565

could be seen and thus you could be as to overcome; that ones wife was some
sisted to overcome these so that you might what sensitive and became easily offended.
be a better servant of Jehovah. Were you This young sister was developing some
shy and timid in the presence of others? outside interest that was dividing her
Then giving comments at meetings and mind; this servant was beginning to feel
preaching publicly helped you greatly in somewhat loaded down with responsibility
speaking to others. It became a joy rather and found it difficult to keep balanced.
than something to avoid. Were you quick
18
Jehovah had not caused any of these
tempered? Others had to bear with you situations, yet he allowed them. Some
for a little while as you cultivated self- they brought upon themselves and, with
control and worked for a mild temper, but good judgment, could have been avoided;
working with others and receiving their others came despite what they could do.
help and patience helped you to conquer Some were caused by the Devil having
this. Whatever the problem or situation, his agents on earth bring opposition, but
you found over the years that it was bet to a large extent they were situations all
ter coped with by closely associating with common to life and arose because of im
and availing yourself of the many bene perfection and trying to live for the new
fits of Jehovahs organization. 1 Thess. system of things, while still living in the
5:11; Gal. 6:2.
old. If they tried to work all these out
17
As you got better acquainted withday by day in isolation from Jehovahs
others you saw that they, too, had prob organization, they would never make it.
lems or weaknesses on which they were You now could see very clearly that we
working in addition to newfound joys and need the instruction, the counsel, the en
privileges from Jehovah. This ones health couragement, the loving help of our broth
posed a problem; another had some dif ers. Weaning ourselves away from Gods
ficulty keeping ahead financially. This one organization leaves us lonely sheep in
had a tendency to be anxious over little a cold world that cares nothing for us.
things; another did not take things seri (1 Pet. 4:7-11) Being in contact with bad
ously enough. This sister had an opposing associations continually without renewing
mate; that father had a boy who was re ourselves by regular association with Je
bellious at times. This one was becoming hovahs witnesses, we would soon cool off
a little weary in well-doing; another did in our love for Jehovah and in our zeal
not seem to have enough time to get for his true worship. (2 Pet. 2:20) We
everything accomplished. Here was a would just be swallowed up by the world
brother who could not decide whether to again and go down with it. Prov. 18:1.
18
Now here we are at the present and
marry now. There was one skilled in a
profession who found it difficult to break looking into the future. Will we keep en
free in order to enter the preaching work during and appreciating all the provisions
full time. This one was having a battle Jehovah makes by his spirit, his Word
with some fleshly weakness. It was like and his organization? All three work to
a thorn in the flesh. Another found it gether to give us daily blessings and bene
difficult to face persecution or opposition. fits without which we just cannot be. But
This one had a worldly habit that was 18. How do all these situations come about, and why
it necessary to stay close to Jehovah's organization
deeply ingrained, which he was fighting is
in order to cope with them?
17. What are some common situations facing various
ones in Jehovahs organization?

19. What must we recognize about the three main

provisions of Jehovah, his spirit, his Word and his
organization?

566

SfreWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

remember, much depends upon how each

of us takes advantage of these. We have
to watch our spirit and never let the spirit
of this world begin to influence us. We
must submit to the leadings of Jehovahs
holy spirit. We must study his Word both
privately and congregationally. We must

let it be a real force in our lives. We must

appreciate Jehovahs Christian organiza
tion and work closely with it. Let us never
slight any of these benefits. They have
been provided by the Life-giver, knowing
what we need in order to have everlasting
life.

O BRING up children is a happy but

heavy responsibility. It requires ten
der care, constant attention, the expres
sion of much love, discipline, correction,
family togetherness, association and par
ticipation in recreation. Therefore, when
a man is at war it is hardly the time for
him to give attention to raising a family.
Nations generally recognize this and ex
empt men with families from military ser
vice unless the national situation becomes
extreme. When a newly married man re
turns from war he is so happy to be with
his bride and she with him. Their happi
ness is greatest because now they can
work together, they can plan a home and
begin carrying out the primary purpose
of marriage the bringing up of a family.
It is something that God has provided. We
of the human race are thankful that God
has arranged things this way, for through
it we have come to have life.
In order that we might understand Je
hovahs purposes toward us God has used

this very circumstance to illustrate for us

what he is going to do for the human
race. He loves the human family and
wants us to have life, not just for a few
short years with a good part of these
years filled with troubles and suffering,
but life forever under a condition where
there will be no lack of constant happi
ness. He has repeatedly told us through
his Word that he has provided the Mes
siah, his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ,
as the means for life for humankind. How
he will bring these benefits to us here
on the earth he makes plain by using
the very understandable illustration of a
bridegroom and bride giving attention to
the rearing of a family.
Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom. (John
3:28, 29) He is spiritual, immortal, in
heaven. (1 Pet. 3:18; 1 Tim. 6:14-16)
Who is his bride and what kind of per
son is she? Well, the Bible says that the
Christian congregation is his bride. (Col.
1:18) Of course, she is no individual worn-

Septem ber

15, 1967

f&eWATCHTOWER,

an but is a composite bride, an organiza

tion made up of people. A bride who is
to marry a spiritual bridegroom must be
spiritual, and she is such, being the Israel
of God, or spiritual Israel, spirit-begotten
sons of God. This composite bride is also
spoken of as the little flock to whom
God will give the Kingdom (Luke 12:32),
and who are to be kings and priests with
Christ. (Rev. 20:4, 6) In harmony with
their being a little flock the Bible in
dicates that they number only 144,000.
(Rev. 14:1) The Bridegroom and bride
belong to the family of the great heavenly
Father, Jehovah God. Having married the
Son, each member of the composite bride
has on the forehead the name of Christ
as the Husband and also the name of his
Father.
A FIGHT TO PROTECT BRIDE
AND FAMILY NAME

Now, the concern of the Bridegroom

and his bride is to bring up a family wor
thy of the illustrious name of the Father
Jehovah, obedient and fully respectful of
the family name. It is in behalf of this
family name and also in protection of his
bride that the Bridegroom must fight a
war before he can enjoy full peace and
give undivided attention to family-rearing.
This war is against the enemies of his
Father, led by Gods chief opponent, Sa
tan the Devil. Satan has used men on
earth opposed to true Christianity to at
tempt to destroy the bride or contaminate
her morally or spiritually so that she will
not be fit to marry the heavenly Bride
groom. For this reason the Bridegroom
fights the battle of Armageddon, thor
oughly crushing out all earthly enemies
and then defeating Satan and his wicked
demons. What results from this action is
described in the Bible as the fleeing away
of the earth and the heavens, so that no
place is found for them. (Rev. 20:11)
Thereby every obstacle is removed to corn-

567

plete peace, so that there remains no

threat to the bride. The Bridegroom has
now established completely favorable con
ditions for his bride: And I saw a new
heaven and a new earth; for the former
heaven and the former earth had passed
away, and the sea is no more.Rev.

21: 1.
With the old heaven of Satan and his
demons gone, along with the spirit of Sa
tan, which is the spirit of the world that
exerts its wicked force to turn peoples
minds toward wickedness, a new adminis
trative body has full sway, namely, Jesus
Christ and his 144,000 associate kings and
priests. The Bible helps us to locate the
time that the Bridegroom and his bride
turn attention toward bringing forth a
family, when it tells us that this adminis
tration is to rule for a thousand years.
(Rev. 20:4) This happy time is at the
beginning of Christs thousand-year reign.
The new earth over which this admin
istration rules is not a new earthly globe
traveling in space, anymore than the new
heaven replaces the heaven of God. It is
that which permanently replaces the old,
corrupt, earthly human arrangement of
Satan, just as the new heavens permanent
ly replaces the old Satanic heavens that
has corrupted and dominated human so
ciety. The new earth is a completely
righteous new earthly human society. The
symbolic sea of the restless, rebellious,
ungodly peoples out of whom the symbolic
wild beast ascended long ago for the Dev
ils use will be gone. (Rev. 13:1, 2; Isa.
57:20) Our literal seas will remain. But
how will such a righteous new earthly
society come about? The apostle John saw
how in his vision:
NEW JERUSALEM COMES DOWN

I saw also the holy city, New Jerusa

lem, coming down out of heaven from God
and prepared as a bride adorned for her

568

SEeWATCHTOWER.

husband. (Rev. 21:2) This is a most hap

py time for the Bridegroom, a time for
him to begin his glorious reign of a thou
sand years with his bride. It is, naturally,
a happy time for her too, and she is de
scribed as beautifully adorned for the oc
casion. She is likened to a city, Jerusalem,
which in the time of the glorious reign of
King Solomon was a place of awe
inspiring beauty, high on Zions hill with
its magnificent temple seen from afar,
glistening in the sunlight and exalting the
true worship of Jehovah God. A city is
often used in the Scriptures to represent
an organization. This bride is an organiza
tion bound together in complete unity in
the love of the Bridegroom and of his Fa
ther Jehovah and completely equipped for
service, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband, and ready to do her hus
bands bidding. Together now they joyful
ly turn attention toward the earth, for
they serve as the new capital organization,
the new administration. They are the com
plete seed of Abraham by means of whom
all nations of the earth will certainly
bless themselves. Gen. 22:18; Rev. 3:12.
How can those then on the earth, hav
ing at least a measure of life by being of
Adamic stock, become children of the
Bridegroom and his bride? Or, who are
the children brought forth? Well, those
then on earth are living alright, having
survived the battle of Armageddon, but
they are not perfect; they still have the
Adamic inheritance of sin; they would die
in time. Armageddon has not changed
their bodies, although it has vanquished
their enemies. So they need real life in
fused into them. They need to become, in
stead of the children of sinful Adam, the
children of the Eternal Father Jesus
Christ. (Isa. 9:6) This means that there
is much work for the bride and the Bride
groom to do, for a great deal of love and

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .-

tender care and the infusing of real life

into these persons is their responsibility.
Besides this there are millions who have
no life at all. They have died and are out
of existence. These are part of the nations
and families of the earth that the Abrahamic seed must also bless, and so they
must be brought back, must stand again
on this earth for an opportunity to be
come the posterity of the bride and
Bridegroom, permanent members of the
family. (Gen. 12:3) How will the bride
and Bridegroom accomplish this work?
John had that question answered next in
his vision:
THE BRIDEGROOMS FAMILY

With that I heard a loud voice from

the throne say: Look! The tent of God is
with mankind, and he will reside with
them, and they will be his peoples. And
God himself will be with them. (Rev.
21:3) That is how it comes about. God the
great Source of life does not personally
tent or reside with mankind on earth, in
direct contact with them, because even
those who compose the bride, while they
were yet on earth, did not have God per
sonally dwelling with them. Jesus Christ
was serving as Mediator between God and
men in behalf of the 144,000, the bride.
So the time has come for the rest of man
kind to be fully reconciled to God. (1 Tim.
2:5, 6; 2 Cor. 5:20) During their becom
ing reconciled God dwells with them only
representatively, in anticipation of the
time when the thousand years of the mil
lennial reign are ended. At that time all
those obedient on earth will have been tak
en into the family of the Bridegroom, the
Lamb of God that takes away the sin of
the world, and by then will have had
cultivated into them his own righteous
qualities. They will demonstrate the fam
ily traits of Jesus Christ the last Adam,
instead of the degrading, deteriorating

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SReWATCHTOWER

traits of their original father the first

man Adam. (1 Cor. 15:45) Through their
faith in the shed blood of the Lamb of
God, through their obedience to Christ as
the Eternal Father, the benefits of his
perfect sacrifice will operate upon them to
bring them life, in contrast with the sin
inherited from Adam, which has worked
toward their death. John 1:29, 36; Rom.
5:12.
In ancient Israel the tent in the wilder
ness had an inner compartment called the
Most Holy in which God representatively
dwelt with his people. The light between
the cherubs over the ark of the covenant
and the cloud that stood above the taber
nacle were evidence of Jehovahs favor
able attention toward them. The bride
class of 144,000 members, we recall, is a
spiritual house, a spiritual temple for
which Jesus Christ is the foundation cor
nerstone, the place for Jehovah God to
inhabit by spirit. (1 Pet. 2:5; Eph. 2:1922) As the husband is really the founda
tion of the family, so Christ is toward his
bride. When they come down out of heav
en, meaning that they turn their attention
and activities and power toward this earth
and those living on it, God takes up resi
dence with men by means of this temple
class. It is the center of worship to which
all people must come, just as in ancient
Israel the tabernacle (and later the tem
ple) was the center of worship. They will
thereby become reconciled to God and be
come truly his peoples.
What will be the result to his peoples
as they come closer and closer to com
plete reconciliation to God? John tells us:
And [God] will wipe out every tear from
their eyes, and death will be no more, nei
ther will mourning nor outcry nor pain
be any more. The former things have
passed away. (Rev. 21:4) What a won
derful, refreshing, invigorating, life-giving
arrangement for mankind! As they ex-

569

press obedience and as Christ and his

bride lovingly assist them in making
progress spiritually and apply the ransom
benefits to them to the healing of their
bodies, there will be less and less pain,
less and less reason for tears. Death will
come to be no more. The death inherited
from Adam will cease to spread any far
ther when children cease to be born. Those
living on earth, when they come to perfec
tion, will cease to have any of the Adamic
sin working in them. The death that was
received as an inheritance from Adam will
be completely wiped out, to be nonexis
tent.Rom. 5:12, 18, 19.
Graveyards have brought much sorrow
to humankind. It is a disturbing thing
even to view a graveyard. Hades, the com
mon grave of all mankind, will likewise
become no more when the resurrection of
those in the graves occurs and when none
will thereafter go down into the grave as
a result of Adams sin. Then it will in
deed be true: The former things have
passed away.
ASSURANCE FROM THE
UNFAILING PURPOSER

Jehovah realizes that it is hard for hu

mans on earth under the conditions we
observe today to visualize such a desir
able condition. It seems too good to be
true, but, then, on the other hand, does
not the situation at the present time under
Satan the great enemy of God seem too
bad to be true? And did not Gods Word
foretell this day? God himself tells us that
he will cause these good things to come
to pass. It is impossible for him to lie.
(Heb. 6:18) John writes: And the one
seated on the throne said: Look! I am
making all things new. Also, he says:
Write, because these words are faithful
and true. (Rev. 21:5) Jehovah kindly
and understandingly gives us this added
assurance over his own name. He is the

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SHeWATCHTOWER

faithful and true God, and his Son the

Bridegroom gave his life that man might
live. The Son is concerned, above all
things, with carrying out and bringing to
truth and reality these promises of God.
The things that God purposes are so
sure to take place that he calls himself
the One telling from the beginning the
finale, and from long ago the things that
have not been done. Even of his servants
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he could say,
even though they were dead, that he was
their God, for he is the God, not of the
dead, but of the living. Before he com
manded John to write down the vision
given him he said further to John: They
have come to pass! because they are sure
to be accomplished. Isa. 46:10; Matt. 22:
32; Rev. 21:6; Rom. 4:17.
Do you believe that these things will
take place? God, further showing us how
he can consider things that are not as
though they are, patiently says: I am
the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end. In the Greek language, in
which the apostle John wrote, the letter
alpha begins the alphabet and the letter
omega ends it. Jehovah here tells us,
therefore, that when he begins a thing,
being the Almighty and the Purposer, he
brings it to a successful end. No hindrance
or interference can cause him to leave it
unfinished. Rev. 21:6; 1:8; 22:13.
His promise being based on such a solid
foundation, we can be confident in ac
cepting his invitation: To anyone thirst
ing I will give from the fountain of the
water of life free. (Rev. 21:6) Psalm 36:
9, addressed to Jehovah, says: With you
is the source [or, fountain] of life. (IW ,
AV, AS) Any human creature that thirsts
for perfect, happy life throughout eter
nity will have to get it from the great
Source or Fountain of life Jehovah God,
who is the Alpha with whom all good
things start. The thirsty one cannot buy

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

this life-imparting, life-sustaining water

with gold, silver or material things. Je
hovah God gives it free, but only on his
own terms. Hence the water of life must
be accepted through his Son Jesus Christ.
God then speaks to the remnant yet on
earth of the 144,000 spiritual heirs of
God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ. In his
eighth and last exhortation to faithfulness
in the Revelation, Jehovah says: Anyone
conquering will inherit these things, and
I shall be his God and he will be my son.
(Rev. 21:7; 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21)
To make this heavenly inheritance sure
for themselves the remnant of the 144,000
must conquer this wicked world just as
Jesus Christ the chief Son of God did.
(John 16:33; Rev. 3:21) They must keep
conquering the world by keeping integrity
toward God and maintaining spiritual and
moral chastity as an espoused bride until
shortly this wicked systems fiery end re
moves it from existence and they enter the
new order victoriously.
NOT ALL WILL BECOME
THE BRIDEGROOM S CHILDREN

Will all mankind on earth automatically

become the children of the bride and
Bridegroom, eventually taken into the
great, everlasting family of Jehovah God?
No. John next describes those who will
not: But as for the cowards and those
without faith and those who are disgust
ing in their filth and murderers and forni
cators and those practicing spiritism and
idolaters and all the liars, their portion
will be in the lake that burns with fire
and sulphur. This means the second
death. (Rev. 21:8) Persons practicing
these things are not conquerors of the
world, for they are carrying on the very
things of the world, the works of the
flesh. They are carrying out the works of
the sinful forefather of the human race,
Adam, and following the pattern of Bab-

Septem ber

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

ylon the Great, the mother of the har

lots and of the disgusting things of the
earth. The murderers, the fornicators or
sexually immoral, those who follow Bab
ylon the Great in practicing spiritism, sor
cery and magic, the idolaters, including
those who worship the symbolic wild
beast and its modern-day image, and
the liars who imitate the Devil the fa
ther of the lie this kind do not conquer
the world and will be destroyed at Arma
geddon. In the new earth these qualities
will be equally detestable and persons
practicing them will not be permitted to
continue living. John 8:44; Rev. 17:5, 6;
18:23, 24.
The fountain of the water of life, al
though open to such persons, is turned
down by them and therefore they do not
drink from it, losing their own lives. The
death they die will be, not the Adamic
death, but a death due to their own will
ful rebellion and wickedness. It will be
eternal death, symbolized by the lake
that burns with fire and sulphur, the
second death. (Rev. 21:8) It is no socalled conscious living death, to be suf
fered by an imaginary immortal human
soul that is tormented with fire and brim
stone for eternity. It is a death from
which there is no resurrection. There is
no key for the second death, though Jesus
has the key for the Adamic death. (Rev.
1:18) The second death is absolutely dis
tinct from Adamic death, for the Dragon,
the Original Serpent, Satan the Devil,

571

never died in Adamic death but he is

hurled into the second death, the sym
bolic lake of fire, and so, too, are the
wild beast and the false prophet. Even
the Adamic death itself and Hades or
Sheol are hurled into the second death.
So the lake of fire symbolizes everlast
ing destruction of a person or thing. It is
Adamic death that will be no more, not
the second death. Those hurled into sec
ond death will remain in it forever, un
redeemed.
There will be no sorrow to the Bride
groom and bride over the death of such
persons, for these will have shown the
same wicked spirit as Satan and no tears
will be shed because of their passing off
the face of the earth. During the thousandyear reign, when the bride and Bride
groom are concentrating on the rearing of
a family, they will also be directing their
children in the construction of the most
beautiful of homes, namely, an earthly
paradise, so that by the end of the thou
sand years and after the destruction of
the unworthy in the lake of fire there
will be a tremendous family of thousands
of millions, all living happily with ever
lasting life on the beautified earth. (Ps.
37:10, 11; Rom. 8:21) Gods purpose in
this blessed marriage of his beloved, faith
ful Son will be carried out to a glorious
conclusion, bringing mankind into the
family of the heavenly Father as sons of
God.

A Clergyman Escapes Babylon the Great

In a town in Mexico, a Protestant clergyman, who had been a pastor there for
ten years, obtained a copy of the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained
from Jehovahs witnesses. He confessed to the Witnesses that he did not know
what to preach in church anymore. When shown the book, he was surprised at
the way it taught the truth so clearly. A study was started and it was conducted
twice a week for two months. This resulted in his resigning as pastor of the church
there. In the third month he began visiting some of his form er flock and telling
them about the good news. Studies are being conducted with some of these same
people.

horseback. Rain
or shine they are
r e g u la rly at the
Kingdom Hall at
th e a p p o i n t e d
tim e, e a g er fo r
f e l l o w s h i p and
spiritual nourish
ment. In another
region o f jagged
hills W itn esses
walk f o r hours,
crossing streams
on n a rrow logs,
often wading, car
rying their shoes.
On arrival at the
m eetin g place
th ey wash their
legs and feet, put on their shoes and enjoy
the program, undaunted by the prospect
of a similar return trip, only this time in
the dark.
Are you without transportation, and is
the Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses
quite a distance from your home? Well,
think about some of the Witnesses in Co
lombia, South America, who often have
to go on foot, in sunshine or rain, twenty
miles to get to a meeting place, and not
on well-lighted paved roads, but along
narrow paths, fording rivers up to the
waist, enduring the heat or the torrential
downpours. And all of this, not for some
special meeting, but to get to the regular
weekly sessions for study of the Bible
with the help of The
In many parts of Mexico the only means
of transportation is ones own legs. Yet
meetings are keenly appreciated by Jeho
vahs witnesses in that land. Attendance
at the weekly Watchtower study averages
119 percent of the total number of Wit
nesses, 91 percent attend the smaller
weekly meetings in private homes, and 82
percent the midweek meeting for discus-

H E N th e

apostl e

HOW
IMPORTANT

Peter in the first

century referred
to Christians as
the entire associa tion of you r
b ro th e rs in the
w o r ld , his was
an accurate allu
sion to one of the
outstanding char
a c t e r is t ic s of
Christs followers.
(1 Pet. 5:9) They
a sso cia te d w ith
one another. They
were not content
to stay home and
enjoy a secret, personal religion. They felt
the need for as much association as was
practicable with others of the same faith.
Their faith had to be talked about.
Those Christians needed the association
of one another. No other association could
satisfy. Then, too, they were mindful of
the apostles warning: Bad associations
spoil useful habits. (1 Cor. 15:33) By
regularly assembling together in good as
sociation, they could heed the urgent ad
vice of Bible writer Jude to be building
up yourselves on your most holy faith.
(Jude 20) So vital to them was this link
with the Christian congregation that per
secutions, political turmoil, distance, hard
ships, weathernone of these could dis
suade zealous Christians from meeting
together. Is that your attitude too?

TO YOU?

DISTANCE, PROBLEMS OVERCOME

The fact that their home is far from the

nearest meeting place with other Chris
tians, together with lack of transportation,
may loom as an obstacle to some, but not
to many witnesses of Jehovah in Panama.
Over rugged mountain paths one group of
eight spend three and a half hours on
572

Septem ber

15, 1967

fReWATCHTOWER.

573

sion and improvement of the preaching of great encouragement to all who attend
ministry. Nor are these high attendance the same congregation. They know that in
figures the rule only in the larger cities; order to be at the Kingdom Hall she must
they apply throughout the whole country. paddle across Gatun Lake in a cayuco or
In rural Paraguay Jehovahs witnesses homemade canoe, and then walk two miles
maintain regular meeting attendance de to catch a bus ride for ten more miles.
spite many difficulties. A few can ride How does she pay for her bus ride? She
horseback or in horse-drawn carts, but the brings along eggs wrapped individually in
majority travel on foot. In fact, when it palm leaves and sells them to other pas
rains they have no choice, for all roads sengers.
In Venezuela those living in the interior
are closed by law until they have dried
out. So the Witnesses make their way have to make a determined effort to enjoy
barefoot through deep mud, and on ar regularly the benefits of association at the
rival at the Kingdom Hall they wash their Kingdom Hall. But they do. Many live on
small farms and have very little cash in
feet and put on their shoes again.
come;
so it is difficult to find money for
In Costa Rica, where three-fourths of
bus
fares.
One elderly woman living in an
the Witnesses live in the rurals, hundreds
isolated
area
often walks twenty miles to
of them walk or ride horseback for up to
the
nearest
Kingdom
Hall. She brings
six hours over muddy trails to associate
with
her
some
produce
to
sell at the mar
with one another. One Witness conducts
ket
in
order
to
pay
her
way
home on the
twelve Bible studies at various locations,
bus.
Despite
handicaps
such
as these, at
besides walking the six hours to attend
tendance
at
Kingdom
Halls
in
Venezuela
congregation meetings. Once each month
is
good
95
percent
of
the
Witnesses
at
she makes a journey by canoe that takes
tend
the
weekly
Watchtower
study.
eight hours in order to reach a remote
Along the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica
part of the territory where interested peo
the
United Fruit Company laid narrowple eagerly await the Bible lessons she
gauge
rail lines years ago for transport of
conducts with them.
bananas. Although the lines are now al
most out of use, Witnesses and others use
POVERTY NO HANDICAP
Poverty may be considered by some as the track, traveling on flatcars drawn by
a reason for missing meetings at the mules. Of course, they have to dodge the
Kingdom Hall. Transportation costs are flying mud from the mules hoofs, and of
heavy. But this is not considered an in ten at their destination the male Witnesses
surmountable problem in Central and have to wash and change clothing before
South America. Consider, for example, the sharing in the program of the evening at
case of a mother and her seven children in the Kingdom Hall. They go through it all
just to have fellowship with others of the
Asuncion, Paraguay. They regularly at
same faith. Would you?
tend Kingdom Hall meetings twice a week,
In Honduras, too, faithful Christians
even though the long bus ride costs them
have that strong desire to associate with
36 percent of the familys average month brothers in the faith. One woman, whose
ly wage. To them the blessings of Chris husband is not a Witness and who has
tian association are well worth it.
eight children, rarely fails to attend the
Then there is the fine example of an meetings of the congregation, though she
elderly Witness in Panama who is a source has to walk two miles each way. And a

574

SEeWATCHTOWEFL

married couple walk four miles to the

Kingdom Hall. After each meeting they
set out for home through jungle-like ter
ritory in the darkness, arriving home
quite often at one or two in the morning.
Yet they would never dream of missing
one of those upbuilding sessions with fel
low Christians.
OTHER DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME

Perhaps fatigue after a days work may

seem to some good reason for staying
home on meeting night. Not so the father
of two small children in British Honduras.
He works from dawn to dark, sometimes
as late as seven oclock. But he has orga
nized his household so that they will not
miss the many benefits of the weekly
meetings. His wife prepares the children
in advance and leaves early for the King
dom Hall, since the pace of the little ones
is slow and they have two miles to walk.
Before leaving she sees to it that every
thing is in readiness for her husband to
change quickly and hasten after her along
the trail.
And often there is need for his presence,
for heavy rains at times bring snakes out
on the trails. So he has to be vigilant then
to protect his family. Nevertheless, get
ting to the assembly of the brothers in
the faith is the overriding objective. He
knows how satisfying the spiritual feasts
to be shared on those occasions are.
Think, too, of the case of a woman in
Venezuela. She lives twelve miles from the
nearest Kingdom Hall. When it rains the
roads become impassable for cars, rivers
overflow and in places she has to wade
through water almost to the armpits.
There are other hazards also. On one oc
casion as she made her way to the King
dom Hall, located in a bushy area, she felt
something sharp on her leg, but dismissed
it as being only a sharp twig that brushed
her. After a time she began to feel a

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

numbing sensation. She sought treatment

for a snakebite at the local Medical Unit.
She is now quite well and not a bit dis
couraged from following her regular
schedule of meeting attendance.
Having a large family may tend to hin
der some from being in regular attendance
at weekly meetings of the congregation.
However, in Central and South America
there are many large families, and yet
this poses no insurmountable problem. In
one town in Venezuela, for example, the
family group of six live one hours walk
from the nearest Kingdom Hall, yet they
are regularly present for meetings. An
other family group walks five miles to
meetings of the Christian congregation
three times a week, half of that distance
being on rough trails.
Even the language barrier is not enough
to deter those who appreciate the value
of association with others who love God.
In Mexico it often happens that Indians
who come to meetings do not understand
Spanish. Yet they come regularly and sit
through the Spanish-language meeting un
til the time comes for highlights of the
program to be interpreted into their own
tongue. It is gratifying to note their evi
dent pleasure at being there, even though
they do not understand all that is being
said. And how eagerly they drink in the
explanation of the interpreter!
In the Dominican Republic during re
cent political disturbances the Witnesses
continued to associate under great diffi
culty. Sometimes they had to make long
detours to get to the Kingdom Hall be
cause of barricades. Then, when the capi
tal was cut in two by the opposing forces,
many Witnesses were cut off from access
to Kingdom Halls. Did they give up? No.
They gathered in private homes, thus
minimizing the loss of upbuilding associa
tion.

Septem ber

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER,

In some lands Christians are even for

bidden to read the Bible and to assemble
with others to study it. Does that over
come them with fear to the extent of for
saking the association with others of the
same faith? Not at all. Despite human rul
ings to the contrary, they abide by the
course counseled by the inspired apostle of
Christ Jesus: Do not forsake the gather
ing of yourselves together. (Heb. 10:25)
Subsequent developments prove that they
are taking the right course, for Jehovah
protects and blesses them, and even when
unjustly apprehended and punished, he
gives them fortitude and hope to over
come and outweigh the mental and physi
cal sufferings they may have to undergo.
With such an inspiring array of testi
mony about the enduring love of fellow
Christians, as seen in their valuation of
regular association together, is it not ap
propriate for each one to analyze his own
view of weekly meetings of the Christian
congregation? There is danger in taking

At Matthew 19:24 and Luke 18:25 Jesus

Christ compares the difficulty of a rich m ans
gaining his way into the kingdom of God to
the difficulty a camel would have in trying to
get through the eye of a needle. Some Bible
dictionaries speak of the needles eye as
possibly being a small gate of a walled Oriental
city, and such books sometimes show pictures
of small gates. W a s Jesus referring to any
such gate? F. M., U.S.A.
Attempts
have been
made to explain
Matthew 19:24, M ark 10:25 and Luke 18:25 as
referring to a little gate in one of the large
gates of Jerusalem. The explanation has in

575

them for granted. There is danger that

creature comfort could cause us to shrink
from inconveniences, to consider our ma
terial wants rather than our spiritual wel
fare. Does it take denial to us of the right
to assemble with fellow Christians to
arouse us to fullest appreciation of the
privilege? Surely not.
It is obvious that if we desire something
keenly enough we will put forth the effort
to attain it. Why, even sickly persons,
weary ones, aged ones, yes, cripples and
blind ones get to meetings of the Christian
congregation regularly. Why is this so,
in spite of their handicaps? It is because
they are convinced of their need of the
association and the spiritual strength to
be derived from interchange of expression
about God's will. (Rom. 1:12) By all
means, then, build up the good habit of
healthful association. Be a blessing to fel
low Christians, and they will be a blessing
to you.

eluded the thought that, if at night the large

gate was closed, this little gate could be opened,
and, with difficulty, a camel could fit through
it. However, at Luke 18:25 a Greek word is
used that specifically refers to a sewing
needle, and thus the New World Translation
renders the text: It is easier, in fact, for a
camel to get through the eye of a sewing needle
than for a rich man to get into the kingdom
of God.,,
Various authorities on Biblical Greek, such
as An Expository Dictionary of New Testament
Words by W . E. Vine, agree with the rendering
in the New World Translation. In Volume 3,
pages 106, 107, this work explains that the
Greek word found at Luke 18:25 is belone,
which is akin to belos, a dart, denotes a sharp
point, hence, a needle. This work goes on to
point out: The idea of applying the needle's
eye to small gates seems to be a modern one;
there is no ancient trace of it. Mackie points
out (Hastings' Bib. Die.) that an attempt is
sometimes made to explain the words as a ref-

576

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

erence to the small door, a little over 2 feet

square, in the large heavy gate of a walled
city. This m ars the figure without materially
altering the meaning, and receives no justifi
cation from the language and traditions of
Palestine.
It is reasonable that Jesus Christ meant a
literal sewing needle and a literal camel and
used these to illustrate the impossibility of the
thing mentioned. The New World Translation
is based on the actual language of Jesus Christ
and his disciple Luke rather than on tradition.
As fa r as sewing needles are concerned, both
bone and metal needles of ancient origin have
been discovered in the H oly Land, showing
that they were common household objects.
W h a t is the Scriptural view of the use of
birthstones? M. O., U.S.A.
W hether a Christian will wear a ring with
a certain gem in it is a matter for personal
decision. Bible principles can aid one to make
a wise decision. The Bible admonishes us:
More than all else that is to be guarded, safe
guard your heart, for out of it are the sources
of life. (Prov. 4:23) So, in making this decision,
the Christian ought to examine his heart to
see what his motive is. Is it simply that the
gem that appeals to one happens also to be a
so-called birthstone? Or is one, somehow,

rooklyn

, N .Y .

affected by the superstitious view that certain

persons have attached to them ?
Many people of ancient times believed that
a birthstone would bring good luck to the
wearer. Does the Christian believe this? No,
he knows that Jehovah condemns those who
trust in the god of Good Luck. (Isa. 65:11)
It was also thought by some that the birthstone
would influence one's personality for the better.
Does the Christian believe that? N o, he knows
that the new personality is obtained by
applying Scriptural principles. (Eph. 4:22-24)
During the Middle Ages fortune-tellers selected
a gem for each month, and it was this group
that encouraged people to wear the gem of their
birthday month to keep them from harm. But
the Bible condemns those who seek omens and
professional foretellers of events, so it would
not be appropriate for Christians to follow
their leading. (Deut. 18:9-12) N or would it be
appropriate for a Christian to attach special
significance to the fact that a ring had a birth
stone, since the Christian witnesses of Jehovah
do not celebrate birthdays, pagans being the
only ones mentioned in the Bible as celebrating
birthdays. Gen. 4 0 :20; Matt. 14:6-10.
Having these points in mind, each one can
examine his own motive, consider the effects
of his course both on himself and on other
persons, and then make a personal decision.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

The thirty-second chapter of Isaiah calls

attention to Gods Kingdom rule as the means
that will bring peace. Even now, as foretold in
that chapter, peace exists among the Christian
congregations of Jehovahs witnesses. They are
desirous of preserving their possession of
Christian peace and inviting others to share it
with them. To extend this invitation to others,
during September Jehovahs witnesses will be
offering in their house-to-house ministry the
fine Bible-study books Life Everlasting in
Freedom of the Sons of God and <(Things in
Which It Is Impossible for God to L ie either
one, along with a booklet, for 50c.
N EW AND REVISED

A revised edition of the fine book Qualified

to Be Ministers was released this summer at

the Disciple-making District Assemblies and

is now available for general distribution. It
contains all the enlightening material of the
original edition as to speech preparation and
delivery, how to study, meetings of the congre
gation and ministerial and congregational activ
ity. Now, in addition, it contains material on
Progressive Speech Training for use in the
congregation Theocratic Ministry Schools. Do
you have your copy? Send today. Only 50c
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

October 8: Gods Spirit and W ord Divine

Provisions for Life. Page 553. Songs to Be
Used: 66, 68.
October 15: Recognizing the Part Played by
Jehovahs Organization. Page 559. Songs to
Be Used: 89, 49.

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

OCTOBER 1, 1967
Semimonthly

FINDING FREEDOM WITH

JEHOVAHS VISIBLE
ORGANIZATION
FOLLOW ING FAITHFUL SHEPHERDS
WITH LIFE IN VIEW
IS THE RELIGION OF YOUR PARENTS
THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOU?

A HEAVENLY TEMPLE OF WORSHIP

FOR ALL MANKIND
W TB&TS

*YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JE H O V A H .-lsa.43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F T H E

W ATCHTOW ER

E very watchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a

wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for whom he is a watchman w h at is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name 'T h e W a tch tow er this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common world danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 It
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h tow er
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w e r is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements may be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch tow er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

%
PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H. K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

CONTENTS
Beware of Desiring Injurious Things!
Is the Religion of Your Parents the
Right One for You?
Finding Freedom with Jehovah's
Visible Organization
Following Faithful Shepherds with
L ife in View
A Heavenly Temple of Worship
fo r A ll Mankind
In the Sovereign Lord Jehovah I Have
Placed M y Refuge
Preach Release to Babylon's Captives
Questions from Readers

579
581
585

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O
YOU want to take
the wise course and
do w ha t is r i g h t ? Of
course, you reply. Then
you cannot afford to ignore
the counsel of Gods Word,
the Holy Bible. Far from
its being an old-fashioned
book, without any rele
vance to our day, it is as
pertinent and germane to
living in this latter part of
the twentieth century as when it first be
gan to be put down in writing nearly 3,500
years ago.
For example, there are the wise warn
ing words of the apostle Paul, calling our
attention to the follies of the Israelites in
the time of the prophet Moses: Now
these things became our examples, for us
not to be persons desiring injurious things,
even as they desired them. No question
about it, today there is more desiring of
injurious things than ever before in mans
history.1 Cor. 10:6-10.
Among many such that might be men
tioned is the cigarette habit. According to
Dr. Hollis S. Ingraham, health commis
sioner of New York State, the cigarette
is the most serious known lethal agent
today . . . There is no other agent, whether
it is bullets or germs or viruses, that is
killing anything like as many Americans
as the cigarette is. No wonder that such
countries as Great Britain and Italy for

bid the advertising of ciga

rettes on TV and that the
United States government
requires each pack sold
within its borders to con
tain the warning: Cau
tion: Cigarette smoking
m a y be h a z a r d o u s to
health. And yet in 1966
cigarette shipments in the
United States rose 2.2 per
cent over the previous year,
for a total of 522.5 thousand million ciga
rettes, or an average of 4,296 per year for
each American over eighteen years of age.
New York Times, February 28, 1967.
Another injurious thing in which peo
ple are indulging ever more and more are
drugs that cause hallucinations, called
hallucinogens. Concerning them, Dr.
Dana L. Farnsworth reports: Our accu
mulating day by day experience with pa
tients suffering the consequences of hal
lucinogens demonstrates beyond question
that these drugs have the power to dam
age the individuals psyche [personality],
indeed, cripple it for life. Bearing him
out is the report that appeared in the new
York Daily News, April 27, 1967, about
two young men who took LSD. One of
these, a handsome nineteen-year-old, said:
When I see my face in the mirror, I see
it turn into a thousand faces. He was
semiconscious and strapped to a bed when
a judge directed that he be committed to

DiSIRlirG

INJURIOUS

THIRC5!

579

580

SfieWATCHTOWER.

a state mental hospital. The other was a

twenty-one-year-old brilliant University of
Texas student, whom a judge committed
to a mental hospital for ninety days.
And then there is that injurious thing,
promiscuous sex relations. Indulgence may
seem to hold out promise of intense plea
sure, but what frustration, grief and ve
nereal disease are often associated with
it! Thus Sweden, where premarital sex re
lations are no longer frowned upon, has
the worlds fastest-rising venereal disease
rate, almost tripling in the past ten years,
with 52 percent of the cases involving
youths fifteen to nineteen years of age.
Its illegitimacy rate is 12 percent, three
times that of such other lands as Canada;
and 92 percent of the brides under twenty
are pregnant when they marry.
Not that youth alone errs in this regard.
Promiscuity is becoming so prevalent that
recently one of Englands archdeacons
dared to ask an assembly of Anglican bish
ops and archbishops: Which of you has
never in his life desired a strange wom
an? Yet one who toys with infatuation
by flirting risks becoming deeply involved
in an illicit affair that may well bring
harm to himself, to his loved ones and to
the other person.
Then, again, a desired possession such
as an automobile can be an injurious thing
when given to an immature youth, as can
be seen from the fact that teen-agers are
involved in twice as many fatal auto ac
cidents, proportionately, as are drivers
over twenty-five years of age. Typical
were the five teen-agers, all boys from
five different homes, that were killed out
side New York city shortly before mid
night on April 9, 1967, as they tried to
race a railroad train to a crossing, even
to the extent of driving around the low
ered gates. Using a car for excitement
and thrills is making it an injurious thing.
Since desiring injurious things might be

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

said to be playing a game that is not

worth the risk, why do so many do it?
Why? Because of the sin of our first par
ents, for which reason the inclination of
the heart of man is bad from his youth
up, even as the Creator, Jehovah God,
himself stated right after the flood of
Noahs day. Due to this inheritance we
are prone selfishly to desire pleasures
without due regard for Gods laws gov
erning them. The Creator gave us life with
a purpose in mind, not merely to pursue
pleasure. The desiring of injurious things
is therefore as wrong as it is unwise, es
pecially as we cannot harm ourselves with
out also affecting others. Gen. 8:21;
Mark 12:31.
What will help us to beware of desiring
injurious things? A study of Gods Word
will, and that in three ways. First, believe
it when it warns us that to desire injurious
things incurs Gods anger; and we are
not stronger than he is, are we? 1 Cor.
10:22, 5.
Secondly, Gods Word shows us just
what things are injurious, harmful, and
therefore to be avoided as unwise, if not
also morally bad. By its laws and prin
ciples and historical record it educates us.
As the inspired psalmist long ago wrote:
Your word is a lamp to my foot, and a
light to my roadway. Ps. 119:105.
And thirdly, the Bible helps us to be
ware of injurious things by impressing on
our minds the value of good, true and
wholesome things such as honest toil,
wholesome family life and the worship of
God, which bring a good conscience and
hope of everlasting life for doing what is
right. It shows that godly devotion along
with self-sufficiency is great gain even
now. Surely all such are reasons, as well
as aids, for us not to be desiring injurious
things. 1 Tim. 6:6; Eccl. 9:7-9; Rom.
6:23.

/ff the

eligion o f
our P arents
How can you determine this? Is it
proper to change your religion?

forefathers dwelt a long time ago, Terah

t t r\ / f Y PARENTS did not approve the father of Abraham and the father of
C -/ Y A. of our new religion, the Nahor, and they used to serve other gods.
young man explained, and they did not . . . remove the gods that your forefathers
hide their disapproval. My mother offered served on the other side of the River and
hundreds of prayers to try to make us re in Egypt, and serve Jehovah. Josh. 24:
turn, as she sincerely believed that we had 2, 14.
So Joshua urged that the people for
strayed into error.
The young man speaking was raised as sake the religion of their forefather Terah.
a member of one of the prominent reli Rather, they should imitate the faith of
gions of Christendom. Recently, however, his son Abraham, who rendered exclusive
he and his wife had begun a serious study devotion to the true God Jehovah. Ac
of the Bible, and what they learned caused cording to Jewish tradition, Abraham had
them to change their religion. Was this taken the initiative and broken the idols
proper? Is it right to leave the religion of of his father.
Another person who forsook her par
ones parents? Is there a Scriptural prece
dent for making such a move? Let us see. ents religion and became a worshiper of
Jehovah was Rahab. She was the CanaanCHANGING ONES RELIGION
ite who concealed the Israelite spies, and
The patriarch Abraham is held forth in received high commendation in the Scrip
the Bible as an exemplary man of God. tures for her faith. (Heb. 11:31; Jas. 2:
He is called Jehovahs friend, and also 25) Rahab explained to the spies what it
is identified as the father of all those was that prompted her to change her
having faith while in uncircumcision. religion:
(Jas. 2:23; Rom. 4:11) Did you realize
We have heard how Jehovah dried up
that this outstanding man left the religion the waters of the Red Sea from before
you when you came out of Egypt, and
of his parents?
His father Terah lived near the south what you did to the two kings of the
ernmost tip of the famous Euphrates Riv Amorites who were on the other side of
er in the Chaldean city of Ur. In that the Jordan, namely, Sihon and Og, whom
place idolatry was commonly practiced, you devoted to destruction. . . . Jehovah
and Terah apparently participated in idola your God is God in the heavens above
trous worship. Many years later the Israel and on the earth beneath. And now,
ite leader Joshua indicated this when he please, swear to me by Jehovah that, be
called the attention of the people to their cause I have exercised loving-kindness
ancestors, and said: It was on the other toward you, you also will certainly exer
side of the River [Euphrates] that your cise loving-kindness toward the household
581

582

SEeWATCHTOWER.

of my father. . . . and you must deliver

our souls from death. Josh. 2:9-13.
Rahab could perceive from the miracu
lous rescue of the Israelites out of Egypt
that Jehovah is indeed God in the heav
ens above and on the earth beneath ! The
gods worshiped by her parents were in
capable of accomplishing such wondrous
deeds. Therefore, Rahab became a wor
shiper of Jehovah and was rewarded with
the privilege of becoming an ancestress
of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Matt. 1:1, 5.
Rahabs daughter-in-law Ruth also left
the worship of her parents, and was simi
larly blessed. Due to famine in the land
of Judah, Naomi, her husband and two
sons moved to the land of Moab, where
her sons married Moabite women, one of
whom was Ruth. In time, Naomis hus
band and sons died, leaving three widows.
Naomi decided to return home to Judah,
and so told her daughters-in-law: Go, re
turn, each one to the house of her moth
er. One of the girls did go, but Ruth re
fused to leave Naomi. Ruth 1:1-14.
At this Naomi said to Ruth: Look!
Your widowed sister-in-law has returned
to her people and her gods. Return with
your widowed sister-in-law. And Ruth
proceeded to say: Do not plead with me
to abandon you, to turn back from ac
companying you; for where you go I shall
go, and where you spend the night I shall
spend the night. Your people will be my
people, and your God my God. (Ruth 1:
15-17) Ruth chose to worship Jehovah
along with Naomi, rather than return to
her people and worship their gods. In time,
Ruth married Boaz the son of Rahab, and
thus was blessed with becoming the great
grandmother of King David and an an
cestress of Jesus Christ. Ruth 4:18-22.
In the first century also, many persons
left the religion of their parents in order
to become true worshipers of Jehovah

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

God. The apostle Peter spoke approvingly

of such persons, saying: You were de
livered from your fruitless form of con
duct received by tradition from your fore
fathers. (1 Pet. 1:18) The forefathers
that Peter referred to had followed Jewish
religious traditions, but sincere Jews need
ed to leave such traditions and change
their religion in order to gain Gods ap
proval.
The apostle Paul is a Jew who did this.
He writes: I was making greater prog
ress in Judaism than many of my own
age in my race, as I was far more zealous
for the traditions of my fathers. (Gal.
1:14) Paul was a son of Pharisees, and
apparently had been raised by his parents
as a member of that Jewish religious sect.
(Acts 23:6; Phil. 3:5) But when he
learned that the system of religious tradi
tions practiced by the Pharisees was not
approved by God, he did not hesitate to
change his religion and become a Chris
tian, even though this may have deeply
grieved his Jewish parents.
REASON FOR THE CHANGE

In these instances the change of reli

gion was not for mere convenience. It was
not made for selfish reasons, such as to
please a prospective marriage mate, for
prestige, or to enhance ones social stand
ing or business prospects. To the con
trary, Abrahams worship of the true God
Jehovah undoubtedly made him unpopu
lar among the idol worshipers of the Meso
potamian city of Ur. Rahabs conversion
to Jehovahs worship and her protection
of the Israelite spies was done at the risk
of her life. Also, Ruths choice to serve
Jehovah meant that she had to abandon
her own country and people. And Pauls
leaving the religion of his parents to be
come a Christian resulted in his suffering
much persecution and hardship. 2 Cor.
11:23-27.

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ffHeWATCHTOWER.

The change of religion by these per

sons was certainly not a matter of per
sonal convenience! Rather, it was made on
the basis of accurate knowledge concern
ing God and his purposes. They had taken
in reliable information that demonstrated
clearly that the way their parents wor
shiped was not pleasing to the true God,
the Creator of heaven and earth. It is not
improper to leave your parents religion
if its teachings are found to be out of
harmony with Gods Word the Bible. In
stead, it is the courageous and right thing
to do. And although such a change may
be difficult to make, ultimately it brings
beneficial results.
BENEFITS OF THE CHANGE

True, at the outset ones parents may

be distressed, and even hostile. But re
member: Jesus Christ warned that taking
up true Christian worship would cause a
division in some households. Yet, rather
than encourage one to try to preserve
peace by continuing to embrace false re
ligious teachings and practices, Jesus said:
He that has greater affection for father
or mother than for me is not worthy of
me.Matt. 10:34-37.
To refrain from true worship simply to
please ones parents or grandparents is
wrong. It will not truly benefit them, or
you either. Real love is shown to them
by being willing to put up with their dis
approval, or even abuse, so that they may
have the best possible opportunity to
learn the truths from Gods Word and
come in line for the everlasting blessings
that Jehovah God holds out to those that
serve him.
Abrahams faithful course apparently
had such beneficial effects upon his fa
ther Terah and other relatives. For when
God directed Abraham to leave Mesopo
tamia with its bad environment of Bab
ylonish false worship, his relatives, includ-

583

ing Terah, went along with him.Acts 7;

1-4.
Evidently the conduct of Terahs righ
teous son so impressed Abrahams close rel
atives that some of them eventually joined
Abraham in true worship. What a grand
reward for faithfully adhering to the reli
gion approved by God! Gen. 24:4, 50, 51.
The young couple mentioned at the be
ginning of this article also were richly
blessed for remaining firm in their deci
sion to change their religion. Although
this change was greatly opposed by their
parents, the young man explains:
Every time my mother visited us we
would talk among ourselves of the truths
we had learned from Gods Word about
the name of God, how to pray to him, the
condition of the dead, and so forth. By
our constantly talking of the good things
that we had learned, she began to think
and to compare. This was progress, as
throughout all her life she had never
doubted that the priests had the whole
truth and nothing but the truth. Now she
was asking herself: Why do they never
mention the name Jehovah? Why do they
keep the Bible to themselves? Why do
they say that the soul is immortal since
the Bible says it can die? Ezek. 18:
4; Isa. 53:12.
Finally, the mother expressed a desire
to learn about the things of which she
heard her children speak. You can imag
ine our joy, her son writes, when one
day our patience was rewarded by her
asking us to talk to her about the Bible
and Jehovah, saying: I am beginning to
believe that the Catholics do not have all
the truth after all. Now, a few months
later, my mother zealously shares Bible
truths she has learned with others. So do
my two sisters. Soon they plan to join
my wife and me by symbolizing their dedi
cation to serve Jehovah God by being
baptized.

584

SflkW ATCm O W ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

these faithful women could instruct Timo

thy in the Scriptures regarding faith in
connection with Christ Jesus. Their re
ligion equipped them to do so.
Does the religion of your parents pre
pare them to do this? Can they turn di
rectly to the Bible to answer questions
about God, his Son, Christ Jesus, Gods
purposes and about what is proper con
THE RIGHT RELIGION FOR YOU
duct, as could Timothys mother and
How can you determine this? If your grandmother? If not, it should cause you
parents are sincere, devoted people who to question seriously whether their reli
live clean lives and attend religious ser gion is the right one for you. For the true
vices regularly, is this proof that their religion equips its adherents to provide
religion is the right one for you? One this vital instruction.
might understandably think so, but note
It is not sufficient merely to feel that
that the apostle Paul indicates more is your parents religion is the right one for
necessary.
you. Unless you can prove the correctness
When writing to the young man Timo of their beliefs from the Scriptures, no
thy from confinement in prison, he ob amount of religious fervor or sincerity
served that his mother and grandmother will make them right. It is foolish to con
were exemplary women of faith. (2 Tim. clude: If my religion is good enough for
1:5) They lived clean, moral lives. But father and mother, it is good enough for
they did more. Note from Pauls follow me. What would have happened if Rahab
ing admonition to Timothy what identi had reasoned that way, and relied upon
fied the religion of Timothys mother as the gods of her parents and continued to
the right one for Timothy too: Continue worship them? Why, they would have all
in the things that you learned and were suffered destruction with the rest of those
persuaded to believe, knowing from what in Jericho! As it was, because of her bold
persons you learned them [from his moth stand in favor of the true God Jehovah,
er and grandmother] and that from in Rahab and her father and her mother
fancy
you have known the holy writings,
and her brothers . . . and all who be
which are able to make you wise for sal longed to her, Joshua preserved alive.
vation through the faith in connection Josh. 6:23-25.
with Christ Jesus. 2 Tim. 3:14, 15.
In this day, too, all false religion faces
Did you observe that Timothys mother a condemnatory judgment. Therefore,
taught him the holy writings ? The in search the Scriptures! Examine your reli
spired writings of Gods Word that were gion carefully in the light of their teach
available during Timothys infancy were ings. Abandon false religion, as the Bible
the thirty-nine books of the Hebrew Scrip commands: Get out from among them,
tures. In 41 C.E. the Gospel of Matthew and separate yourselves. (2 Cor. 6:17)
was written, and about 47-48 C.E. the Find the religion that takes the Bible seri
apostle Paul set out on his first mission ously and that equips each of its adherents
ary tour, at which time no doubt Lois to be a minister of God. This is the reli
and Eunice were contacted and became gion for you. Enjoy Gods protection and
Christian believers. From that time on blessing by accepting it.

How happy and united Bible truths

have made this family! The mother is
truly grateful that her children did not
unquestioningly follow the religion in
which they had been reared. It was not
the right religion for any of them. It
should cause you to consider: Is the reli
gion of your parents the right one for you?

F H O W m uc h
less life so much of
benefit to you
a problem? You are
would be the gift of
praying for freedom
an around-the-world
from these things too
trip if you were bed
when you say, Thy
ridden? How much
kingdom come. How
could you e nj oy the
so? Because, as the
latest model color tele
prophet Daniel fore
vision set if you had
told, in the days of
lost your eyesight? Of
those kings the God
how much value to
of heaven will set up
you, then, would be
a kingdom that will
Gods gift of everlast
never be brought to
ing life on earth if the
ruin. And the king
present unhappy, fear
dom itself will not be
ful state of this world
passed on to any other
were to continue?
people. It will crush
2
Gods purpose to
and put an end to all
free man for everlast
these kingdoms, and it
ing life on earth is
itself will stand to
clearly stated in the
times in d e fin it e .
Psalms: The r i g h
(Dan. 2 :4 4 ) The
teous themselves will
grand King of that
possess the earth, and
everlasting kingdom
they will reside for
long ago revealed to
ever upon it. (Ps. 37:
his apostle John what
29) The prophet Isa
will happen a f t e r
iah verified this prom
wa rd: L o o k ! The
ise as being of God by
tent of God is with
referring to Jehovah
mankind, and he will
as the true God, the
reside with them, and
Former of the earth
they will be his peo
and the Maker of it, He the One who ples. And God himself will be with them.
firmly established it, who did not create it And he will wipe out every tear from
simply for nothing, who formed it even their eyes, and death will be no more, nei
to be inhabited. (Isa. 45:18) Does it sur ther will mourning nor outcry nor pain
prise you that God has purposed for man be any more. The former things have
to inhabit the earth forever? It should passed away. Rev. 21:3, 4.
not if you are familiar with the Lords
ORGANIZATION IS THE
prayer, because that is what you are re
ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE
questing repeatedly when you pray: Thy
4
Do not these promises of God give con
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
crete
reality
to his kingdom? They mean
Matt. 6:10,
AV.
3 But what of the unhappy, fearful conthat God will make his kingdom under
ditions on the earth that would make end- 4. (a ) W h a t do J e r e m ia h 23:4 a n d Is a ia h 32:1 re v e al

a s to G o d 's k in g d o m ? (b ) A c c o rd in g to I s a ia h 32:2,
w h e n does th e a d m in is t r a t io n of r ig h te o u s n e s s th ro u g h
G o d s k in g d o m b e g in ?

1 , 2 . W h a t is J e h o v a h s p u rp o se fo r m a n on e a r t h ?
3.
H o w w ill Je h o v a h m a k e lif e m o re e n d u r a b le ?
585

586

STieWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Christ just as real in governmental func do not escape the need for food. Further
tions as the governments of men now rul more, these physical needs and the laws
ing. Gods promises mean, too, that pro that govern them are common to all men.
vision must be made to administer that We are not free to pick and choose accord
kingdom and see that its laws are properly ing to our individual whims.
enforced. The prophet Jeremiah foretold
6Why, then, is it reasonable to believe
this as the purpose of Jehovah, who says: that spiritual laws do not apply with the
I will raise up over them shepherds who same uniformity to all? In fact, it is more
will actually shepherd them; and they will important for Gods living, intelligent
be afraid no more. (Jer. 23:4) Isaiah creatures to have law, order and organi
testified as to the benefits of this arrange zation them it is for the inanimate, nonment: Look! A king will reign for righ soulical or soulless bodies of nature. Plants
teousness itself; and as respects princes, grow and stars move in orbit with no free
they will rule as princes for justice itself. will choice. Gods laws of nature control
(Isa. 32:1) But this prophecy of Isaiah them and they cannot resist. As a result,
reveals something further, namely, that
the universe of such bodies is orderly and
this administration of Gods righteousness
harmonious throughout. But man is a
will begin even before God removes the
governments of this system of things. For freewill agent and can, if he so desires,
the prophecy continues: And each one exercise his choice of action in an indis
must prove to be like a hiding place from criminate way. If all men were to do so,
the wind and a place of concealment from however, only a state of anarchy would
the rainstorm, like streams of water in result. So, to say that we do not need or
a waterless country, like the shadow of a ganization or that God directs each in
heavy crag in an exhausted land. (Isa. dividual independently is to deny the in
32:2) All this emphasizes a well-ordered terdependent order of the universe and the
arrangement of persons, a concerted, unit common provision that Jehovah has made
ed effort to accomplish a purpose. That for the sustenance of our physical needs.
means organization.
In fact, our very possession of free will
5
To some persons, though, ones conshould emphasize to us the need for or
forming to the rules or regulations of an ganization, theocratic organization, that
organization is stifling to ones individ is, ruled by God from the top down.
uality. Others, reasoning similarly, say
THE BIBLE IS AN ORGANIZATIONAL BOOK
that God is dealing with them personally,
7The Bible itself is an organizational
directing each one in an understanding of
book.
The first words written by Gods
the Bible. However, the spiritual laws of
own
finger,
the Ten Commandments, were
God are just as necessary to our well
being as natural laws; and who among the designed to form the basis for the theo
individualists would refuse to conform to cratic administration of a national gov
Gods law of eating and drinking, for ex ernment with the descendants of Jacob or
ample, for fear of losing his individuality? Israel as a chosen people and with Moses
Men can go on hunger strikes in protest as mediator. (Ex. 19:3-8; 31:18) The
against social or political evils, but they 6. W h y is th e o c ra tic o rg a n iza tio n o f m e n n e ed e d , and
5. W h y do som e o b je ct to o rg a n iza tio n ,
w a y is su ch r e a s o n in g s h o rts ig h te d ?

bu t in w h a t

w h a t e m p h asize s th is f a c t ?
7. W h a t sh o w s th a t Je h o v a h w a s d e a lin g w it h
n atio n of I s r a e l a s a th e o c ra tic o r g a n iz a tio n ?

the

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SfieWATCHTOWER

children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt.

Moses had already freed himself from
Egypts yoke by fleeing to Midian, where
he had lived for forty years. But Jehovah
directed him to return to Egypt to repre
sent the Israelites as one united body of
people. Jehovah then made a common pro
vision for them all, and any who expected
to benefit from it had to act upon it in
the same identical manner. All must con
form in the selection of an animal, a male
sheep or goat one year old, and sprinkle
its blood on the doorposts of their houses.
Then, by families, they must roast and
eat its flesh and leave Egypt en masse
about midnight as an orderly body, obey
ing common instructions and receiving a
common deliverance. (Ex. 12:1-13, 21-39)
When Jehovah brought them all to Mount
Sinai in the wilderness, he gave them his
Law organizing them as a theocratic
nation.
8All the Law or Torah that Jehovah in
spired Moses to write was for this theo
cratic organization of Israel. So were all
the other books that now comprise the
Hebrew Scriptures, or the Old Testa
ment as some persons refer to them. But
over fifteen centuries later, Paul, himself
an Israelite and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
wrote concerning these books that make
up three-quarters of our Bible: For all
the things that were written aforetime
were written for our instruction, that
through our endurance and through the
comfort from the Scriptures we might
have hope. (Rom. 15:4) By this, Paul
meant that the Bible, as an instruction
book for the theocratic organization of Is
rael, had now become a book of instruc
tions for the organization of the Chris
tian congregation.
9As the canon of books of Gods Word
8. H o w did
in stru c tio n s
9. H o w can
t io n a l book

the H e b re w S c r ip t u r e s becom e a book of

fo r C h r is t ia n s ?
it be s a id t h a t th e B ib le is a n o rg a n iza
fo r the C h r is t ia n c o n g re g a tio n ?

587

was expanded and the Christian Greek

Scriptures were added to complete the Bi
ble, each book was written directly to the
Christian congregation or to a member of
the Christian congregation in its behalf.
Thus the Bible is an organizational book
and belongs to the Christian congregation
as an organization, not to individuals, re
gardless of how sincerely they may be
lieve that they can interpret the Bible. For
this reason the Bible cannot be properly
understood without Jehovahs visible or
ganization in mind.
THE CHRISTIAN
CONGREGATION AS AN ORGANIZATION

10Jesus did not begin the Christian con

gregation while he was still on earth. He
did, however, select twelve apostles at that
time, although Judas, who betrayed him,
was replaced by another follower after
Jesus ascension to his Father in heaven.
These apostles of the Lamb began to
serve as foundation stones and pillars of
the congregation after it was organized.
(Rev. 21:14) This came on the day of
Pentecost, 33 C.E., when the first Chris
tian congregation was organized at Jeru
salem. One hundred and twenty of Jesus
disciples were assembled together with one
mind and purpose when Jehovahs spirit
was poured out upon them, and the Chris
tian congregation never lost this unity of
thought as long as the apostles remained
alive.Acts 1:12-15; 2:1-4.
11 Though separated in person and
groups assembling as Christian congre
gations, those composing the Christian
congregation are still one united body,
just as Israel was one typical theocratic
nation. Paul said: One body there is, and
10. W h e n a n d h o w d id th e C h r is t ia n c o n g re g a tio n ha v e
a b e g in n in g ?
1 1 ,1 2 . (a ) W h a t w ro n g v ie w do som e p e rso n s ta k e o f
th e C h r is t ia n c o n g re g a tio n ? (b ) H o w do P a u l and
P e te r sh o w th a t th e c o n g re g a tio n m u st be one b o d y ?

588

fffieWATCHTOWEFL

one spirit, even as you were called in the

one hope to which you were called; one
Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and
Father of all persons, who is over all and
through all and in all. (Eph. 4:3-6; Gal.
6:16; see also 2 Peter 2:5.) It is impos
sible, however, to harmonize this descrip
tion with the picture by some of Christs
church being composed of individual mem
bers scattered throughout all the contra
dictory sects of Christendom, all inter
preting the Bible according to their own
way of thinking. How could they, in such
an unrelated condition, fulfill any kind of
unified purpose of a holy priesthood ?
12 Furthermore, in harmony with the
prophecy of Isaiah 32:1, 2, quoted above,
how could these members of the congre
gation serve as a hiding place from the
wind and protect those whom they teach
from winds of false doctrine if they are
not united themselves as to Gods truth?
Paul was opposed to such an unrelated,
disunited course, because he counseled the
Corinthian congregation: Now I exhort
you, brothers, through the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ that you should all
speak in agreement, and that there should
not be divisions among you, but that you
may be fitly united in the same mind and
in the same line of thought. For the dis
closure was made to me about you, my
brothers, by those of the house of Chloe,
that dissensions exist among you. What
I mean is this, that each one of you says:
I belong to Paul, But I to Apollos, But
I to Cephas, But I to Christ. Does the
Christ exist divided? 1 Cor. 1:10-13.
13 But what is the situation today? Dur
ing the nineteen intervening centuries
since the first-century visible theocratic
organization, the Christian congregation
has undergone serious changes and split13. W h a t is th e c o n d itio n of C h riste n d o m , a n d w hom
w i l l Je h o v a h h o ld re s p o n s ib le ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

ups. The flock of God has been scattered

and hundreds of sects, just like those that
Paul warned the Corinthian congregation
against, now exist throughout Christen
dom. Has this advanced the theocratic or
der and the brotherhood of the Christian
congregation? On the contrary, Christen
doms religious disorganization has re
sulted in violent religious wars and perse
cution. As an example and prophetic
pattern of these reprehensible leaders of
Christendom, the apostate priests of Is
rael were addressed by Jeremiah, at Je
hovahs direction: Woe to the shep
herds who are destroying and scattering
the sheep of my pasturage! is the utter
ance of Jehovah. Therefore this is what
Jehovah the God of Israel has said against
the shepherds who are shepherding my
people: You yourselves have scattered my
sheep; and you kept dispersing them, and
you have not turned your attention to
them. (Jer. 23:1, 2, 11, 12) Jehovah
will not allow such false shepherds to go
unpunished.
THEOCRATIC ORDER RESTORED

But what of the scattered sheep? If

theocratic order is to be restored to the
Christian congregation, there must be a
return to apostolic instruction. What Jere
miahs prophecy continues on to say must
be accomplished: And I myself shall col
lect together the remnant of my sheep
out of all the lands to which I had dis
persed them, and I will bring them back
to their pasture ground, and they will cer
tainly be fruitful and become many. And
I will raise up over them shepherds who
will actually shepherd them; and they will
be afraid no more, neither will they be
struck with any terror, and none will be
missing, is the utterance of Jehovah.
14, 15. (a ) H o w h a s t h e o c ra tic o rd e r b e e n re sto re d
to th e C h r is t ia n c o n g re g a tio n ? (b ) I n w h a t h a s th is
re sto ra tio n r e s u lt e d ? (c ) W h a t q u e stio n s h o u ld a ll pro
fe ssin g C h r is t ia n s s e rio u s ly a s k th e m s e lv e s ?

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SEeWATCHTOWER

(Jer. 23:3, 4) Thanks to Jehovah and his

purpose this has been accomplished, not
through a Roman Catholic Ecumenical
Council or a religious program of inter
faith, but by slashing through the tradi
tions of men and by a complete with
drawal of people from the corrupting
influence of sectarianism. It has meant a
drawing together of people following apos
tolic methods and instruction.
15Today, Jehovahs visible theocratic
organization has been restored. Look!
There are days coming, is the utterance
of Jehovah, and I will raise up to David
a righteous sprout. And a king will cer
tainly reign and act with discretion and
execute justice and righteousness in the
land. In his days Judah will be saved, and
Israel itself will reside in security. (Jer.
23:5, 6) Under the direction of Christ Je
sus, Jehovahs enthroned heavenly King,
the Christian congregation on earth has
again become apostolic in arrangements
and methods of activity, adjusted to the
needs of our modern day. This has made
for unity, harmony, peace and working
effectiveness within the ranks of true
Christians. Does the organization you look
to for spiritual guidance follow this theo
cratic pattern? Consider seriously these
questions.
16Do those taking the lead in your or
ganization accept the Bible as Gods Word,
inspired by him as a revelation of his pur
pose and a book of instructions to direct
us in the right way? Jesus did so, and
taught his disciples to do likewise. (John
8:31, 32; 17:17; Ps. 119:105) Does the
organization you look to provide regular
assemblies for study of Gods Word? Firstcentury Christians were so assisted. (Heb.
10:25; Matt. 18:20; Rom. 16:5) Does it
insist upon complete unity of doctrine and
16, 17. B y w hat p ra c tic e s in th e a p o sto lic co n g re g atio n
c a n Je h o v a h s v is ib le o rg a n iza tio n be id e n tifie d t o d a y ?

589

thought within the congregation? Jesus

early disciples did. (1 Cor. 1:10-13; Jas.
3:16, 17) Is a theocratic procedure fol
lowed in making appointments to service
positions? It was in the early congrega
tion. (Acts 6:1-6; 14:23; 20:28) Do all
associated with your organization put
Kingdom interests first in their lives? Je
sus taught his disciples to do so. (Matt.
6:33) Do they recognize their privilege
and responsibility to preach from house
to house? Those of the early apostolic
congregation did. (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts
5:42; 20:20; 1 Cor. 9:16) Do they preach
the good news of Gods kingdom? Jesus
said they would. (Matt. 24:14) When
faced with opposition, do they refuse to
compromise the message of the Kingdom?
The early congregation did. (Acts 4:19,
20; 5:29-32) Do all receive and accept
counsel through the governing body? It is
a stabilizing responsibility that the first
Christians recognized. (Acts 2:42; 16:4,
5; Heb. 13:17) Do those charged with the
responsibility of the organization work
diligently to maintain it in a clean con
dition? The apostles of Jesus never lagged
in this regard. (1 Cor. 5:1-5, 13; 1 Tim.
5:19-21) Is there a genuine love mani
fested among those in your congregation?
Jesus said it would be a mark of the true
congregation. John 13:35.
17
Viewing the organization from a dif
ferent position now, does the one you sup
port make a distinction between clergy
and laity ? Such distinctions were un
heard of among early Christians. (Matt.
23:8-12; 20:25-28; 1 Pet. 5:2, 3) Is fi
nancial support of your organization han
dled on a strictly voluntary basis? The
early congregation never solicited funds.
(Acts 11:29, 30; 2 Cor. 9:5-7) Is your or
ganization active in world affairs? Jesus
and his apostles refused to become a part
of this world. (John 17:16, 17; Jas. 4:4)

590

SEeWATCHTOWER.

Do those associated with your organiza

tion seek political positions or reforms?
Those in the early congregation had a
more permanent hope centered in Gods
kingdom. (2 Pet. 3:13, 14) Do national or
racial barriers exist within your organi
zation? There were none in first-century
congregations. (Gal. 3:28; Rev. 7:9) Is
discrimination practiced? Early Christians
abided by the principle that there is no
partiality with God but his will is that
all sorts of men should be saved and come
to an accurate knowledge of truth.
Rom. 2:11; 1 Tim. 2:4; Jas. 2:1-4.
IDENTIFYING THE
THEOCRATIC ORGANIZATION

18Those in the apostolic organization

did not fulfill these requirements for the
Christian congregation in just a token
way. They viewed their position in Jeho
vahs chosen visible channel as sacred
and would allow nothing to jeopardize
their standing with God. They had no
fear of this world. (Matt. 10:26-28) Their
only concern was to provide for the safety
and well-being of the flock of God. Jesus
pointed to this mark of the true visible
organization in connection with a detailed
prophecy relating to this time of the end.
He said: Who really is the faithful and
discreet slave whom his master appointed
over his domestics, to give them their
food at the proper time? Happy is that
slave if his master on arriving finds him
doing so. Truly I say to you, He will ap
point him over all his belongings. Matt.
24:45-47.
19 Evidences are now conclusive that Je
sus Christ was enthroned in heaven in
1914 C.E. and that he accompanied Jeho
vah to his temple in 1918 C.E., when
18. W h a t m a r k of th e tru e v is ib le o rg a n iza tio n did
J e s u s id e n t ify , a n d w h a t r e w a r d did he s a y he w o u ld
g iv e ?
19. W h a t m u st th o se w h o re co g n ize J e h o v a h s v is ib le
o rg a n iz a tio n a c c e p t ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

judgment began with the house of God.*

(1 Pet. 4:17) After cleansing those be
longing to this house who were alive on
earth, Jehovah poured out his spirit upon
them and assigned them the responsibility
of serving as his sole visible channel,
through whom alone spiritual instruction
was to come. Those who recognize Je
hovahs visible theocratic organization,
therefore, must recognize and accept this
appointment of the faithful and discreet
slave and be submissive to it.
"T od a y those thus charged with this
grand privilege and responsibility are
called Jehovahs witnesses, and have been
since 1931. As a group they have been
separated more and more from the sec
tarianism of Christendom from the 1870s
onward. Since 1879 the Watch Tower
magazine has been used by this collective
group to dispense spiritual food regularly
to those of this little flock of true
Christians. (Luke 12:32) In 1884 they
formed a legal servant, a corporation,
called Zions Watch Tower Tract Society,
now known as the Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society of Pennsylvania. By 1919,
having survived the fiery trials of World
War I, this faithful and discreet slave
class was no novice organization. True,
the apostles were no longer in its midst,
but they had left behind written instruc
tions as part of Jehovahs great Record
Book. Additionally, the modern-day mem
bers of this 1900-year-old Christian con
gregation had received from the days of
the apostles onward a rich heritage of
Christian loyalty and integrity, long and
patient suffering of persecution, abiding
faith in Jehovahs precious promises, con* See th e b o ok Y ou M a y Survive A rm a g ed d on into
Gods N ew W o rld , C h a p te r 6, e n title d
A -do-nay'
Com es to H is T e m p le . P u b lis h e d b y th e W a t c h T o w e r
B ib le & T r a c t S o cie ty in 1955.
20, 21. W h o to d a y a re ch a rg e d w ith th e r e s p o n s ib ilit y
of re p re se n tin g Je h o v a h s K in g , a n d w h a t r e c o rd pro
v id e s t h e ir re co m m e n d a tio n ?

O c to ber

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SEeWATCHTOWER

fidence in the leadership of its invisible

Lord and King, Jesus Christ, and obedi
ence to its centuries-old commission to be
witnesses in all the earth.Acts 1:6-8.
21In this spiritually mature condition
they well qualify as those who will ac
tually shepherd them; and they will be

591

afraid no more, neither will they be struck

with any terror, and none will be missing,
because a king will certainly reign and
act with discretion and execute justice
and righteousness in the land. Find free
dom and security in their midst. Read the
article that follows to learn how.

righteous r e q u i r e
ments of the King Je
sus Christ must be
met.
2
Even now
his visible theocratic
organization on earth,
Jehovah is providing
a campaign of spiri
tual instruction that is
searching out those of
our generation of hon
est heart toward God
and
ch anging over
%
their lives to bring
them into conformity
EHOVAHS purpose to provide
with his reign of righ
freedom and everlasting life on
teousness under his
earth for obedient mankind is already well King. The effectiveness of this campaign
under way. It is reaching a crucial stage of in growing numbers and spiritual advance
development in our generation with im ment is an evidence that present unhappy,
pending destruction of this present system fearful conditions will terminate with this
of things and with the beginning of Christs old system and the righteousness of
thousand-year reign of peace that will im Christs reign will cover the earth. What
mediately follow. But none of us will re will your position be when that time
ceive life without putting forth some ef comes?
fort. Not that salvation comes by works
3
Make haste to identify the visible theo
alone. James, in writing to the first- cratic organization of God that repre
century Christian congregation, said: sents his king, Jesus Christ. It is essential
Faith, if it does not have works, is dead for life. Doing so, be complete in accept
in itself. Indeed, as the body without
ing its every aspect. We cannot claim to
breath is dead, so also faith without works
love God, yet deny his Word and chan
is dead. (Jas. 2:17, 26) This means we
must prove our faith by our course of nel of communication. We cannot accept
%

action, by the things we do. It means that

1. H o w and w h y m u st f a ith be p ro ved to re ce iv e th e
g if t o f lif e ?

2. W h a t c a m p a ig n is n o w in p ro g re ss, a n d to w h a t
does it s effectiven ess t e s t if y ?
3. W h a t c o n siste n t co u rse m u st w e fo llo w to be com
p lete in a cc e p tin g Je h o v a h s v is ib le o r g a n iz a tio n ?

592

f&eW ATCHTOW EFt

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

matter, so Paul, instead of demanding any

rights as an apostle, took the problem to
the governing body in Jerusalem. There,
after due consideration under the direc
tion of Gods holy spirit, the issue was
settled and notice of the decision was sent
to the Antioch congregation by a letter
and a delegation representing the govern
ing body. As a result, the congregation
was freed from doubts and dissension.
Acts 15:2-31.
'T his prompt action by Paul and the
governing body had a unifying, preserving
effect and was productive of increase. Lat
er, as Paul and his party traveled on
through the cities they would deliver to
those there for observance the decrees
that had been decided upon by the apostles
and older men who were in Jerusalem.
Therefore, indeed, the congregations con
UNITY MAINTAINED BY SUBMISSION
tinued to be made firm in the faith and
4
Do not fear that you might lose yourto increase in number from day to day.
identity or freedom by submission. Mem (Acts 16:4, 5) In this way today too the
bers of the first-century Christian congre governing body of the Christian congre
gation willingly submitted themselves to gation serves the entire organization. So
the direction of the organization through lutions to problems arising in one locality
its governing body. Even the apostles Pe are widely circulated so that the unity
ter and Paul did so. When matters of dis and oneness of the entire organization
pute arose, they were referred for settle might be maintained.
ment to the entire body of the twelve
'However, the governing body is not
apostles and the older men of influence alone in administering Jehovahs spiritual
who served in the Jerusalem congregation. provisions for your blessing and for the
One such instance occurred about 49 C.E. protection and unity of the congregations.
Paul and Barnabas, on a missionary as As foretold by Isaiah: And as respects
signment in the Roman provinces of Asia princes, they will rule as princes for jus
Minor, had been baptizing uncircumcised tice itself. (Isa. 32:1) Here prince is not
Gentiles as Christians. When this became to be understood in a political sense, for
those called princes (or sarim, Hebrew)
known in their home congregation in An
have no part in this present wicked sys
tioch of Syria, certain men from Judea
tem of things, soon to be destroyed. Ac
objected, saying: Unless you get circum cording to the sense of the word in He
cised according to the custom of Moses, brew, those of Isaiahs prophecy are to
you cannot be saved. (Acts 15:1) Con
d to th e e a r ly c o n g re g a tio n b y so
siderable discussion failed to settle the 5.d o in(ag) ? W(bh)a tH orewsu lte
is oneness m a in ta in e d in t h e o rg a n i

apostolic teaching, yet reject our commis

sion to teach others. We cannot accept the
house-to-house ministry, yet ignore Gods
moral requirements in everyday living.
We cannot live an exemplary life, yet re
main apathetic to the issue soon to be
settled. We cannot preach the end of this
system of things, yet seek to acquire all
that this world has to offer in security or
material benefits. Jehovahs visible orga
nization is based firmly on the twelvefold
foundation of the apostles of the Lamb,
with Jesus Christ himself being the foun
dation cornerstone. (Rev. 21:14, 19, 20;
Eph. 2:20-22) Therefore, in submitting to
Jehovahs visible theocratic organization,
we must be in full and complete agree
ment with every feature of its apostolic
procedure and requirements.

4. W h y need one n o t fe a r lo sin g h is id e n tity o r freedom

b y s u b m ittin g to th e d ire c tio n of J e h o v a h s o rg a n i
z a t io n ?

za tio n t o d a y ?
6. W h a t a ss is ta n c e does th e g o v e rn in g b o d y have in
a d m in iste rin g it s r e sp o n s ib ilitie s , a n d h o w do they
se rv e ?

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3eWATCHTOWER

593

serve in the theocratic organization as

principal men in charge of groups of a
thousand or a hundred or of fifty or of
even ten. Thus, the King Jesus Christ has
placed men of the faithful and discreet
slave class, and even men from among
the great crowd, whose hope it is to
live on earth, in charge of congregations
and groups of them, even of service groups
of ten, giving them proportionate respon
sibilities. In this way they have become
shepherds in the sense of Jeremiah 23:
4.Rev. 7:9-12.

the welfare of these sheep. It is only

reasonable, then, that Jehovah would re
quire the sheep to be willingly submis
sive to the shepherds. Be obedient to
those who are taking the lead among you
and be submissive, for they are keeping
watch over your souls as those who will
render an account; that they may do this
with joy and not with sighing, for this
would be damaging to you. Heb. 13:17.
8 In submitting yourself to Jehovahs
visible organization as administered by
such servants, you are still not required
or expected to follow men. On the con
IMITATORS OF FAITH, NOT MEN
trary, Paul counseled: Remember those
Those thus appointed are not called who are taking the lead among you, who
7
princes, shepherds or pastors, how have spoken the word of God to you, and
ever, but are commonly called servants. as you contemplate how their conduct
This emphasizes their relationship to the turns out imitate their faith. (Heb. 13:
organization and their responsibility 7) It is the faith of these men that is to
toward those in their charge. Jesus made be imitated and their course of conduct
this position quite clear to his apostles. that is to be observed.
Jesus, calling them to him, said: You
9These men too, though occupying
know that the rulers of the nations lord responsible positions of oversight them
it over them and the great men wield selves, recognize and submit to the supe
authority over them. This is not the way rior appointment of the faithful and dis
among you; but whoever wants to become creet slave. In doing so, they are quick
great among you must be your minister, to heed the admonition of Peter, one of
and whoever wants to be first among you the earlier members of that body. He said:
must be your slave. (Matt. 20:25-27) Humble yourselves, therefore, under the
Since a slave or servant is one who min mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
isters to the needs of a master or em you in due time. (1 Pet. 5:6) Acting for
ployer, those in positions of responsibility the faithful and discreet slave, they
who are called servants are not minis realize the grave responsibility entrusted
tered to but minister willingly to those in to them as representatives of the heavenly
need in the congregation. In this they fol Kingdom government and constantly seek
low the example of Jesus, who said: Just Jehovahs direction and spirit to enable
as the Son of man came, not to be minis them to discharge their assignment for
tered to, but to minister and to give his justice itself in harmony with the righ
soul a ransom in exchange for many. teousness of Jesus Christs reign, not de
viating at any time for the sake of ex
(Matt. 20:28) Not only are such servants
pediency or self-aggrandizement. (Acts 8:
responsible to those in their charge but 4-17) Does the record of the modern
they are also liable to Jehovah God for
7. (a) W h y a re s u c h sh e p h e rd s c a lle d s e rv a n ts ?
(b ) W h a t lia b ilit y do th e y ha ve to J e h o v a h , a n d w h a t
re sp o n sib ility does t h is p la c e u p o n th e sh e e p ?

8. I n
w hat
re sp e c t
do
th e
sh e e p
fo llo w
the
sh e p h e rd s ?
9. T o w h o m a n d h o w m u st th e s h e p h e rd s the m se lv e s
be s u b m is siv e ?

594

SHeW ATCHTOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

was accustomed to do. Why did this loose

organization exist? The account says: In
those days there was no king in Israel.
(Judg. 21:25) So it was in the earlier
days of the modern theocratic organiza
THE MODERN ELIJAH PREPARES THE WAY
tion. Jehovahs administration of righ
10
Great strides in theocratic procedureteousness took a pronounced forward step
have been made since 1919 C.E. This is with the return of the Christian congre
graphically portrayed in the prophetic gation to apostolic teachings. But before
drama of the ministries of the prophets the King, Jesus Christ, was enthroned in
Elijah and Elisha in ancient Israel. As 1914 C.E. the organization was loosely ad
foretold by Malachi: Look! I am sending ministered. Each ecclesia or congrega
to you people Elijah the prophet before tion was self-governed by elected elders
the coming of the great and fear-inspiring and deacons. But in 1914 Jehovah en
day of Jehovah. And he must turn the throned his King Jesus Christ, and from
heart of fathers back toward sons, and 1919 onward the time became due for
the heart of sons back toward fathers; in Jeremiahs prophecy to be fulfilled: And
order that I may not come and actually I myself shall collect together the rem
strike the earth with a devoting of it to nant of my sheep out of all the lands to
destruction. (Mai. 4:5, 6) The original which I had dispersed them, and I will
Elijah was a prominent witness of Jeho bring them back to their pasture ground,
vah in the tenth century B.C.E., five cen and they will certainly be fruitful and be
turies before Malachi uttered his proph come many. And I will raise up over them
ecy. This Elijah that was to come had a shepherds who will actually shepherd
small-scale fulfillment in John the Bap them; and they will be afraid no more,
tist, but the Elijah of Malachis prophecy neither will they be struck with any ter
was scheduled to appear in our own fate ror, and none will be missing, is the ut
ful day, just before and during the time terance of Jehovah. Jer. 23:3, 4.
of the end of this present system of things.
12This benefit of theocratic administra
True to the prophecy, in modern times tion did not come all at once. In 1932 the
the faithful and discreet slave has ap elective elders were replaced in the con
peared to perform the foretold work of gregation by an appointed service direc
Elijah.
tor, who was assisted by a group of
This began a period of making Je mature members of the congregation
hovahs requirements in righteousness democratically elected to their positions.
stronger within the modern congregation But not until 1938 did the final change to
that might be likened to Israel in its earlier strictly theocratic order take place. In
days in the Promised Land. At first, even that year, through the columns of The
though the nation was united under theo Watchtower, it was revealed from the
cratic law and judges ruled, what was Scriptures that the power of appointment
right in his own eyes was what each one of servants in congregations rightfully
rests with the governing body of the
10. (a ) W h o w a s E l i j a h ? (b ) W h a t d id M a la c h i foret e ll c o n ce rn in g E l i j a h , an d of w hom w a s E l i j a h a
faithful and discreet slave as directed
typ e ?

faithful and discreet slave reveal that

this has been the concern for Jehovahs
sheep in these last days? A brief review
of some facts might be reassuring.

11. W h a t c h an g e in o rg a n iz a tio n a l a d m in istra tio n took

p la c e in th e C h r is t ia n c o n g re g atio n w hen Je s u s w as
e n th ro n e d , a n d w h a t p a r a lle l d id t h is h ave in a n c ie n t
Is r a e l?

12. (a ) B y w h a t p ro g re ssiv e step s w a s th e o c ra tic o rd e r

re sto re d d u r in g th e E l i j a h w o r k ?
W h a t d id t h is
e n su re f o r th e sh e e p ?

(b)

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1, 1967

3EeWATCHTOWER

by Jesus Christ from Jehovahs temple.*

This important step in the restoration
of theocratic order assured Jehovahs
sheep that they would not again be sep
arated into independent flocks by un
scrupulous shepherds. The shepherds
that Jehovah promised through Jeremiah
would be those fully in agreement with
Jesus words that they will become one
flock, one shepherd. John 10:16.
EXPANSION AND HEALING
DURING ELISHA PERIOD

13Thus came a strengthening of the

Christian congregation and a safeguarding
against the strenuous days ahead. These
theocratically appointed shepherds whom
Jehovah was raising up within the con
gregation were to be like a hiding place
from the wind and a place of concealment
from the rainstorm. Not only was the
visible organization of God due to experi
ence a severe time of trial by persecution,
but it was also due to be fruitful and
become many as a result of the intense
program of education ahead.
14In 1942 the change came. In the
throes of World War II, with the change
in administrations of the second and third
presidents of the Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, the Elijah work passed
away, having realized its purpose to Je
hovahs praise. It had been actively di
rected toward beginning the work of di
viding the waters of the symbolic Jordan
River, that is, dividing the symbolic wa
ters of the peoples, gathering the other
sheep or great crowd to the right hand
of the reigning King Jesus Christ. (2 Ki.
2:8; Matt. 25:31-46) As the Elisha class
vigorously took up the mantle of Elijah
* See The W atch tow er a s of M a y 15, 1938, pages
147 to 156; J u n e 1, 1938, p a g e s 163 to 171; J u n e 15,
1938, pages 179 to 188.
13. W h y w as th e
re s to ra tio n
of th e o c ra tic
o rd e r
t im e ly ?
14. W h e n and w ith w h a t a c t iv it y d id th e E lis h a w o r k
b e g in ?

595

or the divine commission Elijah had so

actively fulfilled, the time for unparalleled
expansion had begun. The years since
1942 have told their tale regarding the
exploits of the anointed Elisha class, ac
companied by an ever-increasing number
of the great crowd. Rev. 7:9-17.
15 To parallel the many miracles per
formed by the original Elisha, sixteen as
compared with Elijahs eight, the modern
Elisha class at once began arrangements
for producing better preachers of the
Kingdom good news in furtherance of the
prophecy of Matthew 24:14. On Febru
ary 1, 1943, the Watchtower Bible School
of Gilead was set up for training mission
aries and special representatives of the
Watch Tower Society to serve in all parts
of the earth. That same year, 1943, a new
training program, the Theocratic Minis
try School, began in the congregations of
Jehovahs witnesses. At first only male
students were enrolled in these schools,
but in 1958 provision was made for the
women of the congregations to enroll and
participate.
16 As the work expanded, new congre
gations were formed, this requiring more
servants to supervise the Kingdom preach
ing of the good news. To improve their
service, a new feature was introduced in
1959, a Kingdom Ministry School with a
four-week course of study, free to all over
seers invited to be students. By the fol
lowing year the school was established in
the various lands, this resulting in better
supervision of the congregations world
wide. 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9.
17 Just as Elisha of old raised from the
dead the son of the Shunammite woman
who befriended him, so the modern Elisha
work has meant spiritual life from the
15, 16. W h a t f a r- re a c h in g a d v an ce m en ts in th e o c ra tic
a c t iv it y h ave been m ad e b y th e E lis h a c la s s a s pic
tu re d b y th e m ir a c le s of E l i s h a ?
17. H o w h a s th e E l i s h a w o r k re su lte d in a g re a t
s p ir it u a l h e a lin g ?

596

31kWATCHTOWER.

Brooklyn,

N.Y.

til 1952.f No longer could Christian con

duct be viewed simply as a matter affect
ing only the individual or individuals
involved. Paul wrote the Corinthian con
gregation in connection with a disfellow
shiping case in the first-century congre
gation: Do you not know that a little
leaven ferments the whole lump? (1 Cor.
5:1-6) No longer could those following the
practices of the nations be allowed admit
tance to the congregation nor could those
falling away to such practices be allowed
to remain.
19Thus it can be seen that the modern
theocratic organization of shepherds of
Gods flock has only the interests of the
Kingdom and of Gods sheep at heart.
As those keeping watch over your souls,
they know they will render an account.
It is vital to their discharge of Kingdom
responsibilities that none will be miss
MAINTAINING CHRISTIAN
ing. To make certain of this, you must
STANDARDS OF CONDUCT
be taught: Keep on, then, seeking first
18
This strengthening of theocratic
the kingdom and [Gods] righteousness.
structure has brought a closer supervision
Matt. 6:33.
of the organization as to Scriptural re
20 Such a theocratic view of matters will
quirements in conduct of those associated.
enable
you always to keep pace with the
Christian standards have always been rec
organization,
neither running ahead nor
ognized by the modern faithful and dis
lagging
dangerously
behind. You will en
creet slave and have always been held up
counter
trying
circumstances.
Do not be
before the congregation as requirements
overcome
by
them.
Wait
on
Jehovah
and
in Christian living. Even as early as 1904,
the first president of the Watch Tower put your hope in him. (Ps. 37:34; 27:14)
Society, in his book
New Creation, It might even be that reproof will be nec
outlined a Scriptural procedure for deal essary on occasion. Do not become of
ing with violators, even to the point of fended. If you do, you are undoubtedly
withdrawing from them the congrega taking yourself too seriously, failing to
tions fellowship and any and all signs or see the point of the reproof. Nor should
manifestations of brotherhood. *1 But this you persuade yourself that you are of no
extreme measure of excommunication or use to the organization and quit simply
disfellowshiping was not widely practiced because some mistake may be drawn to
among the congregations and was not your attention. Rather, my son, do not
made a requirement on congregations un- belittle the discipline from Jehovah, nei-

dead for countless numbers. (2 Ki. 4:1737) Hundreds of thousands who were lying
in a death state in their sins and under di
vine condemnation have been raised to a
happy life in Jehovahs service, with the
bright prospect of everlasting life under
the Kingdom after this present system is
destroyed at Armageddon. This gathering
work has been intensified since 1942. Dur
ing that crucial year of World War II in
complete reports showed upward of 106,000 persons proclaiming the good news.
Due to the loving administration of the
reigning King and the untiring efforts of
his faithful and discreet slave, and the
great crowd and the appointed shep
herds, the increase has been continual un
til, in this year, just 25 years later, 1,150,000 were actively engaged in publishing
the Kingdom message.

* See S t u d y V I , O r d e r a n d
C r e a t io n , p a g e s 273 to 347.

D is c ip lin e in th e N e w

18, 19. H o w h a v e th e re q u ire m e n ts in C h r is t ia n con duct

been s tre n g th e n e d ?

t See T he W atch tow er, a s

131-148.
2 0 ,2 1 . H o w c a n w e sh o w
t ry in g c irc u m s ta n c e s ?

of M a rc h

p ro p e r

1,

1952, pages

s u b m is s io n

u nder

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SfeW ATCHTOW ER.

597

ther give out when you are corrected by rently outlined by the faithful and dis
him; for whom Jehovah loves he disci creet slave.
plines; in fact, he scourges every one
22
The Bible sets forth every inducement
whom he receives as a son. Heb. 12: and encouragement to place the theocratic
5, 6.
organization ahead of oneself, to accept it
21
On the other hand, it may be thatin all its features and stick to it loyally.
your advancement will be rapid. Guard The theocratic pace of activity is still in
against an attitude of super-faithfulness. creasing. What Jehovah will yet require
It might ensnare you. Do not feel that of his faithful servants on earth before
others in the congregation are slow and Armageddon he will reveal in due time.
backward. You might even become impa Staying close to his visible theocratic or
tient with the organization. Consider in ganization is the only way to find out.
stead the example of Moses, who pleaded Having identified that organization and
with Jehovah to spare his typical theo Gods righteous requirements expressed
cratic nation when some faithless ones in through his channel, never let it go. Fol
the organization sinned against Jehovah low Jehovahs faithful shepherds so that,
and brought his anger down upon the en just as sin ruled as king with death,
tire congregation. (Ex. 32:1-14) Neither likewise also undeserved kindness might
should you wait constantly to be directed rule as king through righteousness with
as to the theocratic activity assigned. Ea everlasting life in view through Jesus
gerly assume individual responsibility and Christ our Lord. Rom. 5:21.
seek ways of advancing the Kingdom in
W h y , th e n , sh o u ld w e s t ic k lo y a lly to Je h o v a h s
terests in harmony with the program cur- 22.
v is ib le o rg a n iza tio n ?

A HEAVENLY TEMPLE
OF WORSHIP
cxJLJL
ANY are the temples throughout
the earth that the peoples of the
nations and various religions view as the
dwelling place of their gods or the place
where they can approach their God and
have communion with him to receive his
favor. They are usually very ornate and
costly, placing a heavy financial burden
on the people who support them. They are
filled with statues of gold and ornamented
with precious jewels. Some are covered

m u x /

with gold. Many of these temples have

been found to be inadequate for supplying
the spiritual needs of the people, failing
to bring them to the true God, and have,
therefore, fallen into decay or have been
destroyed.
At the present time millions of people
gather to temples for worship, many of
them in Christendom, where their church
es and religious buildings are called tem
ples of God. Are these temples supplying

SfEeWATCHTOWER.

598

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

the spiritual needs of the people and bring

ing them to the true God? Sad to say,
they are not. Instead of bringing peace
and unity they have brought division.
Even now there are serious internal up
heavals in the religious organizations. And
some of the most bitter wars that have
been fought have been so-called holy
wars. All the worlds religions have been
dominated by the nationalism of their re
spective countries and therefore have not
brought the people together in communion
with the one true God of the universe.

return from exile in Babylon people met

in their various cities in synagogues, but
these meeting places were not temples.
They were merely places for instruction
and learning in the law of God. Only at
Jerusalem was the temple with its sanc
tuary where the people could approach
God through the priesthood that was es
tablished there. At least three times a year
all males were required to come up to
Jerusalem to the temple, and many made
the trip much more frequently.

JERUSALEMS TEMPLE

Now, God has said that he would es

tablish one temple for all mankind. One
temple, with the one right worship of the
one true God, would certainly be a strong
force for unity among mankind. But would
such a thing be practical? How could all
mankind go regularly up to one location?
Jehovah God the Creator of the universe
is already in the process of completing
such a temple. He gave John a vision of
it in its fully constructed state. The time
is very near when it will be open for all
mankind to come and for all to receive
through it the full blessings of God.
It was one of the seven angels who had
the seven bowls containing the seven last
plagues of Gods anger who had shown the
apostle John the judgment of the great
harlot, Babylon the Great, the bitter ene
my of the bride of Christ. (Rev. 17:1-6)
It was quite appropriate, then, that an
angel of the same group should show to
John who the bride of Christ is, the bride
who remains a virgin for Christ and who
escapes Babylons plagues. John writes:
And there came one of the seven an
gels who had the seven bowls which were
full of the seven last plagues, and he spoke
with me and said: Come here, I will show
you the bride, the Lambs wife. So he
carried me away in the power of the
spirit to a great and lofty mountain, and

ONE TEMPLE FOR ALL

The temple at Jerusalem was a magnif

icent one indeed. Nevertheless, unlike the
temples of worldly religions, its construc
tion and its priesthood were not supported
at a great burden of cost to the people.
God gave the entire Promised Land to the
twelve tribes of Israel. The temple tribe,
Levi, would have had its own share. But
God selected Levi for priestly and minis
terial service. The Levite family of Aaron
worked hard at the temple sacrificial work
and in teaching Gods law. They were,
therefore, freed from taking care of an
allotment of land and instead subsisted on
the tithe brought by the other tribes. The
remaining tribes, in effect, were merely
supplying to Gods priesthood and his tem
ple that which the Levites normally would
have owned, had they not been used by
God for this special service.
As long as Israels priesthood and its
kings were faithful the temple served to
bring Israel into communication with Je
hovah God, and great prosperity and bless
ing were the result. But when apostate
religion set in, the nation went into de
cay and finally Jehovah allowed the tem
ple to be destroyed by Israels enemies.
In Israel there were not hundreds of
temples dotting the land. The one temple
was set on Mount Moriah. After Israels

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SHeWATCHTOWER

he showed me the holy city Jerusalem

coming down out of heaven from God and
having the glory of God. Its radiance was
like a most precious stone, as a jasper
stone shining crystal-clear.Rev. 21:9-

11.
NO LITERAL BUILDING

We notice here that when the spiritual

temple class is mentioned, it is called Je
rusalem. The ancient temple was built on
Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. In this vision
we find that the apostle John saw, not a
temple building, but the holy city Jeru
salem. Since the Christian congregation
is the temple of God and the bride of
Christ, New Jerusalem, being the bride, is
identified also as Gods temple. (1 Cor.
6:19; 1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 21:2) It is a sym
bolic temple, which is neither a literal
building nor a literal city, but of which
Jesus Christ is the Foundation Corner
stone. It is a heavenly organization, com
ing down, that is, extending its benign
influence toward humankind. This reveals
how it is possible for all mankind to ap
proach Gods true temple, for it is not lo
cated on one earthly spot, but it is in
heaven, and is therefore approachable by
all and can give attention to all.
John goes on to describe the city: It
had a great and lofty wall and had twelve
gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and
names were inscribed which are those of
the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. On
the east were three gates, and on the
north three gates, and on the south three
gates, and on the west three gates. The
wall of the city also had twelve founda
tion stones, and on them the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Rev. 21:12-14.
The fact that the twelve gates had in
scribed on them the names of the twelve
tribes of the sons of Israel helps us to see
what constitutes this symbolic city. It

599

makes understandable that it represents

spiritual Israel, composed of 144,000 mem
bers, as described in Revelation 7:4-8.
Twelve angels are seen guarding the
city gates. This is a comforting thing for
us, for it gives us assurance that no one
will get into the city who is not righteous
and who therefore does not belong there.
No one who desires to carry on a false re
ligion or who is likely to defile this temple
and corrupt its worship as did the priests
of ancient Jerusalem can get admission
there.
THE TEMPLES FOUNDATIONS

The citys wall had on each of its

twelve foundation stones the name of one
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Now,
if John had envisioned the Christian con
gregation when it was first established on
the day of Pentecost of 33 C.E., one of
these names would have been Matthias.
But Johns vision is of the completed,
glorified congregation of God in the heav
ens at the beginning of Christs thousandyear reign. Therefore, not the name Mat
thias, but the name Paul, might be there,
inasmuch as he was directly chosen to be
one of the apostles by Jesus Christ him
self, as were the other eleven. (Acts 1:
15-26; 9:15; Gal. 1:1) Of course, the name
of Judas Iscariot would not be included.
Such a person could have no part in this
symbolic city because he loved dishonest
gain and was therefore a self-idolater, dy
ing in the second death, as the son of
destruction.John 17:12; Acts 1:16-20;
1 Pet. 5:2.
Accordingly, the names on the founda
tion stones would be: (1) Simon Peter,
(2) Andrew, (3) James, (4) John, (5)
Philip, ( 6 ) Bartholomew (Nathanael), (7)
Thomas, ( 8 ) Matthew, (9) James of Alphaeus, (10) Thaddaeus (Judas son of
James), (11) Simon the Cananaean, and

600

SHeWATCHTOWER.

(12) Paul.Matt. 10:14; Luke 6:12-16; John

1:45-49; Mark 3:16-19.
In the ancient temple
of Jerusalem the Most
Holy compartment was a
perfect cube. (1 Ki. 6 :
20) This signified the
p e rfe ctio n and fo u r
squareness of Jehovahs
heavenly temple, which
is shown to be a perfect
cube of tremendous size.
It extends into the third
dimension, exceeding the
foursquareness of an
cient Babylon, which al
so was a sacred city and,
according to the histori
an Herodotus, was built
as a square on both sides
of the Euphrates River.
It is far greater than the
Assyrian capital Nine
veh, which was reported
by Diodorus Siculus as
being built foursquare.
The m easurem ents o f
the heavenly Jerusalem
were given to John:
i

f'

ITS DIMENSIONS

Now the one w ho

was speaking with me
was holding as a measure a golden reed, that he might
measure the city and its large gates and its wall. And
the city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as
its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed,
twelve thousand furlongs; its length and breadth and
height are equal. Also, he measured its wall, one hun
dred and forty-four cubits, according to a mans mea
sure, at the same time an angels. Now the structure
of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold like
clear glass. The foundations of the citys wall were
adorned with every sort of precious stone: the first
foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

chalcedony, the fourth emer

ald, the fifth sardonyx, the
sixth sardius, the seventh
chrysolite, the eighth beryl,
the ninth top az, th e tenth
chrysoprase, the eleventh hy
acinth, the twelfth amethyst.
Also, the twelve gates were
twelve pearls; each one of the
gates was made of one pearl.
And the broad way of the city
was pure gold, as transparent
glass. Rev. 21:15-21.
While it is not said how
long the reed in the hand of
the angel w as, the u nit o f
measurement is understand
able, for the Bible says it is
according to a mans mea
sure so that the citys dimen
sions are expressed in our
known human terms. Appar
en tly the angel m easured
around the city, the perimeter
being twelve thousand fu r
longs or 1,500 miles, making
each side of the city 375 miles
long its height being the
same, 375 miles. In Johns day
only an angel could have mea
sured anything so high. Sit
ting on the earth, the top of
the city would reach into what
is now called outer space.
The wall of the city was
144 c u b it s o r 216 f e e t in
height. This made the city it
self more than 9,000 times as
high as the walls and it must
have been an awe-inspiring
vision for the apostle to be
hold, symbolizing the great
ness of the New Jerusalem
and making other cities with
th eir tem ples lo o k fla t by
comparison.

O c to ber 1, 1 9 6 7

This heavenly city far sur

passes in beauty and riches
anything known on earth a
city of such size built of met
als and p r e c io u s s to n e s ,
everything in it being pre
cious. The spiritual things it
symbolizes are much more
valuable. This should illus
trate to us that the city is
m ost p reciou s to G od and
should be so to all of Gods
faithful people at the time
that it comes from God out
o f heaven, that is, out o f
G od s new heaven o f his
new order. Just as the bride
of Christ is said to be lovely,
pure and chaste, so the purity
of this city is pictured as ex
trem e cleanness, the r ig h
teousness of it being repre
sented by pure gold, like clear
glass.
A PALACE OF GOD

It is interesting that in the

Bible the Hebrew word most
often translated temple also
means palace. This temple
of God being sanctified for
him to dwell in is therefore
the habitation for the great
King of the universe and is
his heavenly p alace. John
says:
And I did not see a temple
in it, for Jehovah God the Al
mighty is its temple, also the
Lamb is. And the city has no
need of the sun nor of the
moon to shine upon it, for the
glory of God lighted it up,
and its lamp was the Lamb.
Rev. 21:22, 23.
Since the sy m b olic c it y
is in itself a temple and a

SEeWATCHTOWEFL

601

palace, the abode of the God and King of the universe,

it is obvious that there would not be any temple sanc
tuary in it. Men are accustomed to go to a temple
building to worship God. But the 144,000 inhabitants
of this city do not need to go up to some temple to
approach Jehovah God the Almighty, for he dwells
right there by spirit. They can approach God directly.
In that sense he is like the temple. It is not necessary
for the inhabitants of this city to approach him
through some building, with something inside of it to
represent him. For related reasons the Lamb Jesus
Christ is also the citys temple. The temple at Jeru
salem was served by a high priest. Jesus Christ is
Jehovahs High Priest. He is also known as the Hus
band of this symbolic temple-city. He is the Founda
tion, the Cornerstone of the spiritual temple and, since
the temple endures through the millennium, he will
always be there as its High Priest, diiecting the wor
ship of the peoples according to Jehovahs will and
instructing them in Gods way, according to the duties
of a priest. Eph. 2:19-22; Rev. 20:4-6.
In the ancient tabernacle and temple at Jerusalem
there were oil-burning lamps in the Holy compartment,
but Jehovahs Shekinah light was miraculously there
in the Most Holy to provide light. An earthly city
needs light by means of the sun in the daytime and

602

SfteWATCHTOWER-

either the moon or some artificial light at

night. But the New Jerusalem is a heav
enly city. Its light being Jehovah God
himself and its lamp being the Lamb,
there is never any need for such lumi
naries, not even the sun or moon.
LIGHT FOR THE NATIONS

The nations on earth, however, do need

the sun and moon and they also need the
spiritual enlightenment of heavenly Jeru
salem. Revelations description continues:
And the nations will walk by means of
its light, and the kings of the earth will
bring their glory into it. And its large
gates will not be closed at all by day, for
night will not exist there. And they will
bring the glory and the honor of the na
tions into it. Rev. 21:24-26.
Those on earth will be guided by this
heavenly city. The Bible will be com
pletely clarified for them, also the scrolls
to be written, which will include Gods
righteous and enlightening rules, laws and
instructions, will be made so plain that
none will violate these through ignorance.
The spiritual temple will indeed serve in
its intended function and will bring man
kind all into full relationship with God so
that they can walk on the way that leads
to everlasting life without stumbling. This
temple made up of the Seed of Abraham
will truly carry out the blessing of all the
families and nations of the earth.Gen.
12:3; 22:18.
Who are the kings of the earth who will
bring their glory into this heavenly city,
New Jerusalem? Certainly they are not
the kings of the political nations. The pre
ceding chapters of Revelation have shown
that, by the time Jehovahs city has pre
sented itself to mankind, the kings of the
earth will have been killed off in the battle
of Har-Magedon. Since the days of the
kings of Judah, the only kings ever ap-

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

pointed to office by Jehovah God are Jesus

Christ and his 144,000 world conquerors,
who will rule as heavenly kings with him
for the thousand years. (Rev. 5:8-10)
These while on earth give full devotion to
Jehovah God and give their lives and in
tegrity to God in support of his universal
sovereignty. They are not kings when on
earth. They are tried and proved here. In
their kingly and priestly position in heav
en they will be zealous to bring all their
God-given glory into the holy city, New
Jerusalem, to magnify the royal organiza
tion to Gods praise and to the support of
his universal sovereignty. (1 Cor. 15:2428) Under the rule of such a godly gov
ernment, Jehovahs purposes will be fully
carried out to bring perfection on a
paradise earth, to mankinds everlasting
benefit.
RESULTS TO MANKIND

The response from the people will be

that the glory and the honor of the na
tions of earth will be brought into that
heavenly city. As they forget their past
national and religious differences, the
practice of the true worship of Jehovah
and allegiance to his heavenly government
will bring their heartfelt praise and grati
tude to God and true love and real peace
among men.
Today Christians are in only a relative
subjection to the superior authorities,
the political governments of this world,
because their primary subjection must be
to God. But then there will be total sub
jection to Gods Messianic government,
for the temple as the center of worship
will also be the palace of the King of the
universe. It will be with delight that the
nations will subject themselves to its sov
ereignty. As they recognize to a fuller and
fuller extent its glories, the glories of the
present national political governments will

O c to ber

1, 1967

ffteW ATCHTOW ER.

gradually fade away from human memory.

Full trust and confidence will everlasting
ly be placed in Gods Messianic govern
ment by the peoples of earth. No politics,
false religion or any trace of corruptness
will ever enter into Gods sanctuary, the
sacred city: But anything not sacred and
anyone that carries on a disgusting thing
and a lie will in no way enter into it; only
those written in the Lambs scroll of life
will. (Rev. 21:27) This citys inhabi
tants, the kings over the new earth, will
be worthy of fullest confidence.
If we are to worship the true God at
his temple and be among the nations that
walk in the light of the New Jerusalem,
we must take an interest now in the same
Book that tells us of the operation of
Gods heavenly temple. We there find
clear-cut instructions that will enable us
to be among the first ones of the nations
that will walk in the light of the holy city.
It will enable us to survive the destruc
tion that comes upon the false religions

603

and political systems of this world and to

drink of the life-giving waters that will
flow forth from the temple. Even now Je
hovah through his Messiah has taken pow
er to rule as King. He has almost com
pleted the building of the temple. The
psalmist uses ancient Mount Zion in a
beautiful description, along with instruc
tions for us, when he says:
Jehovah is great and much to be
praised in the city of our God, in
holy
mountain. Pretty for loftiness, the exul
tation of the whole earth, is Mount Zion
on the remote sides of the north, the
town of the grand King. In her dwelling
towers God himself has become known as
a secure height. March around Zion, you
people, and go about it, count its towers.
Set your hearts upon its rampart, inspect
its dwelling towers, in order that you may
recount it to the future generation. For
this God is our God to time indefinite,
even forever. He himself will guide us
until we die. Ps. 48:1-3, 12-14.

A s told by Isobel Foster

UR home was situated in the lush

green hills and pleasant valleys of
Ireland, and there I was born on January
15,1880. While still very young I lost both
father and mother. Our guardian uncles
decided to give us girls lots of religious
training, and so enrolled us in an Episco
pal parish school.

Though each schoolday opened with Bi

ble reading and some explanations by the
teacher, I was seldom quite satisfied with
what she said, though my love for the
Bible continued to grow. And we did
learn many passages of the Bible by heart.
Often, when some little problem arose, I
would go quietly to the Lord in prayer,

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3HeWATCHTOWER

recalling his promise to give help and pro

tection. Ps. 27:10.
As soon as I was old enough, I followed
my now married sisters overseas, and took
up the nursing career in Canada. When
I graduated I moved to New York to take
up practice there, caring for private cases,
either in their homes or in hospitals.
A THIRST-QUENCHING DRINK

During all the years I was in New York

I did not contact any of Jehovahs wit
nesses, though there was a congregation
in Brooklyn, as I learned later. I returned
to Winnipeg, Canada, while World War I
was still raging, there to take up a busi
ness course and obtain employment with
the provincial government. It turned out
that my landlady was one of the Bible
Students, as Jehovahs witnesses were
then known. I was not at first aware of
this and she was timid about telling me.
Finally, one day she got up courage to
inquire what I thought about where peo
ple go at death. I told her I did not know,
that I knew they would not get to heaven
until after the judgment, that I did not
believe in hellfire, and that I would surely
like to know the whereabouts of the souls
of the dead. She quoted me scriptures to
prove that we are souls, that sinful souls
die, and that at death the body returns
to dust and the spirit or breath of life re
turns to God who originally imparted it.
(Gen. 2:7; Ezek. 18:4; Eccl. 12:7) That
settled the question for me. My church
going ended right there. It was like finding
a freshwater spring amid the desert.
In early spring of 1918 I was baptized in
symbol of my dedication to serve Jehovah.
Now truly I had placed my refuge in the
Sovereign Lord Jehovah. (Ps. 73:28) This
stand was soon to be put to the test, for
under the pressures of World War I the
Christian work of Jehovahs witnesses and
their literature were placed under ban. We

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

had to meet in secret, and carry only our

Bibles. This, however, proved to be bene
ficial, for we had to be prepared to an
swer all study questions from memory.
During the ban we used to go out at
dawn and put Bible tracts under doors.
Also, we watched for opportunities to do
incidental witnessing. Later, when the ban
was lifted, we had the joy of a new in
strument for spreading the good news,
namely, the Golden A ge magazine (now
known as Av:aJce! ) . I went all through the
building where my office was located, ob
taining subscriptions from most of the
department heads.
EXPANSION WORK BEGINS

Cedar Point, Ohio, in 1922, was my first

big assembly. What a joy it was to learn
that spirit of life from God had enabled
his witnesses to stand upon their feet and
prophesy ! (Rev. 11:11) When, during the
main discourse, President J. F. Rutherford
of the Watch Tower Society read the
scripture: I began to hear the voice of
Jehovah saying: Whom shall I send, and
who will go for us? the whole assembly
answered as one man: Here I am! Send
me.Isa. 6 : 8 .
From then on the expansion work really
got under way. Every weekend we orga
nized car groups and traveled to towns
and villages far out around Winnipeg,
there to witness to the people. There was
opposition, but often this just resulted in
arousing curiosity, and people read our
literature and learned the truthful mes
sage of the Bible.
I
began to think about giving m y whole
time to the preaching ministry, for I
could see that the field was ripe. Fellow
workers in the government office described
such a move as going into a work with
no future in it. Not a bit dissuaded, I fi
nally enrolled in the full-time service as
a pioneer minister and bade good-bye to

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1967

SHeWATCHTOWER.

my secure government job. That was

over forty-one years ago, and I have never
once regretted the step. Jehovah has sure
ly proved to be a refuge for me.

605

ness stand that I was no peddler, but an

ambassador for the Lord. We were de
clared guilty and sentenced to a fine or
five months in prison. The case was ap
pealed to the District Court, but when it
A CHALLENGING CAREER
came up the following winter the judge
My full-time preaching ministry as a refused to try it and remanded it to the
pioneer began in Iowa in 1926. Later that file. Anyway, a swarm of Witnesses from
year I was joined by my present partner, Memphis descended upon that county and
and to g e th e r we
th o ro u g h ly w it
preached the good
nessed to its in
R E A D T H E N E X T IS S U E
news in isolated
habitants without
Rescuing a G reat C row d o f M ankind
areas in seventeen
further interfer
O ut o f Arm ageddon
d iffe re n t states
ence.
(Reproduction of principal discourse heard by
and in so m any
O ften the te r
convention audiences world wide)
c o u n t ie s th a t I
ritory was so iso
have lost cou n t.
lated that many
We had an old car, but even so we rarely roads were not even on the map. One
saw any other Witnesses from one year day in the Blue Ridge Mountains we
to the next. A special treat was to attend inquired if a certain side road led to a
the annual celebration of the Lords Eve little town we wanted to reach. The an
ning Meal with some congregation and swer was Yes, without further elucidation.
So, off we went, but soon noticed that the
join in singing the praises of our God.
Among the memories I shall always road became steadily worse until it was
cherish are the kind, encouraging letters no more than a narrow shelf against the
we received from the Society. They al steep side of the mountain. The sheer
ways knew where we were, and this drop to the valley looked to be about half
thought alone was a great comfort to us. a mile. When we got down to the valley
And how we needed this backing! In one beyond, the man at the filling station
Mississippi county, for example, the may asked how we got there. We pointed to the
or sent word to us by the marshal that we road, and he exclaimed: You didnt! It
could not continue our work without a is dangerous even to walk that road!
license. The mayor was superintendent of
During depression years we had to bar
the Methodist Sunday School. We ex ter Bibles and other literature for food
plained that our work was not commer items such as vegetables, fruit, eggs and
cial, and despite threat of arrest we went even chickens. When it was chickens, we
on as usual. We recalled that the first- even had to catch them ourselves at times.
century Christians obeyed God as ruler I will not go into detail as to how we did
rather than men. (Acts 5:29) We were it; but one thing we can say, the leghorns
arrested and placed in a hastily cleaned were the worst! Also, we had to travel
long distances over washboard roads,
cell by a shamefaced jailer.
The trial date was continually post sometimes as much as sixty miles round
poned until we insisted on a hearing, for trip. We would start at dawn and not get
we had no intention of desisting from our back until after dark. Yet with all these
God-given service. Accused of peddling experiences we did maintain our sense of
without a license, I testified on the wit- humor and never once thought of quitting.

606

3EeWATCHTOWEFL

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Massachusetts, congregation, and we have

had the satisfying experience of seeing it
grow and divide and subdivide, until now
there are ten congregations in the area.
Meantime we often wondered about the
effects of our service in the many isolated
areas we covered. Well, imagine our joy
to receive a letter, forwarded by the So
ciety, from a Witness in the deep south
who wanted to let us know what our calls
meant to her and her family! The year
after our last visit, when other Witnesses
arrived, they were ready for baptism
father, mother, and grown son and daugh
ter. They soon sold their property and
became pioneer ministers.
I am now infirm, but as I still do what
I am able, I am continually reminded of
the many blessed privileges that Jehovah
has granted me through the years. How
happy I am that I followed the wise course
of
the psalmist and could say as he did:
GLADDENING RESULTS
In 1943 my partner and I were assigned In the sovereign Lord Jehovah I have
to work in cooperation with the Boston, placed my refuge ! Ps. 73:28.

Then came special pioneer work in 1937.

This meant our going into unassigned
towns or towns where the congregations
of Jehovahs people needed help. We shall
never forget the kindness of our Chris
tian brothers in a New Jersey city to
which we were first sent. They extended
generous hospitality and helped us to find
an apartment. And then how delighted we
were to be getting regularly to meetings
again and enjoying the fellowship of our
brothers and sisters in the faith!
In 1939 we were privileged to be present
in Madison Square Garden, New York city,
when the Watch Tower Societys presi
dent, J. F. Rutherford, delivered his pow
erful lecture on Government and Peace
in spite of the determined efforts of mob
sters to break up the gathering. Their
yells and jeers failed to drown out the lec
ture, which proceeded to its grand climax.

Preach Release to Babylon's Captives

A R L Y release or inescapable destruction
with what is holding them in bondage!
That is the issue facing all people today.
Release from w hat? Release from Babylon
the Great. Rev. 18:4.
W h a t is this Babylon from which my
people must get release? It could not be
todays political or commercial organizations,
for the Bible prophetically shows that their
leaders mourn the destruction of Babylon the
Great. (Rev. 18:9-19) It, therefore, could only
be the world empire of false religion. The
name Babylon certainly befits her, for was
not ancient Babylon the fountainhead of false
religion and did she not, as a world power,
hold many peoples in bondage, refusing to let
them go? Surely! Isa. 14:4, 17.
To persons held captive in modern Babylon
Jehovahs witnesses have the commission to
preach a release, even as did their Leader

Jesus Christ when on earth nineteen centuries

ago: Jehovahs spirit is upon me, because he
anointed me to declare good news to the poor,
he sent me forth to preach a release to the
captives and a recovery of sight to the blind,
to send the crushed ones away with a release.
(Luke 4 :1 8 )* Those Jews who heeded the
preaching of Jesus and his apostles obtained a
release and so escaped the destruction that
befell their nation in 70 C.E. And so today only
those who obtain a release can hope to escape
destruction.
However, let us never forget that for release
from Babylon to mean safety, protection and
life, more is required than merely to sever
ones connections with Babylon the Great.
Ever so many persons have done that and
yet will be destroyed at Armageddon when
* For
1966.

d e ta ils

see

The

W a tch to w er,

N ovem ber

15,

O cto ber

1, 1967

5KeWATCHTOWER,

Jehovah wipes out the commercial and politi

cal paramours of Great Babylon. A s The
Watchtower as far back as 1934 pointed out,
for persons to become sheep they must
make a presentation of themselves to do
Jehovahs will and be baptized in water just
as Jesus was, and then follow his example in
preaching a release to others still in bondage.
Matt. 28:19, 20.

W hat does this mean for Jehovahs witnesses

today? That there is much work for them to
do. They must not only help persons to sever
their connections with Babylon the Great but,
by making return visits, by conducting Bible
studies with them and by inviting them to
associate with the Witnesses at the Kingdom
Halls, help them to take their stand for
Jehovah God and his Son, Christ the King,
That means much work, hard work, dependable work, unselfish w ork! 1 Cor. 15:58.

i
i
i
j

j
j

607

It also means urgency. The end o f this

system of things is drawing on apace! A ll
those destroyed with Babylon the Great or
later at Armageddon cannot hope for a
resurrection. N or m ay we overlook the fact
that it is those who get this release who will
be sharing in the vindication of Jehovah's
name, making his heart glad. Prov. 27:11.
W hat reasons for us to put first in our lives
Gods kingdom and his righteousness! (Matt.
6:33) W hat reasons for us to discipline our
selves, making sure that we neither needlessly
associate with nor imitate those who are
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of
God. (2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Cor. 15:33) M ay we at
all times give evidence that we do love Jehovah
God with all our heart, mind, soul and
strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, by
making use of every opportunity to preach
release to Babylons captives! M ark 12:29-31.

cs^

Deuteronomy 10:6 reads, And the sons of

Israel pulled away from Beeroth Bene-jaakan
for Moserah. However, Numbers 33:31, 32
says exactly the reverse. How are we to
understand this seeming discrepancy?
The account in the book of Numbers states
that when the Israelites were on their journey
through the wilderness they pulled away from
Moseroth and went camping in Bene-jaakan.
After that they pulled away from Bene-jaakan
and went camping in Hor-haggidgad. So the
account at Deuteronomy does list the direction
of travel of the Israelites in reverse order from
the Numbers account. In view of the many
years spent in the wilderness, it is quite possible
that the Israelites passed twice through this
region.
As The Pentateuch and Haftorahs (Deuter
onomy) commentary on Deuteronomy 10:6
suggests: A probable explanation is that the

Israelites, after journeying on a southern

direction to the land of Edom, had to turn
sharply to the north. . . . They m ay have had
to retrace their steps for a short distance, and
revisit some of the places they had passed
through, this time in the reverse order. It
is to be noted that the record of Deuteronomy
(10:6) refers to Aarons death immediately
after referring to the station of Moserah,
whereas the Numbers account (33:31-39) de
scribes the Israelites travels to Ezion-geber
and then northwest to Kadesh before dealing
with the matter of the death of Aaron. This,
together with the long number of years in
volved, would certainly allow for a measure
of backtracking, if such were the case. Benejaakan (Beeroth Bene-jaakan, meaning wells
of the sons of Jaakan ) is usually identified
with a site a few miles north of Kadesh-bamea.
1 Kings 15:14 and 2 Chronicles 14:5 seem to
contradict each other. One says Asa removed
the high places, the other says he did not.
How is this to be understood?
The record at 2 Chronicles 14:2-5 states:
Asa proceeded to do what was good and right
in the eyes of Jehovah his God. So he removed
the foreign altars and the high places and

608

3&W ATCHTOW ER.

broke up the sacred pillars and cut down the

sacred poles. Further, he said to Judah to
search fo r Jehovah the God of their fore
fathers and to do the law and the command
ment. Accordingly he removed from all the
cities o f Judah the high places and the in
cense stands. So A sa did demonstrate a zeal
for pure worship like David his forefather,
and courageously set about to clean out of
the land the male temple prostitutes and the
idols. H e even removed his grandmother, Maacah, from her position as a sort of 'first lady*
o f the land because of her making a horrible
idol to the sacred pole of Ashtoreth, and he
burned the religious idol. 1 Ki. 15:11-13.
Right after the account of the kings destroy
ing his grandmothers idol, however, 1 Kings
15:14 says that the high places he did not re
move. Nevertheless, A sa s heart itself proved
to be complete with Jehovah all his days.
It therefore appears that the high places re
ferred to in the Chronicles account were those
of the adopted pagan worship that infected
Judah, while the Kings account refers to high
places at which the people engaged in worship
of Jehovah.

rooklyn

N .Y.

Even after the setting up of the tabernacle

and later after the establishment of Solomons
temple, occasional sacrificing that was accept
able to Jehovah was done to him on high
places under special circumstances, as in the
case of Samuel, David and Elijah. (1 Sam. 9:
11-19; 1 Chron. 21:26-30; 1 Ki. 18:20, 30-39)
Nevertheless, the regular approved place for
sacrifice was that authorized by Jehovah.
(Num. 33:52; Deut. 12:2-14; Josh. 22:29) Im
proper modes of worship were also carried on
in Jehovahs name (compare Exodus 32:5) and
such may have continued at certain high places
in spite of the removal of the pagan high
places, perhaps because the king did not pur
sue their elimination with the same vigor as
in the removal of the pagan sites.
Or it is possible that Asa did effect a com
plete removal of all high places but that such
cropped up again in due time and were not re
moved at the time of the conclusion of his
reign, allowing for their being smashed by his
successor Jehoshaphat. A sas zeal for right
worship brought a period of peace from Jeho
vah so that his kingdom continued without
disturbance before him. 2 Chron. 14:1, 5.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

Freedom is a prized possession. Those who

are spiritually free want to help others to be
released from captivity to superstitions and
false religious traditions. Jehovahs witnesses
strongly feel this way, for they recognize the
symbolic Babylon the Great of Revelation 18:2
as being the world empire of false religion, to
which millions of persons are imprisoned. As
Jehovahs witnesses preach a release to Bab
ylons chptives during the month of October,
they are offering to all interested persons a
years subscription for Awake! magazine, with
three* booklets, for $1.
i
PROOF OF POPULARITY

Each year the magazine Awake! has more

readers. Are you one of them ? Its current

circulation of 4,550,000 is almost double what

it was ten years ago, and the total of twenty-six
languages in which it appears is alm ost twice
what it was then. Have you discovered what it
is that accounts for this growing popularity?
Read Awake! regularly and be better informed
as well as stimulated and refreshed. Send for
a years subscription. It is only $1. Send now
and receive three free Bible study booklets.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

October 22: Finding Freedom with Jehovahs

Visible Organization. Page 585. Songs to
Be Used: 76, 113.
October 29: Following Faithful Shepherds
with Life in View. Page 591. Songs to Be
Used: 105, 101.

YOU ARE MY W ITN ESSES, SAYS JEH O V A H .-lsa.43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very watchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h a t is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er this magazine Justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in Ju ly o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious n ew order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tch to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w e r is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read w ith
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? T h e Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w o rth y o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.
*

P U B L IS H E D B Y T H E
W A T C H T O W E R B I B L E A N D T R A C T S O C IE T Y O F P E N N S Y L V A N IA
117 A d a m s S tre e t
B ro o k ly n , N .Y . 11201, U .S .A .
N. H. K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary

They will all be taught by Jehovah.' John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

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-r/bmounciriqr

JE H O V A H S
K IN G D O M
October 15, 1967

N um ber 20

CkmmS
IN KINGDOM GLORY
ANY persons world wide are
keenly interested in the time
when Jesus Christ comes in Kingdom glo
ry. For centuries God-fearing persons
have looked forward to it. Jesus himself
raised anticipation for his return by tell
ing four of his disciples who had come
to him on the Mount of Olives:
When the Son of man arrives in his
glory, and all the angels with him, then
he will sit down on his glorious throne.
And all the nations will be gathered be
fore him, and he will separate people one
from another, just as a shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats. Matt. 25:31,
32.
Is there any way to determine the time
for this momentous event? On his return
Jesus obviously would not be seen with
human eyes, since he is said to come with
his invisible angels. So is there substantial
evidence in the Bible that establishes the
time when Jesus comes invisibly in King
dom glory? Let us see.

thrown down, also what would be the sign

of his second presence and the conclusion
of the system of things, or time of the
end. (Matt. 24:1-3; Luke 21:5-7; Dan.
12:4) After discussing these matters at
some length, and while talking about the
destruction due to come upon Jerusalem,
Jesus said: They J[the Jews] will fall by
the edge of the sword and be led captive
into all the nations; and Jerusalem will
be trampled on by the nations, until the
appointed times of the nations are ful
filled. Luke 21:24.
The period of time indicated by the ex
pression the appointed times of the na
tions is really of vital significance, for
Jesus closely connects it with the discus
sion of his second presence, in Kingdom
glory. Actually it is a key, the under
standing of which conclusively identifies
the time of Jesus coming in glory. There
fore, it is a matter deserving careful
study.
MEANING OF THE GREEK WORD TIMES

The word times here used at Luke

21:24 comes from the Greek word 7
(plural,
kairoi),which, according to one
Greek authority, signified a fixed or

THE APPOINTED TIMES OF THE NATIONS

That group of four disciples on the

Mount of Olives had asked Jesus when
the magnificent Jewish temple would be
611

612

2fEeWATCHTOWER

B rooklyn,

N.Y.

definite period, a season, sometimes an beyond that point. Many Bible commen
opportune or seasonable time. * Thus, tators have noted this. For example, the
Jcairos is used in the Scriptures with ref well-known commentary by F. C. Cook
erence to the harvest season, the sea says of this part of the text: It serves
son of the fruits, and the season of figs. to separate the strictly eschatological por
tion of the great prophecy [that is, the
Matt. 13:30; 21:34; Mark 11:13.
portion
relating to Jesus second pres
Interestingly, Jcairos is also used in con
ence]
,
from
the part belonging properly to
nection with future times or occasions
the
destruction
of Jerusalem.
within Gods arrangement or timetable,
particularly as relates to Christs second
Thus, when Jesus spoke of Jerusalem
presence and his kingdom. For example, as being trampled upon until the appoint
the apostle Paul speaks of the sacred se ed times of the nations are fulfilled, he
cret revealed by God for an administra was not simply referring to the literal city
tion at the full limit of the appointed times of Jerusalem as being trampled upon, but
[kairon], namely, to gather all things to to something additional and greater. To
gether again in the Christ. Eph. 1:9, what? To find out let us examine what
10; see also Acts 1:7 and 3:19.
significance the inspired Scriptures attach
In view of the meaning of the word to Jerusalem.
times
(kairoi),as used in the Bible, Jerusalem
it
was the capital of the nation
can properly be expected that the expres of Israel, whose kings of the line of David
sion the appointed times of the nations were said to sit upon Jehovahs throne.
does not refer to something vague or in (1 Chron. 29:23) Jerusalem, therefore,
definite. Rather, it has reference to a represented the seat of the divinely con
fixed or definite period, one having a stituted government or typical kingdom of
definite beginning and a definite end.
God operating through the house of Da
But when do the appointed times of vid. With its Mount Zion, it was the
the nations begin? When do they end? town of the grand King. (Ps. 48:1, 2)
And what occurs when this fixed period Hence, Jerusalem came to stand for the
of time concludes? The answers to these kingdom of the dynasty of King David,
questions are necessarily bound up in Je much as Washington, London, Paris and
sus reference to the trampling upon of Moscow represent the ruling powers of
Jerusalem until the fulfillment of the ap present-day nations, and are so referred
pointed times of the nations.
to in news communiques.
JERUSALEM TRAMPLED
ON BY THE NATIONS

The literal city of Jerusalem is obvious

ly referred to in Jesus description of the
destruction that was to come and did come
upon Jerusalem in the year 70 C.E. On
that occasion the Roman armies demol
ished the city and threw down the mag
nificent temple there. However, the state
ment concerning the appointed times of
the nations carries the prophecy far
* E x p o sito ry D ictionary o f N ew T estam ent
b y W . E . V in e , 1962, V o l. I V , p ag e 138.

W ord s,

The trampling on that kingdom of the

dynasty of Davidic rulers did not first be
gin with the Roman devastating of the
city of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. It began cen
turies earlier with the overthrow of that
dynasty in 607 B.C.E.* when the Babylo
nian King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Je
rusalem and took captive the dethroned
* A c c o rd in g to a note in th e C h r o n o lo g ic a l T a b le
p re fa cin g T he (H o ly Scriptures - A N e w Translation
from the Original Languages, (1949) b y J . N . D a r b y :
N e b u ch a d n e zz a r re ig n s, a t fir s t c o n jo in t ly w it h N abop o la ssa r a n d c a r r ie s a w a y th e J e w s to B a b y lo n . T h e
tim e s of th e G e n t ile s com m ence. B e g in n in g o f 70
y e a r s c a p tiv ity in B a b y lo n .

O cto ber

15, 1967

SRkWATCHTOWER-

king of Davids line, Zedekiah, and the

land was left desolate. (2 Ki. 25:1-26)
This accorded with the prophetic words
directed to Zedekiah at Ezekiel 21:25-27,
that he should remove the turban, and
lift off the crown. This will not be the
same. . . . A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I shall
make it. As for this also, it will certainly
become no ones until he comes who has
the legal right, and I must give it to him.
The one who has the legal right to
the Davidic crown lost by Zedekiah is
demonstrated in the Christian Greek
Scriptures to be Christ Jesus. Concerning
this one the angel who announced his fu
ture birth said: Jehovah God will give
him the throne of David his father, and
he will rule as king over the house of
Jacob forever, and there will be no end
of his kingdom. Luke 1:32, 33.
Thus, with the dethronement of King
Zedekiah in 607 B.C.E. and the desolation
of Jerusalem and Judah, the Gentile pow
ers exercised domination over the entire
earth. The kingdom of the dynasty of
King David suffered an interruption.
Hence Jerusalem, which represented or
stood for the throne of David that was
to be given to the rightful one, Jesus
Christ, would continue to be trampled on
as long as Gods kingdom, as functioning
through Davids house, was kept in a low,
inoperative condition under the Gentile
powers.
Jesus Christ did not assume his right
to rule in Kingdom glory when he was a
man on earth. Jerusalem was still being
trampled upon by the nations in the first
century. When, therefore, was the king
dom of Jehovah God by means of his
anointed one, Jesus Christ, to be lifted up
to assume power? When would Christ be
gin his glorious rule? The answer is found
in the prophetic Bible book of Daniel,
which Jesus referred to at least two times
when giving the prophecy concerning his

613

presence in Kingdom glory. Compare

Matthew 24:15, 21 with Daniel 11:31;
12: 1.
VISION OF THE SYMBOLIC TREE

In the book of Daniel we find a picture

drawn of the domination of the earth by
the Gentile powers during their appoint
ed times. This information is bound up
in a symbolic vision that God gave to the
Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.
The vision was of an immense tree that
an angel from heaven commanded to be
chopped down. The trees stump was then
banded with iron and copper. It had to
stay that way among the grass of the
field until seven times passed over it.
As the prophecy said: Let its heart be
changed from that of mankind, and let the
heart of a beast be given to it, and let
seven times pass over it. . . . to the intent
that people living may know that the Most
High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind
and that to the one whom he wants to,
he gives it and he sets up over it even the
lowliest one of mankind. (Please read the
complete vision at Daniel 4:10-17.)
The vision definitely had a fulfillment in
Nebuchadnezzar himself. He experienced
seven years of madness and roved about
as a beast of the field, after which he re
covered. (Dan. 4:31-35) Therefore, some
view the vision as having direct prophetic
application only to him. They see in this
vision merely the presentation of the eter
nal verity of Gods supremacy over all
other powers human or supposedly divine.
And while they do acknowledge the appli
cation of that truth or 'principle beyond
Nebuchadnezzars own case, they do not
see it as relating to any specific time pe
riod or divine schedule.
However, an examination of the entire
book of Daniel reveals that the element of
time is everywhere prominent in the vi
sions and prophecies it presents. The world

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First, because of when it was given

powers and events described in the book
are shown, not as isolated or occurring at at the critical point in history when God,
random, with the time element left am the Universal Sovereign, had allowed the
biguous, but, rather, as fitting into a his very kingdom that he had established
torical setting or time sequence. Com among his covenant people to be over
pare Daniel 2:36-45; 7:3-12, 17-26; 8:3-14, thrown. Second, because of the person to
whom the vision was revealed, namely, to
20-25; 9:2, 24-27; 11:2-24; 12:7-13.
Additionally, the Bible book of Daniel the very ruler who served as the divine
repeatedly points forward toward the con instrument in such overthrow, and who
clusion that forms the theme of its proph thereby became the recipient of world
domination by divine permission, that is,
ecies:
Theestablishment of a universal
and eternal kingdom of God exercised without interference by any representa
through the rulership of His chosen one, tive kingdom of Jehovah God. And third,
the Son of man. See there! one proph because of the whole theme of the vision,
ecy of Daniel says, with the clouds of the which is: That people living may know
heavens someone like a son of man hap that the Most High is Ruler in the king
pened to be coming . . . And to him there dom of mankind and that to the one whom
were given rulership and dignity and he wants to, he gives it and he sets up
kingdom, that the peoples, national groups over it even the lowliest one of mankind.
and languages should all serve even him. Dan. 4:17.
His rulership is an indefinitely lasting rul
Also of important significance are the
ership that will not pass away, and his symbolisms used in this prophetic vision.
kingdom one that will not be brought to Trees are elsewhere used to represent rul
ruin. This one, of course, is the ruler of ing powers, including that of Gods typi
Davids line, Jesus Christ, coming in cal kingdom of Jerusalem. (Compare
Kingdom glory.Matt. 25:31; Dan. 7:13, Judges 9:6-15; Ezekiel 17:1-24; 31:2-18.)
14; 4:17; 2:44.
A stumps being caused to sprout, and the
The book of Daniel is also distinctive in symbol of a twig or sprout are found
the Hebrew Scriptures for its references a number of times as representing the re
to the time of the end, when Christ newal of rulership in a certain stock or
comes in glory. Dan. 8:19; 10:14; 11:35, line, particularly in the Messianic prophe
40; 12:4, 9; Matt. 24:3.
cies. (Isa. 10:33-11:10; Jer. 23:5; Zech.
In view of the above, it does not seem 6:12, 13) Jesus spoke of himself as both
logical to evaluate the vision of the sym the root and the offspring of David.
bolic tree and its reference to seven Rev. 22:16.
times as having no other application than
MEANING OF THE VISION
to the seven years of madness and subse
The fact is evident that the key point
quent recovery and return to power ex
perienced by one Babylonian ruler. There of the vision is Jehovah Gods exercise of
are at least three strong reasons for be irresistible sovereignty in the kingdom of
lieving that the lengthy vision and its in mankind, and this provides the guide to
terpretation were included in the book of the full meaning of the vision.
Daniel because of their revealing the du
The tree is shown to have a first ap
ration of the appointed times of the na plication to Nebuchadnezzar, who, at that
tions and the time for the establishment point in history, was the head of the domi
of Gods kingdom of his Christ.
nant world power, Babylon. Yet, prior to

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615

Nebuchadnezzars conquest of Jerusalem, right to the throne of David come in

the typical kingdom of God ruling out of Kingdom glory? Ezek. 21:27; Luke 1:32.
that city was the agency by which Jeho
THE LENGTH OF THE "SEVEN TIMES
vah expressed his rightful sovereignty
In
Nebuchadnezzars personal experi
toward earth. But, by allowing that typi
ence
of
the visions fulfillment the seven
cal kingdom at Jerusalem to be over
times
were
evidently seven years, during
thrown, Jehovah permitted his own visible
which
he
admits
that he became mad and
expression of sovereignty through the Daabandoned
his
throne
to eat grass like a
vidic dynasty of kings to be cut down. The
beast
of
the
field.
(Dan.
4:33-36) Notably,
expression and exercise of world domina
the
Biblical
description
of
the exercise of
tion in the kingdom of mankind, un
world
domination
by
the
Gentile
powers is
hindered by any representative kingdom
presented
through
the
figure
of
beasts,
of God, now passed into the hands of the
which
are
in
opposition
to
the
holy
people
Gentile nations. Lam. 1:5; 2:2, 16, 17.
of
God
and
their

Prince
of
princes.
In the light of these facts the tree is
seen to represent, beyond and above its (Compare Daniel 7:2-8, 12, 17-26; 8:3-12,
initial application to Nebuchadnezzar, 20-25; Revelation 11:7; 13:1-11; 17:7-14.)
world sovereignty or domination by Gods And concerning the word times (from
Aramaic iddan) as used in Daniels proph
kingdom.
ecy, it is shown by lexicographers here to
God, however, here makes clear that he
mean years. *
has not forever delivered up such world
The duration of a year as so used is in
domination to the Gentile powers. The vi
dicated to be 360 days. Confirmative evi
sion shows that Gods self-restraint, repre
dence for this is found at Revelation 12:
sented by the bands of iron and copper
6 , 14, where three and a half times are
around the stump of the tree, would con
shown to equal a thousand two hundred
tinue until seven times pass over it.
and sixty days. (Compare Revelation 11:
(Dan. 4:16, 23, 25) Then, since the Most
2, 3.) If, now, three and a half symbolic
High is Ruler in the kingdom of man
times amount to 1,260 symbolic days,
kind, He would give world domination
then twice three and a half (or seven)
to the one whom he wants to. Yes, to
symbolic times would be twice 1,260
the glorified Son of man, Jesus Christ!
days, that is to say, 2,520 days. But in
(Dan. 4:17; 7:13, 14; Matt. 25:31) Thus,
their greater fulfillment, in connection
the symbolic stump, representing Gods
with the length of the appointed times of
retention of the sovereign right to exer
the nations, these are not literal days.
cise world domination in the kingdom of
Then what are they?
mankind, was due to sprout again in his
That a specific number of days may be
Sons kingdom. Ps. 89:27, 35-37.
used in the Bible record to represent pro
But when exactly would this occur?
phetically an equivalent number of years
When would the symbolic seven times can be seen by reading the accounts at
or appointed times of the nations con Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6. Only by
clude? When would Jerusalem, or the applying the formula there expressed of
kingdom of God functioning through Da a day for a year to the seven times
vids house that is signified by Jeru
* Se e L exicon in V eteris T estam enti L ib ro s, b y K o e h
salem, cease to be trampled upon? Yes, le r a n d B a u m g a r tn e r , p ag e 1106; A H ebrew and English
L exicon o f the Old T esta m en t, b y B ro w n , D r iv e r a n d
when would the one who has the legal B r ig g s , page 1105.

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S&eWATCHTOWER.

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of this prophecy can the vision of Daniel ment, a government whose seat is in
chapter four have significant fulfillment what the Bible symbolically calls a city
beyond the now extinct Nebuchadnezzars of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem.
day, as the evidence thus far presented (Heb. 12:22) For this reason Jesus told
gives reason to expect. The seven times, the four disciples with him on the Mount
of Olives that he would arrive in glory
therefore, represent 2,520 years.
The results obtained from viewing the with all his angels with him, and would
prophetic seven times as a period of sit down on his glorious throne. Matt.
2,520 years perhaps provide the strongest 25:31.
proof that such is their true meaning. As
Happily, therefore, we are now living at
has been demonstrated, the beginning of the conclusion of the system of things,
in the time of the
the appointed times
of the nations dates
e n d . (M att. 2 4 :3 ;
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
from the overthrow
Dan.
12:4) What has
L e t God Arise, L et H is Enem ies Be
and trampling of Je
taken place from and
S cattered."
God's Ascent on H igh Above A ll Enemies.
rusalem and the des
after the year 1914
Are Th ere In tellig en t C reatures in O u ter
Space?
o la tio n o f Judah,
is confirmative proof
H ow Clean Must a Governm ent Be?
w h ich was a ccom
of this fact. In 1914
plish ed abou t the
the first vx>rld war
middle of the seventh Jewish lunar month, in mankinds history erupted. It was the
Tishri, or about October 1 of the year 607 first conflict fought over the issue, not of
B.C.E. Counting 2,520 years from that the domination of Europe alone, nor of A f
date (while taking into consideration that rica, nor of Asia, but of
domination of
there is no zero year between B.C.E. the world. A comparison of this and the
and C.E.) we arrive at the fall of the year other striking features of the period that
1914 C.E. as the time for the completion has followed 1914 with the context of Je
of those seven times of Gentile domina sus reference to the appointed times of
tion by Gods permission.
the nations reveals an obvious fulfillment.
Yes, the very things that Jesus and his
W H AT IT MEANS
apostles said would mark his second pres
This, therefore, means that the ap ence are everywhere in evidence! Luke
pointed times of the nations were fulfilled
21:7-33; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 2 Pet. 3:3, 4; Rev.
in 1914 C.E. At that time the trampling 11:15-18.
upon Jerusalem ended. Gods kingdom, as
This means that the rightful ruler Je
functioning through King Davids house,
sus
Christ is now engaged in the work of
assumed power and began ruling. Yes, Je
separating
people one from another, just
sus Christ, the one who has the legal
as
a
shepherd
separates the sheep from
right, was then installed as king, being
the
goats.
He
is
marking you either for
given the throne of David his father.
Ezek. 21:27; Luke 1:32.
preservation to inherit the kingdom pre
Contrary to the expectations of some, pared for you, or for destruction at the
this did not mean that Jesus then began fast-approaching battle of Armageddon.
ruling in earthly Jerusalem. Instead, he What you must do to be among the great
began to rule in the Jerusalem above. crowd of mankind rescued out of A rin a(Gal. 4:26) The long-looked-forward-to geddon you can learn by examining the
Messianic kingdom is a heavenly govern- following article.Matt. 25:31-46.

'Tk R M A G E D D O N ,
threatening
though the name may
sound, does not mean the
wiping out of the race of
mankind. The approach
ing war of Armageddon
is, in reality, the fore
runner of the happiest
time for mankind in all
human history. That is
w hy a con sta n tly in
creasing great crowd
of people today is look
ing forward eagerly to
the coming of this uni
versal war of Armaged
don. For good sound rea
sons they hope to live

through that war and see

the prosperous, peaceful
era that follows. We want
you to be one of that hap
py, hopeful people.
2A rm a g ed d on is not
something that we have
imagined or invented. Ar
mageddon, as the name of
a battlefield, is more than
eighteen hundred and sev
enty years old. The name
occurs only once in a book
of hundreds of pages that
was completed just about
that many years ago. Be
cause of the connections
that it has, the name
strikes awe and wonder
ment into us when we read
about it. It is not a name
that we can lightly put out
o f m ind. It stands fo r
something that the race of
mankind must eventually
face. The time for us to
face it and experience it is
getting very near. We can
not now stop mankinds
ap p roa ch to it. It is a
n e c e s s a r y ca la m ity o f
world dimensions, but it is
for mankinds everlasting
good.

1. W h y is a g ro w in g c ro w d of
people lo o k in g fo r w a r d e a g e rly
to the com in g of th e w a r of
A rm a g e d d o n ?

2. W h y is A rm a g e d d o n n ot som e
th in g w e h a v e im a g in e d , a n d w h y
c a n w e n ot lig h t ly p u t it out of
m in d ?

These are the ones that

come out o f the great
tribulation. Rev. 7:14.

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Total world war was not to occur again.

3 Today mankinds life is threatened
from two directions. No, we do not mean Yet, despite the existence of an interna
to say by this, from the Eastern bloc of tional peace organization, the nations
communistic, totalitarian, dictatorial na thought it necessary to keep up strong de
tions and from the Western bloc of demo fensive national armaments and to invent
cratic, imperialistic, capitalistic nations. new weapons of warfare for mass slaugh
Rather, we mean, from the direction of ter of humankind. Finally, in less than
man himself and from the direction of the twenty years, defiance was flung into the
Creator of man. As regards creation, mod face of the League of Nations by ambi
ern astronomy predicts that some distant tious rulers, and, in 1939, World War II
day our Milky Way and other galaxies of began mowing down its fifty-six million
the expanding universe are going to re victims.
verse the process and contract the uni
5 When World War II ended in Sep
verse and bring about its collapse in upon tember of 1945, while the explosion of
itself and thus crush our earth and its in two atomic bombs still echoed around
habitants. But not so! Our universe is in the world, there were still 2,139,958,919
the control of its Creator, and in his lov people left. These thousands of millions
ing and unchangeable purpose toward and their offspring the world rulers now
mankind he does not allow for such a ca sought to preserve by a new organization
tastrophe. How, then, is mankind threat for world peace and security, namely, the
ened from the direction of God the Cre United Nations, in 1945. In the next two
ator? On the other hand, how is mankind decades, despite minor but dangerous wars
threatened from the direction of man him and revolutions, a population explosion
self? From which of these two directions was to take place, bringing the world pop
will mankind be struck right soon, in a ulation by the year 1967 up to 3,285,000,serious threat to the very existence of all 000. (The World Almanac for 1946, New
mankind?
York, page 377; for 1967, page 379) Such
rapid population growth, without proper
4 When we look in the direction of man,
we see evidence piling up that mans mis birth control, presents the world with a
management of the earth threatens his grave food problem. Men now foresee a
own existence. The certainty of this has half-starved world before the passing of
become undeniable since the epoch-making many years, with all the effects, economic,
year of 1914. Hundreds of millions of per social, political and religious, that this
sons still living vividly remember how in would surely mean. National boundaries
are not expanding or widening out to
that year the first total war seized the
make room for growing populations, and
whole globe in its embrace. The ghastly
our earthly globe is not getting bigger for
destruction of human life and property by
more people.
World War I shocked political and reli
6 As in no previous century, the earth
gious leaders into setting up an interna
is becoming a place for machines and fac
tional organization to safeguard world
tories, employing chemical processes and,
peace and security, the League of Nations.
3. F ro m w h a t tw o d ire c tio n s is m a n k in d s life th re a t
e n ed , a n d w h y is a s tro n o m y s p re d ic tio n of the fa te
o f o u r u n iv e rs e n o t r ig h t ?
4. I n w h a t w a y is m a n s e x iste n c e th re ate n e d b y m an
h im s e lf , a n d w h y d id n ot th e L e a g u e o f N a tio n s le sse n
t h is t h r e a t ?

5. W h e n a n d f o r w hose benefit w a s th e U n it e d N a t io n s
set up, a n d w h y have th o se p ro te cte d b y it p r e s e n te d
a pro b le m in th e m s e lv e s?
6, 7. (a ) W h y have m e a su re s ta k e n a g a in s t p e sts p ro
duced a d a n g e r? (b ) W h a t h a s been s a id r e c e n t ly b y
com petent a u th o ritie s a b o u t th e p o llu tio n of m a n s
h a b it a t?

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3fteWATCHTOWER_

more recently, atomic processes. Mankind

has had to pay dearly for this, because
pollution of air, land and water has
reached critical proportions. The need
for the use of chemical pesticides has
increased, apparently, and with regard to
this a magazine headline said: Theres
Poison All Around Us Now. It bespeaks
danger.
7 As regards air pollution, an American
Secretary of Health, Education and Wel
fare recently warned that the peril from
pollution is outpacing solutions at present,
saying: We are encouraged by the prog
ress that we have made, but we have only
begun to scratch the surface. The prob
lem not only remains critical, it continues
to grow at a faster rate than our efforts
to cope with it. And a report made to
the American government by the National
Academy of Sciences declares that the
time has come when mankind can be using
the air, sea and land as his trash basket
no longer. He will have to find ways to
cycle his wastes, both solid and liquid,
back into the economy. In certain respects,
says the report on pollution, the situa
tion is unprecedented and becoming des
perate. New York
June 8 , 1966,
and April 1, 1966.
8 Yes, catastrophe from insufficient food
production and the general pollution of
mans habitat is slowly but surely creeping
up upon mankind. But already worldwide
danger exists of a sudden wave of violent
destruction sweeping over the globe. Mea
sured by the peacetime interval between
World Wars I and II, our present world
peace period since the close of World War
II in 1945 has now come of age, as one
magazine article worded it. A hypocritical
peace period it has been, for it has been
a time of international preparations for
8. I n co n tra st w ith th e above, w h a t d a n g e r is th e re of
su d d e n catastroph e w o r ld w id e , a n d w h y s h o r t ly ?

619

World War III, a war with horrifying

chemical and pestilential means of mass
killing, a war with radiation means of
large-scale killing, a war exploding thun
derous, blinding bombs that split atoms or
fuse atoms, already stockpiled in such
quantities that all mankind could be killed
several times over, if they could repeated
ly be restored from death to life.
8 It is becoming easier and cheaper and
more generally known how to make atom
ic bombs. There is a recognized danger
of the multiplying of nations with the
atomic bomb, of their own design and
manufacture. This multiplication would
increase the likelihood of a last world war,
one with nuclear bombs. Further making
of such bombs must be stopped. By a
treaty between the nations there must be
a ban put upon the proliferation of bombs
by new nations acquiring the bomb, so the
authorities of nations already possessing
the bomb feel. Their fear is real. All na
tions, whether nuclear or non-nuclear, are
equally in danger. This is why the matter
was laid before the seventeen-nation
World Disarmament Conference of the
United Nations, with increasing urgency.
10 In evidence of this the newspapers
published the American proposal for an in
ternational treaty for a ban on the mak
ing of atomic weapons. When the World
Disarmament Conference began sitting
again in 1967 at Geneva, Switzerland,
there was submitted to the Conference at
its opening session on February 21 a writ
ten message from the American president.
It was read by the head of the United
States Arms Control and Disarmament
Agency. In this message President John
son dealt with objections raised by cer
tain nations not having nuclear weapons
9. W h y is th e lik e lih o o d o f a la s t w a r b e tw e e n m en
in c re a sin g , a n d ho w do som e n a tio n s fe e l a b o u t i t ?
10, 11. (a) A t th e o p e n in g s e s sio n of th e W o r ld D is
a rm a m e n t C o n fe re n c e on F e b r u a r y 21, w h a t m essage
fro m a head of g o v e rn m e n t w a s r e a d ? (b ) W h a t eq
u it y s h a re d in b y a ll n a tio n s w a s w a rn e d o f ?

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3T:eWATCHTOWER.

to Washingtons revised draft of a treaty

forbidding the spread of nuclear weapons
to additional nations. In the close of his
message President Johnson referred to the
equality of the common danger, an equali
ty that shut out any choosing between the
interests of those nations not having nu
clear arms and the interests of those hav
ing such weapons.
11He said: Plain sanity calls for a halt
to the competition in nuclear arms. There
is nothing to choose here between the in
terests of the nuclear and the non-nuclear
nations: There is a terrible and inescap
able equity in our common danger. I wish
you Godspeed in your work. New York
Times,as of February 22, 1967.
12 Those farewell words by the presi
dent suggested that God was interested
in saving mankind by a ban on the
spread of nuclear weapons or was using
the seventeen-nation World Disarmament
Conference to keep mankind from com
mitting suicide by nuclear warfare. Even
if he is wrong in this idea, the president
felt the terribleness of the situation and
he could wish that Almighty God would
help to prevent world catastrophe. For
one thing, Johnsons warning joins with
all the other reasons given above in show
ing that mankinds life is threatened from
the direction of man himself. Will man
kind destroy itself before God ever does
so? That would occur if, as some theolo
gians claim, God is dead.
THREAT FROM THE DIRECTION OF GOD

However, is the life of world society

today really threatened from the direc
tion of God? To learn the answer to this
question, we have to go to Gods Word,
13

12. (a ) W h a t d id P re s id e n t Jo h n s o n s fa re w e ll w o rd s
s u g g e s t? (b ) W h a t d id h is w a r n in g sh o w ab o u t the
t h r e a t to m a n k in d s lif e ?
13, 14. (a ) A s re sp e c ts th e t h r e a t to m a n k in d fro m
G o d , to w h a t s o u rce of in fo rm a tio n sh o u ld w e g o ?
(b ) W h a t c a n n o t a sco ffer d e n y abou t the w o rld
m ilit a r y s itu a tio n to d a y , a n d to w h a t q u e stio n does t h is
le a d ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

the Holy Bible, as it sets forth prophecies

for our day and our generation. Let no
one scoff at the thought of going to the
Bible for answers to modern-day ques
tions. Scoffing will not turn aside the war
of Armageddon about which the Bible
speaks. Let the scoffer ask himself, Why
does there exist today such a thing in the
earth as a World Disarmament Confer
ence? It is because the members of the
United Nations feel that the nations
should disarm. No scoffer can deny that
never before have the nations been so
heavily armed for warfare with the most
destructive arms as now. Never before has
so much of the money been spent by na
tions for armaments, some armamentsmaking nations supplying arms to smaller
nations to help them to fight already rag
ing wars or for future wars.
14 Never before has nationalism taken
hold so strongly of all nations, even the
newly emerging nations. The earth today
is an armed camp, every nation in fear
of all other nations or lacking confidence
in them and even in the United Nations.
Where are the world rulers and their ar
mies marching, and why to that place?
15 The most widely distributed Book on
earth today answers. Although completed
nineteen centuries ago, that Book in its
last chapters describes the worldwide situ
ation of today and reveals where the rul
ers of the entire inhabited earth are lead
ing their armed forces. In Revelation 16:
13-16 this Book says:
16 And I saw three unclean inspired ex
pressions that looked like frogs come out
of the mouth of the dragon and out of
the mouth of the wild beast and out of
the mouth of the false prophet. They are,
in fact, expressions inspired by demons
and perform signs, and they go forth to
the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to
15, 16. W h a t k in d of book a n s w e rs t h a t q u e s tio n , and
w h a t does it s a y in R e v e la tio n 16:13-16?

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SReWATCHTOWER.

621

gather them together to the war of the

great day of God the Almighty. . . . And
they gathered them together to the place
that is called in Hebrew Har-Magedon.
17 Propaganda that induces the kings of
the earth to undertake a universal war is
undeniably demonic, inhuman. But where
is it that the demonized inspired expres
sions lead these rulers at the head of
their armies? It is to a place or a situation
that the Hebrew Christian, the apostle
John, calls Har-Magedon (or, according
to some translations, Armageddon). That
is where the final war of these earthly
rulers and their armies is to be fought to
a finish. But who is their common enemy?
Whom are they opposing? It is God the
Almighty, for this is called the war of
the great day of God the Almighty. For
whom will it be a great day? Not for
these kings and their armies, but for God
the Almighty! And because the war is
waged at Armageddon, it is often called
the war or battle of Armageddon.
18 Does anyone laugh at the idea that
earthly kings and their armies will fight
against the invisible God, the Creator
of the universe? Such laughter can be
squelched by cases in recorded human his
tory of where men have fought God.
Egypts Pharaoh of the sixteenth century
before our Common Era did it and suf
fered the consequences. King Sennacherib
of the Assyrian Empire of the eighth cen
tury B.C.E. did it, and lost 185,000 of his
troops in one night. So what about today?
Well, today the earthly rulers and their
armies are threatening the very existence
of all men by modern-day scientific means.
In this are they doing the will of God the
Almighty? By keeping the whole human

race divided and full of mutual hostility

by means of maintaining jealous national
governments, are the world rulers, backed
up by their armies, acting in harmony
with Gods will?
19 They may patriotically mouth the slo
gan, For God and Country, but are the
human rulers of the earth trying really to
keep their country from getting into the
hands of God? Do they deny to the Cre
ator the possession of his own creation,
our earth, all countries of it? As long as
the nations are stoutly insisting upon their
own national sovereignties, are they chal
lenging Gods rightful sovereignty over
the earth? And by their armed forces are
they trying to prevent a complete take
over of all the earth by its Creator God,
the Universal Sovereign? Yes, and that is
why they do not accept this good news
of the kingdom, which Jesus Christ said
would be preached in all the inhabited
earth for a witness to all the nations be
fore the end comes on the present system
of things. Matt. 24:14; Mark 13:10.
20 Beyond all question of doubt, the
kings and their armies are lining up to
present a united front against God the Al
mighty at Armageddon. Gods own Book,
the Holy Bible, says that it is against him
and his Son, earths future King, that
all earthly rulers, their armies and their
supporters fight at Armageddon. The last
book of the Holy Bible boldly declares that
fact before the faces of the rulers of
Christendom and of pagandom. If they re
fuse to read it and see the application of
it to themselves, let us here read it:
21 And I saw the heaven opened, and,
look! a white horse. And the one seated
upon it is called Faithful and True, and

17. (a) W h a t k in d of p ro p a g a n d a le a d s the k in g s a n d

a rm ie s to th e fie ld of b a t t le ? (b ) W h a t is th e w a r
som etim es ca lle d , w h o is the co m m o n en em y , a n d
f o r w hom w ill it be a g re a t d a y ?
18. (a ) W h y is th e m a t t e r of n a tio n s fig h tin g a g a in s t
G o d n ot a su b je ct fo r la u g h t e r ? (b ) I n w h a t im p o r
ta n t resp ects a re n a tio n s n ot d o in g G o d s w i l l ?

19. (a ) W h ile m o u th in g th e e x p re s s io n F o r G o d a n d
C o u n t r y , w h a t do n a tio n s do a b o u t t h e ir c o u n t r ie s ?
(b ) H e n ce , w h a t w itn e s s do t h e y n ot a c c e p t?
20, 21. (a ) A g a in s t w h o m , th e n , does th e B ib le p la in ly
s a y th a t r u le r s of C h ris te n d o m a n d pagandom will
fig h t? (b ) I n p ro o f of t h is , w h a t does R e v e la tio n 19:1116 s a y ?

622

fHeWATCHTOWEFL

he judges and carries on war in righteous

ness. . . . and the name he is called is The
Word of God. Also, the armies that were
in heaven were following him on white
horses, and they were clothed in white,
clean, fine linen. And out of his mouth
there protrudes a sharp long sword, that
he may strike the nations with it, and he
will shepherd them with a rod of iron. He
treads too the press of the wine of the
anger of the wrath of God the Almighty.
And upon his outer garment, even upon
his thigh, he has a name written, King
of kings and Lord of lords. . . .
22 And I saw the wild beast and the
kings of the earth and their armies gath
ered together to wage the war with the
one seated on the horse and with his ar
my. And the wild beast was caught, and
along with it the false prophet that per
formed in front of it the signs with which
he misled those who received the mark of
the wild beast and those who render wor
ship to its image. While still alive, they
both were hurled into the fiery lake that
burns with sulphur. But the rest were
killed off with the long sword of the one
seated on the horse, which sword proceed
ed out of his mouth. And all the birds
were filled from the fleshy parts of them.
Rev. 19:11-21.
23 That is the final war of Armageddon,
according to inspired Bible prophecy. The
earthly rulers and their armies will get no
glory out of it. The long sword of judg
ment out of the mouth of the victorious
King of kings and Lord of lords will sen
tence them to destruction, and his angelic
armies will execute that sentence. The de
struction of the opposers of Gods king
dom there at Armageddon will include not
just the kings or rulers and their armies.
22. A c c o rd in g to R e v e la t io n 19:17-21, w h a t hap p ens to
th o se w ho do th e fig h tin g on e a r t h ?
23. H o w w ill th e g re a t e v e n in g m e a l of G o d be
p ro v id e d a t A rm a g e d d o n , a n d b y m e an s of w hom w ill
G o d be v in d ic a te d , a n d in w h a t r e sp e c t?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

According to the words uttered by Gods

angel, it includes military commanders,
strong men, horses and those seated on
them, freemen and slaves, and persons
small and great. Their unburied bodies
will serve as the great evening meal of
God that he will provide for creatures
that live on carrion, because God is the
One that is responsible for the slaughter.
(Rev. 19:17, 18) Such a victory will mark
the great day of God the Almighty. By
means of Jesus Christ the King of kings
and Lord of lords, Almighty God will vin
dicate his own universal sovereignty!
24
In the light of that prophetic revela
tion, do we appreciate the seriousness of
what is ahead? That coming war of A r
mageddon means the climax of a time of
trouble such as never has afflicted man
kind before. Earthly rulers are merely
trying to avoid a major conflict among
themselves. But they are not trying to
avoid this major conflict with the Al
mighty God the Creator. Into what, then,
are the human rulers leading their ar
mies and the rest of mankind, under the
propagandists expressions inspired by de
mons? It is into a destruction the threat
of which comes from the direction of God.
There will be no escape for the present
system of things and for those who sup
port it. Is it any wonder that there is dire
need for persons to be rescued out of
Armageddon?
T H E D IR E N E E D F O R

RESCU E!

Jesus Christ, now resurrected from

his sacrificial death and glorified in the
heavens, is commissioned to fight that war
of Armageddon. There this once sacri
ficed Lamb of God will prove himself to
23

24. (a ) W h a t k in d of co n flict a re th e n a t io n s t r y in g
to avo id to d a y ? (b ) W h y is th e re d ir e n e e d f o r person s
to be re scu e d out of A r m a g e d d o n ?
25, 26. (a ) A t A rm a g e d d o n w h o w ill p ro v e to be K in g
of k in g s a n d L o r d of lo rd s, a n d h o w ? (b ) W it h w hat
w a r n in g d id h e fo re te ll t h is tim e of t r ib u la t io n a n d its
c lim a x , in M a tth e w 24:19-39?

O cto ber

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER

be King of kings and Lord of lords, for

no earthly kings and lords will be able to
stand against him and win. (John 1:29,
36; Rev. 17:14) As Gods greatest Prophet
he foretold this war of Armageddon, for
God used him nineteen hundred years ago
to deliver the Revelation that contains the
name and description of Armageddon.
(Rev. 1:1; 22:16, 20) Besides that, three
days before his sacrificial death outside
the walls of Jerusalem, he foretold this
present period of world tribulation and its
grand climax at Armageddon and called it
an unequaled trouble. He said:
26 Woe to the pregnant women and
those suckling a baby in those days! Keep
praying that your flight may not occur
in wintertime, nor on the sabbath day;
for then there will be great tribulation
such as has not occurred since the worlds
beginning until now, no, nor will occur
again. In fact, unless those days were cut
short, no flesh would be saved; but on ac
count of the chosen ones those days will
be cut short. . . . Concerning that day and
hour nobody knows, neither the angels of
the heavens nor the Son, but only the
Father. For just as the days of Noah were,
so the presence of the Son of man will be.
For as they were in those days before the
flood, eating and drinking, men marrying
and women being given in marriage, until
the day that Noah entered into the ark;
and they took no note until the flood came
and swept them all away, so the presence
of the Son of man will be. Matt. 24:
19-39.
27 The great flood of Noahs day was, up
till then, an unparalleled catastrophe for
man. That was sixteen hundred and fiftysix years after mans creation. At that
time earths population was not as great
as now, more than forty-three centuries
after the Flood. Hence more human lives
27. A s to loss of h u m a n lif e , ho w do th e flood of N o a h 's
d a y a n d th e w a r of A rm a g e d d o n c o m p a re ?

623

are threatened, for, like the flood of

Noahs day, the war of Armageddon will
affect the whole earth. No country or
place of this inhabited earth will be ex
cepted. No opposers, no persons not on
the side of Gods kingdom and of his
anointed King Jesus Christ, will be over
looked. The loss of human life will be
without equal in mans history.
28 There will be no confused, accidental,
indiscriminate killing of earths inhabi
tants as it would be in a third world war
with tremendous explosives delivered by
missiles, disease germs, chemical gases
and poisons, and radiological means. At
Armageddon Jehovah God will fight by
means of his Warrior Jesus Christ against
his enemies, against the friends of this
misguided world, not against his own
friends. Remember Noah and his family,
eight human souls all together, in the ark
during the watery cataclysm of forty days
over all the earth! They are a picture of
hope.
29 Will there, then, be survivors on earth
of the war of the great day of God the Al
mighty at Armageddon? Almighty Gods
own infallible written Word answers Yes!
Jesus Christ compared the days of his
second presence and of his coming to the
war of Armageddon to the days of Noah
in connection with the Flood. Correspond
ingly, if there were eight survivors of that
flood, then there should be survivors of the
second presence of the Son of man and
the events marking it. The apostle Peter,
whose two inspired letters are a part of
the Holy Bible, says: God did not hold
back from punishing an ancient world, but
kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness,
safe with seven others when he brought
28. W ill th e k illin g off of p e o p le a t A rm a g e d d o n be
in d is c r im in a te ?
29. (a ) J e s u s c o m p a riso n o f th e d a y s of h is second
p re se n ce w ith th e d a y s of N o a h in d ic a te s hope o f w h a t
s u r v iv a l? (b ) W h y w ill th e w a r of A rm a g e d d o n re m a in
w ith o u t e q u a l a s a h u m a n c a ta s tro p h e ?

624

SEeWATCHTOWER.

a deluge upon a world of ungodly people.

(2 Pet. 2:5) The coming war of Armaged
don will be worse than that flood or any
other trouble or tribulation since the
worlds beginning until now. There will

B rooklyn,

N .Y .

never occur again a tribulation like it, be

cause there will be no need for it. As in
Noahs day, any humans surviving the war
of Armageddon will have to be rescued
out of it. Some will be!

O NOT laugh and treat what we from the threatening destruction? Or is it

say as a joke, in the way that the that you just do not care and you are in
sons-in-law of the patriarch Lot thought different about living forever in a para
that he was joking when he warned them dise earth in unspeakable happiness under
that their city of Sodom would be de a perfect government?
3 If God means anything to you, if
stroyed the following morning by a rain
of sulphury fire from heaven. We are not pleasing him and worshiping him correct
joking. The Bible is not joking. The world ly means anything to you, if an opportuni
ly scoffers of this present system of things ty for perfect life in endless felicity means
are doomed, for human society is facing anything to you, will you show the prac
Armageddon, the war of the great day tical wisdom and take the urgent action
of God the Almighty. Persons who take of the people of ancient Gibeon in the
the standpoint of the Bible and watch Middle East? We refer to that ancient city
what is going on in the world can clearly because what happened there during the
see that all earthly kings and their armies invasion of the land of Palestine by the
are on the march to Armageddon, in de Hebrews in the fifteenth century before
fiance of Jehovah God and his Christ, the our Common Era was prophetic, full of
King of kings. In Noahs day the people meaning for us today.
4 Testifying to that fact is the prophecy
took no note. For your own sake, you
found in Isaiah 28:21, 22, which reads:
take note now!
Jehovah will rise up just as at Mount
2
What would you do if you were doomed
to destruction and the army of execution Perazim, he will be agitated just as in the
ers was headed in your direction and get low plain near Gibeon, that he may do his
ting dangerously close? Would you show deedhis deed is strange and that he
that you love life and so do your utmost may work his workhis work is unusual.
to have your life spared, to be rescued And now do not show yourselves scoffers,
in order that your bands may not grow
1. W h y sh o u ld peo ple n ot t re a t a s a jo k e w h a t w e sa y ,
strong, for there is an extermination, even
a n d w h y sh o u ld peo ple ta k e th e B ib le sta n d p o in t a n d
t a k e note of w h a t is g o in g o n ?
something decided upon, that I have heard
2, 3. (a ) W h a t tw o a ttitu d e s a re th e re to ta k e w h e n
on e k n o w s t h a t on e is doom ed a n d th e e x e cu tio n e rs
a r e g e ttin g n e a r ? (b ) W h y do w e r e fe r to G ib e o n of
th e fifte e n th c e n t u r y B . C . E . ?

4. H o w does th e p ro p h e c y of I s a ia h r e f e r to th e typ i
caln e ss of a n c ie n t G ib e o n , a n d so w h o m s h o u ld people
to d a y im it a t e ?

O ctober 1 5 , 1 9 6 7

fEeW ATCHTOW ER.

of from the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah of

armies, for all the land. So to escape ex
termination, let people act like Gibeonites!
5 The Gibeonites knew that all the in
habitants of the land of Canaan were
doomed to destruction, for they were
squatters in the land that Jehovah God
had promised to give to the descendants of
the patriarch Abraham. Those Canaanites
were a cursed people from after the flood
days of Noah, and now their iniquity and
immoral wrongdoing had come to the full.
Jehovah God the Creator and Owner of
all the earth had decreed destruction for
these worshipers of false gods. According
ly, he appointed the Hebrews under Josh
ua, the successor of Moses, to be the ex
ecutioners of these cursed squatters in
Canaanland. Gen. 9 : 2 0 - 2 7 ; 1 5 :1 2 - 2 1 .
6 The cities of Jericho and Ai had al
ready fallen to the advancing execution
ers, and their inhabitants had been ex
terminated. The Gibeonites attributed
these smashing victories to the Almighty
God Jehovah, and they recalled how He
had even brought the Hebrews through the
depths of the Red Sea, whereas the pur
suing Egyptians were drowned like rats
in its waters. The Gibeonites knew that
they could not successfully resist the Al
mighty God and his executional armies
under General Joshua. The Gibeonites
knew that they were in line for extermi
nation, as soon as Joshua and his armies
found their city and three neighboring
cities.
7 The Gibeonites were not like many
persons of today who just dont care.
The Gibeonites loved life. They preferred
to live, even if it meant living as slaves
5. W h a t did those G ib e o n ite s k n o w a b o u t t h e ir sta n d in g
before the God of th e H e b re w s ?
6. D id the G ib e o n ite s b e liev e th a t th e y co u ld su c
c e ssfu lly r e s is t th e e x e c u tio n a l a rm ie s u n d e r Jo s h u a ,
and b y w h a t w a s t h e ir b e lie f g u id e d ?
7. 8. (a) W h at a ttitu d e d id th e G ib e o n ite s ta k e to w a rd
life , and hence w h a t d id th e y do a t o n c e ? (b ) A ft e r
re a c h in g the c it y o f G ib e o n d a y s la te r , h o w d id J o s h u a
deal w ith the G ib e o n ite s ?

625

under the Hebrews and their God Jeho

vah, rather than to be dead as executed
cursed Canaanites. Although the Gibeon
ites were not entitled to be admitted into
a treaty with General Joshua for the pres
ervation of their lives, they thought that
they would at least try to bring about
such a treaty. But how? By trickery! Not
to the hurt of Jehovahs people, however.
They sent ambassadors to Joshua, some
twenty miles away at Gilgal near the Jor
dan River, and these pretended that their
city lay outside the area of the doomed
Canaanites and could therefore enter into
a mere friendship treaty with the He
brews.
8 The ambassadors said: It is from a
very distant land that your servants have
come in regard to the name of Jehovah
your God, because we have heard of his
fame and of all that he did. . . . (Josh.
9:9) Because the Hebrews were persuaded
by the arguments of the Gibeonites am
bassadors, Joshua and his chieftains en
tered into a treaty of friendship with
these plenipotentiary ambassadors of Gibeon. Three days later Joshua learned that
he and his people had been tricked into
this treaty. However, because they had
sworn to the Gibeonites by the name of
Jehovah, the God of Israel, they kept the
terms of that treaty. They did not destroy
Gibeon and its neighbor cities, but they
made the inhabitants thereof slaves with
certain duties to perform, including the
providing of firewood for Jehovahs altar
of sacrifice.
9 Because the Gibeonites had arranged
to become slaves of Jehovah God and his
people, five kings of the south joined to
gether and laid siege to Gibeon. The Gib
eonites refused to surrender to these five
pagan kings, for they knew that to do so
would not spare them from extermination
9. F o r th is , w h o th re a te n e d th e liv e s of th e G ib e o n ites,
a n d h o w w a s t h e ir re sc u e b ro u g h t a b o u t?

626

SfteWATCHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

at last by Jehovahs executioners. They middle of the heavens [from Joshuas

sent to Joshua and called for help. Joshua standpoint on earth] and did not hasten
and his army made a forced march by to set for about a whole day. And no day
night all the way from Gilgal. They sur has proved to be like that one, either be
prised the besiegers of Gibeon. Then Jeho fore it or after it, in that Jehovah lis
vah himself went into action and threw tened to the voice of a man, for Jehovah
the besiegers into confusion. As they fled, himself was fighting for Israel. But at
Joshuas forces slaughtered some of them. the same time that he was fighting vic
Then, as the battle account reads, Jeho toriously for the Israelite executioners,
vah hurled great stones from the heavens Jehovah was also fighting for the life of
upon them as far as Azekah, so that they the Gibeonites who feared him and who
died. There were more who died from the chose to become his slaves. Josh. 9:1 to
hailstones than those whom the sons of 10:27.
Israel killed with the sword.
A GREAT CROWD OF SURVIVORS
10
The ordinary day was not long enough
11
That miraculous rescue of the Gib
for Joshua and his men to pursue and kill
all the enemy. So Joshua called upon Je eonites was prophetic of the modern-day
hovah God to perform a miracle and rescue of a great crowd of survivors
lengthen the daylight. With full faith in out of the war of the great day of God
the Creator of the sun, moon and stars, the Almighty at Armageddon. (1 Cor.
Joshua said: Sun, be motionless over Gib- 10:11; Isa. 28:21, 22)* The only book in
eon, and, moon, over the low plain of the Bible that names Armageddon de
Aijalon. In that remarkable command scribes also the earthly survivors of the
Joshua was scientifically correct, for the worlds greatest tribulation as a great
moon as well as the sun was involved in crowd. Just as those ancient Gibeonites,
this rare miracle. Joshua 10:12-14 says: so all those in that great crowd need to
And the sun kept standing still in the do something to be rescued from destruc
tion at Armageddon. The Gibeonites took
10. (a ) W h a t m ir a c le d id J o s h u a a s k to be p erfo rm ed
a t G ib e o n , a n d w h y ? (b ) F o r w h o m w a s Je h o v a h figh t
time by the forelock and took advance
in g a t t h a t t im e ?
steps in order to procure a treaty of sal* See pages 239 U14 to 244 fl22 of
C h a p t e r 14 e n title d
The
F lig h t
to
S a f e t y , of th e b o ok Y ou M a y Survive
Arm ageddon into Gods N ew W o r ld , p u b
lis h e d in 1955 b y th e W a t c h T o w e r
S o cie ty .
11. (a ) W h a t does th e m ir a c u lo u s
re sc u e o f th e G ib e o n ite s p ic t u r e ?
(b ) W h a t w a s fir s t n e c e s s a r y on the
p a r t of th e G ib e o n it e s ?

O ctober

15, 1967

SfteWATCHTOWER

vation. If they had waited until Joshua

and his executional army found the lo
cation of their city and laid siege to it,
that would have been too late to escape
destruction.
12No less so, those who desire to be
among the great crowd of Armageddon
survivors need to take advantage of the
present favorable time for entering into
peaceful, friendly relations with the One
who was foreshadowed by Joshua of an
cient time, who acts as the great Execu
tioner for Jehovah God. Who is that? The
very name suggests him. Joshua, in the
Hebrew Bible, is given in the Greek trans
lation of the Hebrew Scriptures as Jesus.
This is also what Joshua is called in the
Greek Scriptures as written by the disci
ples of Jesus Christ. (Acts 7:45; Heb. 4:
8) When he was revealing in advance the
marching of the kings and their armies
to Armageddon, this Greater Joshua, Je
sus Christ, gave us this warning: Look!
I am coming as a thief. Happy is the one
that stays awake and keeps his outer gar
ments, that he may not walk naked and
people look upon his shamefulness. (Rev.
16:15) His coming to the war of Arma
geddon will take the world by surprise, as
the Flood took unobserving people in
Noahs day by surprise.
WHAT THE GREAT CROWD DOES TODAY

13What, then, should people today do?

The revelation by the Greater Joshua, Je
sus Christ, indicates this. The one seeing
the revelation writes: Look! a great
crowd, which no man was able to number,
out of all nations and tribes and peoples
and tongues, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb, dressed in white
12. (a ) L ik e w is e , w h a t m u st th o se w h o w a n t to be
am ong the g re a t c ro w d n o w d o ? (b ) W h a t w a r n in g
w ith re fe re n ce to h is co m in g to th e w a r of A rm a g e d d o n
did the G re a te r J o s h u a g iv e ?
13, 14. A cco rd in g to R e v e la tio n 7:9, 10, to w h a t do th e
g r e a t cro w d d ire c t t h e ir a tte n tio n , a n d w h a t a c k n o w l
e d g m e n t lik e th a t of th e G ib e o n ite s do th e y m a k e ?

627

robes; and there were palm branches in

their hands. And they kept on crying with
a loud voice, saying: Salvation we owe
to our God, who is seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb. Rev. 7:9, 10.
14
This unnumbered great crowd is a
worldwide crowd, not having any racial
discrimination among themselves. United
ly they turn their attention, not to Wash
ington, D.C., or London, England, or Mos
cow, Russia, or Paris, France, or any other
national capital, but to Gods throne, the
seat of Government of heaven and earth.
Similarly to what the ancient Gibeonites
did, they publicly acknowledge God as the
Universal Sovereign, and that he is the
Source of their everlasting salvation. They
also openly declare that this salvation
comes to them from God through his once
sacrificed Lamb, Jesus Christ, the Greater
Joshua.
13 Instead of saluting any human crea
tures or emblems, they are waving their
palm branches as they hail the great God
who sits on the heavenly throne. To him
they ascribe their salvation through his
sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ. So they
have a clean appearance in Gods sight,
for they are dressed in white robes.
How can they have such a clean appear
ance before God the Most Holy One? We
are told in these words, in Revelation 7:
14: These are the ones that come out of
the great tribulation, and they have
washed their robes and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb.
16
They acknowledge the human sacri
fice that Jesus Christ offered nineteen cen
turies ago, when he died on the execution
stake outside the walls of Jerusalem. They
recognize that Almighty God declared his
Lamblike Son to be innocent by raising
him from the dead on the third day and
then inviting him back to heaven, where
15, 16. (a ) W h o m do th e g re a t c ro w d h a il o r salute?
(b ) H o w is t h e ir c le a n sta n d in g befo re G o d p ictu re d ,
a n d ho w do th e y g a in s u c h a c le a n a p p e a ra n c e ?

628

SEeWATCHTOWER.

he presented the value of his human sac

rifice to God in behalf of all humankind,
people of all nations, tribes, peoples and
tongues. Since they confess that they are
born sinners and that the sacrificial blood
of Jesus Christ purifies them from the
stain of sin, they dedicate themselves fully
to God to be his slaves, purchased by the
redeeming blood of Christ. This complete
dedication of themselves forever to God
they publicly declare by being baptized in
water, as Jesus the Lamb of God himself
was. People today who do not do these
things pictured in the Holy Bible cannot
identify themselves as part of that great
crowd.
17 We remember that the Gibeonites of
Joshuas day had their lives spared to
serve as slaves to fetch water and to col
lect firewood for the sacrificial altar in
Jehovahs temple. A thousand and eigh
teen years after Joshua spared them, the
Gibeonites were even privileged to join
the Jewish Governor Nehemiah in re
building the walls of Jerusalem, in addi
tion to their service at Jehovahs temple.
(Neh. 3:7; 7:25) Quite agreeably with
this it is said of the great crowd, who
were prefigured by the Gibeonites: That
is why they are before the throne of God;
and they are rendering him sacred service
day and night in his temple; and the one
seated on the throne will spread his tent
over them. Rev. 7:15.
18 At the present time before Armaged
don this great crowd must serve Jeho
vah God in connection with his spiritual
temple, of which the Lamb Jesus Christ
is the Chief Cornerstone. Their service to
God on his throne is of a sacred kind, for
they render to God the things that are
Gods. (Matt. 22:21) As persons who owe
17. W h a t s e rv ic e w e re th e a n c ie n t G ib e o n ites sp a red
to do in Is r a e l, a n d h o w does t h is a g ree w ith w h a t is
s a id in R e v e la tio n 7 :1 5 ?
18. H o w do th o se of th e g re a t c ro w d serve G od
c o n s t a n t ly in h is te m p le a n d befo re h is th ro n e ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

their salvation to God and his Lamb, they

join in the worldwide work that Jesus
Christ predicted for this time of the con
clusion of the system of things, as stated
in Matthew 24:14: This good news of
the kingdom will be preached in all the in
habited earth for a witness to all the na
tions; and then the end will come. By
taking part in this witness work they are,
in effect, hailing God and his Lamb Jesus
Christ with palm branches in their
hands.
18Because of this worldwide witness
work the ruling elements and the armies
of this world put pressure upon those of
this great crowd to make them surren
der and quit being on the side of Gods
kingdom, just as the five kings of Canaan
and their armies besieged Gibeon and tried
to force them to break their treaty with
Joshua and his God Jehovah. But this the
faithful ones of the great crowd refuse
to do. They know that earthly rulers and
their armies cannot give them life ever
lasting, and can in no way protect them
from extermination along with worldly
rulers and armies at Armageddon. They
do not want the carrion birds to pick
their bones of their dead bodies on the
battlefield of Armageddon. They are full
of faith that God, by means of his Greater
Joshua, Jesus Christ, can protect them
through Armageddons war, just as he
did the Gibeonites in Joshuas day.
20
The War of the great day of God the
Almighty is not directed against this
great crowd if they remain faithful. It
is directed against the symbolic wild beast,
the beastly political system, and the kings
of the entire earth and their armies and
all their backers who attribute salvation
19. (a ) B e c a u se of su ch s e rv ice , w h a t do w o r ld ly r u le r s
a n d t h e ir a rm ie s a tte m p t to do w it h t h e great
c ro w d ? (b ) H o w , th e n , do those of th e g r e a t c ro w d
a ct lik e th e G ib e o n ite s ?
20. A g a in s t w h o m is G o d s w a r of A rm a g e d d o n , and
w h a t do th e g re a t c ro w d e x p e ct h im to do there
re sp e ctin g t h e m ?

O ctober

15, 1967

SReWATCHTOWER

to this political, religious, social, economic,

scientific system of things. Those who hail
the enthroned Jehovah God as their Sav
ior through his Lamb Jesus Christ look
to Him to rescue them out of Armaged
don. And, according to his promise, God
Almighty will do so. Nothing less than
that is meant in those words of Revelation
7:15, that the one seated on the throne
will spread his tent over them.
21 Quite in line with such a rescue it is
said of this great crowd, in Revelation
7:14: These are the ones that come out
of the great tribulation. The name the
great tribulation well applies to this time
of tribulation that has been upon man
kind since the year of the outbreak of
World War I, to wit, 1914, and that will
mount up to its highest destructiveness in
the war of Armageddon, completely ex
terminating this worldly system of things.
Such a tribulation, without parallel since
the beginning of the world, will never oc
cur again on earth, said Jesus Christ when
warning his disciples to flee to Gods place
of refuge before the worst and final stage
of this great tribulation. Matt. 24:20-22.
22 As in the case of the Gibeonites, there
is no time to delay. The threatening situa
tion calls for God-fearing action now, not
before a third world war could break out,
but before the great day of God the Al
mighty comes like a thief and the war of
that great day breaks out at Armageddon.
The choice is between two clear positions
now: Choose the God Almighty Jehovah
and his Lamb Jesus Christ and live! Or,
choose world rulers and their armies
marching under the influence of expres
sions inspired by the Devil and his de
mons and die! Let no fear and trembling
21. W h a t is th e g re a t t r ib u la t io n m e n tio n e d in R e v
elatio n 7:14, out of w h ic h th e g re a t c ro w d c o m e ?
22. (a ) A s in th e ca se of th e G ib e o n ite s , w h a t does
th e th re ate n in g s it u a tio n c a ll f o r ? (b ) W h a t tw o c le a r
p o sitio n s are n ow open to ta k e , a n d w h ic h one is th e
r e a d e r encouraged to t a k e ?

629

before men be a snare to your life. (Prov.

29:25) Take your stand with the great
crowd and tremble and fear before God
Almighty and, under cover of his protec
tion, come out of the great tribulation.
23 Come out of the great tribulation
to what? To an earth cleansed and freed
from all disturbers of peace, even the
superhuman Satan and his demons being
bound! Come out to an earth delivered
from those who are today ruining the
earth, polluting air, sea and land! Come
out to an earth over which the Universal
Sovereignty of God has been completely
reestablished and his promised kingdom
by Christ reigns to bless mankind forever.
Come out to an earth in which fear and
selfishness will not prevail, but the sur
vivors rescued out of Armageddon will
love and help one another as brothers and
sisters, adopted by the Lamb of God as
their Eternal Father. (Isa. 9:6) Come out
to an earth that these Armageddon sur
vivors will begin restoring from its ruin
and transforming thus delightfully into
a paradise everywhere under the blessing
of Gods heavenly kingdom!
24 This earth, destined to become a para
dise like the original garden of Eden, will
not remain one vast cemetery holding in
its bosom the thousands of millions for
whom the Lamb of God once lovingly laid
down his life in sacrifice. His own resur
rection from the dead by God Almightys
power is an unbreakable guarantee that
those for whom he presented the value of
his perfect human sacrifice in heaven will
also be resurrected under his kingdom.
(Acts 17:31; 1 Cor. 15:20; John 5:28, 29)
What a time of ecstasy those Armaged
don survivors will experience when they
23. In to w h a t w ill th e g re a t c ro w d f in a lly com e
out of the g re a t t r ib u la t io n ?
24. W h a t tim e of e c s t a s y w ill th e g re a t crow d o f
A rm a g e d d o n s u r v iv o rs e x p e rie n c e w ith r e g a rd to the
dead?

630

SEeWATCHTOWER.

begin to receive back the dead to oppor

tunities for eternal life in an earthly para
dise under Gods kingdom! Certainly this
will redound to Gods endless praise by
Jesus Christ. It will justify God as having
righteously brought this necessary calam
ity of Armageddon for his own vindica
tion and for deliverance of all mankind.

ro o klyn

, N .Y .

25
Dear Reader, is it worthwhile being
rescued out of Armageddon? Do you as
a lover of life answer Yes? Then join in
this lifesaving work of helping people to
the side of Gods kingdom. It is work that
leads to rescuing a great crowd out of
Armageddon!
25. H o w can lo v e rs of lif e sh o w th a t th e y b e lie v e it is
w o rth w h ile b e in g re sc u e d ou t o f A rm a g e d d o n ?

AS TOLD BY OTTO MAKELA

T WAS in the early autumn of 1919.

I took my place at the starting line
for a 3,000-meter race. I did not think of
winning or even receiving a prize, because
I thought my fellow runners were better
than I. When the starting signal was given
I was left behind. It was very easy to run,
and when we had gone two kilometers
without the pace increasing at all, I de
cided to get closer to the leaders and see
what was happening up front. Even
though I reached the first group, they still
kept running in the same slow way. I was
greatly puzzled, but went on to take the
lead, still not realizing that the others
were just not able to run any faster, and
here I was in my best form.
About 400 meters from the winning
post I released all my running power and
left them all behind, to become the winner.
It was a real surprise to learn, too, that
my time had been the record for that year
in Finland. I rejoiced at the achievement

and thought: Is a great time of success

ahead of me and will I soon attain world
records? I still had no way of knowing
that by the end of that year the oppor
tunity of running on a better racetrack
would open up to me.
EARLIER EVENTS OF MY LIFE

As a child I had always been interested

in running, but I had also been interested
in the more serious matters about which
adults often spoke. When guests who spoke
about serious things came to my home I
would slip away from the other children,
creep unnoticed into some hiding place
and listen to the conversation. Some de
fended God and the Bible, others denied
him. I heard them speak about a hell of
eternal torment, spiritism and other top
ics. By the time I had reached eight to
ten years of age I already debated in my

O ctober 15, 1967

SHeWATCHTOWER

mind whether to serve God or not. When

I awoke at nights and was afraid, the idea
of hellfire would worry me.
When I was ten years old I gradually
accepted the idea that the Bible was only
the imaginings of men and that it had
been an instrument used to rule and op
press men. Then when I got to be twelve
I heard some young Evangelical-Lutheran
missionaries speak on the subject of their
departure for pagan lands. What they said
deeply impressed me, so much so that I
became converted and started to read
the Bible. My schoolteacher, upon hearing
this, was very pleased and promised to en
roll me in the missionary school as soon
as I was old enough. However, with the
years came many changes. My teacher
died. I had many problems, though I kept
reading the Bible, without understanding
too much.
Later I became so fond of sports that
the subject filled my mind to the exclu
sion of practically everything else. None
theless, my conscience would bother me
from time to time. Would not missionary
work be Gods will for you? it kept re
minding me. I had prayed for that career
for ten years already.
One day as I was about to leave for a
race, a woman came to the house and of
fered religious literature. Had I not al
ready agreed to be in the race I would
have gladly heard all she had to say. As
it was, I purchased the book
Finished
Mystery, which, among other things, dis
cussed the Bible book of Revelation. I
read avidly, not in the least offended at
the Bibles condemnation of Christendoms
religions. On the other hand, consecra
tion (dedication) to God seemed like too
much of a step for me. I started to sus
pect that an application of Christian prin
ciples could result in ones giving up com
petitive sports. I felt I could never do that,

631

so discontinued reading the book alto

gether.
Soon after this I attended a public talk
given in our village by a representative of
the International Bible Students Associa
tion. It was far ahead of any sermon I had
ever heard, but still no change took place
with me; I kept on with sports.
ANOTHER RUNNING TRACK OPENS UP

One of my very good friends, one who

shared my interest in sports, was practi
cally an unbeliever. For this reason I had
always hesitated about talking religion to
him. I feared it might end our friendship.
Meeting him again on one occasion after
a long separation, I learned that he had
changed his mind about marrying a cer
tain girl. His five-word reply to my
amazed questioning was: I am a Bible
Student (as Jehovahs witnesses were
then called). It seems that the girl he
planned to marry did not approve of his
new religion. He wanted to comply with
the Bibles admonition to marry only in
the Lord, that is, marry someone of the
same faith. 1 Cor. 7:39.
This man really had changed. I won
dered how a person could give up even his
dearest expectations just because of what
the Bible had to say. The deep impression
that this circumstance made upon me
caused me to consider again the question
of dedication. Again the question came to
mind, Would I pursue my proposed career
in competitive sports? The Bible pointed
to a much more appropriate race: Do
you not know that the runners in a race
all run, but only one receives the prize?
Run in such a way that you may attain it.
Moreover, every man taking part in a con
test exercises self-control in all things.
Now they, of course, do it that they may
get a corruptible crown, but we an incor
ruptible one. 1 Cor. 9:24, 25.

632

SfieW ATCHTOW ER

Before me were two racetracks, one of

fering fame and glory of the world, the
other offering the winner Gods approval
and everlasting life. I could not run on
both. My friends experience was a won
derful lesson to me. I made the decision to
dedicate my life to God and set about to
learn all the rules of my new career.
THE STARTING SIGNAL
FOR THE LONG RACE

Soon I procured all seven volumes of

Studies in the Scriptures, published by the
Watch Tower Society, and by early 1920
had read them all through. I was com
pletely convinced that the Bible hell was
no other than the common grave of all
mankind, that instead of people possess
ing souls, each one is a soul. Many other
Bible truths now shone forth clearly. In
April of that year I submitted to water
baptism as an outward symbol of the dedi
cation I had made. To me that was like
the starting signal for this new contest,
the race for the prize of life.
Things were not easy. My father had
died in 1914, and since I was the oldest of
six children it was up to me to collaborate
with mother to make the family living. It
seemed that I would be tied down to this
situation for a long time, while I longed
to be sharing in missionary work. In those
days Bible Students did not all share in
house-to-house preaching; only certain
full-time representatives of the Watch
Tower Society did. However, I determined
to have some share in spreading the
knowledge I had acquired even though
tied down by the small business we were
operating. I placed Bible literature with
many of our customers and had many
interesting discussions. Still I was not
satisfied.
During 1920 my aforementioned friend
and I were associating with a small group
of local Bible Students, mostly women. We

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

were quite shy and relatively new; so the

women conducted the study sessions. They
urged us to lead in prayer and to under
take the conducting of the meetings, but
both of us at first felt that we were quite
unequal to the responsibility. When I fi
nally consented I found that it was up to
me now to take the lead in the group. We
started to do some house-to-house preach
ing and the congregation grew, first to
twenty persons, and then it became so
large that three separate groups had to
be organized within a radius of ten kilo
meters (a little more than six miles).
Since our familys business was quite
slack at the first of the year, I decided to
spend January and February of 1921 in
some distant territory where I could
preach to people who had not yet heard
about some of the Bibles marvelous prom
ises. My sister undertook to care for things
at home. The territory chosen was about
200 kilometers (120 miles) away. I deter
mined to tell people as much as I could of
the things I had learned from the Watch
Tower Societys literature. People were
very receptive, gladly talked about the Bi
ble and willingly obtained literature.
Many were the happy experiences I had
during those months, and a few quite
strange. For example, I met a woman who
was in the grip of demons and who threat
ened to paralyze me so that I would not
be able to move. But any attempt to cast
a spell was of no avail, and when I ex
plained from the Bible about the demons
and the bondage into which they bring
humans, she broke down and cried.
NEW FIELDS OPEN UP

Back home after that wonderful twomonth interlude in the missionary work,
I received a surprising letter from the
Helsinki branch of the Watch Tower So
ciety. Could I become one of their special
traveling representatives for two weeks,

O c t o b e r 15, 1867

SEeW ATCHTGW ER

travel the whole length of the land and

give Bible lectures in villages, towns and
even cities? Though hesitant at first, I
reasoned that, if this was the Lords will,
then I would be able to count on his spirit
to aid me. I agreed to accept and had the
happy privilege of speaking to huge au
diences on the subject The Antichrist
Has Come! What? When? Where?
The two weeks passed quickly, and I
was back home again. But another unex
pected message came from Helsinki, this
time inviting me to become a regular trav
eling representative in what was then
called pilgrim work. My responsibility
to the family loomed as an insurmount
able barrier, but, to my great surprise, the
members of my family agreed to share the
load and release me for the work in which
I longed to participate. I was twenty-four
years old at the time, and I managed to
continue for five years, during the course
of which I got to know practically all the
Witnesses in Finland. At times I had au
diences of up to a thousand. The work was
most satisfying; indeed, it was thrilling to
see people thus responding to the liberat
ing message of the Bible.
M eantim e, th e situ a tion at hom e
brought joy too. My mother began to read
TheWatch Tower regularly. My sister also
progressed to the point of dedication. In
fact, that small congregation proved to be
a training school from which experienced
Witnesses left to engage in full-time
preaching in other parts of the field. Some
went as missionaries to Estonia, and sev
eral others, including my oldest friend,
were invited into the pilgrim service.
At the end of five years I was invited
to come to the headquarters office of the
Society in Helsinki to assist in the many
features of administrative work. Twenty
years of such privileged activity I can
now look back upon as a fine period of
training. Most of all I appreciated the op-

633

portunity of observing at close quarters

the direction of Jehovahs spirit in the
affairs of his people on earth. Then, too,
from that vantage point I could note the
thrilling expansion that took place in
Finland.
MORE JOYS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Marriage came when I was forty years

of age, and though this would involve add
ed responsibilities it was not to interfere
with my full-time ministry. My wife was
happy to help in my secular business. Soon
we had four children, two boys and two
girls. During this period I spent a lot of
time at the Societys Helsinki branch.
However, time was spent also with my
family each week, training and aiding the
young ones to grow up with appreciation
for Gods true worship. The two girls even
tually became missionaries, as well as one
of the boys. Even my wife, with all her
added duties, found time to spend a whole
month in house-to-house preaching every
now and then. Jehovah surely blessed all
our efforts.
In 1958, with the exception of one boy,
the whole family had the privilege of at
tending the big international assembly
held in New York. What an unforgettable
experience that was! The memories and
impressions received keep coming to mind
again and again. It was refreshing stimu
lation for the portion of the race for life
that still lay ahead.
The years had gone quickly, yes, even
decades had rolled by. Twenty-seven years
after our marriage, all four of our chil
dren were married, each one having cho
sen a partner dedicated to Jehovah. One
of my daughters is still in full-time mis
sionary work, and it is my hope that the
others will yet choose that as their lifes
career.
Other things have happened too. Presi
dent Knorr of the Watch Tower Society

634

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
SEeWATCHTOWEFL
visited Finland and made some new ar will, and it is my greatest happiness to
rangements for the Kingdom work. I was fulfill his will.
So once again I was a traveling repre
privileged to serve again as a traveling
representative, visiting and aiding congre sentative of the Society, and it seems as
gations to increase and improve their min if my race is going better than ever. And
istry. This greatly contributed to my nine more years have gone by in this work
growth to maturity. I learned to under at which I have been privileged to serve
stand the many varied and difficult cir for twenty years. I am seventy years old
cumstances in which Witnesses strive to now, and can say that I have been on the
please God. I observed how good example racetrack for forty-seven years all to
is often more valuable than words. I have gether.
rejoiced in the overflowing abundance of
Fellow Witnesses who know about this
spiritual food, as the light upon Gods seemingly long race of mine often inquire:
written Word has shone brighter and Do you not get tired? To me it seems
brighter.
that I could continue the race as a full
In 1958 I began to worry about the fact time preacher or in any other field of ser
that with age my running in the race vice open to me indefinitely. Of course,
would begin to slow down. The Societys I realize that much depends upon my phys
branch representative explained that it ical strength and health, and still more
would be possible for me to continue in upon what Gods will is for me.
full-time service in one location, if I felt
I have now had the experience in two
that my strength was no longer equal to distinct running tracks, and so am able to
the great amount of travel. I took the mat explain to fellow Witnesses, as I often do,
ter to Jehovah in prayer, for I did not that the race for the prize of life differs
want to take the easy way out at this radically from the physical race. In the
stage of the race.
physical race, apart from getting ones
About this time the Societys president, second wind, ones strength does not in
N. H. Knorr, urged the Finnish branch to crease during the race. But in the race for
locate another place and build a new of the grand prize of life Jehovah keeps on
fice and factory to care for the expanding giving faithful runners new strength. As
work. I remembered an ideal spot for this Isaiah the prophet was inspired to declare
purpose, and was happy to find my sug for our encouragement: He is giving to
gestion adopted. A beautiful new branch the tired one power; and to the one with
out dynamic energy he makes full might
office and Bethel home was soon construct
abound. Boys will both tire out and grow
ed. Just this little encouragement seemed
weary, and young men themselves will
to lift me out of that brief period of worry without fail stumble, but those who are
over health. I determined to continue with hoping in Jehovah will regain power. They
new wind, as it were. No interruption in will mount up with wings like eagles. They
purpose, no flagging of zeal until the win will run and not grow weary. Isa. 40;
ning post is reachedthat is Jehovahs 29-31.

ROM time im
memorial men
have sou gh t a
fountain of youth
to restore them
selves to the full
v ig o r o f spa rk lin g
health. This search has
been made, not only by
looking for such a literal fountain, but
also by looking for a relief from sick
ness and old age through medicines, foods,
dieting and other ways. These have
brought a measure of success, but none
has been able to lengthen mans life-span
or his enjoyment of life to any significant
degree. The reason is shown in the Bible
to be that man has inherited imperfection.
Mankinds original human father turned
away from the fountain of life and lost
perfection, being therefore unable to pass
on real, full life to his offspring.

MORE THAN LITERAL WATER NEEDED

Some have understood and recognized

the situation and have realized that not
mere food, drink or the like can restore
the life of mankind and have seen that
the need goes deeper than mans physical
makeup, to his spiritual nature that
there is a need for reformation there.
Some have attempted to bring about this
reformation by self-works, by living ac
cording to a standard or code established
by themselves or someone else. The Jews
tried to obtain it by living according to
the Ten Commandments. Some persons in
Christendom today follow this theory. But
635

more is required.
Man cannot work out per; he needs help from God,
fo r w ith [J e h o v a h ] is the
source [fountain, AV] of life.
(Ps. 36:9) Life originally was a
of God to our forefather
Adam, not a payment for works,
and no one can make
himself worthy of life
by mere works. The
seeker o f life must
have help fr o m the
Giver of life, and that
help must be sought and obtained on the
terms of lifes Giver, not on the terms of
the one receiving it.
In the book of Revelation God has
shown us that the matter of getting life
is assured to those who really desire it
and seek it on Gods terms. The same an
gel that gave John a vision of Jerusalem
the holy city with its governmental ar
rangement went on to paint for him a
beautiful picture of the restoration of last
ing life to obedient mankind. John tells
us what he saw and heard, saying:
And he showed me a river of water of
life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the
throne of God and of the Lamb down the
middle of its broad way. And on this side
of the river and on that side there were
trees of life producing twelve crops of
fruit, yielding their fruits each month.
And the leaves of the trees were for the
curing of the nations. Rev. 22:1, 2.
A similar vision was beheld by the
prophet Ezekiel while in exile in ancient
Babylon, in 593 B.C.E. Ezekiel was shown

636

SHeWATCHTOWER

a stream of life-giving water flowing out

from the visionary House of Jehovah,
past the sacrificial altar and on down to
the salt-laden Dead Sea. (Ezek. 47:1-12)
This stream of water must have issued
forth from Jehovah God, who had entered
into the Most Holy of the temple. In the
vision of John the source of the water is
the throne of God and of the Lamb.
W H EN THE RIVER BEGINS TO FLOW

This description of the source helps us

to establish the time when the waters
would be due to flow, for Jehovah through
his Messiah did not begin to take over his
Kingdom power and begin to rule until the
end of the Gentile Times in 1914 C.E.
(Rev. 11:15 to 12:10) Therefore, it would
be after this time that the river of the
water of life would flow forth. However,
it could not have been at that time, be
cause between 1914 and 1918 the remnant
of the 144,000 spiritual Israelites were
still under much persecution and went
into Babylonish captivity to the nations,
being delivered only in 1919 from Bab
ylon the Great. As we shall see later, the
144,000 have a definite place in Johns
vision in connection with the water of life
and, therefore, would have to be estab
lished in their God-ordained places before
the river could begin to flow.
Another factor marking the time is that
the water flows down through the holy
city, and this holy city, New Jerusalem,
does not come down out of heaven from
God as a bride adorned for her husband
until after the former heaven and the
former earth had passed away, and the
sea is no more. In other words, the flow
ing here pictured does not begin until af
ter the war of Armageddon and the abyssing of Satan have done away with all ene
mies of God both in heaven and in earth
and the old system of things now con
trolling this earth is gone. The time would

Brooklyn,

N. Y.

be at the beginning of the thousand-year

reign of Christ. It is then that the river
can flow down the middle of the street of
the holy city.Rev. 21:1, 2, 9, 10, 21.
RIVERS WATER MORE THAN TRUTH

What does the river of the water of

life symbolize? Truth? No. Truth is in the
Bible sometimes compared with water, for
example, in Ephesians 5:26. But more is
involved here than mere truth. Truth can
guide a person in the way toward life, but
it takes more than an understanding of
the truth to restore life to man. God has
provided the truth for mankind. He also
demonstrated unparalleled love in giving
his Son Jesus Christ. So the symbolic riv
er pictures the entire provision Jehovah
makes for obedient, believing mankind to
have everlasting life through Jesus Christ
the Lamb of God that takes away the sin
of the world. This is in harmony with the
fact that the river is flowing from the
throne of God and of the Lamb, who is
seated at the right hand of God his Father.
John 1:29; Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:32-36.
The river is as clear as crystal, which
indicates that Gods provisions are pure,
free from all death-dealing contamination.
Besides the purity of Gods truth, the ran
som sacrifice of the Lamb Jesus Christ
and his administration to sinful mankind
of the benefits of his sacrifice as Jehovahs
high priest like Melchizedek are pure and
clean and essential to the gaining of life.
Throughout the entire thousand-year reign
all men on earth, including those resur
rected from the dead, must drink of the
river of water of life.
How will the water of life be made avail
able to mankind and, since it is symbolic
water, what will they have to do to get
its benefits for themselves? By following
the course of this river as described in
Revelation we can understand. It is shown
as going in a channel down the middle of

O cto ber 1 5 , 1 9 6 7

SEeWATCHTOWER.

637

the golden broad way of the holy city. The not neglected this. On each bank of the
holy city is the temple class, the place river that flows down the middle of its
for God to inhabit by spirit and the broad way there are trees of life pro
Bride of the Lamb. All of these terms ducing twelve crops of fruit. The vision
point to her as the body of the 144,000 does not say how many kinds of fruit
members of the congregation of God, the grew on the trees but it does tell us that
spiritual brothers of Christ, who at this they never failed to produce a crop each
time will be enjoying Christs heavenly month of the year. All year long they
rule as associate kings and underpriests produced twelve crops in all so that in no
with him. Being the administrative body, season nor at any time was there any dan
they will have the happy lot of bringing ger of anyone feeling the pangs of hunger.
the benefits of Christs ransom sacrifice
These trees are watered by the river of
to the people. The holy city, Revelation the water of life. They picture a part of
tells us, will bring light to the nations. Gods provision for eternal life for obedi
These priests of God will therefore be ent, believing mankind. Since the 144,000
teachers of Gods purposes, his guiding members of the Lambs wife are inhabi
rules, laws and instructions, and as the tants of the city and since they drink also
people obey this royal priesthood, it will of Gods provisions for life through Jesus
actually bring literal, physical vitality to Christ, they may be pictured additionally
them commensurate with their spiritual by these trees. (Rev. 21:6) At Isaiah
progress. On the part of the people, the 61:1-3, the 144,000 are likened to big
life restoration will not be automatic. They trees of righteousness, the planting of Je
will have to exert themselves to conform hovah. Even before they receive their
to Gods way and make over their per heavenly resurrection the 144,000 consti
sonalities with the help of Gods spirit and tute Gods spiritual nation who produce
will have to show themselves vigorously the fruits of the kingdom of God and
desirous of righteousness. Jesus Christ and therefore the nation to whom the kingdom
his 144,000 associates are the Seed of is given. (Matt. 21:43) By the tremen
Abraham by means of whom all the fami dous Bible educational work that they
lies and nations are to be blessed, but the have been doing throughout the earth,
prophecy says that they will bless them they prove that they are producing these
selves. This proves that action must come spiritual fruits continually without letup,
on the part of those being blessed. (Gal. figuratively, in all seasons and months of
3:8, 16, 29; Gen. 22:17, 18) God desires the year, even in the face of persecution.
that they receive the blessing arranged They are bringing certain fruits to man
for through the sacrifice of his own Son.
kind, the fruits of Gods kingdom, by
He is not stingy with his waters of life
preaching and teaching about its birth in
but sends them through a broad way of
heaven. The fact that many are eating
pure gold, as transparent glass.
these fruits and being spiritually nour
ished with a hope to be partakers of the
AN UNFAILING FOOD SUPPLY
How refreshing a cool clear glass of river of the water of life is an evidence
water is to one who is thirsty! How much that these fruit bearers are worthy to
more so is this crystal-clear water, which have a part after their death and resur
actually imparts life. But food is also nec rection to be with Jesus Christ in the
essary for lifes sustenance, and God has heavenly fulfillment of the trees.

638

f& eW ATCH TOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

HEALING FROM ALL SICKNESSES

maintaining perfect health and enjoyment
They are shown as producing not only of life will be present. With the wonderful
fruit but also leaves that have a very bene physical delights, and, more important,
ficial effect, a curative power for the na with minds made over to be in complete
tions, just as plant leaves have often been attunement and harmony with God, what
the source of medicines for healing and peace, health, happiness and love the in
curing. This gives us assurance that, not habitants of the earth will enjoy!
only will they receive water and food to
Then there will be no search for foun
sustain life, but they will actually get heal tains of youth, no calling on medical doc
ing and restoration to completed health. tors and psychotherapists for the relief of
The nations who will receive the curing ills, no quest for a proper diet to add a
are those nations who will walk by means few years to ones life-span. Such tempo
of the light of the holy city, New Jerusa rary and short-term helps will not be
lem. Rev. 21:23, 24.
needed. All who have been earthly sur
An additional happy thought that the vivors of Har-Magedon and also all men
vision brings to light is that for earthly who have been resurrected from the dead
humankind there will also be a very real and who have obediently partaken of
istic aspect for them in connection with these wonderful provisions will have life
trees because the whole earth will be made for how long? Seventy years? A thousand
a paradise and will be made to abound years? A million years? Nolife ever
with trees and pure waters, everything lasting. Moreover, this will be no monoto
good for food, just as was provided by God nous existence, but a continual occupation
in the garden of Eden. The water flowing of mind and body in progressive blessings
through the streams and rivers will no that Jehovah God will bring forth for his
longer be contaminated but will be pure. people through his beloved city, New
These and all other things necessary for Jerusalem.

Do Jesus words at Luke 20:34-36 apply to

the earthly resurrection or to the heavenly
resurrection of the 144,000?W. D., Australia.
We frequently receive inquiries on these
verses, which read: The children of this system
of things marry and are given in marriage,
but those who have been counted worthy of
gaining that system of things and the resur
rection from the dead neither marry nor are
given in marriage. In fact, neither can they

die any more, lor they are like the angels, and
they are Gods children by being children of the
resurrection.
It is understandable that Christians might be
concerned about marriage prospects in the
resurrection, since the strongest human emo
tional ties are often with regard to ones mate.
Many faithful servants of God who look for
ward to living forever on earth and whose
mates have died would like to have support
for their hope that they could be reunited as
husband and wife in the resurrection. While
not being callous to their sincere feelings, we
must admit that apparently Jesus words apply
to the earthly resurrection, and they indicate
that those resurrected will not marry or be
reunited in a marriage relationship with former
mates.

O cto ber 1 5 , 1 9 6 7

SEeW ATCHTOW ER.

In order to appreciate why this position is

held, it would be beneficial to consider the
setting of Jesus words. Matthew 22:23-33 could
be read with profit. In an attempt to outwit
Jesus the Sadducees posed a problem: A Jewish
woman lost her husband before producing any
children. In accord with the law of brother-inlaw marriage given at Deuteronomy 25:5-10, she
married her deceased husbands brother and
progressed through seven brothers without
producing children, each of the husbands dying.
The Sadducees asked whose wife she would be in
the resurrection.Luke 20:28-33.
The Jews had knowledge and hope of an
earthly resurrection, even though these opposing
Sadducees did not accept the resurrection hope
plainly set out in the Hebrew Scriptures. (Isa.
25:8; Job 14:13; Dan. 12:13) In his reply Jesus
did not avoid answering their question by
speaking about the resurrection to heavenly
life. They had presented a problem involving
Jews under the Mosaic law who died before
Jesus opened the way to heavenly life, and
Christ logically replied on this basis: In the
resurrection neither do men marry nor are
women given in marriage, but are as angels
in heaven.Matt. 22:30.
Further showing that Jesus had in mind an
earthly resurrection, as recorded at Matthew
22:31, 32 and Luke 20:37, 38, he referred to
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and proved by the
information that Moses was given at the burn
ing bush that these patriarchs would be resur
rected from the dead. Well, what Scriptural
hope is there for these men? They will have an
earthly resurrection, having died before Jesus
opened the way to heavenly life or held out
that hope for a small number of mankind.
(Matt. 11:11; Acts 2:34; Heb. 10:19, 20) So the
entire discussion here is about an earthly resur
rection and not about a resurrection that re
sults in life in heaven with the angels there.
This has long been understood and taught
by Jehovahs witnesses. As far back as The
Watchtower of November 15, 1904, page 345,
we read in a discussion of these verses: True
the glorified Church will not marry, but there
is no reference here to the Church class, the
Bride class. The question did not refer to saints,
but to any ordinary Jews under the Law.. . .
Nothing in the illustration implied that either
the woman or any of her husbands were fol
lowers of the Lord.

639

How, then, will those raised to earthly life

be like the angels? The angels in heaven do
not marry and procreate, producing angelic
offspring. Yet they can enjoy satisfying associa
tion with myriads of other spirit creatures
serving God. Similarly, those who in this pres
ent wicked system of things prove them
selves worthy of gaining a resurrection in the
new order or the coming system of things will
not marry and produce offspring. (2 Cor. 4:4;
Mark 10:30) Immediately upon resurrection
they become Gods children by being children
of the resurrection. Their heavenly Father,
the one giving them life by resurrecting them,
has determined that they will not marry, though
they will be in position to receive many other
blessings at his hand, not the least of which
will be the privilege of close and warm associa
tion with other earthly servants of God.
Additionally, the ones who are resurrected to
earthly life and who prove their integrity to
God through the millennium and the final test
to follow will be recognized by God as being
righteous and so will be given everlasting life.
(Rev. 20:5, 7-10) When once Jehovah has de
clared them righteous by recognizing their
human perfection and righteousness, no other
person in heaven or on earth can destroy them
without Gods permission and according to his
will. (Rom. 8:33) The angels are mortal, as
proved by the fact that Satan and the demons
will be destroyed. (Matt. 25:41) Despite their
mortality the faithful angels live on forever.
Those resurrected to earthly life who are de
clared righteous by God will live and be blessed
by Jehovah forever even though they are
mortal like the angels.
So while it is true that the 144,000 raised
to heavenly life will not marry, evidently Jesus,
in making the comments at Luke 20:34-36, was
not speaking about this small fraction of those
to be resurrected. But, rather, in accord with
the question posed, he was speaking about the
earthly resurrection and what will be the
situation for the thousands of millions raised
from the dead to earthly life.
As indicated by correspondence we have
received, this conclusion is one difficult for some
to accept because of the strong influence of
human emotions. While we can sincerely sym
pathize with those who have lost mates in death,
we must honestly admit that the conclusion dis
cussed above is the one suggested in the Scrip-

640

SEeWATCHTOW ER

Brooklyn, N . Y .

tures. Since this is all Gods Word says about it,

when asked what the Bible indicates on this
topic, we can but explain matters in this way.
If, though, this Scriptural conclusion seems
hard for one to accept, is it wise to become
upset over the matter and let this question
interfere with ones faith? No, it would be far
better to leave the matter in Gods hands.
Jehovah is a God of loving-kindness, under
standing and mercy. (Ex. 34:6; Job 12:13; Isa.
60:10) He will not act unjustly toward those
who have his favor. As Elihu said to Job, for
a fact, God himself does not act wickedly, and
the Almighty himself does not pervert judg
ment. (Job 34:12) While humans might now
think they will have certain needs and desires,
we personally have never lived under the per
fect conditions God has in store for mankind. He
knows what perfect humans need, and we can
be certain he will provide for all the needs of
his children of the resurrection, as well as the
Armageddon survivors. We can rest assured
that the inspired words at Psalm 145:16 will
prove true then: You are opening your hand

and satisfying the desire of every living thing.

What God has promised for those who love him
and serve him faithfully, everlasting life in
peace, health, happiness and contentment, will
be the possession of all who have his approval
in the new order. What a joy it will be to
fellowship with friends and relatives united by
the bonds of Christian love and the service of
Jehovah. That will truly be a rich and satisfying
life!
The Bible does not provide all the details
about the resurrection and how things such as
family matters and child training will be
arranged on the earth in the new system of
things. We can be certain, though, that Jehovah
is going to do what is loving and absolutely
just. In fact, he is going to do what is perfect
and right to a degree that our imperfect minds
cannot even conceive. Thus we can in faith rely
on Moses words at Deuteronomy 32:4: The
Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways
are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom
there is no injustice; righteous and upright is
he.

HOW DID YOU COME TO BE?

false religious traditions. Jehovahs witnesses

strongly feel this way, for they recognize the
symbolic Babylon the Great of Revelation 18:2
as being the world empire of false religion, to
which millions of persons are imprisoned. As
Jehovahs witnesses preach a release to Bab
ylons captives during the month of October,
they are offering to all interested persons a
year's subscription for Awake! magazine, with
three booklets, for $1.

Throughout the world the doctrine of evolu

tion is taught as established fact. The origin of
life and man is almost always presented in
evolutionary terms in studies of science, phi
losophy, history and even religion. But does this
doctrine really harmonize with the facts of
science? What do you personally know about
it? Read the 192-page hardbound book Did Man
Get H ere by Evolution or by Creation? It bears
directly on your life and future.* Send only 25c.

WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

FIELD MINISTRY

Freedom is a prized possession. Those who

are spiritually free want to help others to be
released from captivity to superstitions and

November 5: Rescuing a Great Crowd of

Mankind Out of Armageddon. Page 617.
Songs to Be Used: 40, 6.
November 12: To the Rescue! Page 624. Songs
to Be Used: 27, 1.

NOVEMBER 1, 1967
Semimonthly

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

LET GOD ARISE, LET HIS

ENEMIES BE SCATTERED
G O D S ASCENT ON HIGH
ABOVE ALL ENEMIES
ARE THERE INTELLIGENT CREATURES
IN OUTER SPACE?
HOW CLEAN MUST
A GOVERNMENT BE?
W TB& TS

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JEH O V A H .-lsa.43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F 'T H E W A T C H T O W E R
Every w atchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place fo r a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h a t is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare o r it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch to w er this magazine ju stly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in Ju ly o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious n ew order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till n ow ,
"T h e W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read w ith
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n d the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ich one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. "W h ic h
Book? The Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G o d .
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m an y
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orth y o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.-

PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N. H . K norr, President
G rant S uiter, Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54 :13
A verage p rin tin g each issue: 5,000,000 F ive cents a copy

CONTENTS
Something Others Do Not Have
Are There Intelligent Creatures in
Outer Space?
Let God Arise, Let His Enemies
Be Scattered
Gods Ascent on High Above All Enemies
How Clean Must a Government Be?
An Abundance of Holidays
Have You Attended the Meetings of
Jehovahs Witnesses?
Build Godly Personalities on the Right
Foundation
Questions from Readers

643
645
649
655
663
667
668
671
671

B i b l e t r a n s la t io n used in The Watchtower is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 61 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols w ill appear behind the citations:

A S American Standard Version

A T - A n American Translation
A V - Authorized Version (1611)
D y - Catholic Douay version
JP Jewish Publication Soc.

L e - Isaac Leesers version

M o - James Moffatts version
R o - 3 . B. Rotherhams version
R S - Revised Standard Version
Y g Robert Youngs version

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'y 4 rin o u rL c iri&

J E H O V A H S
K IN G D O M

Something Others Do Not Have

S THERE something in life that you
cherish and that not many others
have? Perhaps the affection of a marriage
mate or a child? Outstanding talents? Or
is it robust health? Keen eyesight? Knowl
edge of several languages? Or a rich and
varied background? Any one of these
things is a blessing indeed to those who
know how to turn it to lasting benefit to
themselves and others. Few could truthful
ly say that they enjoy all these prized
things.
To some people, however, comes an op
portunity when some special job, ones
qualifications for the job and the ripe
time to do the job coincide. To such as
are blessed with such a circumstance, it
could with greater force be said that they
have something others do not have.
In the sphere of spiritual things lie the
greatest and most rewarding opportuni
ties. Consider, for instance, those persons
who in this critical time in history have
shown themselves willing to become quali
fied to serve the interests of Gods estab
lished kingdom and to preach this good
news. (Matt. 24:14) They have reached
a time when opportunity to do this King
dom preaching will soon close down. But
there is still time, and they readily accept
a special assignment. Surely they have
something others do not have.

Stressing this very matter of having

spiritual privileges that others do not
have, the Watch Tower Societys presi
dent, N. H. Knorr, speaking to the 102
students of the 44th graduating class of
the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead,
on September 10, offered some excellent
parting admonition. The place was Jeho
vahs Witnesses Assembly Hall in New
York city with 2,069 persons in atten
dance. Here are a few of his remarks:
You students are actually living in a
most wonderful time. You are able to have
something others do not have. You are
living in the last days of this system of
things. You are living at the time when
the good news of Gods established king
dom must be preached before the end of
this system of things comes. You 102 stu
dents, out of the more than three thou
sand million people living on earth today,
have something others do not have. Nor
will they ever get it, for we are too far
along in the life of this system of things.
In good time you offered yourselves will
ingly. You have said, Here I am! Send me.
You have before you a unique privi
lege of service to get out to a foreign
field and preach the good news and open
up new lands right on down to the end
of this system of things. You are being
sent to thirty-four different lands. Your
643

644

SFEeWATCHTOWER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Not all Christians can be missionaries,

service to Jehovah God is because you love
him and want to serve him. You love him it is true. But do you have the spirit of
with all your heart, soul and strength. the missionary, this willingness to seize
You have something not many others have opportunities to enlarge the scope of your
the opportunity of going to the ends of service of Gods kingdom? What are you
the earth to preach the Kingdom. Jesus doing with a view to enjoying eventually
foretold this would be done, and we are privileges and spiritual treasures that oth
happy that you offered yourselves at the ers do not have? Can you offer yourself
acceptable time. Hold on to this privilege for full-time preaching in your own city
of service; make a success of it and Jeho or country?
Of course, all who have stepped out and
vah will bless you.
What a fine spirit of willingness the followed the example of the Lord Jesus
graduates of Gilead School have shown! Christ, even though unable to engage in
It is something not many have today. In full-time preaching activity, have come to
offering themselves for this service they possess something that others do not have.
did not first ask, What are the living con Consider the matter of peace and unity,
ditions in those missionary fields? No, for for example. In this connection, those at
they put the doing of Gods will ahead of tending the graduation of this 44th class
material comforts. Do you feel that way? of Gilead School heard something inter
Is your faith that strong? What are you esting from F. W. Franz, vice-president of
doing to increase your privileges of serv the Watch Tower Society, about his re
ing God? Do you have the spirit of the cent visit to Bible lands. He told about a
prophet Isaiah, who said: Here I am! unique international assembly of Chris
Send me ? Isa. 6:8.
tian witnesses in the old section of Jeru
Those 102 students were not novices. salem, August 6. Against a background of
They did not offer themselves out of a international hatreds intensified by the re
mere desire for adventure. They were all cent Arab-Israeli war, Jehovahs Christian
experienced preachers of the good news, witnesses of Jewish and Arab descent met
the group averaging 10.4 years of dedi peacefully to hear the Word of God dis
cated service. They have steadily pro cussed. Discourses were translated into
gressed, and now, in accepting a mission Arabic and Hebrew. The entire audience
ary assignment, they have taken another of 176 persons certainly enjoyed some
big step forward.
thing that their neighbors do not have.
Illustrative of their experiences is that
What they have is what those 102 grad
of one young man from El Salvador who, uates of Gilead want to share with others
at the age of ten, submitted to baptism in as they spread out to the ends of the earth!
symbol of his dedication to God. At twelve Wherever they go, they will find this in
years of age he was assigned an isolated
comparable peace, love and unity among
area in which to preach, where he made
those who have already accepted the mes
excellent progress and aided others to be
come servants of God. Now, in 1967, at the sage of Gods kingdom, and they will be
age of twenty-four, he is ready to proceed instrumental in bringing it to multitudes
to a missionary assignment in Honduras of persons who long to know God and to
after twenty weeks of special missionary learn how to please him. Yes, those mis
training. He surely has something that sionaries have something that others do
others do not have.
not have.

N THE night of Oc
t o b e r 30, 193 8,
there was panic in wide
ly scattered parts of the
United States. Terrified
persons rushed f ro m
their homes only partial
ly clothed. Others leaped
into cars and raced wild
ly t h r o u g h c r o w d e d
streets. They believed
that inhabitants of Mars
had landed in New Jer
sey and were slaying all
who opposed them with
a sinister heat-ray.
The nationwide panic
was caused by Orson
Welles now-famous ra
dio dramatization of a
M a r t ia n i n v a s i o n . It
demonstrated that mil
lions of persons were
willing to believe that Mars is inhabited
by intelligent creatures hostile to human
kind. In recent years, however, increased
knowledge has conclusively confirmed that
no such creatures could exist either on
Mars or upon the other planets of our
solar system aside from the earth.
But what about outer space beyond our
solar system? Are there intelligent crea
tures living there? Has earth ever been
visited by superior creatures from distant
space?

LIFE ELSEWHERE

Reporting on a three-day gathering of

some 300 scientists who met in California
to discuss the subject of life in outer space,
Science Digest of August 1966 observed:
The prospect of extraterrestrial life and

o f how to find it and

communicate with it is
today a dead-serious busi
ness. Its a business en
gaging the attention of
biologists, geologists, as
tronomers and space en
gineers. . . . Some of the
most prominent Ameri
cans in those scientific
fields told their plans for
contributing to the great
search fo r life else
where.
Dr. Harlow Shapley,
Harvards renowned as
tronom er, explained to
reporters: Ive been a
leader in the thought
that there is lots of life
in the universe. He said
t h a t t h e r e is a h i g h
probability that organic
life developed on a great many planets
in a great many galaxies.
Dr. Bernard M. Oliver of HewlettPackard, Palo Alto, California, expressed
the opinion: There may be on the order
of a million highly developed civilizations.
Some time prior to the conference, No
bel Prize-winning chemist Dr. Melvin Cal
vin noted in a speech that other planetary
systems may be inhabited by organisms
far more skillful and knowledgeable than
we, and said: This kind of reasoning
has already led to an attempt to listen
with our own newly acquired radiotelescopes for messages from such orga
nisms. However, he admitted: This has,
as yet, been fruitless.
It is not only in the United States that
scientists have met to discuss the subject

646

fEeWATCHTOWEFL

Brooklyn, N . Y .

The assumed prevalence of life in outer

space has caused some well-known scien
tists to believe that earth already has been
visited by creatures from space. In their
recent book, Intelligent Life in the
verse,astronomers I. S. Shklovskii of Mos
cows Sternberg Astronomical Institute
and Carl Sagan of Harvard argue that it
seems possible that the earth has been
visited by various galactic civilizations
many times.
Contributing to the opinion that intelli
gent creatures from outer space have vis
ited earth are legends regarding human
contact with them. Of such a legend,
Sagan writes: Taken at face value, the
legend suggests that contact occurred be
tween human beings and a non-human
civilization of immense powers on the
shores of the Persian Gulf, perhaps near
the site of the ancient Sumerian city of
Eridu. A huge deluge was also reported
as occurring in connection with such a
visitation.
What do the facts show? Is it reason
able, or scientific, to believe that highly
developed civilizations composed of or
ganisms far more skillful and knowledge
able than we populate other planets?

ary processes. It is reasoned that, since

there are over 100,000 million stars or
suns in our galaxy, and perhaps some
100 million other galaxies in the universe
having a similar number of suns, the
'probability that intelligent life has evolved
on some of the planets circling these
suns is so great that it can be considered
an almost certain fact. But is this reason
ing sound?
Even prominent evolutionists balk at
such an assumption. Loren Eiseley, a wellknown anthropologist, wrote: The pre
cise accidental duplication of a complex
form of life is extremely unlikely to occur
in even the same environment, let alone
in the different background and atmo
sphere of a far-off world . . . Of men else
where and beyond, there will be none
forever.
The prominent paleontologist at Har
vard University, George Gaylord Simp
son, expressed himself similarly, conclud
ing: There is, then, no clear evidence of
life anywhere else in our solar system. . . .
The assumption, so freely made by as
tronomers, physicists, and some biochem
ists, that once life gets started anywhere,
humanoids [living organisms with intelli
gence comparable to mans] will eventual
ly and inevitably appear is plainly false.
The fact is, even life on earth did not
evolve from inanimate matter. Intelligent
humans are not the product of hundreds
of millions of years of evolutionary devel
opment.* Instead, man was divinely creat
ed. Life proceeds only from preceding life,
and Jehovah God is the source of all life,
as the inspired Bible psalmist wrote:
With you is the source of life. Ps. 36:9.

BASIS FOR SCIENTISTS BELIEF

INTELLIGENT LIFE DOES EXIST IN SPACE!

The basis for many scientists believing

that intelligent creatures exist on other
planets is the conviction that intelligent
life is the product of inevitable evolution-

But despite the fact that there are no

evolved forms of life, splendid, intelli-

of Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life. In

the fall of 1964 a conference on extra
terrestrial civilizations was held at the
Burakan Astrophysical Observatory, one
of the foremost of such institutions in the
Soviet Union.
Yes, search for life elsewhere in the
universe is now being made in earnest by
top scientists of the world.
PAST VISITS FROM SPACE?

See the book Did Man Get Here by Evolution or by

Creation? published by the Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society.

November 1, 1967

fEeWATCHTOWER.

gent creatures in the region of what men

call outer space do exist! Further, con
tact with them has been made!
The superhuman, intelligent creatures
that exist in outer space were created by
Jehovah God. Their creation took place
even before planet Earth was prepared for
human habitation. In his Word the Bible
Jehovah God speaks of the time that he
founded the earth. At that time, he ex
plains, the morning stars joyfully cried
out together, and all the sons of God be
gan shouting in applause. (Job 38:4, 7)
These sons of God are powerful angelic
creatures who are indeed far more skill
ful and knowledgeable than we. In the
past they were often used by God to com
municate with humans.
One such superhuman messenger, or
angel, referred to in the Bible is named
Gabriel. Some 2,500 years ago he was
sent forth to communicate with the Israel
ite Daniel, as he explained: O Daniel,
now I have come forth to make you have
insight with understanding. . . . I myself
have come to make report. Gabriel then
proceeded to give the valuable information
as to the exact time that the Messiah,
mankinds savior, would appear. And ex
actly at the end of the period indicated
by Gabriel (which was sixty-nine weeks
of years, or 483 years, after the command
was issued to rebuild the walls of Jerusa
lem in 455 B.C.E.) Jesus was anointed at
his baptism in 29 C.E. and became the
Christ or Messiah! What a reliable and
important message from the invisible area
of outer space ! Dan. 9:22-25; Neh. 2:
1-8; Matt. 3:13-17; Luke 3:21-23.
Later, when the time arrived for Jesus
to be born as a human, Gabriel again was
used; first to announce the birth of Jesus
forerunner, John the Baptist, and then
Jesus own birth. To Johns father, Zechariah, the materialized angel, Gabriel, said:
I am Gabriel, who stands near before

647

God, and I was sent forth to speak with

you and declare the good news of these
things to you. Then, about six months
later, Gabriel appeared to the Jewish vir
gin Mary and proclaimed: Look! you will
conceive in your womb and give birth to
a son, and you are to call his name Jesus.
Luke 1:19, 31.
Here are communications from the far
reaches of space, yes, from one who stands
right near before God ! How much easier
to understand are his messages than the
coded communications radio astronomers
hope to hear from space! And of what
marvelous import these messages were
preparing people for the appearance of the
one through whom Jehovah God has made
provision to save believing mankind!
OTHER VISITATIONS FROM SPACE

Not all earth visitations, however, have

been by creatures sent by God with im
portant communications from Him. In
fact, a number of angelic sons of God rebelliously left their heavenly positions,
came to earth in the form of men, and
went taking wives for themselves, name
ly, all whom they chose. A disciple of
Jesus Christ by the name of Jude said
that these angels that did not keep their
original position but forsook their own
proper dwelling place [God] has reserved
. . . for the judgment of the great day,
at which time they will be destroyed.
Gen. 6:1, 2; Jude 6.
Jesus apostle Peter also spoke of these
powerful spirit creatures, and identified
the time of their earth visitation. He said
it was when the patience of God was
waiting in Noahs days, while the ark was
being constructed. Yes, it was just prior
to the deluge upon a world of ungodly
people. The lawless conduct of these su
perhuman visitors from outer space, and
the ungodly hybrid offspring produced
from their relations with the daughters

648

^eW A T C H T O W E R

of men, contributed greatly to the wick

edness of those pre-Flood days. 1 Pet. 3:
19, 20; 2 Pet. 2:4, 5; Gen. 6:4.
Hence, there is indeed substance to the
legends that some scientists have inter
preted as perhaps indicating visitations
from outer space. There actually were
earth visits by intelligent nonhuman crea
tures of immense powers. No, these were
not organisms from other planets who
had evolved greater intelligence than man,
as some scientists may suppose, but they
were disobedient angelic creations of God.
When the Deluge came, these superior
creatures were able to escape by again
taking on spirit form. Although restrained
by God since then from materializing as
humans, these lawless spirit persons are
working from their base in the invisible
realm in the vicinity of the earth to bring
the human family to ruin.
OUR LIVES AFFECTED

Do not dismiss this idea as a fictional

myth, placing it in the same category as
you might a radio broadcast warning of
a Martian invasion. Powerful, intelligent
creatures in invisible space do exist, and
that some of them are seeking your in
jury is no fanciful fabrication. Fully ap
preciating this fact, the Christian apostle
Paul wrote to fellow Christians that they
should stand firm against the machina
tions of the Devil; because we have a fight,
not against blood and flesh, but against
the governments, against the authorities,
against the world rulers of this darkness,
against the wicked spirit forces in the
heavenly places Eph. 6:11, 12.
During his earthly ministry Jesus fre
quently encountered these wicked invisible
forces. On occasions they possessed the
minds and bodies of unwary victims, and

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jesus mercifully freed persons from their

influence. (Matt. 8:16, 28-34) After his
death and resurrection, Jesus sent to earth
an angelic messenger who revealed the
war action by which Satan the Devil was
hurled down to the earth, and his angels
were hurled down with him. These wick
ed creatures in invisible space are now
confined to the vicinity of the earth, and
they have great anger because they know
that they have but a short period of time
before they are abyssed. Rev. 1:1; 12:
9-12; 20:1-3.
To obtain protection from their influ
ence we need the help of God and his
faithful angels. Happily, this help is prom
ised, the comforting assurance being: God
will give his own angels a command con
cerning you, to guard you in all your
ways. The angel of Jehovah is camping
all around those fearing him, and he res
cues them. (Ps. 91:11; 34:7; Heb. 1:7,
14) This rescue eventually will be into a
grand new system of things soon to be
ushered in here upon earth. So in the not
too distant future, as Jesus angelic mes
senger reported, death will be no more,
neither will mourning nor outcry nor
pain be any more. The former things have
passed away. Rev. 21:3, 4.
This is not a fictional report! Rather,
it is a divine message, transmitted through
a mighty spirit creature from the invisible
realm of outer space. It represents a wis
dom far greater than mans, for such mes
sages are from Almighty God himself.
What is more, these can be read in your
own copy of the Holy Bible. How thrill
ing it is that we have preserved in written
form communications from powerful, in
telligent creatures from the region of out
er space! We do well to study their mes
sages carefully, and then to heed them.

OD has his enemies!

Millions of people to
day are enemies to the very
thought that there is a God,
the Most High and All-powerful One, the
Divine Being who is without beginning and
without end, the Creator of heaven and
earth, the Maker of man, the One to
whom all intelligent human creatures on
earth are responsible, in full dependence
upon Him.
2
There are other people who pretend
be worshipers of God, but who are really
his enemies, most likely his worst enemies
for the reason that they misrepresent him
and are thus religious hypocrites. It is as
one lover of God long ago said: They pub
licly declare they know God, but they dis
own him by their works, because they
are detestable and disobedient and not ap
proved for good work of any sort. (Titus
1:16) Hundreds of millions of others are
enemies of God without their knowing it,
not that they worship false gods, but be
cause they are friends of this world: Do
you not know that the friendship with the
world is enmity with God? Whoever, there
fore, wants to be a friend of the world
is constituting himself an enemy of God.
(Jas. 4:4, N W ; D y) Beyond all contradic
tion, God has his enemies, unhappily for
them!

3
The time has come
God to rise up against his
enemies on earth in one final
move to dispose of them en
tirely. Cases are on the pages
of history of where God has
arisen against certain enemies of the
day to relieve himself of their resistance.
But now, according to his declared pur
pose, he will arise to rid the earth of his
enemies of today in one big all-embracing
movement, allowing none to escape. He
has not forgotten his declared purpose,
toalthough it was recorded twenty-seven
centuries ago: Jehovah will rise up just
as at Mount Perazim, he will be agitated
just as in the low plain near Gibeon, that
he may do his deed his deed is strange
and that he may work his work his
work is unusual. (Isa. 28:21) History
shows what occurred at Perazim on that
occasion, and it should be enough to make
the enemies of Jehovah today think of
how his destructive forces will burst forth
like overwhelming waters to sweep them
and their idols away.
4
A man who witnessed both what took
place at Perazim and what took place later
at Gibeon in the eleventh century before

Let God arise, let his

enemies be scattered,
and let those who in
tensely hate him flee
because of him.''ps.68:i.

1, 2. Whom does God have as enemies, some of these

not knowing?

3. (a) To what extent will Jehovah now arise against

his enemies? (b) What is his purpose as declared in
Isaiah 28:21, and of what ought this to make the
enemies think?
4, 5. (a) Who witnessed what God did at Perazim and
Gibeon, and what role did this one have to perform
toward Gods enemies in all the land? (b) In Psalm
68:1-3, what did he pray regarding enemies and righ
teous ones?

649

650

SfreWATCHTOWER.

our Common Era was King David of Jeru

salem. (2 Sam. 5:17-25; 1 Chron. 14:8-17)
The clearing out of those Philistine ene
mies at Perazim and Gibeon did not do
away completely with all the enemies of
Gods kingdom that Jehovah had estab
lished there in the Middle East with King
David as his visible representative on the
throne of Jerusalem. There were many
other enemies that yet remained in the
strip of land that Jehovah God had prom
ised to give to Davids forefather, the
patriarch Abraham, a strip running from
the great river Euphrates to the river of
Egypt. (Gen. 15:17-21; 12:1-9; 13:14-18)
Other powerful enemies, such as the Syr
ians, remained in this general land area
and needed to be either destroyed or sub
dued and made vassals. King David was
under Gods command to deal with these
enemies in such a way as to bring ful
fillment to Gods promise to give all the
land to the descendants of his faithful
friend Abraham. David must have had
these enemies in mind when he wrote the
opening words of Psalm 68 (verses one
through three):
5 Let God arise, let his enemies be scat
tered, and let those who intensely hate
him flee because of him. As smoke is
driven away, may you drive them away;
as wax melts because of the fire, let the
wicked ones perish from before God. But
as for the righteous, let them rejoice, let
them be elated before God, and let them
exult with rejoicing.
6As there were yet unsubdued enemies
in the Promised Land, the victory march
of Jehovah God against his enemies was
not yet completely done. Fittingly, then,
King David was inspired to write and to
quote the words of the man whom Jeho6, 7. (a) Whom did the psalmist David there quote,
and what was that one instructed to make to represent
Gods presence? (b) When and why did this one say
the words quoted by David?

B rooklyn, N. Y.

vah God used when starting this victory

march, namely, the prophet Moses, in the
sixteenth century B.C.E. Moses at that
time found himself in the wilderness of
Sinai in Arabia, along with the twelve
tribes of the sons of Israel and also with
a vast mixed company of non-Israelites.
(Ex. 12:38; Num. 11:4) The whole en
campment was made up of millions of
people. In the spring of the previous year
Jehovah God had miraculously delivered
all these from Egypt, even destroying the
armies of the Egyptians under Pharaoh
when they tried to overtake the fleeing Is
raelites as they crossed through the driedup bed of the Red Sea. In the third month
thereafter the Israelites and the mixed
crowd reached Mount Sinai, and there
Jehovah God made a national covenant or
contract with them.
7
According to the law of this national
covenant a sacred tabernacle was erected
for Gods worship. Into the innermost
room of this tabernacle was put the golden
ark of the covenant to represent Gods
presence there. Whenever the Israelites
struck tents and moved to the next place,
the ark of the covenant would be carried
on the shoulders of priests to that next
stopping point. Thus God and his people
were on the march to take possession of
the Promised Land. There were many ene
mies in the way before ever they would
get complete possession of the whole land.
In recognition of this, Moses as mediator
between God and the nation of Israel called
upon God to take the lead, just as Numbers
10:35, 36 tells us in these words: It
would occur that when the Ark would set
out, Moses would say: Do arise, O Je
hovah, and let your enemies be scattered;
and let those who intensely hate you flee
from before you. And when it would rest,
he would say: Do return, O Jehovah, to
the myriads of thousands of Israel.

N ovem ber 1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

8 Jehovahs victories and all his merci

ful treatment of his people deserved to be
celebrated with song in praise to Him.
The psalmist King David, who was a singer
and a musician, called upon his people,
the twelve tribes of Israel, to do so:
9 Sing you to God, make melody to his
name; raise up a song to the One riding
through the desert plains as Jah, which
is his name; and jubilate before him; a
father of fatherless boys and a judge of
widows is God in his holy dwelling. God
is causing the solitary ones to dwell in a
house; he is bringing forth prisoners into
full prosperity. However, as for the stub
born, they have to reside in a scorched
land.Ps. 68:4-6.
10No nation or people on earth today
could have a better ruler than the ancient
nation of Israel had in its God, their in
visible King. Their whole nation had been
prisoners unwillingly and undeservingly
in pagan Egypt; but Jehovah God deso
lated the land of Egypt with ten miracu
lous plagues and brought them out into
prosperity, which reached its fullness by
the time of King David. In Egypt the
nation of Israel had been like a fatherless
boy, but Jehovah proved himself to be a
father to them, calling the whole nation
my first-born. (Ex. 4:22) When he
brought forth Israel his firstborn from op
pression under the God-defying Pharaoh,
all the firstborn males of Egypt were
slain. Gods people down there were like
a helpless widow with no one to plead for
her in court, and he stepped in like the
righteous Judge of the Supreme Court and
saw that the afflicted nation got justice,
a liberation. He came to be as a husband
to his people. Isa. 54:5; Jer. 3:14; 31:
31, 32.
8, 9. In Psalm 68:4-6, what did King David call upon
his people to do respecting God?
10. How, in Israels case, had God shown himself to
be (a) a father to fatherless boys and (b) a judge of
widows ?

651

11 Treated as dangerous slaves in Egypt,

the Israelites were like solitary persons
in an unfriendly wilderness, with no home
to which to go. But Jehovah brought them
out and settled them as in a house, in
the Promised Land. Those who showed
themselves his enemies and stubbornly re
sisted him, he made to reside without the
refreshing blessings of divine favor as in
a land scorched by the sun. His name is
Jah, which is an abbreviation for the name
Jehovah. He made known his name Jeho
vah to his people down in Egypt as they
and their faithful forefathers had never
before known it. (Ex. 15:1, 2; 17:16) With
this name, upon which he had heaped fame,
he rode through the desert plain as he
led his people through to the land of prom
ise. Raise up a song to Him!
THE MARCH FROM SINAI TO ZION

12It is nothing for this Almighty God

Jehovah to move heaven and earth to show
that he is the God of creation and all its
laws. He displayed his power to do so at
Mount Sinai in Arabia, where he brought
his people in the third month after deliv
ering them from slave-driving Egypt. Be
fore ever he declared the Ten Command
ments from atop Mount Sinai, he caused
terrifying demonstrations in earth and sky,
to impress the people of Israel with the
fact that their Lawgiver was no mere
puny human creature, but was the God
of heaven and earth. If the inanimate
things of creation are moved at his in
visible presence, why should not his in
telligent human creatures who behold his
wondrous works of creation also be moved?
He can move heaven and earth to carry
out his will. The divine quality of power
to do this the psalmist King David called
11. How did God deal with the solitary one in
contrast with the stubborn ones, and with what name
did he ride along?
12, 13. As the psalmist David reminds us, what things
can God move to show his power as Creator, and how
did he demonstrate this at Sinai?

652

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
fEeWATCHTOWERto mind and mentioned, to Jehovahs of the Promised Land. But in the clos
ing year Jehovah brought them to the
praise, as he said:
13 O God, when you went forth before borders of the land flowing with milk
your people, when you marched through and honey. Then the local kings began
the desert . . . the earth itself rocked, offering resistance. What now was there
heaven itself also dripped because of God; to do? Listen:
15 Jehovah himself gives the saying;
this Sinai rocked because of God, the God
of Israel. A copious downpour you began the women telling the good news are a
causing to fall, O God; your inheritance, large army. Even the kings of armies flee,
even when it was wearyyou yourself they flee. As for her who abides at home,
reinvigorated it. Your tent community she shares in the spoil. Although you men
they have dwelt in it; with your goodness kept lying between the camp ash heaps,
you proceeded to make it ready for the there will be the wings of a dove covered
with silver and its pinions with yellowishafflicted one, O God. Ps. 68:7-10.
14 The people of Israel had been taken green gold. When the Almighty One scat
out from the pagan nations to be Gods tered abroad the kings in it, it began to
own exclusive possession, and he called it snow in Zalmon.Ps. 68:11-14.
his inheritance. (Deut. 32:8, 9) It had
16In ancient times women did not take
been afflicted in Egypt; and when it part in battle action, but when the vic
reached the foot of Mount Sinai in the torious troops returned they streamed
wilderness, it was doubtless weary, like a forth from their homes to celebrate and
thirsty land. But there, by giving them to declare the good news with dance, song
the Ten Commandments and all the other and music. Miriam, the sister of Moses,
laws of his covenant and by establishing led the Israelite women in dance and song
h is pure organized
after their God Jehovah over
worship among them,
threw the Egyptian armies in the
Jehovah God began
Red Sea. (Ex. 15:20, 21) Jephcausing a downpour
thahs daughter came out to meet
of spiritual blessings.
him with dance
This was spiritually
and music when
reinvigorating to the
he
returned from
people of his inher
his
victory over
itance and strength
the enem y A m
ening to them like
monites.
(Judg.
fo od . They found
1
1
:
3
4
)
W
hen
that they had to live,
King
Saul
in
comnot by physical food
p a n y w i t h his
alone, but by every
general
David re
word proceeding out
turned
from
vicof Gods mouth. They
t
o
r
y
o
v
e
r
t
he
forty years as a tent community in

the wilderness and outside the borders

14. (a) How did God refresh his inheritance when it
was weary? (b) How long was his people a tent
community, and what resistance did they at last
meet?

15, 16. A s n oted in

Psalm 68:11, what part
did the women of Is
rael have in connection
with Gods victories by
means of their men?

N ovem ber

1, 1967

3&eWATCHTOWER

Philistines, the women came out of all the

cities to greet them with music, song and
dance. (1 Sam. 18:6, 7) The women were
not to keep silent on such occasions. It was
their men who had been used in the vic
torious fighting under God, and they were
entitled to join in the victory celebration
and give the glory and credit for the vic
tory to God, whose will their men had
done.
17Women of that kind are not enemies
of God. Grand as the good news was that
the womenfolk had to tell back there in
the time of which the psalmist David
wrote, the women of this modern day have
still grander good news to tell and thereby
prove that they are, not enemies, but
friends of God. They get the good news
from God, and it is their right and obliga
tion to tell it. Back there in the days of
the young nation of Israel, Jehovah him
self gave the saying. What was the say
ing? As the Israelites approached the
Promised Land to wrest it out of the hands
of Gods enemies, His saying to them
would be to go forward courageously
and take possession of it, executing with
weapons of war Gods enemies who oc
cupied the Promised Land without Godgiven right to it. The obedience to this
command or saying on the part of the
fighting men of Israel was to have what
outcome? The God to whom the prayer
was raised, Do arise, O Jehovah, and let
your enemies be scattered, guaranteed
that the outcome would be victory! It
would result in good news that the wom
en would be moved to celebrate with music
and dance and to tell out with song.
18By fighting for his people and giving
them victory, Jehovah would be giving
17. (a) Why are the women of today obligated to tell
the good news ? (b) What was the saying that
God gave to ancient Israel, and what was obedience
to the saying to furnish?
18.
In what sense could God be said to give the
saying to the womenfolk? (b) In what way did it
begin to snow in Zalmon when God scattered enemy
kings ?

653

the womenfolk something to tell. He would

be supplying them the theme of their song
of celebration; he would be giving them
the good news. In this sense he could be
spoken of as giving the saying. At the
victory celebration the women would tell
how the pagan kings of the enemy armies
had fled from before Jehovah God, when
he arose against them in battle. The wom
en would tell that, when God the Almighty
scattered the enemy kings in the way of
Israel, the dead bodies of the enemy ar
mies covered the field like snow, as in
Zalmon; or, possibly, that, to grant victory
to his people, he had called for a miracu
lous snow in Zalmon. The victorious fight
ers for God would return home after strip
ping the slain enemy, and they would
share the spoil with their women who had
to be left home to take care of the house.
19 It may have been that, although Gods
executional armies had to lie down be
tween the ash heaps during the campaign,
there was a dove made of precious metals,
with feathers covered with silver and its
pinions with yellowish-green gold, to take
home as a trophy of Jehovahs victory.
But then, too, the nation of Israel was
called Jehovahs turtledove. (Ps. 74:19)
From this standpoint, although the men of
this turtledove nation of God had had to
lie between the ash heaps of the encamp
ment, during a campaign of fighting
against Gods enemies, they would come
forth like a turtledove, strong of wing and
clean in appearance, gleaming as if it were
covered with silver and yellowish-green
gold. Thus God would not give his turtle
dove nation into the hands of His foes.
20 The force of this poetic account of
Gods dealings ought not to be lost on Gods
enemies today. These enemies try to stand
in the way of Gods accomplishing his pur19. How, though the men lay among
was there to be a dove covered with
20. What is it that the enemies keep
so that Jehovah must arise against
geddon?

camp ash heaps,

precious metals?
doing since 1914,
them at Arma

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22 Since 1914 the Gentile nations have

pose with regard to his people, his bring
ing them successfully into the righteous refused to recognize the end of the ap
new order that he has promised. The time pointed times of the nations and have
of the end as foretold in his Word has resisted being made the footstool of the
come upon the nations of this world, be reigning Son of David. But their stubborn
ginning in 1914 at the end of the Gentile resistance will prove to be in vain at
Times, the appointed times of the na Armageddon.
tions. They refuse to get out of power
SERVING NOTICE ON THE NATIONS
during this time of the end and peace
23As Psalm 68:11 long ago said, Je
fully give way to Gods exercising sov
ereignty over the earth of his creation. hovah himself gives the saying. A t the
So it becomes necessary for Almighty God end of the Gentile Times in 1914 Jehovah
to oust them. He must arise against them God gave the saying for the ouster of the
in battle. This he will do at the battlefield enemy nations on earth. They are in their
of Armageddon. In the meantime the ene time of the end. (Dan. 11:40; 12:4)
my nations continue to block the progress As regards what was to happen during
of Gods people as they work at advancing this time of the end, the Son of David,
the earthly interests of Gods kingdom. Jesus Christ, foretold, not only world war,
21
The kingdom is not that of ancientfamines, pestilences, earthquakes and dis
David in earthly Jerusalem, but that of tress of nations, but also the proclaiming
the promised Son of David, Jesus Christ, of the good news of a new government,
who was born into the family line of David the rightful government of the earth,
through the Jewish virgin Mary by a namely, Gods kingdom. After he predicted
miracle of God. The enemies tried to the persecutions upon his faithful follow
keep David from ruling as king on ers, Jesus said: This good news of the
Mount Zion in Jerusalem, but they were kingdom will be preached in all the in
disgracefully defeated when God arose habited earth for a witness to all the na
against them. Likewise the enemies tried tions; and then the end will come. Matt.
to keep the Son of David, Jesus Christ, 24:7-14.
from ruling as king, but they too bowed
24 Thus God is serving notice upon the
in defeat. They killed Jesus Christ outside
enemy nations. He has given the saying
Jerusalem on the day that the Jewish passfor such enemies to be subdued, made like
over lamb was killed, but on the third
day Almighty God raised him from the a footstool under the feet of the Son of
dead as a glorious immortal spirit Son. David. This mandatory saying includes
The Son of David then ascended to his also the serving of notice on them before
heavenly Father. There Jehovah God laid He arises against them at Armageddon.
him as a royal Stone in the heavenly Zion, Has this notice been served?
to begin ruling there in Gods due time,
25 Yes, particularly since the year 1919.
that is, in 1914. Then God would begin This has meant a fight on the part of Jeto make all the Gentile nations a footstool
22. To what have the Gentile nations put up a resis
under the feet of the Son of David. Luke tance since 1914?
23, 24. (a) What was the saying that Jehovah gave
21:24; Isa. 28:16-21; Ps. 110:1, 2; Acts in 1914? (b) What did Jesus foretell to occur after
1914, and does this come under the mandatory saying ?
2:34-36; Heb. 10:13.
25. (a) Serving notice has meant what for the Kingdom
21.

As in David's case, how did the enemies try to keep

Jesus Christ from reigning, and with what success?

witnesses and what for God? (b) Likewise the birth

of the Kingdom meant what, and what kind of news
resulted ?

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655

hovahs Kingdom witnesses since that year. a result of his proceeding to carry it out
But these Kingdom witnesses have prayed: victoriously, the women telling the good
Let God arise, let his enemies be scat news are a large army. (Ps. 68:11) The
tered. In answer, God has cleared the reported facts prove that. In April of this
way for them to serve notice upon the year of 1967 there were all around the
enemy nations by preaching the good news globe 1,154,079 serving notice concern
that Gods kingdom was established in the ing Gods kingdom and announcing His
hands of the Son of David in 1914. This deeds in his victorious march to Armaged
has meant a series of victories for Jeho don. That is a large company of celevah, making it possible that today the brators. And if we examine into the per
Kingdom notice is being served on the na sonnel of this throng of celebrators, we
tions in 199 lands and in 164 languages. shall find that the large majority of them
The very birth of Gods kingdom in the were women. Hence out of those 1,154,heavens meant a victory by Him over Sa 079 celebrators the number of the women
tan the Devil and his demons. (Rev. 12: folk would make up a large army. And
5-12) The expanding of the work of serv army is a good word for this band of
ing notice about the Kingdom upon more women who are telling the good news.
and more nations has meant further vic Why? Because they are fighters under
tories for Jehovah God. Such divine vic God, whose name is Jah, or Jehovah. Many
tories serve as good news that should be of them may have to mind the house as
told to the peoples.
a mother, wife or daughter, but they are
26
Those spiritual victories of God tillsharing in the spoils of Gods victories
now have been celebrated world wide. through his Kingdom witnesses on earth.
Gods saying has not been in vain. As In going from house to house preaching,
these women are as a whole doing more
26. (a) How is it true today that the women telling
the good news are a large number? (b) Why is the
than all the menfolk.
word army a good word for this band of women?

Gods Ascent on
A B OV E
ALL E N E M I E S
F MEN, for the most part, will not
celebrate the established kingdom of
God by means of the heavenly Son of
David, Jesus Christ, a large army of
women will do so. Men are largely inter
ested in the politics of this world. They
prefer human politics and nationalism to

I
1.

What measure of interest do men show toward Gods

kingdom, and what do they envy about it?

the kingdom of God, which reigns from

the heavenly Mount Zion. (Rev. 14:1-5;
Heb. 12:22-28) The political governments
of mankind envy the place that the Holy
Bible, Gods Word, assigns to the heavenly
kingdom of the Son of David. They ignore
its existence and its right to rule all the
earth. They consider themselves bigger,
higher, than the kingdom of God. They

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resent being rejected by God. Their en King David was said to sit on Jehovahs
vious attitude compares with that poet throne as his visible representative.
ically attributed by the psalmist David to 1 Chron. 29:23.
4 Mount Zion reaches only about twentythe mountains of the region of Bashan,
when these compared themselves with five hundred feet above sea level. When
Mount Zion, where Jerusalem was located. Jehovah, as represented by his ark of the
2 Says the psalmist David: The moun covenant, moved there, he was ascending
tainous region of Bashan is a mountain on high, accompanied triumphantly by
of God; the mountainous region of Bashan tens of thousands of war chariots, as it
is a mountain of peaks. Why do you, O you were, seeing that Mount Zion had been
mountains of peaks, keep watching en gained for his earthly kingdom by war.
viously the mountain that God has desired David his anointed king was given victory
for himself to dwell in? Even Jehovah over the enemies in the Promised Land.
himself will reside there forever. The war Many captives were taken, many of these
chariots of God are in tens of thousands, stubbornly resisting Gods chosen people
thousands over and over again. Jehovah in taking over the land. It was as though
himself has come from Sinai into the holy Jehovah himself was taking the captives
place. You have ascended on high; you and returning to Mount Zion in triumph.
have carried away captives; you have tak Many of these were available as slaves;
en gifts in the form of men, yes, even the and with these captives gifts could be
stubborn ones, to reside among them, O made in the form of men, especially to
the Levites to do the menial work at the
Jah God. Ps. 68:15-18.
8 The mountainous region of Bashan tabernacle of Gods worship. (Ezra 8:20)
may be said to reach its crest in Mount In this way Jehovah did take gifts in the
Hermon, over nine thousand feet high. It form of men. Also, he started residing
is now thought that the lofty mountain in the Promised Land, even though stub
on which Jesus Christ was transfigured born enemies had to be subdued.
before his disciples Peter, James and John
5Earthly Mount Zion was where David
was Mount Hermon. (Matt. 17:1, 2) De himself reigned. Because Jehovahs onlyspite the height of the mountainous area begotten Son Jesus Christ as a man was
of Bashan, Jehovah God chose Mount Zion the Son of David, the heavenly height on
as the height on which to establish the which Jehovah has enthroned this glori
capital city of King David and to have his fied Son may be likened to Mount Zion.
holy ark of the covenant located there, There in the celestial Mount Zion is where
near Davids palace. (2 Sam. 6:12-16) Jehovah God laid Jesus Christ as the Royal
That is why he enabled King David to Stone after he had resurrected him from
capture the stronghold of Zion and move the dead, all of this in fulfillment of the
his seat of government from Hebron to prophecy of Isaiah 28:16. (1 Pet. 2:5-7)
Mount Zion. (2 Sam. 5:4-10) The capture But when it came to accepting Jesus Christ
of Zion was a victory for Jehovah God; the Son of David as the rightful Heir to
and when his ark of the covenant was Davids kingdom because of his human
moved up there by King David, it was as descent from David, the Jewish rulers of
if Jehovah was beginning to reign in Zion 4. (a) In Davids time, how did Jehovah ascend on
(b) How did Jehovah carry away captives and
over the nation of Israel. On Mount Zion high?
take gifts in the form of men ?

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2, 3.

How did Bashan figure as to height, and what

mountain did Jehovah show he had chosen as the seat
of government, and how?

5. (a) Where did Jehovah lay Jesus Christ as the

Royal Stone, and how? (b) In regard to that Royal
Stone, how do the rulers of Christendom compare
with the Jewish rulers?

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nineteen centuries ago cried out to Gover

nor Pontius Pilate, who served Emperor
Tiberius Caesar: We have no king but
Caesar. (John 19:15) However, by Gods
resurrection power this Son of David be
gan ruling on the heavenly Mount Zion.
Jehovah chose this symbolic mountain as
the seat of government instead of the
earthly Mount Zion or any mountain peak
of Bashan. But, like the Jewish rulers,
the kings of Christendom do not want any
heavenly seat of government over them;
they prefer their own lofty governmental
mountains on earth.
GIFTS IN THE FORM OF MEN

6This is no imaginary way of our look

ing at things. It is the fulfillment of proph
ecy. The apostle Paul took Psalm 68 as
prophetic. In writing to the Christian con
gregation in ancient Ephesus, Asia Minor,
he quoted from Psalm 68:18 and explained
how this prophecy had its fulfillment in
Jesus Christ and his congregation of dis
ciples. Thus, in Ephesians 4:7-13, Paul
wrote:
7 Now to each one of us undeserved
kindness was given according to how the
Christ measured out the free gift. Where
fore he says: When he ascended on high
he carried away captives; he gave gifts
in men. Now the expression he ascended,
what does it mean but that he also de
scended into the lower regions, that is,
the earth? The very one that descended
is also the one that ascended far above
all the heavens, that he might give full
ness to all things. And he gave some as
apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers,
with a view to the training of the holy
ones, for ministerial work, for the build
ing up of the body of the Christ, until we
all attain to the oneness in the faith and
6,7. In his letter to the Ephesians, how does the
apostle Paul prove that Psalm 68 is prophetic?

657

in the accurate knowledge of the Son of

God.
8
The way that the apostle Paul here
explains the fulfillment of Psalm 68:18
does not mean or say that Jesus Christ
is Jehovah God. But in the Hebrew Bible
is not Psalm 68:18 addressed to Jehovah?
Yes. But in the typical fulfillment of these
words, in which King David took part, it
was not Jehovah himself that literally as
cended on Mount Zion and took his royal
seat there and pitched his tent of worship
there. In a direct way it was David, the
anointed ruler and warrior who represent
ed Jehovah, that did so. So, as represented
in David, Jehovah God did these things.
Although David himself did these things,
David looked upon Jehovah God, who was
the responsible One, as doing these things.
So, then, David addressed Jehovah God
as being the Doer of these things. The
like procedure is true also in the fulfill
ment today.
8 In this complete fulfillment it was not
Jehovah himself who descended into the
lower regions, that is, the earth. It was
Jehovahs only-begotten Son who actually
descended, even going into the depths of
Sheol or Ha'des, his corpse being laid in
a burial place carved in a rock. (Isa. 53:
9; Matt. 27:57-61; Ps. 16:10; Acts 2:2532) Jesus Christ ascended out of the
earthly grave, but not by his own power.
(How could a dead man resurrect himself*
* Such a thought of auto-resurrection or self-resur
rection is expressed in paragraph 1 of column 2 on
page 570 of Volume 3 of MClintock and Strong's
Cyclopaedia. Discussing the subject of First-born/
it says: The expression firstborn is not always
to be understood literally; it is sometimes taken for
the prime, most excellent, most distinguished of things.
Thus Jesus Christ is the first-born of every crea
ture, the first-begotten, or first-born from the dead/
begotten of the Father before any creature was pro
duced; the first who rose from the dead by his own
power (see Journal of Sacred Literature, April 1861).

8.

(a) What meaning has been given to the fact that

Paul applied Psalm 68:18 to Jesus Christ? (b) In
Davids day, how did Jehovah do the things described
in Psalm 68:18?
9. (a) In the complete fulfillment of Psalm 68:18., how
did Jehovah descend and ascend? (b) How did Jesus
Christ ascend far above all the heavens ?

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or, harder still, make himself alive in a 42) Under those circumstances he could,
spiritual resurrection?) Repeatedly the as Jehovahs representative, give gifts in
inspired Scriptures say that it was God men.
11 By Jesus, whom he resurrected, Je
who raised Jesus Christ, the Son of David,
hovah
God had taken gifts in the form
from the dead. Neither was it in a literal
of
men.
(Ps. 68:18) By the resurrected
way Jehovah God who ascended from earth
Jesus
he
could
also give gifts in men on
back to heaven, to the heavenly Mount
the
day
of
Pentecost
and afterward.
Zion. It was the resurrected Son of David,
Jesus Christ, who, on the fortieth day
12The gifts in men in the form of the
from his resurrection, ascended back to twelve apostles, some of whom were also
heaven. In the heavenly Mount Zion he Christian prophets, were markedly in evi
was laid as a precious Cornerstone by dence on that day of Pentecost in 33 C.E.
Jehovah God. Jesus Christ ascended far (Acts 2:37, 42, 43) These apostolic and
above all the heavens in that Jehovah prophetic gifts in men were promptly
God gave him a place higher than that accepted by the other captive disciples.
of all other heavenly creatures, a position But there were other gifts in men that
higher above them than what he had had the victorious Christ at Gods right hand
before. Phil. 2:5-11.
in heaven gave to his congregation of
10
It is notable, therefore, that, whendisciples on earth, namely, evangelizers,
the apostle Paul quoted from Psalm 68:18, spiritual shepherds and teachers. Dedicat
he did not address it to Jehovah God and ed, baptized, spirit-filled men served prom
use the personal pronoun You but said inently in these capacities in the activities
he. Paul knew that on the day of Pen of the first-century Christian congrega
tecost of 33 C.E. the ascended Jesus Christ tion, according to the Bible record. That
received from Jehovah God the holy spirit was why the apostle Paul spoke of gifts
and poured it out upon his waiting dis in men in Ephesians 4:11 and Acts 20:
ciples down in Jerusalem, about one hun 28. (Acts 21:9; 2 Tim. 4:5) When such
dred and twenty of them. He carried gifts in men were bestowed upon the
away captives, not by resurrecting the newly formed Christian congregation in
pre-Christian faithful servants of God and Jerusalem, it was tangible, visible evidence
taking them to heaven with him, inasmuch that the resurrected Jesus Christ had vic
as on the day of Pentecost the apostle toriously ascended to the heavenly
Peter himself said that even the pre- Mount Zion, where Jehovah God laid him
Christian King David had not ascended as a precious foundation cornerstone.
to heaven but still lay buried in the land On him his congregation is built up.
of Judea. (Acts 2:1-34) The captives
13 Even today the true Christian con
that Jesus carried away and that he, like gregation has such gifts in men. We
David, turned over to Gods service, were do not have the apostles and Christian
those one hundred and twenty in Jeru prophets in person, but we do have them
salem upon whom he poured out holy with us in their inspired writings in the
spirit. About three thousand more cap
How was it, then, that Jehovah both took and
tives were added to his victory procession 11.
gave gifts in the form of men ?
that same day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:37- 12. (a) What gifts in men did Jesus Christ bestow,
10. (a) When quoting Psalm 68:18, why did Paul use
the pronoun he instead of you ? (b) How was it
that he carried away captives, and what did he do
with them?

and upon whom? (b) Of what fact was the bestowal

of such gifts in men tangible evidence?
13. (a) What gifts in men does the Christian con
gregation have today, and particularly since when?
(b) How did the nations of Christendom reject Gods
Royal Stone, but what did God do to him?

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Christian Greek Scriptures. Furthermore, ers. By his holy spirit Jah God resides
we of the true Christian congregation have among such willing captives.
the other gifts in the form of men in
NONE OF HIS ENEMIES TO ESCAPE
the capacities of evangelizers, spiritual
15
Today, forty-nine years after the close
shepherds and teachers, particularly since
the year 1919. By waging the first world of World War I in 1918, as we look back
war of 1914-1918 the nations of Chris we can express for ourselves the words
tendom proved that they rejected Gods of the psalmist David, together with his
kingdom and rejected the Royal Stone to strong assurances for the future: Blessed
whom he had assigned a place on the be Jehovah, who daily carries the load for
heavenly Mount Zion, the rightful seat us, the true God of our salvation. . . .
of government for all the earth. They The true God is for us a God of saving
climaxed this rejection of Gods Royal acts; and to Jehovah the Sovereign Lord
Stone by voting in 1919 in favor of a belong the ways out from death. Indeed
League of Nations, mainly nations of God himself will break the head of his
Christendom. But the Royal Stone whom enemies in pieces, the hairy crown of the
the political builders, backed by the reli head of anyone walking about in his guilt
gious clergy, thus rejected, Jehovah God iness. Jehovah has said: From Bashan
confirmed in his exalted position on the I shall bring back, I shall bring them back
heavenly Mount Zion, in a complete ful from the depths of the sea, in order that
fillment of Isaiah 28:16. Jehovah God you may wash your foot in blood, that
made that fact apparent by freeing his the tongue of your dogs may have its por
people in 1919 from Babylonish bondage tion from the enemies. Ps. 68:19-23.
and then giving gifts in men.
18
During this time of the end, and
14
The stubborn resisters of Gods vicunder the worldwide persecution that was
torious kingdom are really accomplishing foretold to come upon Christs faithful fol
nothing against it. At Armageddon, when lowers, just how the willing captives
Jehovah God rises up against them as at of the victorious Jesus Christ ever escaped
Mount Perazim and at Gibeon, he will being wiped out of existence is a wonder.
utterly destroy them by means of his It can only be explained by the fact that
exalted Royal Stone, Jesus Christ. Mean Jehovah is a God of saving acts and to
time God still resides as King among even him belong the ways out from death.
the stubborn, and in spite of them. To In this connection we must remember that
his Royal Stone, Jesus Christ, on the from 1918 onward till Armageddon God
heavenly Mount Zion Jehovah says: Go cut short the days of the tribulation upon
subduing in the midst of your enemies. the worldly nations and kingdoms. He did
(Ps. 110:1, 2) But those who accept this this, as Jesus Christ foretold, for the sake
good news of the kingdom and willingly of his chosen ones, in order that some
become captives of the victorious Je flesh might be saved on earth. (Matt. 24:
hovah God and his Christ become his men 21, 22) This cutting short of the tribula
of good will. (Luke 2:14) He builds them tion has worked out for the salvation of
up spiritually as a Christian congregation even the anointed remnant of those whom
by means of gifts in the form of men, God has chosen for the heavenly kingdom
namely, evangelizers, shepherds and teach- with Christ.
14. (a) How does Jehovah now reside among the
stubborn ones ? (b) What do the willing captives
become, and how does Jehovah reside among them?

15, 16. In the light of what David said in Psalm 68:19,

how only can the escape of those chosen for the
heavenly kingdom from extinction be explained?

20,

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17 Not only these, but also the great

crowd of other willing captives on
earth have reason to bless Jehovah as a
God of saving acts, the true God of
our salvation, the One who daily carries
the load for us. Exactly this is what the
great crowd now do, as foretold in Rev
elation 7:9, 10.
18 Jehovah God will perform no saving
acts for his enemies. He will arise against
them at Armageddon, to break their heads
in pieces, to break the hairy crown of
those who are guilty before him and who
keep on adding to their guilt. At the de
struction of religious Babylon the Great
and in the war of the great day of God
the Almighty at Armageddon these ene
mies will try to escape to places high and
low, hiding in places seemingly beyond
reach of anybody. If, as it were, they
should go into the mountainous region of
Bashan and onto its high peaks, from
there the inescapable Jehovah God will
bring them down and back to punishment.
If, even in atomic-powered submarines,
they should try to hide themselves in the
depths of the sea, the unavoidable Jeho
vah God will bring them back. To what?
To face slaughter, that their lifeblood
might be poured out. This will enable the
true followers of the Son of David, in ef
fect, to wash their foot in the blood of
their enemies. No decent burial will be
given such detestable enemies, but, if we
have any Biblically despised dogs in our
service, God will let them lick up the blood
of the enemies against whom God has
arisen.
TRIUMPHAL PROCESSIONS

19 Already in these exciting times before

the war of Armageddon the stubborn, un17. What other willing captives today have reason
to bless Jehovah for acts of salvation?
18. In what way will Jehovah bring them back from
Bashan and the depths of the sea, and to what kind of
treatment?
19. What victory processions have the stubborn
enemies seen, and what tribes take part in these
processions?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

yielding enemies have seen the victory

processions of Jehovahs people. These are
celebrating jubilantly the notable victories
that Jehovah God has already gained by
the Son of David since 1914, when the
time of the end began. Today no tribes
of natural Israel may be identified, such
as the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, Zebulun
and Naphtali, since Jewish genealogical
records were lost during the last half of
the first century of our Common Era. But
we do have a remnant of the twelve
tribes of spiritual Israel, who will stand
with the Son of David on the heavenly
Mount Zion. (Rev. 7:4-8; 14:1-5; Gal. 6:
16) This small remnant of spiritual Is
raelites have joined in these modern-day
victory processions in honor of victorious
Jehovah God and his Son of David. It is
like what David described concerning his
own day:
2 They have seen your processions, O
God, the processions of my God, my King,
into the holy place. The singers were in
front, the players on stringed instruments
after them; in between were the maid
ens beating tambourines. In congregated
throngs bless God, Jehovah, O you who
are from the Source of Israel. There is
little Benjamin subduing them, the princes
of Judah with their shouting crowd, the
princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naph
tali. Your God has laid command upon
your strength. Do show strength, O God,
you who have acted for us. Ps. 68:24-28.
21
In ancient Israel each victory of Je
hovah God became the reason for a victory
procession on the part of his chosen peo
ple, who would march to his sanctuary or
central place of worship. Processions of
such kind were called Gods processions,
as if he were heading the procession to
his sanctuary. By victory for his people
20, 21. (a) To what did such victory processions pro
ceed, and why were they called the processions of
God? (b) Why did David call Jehovah my God, my
King ?

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he had confirmed his kingship over them,

for which reason the psalmist David spoke
of Jehovah God as my King. Hence, he
deserved to be publicly praised with music
and song, with men and women participat
ing from all the tribes of Israel.
22The singers and the women beating
tambourines could sing: In congregated
throngs bless God, Jehovah, O you who
are from the Source of Israel. (Ps. 68:
26) The earthly source of all twelve tribes
of Israel was, of course, the patriarch
Jacob, surnamed Israel; but their real
Source as a chosen nation was Jehovah
God, and him they should bless when in
congregated throngs as on the occasion
of a victory procession. From him had
come the nations strength, and so he
rightly laid command on its strength for
his service. But for the nation to succeed
and triumph, He must show his strength
and must act for them against the enemies.
23 In modern times, since 1919 of our
Common Era, Jehovahs Christian wit
nesses have had such victory processions
in honor of the victories of their God Je
hovah. Unitedly, in congregated throngs,
they have gone forth bearing witness to
his name and kingdom both publicly and
from house to house, as the apostles of
Jesus Christ used to do. (Acts 5:42; 20:
20) They have done this under the in
visible leadership of Jehovah God, whose
name they bear. In this way the people
of all Gentile nations have seen the pro
cessions of the God and King of Jehovahs
witnesses. In such processions of witness
work the large section of dedicated wom
en witnesses has gained a prominence that
cannot be overlooked or left unmentioned.
24In connection with these modern vie22. (a) Who was the Source of Israel from whom
the Israelites came? (b) Why could God lay command
on their strength, and why did he have to show his
own strength?
23. (a) Since 1919, how have the Gentile nations seen
the processions of my God, my King ? (b) Who
have taken a large part in such ?
24. In that connection, where have congregated
throngs actually been seen?

661

tory processions, O what vast congregated

throngs have been seen at the circuit
and district and national and international
assemblies of Jehovahs witnesses! Note,
for example, the public meeting in New
York city on Sunday, August 7, 1958,
when the talk entitled Gods Kingdom
RulesIs the Worlds End Near? was
delivered by the president of the Watch
Tower Bible & Tract Society to 253,922
hearers!
25Ah, but what a victory procession
there should be world wide after Jehovah
arises against his enemies at the battle
field of Armageddon and gains his greatest
victory of all time! O how the favored
survivors of the war of Armageddon will
celebrate his eternal victory with song and
music, blessing him who is the Source of
life of his people! In response to their
fervent prayers he will there have shown
his strength for the vindication of his
universal sovereignty and his holy name.
He will also have acted for their deliv
erance. In appreciation of their indebted
ness to him they will continue to respond
to the commands that he lays upon their
physical and spiritual strength. During the
thousand years of Christs reign that fol
lows they will joyfully use their strength
in telling about Jehovahs acts and glorious
victory to the thousands of millions who
are resurrected from the dead.
REBUKES FOR ALL BRINGING NO GIFTS
BEFORE ARMAGEDDON

26 The years remaining now before God

arises against his enemies at Armageddon
are critical years, making very advisable
a right decision on the part of everyone.
Rebukes will be administered at Armaged
don, and for one to be rebuked there will
mean ones destruction. Very fittingly the
25. (a) When will the greatest victory celebration be
held, and why? (b) For what will the strength of
those in the procession be commanded ?
26, 27. Why, as set out in Psalm 68:29-35, is it advisable
to make a right decision now?

662

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
SEeWATCHTOWER.
psalmist David recommended a right de his temple. In this fashion, as it were,
cision as the wise thing for our momen bronzeware gifts have come out of the
old enemy nation of Egypt; and Cush or
tous time, saying:
27 Because of your temple at Jerusalem, Ethiopia, another enemy, has been quick
kings will bring gifts to you yourself. Re to hand over gifts to Jehovah God.
29 Now is the time for peoples of all
buke the wild beast of the reeds, the as
sembly of bulls, with the calves of the the kingdoms of the earth to listen to
peoples, each one stamping down on pieces the Kingdom message proclaimed by Je
of silver. He has scattered the peoples hovahs Christian witnesses and join in
that take delight in fights. Bronzeware singing praises to Jehovah, the One who
things will come out of Egypt; Cush itself rides triumphant, as on a war chariot,
will quickly stretch out its hands with upon the highest heavens from ancient
gifts to God. O you kingdoms of the earth, times onward. The mighty rulers of the
sing to God, make melody to Jehovah earth, like the wild beast of the reeds,
. . . to the One riding on the ancient the hippopotamus, or like the assembly
heaven of heavens. Lo! He sounds with of bulls, with their subjects following
his voice, a strong voice. Ascribe strength them like calves of the peoples, will be
to God. Over Israel his eminence is and rebuked by Jehovah God at Armageddon,
his strength is in the clouds. God is fear- because they offer him no pieces of sil
inspiring out of your grand sanctuary. The ver as tribute but keep stamping down
God of Israel he is, giving strength, even that which belongs to him. They delight
might to the people. Blessed be God. Ps. in fights with him and his faithful wor
shipers. In answer to our prayer to arise
68:29-35.
28 Who, then, is King of the nations, against such opposers, Jehovah God will
yes, the King to time indefinite ? It is scatter them and destroy them and deliver
Jehovah God, the Universal Sovereign, his persecuted people. Like loud thunder,
who is superior to all the kings of the his strong voice will sound out in re
nations. (Jer. 10:7, 10) Even his Son Je bukes that will forever put all opposing
sus Christ is superior to them all. (Rev. enemies to silence.
17:14; 19:16) The kings of Christendom
30Do we really believe that Jehovah
as well as of pagandom refuse to recognize God has the strength to do this? It is
Jehovahs supreme kingship. But they vital for us to ascribe such strength to
have been obliged to make contributions him. To this very day he has given
to Jehovahs worship as carried on in his
strength and might to his remnant of spir
spiritual temple, of which Jesus Christ is
the Foundation Cornerstone and his faith itual Israel and to their dedicated earthly
ful disciples are living stones. (1 Pet. companions to do what he has commanded
2:5-9) Since Jehovahs worshipers, his them to do as his witnesses during these
Christian witnesses, have determinedly perilous days before Armageddon. To him
obeyed God as Ruler rather than men, we must give, to him we must ascribe
the earthly rulers have been obliged to the strength for what we ourselves have
make legislation and render court deci been able to accomplish because of the
sions that have shown favorable regard 29. (a) How should people of the kingdoms of the
sing to the Rider of the heavens? (b) How
for the faithful worshipers of Jehovah at earth
will the beast of the reeds and the assembly of
28. In what sense have Egypt and Cush furnished
gifts to Jehovah God?

bulls be rebuked, and why?

30. (a) Why should we ascribe strength to
(b) How is his eminence over his people?

God?

ovem ber

1, 1 9 6 7

3ReWAT CHTOWER

marvelous victories that he has given us.

Among us he is accorded the highest place
of eminence, no other gods or earthly
rulers being recognized as superior to him
or even as high as he is. His eminence
as Universal Sovereign is plainly over us,
because we obey him as Ruler and preach
his kingdom by the Son of David world
wide.
31 Truly his strength is in the clouds,
31. How is his strength in the clouds ?

AN a government that has only a few

flaws, if not in its constitution, in
some of its members, stand? We know that
no great power of past history has con
tinued to stand. They have had flaws that
caused them to crack and fall in ruins.
Britain, which now, along with the United
States, is the Seventh World Power, has
not yet stood as long as the Sixth World
Power Rome, and it is already having
grave difficulties. We can find flaws in all
of historys past man-made governments.
Consider how flawless a government
would have to be to remain. It governs
millions of subjects, each with his own
problems and pressures. The government
has to do with all aspects of their lives,
from home and family to employment,
business and other matters of economy,
city planning, traffic, rights of individuals
as well as organizations, their limitations,
and so forth. Now, one slightest wrong
directive, one wrong decision or wrong

663

in the skies, higher than outer space, for

he is the Almighty One. At Armageddon
he will display his omnipotence above men
and devils, to vindicate his universal sov
ereignty. Ought we not to bless him as
God? Yes, both now and forevermore!*
* In The Watchtower, in its issues of March 1 to
May 15, 1932, there was published a series of six
articles on the subject Publishing Jehovah's Name
and covering Psalm 68 in its entirety, but according to
the Authorized or King James Version of the Holy
Bible. The explanation given was, of course, according
to the Bible research made up till that time.

example has the effect of interfering with

the intricate interwoven society under it.
One injustice or the smallest breakdown
in enforcing a law can easily start a chain
reaction that will multiply the matter mil
lions of times. We have experienced the
far-reaching and devastating results of a
little bit of corruption or of wrong exam
ples in government in our times. When
disrespect for government is caused by the
rulers, it grows until that government can
no longer stand.
NO HOPE FROM HUMAN SOURCES

For this reason the government that

rules the earth and that is able to remain
must be from a perfect source, with per
fect rulers in whom no flaw can arise.
This definitely rules out all man-made
governments. It leaves only one source, a
superhuman power that is righteous.
The Creator of the earth has certainly
made all things that man needs and has

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
SikWATCHTOWER
arranged them for the welfare and hap New Jerusalem will have Gods unchang
piness of man on earth. But man has ing blessing. As this blessed New Jerusa
brought in imperfection and corruption. lem will govern the earth, all mankind will
In our issue of July 15 we discussed how get the benefit of this blessed condition of
the Bible book of Revelation points out New Jerusalem.
that the chief disturber of all mankind,
FLAWLESS PRINCIPLES
the one responsible for mans deviation,
How
can
we be sure that the govern
will be put out of the way, as well as all
ment
of
the
New Jerusalem will be flaw
those who desire to do wickedness. Then
less,
not
only
in its governmental princi
what kind of a government will exist?
ples,
but
even
in its membership? Well,
How can it be without flaws?
the heavenly Revelator says that the
throne of God and of the Lamb will be in
JEHOVAH REQUIRES PERFECTION
First of all, the Creator, the Almighty the city. The location of the throne of God
God Jehovah, is a perfectionist. This is is a sanctuary, which means that it is
not to say that he is a demanding God, sacred, set aside for a holy purpose or use.
having no mercy toward the shortcomings It is clean and no taint of unrighteousness
of imperfect men. No, but when he brings whatever can exist there. The seraphs
about his completed purpose toward the around Jehovahs heavenly throne cry
earth, everything has to be perfect, and out: Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah of ar
of necessity the government that rules it mies. The triple emphasis on the word
will have to be perfect, for he cannot look holy denotes the superlative cleanness
upon and tolerate forever in his universe and righteousness of Jehovah. Isa. 6:2, 3.
that which is bad. Hab. 1:13.
The Lamb is there too, and even during
Turning back now to Revelation, chap the sojourn of this One on the earth while
ter 22, we find in the first two verses a surroimded with men having sin and im
description of Jehovahs provisions for perfection, it could be truly said that he
mankind on earth to have life. These was like an unblemished and spotless
verses were discussed in the previous is lamb. (1 Pet. 1:19) Of him it is written
sue of this magazine. In verse three Jeho that he was loyal, guileless, undefiled,
vah tells us just how right the conditions separated from the sinners and that he
will be during the thousand-year reign of has become higher than the heavens.
Christ, which will restore mankind to the Heb. 7:26.
liberty of the sons of God: And no more
So the holy city, the heavenly govern
will there be any curse. But the throne of ment, will be so fruitful, so productive of
God and of the Lamb will be in the city, good works and good results in Gods ser
and his slaves will render him sacred ser vice, that it will never come under his
vice. Rev. 22:3.
curse like ground that has been blessed
The rule of the holy city, New Jeru with rain from heaven and yet brings
salem, is here referred to. It is Gods heav forth thorns and thistles. (Heb. 6:7, 8)
enly government of blessing for the peo Gods throne and the throne of the Lamb
ples of all the nations. No curse would could be only where righteousness and
mean that all those in the New Jerusalem judgment are found. (Ps. 89:14) Jehovah
will have Gods complete favor, for they will be there, literally present, and this
will be like fruitful ground that comes ensures the everlasting righteousness of
under no curse. (Heb. 6:7, 8) Thus the Gods government. In Bible times Jerusa-

664

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1967

STieWATCHTOWER.

lem was called the city of Jehovahs

throne, and the law of the nation was
Gods perfect law. But imperfect men sat
on the throne and the law was imperfectly
administered. Even that government en
dured for hundreds of years. However,
that earthly throne was only typical and
pictorial of the actual, far greater throne
of Jehovah in the heavens. 1 Chron. 29:
23; Matt. 5:34, 35; Rom. 7:12.
INCORRUPT RULERS

Who are the slaves spoken of in verse

three who will render God sacred ser
vice ? These are also members of this gov
ernment. Well, one might say, with the
membership of the government expanded,
might not that bring in a flaw? No, for
the Bible says they will be Gods slaves,
not slaves of the Devil, and they will ren
der sacred service to God. The heavenly
Revelator tells us: And they will see his
face, and his name will be on their fore
heads. (Rev. 22:4) (In the days of the
apostle John, earthly slaves were marked,
commonly on the forehead, so that all
could plainly see to whom they belonged.)
Their righteous actions show they serve
God, not unrighteousness. And when God
puts his name on ones forehead, this cer
tainly indicates his approval. They are
Gods special purchased property, his de
voted slaves. 1 Pet. 2:9.
But slaves of God can have flaws, can
they not? Yes, but not these slaves. Giv
ing special assurance of the righteousness
of the governmental members, numbering
144,000, standing with Jesus Christ the
Lamb on the heavenly Mount Zion, is the
fact that no falsehood was found in their
mouths; they are without blemish. (Rev.
14:1-5) Moreover, the strongest of rec
ommendations for them is given here, in
that they will see [Gods] face, for this
proves, on the basis of Jesus own words,
that they have to be pure in heart. (Matt.

665

5:8) Therefore, as his slaves they will

carry out in pureness of heart all of his
will with complete righteousness and jus
tice.
Since New Jerusalem is a heavenly gov
ernment, it will not be dependent on the
sun for light, nor on the moon or any
lamplight, because no night will be there.
This is by reason of the fact that Jehovah
God will shed light upon them, and he is
all light, with no darkness. He is always
at the zenith of his ability and willingness
to shower down his loving-kindness and
blessings. No political science will be
consulted as to running this government.
The heavenly government will be always
full of truth and light, constantly awake
and able to enlighten mankind. Rev. 22:
5; 1 John 1:5-7; Jas. 1:17.
NO SUCCESSORS

There is no need for such governmental

authorities to have successors and there
will be no such, for they will rule as
kings forever and ever. While they exer
cise special rule and attention toward this
earth during the thousand-year reign of
Christ, the end of the thousand years will
not end their reign, for, with Gods Son
Jesus Christ, they will continue as the
capital organization of Gods universe for
ever. Rev. 20:6.
Encountering imperfection every day
and everywhere we turn, some might say
that this is too good to be true. For this
reason Jehovah God patiently and empathetically strengthens our faith by what
he caused the apostle John, who beheld
this marvelous vision, to write next: And
he said to me: These words are faithful
and true; yes, Jehovah the God of the
inspired expressions of the prophets sent
his angel forth to show his slaves the
things that must shortly take place.
Rev. 22:6.

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B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

NOT AN IDEA OF MEN

his coming as a thief in connection with
The truthfulness of the Revelation is the war of the great day of God the Al
not lessened or weakened just because an mighty, with which Har-Magedon is con
angel was used to deliver the vision and a nected. (Rev. 16:14-16) This will be the
mere man, John, wrote it down. Jehovah day that Jesus said will come as a snare
God can use angels and men as his in upon all those dwelling upon the face of
struments just as a man can use pen and all the earth. He warned: Keep awake,
ink. Just as Jehovah caused the faithful then, all the time making supplication that
Hebrew and Christian prophets to write you may succeed in escaping all these
things that are des
down things in the
tined to occur, and in
Bible, so also he in
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
standing before the
spired this Revela
Let Down Y our Nets for a C atch.
Son of man. Luke
tion to John. None of
Orders fo r W orldw ide Fishing.
W h a t Place Does Jesus Hold in Y our
21:35, 36.
the things written by
H eart?
Revelation tells us
M ake Up Y ou r Mind Now as to W hom
inspiration have ever
You W ill Serve.
that there is no need
been disproved.
to live in dread o f
Rather, there is a
wealth of evidence of Bible accuracy and that day: Happy is anyone observing the
fulfilled prophecy that stamps the Bible as words of the prophecy of this scroll. (Rev.
the enduring Word of the true and Al 22:7) The scroll tells us just what to do
mighty God.* 1 Pet. 1:24, 25.
and what to expect, and our happiness is
Those who are serving God as his ensured by reading and acting now on the
slaves on earth should and must be whole words in this scroll. This will be a sure and
heartedly interested, because it is for safe guide, and all things will turn out hap
these that the Revelation was given so pily for him who follows it. Compare
that they might be informed in advance. Revelation 1:3.
No excuse exists for any of them not to
know what they should be doing or what
EXAMPLE OF GOVERNMENTAL
INCORRUPTNESS
to expect in the future.
John, in exile on the Isle of Patmos, was
CLEAN GOVERNMENT NEAR
greatly strengthened by having the vision
The things in Revelation are to take and being able to write it down for us to
place in a short period of time from 1914 read so as to understand the things hap
forward, and now in this fifty-fourth year
pening in our day. He says: Well, I John
of that time period the things to happen
was the one hearing and seeing these
are very shortly ahead indeed. The highly
things. And when I had heard and seen,
important thing to expect is revealed next:
I fell down to worship before the feet of
And, look! I am coming quickly. (Rev.
the angel that had been showing me these
22:7) This coming is not Jesus coming
things. But he tells me: Be careful! Do
into Kingdom power, which took place in
not do that! All I am is a fellow slave of
1914 C.E. and which was described earlier
you and of your brothers who are proph
in Revelation (chapter 12), but it is the
ets and of those who are observing the
last previously mentioned coming, namely,
words of this scroll. Worship God. Rev.
22:8, 9.
See All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Benefi
c i a l published by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society,
Here is an example of the incorrupt1963, pages 337-349.

N ovember 1, 1967

667

SKeWATCHTOWER.

ness that we can be sure of in Gods heav

enly government. Even the angel messen
ger, who was sent as a slave of God
through Jesus to bring this revelation,
would not let any homage be paid to him.
Even though he had this great privilege
and the superior power and glory that an
angel has with relationship to a man on
earth, he would not take any of the praise
of a man or even let John worship God
relatively through him. John, one of the
apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be
one of the 144,000 members of Gods gov
ernment. This was a fine example set be
fore him by the angel, repeating a cau
tion already given earlier, in Revelation
19:10. It makes us happy to know this;
it makes us happier still to read the words
of this scroll and get ourselves in harmony
with it without delay.
The Bible points out that those who will
be with Christ in the heavens as members
of Gods heavenly universal government
will reign as kings and priests with him.
They will be immortal, incorruptible. (Rev.
20:6; 1 Cor. 15:53, 54) Then there will
be no flaw, for God has placed them there
because of their proved loyalty and has
made them in the image of his Son Jesus
Christ. (1 Cor. 15:49; Phil. 3:21) Fur
thermore, even the angels, who will be
slaves of God and of Christ, serving under
this government, are also of unquestion
able moral integrity and will carry out the

orders of the government in completeness

and perfection. They will see that the righ
teous earthly princes serving under the
heavenly Kingdom carry out pure righ
teousness on earth. Ps. 45:16; Isa. 32:1.
A HAPPY OUTLOOK

Then the directives given by the gov

ernment will be right, the judgments pure
and holy in every way, through and
through, spiritually, morally and physical
ly. (Ps. 19:7-9) There will be no wrong
directive; no flaw will be taken up by any
of the earthly subjects and multiplied
among them. There will be no injustice, no
failure to enforce Gods clean, righteous
laws, no cause for disrespect of his gov
ernment. That is how clean Gods ever
lasting government will be and how clean
it must be to endure. Perfect confidence
in the government will pervade mankind.
How the eyes of the people under it will
shine! How happy are those now who have
this faith, and how happy all mankind
will be to sing: Happy is the one who
has the God of Jacob for his help, whose
hope is in Jehovah his God, the Maker
of heaven and earth, of the sea, and of
all that is in them, the One keeping true
ness to time indefinite. Jehovah will be
king to time indefinite, your God, O Zion,
for generation after generation. Praise
Jah, you people! Ps. 146:5, 6, 10.

An Abundance of Holidays
Probably there is not a year that goes by in which you do not have your schedule
or activities interrupted by some holiday you forgot. Had you lived in ancient
Rome during the days of Julius Caesar your problems with an overabundance of
holidays would have been worse. In the 40s B.C.E. the Romans had over one hun
dred holidays each year, often involving religious offerings and sacrifices. How
the hardworking Christians must have stood in contrast after 33 C.E., since the
only day during the year that they celebrated was the annual observance of Christ's
death!Luke 22:19.

AST year Jehovahs witnesses con

ducted, on the average, 802,473 Bi
ble studies with other persons, in most
cases once each week. By far the majority
of these studies were held with persons
in their own homes, and at their own con
venience. Since many of the studies are
with families of several members, prob
ably well over a million persons are regu
larly sharing in these weekly Bible dis
cussions. Perhaps you are one of such
persons.
If so, have you not found it a real
pleasure to become more familiar with
your Bible? Undoubtedly these studies
have caused you to appreciate more fully
the inspired Bible counsel regarding the
way in which we should live. How pleasant
life can be when humans listen to the
Word of God! Possibly your own mar
riage ties have been strengthened by con
sidering the Bibles instruction for hus
bands to be loving their wives as their
own bodies, and for wives to be in sub
jection to their husbands. (Eph. 5:21-25,
28, 33) Perhaps, too, the Bibles counsel
on rearing children, and on how children
should respect their parents, is exercising
a beneficial effect in your family. Eph.
6:1-4.
But besides becoming familiar with
such excellent Bible guidance and instruc
tion, consider the marvelous hope for the
future that your study of Gods Word has
opened before you. No longer are you per
plexed regarding the distressing world
conditions that have plagued humankind
during the past generation. You have
come to see in present events the fulfill
ment of Bible prophecies that show we
are living in the final days of this system
of things. (Matt. 24:3-14; 2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Your study of the Bible has revealed that

MEETINGS
of

JEHOVAHS
WITNESSES?
we are right at the portals of a new sys
tem of things in which righteousness is
to dwell.2 Pet. 3:13.
As a result of studying the Bible with
Jehovahs witnesses, your confidence in
God and his promises has undoubtedly
grown. Your faith has become stronger in
such Bible prophecies as that recorded by
the apostle John: Look! The tent of God
is with mankind, and he will reside with
them, and they will be his peoples. And
God himself will be with them. And he
will wipe out every tear from their eyes,
and death will be no more. (Rev. 21:3, 4)
What marvelous blessings God has in store
for those who serve him! Compare Isa
iah 11:6-9; 65:21-24.
OBLIGATION TO ASSEMBLE TOGETHER

However, in order to become recipients

of these blessings it is necessary to abide
by the divine requirements of Gods Word,
including the one at Hebrews chapter ten,
verses twenty-four and twenty-five, which
says: Let us consider one another to in
cite to love and fine works, not forsaking
the gathering of ourselves together, as
some have the custom, but encouraging
one another, and all the more so as you
behold the day drawing near. This, there
fore, puts you under obligation before God
to associate with fellow Christians at con
gregation meetings.

N ovember l, 1967

SEeWATC H T O W E R

Perhaps, though, this divine require

ment raises a question, for besides en
joying a home Bible study with Jehovahs
witnesses, you may also be a member of
one of Christendoms religions. So you
might wonder: To fulfill my Scriptural
obligation, with whom should I associate?
With Jehovahs witnesses at their local
meeting places, or with the church that
I have attended in the past? Does it really
make any difference? How can you de
termine what course is pleasing to God?
The common view is that one should
attend the church of his choice which
one that might be is generally considered
unimportant. Yet, from your study of the
Bible, is it not clear that God does not
approve of all religious practices and
teachings? In his Sermon on the Mount
Jesus Christ himself said: Go in through
the narrow gate; because broad and spa
cious is the road leading off into destruc
tion, and many are the ones going in
through it; whereas narrow is the gate
and cramped the road leading off into life,
and few are the ones finding it. Matt.
7:13, 14.
Obviously, then, not all religious paths
please God. Not everyone saying to me,
Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom
of the heavens, Jesus said, but the one
doing the will of my Father who is in the
heavens will. To those who cling to false
religious practices and teachings, Jesus
says: Get away from me, you workers
of lawlessness. (Matt. 7:21-23) But how
can you determine which religion is really
doing Gods will and is thus the proper
one with which to associate?
DETERMINING WITH WHOM TO ASSEMBLE

In order for a religion to do Gods will,

is it not essential that it teach right doc
trine about Him? It certainly is! Well,
then, does the church with which you
have associated teach the trinity, namely,

669

the doctrine that, according to the popu

lar Athanasian Creed, asserts: The Fa
ther is God, the Son is God, and the Holy
Ghost is God. And yet there are not three
Gods, but one God. . . . And in this Trinity
. . . the whole three persons are coeternal
together, and coequal ?
If a religion teaches this unscriptural
doctrine, it does not direct you to the true
God. It does not teach you to worship the
Father of Jesus Christ, the one to whom
Jesus prayed, Not my will, but yours take
place, and of whom Jesus said, The Fa
ther is greater than I am. (Luke 22:
42; John 14:28) Jesus clearly showed that
he and his Father are not coequal and
coeternal, as the trinity asserts. You
may not think that the church you have
attended teaches this doctrine, yet it is
more than likely that it does, since the
World Council of Churches, which in
cludes most major religions of Christen
dom, requires belief in the trinity as a
basis for membership. Is your church a
member of that Council?
Another thing to consider: What does
the church with which you have associat
ed teach regarding mans hope for the
future? If, like other religions of Christen
dom, it proclaims that the hope of future
life is based upon the possession of an
immortal soul, how could that religion be
true in view of the Bibles plain statement:
The soul that is sinningit itself will
die ? (Ezek. 18:4) These matters are the
very core of religion. Is it not clear, then,
that if the concept of God and the hope
that is held out are wrong, the religion
itself must also be false?
Jesus Christ emphasized the necessity
of proper knowledge to travel the cramped
road to life, saying: This means everlast
ing life, their taking in knowledge of you,
the only true God, and of the one whom
you sent forth, Jesus Christ. (John 17:3)
Since right knowledge about God and his

670

f&eWATCHTOWEFL

Son is essential to everlasting life, it is

evident that remaining a part of a religion
that teaches false doctrines will put one
on the broad road leading to destruction.
Can you, therefore, fulfill the Bible re
quirement to assemble with fellow Chris
tians, as recorded at Hebrews 10:24, 25,
by associating with persons who are par
ticipating in unscriptural worship? Of
course not! We have discussed these mat
ters very frankly because your life is in
volved. Yes, the proper worship of God is
a life or death matter!
MEETINGS OF JEHOVAHS WITNESSES

It is for this reason that Jehovahs wit

nesses are desirous of helping you to ob
tain an accurate knowledge of the Bible.
If they regularly conduct a Bible study
in your home it is because they want to
see you gain everlasting life. But as was
noted, assembling with others who are
taking in this life-giving knowledge is also
necessary.
You are familiar with the question-andanswer method followed in your home
study. Well, on a midweek night, usually
it is Tuesday at 8 p.m., Jehovahs witness
es gather together in a nearby private
home and have a similar one-hour discus
sion. The groups are small, generally
around a dozen persons, affording oppor
tunity for all to share in a lively consid
eration of a Bible topic. If you enjoy the
study in your home, you are certain to
derive much pleasure from attending this
weekly discussion.
Another meeting of Jehovahs witnesses
that you will enjoy attending is held on
Sunday at the local Kingdom Hall. On that
occasion a qualified speaker gives a fiftyfive-minute talk on an appealing Bible sub
ject. In the weeks to come some of the
discussions to be heard are on how ar
chaeology confirms the Bible record, the

ro o klyn

, N .Y .

value of prayer, proof that the Bible does

not contradict itself and many other topics
of interest to a Bible student. Also on Sun
day, a one-hour Bible study based on ma
terial found in a recent issue of the Watchtower magazine is conducted. This, too,
follows the lively question-and-answer
method. At these meetings you are sure to
learn things that will help to equip you
to serve God acceptably.
The same is true during the one-hour
Theocratic Ministry School meeting held
at the Kingdom Hall usually on a Thurs
day or Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. Re
cently an informative chapter-by-chapter
study of the entire Bible was completed,
taking more than three years. Now the
students give their talks on specific Scrip
tural topics, which are assigned in ad
vance. On the same evening there is a
one-hour Service Meeting during which
practical suggestions are given on how to
share Gods Word with other persons, as
Jesus and his apostles did. You will enjoy
attending these sessions and receiving the
upbuilding instruction from Gods Word.
At none of these meetings will you be
expected to offer comments unless you
volunteer by raising your hand. Nor are
collections ever taken up. Attending these
meetings does not mean that you are one
of Jehovahs witnesses, but it does give you
an opportunity to see what the organiza
tion is like. You will find that persons who
assemble there are persons who want to
please God, just as you do. You will feel
right at home among them.
Therefore, we would like to take this
opportunity cordially to invite you to at
tend the meetings of Jehovahs witnesses.
By associating with them you will be able
to fulfill the Bible requirement not to for
sake gathering together with fellow Chris
tians for worship. Heb. 10:24, 25.

Build Godly Personalities on the Right Foundation

MONG the various kinds of activity to
which the Scriptures liken the work of
Christian ministers is that of building. If
anyone builds on the foundation gold, silver,
precious stones,. . . each one's work will be
come manifest,. . . because it will be revealed
by means of fire."1 Cor. 3:12,13.*
The right foundation upon which the Chris
tian witnesses of Jehovah are to build is Jesus
Christ, who is not only mans Ransomer but
also earths rightful King, now reigning. And
what are they to build on this foundation?
Christian personalities, even as the context
shows. With what are these Christian per
sonalities to be built? With that which is
pictured by the noninflammable materials of
gold, silver and precious stones, namely, godly
qualities. 1 Cor. 3 :9 -1 1 .
Yes, we are living in very critical times, and
if one who is a servant of God does not want
his building work to be destroyed by the fiery
tests and opposition all about us, he must
build with the right materials. He must build
these materials, or Christian qualities, into
those whom he is teaching. These qualities are
heavenly wisdom and spiritual discernment,
appreciation of integrity and devotion to Bible
principles, respect for all Gods laws and
commandments, faith in his written Word,
loyalty to Gods visible organization and an
unbreakable attachment to His kingdom.
Building such godly qualities into persons
makes them strong, able to resist the fiery

* F o r d e ta ils see T h e Watchtower, N o v e m b e r 1, 1966.

Is it proper to use Isaiah 40:22 to prove that

the Bible teaches that the earth is round,
Isaiahs words being written at a time when
men thought the earth was flat? Some have
expressed the thought that the word circle
could refer to something circular but flat,
J. L., Denmark.
Isaiah 40:22 reads: There is One who is
dwelling above the circle of the earth. When
671

trials that Satan and his agents bring against

all those who would serve Jehovah God.
2 Tim. 3:1-5.
For Jehovahs witnesses to build these godly
qualities into persons with whom they are
studying the Bible, what must they do? First
of all, they must set a good example. They
must have and display these godly qualities
themselves, at no time stumbling those with
whom they are studying by careless, indiscreet
or selfish conduct. (Phil. 1:9-11) Further,
they must stress the importance of these
qualities and show how these can be applied
to ones own life. Thus if they are studying
with a person who is proud, or one who uses
profane language, or one whose conduct tends
toward uncleanness, they must tactfully, as
opportunity affords, point out to that person
the need for humility, for clean speech and
purity of conduct. More than that, they must
impress upon the minds of these persons how
they can cultivate godly personalities, by
regular study of Gods Word, by meditating on
it, by prayer and by association with Gods
people.
In all such ways Jehovahs witnesses build
Christian personalities on the foundation of
Jesus Christ. They help sincere persons to
acquire godly qualities that will enable them
to withstand all the fiery tests that may
come upon them, all to Jehovahs glory, to
their eternal salvation and to the lasting joy
of those who have helped them.

this text says that God sits above the circle of

the earth, this harmonizes with the fact that
the earth is circular, viewed from all directions,
but that also makes it globular in form. The
Hebrew word hhug here is defined in A Concor
dance of the H ebrew and Chaldee Scriptures
by B. Davidson as circle, sphere."
This same Hebrew word for circle is found
in Job 22:14, where the N ew W orld Translation
says f God: On the vault of heaven he
walks about. Now, we know that the vault
of heaven as seen from the earth is hemispherical, or like a half globe. The other half
of the hemispherical vault of heaven extends
below the earth upon which we stand and
hence cannot be seen directly by us. In harmony
with this fact, when Isaiah 40:22 says that

SiieWATCHTOWER

672

God sits above the circle of the earth, then the

word circle here is in the same Hebrew sense
as that found in Job 22:14.
Thus it follows that the word circle in Isaiah
40:22 must mean something that is rotund,
just as the appearance of the sky viewed from
the earth is rotund and like a vault.
If the Bible teaches that heaven is up (Acts
1:9), does it not convey an ignorance of earths
rotation and the structure of the universe?
C. P., U.S.A.
The Bible account of Jesus ascension states
that while his disciples were looking on, he was
lifted up and a cloud caught him up from their
vision. They continued looking into the sky
until advised otherwise by the angels, who
informed them that Jesus who was received up
from you into the sky will come thus in the
same manner as you have beheld him going into
the sky. (Acts 1:9-11) Some have raised
objections to the account of the ascension,
saying that it conveys the primitive concept
that heaven is up from the earth. However,
to satisfy such critics would, in effect, require

B r o o k l y n , N.Y.

the virtual elimination of the words up,

above, and so forth, from human language.
Even in this space age, we still read of astro
nauts orbiting the earth as having ascended
to 739 nautical miles above the earth (New
York Times, September 16, 1966), whereas we
know that technically they moved out or away
from the earths surface that distance.
Interestingly, the account of the angelic del
egation that chorused the announcement of
Jesus birth reports that, when their mission
was completed, the angels had departed from
them into heaven. (Luke 2:15; compare Acts
12:10.) Thus Jesus ascension, while beginning
with an upward movement, as related to the
earthly locality where his disciples were, may
have thereafter taken any direction required to
bring him into his Fathers heavenly presence.
It was an ascension, not only in a directional
sense, but, more importantly, as to the sphere
of activity and level of existence in the spirit
realm and in the lofty presence of the Most
High God, a realm not governed by human
dimensions or directions. Compare Hebrews
2:7, 9.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIELD MINISTRY

The true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ

are builders. They build up Christian person
alities on the right foundation of Jesus Christ.
(1 Cor. 3:11-13) They know that among the
problems that hinder some from being built
into Christian personalities is failure to under
stand why God has permitted wickedness. Some
persons, stumbling over this issue, have become
easy prey for such teachings as evolution. These
persons need help, and Jehovahs witnesses
have the means to help thema recently
released, delightfully illustrated book that dis
cusses both evolution and Gods permission
of wickedness. This enlightening volume
entitled Did Man Get Here by Evolution or
by Creation? they, are offering to all sincere
seekers of truth during November, along
with a booklet, for only 25c.
W ILL MAN EVER BE FREE?

The greatest cry in the world today is the

cry for freedom. Everyone wants to be free:

youth, the workingman, racial m inorities,

nations. Yet the stronger the struggle, the more
men seem to be enslaved. How is freedom to be
realized? Will the shackles that have enslaved
mankind for centuries ever really be broken?
What hope does the future hold? Read the stim
ulating and encouraging hardbound book L ife
Everlastingin Freedom of the Sons o f God.
It is only 50c. Send now and receive free the
timely booklet Healing o f the Nations Has
Drawn Near.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

November 19: Let God Arise, Let His En

emies Be Scattered, fL-19. Page 649. Songs
to Be Used: 16, 116.
November 26: Let God Arise, Let His En
emies Be Scattered, TT20-26, and Gods
Ascent on High Above All Enemies, fll-12.
Page 653. Songs to Be Used: 114, 3.
December 3: Gods Ascent on High Above All
Enemies, H13-31. Page 658. Songs to Be
Used: 90, 2.

NOVEMBER 15, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

LET DOWN YOUR NETS

FOR A CATCH
ORDERS FOR WORLDWIDE FISHING
WHAT PLACE DOES JESUS
HOLD IN YOUR HEART?
MAKE UP YOUR MIND NOW
AS TO WHOM YOU WILL SERVE
WT B &T S

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JEHOVAH.-lsa.43:l2

T H E PURPOSE O F "T H E W A T C H T O W E R
Every watchtower has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for whom he is a watchman w h a t is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare o r it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W atch tow er this magazine justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common world danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in Ju ly o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious new order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tch to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the many nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. W h ic h one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? Th e Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
The sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch tow er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m an y
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in God's promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

*1?
PUBLISHED BY THE
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.
N . H . K norr , President
G ra n t S uiter , Secretary
They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13
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C O N T E N T S
W hat Place Does Jesus Hold
in Your H eart?

675

Make Up Your Mind Now as to W hom

You W ill Serve

678

"L e t Down Your Nets for a Catch

684

Orders for Worldwide Fishing

692

Assemblies That Promote Disciple-making

698

Questions from Readers

702

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r ^ n n o u n c in a

J E H O V A H S
K IN G D O M
Novem ber 15, 1967

-ftotH in Vour

N um ber 22

Meart?

you have affection for him, saying: He that has greater af

for a great many persons, but who fection for father or mother than for me
holds an especially warm place in your is not worthy of me; and he that has great
heart? Who stands out as particularly be er affection for son or daughter than for
loved? Can you, without any hesitation or me is not worthy of me. (Matt. 10:37)
difficulty, identify the one you love and Later Jesus emphasized this again, telling
prefer above all others?
the great crowds who were following him:
It is natural that close relatives might If anyone comes to me and does not hate
be among the ones you cherish. But is his father and mother and wife and chil
there anyone who means more to you than dren and brothers and sisters, yes, and
your marriage mate, or your father or even his own soul, he cannot be my dis
mother or son or daughter? If you pro ciple. (Luke 14:26) Jesus, of course, did
fess to be a Christian, there should be not mean that Christians must literally
others who hold an even more treasured hate their relatives, but, rather, that they
place in your heart. Who could they be? must love them
lessthan they love h
One is the person who laid down his life and sometimes relatives interpret this to
for the purpose of rescuing you from the mean that the Christian actually hates
deadly effects of sin, Jesus Christ. (Matt. them.
1:21; Acts 4:12) What unselfish love
It is understandable why those who
prompted his sacrifice! (John 15:13) Ap walked and talked and lived with Jesus
preciation for what Christ did for you came to love him and hold him in such
should cause to grow in your heart a love
high esteem. Everything that he did was
for him that surpasses the affection you
with the best interest of others at heart.
hold for any human, living or dead.
And although he possessed superhuman
powers, he was, nevertheless, mild of spir
LOVE FOR JESUS
When sending out his twelve apostles, it, humble, kind and friendly. Indeed,
Jesus explained their need of greater love everything about him was lovable, caus-

ndoubtedly

675

676

ffk W A T C H T O W E R .

B rooklyn, N . Y .

ing associates to place him in their hearts the greatest commandment of the entire
Mosaic law, Jesus said: You must love Je
above every other human acquaintance.
Even persons who had never met him hovah your God with your whole heart and
came to have this excelling love for Jesus. with your whole soul and with your whole
To ones living in widely scattered areas mind and with your whole strength.
of the Roman Empire, the apostle Peter (Mark 12:30) Jesus obeyed this command
wrote: Though you never saw him, you ment and loved his Father above everyone
love him. Though you are not looking upon and everything else. Jehovah held first
him at present, yet you exercise faith in place in his heart.
Jesus happily submitted to his Father,
him and are greatly rejoicing with an un
speakable and glorified joy. 1 Pet. 1:8. the One who sent him to the earth, say
These widely scattered peoples had be ing: A slave is not greater than his mas
come acquainted with Jesus through the ter, nor is one that is sent forth greater
preaching of his disciples and by reading than the one that sent him. (John 13:
the available Gospel accounts concerning 16; 8:42; 14:28) He willingly did his Fa
his life. They were moved by the love that thers will, always manifesting the atti
Jesus showed in willingly coming down tude: Not my will, but yours take place.
from heaven and eventually suffering a Luke 22:42.
Jesus was moved to love and serve his
painful, ignominious death in order that
others might have everlasting life. (1 Pet. Father because God had demonstrated
2:24) It is this very information about Je such great love and affection for him. Re
sus Christ that also causes many persons peatedly Jesus acknowledged this, saying:
today to reserve such a precious place in The Father has affection for the Son.
You loved me before the founding of the
their hearts for him.
world.
As the Father has loved me and
Do you, too, treasure the now resurrect
I
have
loved you, remain in my love.
ed Jesus above every human associate?
(John
5:20;
17:24; 15:9) It was only prop
Does he hold first place in your heart? Is
er
that
Jesus
respond to the love and af
it proper that he should? Let us see.
fection from his Father, and this he did.
THE ONE JESUS LOVES ABOVE OTHERS
Do you, too, have reason to love Jeho
Jesus disciples held a very cherished vah God? Should you imitate Jesus Christ
place in his heart. So great was his love in giving God exclusive devotion? Has the
for them that the apostle Paul encour Father done anything that should endear
aged: Husbands, continue loving your Him to you above everyone else?
wives, just as the Christ also loved the
W H Y HE SHOULD BE FIRST IN YOUR HEART
congregation and delivered up himself for
it. (Eph. 5:25) Yet, as Christian hus
Jehovah God not only gave life to his
bands should have greater affection for only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, but he
Jesus Christ than even for their own also gave it to all humankind, including
wives, so also Jesus loves someone more you. And just as the Son is grateful for
than he does his congregation of footstep the loving provision of life and has af
followers.
fection for the Father, so should you too.
This one is the Father, Jehovah God. Je Ps. 36:9; 100:3.
sus repeatedly directed persons to his Fa
Furthermore, when the first human pair
ther as the primary One to be loved and sinned and brought the sentence o f death
worshiped. When he was asked what was upon themselves and their yet unborn off-

N ovem ber

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

spring, Jehovah God made an arrangement

for their rescue from sin and death. Love
was what prompted Him, as the Bible ex
plains: God loved the world [of mankind]
so much that he gave his only-begotten
Son, in order that everyone exercising
faith in him might not be destroyed but
have everlasting life. The love is in this
respect, not that we have loved God, but
that he loved us and sent forth his Son
as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins.
John 3:16; 1 John 4:10.
Although the Son willingly obeyed his
Father and came to earth as a ransom
sacrifice, note that it was Jehovah God
who conceived and initiated this life-giving
provision. How this should move us to love
Him! He should hold first place in your
heart! Jesus Christ emphasized this fact
by continually directing attention to his
Father, stressing that it is Jehovah your
God you must worship, and it is to him
alone you must render sacred service.
(Matt. 4:10) Really, it grieves Jesus, the
obedient, humble servant of his Father,
when persons endeavor to put him above
Jehovah.
PROOF OF YOUR LOVE FOR JESUS

Therefore, the first way to prove that

you truly love Jesus Christ is to honor
and serve the One whom he worships, Je
hovah God. Accepting Jesus as your savior
and living a clean, moral life is also im
portant, but Jesus explained that more
was necessary, telling his disciples: He
that has my commandments and observes
them, that one is he who loves me. . . .
If anyone loves me, he will observe my
word. You are my friends if you do
what I am commanding you. John 14:
21, 23; 15:14.
Thus, what place Jesus holds in your
heart is not demonstrated simply by
words, but by actions by the effort you
make to obey his commands. Jesus was

677

a preacher of the kingdom of God, and his

command for all who would be his fol
lowers is: Go therefore and make disci
ples of people of all the nations . . . teach
ing them to observe all the things I have
commanded you. (Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark
1:38; Luke 4:43) Are you sharing in this
activity?
Notice how Jesus related ones love for
him with doing the ministerial work. The
occasion was a morning following his res
urrection, and seven of his disciples were
gathered on the shore of the Sea of Gali
lee. There Jesus appeared to them and,
turning to the apostle Peter, he asked:
Simon son of John, do you love me more
than these? He said to him: Yes, Lord,
you know I have affection for you. He
said to him: Feed my lambs. John 21:
15.
Although Jesus asked whether Peter
had love for him [Greek, agape, which re
fers to an unselfish, principled love], Pe
ter answered by saying that he had
affection for Jesus [Greek, philia, which
refers to the strong affection between close
friends]. Peter professed more than prin
cipled love or agape for Jesus. He claimed
to hold Jesus dear to his heart, having
greater affection for him than for even
his own mother or father or wife.
So as to emphasize the importance of
ministering to others, Jesus again asked
Peter: Simon son of John, do you love
me? He said to him: Yes, Lord, you know
I have affection for you. He said to him:
Shepherd my little sheep. (John 21:16)
Note that Jesus again used agape when
asking Peter if he loved him, while Peter
stressed that he had philia or deep affec
tion for Jesus. If it was really true that
Peter reserved such a cherished place in
his heart for him, Jesus said he should
prove it by ministering to others.
Note how, for the third time, Jesus ad
dresses Peter. This time he, too, uses the

678

fE e W A T C H T O W E R

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

yourDo
course
intimate term
philia,asking:
you of life reveal that you truly
have affection for m e? And again Peter love Jesus, that you treasure him in your
responds, being quite grieved now that heart, and that, with him, you love Jeho
Jesus should so persistently question his vah God above all others? If you are not
love: Lord, you know all things; you are presently equipped to obey Jesus com
aware that I have affection for you. If mand to preach to others, Jehovahs wit
you truly hold such a warm place in your nesses will be happy to assist you to be
heart for me, Jesus answered, feed my come qualified. Accept their invitation for
a free Bible study in your own home,
little sheep. John 21:17.
How clear it is that Jesus wants his fol where you will receive practiced instruc
lowers to feed his sheepto minister to tion on how to explain precious Bible
others! Have you been doing this? Does truths to others.

A R E liv in g at a tim e w hen

men are becom ing more and
more definite as to how they
stand on issues. Issues are more clear
ly drawn and men are quicker to ex
press themselves, often violently, in
supporting their cause. Pressure is ap
plied to induce or force others to mani
fest themselves as to the position they
take.
This situation is especially noticeable
in the field of worship. The issue is be
coming sharper. In the past people were
reluctant to challenge God or religion,
but now they are bold in proclaiming
their atheistic and evolutionary theories.
This puts a special responsibility on
those who do believe in God. But there
are many, especially in the churches of
Christendom, who have a vacillating,
weak-kneed or apathetic attitude. Their
faith is practically gone.
In view of how the state of affairs
stands today, if there is any love of righ
teousness in a persons heart, he cannot
continue to stay in the churches of Chris
tendom or in any of the non-Christian re
ligious organizations. Why not? Because
the leaders thereof are declaring that
God is dead, they are approving homo
sexuality, free love, lawlessness and dis

respect of authority. If
one claims to be a ser
vant of God and does not
get out and declare him
self against these prac
tices and the organiza
tions that condone and
even approve them, then he is no ser
vant of God at all. He may as well go
the whole way with the crowd that is
against God, for he will die with them
soon when the living God and Universal
Sovereign violently manifests his stand on
the issue.
God is letting affairs develop to the
point where those not serving him are be-

N ovember 15, 1967

3KeWATCH TO W ER

coming wholly corrupt and deserving of

nothing but destruction. God tells us that
they become empty-headed in their rea
sonings, given up to uncleanness, that
their bodies might be dishonored among
them. They have exchanged the truth
of God for the lie and venerated and ren
dered sacred service to the creation rath
er than the One who created . . . That is
why God gave them up to disgraceful sex
ual appetites, . . . working what is obscene
and receiving in themselves the full rec
ompense, which was due for their error.
Yes, they are reaping the fruits of loath
some diseases, mental breakdown and vio
lence, leaving only their execution at Gods
hands to clear the earth of them. Rom.
1:18-32.
DO NOT TREAT PROPHESYINGS
WITH CONTEMPT

One who claims to be a Christian, a

dedicated servant of Almighty God, and
who then goes along with the world and
its corrupt, godless course is not only par
taking of its corruption but, adding to
such sins, he is treating prophesyings with
contempt. (1 Thess. 5:20) He is ignoring
all the words that God has caused to be
uttered through the mouths of His proph
ets and spokesmen. Such a professed
Christian has these words from the God
he claims to serve; he has the Bible, but
ignores it in favor of mens ideas, which
appeal to his selfish desires. To do this is
to insult God, to be a hypocrite and more
reprehensible than the unbelievers. It is a
suicidal course, doubly incurring the burn
ing anger of God.
Some may say, But what can I do?
Where can I go to serve God? First, you
should get out without delay from the
false religious system of Babylon the
Great, that is, Babylonlike false religious
organizations that defame Gods name.
(Rev. 18:4) If you wait you will even
tually suffer complete loss of faith in God.

679

Furthermore, the prophecies state that

God is going to execute judgment. The
final opportunity is here for those who
wish to save their lives.
WHERE TO SERVE GOD

There is a place to which to flee. There

is a body of people who really serve God
and who observe his prophecies. Jesus
foretold them when he said he would ap
point a faithful and discreet slave to give
his people spiritual food at the proper time
and that he would appoint this slave
over all his belongings. You can find this
slave class in the organization of the
modern-day Christian witnesses of Jeho
vah.Matt. 24:45-47.
In the last chapter of the book of Reve
lation, the command is given: Worship
God. And then the apostle John, the writ
er of the Revelation, evidently refers to
Jesus Christ himself, saying: He [Jesus]
also tells me: Do not seal up the words
of the prophecy of this scroll, for the ap
pointed time is near. (Rev. 22:9, 10)
The prophecy of Revelation is powerful
and most important to listen to now. (Rev.
1:1-3) Gods servants are commanded not
to seal up the words of the prophecy of
this scroll. This command has been obeyed
by Jehovahs witnesses.
In the very first issue of their official
magazine, which began publication July
1879, and was then known as Zions
Watch Tower and Herald of Christs
ence, a goodly number of comments were
made on this last book of the Bible in the
article Why Will There Be a Second Ad
vent? Since that time, in all their publi
cations they have quoted copiously and
freely from the book of Revelation and
have offered an explanation of it. The
Finished
Mystery,published in 1917 by the
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, was
a running commentary on the entire Reve
lation to John. In 1930, two volumes en-

SReWATCHTOWER

680

titled Light were published, which

brought a more up-to-date explanation of
the Revelation, and very recently, in 1963,
the book Babylon the Great Has Fallen!
Gods Kingdom Rules!, a book of 704
pages. This provides an extensive and de
tailed commentary on Revelation, chapters
14 to 22 particularly.
All these publications have received
worldwide distribution and have not been
revised or altered to please the religious
beliefs nor the customs and practices of
different peoples of earth. No, the unadul
terated truth of the prophecy has been
proclaimed to all.
A SHARP DIVISION

Christ Jesus next shows that two groups

emerge in the judgment: He that is do
ing unrighteousness, let him do unrigh
teousness still; and let the filthy one be
made filthy still; but let the righteous one
do righteousness still, and let the holy one
be made holy still. (Rev. 22:11) These
commands are not urgent appeals to those
practicing unrighteousness to repent and
to clean up. Rather, the thought is, let
them go ahead in the course that they
have pursued, if that is what they want.
If a bad course, let them know that they
will get their due recompense for this
course, at the latest when the Lord Jesus
comes to fight the war of the great day
of God the Almighty. Rev. 16:14.
Jehovah considers holy those who have
made a dedication to him through Jesus
Christ and who are practicing righteous
ness. His name is upon them. If one of
these makes a practice of unrighteousness,
he is therefore bringing reproach on Jeho
vahs name. Consequently, he is of no val
ue to Jehovah or to his fellowman and will
lose all the credit that he has built up
in previous righteousness and holiness.
(Ezek. 18:24) On the other hand, if a man
has practiced corrupt things, but turns

Brooklyn, N.Y.

from these to become a dedicated servant

of God, if he keeps on in righteousness and
holiness, he will at last have an accumulat
ed credit with God. He will positively
keep living, is the utterance of the Lord
Jehovah.Ezek. 18:5-9, 21, 22.
Jehovah God himself next speaks to
John, revealing the critical situation, the
extreme danger if any one of Gods
anointed ones becomes lax in the least
way toward righteousness. Jehovah says:
Look! I am coming quickly, and the re
ward I give is with me, to render to each
one as his work is. Rev. 22:12.
So now is no time for one who is in the
way of holiness to be walking uncertainly
or seeing how close he can come to the
borderline of righteousness, toying with or
even contemplating the idea of immorality
or wrongdoing. He is like a man walking
on the crumbling edge of a cliff. Jehovah
God, sitting in judgment, accompanied by
his Son Jesus Christ, is a God who cannot
tolerate unrighteousness in his presence.
There is no appeal from his judicial deci
sions, for he is the last resort, the Alpha
and the Omega, figuratively speaking.
(Hab. 1:13; Rev. 1:8; compare Deuter
onomy 23:14.) Jesus Christ as Judge mere
ly executes the judgments of Jehovah the
Judge of all. (Heb. 12:23) He spares only
those who are unswervingly determined to
hold on unswervingly to their course of
righteousness.
God the Almighty has taken his power
and begun ruling as King, and the time is
here for him to reward his slaves the
prophets and the holy ones and those bear
ing his name and to bring to ruin those
ruining the earth. (Rev. 11:17, 18) Je
hovahs coming for execution of judg
ment upon his foes is very quick in the
sense that it is only a few short years
ahead, and it will seem exceedingly short
to those who are caught wandering off the
way of righteousness as in the dark, as if

N ovem ber

15, 1967

SHeWATCHTOWER

they were asleep. If they should die while

practicing filthy things, the judgment will
have caught up with them then, for they
will receive no resurrection.
KEEP PROVING W HAT YOU ARE

Let no one think that he is an exception.

Everyone must watch what he is doing,
because God is absolutely just and thor
oughly impartial and renders to each one
only according to what his work is. Even
if we do not knowingly carry on any bad
practices, we should nonetheless carefully
examine what our works are, to be sure
that we are not approving ourselves by
claiming or professing to be what we are
not. (1 Cor. 4:4) Remember, the word
of God is alive and exerts power and is
sharper than any two-edged sword and
pierces even to the dividing of soul and
spirit, and of joints and their marrow, and
is able to discern thoughts and intentions
of the heart. Heb. 4:12.
We should keep checking up on our
selves by his Word. (2 Cor. 13:5) We may
feel that we have the right spirit or men
tal inclination, but is our soul, that is, the
life we live, measuring up to Gods stan
dard and are we really guided by Jeho
vahs spirit? Are our works those that
will endure? (1 Cor. 3:12-15) What we
are will be clearly brought into the open,
for there is not a creation that is not
manifest to his sight, but all things are
naked and openly exposed to the eyes of
him with whom we have an accounting.
(Heb. 4:13) We should keep in mind that
Jehovah knows those who belong to him,
and: Let everyone naming the name of
Jehovah ren ou n ce unrighteousness.
(2 Tim. 2:19) We cannot deceive Jehovah,
and he lets our works actually show what
we really are so that there is no excuse
tor us., and so that all others can see it.
We may deceive ourselves, but we cannot
fool God as the final Judge.

681

JEHOVAH PROVED
TO BE THE ONLY TRUE GOD

Jehovah goes on to say: I am the

Alpha and the Omega, the first and the
last, the beginning and the end. (Rev.
22:13) Those who have studied the Bible
along with world history know that this
fact was proved beyond doubt centuries
ago. No God has existed before him and
none have been able to establish them
selves as God Almighty after him. Neither
is he a God that is invented by his wor
shipers. He is the Creator, the God of
Israel and of Jesus Christ and the God
of Christians. (John 20:17; Rom. 3:29)
If we do not treat prophesyings with con
tempt, we will appreciate reading what
Jehovah said over 2,600 years ago, over
800 years before the book of Revelation
was written: This is what Jehovah has
said, . . . I am the first and I am the last,
and besides me there is no God. (Isa.
44:6, 7) To no one else shall I give my
own glory. Listen to me, O Jacob, and you
Israel my called one. I am the same One.
I am the first. Moreover, I am the last.
Isa. 48:11, 12; 41:4.
In the past Jehovah has fought against
other gods and shown his superiority, and
what gods have ever been able to stand
or remain before him? He showed the
gods of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and of
all the other nations to be impotent. And
where are those gods today? They are re
membered only as relics of the dim past.
Only a few know of them at all. But Je
hovahs name lives to be more prominent
than ever today. Jehovah will soon exer
cise power to show that he is the begin
ning and the end in the controversy over
godship. The present-day gods, science,
evolution, Communism and nationalism,
he will bring to an end, proving them all
to be false gods. He will also humiliate the
worshipers of such gods and will reveal
Jehovahs witnesses to be truthful in rep
resenting Him as the only true God.

682

SEeWATCHTOWEFL
ADMISSION TO THE HOLY CITY

Jehovah now focuses attention on the

faithful 144,000 followers of Christ who
have heavenly hopes and who have ac
cepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and
have by faith been loosed from their sins
by means of his blood so that they may
appear free from sin in Gods sight. (Rev.
1:5; 1 John 1:7) He says: Happy are
those who wash their robes, that the au
thority to go to the trees of life may be
theirs and that they may gain entrance
into the city by its gates. (Rev. 22:14)
This is a heavenly city. These who have
remained faithful to the end, becoming
conquerors, have been baptized into Christ
and into his death and have completed that
baptism, dying a death of integrity like his
and being resurrected in the spirit. The
paradise here spoken of is, of course, not
literal, but symbolic. The faithful overcom
ers are granted to eat of the trees of
life. This denotes their being given the
right and title to enjoy immortal life for
ever in the heavenly paradise of God.
1 Cor. 15:44, 52-54.
The city into which they enter, the holy
city New Jerusalem, has twelve angels on
guard at its twelve gates of pearl. These
angelic guards recognize who these 144,000 faithful spiritual Israelites are and let
them enter into the golden city. But for
those in whom any form of unrighteous
ness is found entry is impossible, just as
Adam and Eve could by no means get past
the flaming sword of the angelic guards
stationed at the east of the earthly gar
den of Eden to reach the tree of life in
the middle of the garden. Rev. 21:12,
13, 18; Gen. 2:9; 3:24.
THE UNDESIRABLES WHO ARE KEPT OUT

Take notice, please, who are the ones

against whom Jehovah the Almighty Gods
anger burns and who in his sight are de
testable and filthy. Their end will be in

B rooklyn,

N.Y.

the symbolic lake that burns with fire and

sulphur, that is, the second death. (Rev.
21:8) The kind of persons described are
even today receiving the approval of the
clergy of Christendom, many of the cler
gy being themselves such ones. Revelation
names them, saying: Outside are the
dogs and those who practice spiritism and
the fornicators and the murderers and the
idolaters and everyone liking and carry
ing on a lie. Rev. 22:15.
Outside the city, like scavenger dogs of
the streets, are those who practice homo
sexuality, sodomy, Lesbianism, vicious
ness and cruelty. (Deut. 23:18; Ps. 22:
16, 20; Matt. 7:6; Phil. 3:2) Spiritists,
who get in touch with the demons, are
excluded from the city. This would in
clude astrologers, fortune-tellers and nec
romancers. Mentioned also right along
with such are the adulteresses, the harlots
and the men who commit sexual immorali
ty with them, the murderers and haters,
whose hatred is equivalent to actual mur
der. 1 John 3:15; Deut. 19:4.
Kept outside also are the idolaters, who
give their allegiance to or attribute their
salvation to either a literal idol or a sym
bolic one such as the wild beast and
its image or who use religious statues in
a form of so-called relative worship.
Materialists and those who degrade their
bodies and minds in the cult of hallucina
tory drugs such as LSD are left to wallow
in the corruption they prefer. Magazines
and newspapers that give favorable pub
licity to such persons, making them ap
pear respectable, are carrying on a lie.
Those who look to personalities or to na
tionalism for salvation or who support a
system built on lies find themselves barred
from Jehovahs clean governmental city.
ROOT OP DAVID AND MORNING STAR

Frequently it is those who consider

themselves wise in this system of things

N ovem ber

15, 1967

ffE e W A T C H T O W E R .

who uphold and practice the things de

scribed above and who even advocate such
practice by others. Why, then, should we
believe what Revelation says? For the
reason that its source of information is
the highest. John is told next: I, Jesus,
sent my angel to bear witness to you peo
ple of these things for the congregations.
I am the root and the offspring of David,
and the bright morning star. (Rev. 22:
16) He is the faithful and true witness
and the One whom the Almighty God of
the universe has set as the Leader and
Commander of the peoples. Rev. 1:5; 3:
14; Isa. 55:3, 4; Gen. 49:10.
Jesus Christ was an earthly offspring
of ancient King David of Jerusalem. He is
called the root of David because he is
the important descendant of King David
in whom the genealogy from Abraham
through David really ends. (Rev. 5:5)
No Jew today can prove descent from Da
vid. Jesus Christ was designated by God
as the One whom he approved as Davids
heir to take the throne of the Kingdom.
(Ezek. 21:27; Matt. 3:17; Acts 2:29, 30,
36) In fact, the underlying reason for
bringing the house of David into existence
was to produce the Messiah. That has been
accomplished. Jesus being the permanent
heir, the One who possesses the throne
forever, the line of David is really rooted
in him.
He is also the star foretold at Num
bers 24:17. In ancient Judah the kings of
Judah were looked upon as stars of
God, for they sat on Jehovahs throne.
(1 Chron. 29:23) The king of Babylon
felt that he had permanently lifted his own
material throne up above the royal stars
of God when he took Zedekiah of the
line of David off the throne in 607 B.C.E.
Neither ancient Babylon nor its modern
counterpart Babylon the Great prevented
God, in his due time, from causing this

683

bright morning star, Jesus Christ, to

rise out of the house of David and sit on
a throne infinitely higher than that of
mighty King Nebuchadnezzar of ancient
Babylon. (Isa. 14:4, 12, 13) Babylon the
Great has sat as a queen on a throne, but
she is to be overthrown completely and
Jesus Christ must reign forever, not on
an earthly throne as did David, but on a
heavenly throne as King like Melchizedek
forever. The 144,000, by sticking to their
faithfulness, receive the reward of being
associated with him, the morning star,
in the heavenly Kingdom. In this way he
will give such ones the morning star.
Rev. 18:7; 2:26-28.
Gods requirements for his heavenly
kingdom government emphasize the clean
ness and respectability of that govern
ment. The requirements for those who will
get life under that government can be no
less righteous and lofty. Therefore, every
one who serves Jehovah God, whether it
be with heavenly hopes as one of Gods
144,000 spiritual Israelites or as a member
of the great crowd of other sheep,
with hopes of living in a new order on a
paradise earth under the Kingdom, must
keep the determination made at his dedi
cation to follow a course of strict righ
teousness. There is no time to waste.
There is no time to dabble in unrighteous
ness or to strain our relations with Jeho
vah God by even so much as thinking of
an unrighteous course. The judgment is on
and the Great Judge is determining eter
nal outcomes on the basis of our works.
Therefore, every one of Gods people must
say, with the firm determination of an
cient Judge Joshua: As for me and my
household, we shall serve Jehovah. They
must reply like the people answered Josh
ua: Jehovah our God we shall serve, and
to his voice we shall listen! Josh. 24:
15, 24.

HE common expres
sion You poor fish!
is not found in the Sacred
Writings. However, the Ho
ly Bible does use real fish
to p ictu re men. The f a
m ou sly w ise K ing S o lo
mon of Jerusalem, who in
his three thousand prov
erbs spoke abou t cedar
trees and hyssop, beasts
and flying creatures, and
other moving things and
fishes, said: Man also does
not know his time. Just like
fishes that are being tak
en in an evil net, and like
birds that are being tak
en in a trap, so the sons
o f m en t h e m
selves are being
ensnared at a ca
lam itou s tim e,
when it falls up
on them sudden
ly . (Eccl. 9:
12; 1 Ki. 4:32,
33) To the op
pressors of his
people in the
ninth century
B .C .E ., the
prophet Amos
said: The Lord
J e h o v a h has
sworn by his ho
liness, L ook !
There are days
coming upon you,
and he will certainly lift
you up with butcher hooks
and the last part of you
with fishhooks. (Amos 4:
1, 2) Without fail the ene
mies of Jehovah God will

be caught like unfortu

nate fish suddenly at a
time on which they did
not reckon.
2
Sometime after the
passover celebration of
the year 31 of our Com
mon Era a fishing boat
that lay not far from the
shore of the Sea of Gali
lee in the Middle E ast
was used fo r another
purpose than for catch
ing fish. Jesus Christ
used it as a speakers
platform from which to
give a series of prophetic
p a r a b le s to a g r e a t
crowd that had practical
ly forced him offshore.
On finishing his wonder
ful speech, he dismissed
the crowds, came ashore
and went into a house.
There his disciples asked
him to explain the par
able that he had given
abou t the
weeds that had
"He said to Simon: 'Pull out to been oversown
where it is deep, and you men
let down your nets for a catch.'" by an enemy
Luke 5:4.
in the wheatfield. Jesus not only gave
the desired explanation
but also added a number
of new illustrations, in
cluding the following one
about the dragnet:
3
Again the kingdom
of the heavens is like a
dragnet let down into the
sea and gathering up fish
of every kind. When it
got full they hauled it up
2, 3. (a) Where and w hy did Je
sus use a boat as a speakers plat
form ? (b) What did he say in his
parable of the dragnet?

1. How are men likened to fish by

Solomon and Am os?
684

N ovem ber

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SfkW ATCHTOW ER.

685

onto the beach and, sitting down,

5In the fulfillment of the parable of the
they collected the fine ones into ves dragnet, who are the ones that do the fish
sels, but the unsuitable they threw ing and the hauling of the dragnet up onto
away. That is how it will be in the the beach and then sort out the fish? They are
conclusion of the system of things: the angels. Certainly the Christians on earth
the angels will go out and separate are not the ones that separate the fine sym
the wicked from among the righteous bolic fish from the unsuitable, and cast these
and will cast them into the fiery fur latter ones into the symbolic fiery furnace. The
nace. There is where their weeping anointed Christians are not the ones authorized
and the gnashing of their teeth will to determine who is suitable for Gods heavenly
be.Matt. 13:47-50.
kingdom and who, on the other hand, should
4J
esus illustrations of the king be everlastingly destroyed. They are not the
dom of the heavens all have to do judges of those who have become Gods anoint
with peisons who will be heirs with ed servants. (Rom. 14:4) The angels who ac
him in the heavenly kingdom. Ac company the glorified Jesus Christ when he
cordingly, the fine fish that are col comes into his heavenly kingdom at the close of
lected into vessels for profitable use the Gentile Times are the ones that do this sep
picture those from among mankind arating work under the direction of Christ.
who prove themselves suitable for (Matt. 13:40, 41; 24:30, 31; 25:31, 32) What,
reigning with Jesus Christ in the then, is the dragnet?
kingdom of the heavens. (Rev. 7:
1-8; 14:1-5) Gods kingdom of the
heavens was established at the end
of the Gentile Times in 1914. The
faithful apostles and many others of
the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ
had died before then. Who, then, are
those symbolic fish who are caught
and then sorted out and put, as it
were, into vessels in the conclusion
of the system of things, in which we
now find ourselves? They are merely
the remnant of Kingdom heirs, who
today make up the faithful and dis
creet slave class on earth. (Matt.
24:45-47) The unsuitable symbolic
fish that are cast into the symbolic
fiery furnace to be destroyed are
those Christians who prove unfaith
ful to the heavenly calling, thus be
coming wicked, and who deserve to
be destroyed.
4. (a) Who are pictured by the fine fish that
are put into vessels? (b) Who are pictured by
the unsuitable ones that are thrown away?

6As Jesus parable depicts it, a dragnet gath

ers in fish and sea creatures indiscriminately.
The Jews who were in a national covenant with
Jehovah God were forbidden to eat certain fish
and sea creatures. (Lev. 11:9-12) So Jewish
fishermen had to sort out what a dragnet
brought up. What was forbidden by Gods law
5. Who are pictured by the ones fishing with the dragnet,
and why?
6. What, then, does the dragnet picture?

686

SSeW ATCHTOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

they would throw away. In view of all this,

the dragnet would symbolize an instrument
in the hands of the holy angels under the
direction of Jesus Christ. The dragnet sym
bolizes the earthly organization that pro
fesses to be Gods congregation that is in
the new covenant with God through the
Mediator Jesus Christ. So it claims to be
the spiritual Israel, the holy nation that is
anointed with Gods spirit to reign with
Jesus Christ in the heavenly kingdom. It
includes the true professors and the false
or unfaithful professors. Logically it in
cludes Christendom, with its hundreds of
thousands of professed Christians, belong
ing to hundreds of sects called Christian.
7It is true that the symbolic dragnet
is in the hands of the angels as a team
of workers. But for the dragnet to gather
in symbolic fish of all kinds, persons who
belong to the dragnet organization have
to work. They have to do a gathering work
on earth in the name of Christianity. The
heavenly angels do only an invisible work,
but the organized members of the drag
net do the direct visible work. Only the
smaller number of this dragnet organi
zation really fish according to Gods in
structions through Christ and according
to Bible principles. As a result, only those
workers would gather in true Christian
fish, suitable for the heavenly kingdom.
This fact the heavenly angels under Christ
make manifest in the conclusion of the
system of things, in which we find our
selves since the close of the Gentile Times
in 1914. They have gathered the fine fish
into symbolic vessels.
8 Years before the conclusion of the
system of things began in 1914 the fish
of the true Christian quality began gather
ing away from Christendom. Here and

there around the globe they formed con

gregations separate from Christendom.
But along came World War I, which was
fought during 1914-1918 mostly by the
nations of Christendom. During this war
these separated congregations of truly ded
icated, baptized Christians came into
bondage to Christendom. Thus, since
Christendom is the most powerful part of
religious Babylon the Great, they went
into a captivity like that of the Jews who
went into exile in ancient Babylon after
Jerusalem was destroyed in the year 607
B.C.E. But would they stay there?
9 No! The Gentile Times had ended in
1914, the year in which World War I broke
out, and as a consequence the conclusion
of the system of things had set in. Jesus
illustration of the dragnet marked this
period the time for the separation of those
who professed to be anointed heirs of the
kingdom of the heavens. It was the due
time for the heavenly angels under Christ
to get busy and haul that symbolic dragnet
up onto the beach and throw away the
unsuitable ones and put the fine ones
approved by Gods law into congregational
vessels. This is what they did.
10 From the spring of the year 1919 on
ward there was a coming out of the true
Christians exiled in Babylon the Great.
The call from heaven went forth: Get
out of her, my people, if you do not want
to share with her in her sins, and if you
do not want to receive part of her plagues.
(Rev. 18:4) Religious Babylon the Great
is the world empire of false Babylonish
religion, and it includes Christendom,
which has tried to mix Christianity with
Babylonish religion. So the call from heav
en had to include their getting out of
Christendom. The hundreds of millions of

7. For the sym bolic dragnet to gather in all sorts of

fish, who must be employed under the angels, and
how have fine fish been collected?
8. How did fine fish go into captivity to Babylon the
Great during 1914-1918?

9. Why was the conclusion o f the system of things

not the time for the fine fish to stay in captivity
to Babylon the Great?
10. (a) When did the fine fish start com ing out of
such Babylonish exile, and how? (b) What experience
are the unsuitable fish already having, and why?

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SEeWATCHTOW ER

unsuitable symbolic fish that stay in

Christendom are shortly to be cast into
the symbolic fiery furnace and complete
ly destroyed. Already, they are headed
in that direction, since the hypocritical
Christians are giving way to their weep
ing and the gnashing of their teeth.
(Matt. 13:50) Why? Because they have
not got out of Great Babylon as Gods true
people should do; and so they are sharing
in her sins and are already feeling the
forerunners of her destructive plagues.
Shortly they will perish with Babylon the
Great and her political paramours at Gods
due time.
Back there, in noteworthy contrast
to those lovers of Babylon the Great, the
anointed Christian witnesses of Jehovah
responded to the heavenly call, in 1919.
They were but a minority of professed
Christians, a mere remnant of the true
Christian congregation that Jesus Christ
has been building during these past nine
teen centuries. (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:1-42)
Under angelic direction they were collected
into vessels, as it were, that is, into con
gregations of liberated Christians, to be
reserved for the service of Jehovah, the
God and Father of Jesus Christ.
12 Though this remnant of the fine
symbolic fish have hope of a share in the
kingdom of the heavens, they were not
taken at once to heaven, a thing that they
had been expecting. In this conclusion of
the system of things they had a work
to do on earth before the end comes upon
Babylon the Great and her political para
mours and the armies of these.
13Every quarter of the earth now knows
what the true Christian work of the rem11. What proportion of professed Christians came out
of Babylon the Great, and how were they collected
into vessels ?
12. Why was this remnant of fine symbolic fish not
taken at once to heaven?
13. (a) What besides giving a witness is accomplished
by the Kingdom preaching? (b) From 1919 forward,
why did the work of apostolic days need to go on?

nant is, for they have carried forward their

work to the ends of the earth, in fulfill
ment of Jesus words: This good news of
the kingdom will be preached in all the
inhabited earth for a witness to all the
nations. (Matt. 24:14) The giving witness
to all the nations is not the only thing
that is accomplished by the Kingdom
preachers. There is also a separation work
that results from such Kingdom preach
ing, and this under angelic direction.
(Matt. 24:30, 31, 40-42) The separation
work was not all accomplished in the liber
ation year of 1919. No, but in order for
the foreordained number of 144,000 King
dom heirs to be redeemed from the earth,
more of the fine symbolic fish needed
to be caught and put into the congrega
tional vessels. The work that Jesus
Christ began in the days of his twelve
apostles needed to be continued on into
this conclusion of the system of things,
namely, fishing work. A grand catch was
guaranteed!
A MIRACULOUS CATCH!

14
Nineteen hundred years ago a number
of Jesus apostles were professional fishers
at the Sea of Galilee. They were disciples
of John the Baptist, and some days after
his own baptism in water Jesus Christ
became acquainted with them in the upper
Jordan River valley, late in the year 29
C.E. (John 1:35-44) Some months later,
in the following year, Jesus came in con
tact with these professional fishers right
there at the Sea of Galilee. By then John
the Baptist had been imprisoned by King
Herod and Jesus had begun taking up
the message of John the Baptist and pro
claiming: Repent, for the kingdom of the
heavens has drawn near. (Matt. 4:12-17)
One day Jesus was preaching Gods king
dom to crowds of people on the shore of
14. (a) What were some of John the Baptist s disciples
professionally, and how did Jesus meet four of them
at the Sea of Galilee? (b) What was the best time for
their occupation?

688

SlkW ATCHTOW ER.

the Sea of Galilee near where four profes

sional fishers had been toiling with nets.
Back there the most popular way for the
Jews to fish was by means of nets of vari
ous sorts, four sorts of which are men
tioned in the Holy Bible. (Hab. 1:15, 16;
Eccl. 9:12; Ps. 33:7, 8) Nighttime was
considered the best time for fishing, after
sunset and before sunrise.
15 On one occasion, as Luke 5:1-10
narrates to us, when the crowd was press
ing close upon him and listening to the
word of God, he was standing beside the
lake of Gennesaret [Galilee]. And he saw
two boats docked at the lakeside, but the
fishermen had got out of them and were
washing off their nets. Going aboard one
of the boats, which was Simons, he asked
him to pull away a bit from land. Then he
sat down, and from the boat he began
teaching the crowds. When he ceased
speaking, he said to Simon: Pull out to
where it is deep, and you men let down
your nets for a catch. But Simon in reply
said: Instructor, for a whole night we
toiled and took nothing, but at your bidding
I will lower the nets. Well, when they did
this, they enclosed a great multitude of
fish. In fact, their nets began ripping apart.
16 So they motioned to their partners
in the other boat to come and assist them;
and they did come, and they filled both
boats, so that these began to sink. Seeing
this, Simon Peter fell down at the knees
of Jesus, saying: Depart from me, because
I am a sinful man, Lord. For at the catch
of fish which they took up astonishment
overwhelmed him and all those with him,
and likewise both James and John, Zebedees sons, who were sharers with Simon.
17 There were others with Simon Peter
15, 16. (a) What was the occasion when Jesus told
Simon and those in the boat with him to let down
their nets for a catch? (b) What was the immediate
effect of what then happened?
17, 18. (a) What did the four fishing partners realize
had happened? (b) W hy did Jesus not do as Simon
asked him to do, but what did he do?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

in his boat, particularly his brother An

drew, and possibly their father John. James
and John were with their father Zebedee
and hired men in the assisting boat. Peter,
Andrew, James and John realized that
Jesus had performed a miracle, suddenly
causing a huge catch of fish from an area
of waters where there had been
all
night.
18 This increased their appreciation of
Jesus Christ, whom they already knew per
sonally. Peter, feeling now more than ever
his sinfulness because of having such a
holy man of God aboard his boat, asked
the Lord Jesus to depart from him. But
Jesus was not disposed to be alone in aban
doning the boat. The time had come for
him to have steady, regular followers in
a literal sense. So Jesus calmed Peters
fright due to his sinfulness, as the account
tells us: But Jesus said to Simon: Stop
being afraid. From now on you will be
catching men alive. By this statement
Jesus was comparing men with fish. But
with whom was Peter to be catching men
alive like fish? Why, with Jesus Christ
himself, for then Jesus asked Peter to
follow him in fishing for bigger game,
namely, men alive. Jesus also invited
Peters brother Andrew to follow him on
this new enterprise. They both did so.
19Meantime, as their nets had ripped
apart at the miraculous catch of fish, al
most overloading their boats, Peters shar
ers in the fishing business at Galilee,
namely, James and John, along with their
father Zebedee in the boat, began mending
their nets. Then Jesus, followed by Peter
and Andrew, came down the lakeshore and
called out to James and John in their boat
and invited them also to follow him in a
larger fishing business. They did do that,
for the account informs us: So they
brought the boats back to land, and
19. Meanwhile, what did James and John begin doing,
and how long did they continue in this ?

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

abandoned everything and followed him.

Luke 5:10,11.
20The apostle Matthew and the disciple
Mark describe this calling of the four fish
ermen in a more condensed form, but
Matthew and Mark show that Jesus issued
a direct invitation to all four to become
fishers of men. Mark 1:16-20 says: While
walking alongside the sea of Galilee he
saw Simon and Andrew the brother of
Simon casting their nets about in the sea,
for they were fishers. So Jesus said to
them: Come after me, and I shall cause
you to become fishers of men. And at once
they abandoned their nets and followed
him. And after going a little farther he
saw James the son of Zebedee and John his
brother, in fact, while they were in their
boat mending their nets; and without delay
he called them. In turn they left their
father Zebedee in the boat with the hired
men and went off after him. Matt. 4:
18-20.
21 Jesus himself there caught four human
fish. Although he had been a professional
carpenter in inland Nazareth, not a profes
sional fisher, he knew how to catch sym
bolic fish of a human kind. Here he began
doing so, more than six months after he
was baptized in the Jordan River and
anointed with Gods holy spirit. As an ex
perienced man he knew also how to teach
others to fish for men and catch them
alive. With this end in view he called the
four professional fishers to follow him per
sonally and receive training. For this rea
son they had to abandon their fishing
business at the Sea of Galilee. An ordinary
fisherman can sell the fish he catches and
thus make an earthly living. However, a
fisher for men cannot sell men and thus
make a livelihood off them. So how were
20. How do Matthew and Mark describe the calling of
the itjar hshermen?
21. (a) How was Jesus, a professional carpenter, quali
fied to teach those four to fish for men? (b) What
example assured them not to w orry about making a
livelihood as fishers o f men ?

689

Peter, Andrew, James and John to make

their living as fishers of men, continually
following the Lord Jesus Christ, the great
est Fisher of them all? Well, Jesus himself
had abandoned everything at the time that
he went to John the Baptist to be baptized
and he never resumed his carpenter work,
and yet Jehovah God took care of him as
a Fisher of men.
NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT LIVELIHOOD

22There was no reason for these ex

fishermen to doubt that they would be
successful in catching men as long as they
acted under the direction of the Chief
Fisherman, Jesus Christ. At his bidding
Peter and Andrew had in faith let down
their nets into the Sea of Galilee for a
catch, in what were apparently barren
waters, and yet they came up with such a
catch that they had to call for the assis
tance of their partners James and John.
Then their nets began ripping apart and
the quantity of fish hauled aboard threat
ened to sink two boats. Now since Jesus
could produce such successful fishing in
the case of the scaly, finned creatures of
the waters, he could likewise make success
ful catches in the case of human symbolic
fish. Jesus death on the torture stake about
three years later did not damage or put an
end to this more important work of fishing
for men. On the third day he was raised
from the dead and was then in a position to
revive the fishing operations of his faithful
followers.
23True, Jesus was absent from them in
the flesh, inasmuch as he had been raised
from the dead as an immortal spirit Son of
God and thenceforth confined himself to
the invisible spirit realm. But he was now
22. (a) Why was there no reason to doubt making a
success in fishing for men? (b) Why was this fishing
for men not wrecked because of Jesus' death?
23. (a) Because of Jesus' resurrection to the spirit
realm, were the apostles in a worse position to fish
for men? (b) How did seven disciples come to find
themselves at the Sea o f Galilee after Jesus resur
rection ?

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SHeWATCHTOWEFL

in a better position to make this work of

fishing for men a complete success on a
worldwide scale. He gave an encouraging
assurance of this on one occasion more
than a week after he was raised from the
dead on the sixteenth day of the lunar
month Nisan of the year 33 C.E. Through
angels who appeared to certain disciples
on his resurrection morning he told his
faithful apostles to leave Jerusalem and
the province of Judea and go north into the
province of Galilee. There he would appear
visibly and give them further instructions.
(Matt. 26:32; 28:7-10, 16; Mark 16:6, 7)
So it came about that on one occasion
seven of Jesus disciples found themselves
together near the Sea of Galilee, which
was also called the Sea of Tiberias.
24When Peter said that he was going
fishing, the six others said they would
join with him. All night long they tried
to net some fish but caught absolutely
nothing. Then, at dawn, a figure stood on
the shore. His voice carried to them across
the waters to their little boat: Young
children, you do not have anything to
eat, do you? They called back No! Well,
then, did he say to quit?
25Here is what we read: He said to
them: Cast the net on the right side of
the boat and you will find some. Then
they cast it, but they were no longer able to
draw it in because of the multitude of the
fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus
used to love said to Peter: It is the Lord!
Hence Simon Peter, upon hearing that it
was the Lord, girded about himself his
top garment, for he was naked, and plunged
into the sea. But the other disciples came
in the little boat, for they were not a long
way from land, only about three hundred
feet away, dragging the net of fishes. How
ever, when they disembarked onto land
24,25. (a) After a period of fishing, what were the
seven obliged to answer a questioner on the shore?
(b) What did he tell them to do, and how did they
afterward get to shore?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

they beheld lying there a charcoal fire

and fish lying upon it and bread. Jesus
said to them: Bring some of the fish you
just now caught. Simon Peter, therefore,
went on board and drew the net to land
full of big fishes, one hundred and fiftythree of them. But although there were
so many the net did not burst.
26 At the time of this manifestation of
Jesus he was not in the same material
ized body as previously. This is why we
read: Jesus said to them: Come, take
your breakfast. Not one of the disciples
had the courage to inquire of him: Who
are you? because they knew it was the
Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and
gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This
was now the third time that Jesus appeared
to the disciples after his being raised up
from the dead. (John 21:1-14) That is,
this was the third time that Jesus had
appeared to his apostles when all of them
or more than half of them were together.
On the first such occasion, on the evening
of the Sunday of his resurrection, Jesus
materialized and ate some broiled fish to
prove to his apostles that it was not a
spirit that they were seeing. Luke 24:
22-43; John 20:19-25.
27 It was very fitting that twice Jesus
Christ should demonstrate his power by
filling the nets of his apostles with mi
raculous catches of fish. He is the last
Adam, and the first Adam in the garden
of Eden was one who in certain respects
bore a resemblance to him that was to
come. (1 Cor. 15:45; Rom. 5:14) To the
first Adam and his wife the command
was given by God the Creator to have
in subjection the fish of the sea and all
the other lower animals of the earth. (Gen.
1:26-28) It was foretold in Psalm 8:4-8
26. (a) Why might a question have been raised then
as to who he was? (b) How was this the third time
that he appeared to his disciples after his resurrection?
27. Why was it appropriate for Jesus to demonstrate
his power by twice causing miraculous catches of fish?

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

that the last Adam, Jesus Christ, was

likewise to have even the fish in subjection
to him, and we do have recorded evidences
that he did exercise such power, to further
the interests of Gods kingdom. (Heb. 2:
5-9) One such instance was when Jesus,
faced with the paying of the temple tax,
said to Simon Peter: Go to the sea, cast
a fishhook, and take the first fish coming
up and, when you open its mouth, you will
find a stater coin. Take that and give it
to them for me and you. Matt. 17:
24-27.
28 Remembering that Jesus had called
them to become fishers of men, the apos
tles must have had their faith strength
ened for such a work by the two miracu
lous catches of fish. Under the command
of the Chief Fisher, Jesus Christ, they had
not in vain let down their nets for a catch.
It was logical for them to reason that
when, in fishing for men, they let down
their nets at his command, they would
not bring up their nets empty; there would
be those who would be gathered in for
the kingdom of the heavens. However,
after the second miraculous catch of fish
at the Sea of Galilee Jesus did not need
to repeat his invitation to them to follow
him and become transformed from catchers
of fish into fishers of men. For this reason,
the resurrected Jesus now turned to an
other figure of speech, because the quality
of love was now to be taken into consider
ation. Thus John 21:15-17 tells us:
29 When, now, they had breakfasted,
Jesus said to Simon Peter: Simon son
of John, do you love me more than these?
He said to him: Yes, Lord, you know I
have affection for you. He said to him:
Feed my lambs. Again he said to him, a
second time: Simon son of John, do you
28. (a) In view of such miraculous catches of fish,
what was it logical for them to reason as to fishing
fo r men? (b) Why after that second catch did Jesus
not need to invite them to become fishers of men?
29. What questions and answers did Jesus and Peter
then engage in?

691

love me? He said to him: Yes, Lord, you

know I have affection for you. He said
to him: Shepherd my little sheep. He said
to him the third time: Simon son of John,
do you have affection for m e? Peter be
came grieved that he said to him the third
time: Do you have affection for me? So
he said to him: Lord, you know all things;
you are aware that I have affection for
you. Jesus said to him: Feed my little
sheep.
30 Fishers do not love fish, but shepherds
do love sheep, in the land of Jesus earthly
sojourn in particular. Also, a shepherd
held himself responsible for sheep in his
care. But just what Jesus had in mind
when he asked Peter: Do you love me
more than these? is not certain. In the
Greek Bible text the demonstrative pro
noun these is in the genitive case, plural
number, and in the Greek language this
case of the pronoun has the same form for
all three genders, masculine, feminine and
neuter. For instance, the New Testament
translation by K. S. Wuest (1961) reads:
Do you have love for me . . . more than
these (fish) ? Thus Jesus would be asking
whether Peter loved him more than this
professional fishing business in the Sea of
Galilee. The same thought is suggested by
the Bible translation by G. M. Lamsa
(1957), which reads: Do you love me
more than these things?
31The Bible translation by James Moffatt (1922) provokes a different thought,
reading: Do you love me more than the
others do? (Also, An American Transla
tion; James Murdocks) On the night of
Jesus betrayal to his enemies Simon Peter
had boasted that he loved Jesus more than
the other apostles did, but shortly after
ward he failed to show this superior love.
(Matt. 26:31-35, 55, 56, 69-75) But at the
30, 31. (a) Why is it difficult to know what Jesus
meant by the pronoun these in his first question to
Peter? (b) Hence, how do some modern translators
render the question?

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SEeW ATCHTOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

Sea of Galilee Peter did not boast about how he could show his love on earth for
the superiority of his love for Jesus. But his invisible resurrected Lord and Master,
The New English Bible (New Testament, namely, by taking loving care of the Mas
1961) reads: Do you love me more than ters sheep on earth. Toward gaining
people for God, Peter must display the
all else?
32
Whatever the pronoun these herequalities of a fisher; but toward keeping
means, Jesus proceeded to indicate to Peter within the organization those brought in
side, Peter must show the tender love of
32. For gaining people, whose qualities should Peter
show, and for keeping those gained, what quality must
an undershepherd for his Masters sheep.
Peter show?

VIDENTLY it was some short time

after the above that the resurrected
Jesus reappeared to his disciples in Galilee,
this time to all eleven faithful ones, and
this time not by the seaside but in a moun
tain. The apostle Matthew was there and
writes this about it: The eleven disciples
went into Galilee to the mountain where
Jesus had arranged for them, and when
they saw him they did obeisance, but
some doubted. And Jesus approached and
spoke to them, saying: All authority has
been given me in heaven and on the earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of people
of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and
of the holy spirit, teaching them to ob
serve all the things I have commanded you.
And, look! I am with you all the days until
the conclusion of the system of things.

2 Likely there were many more in the

mountain than just the eleven faithful
apostles. (Matt. 28:16-20) This may be
the occasion to which the later apostle
Paul refers, when he says: After that
he appeared to upward of five hundred
brothers at one time, the most of whom
remain to the present, but some have fallen
asleep in death. (1 Cor. 15:6) Unques
tionably the discipling work was not to
be confined to the eleven faithful apostles,
and the later Bible records show that it
was not limited to the apostles. The fishing
for men was to be carried on by all the
disciples, including the newly made dis
ciples, and Jesus parable of the dragnet
proves this. The fishing grounds were not
to be confined to the small pool of the
natural Jews but were to include the whole
sea of mankind, people of all the nations.
This was to continue down to the conclu-

1. Where afterward did the resurrected Jesus appear

again to his apostles, and, according to Matthew, what
did he say to them?

2. (a) Was the discipling work to be confined to the

eleven faithful apostles, and what evidence is offered
in answer? (b) In what fishing grounds was the work
to be carried on?

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SHeWATCHTOWER,

693

sion of the system of things, in which

we are now.
3Jesus direct fishing operations on
earth, with the help of his apostles and
evangelizers, had netted only about one
hundred and twenty disciples. At least
that many were found together in the
upper room on the morning of Pentecost
of the year 33 C.E. Where were the others
of the five hundred that at one time had
witnessed his appearance in Galilees
mountain? (Acts 1:15 to 2:4) Prior to
that remarkable day of Pentecost Jesus
Christ had not gathered his followers to
gether and established them as Christian
congregations separate from the Jewish
synagogue. But now, on this sixth day
of the lunar month of Sivan of 33 C.E.,
fishing operations by Jesus trained fishers
of men began. All one hundred and twenty
in the upper room in Jerusalem, anointed
with Gods holy spirit through Christ,
participated in the operation, as with a
common net. As on the two occasions of
special fishing efforts at the Sea of Gali
lee, there was a miraculous catching of
symbolic fish. On that one day about three
thousand were netted, for all these were
baptized in water in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. They clung to the apostolic
fishers and held meetings. Acts 2:5-47.
4About three years four months and
ten days later, or in the autumn of the
year 36 C.E., the Christian fishing net
was let down in international waters under
the direction of the heavenly Fisher, the
glorified Jesus Christ. That was when
fisherman Peter, accompanied by six faith
ful Christian Jews, was sent to the seaport
city of Caesarea to preach the Kingdom
message to the Italian centurion Corne
lius and the other Gentiles whom he had

* President J. F. Rutherford, Secretary-Treasurer

W. E. Van Amburgh and A. H. Macmillan. See The
Watch Tower as of April 15, 1919, page 123.

3. (a) By his fishing operations on earth, how many

fish had Jesus directly netted up to Pentecost of
33 C.E.? (b) What kind of catch was there that day,
and who took part in the operation?
4. When was fishing in international waters begun,
and what was first netted?

5. According to Jesus parable of the dragnet, what

are we now approaching, and what about fishing
operations ?
6. (a) What quality did it require to let down nets
in 1919? (b) How was there a resuscitation of the
organization in 1919, and was it purposeless or not?

gathered into his house. God blessed the

fishing operations of Peter and, through
the glorified Jesus Christ, God poured out
holy spirit upon the Gentile believers. Thus
the first Gentile fish were netted for
the kingdom of the heavens.Acts 10:1
to 11:12.
IN THE CONCLUSION
OF THE SYSTEM OF THINGS

5 Since the catching of the non-Jewish

Cornelius of Caesarea into the Christian
net the activities of Christian fishers of
men in all waters have gone on down into
this conclusion of the system of things.
(Matt. 28:20) The symbolic fiery fur
nace into which Christs holy angels will
cast the unsuitable symbolic fish is very
near. (Matt. 13:47-50) The time gets more
critical as the days go by. But the spiritual
fishing operations must go on!
6As in the case of Jesus apostles on
two occasions at the Sea of Galilee, it re
quired great faith for the true fishers of
men to obey Christs command and let
down their nets in the year 1919. That
was the first postwar year following the
first world war. In the spring of that year
the three directors* and five other prom
inent members of the Watch Tower Bible
& Tract Society of Pennsylvania were re
leased from the Federal penitentiary in
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A., and the free
administration of the International Bible
Students Association was restored. The
organization of these dedicated, baptized
Christians, which was badly crippled world
wide during World War I by religious
persecution and militarized governing ele
ments, was repaired. It was as if, like the

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SEeWATCHTOW ER

prophet Jonah, they had been disgorged

from the belly of a big fish, to prophesy
further. Why was there a spiritual resur
rection of these dedicated Christians? To
continue fishing! Even though the Gentile
Times had ended in the early autumn of
1914, the worldwide fishing for men was
not yet over. Down the nets must go again!
7To that end, articles on Blessed Are
the Fearless were published in the issues
of August 1 and 15, 1919, of the Watch
Tower magazine; the first general assem
bly attended by thousands was held at
Cedar Point, Ohio, U.S.A., at the begin
ning of September, and the new magazine
The Golden Age began to be published
on October 1, 1919. In effect, there was
a command to these dedicated Christian
Bible students: Let down your nets for
a catch. Obediently, and in a fearless
way, they let down in waters that had
been quite barren during the years of
World War I their nets by an intensified
preaching of the good news of the king
dom to all the sea of mankind. (Matt.
24:14) Was there a catch?
8 The statistics for those postwar years
and the spreading of activities answer Yes!
For example, under date of September 1,
1925, The Watch Tower, on page 263,
said regarding attendance at the world
wide celebration of the Lords supper: We
are pleased that the number participating
in the Memorial is so great, because it
manifests much interest in the truth every
where, and this is as it should be. The
grand total reported to date is 90,434,
which is 25,329 more than were reported
a year ago.
9 For more than twelve years from 1919
onward the fishing activities of these
Christian fishers of men were directed
7. How, in effect, was the command issued to let down
the nets, and how were they let down?
8. What report concerning the catch did The Watch
Tow er make in the summer of 1925 ?
9. At first the renewed fishing was done to catch
whom, and what name did the fishers embrace?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

chiefly to netting symbolic fish for the

kingdom of the heavens, to be joint heirs
with Jesus Christ in the heavenly kingdom.
In 1931 the remnant of these Kingdom
heirs assumed the Biblical name Jeho
vahs witnesses, beginning Sunday after
noon, July 26, 1931, when around 10,000
in international assembly in Columbus,
Ohio, joyously adopted a resolution in fa
vor of taking this name, it being based
on Isaiah 43:10-12. Congregations of these
Kingdom heirs around the globe followed
this action.
10
The Kingdom fish collected by the
angels by dragnet operations during the
nineteen centuries since Pentecost of the
year 33 C.E. were finally to number
144,000. (Rev. 7:4-8; 14:1-5) So, now,
during this conclusion of the system of
things since the end of the Gentile Times
in 1914 the last of these Kingdom fish
were to be caught in the dragnet, in ful
fillment of Jesus parable in Matthew 13:
47-50. All of this final remnant who were
netted by angelic operations were them
selves made fishers of men, even as the
apostles whom Jesus called from profes
sional fishing in the Sea of Galilee had
been made such.# (Matt. 4:18, 19; Luke
5:10) Apparently, by the years 1931-1935
all symbolic fish suitable for the kingdom
of the heavens had been caught to com
plete the foreordained number of 144,000
joint heirs of Christ. (Matt. 22:10, 11)
Well, then, were those of the anointed
remnant to stop their fishing activities?
Were they to throw their fishing nets into
discard and just wait to be taken to heav
en? How could they Scripturally do so?
We are still in the conclusion of the sys* With a similar understanding the article Catching
Fish with the Gospel Net was published on pages
308, 309 of the October 15, 1914, issue of The W atch
Tower.
10,11. (a) When, apparently, had all fish suitable
for the Kingdom been netted? (b) What were those
fishers, still in the conclusion of the system of
things, to do then?

ovem ber

15, 1967

fEeW ATCHTOW ER.

695

tem of things. We dare not forget that cruel persecution the fishers of men kept
Jesus said to his followers:
on toiling, as it were, through the night.
11
Go therefore and make disciples ofIn a number of lands their spiritual fishing
people of all the nations, baptizing them work was banned by the wartime govern
. . . teaching them to observe all the things ments. But Jehovahs fishers of men do
I have commanded you. And, look! I am not get their fishing license or rights from
with you all the days until the conclusion the rulers of this world. Psalm 95:3-5 tells
them: Jehovah is a great God . . . to
of the system of things.
whom
12
By those words in Matthew 28:19,
20 the sea, which he himself made,
Jesus set no date in the conclusion of the belongs. Likewise the sea of humanity
system of things for the fisherman class belongs to him, and he has issued to his
whom he addressed to stop their work dedicated, baptized witnesses fishing rights
of making disciples. So people who are to fish in all waters regardless of the re
not netted for a share in the kingdom of strictions that mere men try to set up over
the heavens can become disciples of Jesus certain areas. So the Kingdom fishing
Christ, even though they are not given work went on steadily, in secret where
the heavenly hope but rejoice in hope of necessary. In 1941 the Kingdom message
everlasting life in an earthly paradise that attracted the symbolic fish was being
governed by the heavenly kingdom of God. proclaimed in eighty-eight languages, on
Hence it is a published fact that since the printed page and by word of mouth.
14 On December 7, 1941, World War II
year 1935 the Christian fishers of men
began concentrating their attention on sucked in the United States of America,
those whom God will make heirs of the the land where the headquarters base of
earthly paradise. To these the possibility the spiritual fishing was located. Thirtywas held out of being protected during the two days later the aged president of the
coming final war of Armageddon and sur headquarters organization in Brooklyn,
viving into the righteous new order on New York, died. Thus in the midst of war
earth under Gods celestial kingdom.* Dur of world proportions a change in the presi
ing the year 1938 there was an average dency became necessary, and the responsi
of 47,143 who were reported fishing in bility of this office was laid upon the
52 lands around the globe. Doubtless these shoulders of a dedicated man half as old,
on January 13, 1942.
included many dedicated Christians who
15Although men were becoming faint
entertained the earthly paradise hope.
because of the horrors of the greatest war
13 The outbreak of World War II inof all times till then, there was no loss
September of 1939 greatly hindered the of courage or of confidence on the part
work of fishing for disciples of Jesus of Jehovahs organization of fishers of
Christ. At that time it was a case of fishing men. From its earthly headquarters there
in troubled waters; but despite war and went forth the call to fishers of men
in all waters: Let down your nets for
See the book entitled You May Survive Armageddon into God's New W orld, published in 1955 by
a catch. This came specially in the form
the Watch Tower Society.
12. tal In Matthew 28:19, 20, did Jesus set a date for
ceasing from making disciples of him ? (b) During the
year 1938, how many were reported fishing, and whom
did this number doubtless include?
13. How did the outbreak of W orld W ar II affect the
fishing, but why did the fishing continue on in the
sea o f humanity?

14. How was a change of presidency of the Watch

Tower Society brought about shortly after America
entered World War II?
15. What call issued early in 1942 showed whether
there was a loss of courage or confidence on the part
of Jehovah s organization, and what was the reaction
to it?

696

SEeW ATCHTOW ER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

10Be it a miracle or not, there was a

of a leading article in the February 1,
the combined report from
1942, issue of
TheWatchtower, catch.
which Although
used
as its theme the text of Jeremiah 16:16 all fishers active during the gloomy war
(A V ) , which reads: Behold, I will send year of 1942 was not received in full, it
for many fishers, saith the L o r d , and they could be reported that upward of 100,000
shall fish them; and after will I send for were actively engaged in the spiritual
many hunters, and they shall hunt them fishing, and, of these, 7,624 were pioneer
from every mountain, and from every hill, publishers putting in their full time as
and out of the holes of the rocks. * Para fishers of men. (191f3 Yearbook of Jeho
graph 28 (page 42) of this stirring article vahs Witnesses, page 221) The work of
referred to the call to the fishers of men traveling representatives who visited the
as set out in Matthew 4:18-22 and Luke congregations of fishers of men in zones
5:1-11. Whether the troubled waters of of territory was started again. On Septem
the war-torn sea of humanity were at the ber 18-20,1942, the New World Theocratic
time barren of symbolic fish or not, down Assembly was held, fifty-one cities being
went the nets into the waters, in full faith, linked with the main assembly city Cleve
with trust in the Chief Fisher, Jesus land, Ohio, and twenty-six foreign cities
Christ.
being favored with the same program. In
the public talk, Peace Can It Last?
* According to M'Clintock and Strongs Biblical
Cyclopaedia, Jeremiah 16:16 may be applied in a
the peace that was to follow World War II
favorable sense. Volume 3, in its article on Fishing,
page 579, paragraph 1, says:
in 1945 was foretold, also the reviving of
The copious supply of fish in the waters of Pales
the international organization for world
tine encouraged the art or avocation of fishery, to
which frequent allusions are made in the Bible: in
peace and security, now the United Na
the Old Testament these allusions are of a metaphorical
character, descriptive either of the conversion (Jer
tions. In 1942 plans were laid to build a
emiah 16:16; Ezekiel 47:10) or of the destruction
(Ezekiel 29:3 s q .; Ecclesiastes 9:12; Amos 4:2; Habaknew printing factory in Brooklyn, and also
kuk 1:14) of the enemies of God. In the New Testament
the allusions are of a historical character for the
to start the Bible School of Gilead for
most part . . . , though the metaphorical application
is still maintained in Matthew 13:47 sq.
missionary fishers.
The Holy Bible Commentary by F. C. Cook, published
by Charles Scribners Sons, New York, in 1886, says,
11 All those things that were projected
in Volume 5, page 414, on Jeremiah 16:16:
. . Spiri
were realized. The letting down of the
tually, the fathers expound it of the Apostles as fishers
of men. So Origen, The Apostles are the Fishers, who
fishing nets resulted in a catch, contrary
from the divine Scriptures weave the nets whereby
they draw men out of the briny sea of a worldly life,
to what might have been expected. In the
that God may give them a better life, even upon the
mountains, with the prophets and their Lord, who
year
1939 there were 61,589 fishers of
was transfigured upon a mountain, and upon a moun
tain taught the people His beatitudes: and there the
men casting out nets world wide; but
hunters are the angels, who come to receive their
souls as they depart from their bodies (Origen in
in 1945, in the September of which World
Gr. Ghislerii, 11,430).
On the unfavorable side MClintock and Strongs
War
II ended, there were 127,478 who
Biblical Cyclopaedia, Volume 3, says, under Fisher,
page 580, column 1:
were regularly fishing each month, and,
A term used, besides its literal import . . . in the
of these, 6,719 were full-time pioneer
phrase fishers of men . . . as applied by our Saviour
to the apostles . . . in calling them to their office; and
fishers. This was learned from the neces
in a like typical manner, but in an unfavorable sense,
the word occurs Jeremiah 16:16. The application of the
sarily incomplete reports. The vast major
figure is obvious.
Some commentators take verses 14, 15 of Jeremiah
ity of this increase in symbolic fish netted
16 to be an interruption of the prophecy, those verses
being repeated, though with slight changes, in chapter
during
those years were persons who be23, verses 7, 8. Accordingly, An American Translation
(Smith-Goodspeed) puts verses 14, 15 in brackets,
whereas the Bible translation by Dr. James Moffatt
omits verses 14, 15 altogether. When read thus im
mediately after verse 13, verse 16 would take on an
unfavorable meaning toward Gods ancient covenant
people of Israel.

16. (a) Was there a catch in that war year of 1942?

(b) What was there to show determination to continue
and enlarge the fishing?
17. What indicated that there had been a catch despite
World War II, which ended in 1945?

ovember

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

697

came disciples of Christ with an earthly

paradise hope.

ashore, hang up our idle nets, and quit

our assigned fishing work.
18Accordingly, the number of those who
20 Some fishing grounds may now seem
had the witness of Gods spirit that they to be overworked and almost depleted of
had the heavenly Kingdom hope began available fish. True, in such places fewer
to decrease yearly. Also, when the number fish may be hauled up, yet the trustful
of the fishers of men on earth exceeded letting down of the nets by Kingdom
the number of 144,000 Kingdom heirs, it preaching, teaching and training always
was self-evident that those symbolic fish results in catching some who become dedi
now being netted
cated, baptized disci
were disciples with
ples o f the C h i e f
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
hop e o f l i v i n g on
Fisher Jesus Christ.
Saving the W orld of M ankind by Blood.
earth forever under
This appears to be
By M a n s W a y or by God's W a y W hich?
Gods heavenly king
true even in some
W h a t Is Needed fo r Salvation?
dom. That fact was
n
ational f i s h i n g
An In v ita tio n Is Extended to You.
plain in 1947, twenty
grounds where the
years ago, when the
number of fishers in
number of fishers regularly reporting the organization does not increase or even
world wide was 181,071, in 86 lands.
decreases. If possible, let those who are
19 Our obedience in letting down our nets able to do so move their boats to un
according to the command of the Chief touched fishing grounds or to where more
Fisher, Jesus Christ, has not been in vain. fishers of men could be used to take care
In these postwar years since 1945 hundreds of the big catch that is apparently possible.
of thousands of symbolic fish have been
21 The One who called us to this occu
netted. Today about a million of them have
pation,
Jesus Christ, is in charge. He
become dedicated, baptized disciples of
knows
where
he is directing us. He can
Christ and have become ordained fishers
of men. Shortly this great fishing season bless our seemingly fruitless efforts with
will be over. Its close will be marked by a surprise catch. We can be sure that he
the war of the great day of God the will have all his fish caught who be
Almighty at Armageddon, where any come his dedicated, baptized disciples, be
unsuitable fish on hand will be destroyed fore all the unsuitable creatures of the
as in a fiery furnace. (Rev. 16:14-16) sea of humanity are cast into the fiery
A close must come to the conclusion of furnace at Armageddon, and the faithful,
the system of things, during which Je enduring fishers of men are rewarded
hovahs Chief Fisher, Jesus Christ, with with life-giving privileges in Gods new
his holy angels, is directing where the order under his heavenly kingdom of peace
fishing nets should be cast. That terrible and happiness. Till that time of execution
close is getting nearer, if we judge from of divine judgment, let down your nets
evidences Biblical and mundane. That is for a catch.
no reason for us fishers of men to go
18. By the year 1947, what indicated that the most of
those being now netted were those with an earthly
hope?
19. (a) Has our letting down our nets since 1945 been
in vain? (b) Why w ill this fishing season shortly be
over?

20. (a) Though some fishing grounds seem overworked

or depleted, what does trustful letting down o f nets
accomplish? (b) Where might fishers in such areas go
for a catch?
21. Who is still in charge of fishing operations, and
why should we continue to let down our nets for a
catch ?

o f a million!
And how grati
//
fying it was to see
over 13,000 persons
/ /
J
at these 140 assem
blies sy m bol ize the
dedication of their lives
to serve their Grand Cre
ator, thus joining wholesouled in the Christian work
of making disciples.
' / /

*,i

TH A T

P R O M O TE

Vt4cfofe~MaAiiuy

"S '

1OME people dont like

to talk about reli
gion, began an article in
the San Jose News of July
14, 1967.
But thats not true of the
nearly 10,000 youll find at
the Santa Clara County
Fairgrounds daily through
Sunday, the report contin
ued. They are members of
the 170 Jehovahs Witnesses
congregations in 13 [San Fran
cisco] Bay Area counties at
tending a Disciple-Making district
assembly.
The gathering in San Jose, California,
was only one of sixty-three such four-day
assemblies held this summer in Canada
and the continental United States. A com
bined total of 463,658 attended the public
talk Rescuing a Great Crowd of Mankind
Out of Armageddon featured at these as
semblies, and 6,878 new ministers symbol
ized their dedication to Jehovah God by
water baptism.
However, these were only a few of the
Disciple-making District Assemblies.
Seventy-seven others were held through
out the British Isles and western Europe.
These enjoyed a combined attendance of
312,032, with 6,171 baptized. This raised
the grand total of those attending the
Disciple-making assemblies in just these
places to 775,690well over three-quarters

BEGAN IN JUNE

The series of assemblies began

June 8 in Bray, Ireland, where
839 persons attended the public
talk. Two weeks later the assem
blies got under way in the United
States at Kalispell, Montana,
Shreveport, Louisiana, and Stockton, California, with a combined
peak attendance of 19,270. The
following week England and Can
ada began their series of conven
tions, and there and in the United
States that weekend 52,966 heard
the public address.
Then, during the following weeks, addi
tional tens of thousands met in widely
scattered cities. Often the population in
these places was relatively small, this re
sulting in a deep impression being made
by the visiting delegates. For example,
you can imagine the impact made by about
4,000 visiting delegates upon Kalispell,
where the regular population is not much
over 10,000! Or of some 18,000 conventioners on Costa Mesa, California, where
only about 40,000 people live. At times
the ratio of delegates to the population of
the convention city was about one to five,
and, on occasions, much higher.
The big week, insofar as number of per
sons attending is concerned, was August
3 to 6. In just the United States alone,
82,345 met in assembly that weekend!

ovem ber

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER

There were 32,283 in Jersey City, New

Jersey, and 25,618 in Pomona, California,
the two largest assemblies. Finally, on Sep
tember 14 to 17, the summer series of as
semblies came to a close with a conclud
ing one at Liverpool, England.

699

Christian disciples and worshipers of the

God of Creation, Jehovah.
The 224-page Lamp book describes
the responsibilities of Christian disciples,
and outlines features of the present-day
Christian organization. It is written in
such an appealing way that, after reading
THE PROGRAM AND NEW PUBLICATIONS
it, one delegate said: It made me want to
The program, which was practically the
get out and preach to others.
same at each assembly, stressed the im
The entire four-day assembly program
portance of not only being a disciple of
had
a similar effect upon many. A dele
Jesus Christ, but helping others to become
gate
at South Bend, Indiana, aptly de
such also. The keynote address, Let God
scribed
it: The program was so full of
Arise, Let His Enemies Be Scattered,
practical
thingsthings we can take home
pointed to the imminent end of wicked
with
us
and
apply. It made me want to serve
ness when God will soon arise against his
Jehovah,
not
just go through the motions
enemies at the end of this system of
because
I
felt
I had to.
things. Now is the time to proclaim Gods
Especially
appreciated
were the Bible
kingdom, it was emphasized, so that peo
dramas.

They
projected
us
into the midst
ple may know of the glorious victories that
of
real
situations,
observed
one delegate.
Gods government has, and yet will realize.
We
became
a
part
of
the
incident.
It was
Following this address a revised En
easy
to
see
the
modern
application
as the
glish Qualified to Be Ministers book was
familiar
problems
we
face
were
woven
into
released to assist delegates in their
disciple-making work. This publication is the plot. One drama involved an Israelite
now already being used as a textbook in man who possessed a bull that was in the
the weekly Theocratic Ministry School of habit of goring. (Ex. 21:28, 29) This bull
Jehovahs witnesses. Two other new En killed a neighbor, but the facts were mis
glish books designed to help in making dis represented, and had to be ferreted out by
ciples were also released during the as the Israelite judges.
sembliesDid Man Get Here
Evolution
Daddy, one seven-year-old asked his
or by Creation? and Your Word Is a father after the drama, did they really
Lamp to My F o o t
take those men out and stone them? The
The new Evolution book captured the in events had been enacted with such reality
terest of many. One visitor to the assembly that the impression was indelibly made. It
in Montgomery, Alabama, said: I was up was made clear how serious it is in Gods
until two or three oclock this morning sight to lie and to treat lightly the counsel
reading that book. It really fills a need, coming through Gods organization.
and one delegate to the Tucson, Arizona,
But the impressions were even deeper for
assembly wrote: I honestly feel the new older youths. A sixteen-year-old, who had
book Evolution should certainly appeal to been keeping worldly company in spite of
those with a worldly science education or remonstrations from his father, gave the
background, and may be instrumental in program rapt attention. At home that eve
reaching them with the truth. The hope is ning, after the sessions were over, he apolo
that it will assist many persons to become gized to his father for his past course of

700

fffieWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

the Montgomery, Alabama, assembly. He

borrowed a truck from his employer, built
a camper-type body for its bed, piled in his
family along with five others from his con
gregation, and all sixteen attended the as
sembly!
The faith of those who surmounted real
obstacles to attend one of the Disciple
making assemblies was an inspiration to
their Christian brothers. This was true, for
example, of the 622 Portuguese Christians
who, being denied the right to meet in
their own country, traveled to Marseilles,
DELEGATES ATTEND DESPITE OBSTACLES
France, and there enjoyed a rich spiritual
Mature Christians appreciate their need feast and the hospitality of their French
for the vital association and instruction brothers. It was also true of the some 4,000
that await them at assemblies, and so are Christian witnesses in Spain who made it
determined to be present. One elderly blind to Toulouse, France, where they met freely
disciple could not find anyone to accom in assemblysomething not permitted at
pany her and, therefore, attended the Tren home.
ton assembly by herself. She expressed the
And at West Palm Beach, Florida, the
attitude: Dont worry. The brothers will experiences of Cuban refugees who endured
take care of me. She eventually was ac hardship and privations under Communist
commodated and truly enjoyed the as control encouraged all present. Even the
sembly.
public press manifested real interest in
In another instance, the home of a Mis their inspiring stories of maintaining
souri family of seven was being threatened Christian neutrality. In the Palm Beach
by floods. By June 29, the day the assembly Post of July 8, 1967, a staff writer re
was to begin, water was completely sur ported:
rounding their home, and prospects that it
Families of some of the refugees are
might recede appeared dim. However, they still in Cuba, their relatives here remem
piled the furniture on tables and chairs bering how the men were put in holes and
and elevated their beds, expressing the de covered with sand leaving only the head
termination: We are going to the assem above ground to be scorched by the blaz
bly and trust in Jehovah. They received ing sun, how they were made to stand in
a real spiritual blessing from being there. water for long periods of time, and other
Attending the Asheville, North Carolina, unbelievable atrocities.
assembly was not easy for a widow with
The women are not treated as badly as
eight children. Yet, she was there! I just the men, say some who have left the is
decided to drive it every day, she said. land, but their missionary work has been
Its 200 miles round trip, but I didnt feel made very difficult and possessing a Bible
that we could miss being present.
is reason enough for confinement.
Although he has ten children, nine of
But, despite the persecutions, Jeho
them living at home, a Christian overseer vahs Witnesses in Cuba are remaining
from Mississippi was determined to be at neutral to government pressures and, as

action. I didnt realize how serious it was,

he confided, and promised that he would
not be guilty of such folly in the future.
The assembly program truly had the ef
fect of making Christian disciples! And it
inspired those present to renewed vigor in
Christian ministerial activity. As one group
from Belgium expressed it: How can we
prove to our heavenly Father that we ap
preciate this spiritual food? Only by living
according to the counsel given and by mak
ing disciples for Christ.

N ovem ber

15, 1967

SKeWATCHTOWER,

one refugee expressed it, The officials

have seen the faith shown and say that
were obedient to our faith.
MOTIVATED TO BECOME DISCIPLES

Visitors to assemblies of Jehovahs wit

nesses see this same true faith in evidence.
The Christian love and genuine friendly
spirit pervading these assemblies moti
vates many first-time attenders to take
serious steps toward becoming disciples of
Jesus Christ. Explained one man who at
tended the Columbus, Georgia, assembly:
A few weeks ago one of Jehovahs wit
nesses at work gave me a Watchtower. I
read it. I was very much impressed with
the information. The next two weeks I
spent ten hours in the Kingdom Hall and
enjoyed every minute of it. I came here
and havent missed a session. Being in
here is like being in the light, and being
outside in false religion is like being in
the dark. I have been an army man for
twenty-one years. Now it looks like I am
going to join another army. Arrange
ments were made for a regular Bible study
to be conducted with this man so that he
can fulfill his desire to become a fine sol
dier of Jesus Christ. 2 Tim. 2:3.
Another person was persuaded by the
Witness with whom he has a regular Bible
study to attend a session of the Allentown,
Pennsylvania, assembly. He did, and was
so impressed that he arranged to attend
the Trenton, New Jersey, assembly two
weeks later. During it he said: This has
to be Jehovahs organization; Ive been in

701

the world and from what I see Jehovahs

witnesses are a miracle.
Such a conclusion can be reached if one
takes the initiative and personally investi
gates by attending an assembly. In Nor
way an unbelieving wife did this, accom
panying her Witness husband. They tented
in the assembly camping grounds with al
most 2,000 Witnesses. As soon as the final
sessions were over, they left together for
a camping tour. What was her impression
of the assembly?
Why, the very next day they came back!
Werent you going away for vacation?
they were asked. The wife answered: Yes,
and we stayed one night at another camp
ing grounds, but recalling the peace and
order in this camping grounds I found the
difference so great that I would rather
come back here and help you clean up.
She preferred to work with Jehovahs
witnesses rather than be on vacation with
worldly people! Since the assembly she
has been attending congregation meetings
with her husband, and is taking steps to
become a Christian disciple.
The Disciple-making District Assem
blies were indeed a grand success! They
accomplished so much in assisting honesthearted persons to identify who really are
the true disciples of Jesus Christ on earth
today. And the inspiring admonition and
instruction motivated the hundreds of
thousands of Christian delegates to press
on with renewed vigor in carrying out Je
sus command: Go therefore and make
disciples of people of all the nations.
Matt. 28:19.

 Is there any Scriptural objection to donating

ones body fo r use in medical research or to
accepting organs for transplant from such a
source? W . L., U.S.A.
A number of issues are involved in this
matter, including the propriety of organ trans
plants and autopsies. Quite often human emo
tion is the only factor considered when
individuals decide these matters. It would be
good, though, for Christians to consider the
Scriptural principles that apply, and then make
decisions in harmony with these principles so
as to be pleasing to Jehovah. Acts 24:16.
First, it would be well to have in mind that
organ transplant operations, such as are now
being performed in an attempt to repair the
body or extend a life-span, were not the custom
thousands of years ago, so we cannot expect to
find legislation in the Bible on transplanting
human organs. Yet, this does not mean that
we have no indication of Gods view of such
matters.
W hen Jehovah for the first time allowed
humans to eat animal flesh, he explained
matters this w ay to Noah: A fear of you and
a terror of you will continue upon every living
creature of the earth and upon every flying
creature of the heavens, upon everything that
goes moving on the ground, and upon all the
fishes of the sea. Into your hand they are now
given. Every moving animal that is alive may
serve as food for you. As in the case of green
vegetation, I do give it all to you. Only flesh
with its soul its blood you must not eat.
(Gen. 9:2-4) That allowance was made to Noah,
from whom every person now alive descended.
Hence, it applies to all of us.
Hum ans were allowed by God to eat animal
flesh and to sustain their human lives by taking
the lives of animals, though they were not
permitted to eat blood. Did this include eating
human flesh, sustaining ones life by means of
the body or part of the body of another human,
alive or dead? N o ! That would be cannibalism,
a practice abhorrent to all civilized people.

Jehovah clearly made a distinction between the

lives of animals and the lives of humans, man
kind being created in Gods image, with his
qualities. (Gen. 1:27) This distinction is evident
in His next words. God proceeded to show that
mans life is sacred and is not to be taken at
will, as m ay be done with the animals to be
used for food. To show disrespect fo r the
sanctity of human life would m ake one liable
to have his own life taken. Gen. 9 :5 , 6.
When there is a diseased or defective organ,
the usual way health is restored is by taking in
nutrients. The body uses the food eaten to
repair or heal the organ, gradually replacing
the cells. W hen men of science conclude that
this normal process will no longer work and
they suggest removing the organ and replacing
it directly with an organ from another human,
this is simply a shortcut. Those who submit to
such operations are thus living off the flesh
of another human. That is cannibalistic. H ow
ever, in allowing man to eat animal flesh
Jehovah God did not grant permission for
humans to try to perpetuate their lives by
cannibalistically taking into their bodies human
flesh, whether chewed or in the form o f whole
organs or body parts taken from others.
It is of interest to note that in its discussion
of cannibalism the Encyclopaedia of Religion
and Ethics, edited by James Hastings, Volume
3, page 199, has a section designated Medical
cannibalism. It points out that this is associated
with the idea of obtaining strength or some
medical virtue from the flesh of another human,
adding: The most remarkable example of this
practice occurs in China. Am ong the poor it is
not uncommon for a member of the fam ily to
cut a piece of flesh from arm or leg, which is
cooked and then given to a sick relative-----The whole superstition in China is certainly
connected with the idea that the eating of the
human body strengthens the eater____Am ong
savages the practice is found of giving a sick
man some blood to drink drawn from the veins
of a relative. Some might argue that therapeu
tic practices involved in modern organ trans
plant operations are more scientific than such
primitive treatment. Nonetheless, it is evident
that men practicing medicine have not been
beyond using treatments that amount to canni
balism if such have been thought justified.
M odem science has developed m any different
types of operations that involve human body
parts, some common and usually successful and
others experimental and often unsuccessful.

702

N ovem ber

15, 1967

SfEeWATCHTOWER,

It is not our place to decide whether such opera

tions are advisable or warranted from a scien
tific or medical standpoint. It would be well,
though, for Christians faced with a decision in
this regard to consider the indication as to
Gods viewpoint presented in the Scriptures.
Eph. 5:10.
A t present scientific researchers are starting
to use artificial or animal parts where formerly
human parts were thought necessary, such as
in the case of cornea transplants. (See, for in
stance, Science News for M ay 21,1966, page 396,
and Time for April 28, 1967, pages 68 and 70.)
Whether wider use of such operations will be
made, we do not know. N or can we decide
whether a Christian should accept some animal
part as a transplant; that is for personal deci
sion. (Gal. 6 :5 ) However, we can be sure that
in the future the time will come when all human
medical operations will be unnecessary. (Rev.
21:4) Christians have strong evidence that the
new order is near at hand when Jehovah the
Great Physician will, through Jesus, do healing
beyond the limitations of medical science of
today. Mark 8:22-25; John 11:43, 44; Acts
3:6, 7; Matt. 12:15.
W hat should be done, though, when a Chris
tian is asked to provide an organ for use in
another person or to allow the body part of a
deceased loved one to be so used? W e might
ask, I f a Christian decided personally that he
would not sustain his own life with the flesh
of another imperfect human, could he conscien
tiously allow part of his flesh to be used in that
way to sustain someone else?
Even from a medical standpoint there is some
question as to the wisdom and ethicalness of
some transplants. One physician discussed this
publicly in the Annals of Internal Medicine,
citing the results of 244 kidney-transplant
operations. In the majority of cases the recipient
did not live more than a year after the opera
tion. Then, commenting on the dangers for the
volunteer who donates one of his kidneys, the
doctor asked: Is it right to subject a healthy
person . . . to the possibility . . . of shortening
his life by 25 or 30 years in order to extend
anothers life by 25 or 30 months or less?
Reporting on this, Newsweek, of March 2, 1964,
page 74, added that the doctor offers no con
clusive answer, but he suggests that the ques
tion needs to be asked more often.
When it comes to deciding what to do with
ones own body or with the body of a deceased
loved one, for which a Christian is responsible,

703

the apostle Pauls words at Romans 12:1 should

not be overlooked: I entreat you by the com
passions of God, brothers, to present your
bodies a sacrifice living, holy, acceptable to God,
a sacred service with your power of reason.
Baptized Christians have dedicated their lives,
bodies included, to do the will of Jehovah their
Creator. In view of this, can such a person
donate his body or part of it for unrestricted
use by doctors or others? Does a human have a
God-given right to dedicate his body organs to
scientific experimentation? Is it proper for him
to allow such to be done with the body of a
loved one? These are questions worthy of
serious consideration.
Not to be overlooked is the use to which a
dead body might be put. W ould a Christian who,
while living, refused to give his blood to be
used as a transfusion for some other person,
allow his body to be turned over to a group or
to a person and possibly at that time have the
blood removed and used for transfusion, as
has been done with some cadavers? (See, for
example, Awake! of October 22, 1962, page 30.)
A person might feel that he could stipulate that
his body not be used in that w ay; but if many
persons in authority refuse to abide by a Chris
tians wishes about blood when he is alive,
what reason is there to believe they will show
more respect for his wishes after his death?
Would they use his organs in cannibalistic
medical experiments?
Our bodies are the creation of Jehovah God.
(Ps. 100:3; 95 :6 ; Job 10:8) Christians might
allow apparently necessary surgery to be per
formed, such as to remove a diseased limb, but
they do not needlessly mutilate their bodies
created by Jehovah. W ould allowing a body to
be mutilated after death be showing respect
for and appreciation of Gods creation? True, in
some instances there m ay be legal requirements
that Christians abide by, such as when the
law requires a postmortem examination to
determine the cause of death. (Rom. 13:1, 7;
Mark 12:17) In such cases the next of kin can
usually request that the organs not be removed
for transplant or reuse. In this way, even though
an autopsy might be required, the Christian can
prevent misuse of the body of a loved one. But
when such laws do not apply, the Christian can
decide in such a way as to avoid unnecessary
mutilation and any possible misuse of the body.
Thus he will be able to have a clear conscience
before God. 1 Pet. 3:16.
It should be evident from this discussion that

704

35eW ATCHTOW ER.

Christians who have been enlightened by Gods

W ord do not need to make these decisions
simply on the basis of personal whim or emo
tion. They can consider the divine principles re
corded in the Scriptures and use these in making
personal decisions as they look to God for
direction, trusting him and putting their con
fidence in the future that he has in store for
those who love him. Prov. 3 :5 , 6; Ps. 119:105.
H ow could Asahel be listed as a divisional
commander in Davids army (1 Chron. 27:7)
when, according to 2 Samuel 2:23, Asahel was
killed even before David became king over all
Isra el? R . F., U.S.A.
A t 1 Chronicles 27 :7 Asahel is listed as a
divisional commander of the month-by-month
arrangement of troops: The fourth for the
fourth month was Asahel, Joabs brother, and
Zebadiah his son after him, and in his division
there were twenty-four thousand. The text at
2 Samuel 2 :23 shows that following the test
struggle at the pool of Gibeon and the subse
quent rout of the Israelite forces under Abner,
Asahel doggedly pursued the fleeing Abner and

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

was finally killed by Abner when he refused

to desist from the pursuit. (2 Sam. 2:12-28)
Since Asahel died before Davids becoming
king over all Israel, his mention here is believed
by some commentators to prove that the
arrangement here mentioned w as to some
extent made before all the tribes came to David
in Hebron to acknowledge him as King. In
this regard The Interpreter's Dictionary of the
Bible (Vol. 1, page 244) says: It is possible that
we m ay have here the prototype o f the Davidic
militia organized earlier in the Judean rule of
the king, and that his original list has been
brought up to date by the inclusion of Zebadiah,
son and successor of Asahel in his command.
Compare 1 Chronicles chapter 12.
Another suggestion arises out of the fact that
at 1 Chronicles 27:7, the fourth divisions
commander is said to be not only Asahel but
Zebadiah his son after him. This position of
commander for a month was a privilege held
by a distinguished veteran, and in some cases
such honor m ay have been posthumous. Hence,
the name Asahel here may have reference to
his house, represented in his son Zebadiah, who
is referred to as Asahels successor.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
1968 YEARBOOK AND CALENDAR

Another year of record-making preaching has

concluded and the annual report of the presi
dent o f the W atch Tower Society is being
released. Its account of the progress of Kingdom
preaching will thrill you and the stimulating
experiences of those from around the world
who are enduring in the face of great opposi
tion will strengthen your faith and encourage
you to keep on seeking first the Kingdom and
Gods righteousness. Send for your copy now.
It is available after November 27 for 50c. Send
for the beautiful 1968 calendar also. Only 25c.

stand why God has permitted wickedness. Some

persons, stumbling over this issue, have become
easy prey for such teachings as evolution. These
persons need help, and Jehovahs witnesses
have the means to help them a recently
released, delightfully illustrated book that dis
cusses both evolution and Gods permission
of wickedness. T h is e n l i g h t e n i n g v o l u m e
entitled Did Man Get Here by Evolution or
by Creation? they are offering to all sincere
seekers of truth during November, along
with a booklet, for only 25c.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

>

FIELD MINISTRY

The true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ

are builders. They build up Christian person
alities on the right foundation of Jesus Christ.
(1 Cor. 3:11-13) They know that among the
problems that hinder some from being built
into Christian personalities is failure to under

December 10: Let Down Your N ets for a

Catch, . H1-26. Page 684. Songs to Be Used:
37,83.
December 17: Let Down Your N ets fo r a
Catch, H27-32, and Orders fo r Worldwide
Fishing, tfl-21. Page 690. Songs to Be Used:
38,108.

DECEMBER 1, 1967

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

Semimonthly

SAVING THE WORLD OF

MANKIND BY BLOOD
BY MANS W AY OR BY GODS W AY
WHICH?
WHAT IS NEEDED FOR SALVATION?
AN INVITATION IS EXTENDED TO YOU
W TB & TS

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES, SAYS JE H O V A H .-lsa.43:12

T H E PURPOSE O F T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very w atchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place for a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h a t is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name The W a tch tow er* this magazine Justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since The W a tch tow er began to be published in July o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious n ew order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , T h e W a tc h to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it'follow s and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
*'The W a tch to w er is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read w ith
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. 'W hich one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? T h e Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, w ritten by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f The W a tch to w e r is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy- Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

7S
W A TCH T O W ER B IB L E
117 A d a m s S tre e t
N . H . K n o rr , President

P U B L IS H E D B Y T H E
A N D T R A C T S O C IE T Y O F P E N N S Y L V A N IA
B r o o k ly n , N .Y . 11201, U .S .A .
G ra n t S uiter ,, Secretary

They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

Average prin tin g each issue: 5,025,000 Five cents a copy

CONTENTS

The Watchtower Is Published In the Following 7 4 Languages

W h at Is Needed for Salvation?

707

Effects of Rebellion

711

Saving the W orld of Mankind by Blood

712

By M ans W a y or by Gods W a y W hich?

719

An Invitation Is Extended to You

727

Jealously Guard Liberty-giving Worship

733

Papyrus in the First Century

734

Questions from Readers

734

The Bible translation used in The Watchtower Is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 61 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols will appear behind the citations:

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Printed in U.S.A.

yrtrm o u Ticzn .cy

J E H O V A H S
K IN G D O M
Decem ber 1, 1967

Number 23

What Is Needed
tfe ililR

O YOU want life! You can sense that

this whole system of things is headed
for its Armageddon end, and you do not
want to die. You want to survive and gain
everlasting life under a new and righteous
system of things. You want to know what
you must do. In effect, you are posing the
same question put to the apostle Paul and
his companion nineteen hundred years
ago: What must I do to get saved?
Acts 16:30.
That question needs a clear and positive
answer, and that is just what the Bible
furnishes. Indeed, Gods Word plainly sets
forth the steps that must be taken by each
one who desires salvation. There is need
first to cast aside any attitude of compla
cency or idea that, if you sit tight, all will
be well. There is no easy road to salvation.
It is gained only by strenuous endeavor,
for the Bibles exhortation is: Keep work
ing out your own salvation with fear and
trembling. (Phil. 2:12) And Jesus Christ

counseled those who would be saved: Ex

ert yourselves vigorously. Luke 13:23,
24.
Such vigorous endeavor is altogether in
contrast with the easy view many persons
take of Christianity. They feel that what
they learned in their younger days in Sun
day school is all they need to know about
the will of God. They reason that if they
lead a blameless life from the human view
point, that is all that is required of them.
They have not even taken the first step
essential to salvation.

BIBLE STUDY VITAL

Taking in knowledge is the first essen

tial, and on this point Jesus Christ de
clared: This means everlasting life, their
taking in knowledge of you, the only true
God, and of the one whom you sent forth,
Jesus Christ. (John 17:3) So the first
step on the way to salvation is study of
the Bible, because it is Gods book and in
707

708

fReWATCHTOWER

it he tells us what he, the Provider of sal

vation, requires of us if we are to benefit
from his provision.
There is need for intensive reading of
the Bible, along with the giving of serious
consideration to it, before you can fully
grasp the fact that it is truly of divine
authorship, an authoritative guide for you
in all the affairs of life. The apostle Paul
refers to the Bible as the holy writings,
which are able to make you wise for sal
vation through the faith in connection
with Christ Jesus, and adds: All Scrip
ture is inspired of God and beneficial for
teaching, for reproving, for setting things
straight, for disciplining in righteousness.
2 Tim. 3:15, 16.
To make time for personal study of the
Bible will take determination and genuine
desire to know God and Christ. Perhaps
nonessential activities such as some re
laxation time, time spent watching TV
programs or going to movies will have to
be redeemed in order to carry out a wellscheduled program of personal Bible read
ing and study. Time, too, should be found
to discuss the Bible with other mature and
knowledgeable Christians, preferably hav
ing someone come and conduct a Bible
study with you in your home for an hour
each week.
The objective of such Bible study is not
merely knowledge, but faith. Multitudes
today are aware of much that appears in
the Bible, can even quote it fluently, but
few have faith that the Bible is the Word
of the Sovereign God who has it in his
power to grant or deny salvation. If people
truly believed this they would be anxious
to bring their lives into harmony with
Gods requirements.
EXERCISE OF FAITH

A mental acknowledgment of the truths

learned from the Bible, therefore, is not
enough to bring ones salvation. A man

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

may be reported as having good judgment,

but unless he exercises it, how can we
know? Likewise, faith based on Bible
knowledge cannot be distinguished unless
it produces results. As the body without
breath is dead, said Bible writer James,
so also faith without works is dead.
(Jas. 2:26) So, whatever knowledge we
gain from Bible study should be applied in
a practical manner to our lives.
The effect of Bible study should be to
convince one that he has been a selfish
sinner, wandering far from the require
ments of the righteous God. (Rom. 3:23)
It should impress one with the need to
be genuinely sorry about his past course
of heedlessness, his indifference to the will
of God. It should bring home to the rever
ent student that forgiveness and restora
tion to divine favor are possible only
through the ransom sacrifice made in be
half of sinful mankind, the sacrifice of
Jesus perfect human life. Rom. 5:8;
Heb. 2:9; 1 John 4:10.
Faith in Jesus Christ as the ransom for
our release from sin means that the Chris
tian must recognize he has been bought
with a price and now belongs to Christ
as his slave. (1 Cor. 7:23) He is therefore
duty bound to please his Master in every
thing and seek to imitate Jesus example
of complete submission to the Father in
heaven. Heb. 12:1-3.
There are other works of faith to be
considered and acted upon. For instance,
some of the practical questions that
should come to the mind of the seeker
after salvation are: What kind of com
panionship shall I se e k ? Upon s e lfexamination, what habits, customs, prac
tices and attitudes must I change? Apart
from my living a life of godliness, does
God have some particular service for me
to perform at this time? The sincere life
seeker will be anxious to have the Scrip
tural answers to these questions.

ecember

1, 1967

709

SlkWATCHTOWER.

RIGHT ASSOCIATION

A NEW PERSONALITY

Certainly one would not want to keep

company with wicked persons, ridiculers
of God and his Word. (Ps. 1:1) It may be
that till now you have associated with
passive Christians, those who take the
name Christian but who are not willing
to undertake the responsibilities of the
Christian. Their attitude could rub off on
you. Truly, as the apostle Paul warned:
Bad associations spoil useful habits.
1 Cor. 15:33.
Association with the congregation of
Christians who recognize that God is
pleased, not with rites and meaningless
ceremonies, but with worship that is of
fered with spirit and truth, is vital to
your salvation. (John 4:23; 1 Sam. 15:22)
If at all possible you should gather with,
train with and serve with those who put
Gods kingdom first in their lives. (Matt.
6:25-34) Even if you are a shut-in, con
fined to your home by reason of age or
infirmity, you should seek to be in regular
communication with Gods congregation,
for through it he is instructing and direct
ing his worshipers on earth.
Companionship of the right kind is all
the more urgent now since we are living
in the critical times hard to deal with
foretold by the apostle Paul. (2 Tim. 3:
1-5) The same apostle was also inspired
to write these words of timely advice to
fellow Christians: Let us consider one an
other to incite to love and fine works, not
forsaking the gathering of ourselves to
gether, as some have the custom, but en
couraging one another, and all the more
so as you behold the day drawing near.
(Heb. 10:24, 25) This kind of healthful,
spvAtoal association you can find at the
Kingdom Halls of Jehovahs witnesses. As
one seeking salvation, you will be welcome
there and aided in your quest.

Another indispensable requirement for

salvation is pointed out by the apostle Paul
in these words: You should put away the
old personality which conforms to your
former course of conduct and which is
being corrupted according to his deceptive
desires; . . . you should be made new in
the force actuating your mind, and should
put on the new personality which was
created according to Gods will. (Eph. 4:
22-24) So the fleshly, materialistic aims so
common to worldly people need to be put
away, and the Christians mind filled with
thoughts that are in harmony with Jeho
vahs will.
This great changeover will not come
easily. It will take time. It will be a grad
ual process. It will also take much effort
and unremitting vigilance so as not to slip
back into the old way of thinking and act
ing. The Bible is explicit about the prac
tices of the old personality that must
be put away by those who would gain sal
vation : The works of the flesh are mani
fest, and they are fornication, uncleanness,
loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spirit
ism, hatreds, strife, jealousy, fits of anger,
contentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunk
en bouts, revelries, and things like these.
. . . those who practice such things will
not inherit Gods kingdom. Gal. 5:19-21.
Only with the help and encouragement
of good Christian associates will you be
able to adopt the Bibles counsel on how
to go about putting on the new personali
ty : Whatever things are true, whatever
things are of serious concern, whatever
things are righteous, whatever things are
chaste, whatever things are lovable, what
ever things are well spoken of, whatever
virtue there is and whatever praiseworthy
thing there is, continue considering these
things. (Phil. 4:8) Gradually this kind
of thinking will crowd out wrong thoughts
and desires and rep lace them w ith

710

f&eWATCHTOWER

thoughts producing fine fruitage, namely,

love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness,
goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.
Gal. 5:22, 23.
How vital, then, for each one who wants
eternal life to clean up his life and quit
being fashioned after this system of things
[controlled by Satan, its god], but be
transformed by making [ones] mind
over ! (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 4:4) The new
personality is a must for salvation.
THE PREACHING REQUIREMENT

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

could truthfully exclaim : I am not

ashamed of the good news; it is, in fact,
Gods power for salvation to everyone hav
ing faith. (Rom. 1:16) However, to gain
that same boldness and fearlessness you
need to undergo training in the Christian
congregation. (Eph. 4:11, 12) Is it not
most loving and considerate of Jehovah
that he has made such provision, so that
you do not have to step out on your own
to make public declaration of his message?
He has organized his congregation of wit
nesses for this very purpose.

Having begun to make his mind over

THE STEP OF DEDICATION
through study and application of Gods
After
you
have studied the Bible dili
Word to his life and by means of godly
gently
and
applied
its principles toward
companionship, the seeker after salvation
m a k in g a g r e a t
n ex t needs to turn
change in your life,
his attention to the
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
and after you have
service commanded
In A ll the Nations the Good News Has
been m eetin g and
to Be Preached F irs t.
by Christ Jesus: Go
W h a t Now Distinguishes th e Good News
studying r e g u la rly
therefore and make
to Be Preached.
W h a t Do Children Owe T h e ir Parents?
w ith oth ers o f the
disciples of people of
Searching fo r the Bible Principles.
same faith, and after
all the nations . . .
teaching them to ob
you have tasted and
serve all the things I have commanded appreciated the privileges of the preaching
you. Matt. 28:19, 20.
and teaching work, your faith should lead
Participation in preaching and teaching you to take another important step neces
Gods Word is vitally related to your sal sary to your salvation. Yes, it is the step
vation. This is why the apostle Paul could of dedication. What does it mean? It
declare: With the heart one exercises means that gratitude to Jehovah for all his
faith for righteousness, but with the loving provisions for your salvation moves
mouth one makes public declaration for you to offer yourself to him, without any
salvation. (Rom. 10:10) True, the weak restrictions, to do his will.
ness of the flesh may incline you to shrink
In taking this course you follow the per
back from making such public declara
tion of your faith. But call to mind the fect example of Gods beloved Son, Christ
justice of Jesus words at Mark 8:38: Jesus, who also offered himself to the
Whoever becomes ashamed of me and my heavenly Father, ready to carry out the
words in this adulterous and sinful genera special will of God for him. (Matt. 3:13tion, the Son of man will also be ashamed 17; Heb. 10:5-10) And as he did, so you
of him when he arrives in the glory of his also mark this offering of yourself to God
Father.
for his service by an outward ceremony,
To help you combat that tendency to giving testimony to others of your deci
shrink back, call to mind the strengthen sion. You offer yourself for baptism. That
ing example of the apostle Paul, for he symbolic act speaks eloquently of your be-

D e c e m b e r 1, 1 9 6 7

5 5 e WATCH TO W ER .

coming dead to your own selfish former

course of action (when dipped below the
water), and henceforth to live in harmony
with Gods will (coming up out of the wa
ter). Many others before you have taken
this step of dedication and baptism. Acts
2:41; 8:12; 18:8.
Of course, for the dedicated one there
is now no turning back. Whenever you
vow a vow to God, do not hesitate to pay
it, is the inspired counsel, for there is
no delight in the stupid ones. What you
vow, pay. (Eccl. 5:4) Jehovah takes no
pleasure in those who go back on their
word. That dedicated relationship to God
must always be kept in mind. What world
lings do or fail to do is no longer the
Christians guide. He must seek to be
guided by Gods written Word in every
thing.
ENDURE FOR THE REWARD

The reward of salvation in all its full

ness surpasses our fondest imagination. It
means more than survival through the
fast-approaching end of this wicked sys
tem of things. It embraces the marvelous
joys of living in a New Order here on
earth under the beneficent rule of the
heavenly Kingdom. Imagine a thousand
years during which the King, Christ Je
sus, will be wiping out all the dreadful
effects of sin and selfishness! (Rev. 20:4;
1 Cor. 15:25, 26) Yes, you will be privi-

711

leged to behold even the dead arising from

the tombs at his command! (John 5:28)
And finally, there will be the opportunity
to withstand the final test of integrity
after the close of the thousand-year reign
and, if faithful, you will receive salvation,
yes, everlasting life as Gods gift through
Christ!Rev. 20:5, 7, 8 .
With such a glorious reward ahead,
there is reason to suffer, if need be, and
to endure patiently. This wicked system of
things under Satan is arrayed against
Gods true worshipers. It will seek to have
you break integrity with God, to treat
your dedication vow lightly. Persons near
and dear to you may even be used as its
instruments to pressure or persuade you
to turn aside from the narrow way of true
worship. (Matt. 10:35-37; 7:13, 14) But
hearken to this divinely inspired word of
counsel: You have need of endurance, in
order that, after you have done the will
of God [taken all these vital steps], you
may receive the fulfillment of the prom
ise.Heb. 10:36.
Keep in direct communication with
your Refuge and your Shield, Jehovah.
(2 Sam. 22:2, 3) Pray that God may sup
port you by his spirit, for he is able to
make you stand. (Rom. 14:4) And Christ
Jesus, the faithful Leader and Commander
of his followers, encourages you: He that
has endured to the end is the one that will
be saved. Matt. 10:22.

Effects of Rebellion
It is often claimed that through the efforts of science the life-span of humans
will be lengthened greatly. But the Bible states that because of A dam s rebellion,
mankind has been degenerating and actually has a shorter life-span today than
he did several thousand years ago. W ill science eliminate the effects of A dam s
rebellion? The New York Times of October 30, 1966, in the article Medicine: The
Mystery of W h y W e Grow Old, stated: A t the moment, efforts to lengthen the
life span seem to have broken down. . . . it is now generally agreed that no single
factor is involved in aging. . . . the conquest of cancer, heart disease and the like
will not lead to a dramatic increase in the life span. Too m any weaknesses are
built into the human fram e to be overcome. Only in Gods new order will this be
reversed so that man can grow back to the perfection of mind and body that Adam
enjoyed before his rebellion.

life of the flesh is in

X the blood . W ho first
said those words? It was not Hip
pocrates, the Greek philosopher
and physician of the fifth century
before our Common Era, whom
The
Encyclopaedia B ritannica
calls Father of Medicine. Nei
t h e r w as it M o h a m m e d , th e
prophet of Islam, of the seventh
century of our Common Era, who
had something to say about eat
ing.* Nor was it Moses, the He
brew prophet of the sixteenth and
fifteenth centuries before our
Common Era. It was no one else
but the Giver of life himself, the
Creator of mankinds blood and
the One who put the life in that
blood. He himself is the One that
said it, more than a thousand
years before Hippocrates was
born on the Island of Cos.
2
How appropriate it was that
the Creator of this red stream of
life of mankind should make such
a scientifically correct statement!
The prophet Moses merely wrote
* In the book entitled The Koran: Com
monly Called The Alcoran of Mohammed,
a translation published by William Teggs
& Company, London, England, in 1850, un
der the heading Chapter II. Intitled The
Cow; Revealed Partly at Mecca, and Partly
at Medina. In the Name of the Most Merciful
God, we read, on page 20, in lines 18-23, the
following: O true believers, eat of the good
things which we have bestowed upon you for
food, and render thanks unto God, if ye
serve him. Verily he hath forbidden you to
eat that which dieth of itself, and blood and
swine's flesh, and that on which any other
name but Gods hath been invocated. But
he who is forced by necessity, not lusting,
not returning to transgress, it shall be no
crime in him if he eat of these things, for
God is gracious and m erciful.
In a footnote on the word invocated the
book says: For this reason, whenever the
Mohammedans kill any animal for food,
they always say BismV'llah, or In the name
of God; which if it be neglected, they think
it not lawful to eat of it.

"'Blood of the
covenant* which is
to be poured ont in behalf
of many for forgiveness of sins.
-Matt. 26:28.

1. Who first said the words The life o f the

flesh is in the blood ?
2, 3. Why was it appropriate for him to say
those words, and to whom did he dictate
them?
712

D e c e m b e r 1,

1967

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

713

down this statement as God dictated it (the apostle John). That was why the law
to him in the wilderness of Sinai in Ara less taking of another persons life was
bia in the year 1512 B.C.E. In the Third spoken of as a shedding of ones blood,
Book of Moses, or Leviticus, as it is also since this is where the life resides. Take,
called, the record (
Standard for example, the murder of the God
Version) says:
fearing Abel by his jealous brother Cain.
3
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, sayWhen identifying Cain as being the mur
ing, Speak . . . For the life of the flesh is derer, God said to Cain, who was trying
in the blood; and I have given it to you to cover up his crime: What have you
upon the altar to make atonement for your done? Listen! Your brothers blood is cry
souls: for it is the blood that maketh ing out to me from the ground. (Gen.
atonement by reason of the life. Lev. 4:10) That crime, which was committed
17:1, 2, 11.
over the matter of religion or of the right
* Who will dispute the divine statement form of worship to God, has been imitated
that there is life in this vital fluid of our millions of times over by the world em
human bodies? No one successfully will. pire of false religion that the apostle John
This is why, as the medical profession calls Babylon the Great. Showing the re
has established, this precious stream sponsibility of this long-lived world empire
courses through our bodies normally once of false religion for the worldwide taking
every twenty-three seconds to bring life- of human life in the name of religion, the
sustaining elements to the various tissues last book of the Bible pictures that reli
of the body. The life-giving qualities of gious empire as an immoral woman and
this fluid in our arteries, veins and capil says:
laries were early recognized, for we are
6 Upon her forehead was written a
informed that transfusion of blood dates name, a mystery: Babylon the Great, the
as far back as the time of the ancient mother of the harlots and of the disgusting
Egyptians. If such a practice was going things of the earth. And I saw that the
on there in Egypt at the time that the woman was drunk with the blood of the
prophet Moses led his people out of the holy ones and with the blood of the wit
land of Egypt in 1513 B.C.E., it did not nesses of Jesus. Yes, in her was found
escape the notice of the God of Moses. Not the blood of prophets and of holy ones and
inconsistently, God would have this Egyp of all those who have been slaughtered on
tian practice in mind when he gave his law the earth. Rev. 17:1-6; 18:24.
7This prophetic picture presents this
to the people of Moses concerning blood
and the correct disposing of it. The En symbolic woman Babylon the Great as be
cyclopedia Americana, Volume 4, page 113, ing cannibalistic inasmuch as she is said
to be drunk with human blood. And yet
edition of 1929.
5
The life-giving, life-sustaining propertythe Babylonish religion of the world claims
that plays its part in this matter was well to have as its purpose the saving of hu
recognized by the writers of the Bible, man life for all eternity. But has Gods
from the first one (Moses) to the last one Word overdrawn the picture of canniba
listic Babylon the Great? Not at all, when
4. The life-giving qualities of blood were recognized
a person honestly considers the sacrificing
how far back anciently, as shown by what practice, and
did God take note?
of
human life that has been carried out
5,6. (a) How is the relationship of blood with life
shown in the account of Abel s m urder? (b) By whom
has this crime connected with religion been repeated
many times, and how is this shown in the last book
of the Bible?

7. Why can Babylon the Great be said to be cannibalis

tic, and what question does her sacrificing of human
life arouse?

714

SHeWATCHTOWER

in the name of religion, even Gods name

being presumptuously attached to such
death-dealing conduct. So we ask, Will God
never call religion to account for all this
bloodshed?
8 Both inside the Bible and outside in the
world, blood is associated with life and is
used to represent life. Because of its hav
ing this quality and value, even in Gods
sight, human blood could reasonably be
used to impart life to others, yes, even to
the whole world. But how is this to be
done? Who will do it by this means? In
the opinion of many people today, the
followers of Hippocrates, who take what
is called the Hippocratic Oath, * are the
ones to do this, using all kinds of modern
professional techniques, even squirting the
liquid of life directly into a patients
body. This confidence in the modernly
trained professional medics ignores the
Bibles word of caution. This is set out in
a case of nineteen centuries ago that is
cited by a physician, a Bible writer named
Luke, whom the Christian apostle Paul
calls Luke the beloved physician. (Col.
4:14) Luke writes of this as the case of
a woman, subject to a flow of blood for
twelve years, who had not been able to
get a cure from anyone. Luke 8:43-48.
9 A fuller description of this same case
is given by Lukes friend named Mark,
who writes: Now there was a woman
subject to a flow of blood twelve years, and
she had been put to many pains by many
physicians and had spent all her resources
and had not been benefited but, rather,
* In the Hippocratic Oath one clause says: Never will
I give a deadly drug, not even if I am asked for one,
nor will I give any advice tending in that direction.
Another clause in the Hippocratic Oath reads: I will
not at any time give to a woman any drug or instru
ment fo r the purpose of causing abortion.
See Dr. Immanuel Jacobovits book entitled Jewish
Medical Ethics, published in 1959 (third printing 1967),
pages 124, 172, 208-210.
8. (a) Because o f its association with life, how could
human blood be reasonably used with benefit? (b) How
is a word of caution regarding the healing profession
given by Luke?
9. What does Mark have to say on this same case?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

had got worse. But Mark and the physi

cian Luke report how this desperate wom
an was cured miraculously by merely
touching from behind the outer garment
of the great Healer, Jesus Christ. Says
Mark: Immediately her fountain of blood
dried up, and she sensed in her body that
she had been healed. Mark 5:25-34.
SAVE-LIFE DOCTORS

10 Today,

however, the public press gives

out the idea that Gods law on blood is
death-dealing and speaks of modern pro
fessional physicians as save-life doctors.
The London (England) Daily Herald, under
date of February 26, 1965, says regarding
the British Medical Association: The
society said a doctor has the supreme
duty of saving a patients life. Any doctor,
faced with legal proceedings for trying
to save a life by operating against parents
wishes could count on the societies sup
port.
11 Hailed as lifesavers, and impressed
with their professionally assumed role of
saving the present life of other humans,
these men, for the most part, think that
the advance of modern medical science has
made Gods law in the Holy Bible out-ofdate, unscientific, and having no force
today because of its great age. Look!
say they, the Bible was written and fin
ished nineteen hundred years ago. So what
did those Bible writers know about medi
cal science, to compare with our know-how
today, our combining of technology with
medicine to save human lives? If they
are evolutionists, who reject the Bible
teaching of creation and willfully grab at
the evolution theory, they have no respect
for Gods law but establish their own med
ical ethics. In their view, blood evolved;
10. How did the British Medical Association s statement
of 1965 show that it regarded Gods law on blood as
death-dealing ?
11. How do many medical men compare G od s law in
the Bible with modern medical science, and what do
evolutionists think of blood?

D ecem ber

1, 1967

fEeWATCHTOWEFL

it was not created by the Creator of man.

However, free persons are entitled to
hold opinions and to express them. There
are those who hold the opinion that blood
is not the product of impersonal, blind,
brainless, accidental evolution, but is the
matchless work of an Almighty God. Their
opinion is really a fine logical conclusion,
based upon irrefutable facts. We are re
minded of an article, written before gory
World War I, by William Hanna Thomson,
M.D., who was outstandingly connected
with New York City hospitals for years.
As published in the New York Times,
Doctor Thomsons article said:
13 But for any animal on this earth
with red blood it must, in order to live,
have in its blood cells that definite sub
stance called hemoglobin. Now a molecule
of hemoglobin must contain the following
number of different atoms in their due
proportions, namely, of hydrogen atoms,
1,130; of carbon atoms, 712; of nitrogen,
214; of oxygen, 245; of sulphur, 2, and of
iron, 1, or 2,304 atoms in all. Moreover,
if that one atom of iron, in its peculiar
relation to the rest ( masked as some
physiologists say) were left out, the ani
mal could neither absorb oxygen nor give
off carbonic acid; in other words, it could
not breathe. I once asked a well-known
physiological chemist, himself of German
extraction and educated in Germany, how
could those atoms in a molecule of hemo
globin thus come together by chance. His
brief reply was, No chance.
14 But the complexity of hemoglobin
is thrown into the shade by those chemical
substances which chemical research has
discovered in the investigation of the
mechanism of immunity against infectious
diseases. . . . Modem science now finds
12. What opinion do others hold as to blood, and on
what is their conclusion based?
13, 14. (a) What about the hemoglobin of our blood
shows whether a molecule of it could come by chance?
(b) How is the com plexity of hemoglobin thrown into
the shade, and what is modern science finding as to
the problem of the origin of life?

715

that the problem of the origin of life

becomes more and more inscrutable in pro
portion to the progress of investigations
of the subject. The Watch Tower, as of
July 1, 1911, pages 198, 199.
15 The very nature and makeup of the
blood and the marvelous fact that it bears
life rule out its being the product of life
less, mindless, purposeless evolution. Over
whelmingly these features of the blood call
for the creative activity of a living, intelli
gent, constructive, purposeful God, the
Maker of man.
16 Just take into account the shape and
the functional performance of the red
blood corpuscles. Only a highly mathe
matical mind could design and arrange
them. Hence every one of the thirty tril
lion red blood corpuscles in the vessels
of the average man is an unbeatable argu
ment and proof that there is a Creator,
who is also mans Maker. He knows better
than the most advanced medical practi
tioner the vital need, the properties and
the purpose of this red fluid of life. Why,
more than five thousand eight hundred
years before the first use of stored blood
in making transfusions, by the professor
of medicine of the University of Chicago,
in the year 1918, God was talking about
blood to the first man born, Cain, after
he secretly slaughtered his younger broth
er Abel. (Gen. 4:10, 11) Ever since then
God has had much to say about blood.
In fact, in his written Word of sixty-six
books, 1,189 chapters, blood is mentioned
447 times, from Genesis to Revelation
( AV) *
17 Since God empowered his Son, Jesus
* Omission of the word blood in Acts 17:26 in the
most ancient Greek manuscripts reduces the number to
446 times in most modern translations.
15. How is the theory that blood is the product of
evolution overwhelmingly ruled out?
16. (a) What about red blood corpuscles proves the
need for a Creator? (b) How early did God talk about
blood, and to what extent?
17. (a) Who, as illustrated through Jesus Christ, must
be the greatest Physician of them all? (b) How does
he speak authoritatively to us today?

716

SflkWATCHTOWER.

Christ, to perform miracles of healing, not

with drugs, medicine, or surgical oper
ations, but instantaneously, stopping chron
ic blood flows, giving sight to the blind,
making the deaf and dumb hear and talk,
restoring the crippled, healing the lepers,
even raising the dead, repairing the brain,
God the Creator is the greatest Physician
of them all. He knows more about the
human body and its makeup and how to
repair it and restore it and revitalize it
than the most highly educated medic of
today. He is the infallible, absolute Author
ity on the subject. Let Him speak! Let
Him be heard! We sill stand to learn and
to benefit when He speaks. He now speaks
to us through his inspired, unchanged
written Word. What does it say?
18 Mankind eats to live. For how long,
then, has mankind been authorized by God
the Creator to eat the flesh of animals?
Not from the creation of the first man, but
for the last 4,335 years of mankinds ex
istence. In the paradise Garden of Eden the
perfect man and woman were authorized to
eat and live on fruits, nuts and vegetable
products of the ground. (Gen. 1:29, 30)
There was thus no need for a law against
living off the blood of animals.
19 Even when God drove mein out of the
Garden of Eden because of rebelliously sin
ning against Him by eating the forbidden
fruit, God did not say that from then on
man should eat animal flesh. God said to
man: You must eat the vegetation of the
field. In the sweat of your face you will eat
bread until you return to the ground, for
out of it [not out of some lower animal
by evolutionary process] you were taken.
For dust you are and to dust you will
return. (Gen. 3:18,19) Years later, when
Adams second son Abel offered the sac
rifice of sheep to Jehovah God, there was
18. W hy was there no need for a divine law against
eating blood in the Garden of Eden?
19. (a) On expelling Adam from the Garden, did God
authorize the eating of blood? (b) What shows whether
Abel drank the blood of sacrificial victims?

Brooklyn,

N .Y .

the shedding of blood of such sacrificial

victims, but Abel did not drink the blood.
So God accepted his sacrifice. Gen. 4:
3-11.
DIVINE LAW AGAINST EATING IT

20 More

than fifteen hundred years later,

in the days of the God-fearing Noah and
his three married sons, came the great
deluge. For at least one hundred and eighty
days the earth and its mountains were
completely covered with the floodwaters.
(Gen. 7:11 to 8:5) Months later, when
the eight human survivors of the deluge
came out of the flood-proof ark, Noah
at once offered a sacrifice from among
all the clean animals and birds to Jehovah
God. But Noah and his family drank none
of the blood of the sacrificial victims, nor
even ate any of the flesh of them.
21 God was pleased at this. He blessed
them and told them to fill the whole
earth with their offspring. Then, as with
Adam and Eve in Eden, God established
a law regarding the food of the whole
future human family, including us today.
He said: Every moving animal that is
alive may serve as food for you. As in
the case of green vegetation, I do give
it all to you. Only flesh with its soul its
blood you must not eat. And, besides that,
your blood of your souls shall I ask back.
From the hand of every living creature
shall I ask it back. (Gen. 8:18 to 9:5)
After that the first rainbow appeared, and
God made an everlasting covenant never
again to bring a global flood upon man
kind. Gen. 9:8-17.
22 There were then no Hebrews, no Isra
elites, no Jews and no circumcision. There
were just the forefathers of the Semitic,
Japhetic and Hamitic branches of the hu20. When Noah came out of the ark, what did he at
once do?
21. What law did God then establish and state to Noah?
22. (a) Thus how is it evident that Gods law against
blood did not come into force through the Law of
Moses? (b) Why does Gods law against blood still
apply to all of us even since 33 C.E. ?

D ecem ber 1,

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SEeWATCHTOWER.

717

man family present. That was in the year blood

{AT) was not just the idea of the
2369 B.C.E., or eight hundred and fifty-six disciple James but was also dictated by
years before Jehovah God gave the law Gods holy spirit. This serious fact is em
to the prophet Moses, including the Ten phasized in the way that the official decree
Commandments, to deliver to the nation to the non-Jewish Christians was worded.
of Israel. Consequently Gods law forbid It read as follows:
ding the taking of animal blood into our
24 The apostles and the older brothers
human bodies did not come into existence to those brothers . . . who are from the
through the divine law delivered through nations: Greetings! . . . For the holy
Moses in 1513 B.C.E. This makes it certain spirit and we ourselves have favored add
that Gods law on this vital matter was ing no further burden to you, except these
not and is not restricted to the Hebrews, necessary things, to keep yourselves free
Israelites or Jews. This particular law did from things sacrificed to idols and from
not pass out of existence or out of force blood and from things strangled and from
in the year 33 of our Common Era, when fornication. If you carefully keep your
God nailed the Law of Moses to the death selves from these things, you will prosper.
stake of Jesus Christ and abolished it. Good health to you! Acts 15:19-29.
(Col. 2:13, 14; Eph. 2:13-15) That law
25 Years later, after the third missionary
of Noahs day still applies to all mankind trip of the apostle Paul, the disciple James
just as surely as mankind still continues spoke to him about that same decree of
to eat the flesh of beasts and birds and as the Jerusalem Council as still being en
surely as mankind has failed to return to forced toward non-Jewish Christians.
the Garden of Eden and to an exclusively (Acts 21:18-26) According to early reli
vegetarian diet. Gen. 1:29, 30; 2:15-17.
gious writers of the first three centuries
23
Yes, Christian as well as Jew, non-this inspired decree against taking blood
Christian as well as non-Jew, are under into a persons body was held to by Chris
that law about eating as given to our tians for centuries after it was published.
common forefather Noah after the flood. Especially from the days of the Roman
Apostolic Christians of the first century Catholic saint named Augustine, Christen
dom has ceased to observe that inspired
of our Common Era recognized that fact
decree, and the medical profession of
and insisted on it. Sixteen years after the
Christendom has ignored it as not binding
Law of Moses was, figuratively speaking, upon Christians.* But who abolished that
nailed to Christs death stake as fulfilled decree? Not God, forasmuch as he him
and abolished, the Christian disciple James self inspired it and published it through
recommended to the Jerusalem Council of his faithful organization in Jerusalem. It
the apostles and other older brothers to certainly was not abolished with the abo
write to the non-Jewish Christians, name lition of the Law of Moses. For that Scrip
ly, to abstain from things polluted by tural reason Jehovahs Christian witnesses
idols and from fornication and from what of today continue to keep that decree, ab
is strangled and from blood. That recom staining not only from fornication and
mendation to abstain from the meat of idolatry but also from blood.
See pages 333-335 of the book L ife Everlastingin
strangled animals, and the tasting of Freedom
of the Sons of God, published in 1966 by the
23, 24. (a) What did the disciple James recommend that
would show that apostolic Christians still insisted on
God's law to Noah? (b) How did the wording of that
decree show the holy spirit's part?

Watch Tower Society.

25. (a) How long does history show that true Christians
observed that Jerusalem decree? (b) Why do Jehovah s
witnesses keep it today?

718

fHeW ATCHTOW ER.

a t y p ic a l p ic t u r e o f s a v in g b y b l o o d

26 That

Jerusalem Councils decree came

many years after Jesus Christ shed his
blood on the death stake at Calvary. But
by the decree God made it plain that he
was still holding to what he had stated
in his law given through Moses, namely,
that the blood of man and animals belongs
to God the Creator. This is right, inasmuch
as he is the Fountain of life and he has
put the life of man and of animals in the
blood and made it the chief conveyor of
life. That is why, if a man in Israel slaugh
tered an animal for sacrifice and did not
present it to Jehovah, it was as if he had
committed murder: Bloodguilt will be
counted to that man. He has shed blood,
and that man must be cut off from among
his people. He was to be killed. (Lev.
17:3, 4) That is why, too, Jehovah com
manded that the priest should pour the
blood of sacrificial victims at the base of
the altar of sacrifice. (Lev. 4:7, 18, 25,
34; 8:15; 9:9) The blood was a sacred
thing, like life, and must be treated as
such.
27 In Gods law to ancient Israel, as well
as in the case of his law to faithful Noah,
this sacred quality of the life stream was
accounted not only to animals that were
offered in sacrifice but even to the clean
animals that men hunted for food. In any
case, lifeblood that is sacred was involved,
and hence it could be used for a sacred
purpose. Since the penalty for sin is death
and since the soul or life is in the blood,
it can be used for the cancellation of sin
and the turning aside of sins penalty,
death. We do not need to argue about
what this law means; it plainly reads:
26. (a) How did the Jerusalem decree agree with the
Mosaic law on the question of to whom blood belonged?
(b) Of what was a Jew guilty when he shed sacrificial
blood but did not present it to Jehovah?
27,28. (a) In Gods law to Israel, what quality was
accounted to blood, and so what can be done with the
lifeblood? (b) H ow did Leviticus 17:11-14 show this?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

T h e so u l o f the fle sh is in th e blood,

and I myself have put it upon the altar

for you to make atonement for your souls,
because it is the blood that makes atone
ment by the soul [or, life] in it. That
is why I have said to the sons of Israel:
No soul of you should eat blood and no
alien resident who is residing as an alien
in your midst should eat blood. As for
any man of the sons of Israel or some
alien resident who is residing as an alien
in your midst who in hunting catches a
wild beast or a fowl that may be eaten,
he must in that case pour its blood out
and cover it with dust. For the soul of
every sort of flesh is its blood by the soul
in it. Consequently I said to the sons of
Israel: You must not eat the blood of
any sort of flesh, because the soul of every
sort of flesh is its blood. Anyone eating
it will be cut off. Lev. 17:11-14; com
pare Deuteronomy 12:16, 23-27.
29 Because of the life value that is con
tained in the red stream that the heart
pumps through the body, Jehovah God can
use the blood in a marvelous way in saving
the world of mankind for eternal life. So
this is a matter that has to do with the
eternal life of all mankind. It has such
a serious meaning that in the typical nation
of Israel the person who partook of blood
as food was to be killed or had to fulfill
a special program of cleansing. (Lev. 17:
15, 16; 7:26, 27) The use of this precious
life stream in any way other than Gods
way is a misuse of it, a perversion of its
use. This principle applies to the medical
use of blood from the days of ancient
Egypt down to our day. Why so? Because
the medical practitioners are not Gods
ordained priests serving at his holy altar
29. (a) In what marvelous way can God use the life
stream of the human body? (b) What does use o f blood
in any way other than Gods way amount to, and why
does this apply to the medical use of it?

D ecem ber 1,

1967

SfieW ATCHTOW ER

719

and offering to him blood of mankind according to Gods directions. Long ago God
took care of saving the world of mankind

by blood, and he does not need their socalled scientific use of blood. Their use of
it in the name of medicine is not Gods will.

O ONE may be excused or justified

for breaking Gods sacred law on
the plea that he is saving human life or
prolonging it. With the exception of some
conscientious individual members the med
ical associations treat Gods law as a myth
of the Bible or as no longer having force.
They put the life of imperfect, condemned,
dying men above the law of God and break
it on the claim of trying to save a human
life, not for eternity, but for the short
uncertain period of the present lifetime.
This has resulted in an epidemic of blood
transfusions that they claim are lifesaving.
2 Convinced in their own minds of their

obligation to save human lives in this

manner, they will go even so far as to
force transfusions on dedicated Christians
who conscientiously object to breaking
Gods law in order to try to preserve their
lives. They try to procure a show of
legality for doing this, although it denies
the patient not only his God-given right
but also his national constitutional rights
according to an established Bill of Rights
in certain countries. To protect themselves
because of this the medics appeal to judges
and lawmaking bodies of the land to au
thorize them to override the freedom of
religion with its right to worship the
living and true God Jehovah according to
the dictates of conscience. In this case,
according to such medical views, religion

1. The breaking of God s sacred law on the claim of

saving life puts human life on what level?
2. How have some medics recently violated the basic
rights of a free human creature, and how do they try
to protect themselves when doing this?

720

SEeWATCHTOWER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

4 However, as a further justification for

is a menace to life and must be brushed
aside to enact an atheistic violation of their course, what do medics claim? This,
that transfusion is not a feeding of blood
Gods law on the sanctity of blood.
3
Save life in a manner contrary to theto a patient and hence is not a violation
religious wishes of the patient and keep of Gods law. But really this is unscientific
him from choosing to die! is the medical reasoning. For the very reason that the
idea. But even the Supreme Court of the transfused material is not taken directly
United States of America has handed down into the mouth to go through the regular
the decision that a person with free moral digestive processes of the body, the trans
agency has the right to choose to die fusion method becomes the quickest and
rather than take advantage of certain legal most direct way of feeding the body on
provisions for sparing or preserving his what is forbidden by Gods law stated to
life, on what basis? If the person cannot Noah and reaffirmed by the Christian
accept the terms or conditions upon which Council of Jerusalem.
5 In a further argument for transfusion,
his life will be spared or preserved.* So,
then, if the highest court of the land has it is claimed that what is transfused is
no right to force life upon a person on merely a vehicle to convey food directly
terms unacceptable to him, the medical to the human body, and that the body does
profession has no right, legal or ethical, not feed on the vehicle itself. We therefore
to force its unscriptural methods of saving ask the question: After the transfused ve
life upon a patient who would rather die hicular blood has released its oxygen and
than violate his conscience by breaking food elements to the body tissues of the
patient, is this vehicular blood extracted
Gods holy law.
from the patients body and transfused
* See the case of The United States v. George Wilson,
back into the body of the blood donor?
which arose because this man refused to accept the
presidential pardon issued by President Andrew JackThis would be quite embarrassing and
son on June 14, 1830. The decision of the Supreme
impossible, especially where the blood
Court insisted That the court cannot give the pris
oner the benefit of the pardon, unless he claims the
donor
or donors are not known or if the
benefit of it, and relies on it by plea or motion. The
form in which he may ask it is not material to this in
blood
has
been taken from a newly dead
quiry; but the claim must be made in some shape by
him. It is a grant to him; it is his property; and he
cadaver. So the transfused vehicular ma
may accept it or not as he pleases. . . . A pardon may
be granted on a condition precedent or subsequent, and
terial is left in the patients body. What
the party remains liable to the punishment if the con
dition is not performed. . . . Suppose a pardon granted
then? Well, in the course of the years
on conditions, which the prisoner does not choose to
during which the human body renews it
accept? Suppose the condition is exile, and he thinks
the sentence is a lighter punishment? Suppose he thinks
self into a new body, this vehicular blood
it his interest to undergo the punishment, in order to
make his peace with the public for an offence commit
is used or consumed by the patients body,
ted in sudden temptation? . . .
Mr. Chief Justice Marshall delivered the opinion of
the
same as any other transplant of an
the Supreme Court, reminding the United States Govern
ment that A pardon may be conditional; and the
organ.
In what way, then, does this out
condition may be more objectionable than the punish
ment inflicted by the judgment. . . . This court is of
working of things differ essentially from
opinion that the pardon in the proceedings mentioned,
not having been brought judicially before the court by
feeding on the transfused blood? The re
plea, motion or otherwise, cannot be noticed by the
sults are the same: the patients body does
judges. . . .
Hence the pardon that would have spared the life of
sustain itself by transfused stuff.
George Wilson was not allowed to affect the judgment
o f the law against him.See 32 U.S. (7 Peters), page
150 IT.
3. (a) In acting that way, what is the idea of the
m edics? (b) Consistent with the decision of the U.S.
Supreme Court regarding a grant of life, what have
medics no right to do to a conscientious person?

4. How do medics claim that transfusion does not break

Gods law against blood as food, but what is really
the case?
5. What is the medical argument about transfused blood
as being, not food, but merely a vehicle, but how does
this really work out?

D e c e m b e r 1, 1967

f& eW ATCH TOW ER

6 If the Christian disciple Luke were

back here on earth by a resurrection of
the dead, what would he do? Luke accom
panied Paul, who called him Luke the
beloved physician. Would he join medics
today in giving transfusions? The Bible
answer must be No! This very Luke was
the Bible writer who reported for us the
decree of the Christian Council of Jeru
salem, quoting from it three times.
7 This decree, as reported by Luke, said
to non-Jewish Christians to keep your
selves free . . . from blood. It made no
exception for Physician Luke or medical
doctors. It did not say, Keep yourselves
free from blood except in the case of a
transfusion administered by a competent
medical doctor; or except on orders from
a lawmaking body or from a legal judge
who shoves aside the required due pro
cess of law and becomes a law to himself
and arbitrarily declares a state of emer
gency and orders the appealing doctor to
give a transfusion over the religious ob
jections of the patient. The Apostolic
Christian Council forbade blood, with
out differentiating human blood from ani
mal blood, unqualified!
8 Doctor Luke, who traveled with the
apostle Paul through ancient Greece,
doubtless knew that the Greeks drank
blood in order to have a blood relationship
with the demons for the sake of learning
what the future held for them. Doctor
Luke must have observed that drinking
animal blood served to infuse into the
drinker beastly qualities like those of the
animal donors. But better than Doctor
Luke, Jehovah God knew the effect of
taking another creatures blood into ones
body, whether by eating or drinking it
6. If Luke were back here on earth today, what
would he do about blood transfusions, and w hy?
7. In the Jerusalem Councils decree, what exceptions,
if any, were made regarding keeping free from blood?
8. 9. (a) As doubtless observed by Luke, why did
ancient Greeks drink blood, and with what effect?
(b) Back in 1909, what did The W atch Tower say
about Gods reasons for forbidding Jews to eat blood?

721

or by transfusing it. He doubtless forbade

it for m ore reasons than that the life is
in the blood and that taking blood means
taking life to at least some degree. This
was suggested by the Watch Tower maga
zine long ago. Its article Settling Doctri
nal Differences, under date of April 15,
1909, on page 117, said regarding the
decree of the Jerusalem Council on blood:
9 To the Jew it was forbidden, and
under his covenant it was made a symbol
of life to partake of it would imply re
sponsibility for the life taken. Moreover, in
the typical ceremonies of the Law the
prohibited blood was used as a symbol
representing the sin-offering; for by the
blood atonement for sins was effected. To
emphasize these typical lessons the Jews
had been forbidden to use blood. And there
may be other, sanitary, reasons connected
with the matter, which are not yet known
to us. *
10 Today, fifty-eight years since then,
those reasons are becoming more and more
known because of medical experiences with
the widespread use of transfusions. Now,
what would you think of a modern medical
practice that, in one year, directly kills
16,000 in a land, and leaves still more
thousands infected with deadly diseases,
while at the same time other thousands
survive the process? That is the case with
the practice of blood transfusion, f But
does the national government pronounce
it poisonous, dangerous, and forbid it?
Does the government treat it as it does
a drug or pill or medicine that results in
a high number of fatalities and remove it
* Compare this with the article The Apostolic Coun
cil, in the Watch Tow er issue of November 15, 1892,
page 350.
t That blood transfusions are dangerous and can kill
is pointed up by an article published in the New York
Times under date of September 11, 1962, by Harold M.
Schmeck, Jr., under the heading Transfusions Are Said
to Cause More Deaths than Appendicitis.
10. Among such reasons now becoming known, what
harmful results are there, in one land alone, from
blood transfusions, and yet what do men propose about
it?

722

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

fusions tens of thousands of lives are

saved. But the article does not mention
how many thousands of human lives are
killed. Why such silence, such one-sided
reporting?
13 As measured in life value, what does
a small river of six million pints repre
sent? Well, calculate it on the basis that
the average adult has twelve to thirteen
pints of blood coursing through some 60,0 0 0 miles of arteries, veins and capillaries
to serve his body tissues. At thirteen pints
to a body, this small river of six million
pints would represent 461,538 adult human
lives. But not that many lives are saved
or, more correctly said, survive the blood
transfusion with fairly normal bodies.
14 Think of what a wastage of the pre
cious life stream goes along with the use
of those millions of pints of it, in the
United States alone. A mere one pint of
it is unnecessary to a person. There must
be at least three or four pints of it, and
in some cases as much as from twenty
RIVERS OF IT SQUANDERED
to thirty pints, or even forty pints of it.
12 Blood should be treated as sacred, for
And yet after receiving so many pints
it stands for life. It is precious to God, of it the patient will die, as in the case
that of a human creature being more so of the wounded American soldier in a
than that of an animal. By the epidemic portable hospital in South Vietnam, whose
of transfusions during and since World life the doctors fought to save. The New
War II, what a wastage of this precious York Times of February 25,1967, reports:
human life stream there has been! The New The pile of empty blood bags grew higher.
York Times Magazine of March 29, 1964, By the time the operation was over, the
page 38, under the title 6,000,000 Pints soldier had received 28 pints. And yet he
of Blood Is Not Enough said the follow
died! What a waste of precious liquid!
ing: Each year a small river of blood
True, a transfusion with good intentions,
five or six million pintsis run into
but wasting the equivalent of more than
the veins of the sick in the United States;
two adult human lives. It did not work!
in New York City alone 1,000 pints a day
15 Think, also, of the wastage of hun
are consumed. Because of blood transdreds of thousands of pints of the vital
* In connection with the Nuremberg (Germany) trial
of Nazi war criminals after World War II, the Nuremberg
life stream in the cases of where the blood

from the market as too risky? No, but,

to the contrary, men suggest and attempt
to take steps to make it compulsory by
law for a person, under force, to submit
to transfusion despite his conscientious
Christian objection to it. Why does this
inconsistency on the part of the govern
ment occur?
11 Why is it that, when Nazi war crim
inals pleaded that they were not respon
sible for the mass killings that they carried
out, because they were merely obeying
the orders of superiors, the trial court re
minded them that they should have obeyed
the dictates of conscience against killing
innocent persons?* And yet today, when
intelligent, dedicated, baptized Christians
exercise their conscience in harmony with
the Bible, their conscience is overridden
by lawmakers, judges and medical men
and they are forcibly compelled to take
transfusions of blood that represents the
life of one or more persons.

Law that was followed was this: Patriotic obedience in

crime does not establish innocence."

11. What contrast is there in the matter of conscience

as brought up against Nazi war criminals on trial and
Christians objecting to transfusions?
12. Because blood is precious to God, should it be
wasted, and yet what use of it in the United States
allows for great waste?

13. As to life value, what does a small river" of

6,000,000 pints represent, and does transfusion save"
that many lives?
14. What wastage of precious liquid is there when the
recipient of the transfusion dies in spite o f it?
15. What other wastage of blood results from adverse
effects of transfusions?

D e c e m b e r 1, 1967

fEeW AT CHTOW ER

transfusions directly kill. A horrible waste,

in that the very reverse was produced
from what was intended by the transfu
sions! Think of the wastage of other hun
dreds of thousands of pints in the cases
in which the transfusions produced fatal
aftereffects that sooner or later brought
on death! And if the transfusion leaves a
person with a crippling or disabling in
firmity of the body, has the quantity of
liquid transfused been wasted or not?
16Finally, think of the waste that occurs
in banks that traffick in blood, buying it at
a low rate or getting it free and then
selling it at the rate of from ten dollars
to sixty dollars a unit. In these banks
blood does not keep indefinitely. It tends
to spoil. It gets out-of-date. In some banks
the spoilage by outdating has amounted
to 10 percent of the whole quantity in
bank. All this was not used for its intended
purpose! What a wastage of precious life
fluid this means.*
17 Is this terrible wastage of precious
human fluid pleasing to the Great Creator,
who put it in the human body to sustain
life? Does the medical motive for trans
fusing it justify such wastage before God?
Positively not, according to his Word, the
Bible. Will God hold men responsible for
spilling blood in this way in peacetime or
in wartime, spilling it, not at the base of
Gods altar like the blood of sacrificial
victims, but in a medical experiment con
trary to Gods supreme law? Evidently yes,
especially if we take as a pattern the fact
that in ancient Israel the person willfully
* As to what it takes to compensate for blood lost,
every minute about 180 million red blood cells die. The
bones of the body must replace these with healthy
young cells, or else the person faces anemic death. It
requires six to eight weeks for the bone marrow to re
store the red blood cells after a pint of blood has been
removed, as in the case of a blood donor.See Awake!
as of February 22, 1963, page 20, under the title You
Are Wonderfully M ade."
16. What further wastage is there in connection with
blood banks?
17. Is this wastage pleasing to God, or will he hold
men accountable for it, and w hy?

723

violating the divine prohibition concerning

blood was to be cut off from Gods people
in death. There is really no valid excuse
for such gross modern violations in view
of the fact that there are a number of
efficient blood substitutes today. Why, even
delicate operations, such as open-heart
surgery, can be successfully performed if
the doctors will only make the effort and
take the time and use their skill, without
blood transfusion.
18 Gods law to Noah after the flood,
forbidding the using of blood as food, was
accompanied by Gods law against mur
der: Anyone shedding mans blood, by
man will his own blood be shed, for in
Gods image he made man. (Gen. 9:4-6)
Just as certainly as Gods law against mur
der is still in force today, so too his pro
hibition against taking the blood of other
creatures into ones body is still in force
in this twentieth century and should be
respected for ones own good. Noahs fam
ily was obligated to teach that prohibition
law to their descendants.
19 In Gods law to the nation of Israel
through Moses God gave instructions about
the animal sacrifices and said: All the
fat belongs to Jehovah. It is a statute to
time indefinite for your generations, in
all your dwelling places: You must not eat
any fat or any blood at all. (Lev. 3:16,
17) This obligated one generation of Isra
elites to teach the next generation not to
eat blood. The father was obliged to teach
his children that it was against Gods law
to eat blood, and, consistently with this,
he would see to it that his minor children
did not eat it and that there was no eating
of it within his household, or inside his
home, of which he was the master, over18. Gods law against murder being in force still, it
argues that what other law to Noah is in force, and
whom did Noah s family have to teach that law ?
19. What obligation did the Israelites under Mosaic law
owe to the next generation with respect to Gods law
against blood?

724

SfteWATCHTOWER.

seer and guardian. Deut. 6 : 6 , 7; Ps. 78:

5 ,6 .
20 Today Jehovah God has a spiritual
Israel, a Christian Israel. (Gal. 6:16) Just
as the natural, fleshly Israelites were Je
hovahs witnesses, so these Christian spiri
tual Israelites are His witnesses. Whereas
the Mosaic law with its provisions about
fat was abolished when Christ died as a
sacrifice, the Apostolic Christian Council
of Jerusalem reaffirmed Gods law to Noah
and applied it to the true Christian congre
gation. Christian fathers are obliged to
teach this law and enforce it with regard
to their minor children, for by Gods law the
fathers are the spiritual, religious guard
ians as well as the domestic parental
caretakers of their underage children. The
Christian witnesses of Jehovah today rec
ognize that fact and follow the divine
rule of conduct. They endeavor to keep
their children from violating Gods law
to Noah and also the Jerusalem Councils
decree. (Eph. 6:4) Rightly they try to
protect their children from taking foreign
blood into them.
21 Do parents who are Jehovahs wit
nesses really have the right to do this? Cer
tain doctors, judges and lawmakers blind
themselves to Gods law and to religious
liberty and to Christian conscience and say
No! These flouters of Gods law that applies
to Christians claim that, when Jehovahs
witnesses refuse to let their children have
a blood transfusion when a mere human
doctor orders them to have it, Jehovahs
witnesses are dangerous parents to have
over children and they lose their right to
the guardianship of their own flesh-andblood children. Such children must there
fore become the wards of the political
State, even in States where there is a
separation of Church and State.
20. W h a t s im ila r o b lig a tio n re s ts u pon C h r is t ia n Is r a e l,
a n d w h a t do J e h o v a h s w itn e s s e s of to d a y do ab o u t it ?
21. W h o to d a y d e n y th a t C h r is t ia n p a re n ts ha ve th a t
r ig h t , a n d h o w do th e y a rg u e to get po ssession of
c h ild r e n in v o lv e d ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

22 Thus it comes about that judges have

had children taken from their own Chris
tian parents and placed in the hands of
appointed guardians that believe in trans
fusions. These have had the bodies of these
seized children assaulted with a transfusion
in shameful disregard of Gods law and
conscientious objections of the Christian
parents. If a child survives such a forced
transfusion, such violators salve their con
sciences for having saved a life.
DO YOU HAVE A RIGHT
TO YOUR OWN BODY?

23 In this very connection a serious ques

tion has been raised: To whom does the
body belong? That question headed an
article by a columnist writer who was
irked at the transfusion forced upon a
pregnant woman, one of Jehovahs wit
nesses, under Court order. The article
concludes, saying: Some day . . . maybe
. . . we will conclude, like Dickens Beadle,
that very often the law is a idiot, a ass,
and do something about it. *
24 To whom does the body belong? That
same question was raised in a somewhat
related case by natural circumcised Isra
elites because of the vast increase in the
number of autopsies of dead bodies of Jews
in Israel, in spite of repeated protests. In
the land of Israel the doctors have been
interpreting the law in a manner not in
tended by the legislators of Israel.! Fi
nally, on April 7, 1967, the American
Committee for Safeguarding Human Dig
nity in Israel published An Appeal to
the Government of Israel: Do Not Dese* See the N e w Y o r k Journal-Am erican, u n d e r d ate
of J u n e 20, 1964, page 19. T h e B e a d le w a s a c h a r a c t e r
in a n ovel b y C h a rle s D ic k e n s of E n g la n d .
t See th e N e w Y o r k T im es a s o f S e p te m b e r 23, 1966,
u n d e r th e h e a d in g G ro u p s in I s r a e l F i g h t A u t o p s ie s .
22. C o n s e q u e n tly , w h a t s h a m e fu l p ro ce d u re h a s r e s u lt e d
w ith ju d ic ia l a p p r o v a l?
23. I n t h is c o n n e ctio n , w h a t q u e stio n w a s r a is e d b y a
co lu m n ist w r it e r , a n d w ith w h a t c o n c lu d in g c o m m e n t?
24. W h a t cau sed th e lik e q u e stio n to be r a is e d r e c e n tly
in Is r a e l, a n d w h a t a p p e a l d id A m e r ic a n J e w s m a k e ?

D e c e m b e r 1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

725

crate the Dead! In discussing Human

28
In this protest against arrogant prac
Dignity and Jewish Tradition the appeal tices by members of the medical profession,
said (in part): In deference to these fear is expressed that, not only dead bodies,
hallowed, universally accepted attitudes but also living human bodies will be muti
and in consideration of the sacred rights lated presumptuously in behalf of the prog
of man to determine the fate of his own ress of medical science. Gods law is
body, governments throughout the world against the mutilating of the God-given
(including the United States) legally re human body unnecessarily. (Lev. 19:28;
quire the written consent of the deceased 21:5; Deut. 14:1; 1 Sam. 31:4) Since our
and/or his next of kin before an autopsy bodies are God-given, that principle should
may be performed. In Israel, unfortu be respected, and much more so if we have
nately, the situation is drastically differ dedicated our lives to God through Jesus
ent.
Christ and have symbolized this dedication
25
Commenting on the tragic situation,by water baptism. So do our bodies belong
the appeal went on to say: As a conse to ourselves, or to God, or to modern
quence, many Jews in the Holy Land, science? Rom. 12:1.
should have to refuse to enter hospitals
27
Outraged Jews are appealing in behalf
for necessary treatment because they fear especially of dead bodies, but, in the case
that if they do their bodies will be muti of blood transfusions, it is the living body
lated. . . . These are matters of strong that is concerned. And when the body of
religious conviction to the Jews and they a minor child is violated by a forced trans
are accustomed to giving their lives for fusion with the aid of a Court-appointed
their faith. But must this be? Must a man guardian against the religious and Con
be refused hospital treatment because he stitutional protests of the natural parents,
is asked to pay a price greater than his the question becomes very serious, To
conscience can allow? Israels existing au whom does the childs body belongto the
topsy law is a threat not only to the dead political State or to the flesh-and-blood
but to the living as well. . . . It would parents? Gods law places the responsi
seem that certain elements in Israel are so bility for the care of minor children and
obsessed with their antipathy to anything their religious upbringing upon the Chris
that smacks of religion, that they do not tian parents. These are charged with bring
hesitate to even go to the extreme of ing up their children in the same faith and
trampling upon the rights of the dead. . . . religious practices as the parents follow,
At stake is not only a religious issue but to obey God as ruler rather than man
what all civilized countries recognize as a or State in this regard. Eph. 6:4; Titus
basic human right: that the wishes of the 1:5, 6 ; contrast Matthew 2:13-21.
deceased and/or his next of kin and not
6, a n a r t ic le h e a d e d A m e r ic a n R a b b is in I s r a e l
the State determine the disposition of Apage
s k U .S . P ro te c tio n on A u t o p s ie s ," th e a r t ic le b e in g
d a te lin e d T E L A V I V , I s r a e l, M a y 3 ."
his body. *
See a lso D r .
(R a b b i) Im m a n u e l J a c o b o v it s book
* T h e A p p e a l a d d s: W e d e m a n d t h a t a n y o n e , w h e th e r
o u t of re lig io u s co n v ictio n o r h u m a n it a r ia n fe e lin g s, be
le g a lly allo w ed to in s is t th a t no a u to p sy o r d isse c tio n
be p erform ed on h is o r h is r e la t iv e 's b o d y a fte r d e a th
(g ra n tin g the e x ce p tio n s p r a c t ic e d in th e U n ite d S ta te s,
such a s in c ase s of s u s p ic io u s d e a th o r d an g e ro u s
e p id e m ic s .)"
O n M a y 4, 1967, th e N e w Y o r k T im es p u b lish e d , on
25. F o r w h at co n sc ie n tio u s re a so n h a v e J e w s in Is r a e l
d e c lin e d to e n te r h o sp ita ls fo r tre a tm e n t, a n d w h a t does
th e A p p e a l sa y ab o u t th e d isp o sitio n of th e b o d y ?

e n title d J e w is h M e d ic a l E t h ic s , " e d itio n of 1967, p ag es

97, 98, on th e s u b je c t of m u tila t io n ," m e n tio n in g a lso
th e r it e of c irc u m c is io n a n d th e b o rin g of th e e a r of
a f a it h f u l slav e.
26. W h a t ju st if ic a tio n f o r th e J e w s A p p e a l is th e re in
G o d s la w , a n d w h a t q u e stio n m u st C h r is t ia n s a s k w ith
r e g a rd to t h e ir b o d ie s?
27. I n th e case of blood t ra n sfu s io n s fo rc e d upon
c h ild re n , w h a t k in d of b o d ie s a re co n cerned , and to
w h o m does G o d 's W o rd a s s ig n th e c a re of th e m in o r
c h ild r e n ?

726

SEeW ATCH TO W ER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

faithful to God, Jehovah God raised him

from the dead on the third day. Because
28 We, as Jehovahs witnesses, advocate of being raised up as a spiritual Son of
the saving of the world of mankind by God, Jesus still retained the value of his
blood, not by medical blood transfusions, sacrificed human life. Hence, in Hebrews
but by Gods way of using it for endless 13:20, we read:
life. When his Son, Jesus Christ, set up
30
The God of peace . . . brought up
the Lords Supper, shortly before he shed from the dead the great shepherd of the
his blood on the death stake nineteen cen sheep with the blood of an everlasting
turies ago, he blessed a cup of wine and covenant, our Lord Jesus.
handed it to his faithful apostles, and said:
81 With the equivalent of his perfect hu
Drink out of it, all of you; for this is my man blood, that is, with the value of his
blood of the covenant, which is to be human life, Jesus Christ ascended to heav
poured out in behalf of many for forgive en and appeared in the presence of Jeho
ness of sins. (Matt. 26:27, 28, margin vah God. Heb. 9:24.
[1950 ed.]) Jesus did not there change the
32 Up in heaven Jesus presented to God
wine into blood; and on drinking from
the value of his sacrificed human life. He
that cup the apostles did not drink human
acted thus as Gods High Priest, just as it
blood, cannibalistically. Jesus words meant
is written: He entered, no, not with the
merely that the wine stood for his blood.
blood of goats and of young bulls, but with
By drinking of the wine that had that
his own blood, once for all time into the
symbolic meaning the apostles pictured
holy place and obtained an everlasting de
how by faith in Christ they would absorb,
liverance for us. For if the blood of goats
appropriate, assimilate the benefits of his
and of bulls . . . sanctifies to the extent of
shed blood. The shedding of Jesus blood
cleanness of the flesh, how much more
meant the pouring out of his human life
will the blood of the Christ, who through
in behalf of the world of mankind.
an everlasting spirit offered himself with
29 Since the life is in the blood, Jesus
out blemish to God, cleanse our consciences
blood had a value. It was perfect, undis from dead works that we may render sa
eased blood, for Jesus had been born as cred service to the living God? Heb.
a perfect human, through a virgin mother. 9:11-14.
His shedding his blood wets in reality his
33 God specially sanctified the blood of
laying down his perfect human life as a animal creatures by having their blood
sacrifice to God in behalf of all sinful applied to his altar in an atonement for the
mankind. (1 John 2:1, 2) Jehovah God sins of ancient Israel. Likewise, Gods ac
first transferred the perfect life of his ceptance of the blood shed sacrificially by
heavenly Son from heaven to earth in or his Son as a perfect man, gives a special
der that he might partake of blood and sanctity to human blood, in addition to
flesh and might provide a perfect hu the fact that the life of mankind lies in
its blood. (Lev. 17:11, 12, 14) For that
man sacrifice. (Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:14, 15)
reason the using of this life fluid in mediBecause Jesus died as an innocent man
GODS W A Y OP USING BLOOD
FOR ENDLESS LIFE

28. (a ) I n w h a t w a y do Je h o v a h 's w itn e sse s advocate

th e s a v in g o f th e w o r ld b y b lo o d ? (b ) B y d r in k in g fro m
th e cup a t th e L o r d s S u p p e r, w h a t w e re the ap o stle s
d o in g a n d in d ic a t in g ?
29, 30. (a ) H o w a n d w h y d id G od h a ve h is So n p a rta k e
o f blood a n d fle s h ? (b ) H o w d id J e s u s s t ill r e ta in the
v a lu e of h is h u m a n lif e a t h is r e s u r r e c t io n ?

31, 32. (a ) W it h w h a t, th e re fo re , d id J e s u s C h r is t a p
p e a r in G o d s h e a v e n ly p re s e n c e ? (b ) W h y W 2is J e s u s
a ctin g a s H ig h P r ie s t of G od m o re e ffe ctiv e th a n that
of I s r a e ls h ig h p r ie s t ?
33. (a ) H o w d id G od g iv e a sp e c ia l s a n c t it y to a n im a l
blood in I s r a e l? (b ) H o w h a s G o d g iv e n a s p e c ia l sanc
t it y to h u m a n blood, a n d w h a t does th e m e d ic a l use
of it m e a n ?

D e c e m b e r 1, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

727

cal transfusions under the pretext of saving of humans as well as of animals as some
lives is a desecration of blood. It draws thing sacred. Transfused human blood can
mans attention away from the fact, yes, never give us everlasting perfect life on
belittles the fact, that God the Creator a paradise earth. Even medical records
will save the world of mankind by means prove that such transfusions can kill us
of the sacrificial blood of his perfect, faith and our minor children. For eternal sal
ful High Priest, Jesus Christ.
vation to human perfection, obedient Chris
34
Knowing these vital Scriptural truths,tians, who look forward to an earthly par
we are under obligation to treat the blood adise under Gods kingdom, will look to
the shed blood of Jesus Christ, adminis
34. O u r k n o w in g th e se t ru t h s p u ts u s u n d e r w h a t
ob lig atio n , a n d to w h a t w ill C h r is t ia n s lo o k w h o e xp ect
tered in Gods sacred way.
h u m an p e rfe c tio n in a n e a r t h ly p a r a d is e ?

IS E X T E N D E D
TO YOU

/"'V T OU are kindly extended an invitation, and it is free. It is not offered

in a take it or leave it spirit, but is ac
companied by a warm personal appeal.
You have probably received the invitation
in written form but you may not have
yet experienced the personal touch. What
the invitation is and how the personal as
well as the written extension of it is avail
able to you is the subject of our discussion.
The invitation is one to partake of some
thing that will give you life. Of course, you
are alive, or you would not be reading
this, but would you like to continue living
endlessly? If so, then you will be inter
ested in the invitation. But if you are in
clined to respond negatively, please first
exercise the kindness to see what kind of
life is offered and on what terms. Then,
as with any other invitation, it can be
easily accepted or rejected.
You very possibly have a Bible in your

home. So you have the written invita

tion. You have the full right and privi
lege also to a personal one, the kind of in
vitation that only a friend would take the
trouble of carrying to you. It is free in the
fullest sense of the word. It is concerning
a life that you can live perpetually, not in
some unreal, shady world, but right here
on earth in the flesh, without the ills and
pains with which mankind is now afflicted
and in association with those whom you
love and have loved, in perfect health. It
is life under a peaceful arrangement,
guaranteeing security to person and prop
erty and with human rights fully acknowl
edged and protected. It is a life free of
prejudices and with constructive thinking
and work for all.
The Source of this invitation is God the
Creator. He is a God who is near, not one
far off. More than a million persons in
our time have accepted the invitation and
are, in turn, sent by God to extend the
invitation to yet others. They are Jeho-

728

^eW A T C H T O W E R

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

The Bible was written by human ser

vants of God under inspiration of his spir
it. It contains the invitation, and more
than 90 percent of the worlds population
have access to the Bible in their own lan
guage. So, in that way, the spirit says
Come! But that is not enough. Just as
Jesus personally, warmly spoke to the peo
ple when he was on earth in the flesh, so
he has those dear to him now on earth to
extend the invitation to life. He knows we
need the personal association of others
who serve God. It is the bride, the mem
bers of the Christian congregation, who
also heartily say Come!

will remember that the apostle Peter told

Christians: Consequently we have the
prophetic word made more sure; and you
are doing well in paying attention to it as
to a lamp shining in a dark place, until
day dawns and a daystar rises, in your
hearts. (2 Pet. 1:19) For centuries people
have had the prophetic word, but, until
the time for it to be completely fulfilled,
they were to let it guide them and be a
source of hope to them, keeping it in
their hearts until day dawns and a daystar rises. Well, in time that daystar
would rise and the prophecies of all these
good things that God has promised would
be due to take place. Jesus tells us that
he is that Star.* How has the star risen?
Bible evidence and the conditions pre
vailing in the earth indicate that this old
system of things, with its lawlessness and
injustices, is in its death throes. Jesus
said that it would be evidence that he had
stood up to exercise Kingdom power.
(Matt. 24:7, 14, 29-31; Dan. 7:13, 14; 12:
1) Jesus was to rule in the midst of [his]
enemies for a while, but he would con
summate this period with destruction of
this system of things before that genera
tion passed off the scene. It would follow
that some of these could survive this sys
tems end and live instead of dying. (Ps.
110:1, 2; Luke 21:25-33) So the invitation
would apply to the generation living in the
time of the end. That explains why it is
now set before you.

GIVEN TO THIS GENERATION

THOSE WHO ARE INVITED

vahs witnesses. God has a warm personal

love for people. Jehovahs witnesses have
received of it and, in the way that they
can best do it, they extend this love to
you, by calling at your home and spend
ing time to help you, free of charge.
Now, pick up your Bible, please, and
look at the invitation. It is likely not to be
the first time that you have seen it. Turn
to the Bibles very last book, Revelation
or Apocalypse, to the final chapter, and
read verse seventeen. Have in mind that
it is a most sober, sincere and serious in
vitation. It reads: And the spirit and the
bride keep on saying: Come! And let any
one hearing say: Come! And let anyone
thirsting come; let anyone that wishes
take lifes water free.
THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE

But being in the Bible, is not the invita

The star is therefore a King, like Da
tion nearly 1,900 years old? True, this in vid was a Shepherd King. When Jesus
vitation was written about 96 C.E., but its Christ was on earth he said that as a shep
application is
now.In the preceding
verse
herd he
would gather together first a
(sixteen) you will see that Jesus Christ little flock who would be Kingdom heirs
is there speaking, and he calls himself the with him. (Luke 12:32) He went further
bright morning star. This helps us to see to say: And I have other sheep, which
that the invitation is really extended for
* Se e T h e W atchtoiver o f N o v e m b e r 15, 1967, fo r a
acceptance at
thistime. How is
this?
You
f u lle
r e x p la
n a tio n .

D e c e m b e r 1, 1967

fK eW ATCH TO W ER

are not of this fold; those also I must

bring, and they will listen to my voice,
and they will become one flock, one shep
herd. (John 10:16) It is to these that
the invitation is extended now. If you have
a teachable, sheeplike inclination, you
will be pleased to listen. Revelation 7:9-17
calls these of the other sheep on earth
today a great crowd (in contrast to the
little flock of Kingdom heirs) and says:
The Lamb, who is in the midst of the
throne, will shepherd them, and will guide
them to fountains of waters of life. And
God will wipe out every tear from their
eyes.
Maybe for some time now you have
observed this invitation being personally
offered by Jehovahs witnesses. Well, it
has been done constantly since 1931, the
year when the Scriptural name Jeho
vahs witnesses was embraced by those
on earth who are serving God with hopes
of being in his heavenly kingdom. They
saw then, from the understanding of Eze
kiel, chapter nine, that it was the time to
put a mark on the foreheads of the
other sheep, that is, that they should
give sincere God-seeking persons the in
vitation, to gather them to the one unified
flock. This meant a worldwide teaching
work, to be done without cost to those
being taught.
It is true that before this, on February
24, 1918, the public talk entitled Millions
Now Living May Never Die had been
delivered and widely publicized by both
favorable and unfavorable comment. This
talk expressed the Bible truth that some
would survive the war of the great day of
God the Almighty right here on earth
and then would be able to gain eternal life
in the paradise earth under Gods Mes
sianic kingdom. But this message did not
definitely show the way into this survival
privilege, except by righteousness in gen-

729

eral. It was first in 1931 that concentrated

effort was put forth to inform everyone of
the invitation. Then from 1934 onward,
those of the bride class, with heavenly
hopes, spoken of as the anointed rem
nant of Christs brothers, plainly pointed
out that these other sheep must now
make a full dedication of themselves to
God and symbolize this dedication by wa
ter baptism and then become associates
and fellow witnesses of Jehovah with his
remnant class.*
Some may feel that from 1931 thirtysix years back is a long time to keep on
saying come. But the work of inviting was
not something to be done so quickly that
people would not have time to consider
and to act on it. It had to be done thor
oughly, world wide, without partiality as
to a persons race, religion or circum
stances in life, with as much personal con
tact as possible. It had to become public
knowledge, the truthfulness of it presented
fully, the issues discussed, weighed, and
those who accept it taught. That is what
Jehovahs witnesses have been working
hard to accomplish.
The invitation is timely, too, from an
other viewpoint. The Bible shows that the
Father of Jesus Christ at this time would
provide the wedding for his Son. (Rev.
19:7) He would resurrect those faithful
footstep followers of Christ Jesus who had
died, to join him in the heavens as a bride
would join her husband. (1 Thess. 4:15,
16) There would still be some of these on
earth, namely, the remnant, who are pro
spective attenders at the marriage feast in
heaven. (Rev. 19:9) Why would they be
left here for a while? One of the reasons
was so that they could extend the invita
tion to the great crowd to rejoice over
the marriage. The marriage time would
* T he W a tch to w er and Herald o f Christs P resence,
A u g u s t 15, 1934, p a g e s 249, 250.

730

SEeWATCHTOWEFL

be the time for the bride and bride

groom to turn attention to their earthly
family of other sheep, over whom they
rule as kings and priests.Rev. 20:6.
WORLDS RELIGIONS
NOT OFFERING THE INVITATION

Another way to discern the time that

the invitation is open and to identify the
bringers of the invitation is by asking
yourself the questions: Have I ever re
ceived the invitation elsewhere in the past?
When and from what other source have I
ever had it extended and explained? What
religious organization has invited me to
start now on a course that provides the pos
sibility of living through the destruction of
a system of things, right here on earth, in
to a new arrangement under Gods king
dom, where real life can be an accom
plished fact? It is impossible for one of the
religions of Babylon the Great to extend
the invitation, for they do not believe in
the Kingdom as now established in the
heavens, soon to crush out the present sys
tem of things. They do not believe that
Christ and his Bride will have as a family
the earthly other sheep. (Rev. 21:1-4)
And the members of these organizations
are not trained to go to the homes of the
people and study the Bible with them, prov
ing this hope to them. No, rather, it is just
the opposite. Babylon the Great has estab
lished a clergy-laity system and has advo
cated involvement in the affairs, politics
and wars of the nations, claiming that
these represent the kingdom of God. She
has made all the earths inhabitants drunk
with the wine of her fornication.* (Rev.
17:1-5; compare James 1:27; 4:4.) So the
invitation has not been extended in past
generations, but only now, by Jehovahs
witnesses.
* F o r m o re in fo r m a t io n on th e id e n t ity of B a b y lo n
th e G r e a t, see th e bo o k B ab ylon th e Great Has F all
e n ! God s K in g d o m R u le s!

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .
W HAT LIFES W ATER IS

What is lifes water ? Figurative

speech is used here, water being one of
the prime essentials for life. Water is
refreshing; to the one who is parched
with thirst it gives immediate revival and
vigor. It stands for the entire provision
that God makes for obedient, believing
mankind to have everlasting life through
Jesus Christ. At the present time those
who hear and accept the invitation to
drink do not get their lifes physical pow
ers renewed, but it awakens them spiri
tually and enlivens and invigorates them.
They can visualize and almost taste the
good things to come in the paradise earth.
Since the day of Pentecost, 33 C.E., those
with heavenly hopes have had a token of
what is to come, that is, the spirit. (2 Cor.
5:5) The spirit has strengthened them
with the realization that the hope of heav
enly life is open to them, a taste, as it
were, of the good things God purposes for
them. (Heb. 6:4, 5) In a parallel way Gods
spirit gives the other sheep a wonder
ful foretaste of perfect life in a peaceful,
beautified earth.
While the waters of life are free, the
acceptance of them does bring responsibili
ty on the receiver, for the Scriptures say:
Let anyone hearing say: Come! This
is being obeyed as tens of thousands of
persons accept the invitation each year.
They take up the responsibility of extend
ing it more widely and have done so at
this date to the very ends of the earth, in
197 lands. Many speak to their friends, rel
atives and neighbors; some devote full
time, others study a foreign language, sac
rificing a life of comfort to give the per
sonal invitation to people in lands thou
sands of miles away, for this must be done
with absolute impartiality toward every
kind of person in the inhabited earth.

D e c e m b e r 1 , 1967

SE eW A TC H TO W E R .

IN NO W A Y COMMERCIAL

There is no commercializing of this mes

sage. The profit that Jehovahs witnesses
get is the joy one has in extending an in
vitation that betokens the finest of things
for the receiver. In fact, Gods Word for
bids commercializing, and anyone who
commercializes the Word of God is like
the hireling who has no interest in the
sheep. (John 10:12; 2 Cor. 2:17) What
there is available of lifes water at the
present time, this Jehovahs witnesses in
vite you to take, free!
God demands that the invitation be car
ried in its fullest clarity and purity to the
people. He says to those to whom the in
vitation has been committed, namely, the
congregation of the members of Christs
bride, to whom the Revelation was pri
marily written: I am bearing witness to
everyone that hears the words of the
prophecy of this scroll: If anyone makes
an addition to these things, God will add
to him the plagues that are written in this
scroll; and if anyone takes anything away
from the words of the scroll of this proph
ecy, God will take his portion away from
the trees of life and out of the holy city,
things which are written about in this
scroll. (Rev. 22:18, 19; 1:4, 5, 19, 20;
2:1, 8; 3:1, 7,14) Therefore, not only must
the words of the prophecy of this scroll
be unsealed for all thirsty, sheeplike per
sons, but it must not be withheld, added to
in any part, adulterated or softened down
to counteract the things it says or to dull
its clarity and sharpness. This would con
taminate the water and would bring no
life to the receivers. (Ezek. 34:19) The
prophecy of this scroll must be treated
like the entire book of Mosesnot added
to nor taken from, not even a word. Deut.
4:1, 2; 12:32; Prov. 30:5, 6.
It would not only be extremely mis
leading and detrimental to those who hear
the invitation if it should be altered in any

731

way, but to the bride class it would

mean that they would have their own
heavenly hopes disappointed, their hopedfor portion taken away from the trees of
life that are in the [heavenly] paradise
of God, out of the holy city, the heav
enly New Jerusalem. The faithful remnant
do not want this. They appreciate the is
sue of integrity and the vindication of Je
hovahs name and that they represent him
in the earth; therefore, above all things
they desire to let God be found true by
declaring everything that he says, that he
may be declared righteous, justified, vin
dicated, but men proved liars.Rev. 22:
15; Rom. 3:4.
Now, if you are one who accepts the in
vitation, you will see as one of the great
crowd of sheeplike companions of Gods
anointed remnant that you must be equally
faithful, that the invitation, so delightful
to you, so refreshing and life-giving, with
everlasting life as a future hope, is to be
given unadulterated to others. By this
same faithful attitude to Gods holy Word
in its entirety, the portion that these lifegiving waters offer you life in a paradise
earthwill not be disappointed, and your
place will not be taken away.
INVITATION SOON TO CEASE

The apostle John, who saw the vision

about nineteen hundred years ago, next
records something that may at first seem
strange. He writes: He that bears wit
ness of these things says, Yes; I am com
ing quickly. Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.
(Rev. 22:20) This is the fifth time in the
Revelation that Jesus Christ says that he
is coming quickly. His coming accompa
nies Jehovah God, who also said: I am
coming quickly. (Rev. 2:5, 16; 3:11; 22:
7, 20 and 12) This does not mean that
Jesus Christ is not present in Kingdom
power, gathering his bride and the great
crowd ; rather, the emphasis here is on

732

3EeW ATCHTOW ER.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

the word quickly ; and it is in connection

with the war of the great day of God the
Almighty that the Lord Jesus Christ
warns that he is coming as a thief.
Rev. 16:15.
Jesus Christ had earlier said: Do not
seal up the words of the prophecy of this
scroll, for the appointed time is near.
(Rev. 22:10) The fulfillment of the things
in this scroll, Revelation, is what is near,
as evidenced by the fact that you are
receiving the invitation. There is some
thing to be acted on now. It is not a time
for anyone who claims to serve God or
who wants to serve him to be spiritually
asleep, drowsy or indifferent, for regard
less of ones attitude Jesus Christ is bound
to come quickly. This means that in quick
time now the religious harlot, Babylon the
Great, the worldwide empire of false re
ligion, will be destroyed. Those who act
on the invitation have the opportunity of
witnessing this destruction and seeing a
new epoch of Jehovahs reign begin, that
is, his reign without a religious rival, when
true worship will be the only religion ex
isting. Then we can say: Hallelujah! be
cause Jehovah our God, the Almighty, has
begun to rule as king. Rev. 19:1-6,
margin of 1950 edition.

Those who love this worlds system of

things will not be inclined to accept the
invitation, even though it would mean life
to them. They are so involved in this
worlds affairs and imbued with its selfish
spirit that they either do not believe the
invitation or do not want life forever in a
righteous new order. But others hate the
corruption in the present system of things,
even in worldly religions. When they see
also that the plagues of Gods anger are
being poured out upon this world,* that
its organizations and supporters are writh
ing in pain and actually decaying away,
they will surely accept the invitation
gladly.
We must remember that John was an
apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, filled
with his spirit and a member of the gov
erning body of the Christian congregation.
Therefore, the prayer that he makes is
sure of fulfillment. (Jas. 5:16-18) It is in
behalf of, not only the remnant of the
144,000 holy ones, but certainly also the
great crowd of temple servants who
have earthly hopes and who are associated
with the remnant of holy ones, that the
apostle John continued in prayer in the
closing words of the prophetic scroll:
May the undeserved kindness of the Lord
Jesus Christ be with the holy ones. Rev.

DO YOU SAY AMEN ?

22: 21.
It is certainly a most wonderful expres
sion of the undeserved kindness of Jeho
vah God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to
make understandable to us so much of
Gods Word and to extend to hundreds of
thousands of sheeplike ones the invitation
to come and drink of lifes water free.
If you appreciate this undeserved kind
ness, then you can have more of these wa
ters of life, of which you have had a taste,
served personally to you along with the

John replies to Jesus warning of the

quickness of his coming: Amen! Come,
Lord Jesus. John was one beloved of Je
sus Christ and he earnestly looked for his
coming. If we love him and the things that
he stands for we will certainly be eager
for his return and the destruction of those
things that are against him and will pray,
with the apostle John, Amen! Come, Lord
Jesus. In saying this Amen! it means
that we are fully in harmony and agree
ment with it and are carrying out those
things that the Revelation transmitted to
John. This we must do until he comes.

* See th e book B a bylon the Great H a s F a lle n !

Gods K ingd om R u le s! b y W a tc h to w e r B ib le a n d T r a c t
S o cie ty , B ro o k ly n , N e w Y o r k , a n d T h e W a tc h to w e r,
issu e s of J u ly 15, 1966, to J a n u a r y 15, 1967.

D ecem ber 1,

1967

fiie W A T C H T O W E R .

loving help of Jehovahs witnesses. They

are more than glad to assist you in free
home Bible study and to bring you into
association with others who hold out the
hand of friendship to you. You may have
as real friends those to whom Gods un
deserved kindness has already been given
and through the help of Jehovahs spirit
come closer and closer to him, enjoying an
ever-increasing hope of everlasting life
now and finally benefiting fully from these

733

waters of life in his righteous new order

under Christs kingdom.
(This is the last of a series of eighty-three
articles dealing with the Bibles account of
Babylon the Great, long a mystery, but now
unveiled in the light of Gods W ord and the
facts in fulfillment of prophecy. The entire
matter is covered in the book Babylon the

Great Has Fallen! Gods Kingdom Rules!,

704 pages, [printed in the English and Ger
man languages] by the Watchtower Bible
and Tract Society, Brooklyn, New York.)

Jealously Guard Liberty-giving Worship

H E worship of Jehovah God is truly liberty
giving. This fact Jesus Christ made clear
when he said: I f you remain in m y word,
you are really my disciples, and you will know
the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Having been made free, Christians must jeal
ously guard that freedom, even as the apostle
Paul admonishes: For such freedom Christ
set us free. Therefore stand fast. John 8:31,
32; Gal. 5:1.*

The truth that sets Jesus followers free is

not just truth in general. In fact, secular truth
may well do the opposite; it m ay lead one into
bondage if not used in the right way. Thus
nations today are facing a bondage to the
scientific elite, because of the advantages
that scientists have by reason of their possess
ing many secular truths. In medicine this has
resulted in a medical priesthood that seeks
to force judges and lawmakers to do their
bidding even to the extent of robbing patients
of their God-given and Constitutional rights to
heed their consciences in accepting medical
treatment. Clearly, secular truth can lead men
into bondage.
The truth that sets Jesus disciples free is
the truth that comes from God. It is the truth
that is found in his W ord. By accepting it, by
exercising faith in it, by letting it make progress
in your life, you can be set free. Free from
what? Free from even the greatest slavery of
all, to sin and death. Yes, by reason of Christs
sacrifice and Gods kingdom, all who exercise
faith in the truth of Gods W ord can hope to
* F o r d e tails see T h e W a tch to w er, D e c e m b e r 1, 1966.

gain freedom from sin and death and enjoy

the glorious freedom of Gods sons eternally.
Rom. 6:23.
But Gods truth offers Jesus followers free
dom from bondage to Babylon the Great, the
world empire of false religion. Even as the truth
taught by Jesus enabled the Jews of his day
to get free from bondage to Judaism, and the
Gentiles to get free from pagan religion, so
today this truth enables all lovers of God and
of his Word to get free from bondage to Babylon
the Great, thereby keeping from sharing in her
sins and receiving her plagues. Rev. 18:4.
Gods truth also sets Jehovahs witnesses free
from bondage to the political systems and ide
ologies of this world. It gives them a basis for
neutrality in regard to all political and national
conflicts. And while they recognize the nations
of this world as the superior authorities,
their subjection to them is only relative, not
absolute, obeying such only so long as their laws
do not run counter to the liberty-giving wor
ship of Jehovah. John 18:36; Rom. 13:1.
However, Gods people do not all enjoy free
dom to engage in this liberty-giving worship
without hindrance. In m any places their worship
is interfered with, calling to mind the words of
the apostle Paul: A ll those desiring to live
with godly devotion in association with Christ
Jesus will also be persecuted. 2 Tim. 3:12.
The faithful and discreet slave organization
is taking the lead in safeguarding liberty-giving
worship. (Matt. 24:45) It fights court battles
for liberty to refuse blood transfusions, to
preach and to assemble in obedience to Gods

734

35eW ATCHTOW ER

B rooklyn,

N .Y.

pressure a Christian to accept blood trans

fusions. Again, will he stand firm, resisting
any infringement of his liberty-giving worship?
The right course is obvious.

commands. It instructs Christians as to how

they can continue to maintain their integrity:
how to proceed as cautious at serpents, yet
as innocent as doves, by discreetly preaching
underground. Matt. 10:16; 2 Tim. 4:2.

In particular must all Christians be on guard

against being intimidated by threats, so that
fear of physical harm or economic loss does
not keep them from engaging in their freedom
giving worship. They must remember that their
suffering for rightousness is pleasing to God,
and, should they lose their lives, they have hope
of an early resurrection. So let all Christians
follow the example of the faithful and dis
creet slave" as it heeds the counsel of the
apostle Paul: For such freedom Christ set us
free. Therefore stand fa st." Gal. 5 :1 .

W h a t about Christians individually? An

unbelieving husband may try to pressure his
wife not to attend any of the congregation
meetings of Jehovah's witnesses and not to
take any part at all in the Christian ministry.
W ill she jealously guard her liberty-giving
worship, by putting God first? A schoolteacher
m ay be pressured to engage in political activ
ity or nationalistic exercises, or not to preach
from house to house. W ill she put worship of
God first? A t a hospital, physicians may try to

Tapyftug in t(i6 'tJiftst Cedtu/ty

Papyrus was the material upon which the
Christian Greek Scriptures were written.
Made from the white pith of the papyrus
plant, it was tough yet relatively inexpensive,
For this reason it was universally used in the
days of Jesus and his apostles. Camden M.
Cobem in his book The New Archeological
Discoveries noted some interesting facts
about papyrus at that time. He said: The
ordinary size of a papyrus sheet in the days of
the apostles was about five by ten inches, and
the ordinary grade was often sold in rolls of
perhaps twenty sheets, the price of a sheet
being little more than twenty-five cents. While
the width of the cheaper papyri was only
about six inches, a better quality called Charta
L ivia . . . reached a width of eight inches or

W h a t should a Christian wife do if her un

believing husband asks her to visit his family
for a meal on a worldly holiday? B. S., U.S.A.
This puts a Christian wife in a difficult situa
tion, because a number of factors come into
play. Probably she will immediately think of
two factors involving subjection. She has a

\ more; and the highest grade, called Hieratica

$

s
s

s
s
^

\
s

(
s

s
S

. . . , ran about nine and a half inches in

w idth .. . . It is doubtful whether any N ew
Testament writer had ever in his life used
the higher grades of papyrus, and it can be
counted as absolutely settled that every book
of the New Testament was written upon the
medium or poorer qualities. But in all the
years since linen paper came into common
use in the eighth or ninth century of our
era it has never been honored as was the
humble papyri of that first century which re
ceived the autographs of the apostles and
evangelists as they told the story of the M an
of Nazareth, A poor man toiling with the
p o or.'"

Scriptural obligation to be in subjection to her

husband. (Titus 2 :4 , 5) Yet, she also has the
responsibility to be obedient to Jehovah, who
exercises supreme headship over her. Heb.
12:9.
The Christian position on worldly holidays
such as Christmas is quite clear. The only day
for special observance as far as Christians are
concerned is the anniversary of Christs death.
(Luke 22:19, 20) It would be wrong to share
in religious celebrations that, although asso
ciated with Scriptural events, are saturated
with paganism, as with Christmas and Easter.
(2 Cor. 6:14-18) But as long as we live in this
old system of things we probably will have
some contact with individuals who celebrate

D e c e m b e r 1, 1967

SHeWATCHTOWER.

holidays based on pagan worship. (1 Cor. 5:10)

These may include relatives.
If, at her husbands request, a Christian wife
did go along to visit relatives on a worldly
holiday, her conduct would undoubtedly make
it plain that she was not celebrating the holiday.
The relatives might bid welcome with a special
holiday greeting, but she would not say a
holiday greeting in return. They might use the
visit as an occasion to give gifts, but she would
not be giving gifts. In fact, she would not even
share in the festive spirit of the holiday season.
Thus it would be evident that her visit to have
a meal was not something special on her part
because of the holiday.
If she tactfully and respectfully spoke to her
husband in advance, explaining the embarrass
ment that might occur if the relatives did have
some holiday activities and she did not share in
them, he might decide to schedule the visit
for another day. (1 Pet. 3:1 5 ) Once he fully
understood her Scriptural position, he would
likely be more inclined to decide on a course
that would be more suitable for all concerned.
If, after hearing her explanation, he still
insisted that she accompany him, the wife would
have to make a personal decision as to whether
she should do so. She might conclude that as
head of the household he has the responsibility
to provide food for the fam ily. (Col. 3:18) In
this case her head, her husband, might be
arranging for her meal in this way, at the home
of his fam ily, because both families are free
from secular work and a visit is possible. Just
because it is the date of a worldly holiday does
not make it wrong to have a meal with ones
relatives. She could witness during such meal.
Note the principle at 1 Corinthians 8 :8 : Food
will not commend us to God; if we do not eat,
we do not fall short, and, if we eat, we have no
credit to ourselves. The food is not contami
nated just because it is eaten on a worldly holi
day. The Christian would view it as a common
meal; she would not be joining in any holiday
greetings, songs, toasts, and so forth. So just
eating the meal would not be a sin.
Another factor to be considered, though, is the
effect that sharing such a meal might have on
others. The apostle Paul added in 1 Corinthians
8 :9 : Keep watching that this authority of
yours does not somehow become a stumbling
block to those who are weak. W hile the apostle
was discussing food sacrificed to idols, this does
highlight the possibility that others who learn

735

of her visiting worldly relatives on that day

might be stumbled. 1 Cor. 10:23, 24.
Also, she faces dangers as to maintaining her
Christian integrity if the fam ily puts pressure
on her to compromise. The desire to avoid any
embarrassment might exert a powerful influ
ence on her and lead her to share in some apos
tate religious activity. Surely she would regret
it if she did something that displeased Jehovah.
So, it would be important to think the matter
through in advance, taking these factors into
consideration when m aking the decision.
In the final analysis she can weigh the
factors and then make an individual decision.
(Gal. 6 :5 ) She would do well to decide in such
a way as to retain a clear Christian conscience,
to be able to say, as did Paul: I am exercising
myself continually to have a consciousness of
committing no offense against God and men.
Acts 24:16.
Does Jesus prophecy at Matthew 24:12 about
the cooling off of the love of the greater number
find fulfillment in Christendom or among Je
hovahs Christian witnesses? P. A., U.S.A.
The things that have occurred in this genera
tion show that both Christendom and Gods true
servants are involved in the fulfillment of this
prophecy. In the twenty-fourth chapter of M at
thew Jesus Christ was describing to four of his
disciples different aspects of the composite sign
that would be observed during his second pres
ence. A fter mentioning wars, food shortages,
earthquakes and persecution of true Christians,
he added: M any false prophets will arise and
mislead m any; and because of the increasing of
lawlessness the love of the greater number will
cool off. Matt. 24:1 1 ,1 2 .
The various aspects of this composite sign
have been in evidence since the establishment of
Gods kingdom in 1914, including the leading of
people away from the Bible and fundamental
Christian beliefs. The clergy of Christendom
joined the trend to label the Bible as mytholog
ical; then they mixed in among their teachings
human theories such as evolution, and now they
spread the God is dead idea. W hereas people
in Christendom claiming to be Christian used
to read the Bible and view it as Gods inspired
Word, many have now been led away from it by
their 'false prophet religious leaders. And
some of the leaders have as much as admitted
this. One clergyman told a Baptist convention:
A spirit of lethargy has overcome the people
. . . and it is our fault. Another minister told
the same group: W e have drifted away from

SFReWATCHTOWER.

736

the practice of scriptural C h r istia n ity Hous

ton Post, December 5, 1964, page 15.
W ith millions of persons in Christendom
rejecting the Bible as the standard to follow,
m orals have been adversely affected. There has
been an increase of lawlessness. Some think
that if there is a God he is not concerned with
what they do. The people in general are fright
ened by the resulting crime and lawlessness,
but, instead of their turning to God, they drift
farther away from Him. As the aforementioned
clergyman noted, they become lethargic and
what love for God and fellowman they had
diminishes; it cools off.
Some wonder how these can be the greater
number referred to in this text, since they are
not even true Christians. But they claim to be
so. O f all the people professing to be Christians,
these having little love for God and neighbor
constitute the majority, the greater number.
However, those who are actually Christians
can also be involved in this prophecy. For a
time following the setting up of the Kingdom
in 1914 Jehovahs servants were in a state of
spiritual captivity. There was persecution from
the outside, and even within the organization
of true Christians there were problems. Some

B rooklyn, N. Y.

had allowed their love fo r God to grow cold

and they tried unlawfully to seize control of the
organization. W hen they failed, they fell away
and became an evil slave class, opposing those
who continued to show true love fo r God. (Matt.
24:48-51) And over the years others have been
influenced by the lawlessness of the world or
have let their love die down for some other
reason. The cooling off of their love caused them
to abandon true worship and to join the imita
tion Christians, thus adding to the greater
number.
Yet there appears to be no reason to conclude
that the greater number of those in Jehovahs
organization of Christian witnesses now are
going to lose their love for God in the future.
The lawlessness and lack of love in the world
is already well advanced, but most of Jehovahs
witnesses are remaining devoted to God and
with strong love. Even so, we each need to be
concerned with our own spirituality so that our
love for God remains strong. (M att. 22:37) If
that is the case with each one of us, Jesus
words in the next verse of Matthew chapter 24
will be fulfilled in us: He that has endured to
the end is the one that will be saved. M att.
24:13.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
FOR SOMEONE YOU WISH TO REMEMBER

Do you know someone who does not have

his own copy of the Bible? N o one should be
without it. Especially now that this best book
of all times can be read in the modern language
of our day. The New World Translation of the
Holy Scriptures is a complete Bible, printed on
thin Bible paper and bound in a beautiful
gold-embossed green cover. Concordance, appen
dix, maps and diagrams. Available in English
and Spanish. Send only $1.

liberty-giving worship. (Gal. 1:3, 4; 5 :1 ) One

of the main ways Jehovahs witnesses guard
their liberty-giving worship is by sharing it
with others. But for others to experience this
grand deliverance and to attain to liberty-giving
worship they need the W ord of God, the Bible.
To meet this need, Jehovahs witnesses, during
the month of December, are offering to all
persons a copy of the New World Translation
of the Holy Scriptures, along with a booklet
for $1.
;
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

FIELD MINISTRY

The theme th at the apostle Paul develops

right from the beginning of his letter to the
Galatians is that God through Jesus Christ has
delivered his people from this present wicked
system of things. The apostle stresses the fact
that Christians have been made free for the new
system of things, and now they are to stand
fa st fo r that freedom, zealously guarding their

December 24: Saving the W orld of Mankind

by Blood, 111-22. Page 712. Songs to Be
Used: 23, 29.
December 31: Saving the W orld of Mankind
by Blood, If23-29, and By M ans W a y or by
Gods W a y W hich? til-11. P age 717. Songs
to Be Used: 65, 64.
January 7: By M ans W a y or by Gods W ay
W hich? H12-34. Page 722. Songs to Be
Used: 62, 47.

DECEMBER 15, 1967

Semimonthly

IN ALL THE NATIONS THE

GOOD NEWS HAS TO BE
PREACHED FIRST
WHAT NOW DISTINGUISHES
THE GOOD NEWS TO BE PREACHED
WHAT DO CHILDREN
OWE THEIR PARENTS?
SEARCHING FOR THE BIBLE PRINCIPLES
W TB & TS

JEHOVAHS
KINGDOM

T H E PURPOSE O F " T H E W A T C H T O W E R
E very w atchtow er has its purpose. It serves as an elevated place fo r a
wide-awake person with sharp vision. It enables him to see far ahead into
the distance and tell those below for w hom he is a watchman w h a t is
drawing near, whether it is a danger against which to prepare or it is
something good over which to be glad with strong faith and hope.
Because o f having the name "T h e W a tch tow er this magazine Justly
has to render a similar useful service to the people o f all nations. This is
an international magazine and makes no racial distinctions, for w e are all
facing a common w orld danger; w e are all hoping for a common good.
Ever since "T h e W a tch tow er began to be published in Ju ly o f 1 8 7 9 it
has looked ahead into the future, always striving to aid its readers to ad
vance in knowledge and to gain a clearer picture o f the glorious n ew order
o f things that is in store for righteous mankind. N o , "T h e W a tc h to w e r
is no inspired prophet, but it follows and explains a Book o f prophecy the
predictions in which have proved to be unerring and unfailing till now .
"T h e W a tch to w e r is therefore under safe guidance. It m ay be read with
confidence, for its statements m ay be checked against that prophetic Book.
A m o n g the m any nations o f today there are hundreds o f differing
religions. 'W hich one does this magazine present? N o t the confused religions
o f Christendom, but the religion o f the oldest sacred Book on earth. W h ic h
Book? T h e Sacred Bible o f the H o ly Scriptures, written by inspiration in
the name o f the Creator o f heaven and earth, the only living and true G od.
T h e sacred, nonpolitical purpose o f "T h e W a tch to w er is accordingly
to encourage and promote study o f the H o ly Bible and to give our m any
readers the needed unsectarian help to understand that Book o f true
religion and infallible prophecy. Thus this magazine w ill be helping them
to prove w orthy o f perfect life and happiness in G o d s promised new order
under H is everlasting kingdom o f righteousness.

W A TCH T O W ER B IB L E
117 A d a m s S tre e t
N . H . K norr , President

P U B L IS H E D B Y T H E
A N D T R A C T S O C IE T Y O F P E N N S Y L V A N IA
B ro o k ly n . N .Y . 11201, U .S .A .
G ra n t S uiter , Secretary

They will all be taught by Jehovah. John 6 :4 5 ; Isaiah 54:13

A v e r a g e p r in t in g e a c h is s u e :

S e m im o n t h ly

You Find W h at You Seek!

739

W hat Do Children Owe Their Parents?

741

"In A ll the Nations the Good News

H as to Be Preached First

744

W hat N ow Distinguishes the Good News

to Be Preached

753

Honored to Serve with Jehovahs

Progressive Organization

758

Searching for the Bible Principles

762

Real Security W h ere?

766

Questions from Readers

767

The Bible translation used in The Watchtower is the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1 9 6 1 edition. When other translations
are used the following symbols w ill appear behind the citations:

A S American Standard Version

A T An American Translation
A V Authorized Version (1611)
D u - Catholic Douay version
JP Jewish Publication Soc.

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'y 4 r ir io z t7 Z c ir i&

J E H O V A H S
K IN G D O M
December 15, 1967

NE of the reasons why the Bible en

joys such a wide distribution, being
the best seller year after year, no doubt
is the basic wisdom of its counsel. Among
the many examples that might be given
are the words of Jesus Christ found at
Matthew 7:7: Keep on seeking, and you
will find.
While these words stress the need to
'persevere in seeking good things, implicit
also in them is the thought that we will
usually find that which we persistently
seek. Thus if it is our nature to seek or
expect to find admirable qualities in oth
ers we will most likely find them. On the
other hand, if we are unduly suspicious,
seeking or expecting to find bad traits in
others, we will most likely find such. All
of which, let it be noted, is in line with
the inspired words of the apostle Paul:
All things are clean to clean persons. But
to persons defiled and faithless nothing is
clean, but both their minds and their con
sciences are defiled.Titus 1:15.
Jehovah God sets us a fine example
in this regard, for he is not critically
watching us so as to find as much fault
with us as possible. He is not unduly
suspicious. Thus the inspired psalmist
wrote: If errors were what you watch,
O Jah, O Jehovah, who could stand? For
there is the true forgiveness with you,

N um ber 24

in order that you may be feared. Ps.

130:3, 4.
An instance recorded in the Bible of Je
hovah Gods proceeding in this way is
found in his dealings with King Jehoshaphat, an upright, God-fearing king of Ju
dah. On one occasion this king foolishly
entered into a military alliance with wick
ed King Ahab of Israel. God reproved
him, saying through his prophet Jehu: Is
it to the wicked that help is to be given,
and is it for those hating Jehovah that you
should have love? And for this there is
indignation against you from the person of
Jehovah. But because of King Jehoshaphats good previous record, God went on
to say: Nevertheless, there are good
things that have been found with you,
because you have cleared out the sacred
[phallic] poles from the land and you have
prepared your heart to search for the true
God. True, King Jehoshaphat had erred,
but still Jehovah God found good in him
and showed him mercy because of it.
2 Chron. 19:2, 3.
The loving thing is to seek good in
others. Not that we are to be gullible. Self
ish men, especially in the commercial busi
nesses of life, are ready to take advantage
of others; so the Bible proverb wisely
observes: Anyone inexperienced puts
faith in every word, but the shrewd one

739

740

SffieWATCHTOWER

considers his steps. (Prov. 14:15) Like

wise, we would err seriously if we endeav
ored to find good in practices and organi
zations that God condemns. (Gen. 3:1-5;
1 Tim. 2:14; Rom. 1:24-32; 2 Cor. 6:
14-18) But in our everyday relations with
associates, friends and relatives, to be
seeking or expecting to find bad in others
surely betrays a negative mental attitude
or disposition. Is such a course wise? By
no means, for as a poet once aptly ob
served in regard to things meant to please
by reason of their beauty: It is the best
rule for happiness in life as well as for
soundness of judgment . . . to try to find
out why a thing is good, rather than why
it is bad. After all, no one is perfect.
The antidote for the disposition to keep
looking for bad in others is unselfishness
or love. Love is trusting; that is why it
builds up. It is ready to believe good things
of others and to give them the benefit of
the doubt unless they prove themselves un
worthy of our trust. In particular should
Christians in their dealings with fellow
Christians take to heart and act upon the
principles enunciated by the apostle Paul
in his description of how love works:
Love . . . believes all things, hopes all
things. (1 Cor. 13:4, 7) This is what
causes the witnesses of Jehovah to keep on
going from house to house. In spite of all
the skepticism and materialism in this
world, they look for and hope to find some
persons who long to learn more about God
and the Bible. And these Witnesses do find
what they are seeking! Ezek. 9:4.
This principle not only applies to a
persons attitude in dealing with other
persons, but also applies to a persons atti
tude toward the Book of books, the Bible.
Here also people most generally are likely
to find what they are seeking: fine liter
ature, interesting history, noble principles
or, above all else, the inspired Word of
God. But some persons approach the Bible

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

with an extremely critical attitude, one of

mistake hunting, as it has been termed.
These also usually find, or at least appear
to find, what they were seeking: apparent
errors, contradictions or inconsistencies.
True, due to errors by copyists or by
translators, or because of changes in lan
guage, problems have arisen. But more
often than not such problems are caused
by a superficial reading of the Bible.
Thus an elderly Christian woman of
African extraction and of limited educa
tion who was going from house to house
in the Boston area, witnessing to her faith,
met a Harvard University student who
told her that he did not believe in the Bible
because it contradicted itself. As proof he
stated that in one place the Bible shows
that Jesus and John the Baptist are two
distinct persons, but in another place it
tells that Jesus was John the Baptist
raised from the dead. But this elderly
Christian woman was able to show the
student that it was not the Bible writer
Matthew that was saying that Jesus was
John the Baptist raised from the dead, but
that Matthew was merely recording the
fact that King Herod had this mistaken
notion.Matt. 14:1, 2.
How many blessings and joys are denied
those who keep looking for the wrong
things, who look for, expect or hope to find
mistakes in the Bible or weaknesses and
shortcomings in their neighbors, relatives
or fellow Christians! How much wiser, not
to say anything about how much more
loving, it is to keep looking for truth and
wisdom in Gods Word and to expect to
find admirable qualities in others!
That is also the right, the just course,
for is not that the attitude we want others
to display toward us? Surely! So here
again the rule of Jesus Christ applies:
Just as you want men to do to you, do
the same way to them. Luke 6:31.

What Do
CHILDREN
VERY child is in debt from
the moment that he takes his
first breath. The debt is to his parents who
are responsible for his being alive, and that
debt grows with each passing year as they
feed, clothe, educate and care for him.
Some children show appreciation by giving
their parents what they owe them, but a
great many do not.
In the Bible, at Proverbs 30:11, a truth
is stated that fits a great many children of
our time. It says: There is a generation
that calls down evil even upon its father
and that does not bless even its mother.
In another place the Bible foretold that in
the last days youths would be disobe
dient to their parents and would be with
out natural affection. (2 Tim. 3:1-4) We
see today what was foretold. There are
youths who curse their parents in fits of
anger. Some have even killed them. More
generally, however, there is a rebellious
attitude toward parents that is manifested
in disobedience, lack of consideration, un
kindness and disrespect. Is such conduct
the way to express gratitude for the love
and care their parents have given them
from the time they were born? Obviously
not!
When young folks are passing through
the adolescent stage they
tend to come to the conclu
sion that their parents do
not understand them because
their personal wishes seem
.
in v a ria b ly to
'
run counter to
those of their
parents. Their
parents, fo r
example, may

Their

aSK R EN TS?

741

require them to be home at a certain

hour at night, but the youths are like
ly to regard this as an unreasonable
curb on them. Parents may insist that
their daughter dress in clothing that is less
revealing than that worn by many other
girls or they may forbid their son to asso
ciate with a particular group of neighbor
hood boys. To such young persons who
tend to be overly concerned about con
forming to popular fads or being accepted
by others of their age-group, such restric
tions seem to show lack of understanding.
But is that really so? Remember, their
parents were teen-agers once too. It is be
cause their parents understand them and
the world in which both live that they put
such restrictions on them.
Parents know that late houis mean loss
of sleep, which can affect a young persons
health and efficiency at school. They know
better than the children do the moral
breakdown of the world and how it can
have a bad influence on immature young
people. They also are well aware of the
possible trouble youths can get into when
keeping late hours with other youthful
companions. So it is not from lack of
understanding that parents place restric
tions on their children but
from a clear understanding of
what is in their
best interest. What
the children owe
th eir p a ren ts,
therefore, is a rec
ognition that pa
rental judgment is
better than their
own.

742

SHeWATCHTOWER
RESPECT FOR PARENTS

In any organization, the one who exer

cises authority is entitled to receive re
spect from the others in the organization.
The family, which is actually a small or
ganization of several persons, is no excep
tion. The parents, and especially the
father, hold the position of authority in it
by virtue of the fact that they were the
founders of their particular family, having
given birth to the children. Since the chil
dren are the inferiors in this family orga
nization, is it not reasonable that they
should respect the authority of their
parents?
That children owe their parents respect
was made clear in Gods law to the nation
of Israel. The fifth of the Ten Command
ments was: Honor your father and your
mother. (Ex. 20:12) One of the meanings
of the word honor is the manifestation
of respect. Does it manifest respect when
a son argues with his parents because they
require him to be home at a certain hour
or because they instruct him to stay away
from companions that his parents regard
as likely to exert a bad influence? Would
it not be more in keeping with honoring
them to accept their wishes without
dispute?
Honoring ones parents includes the
manner in which one speaks about them
in the presence of friends. Cursing ones
parents or using unkind expressions about
them might bring a laugh from a group
of young people who have low regard for
adults, but it is being disloyal to ones
father and mother. Would it not be more
in keeping with the love ones parents have
shown him for him loyally to speak re
spectfully of them?
Having respect for parents was such a
serious matter in the nation of Israel that
a son or daughter who struck or cursed his
father or mother was to be put to death.
The divine law stated: One who strikes

B rooklyn , N .Y.

his father and his mother is to be put to

death without fail. And one who calls
down evil upon his father and his mother
is to be put to death without fail. (Ex.
21:15,17) Such disloyalty to family head
ship and such disrespect was a serious
matter. Although Christians are not under
the law covenant, this commandment does
establish a principle for them, a principle
of always having respect for their parents.
OBEDIENCE

Wisely the Bible counsels children: You

children, be obedient to your parents in
everything, for this is well-pleasing in the
Lord. (Col. 3:20) This is something they
owe their parents. Their obedience shows
respect for the authority of their parents
and for the headship that the father
Scripturally exercises in the family orga
nization. Since it contributes to the peace
and unity of the whole family, they per
sonally benefit from it.
Children need direction from an adult as
to what is right and what is wrong, and
their parents are the natural ones to whom
they can look for such direction. When
they obey their Christian parents by re
fraining from doing forbidden things, they
learn to avoid what is bad, and when they
cooperate by doing what their parents tell
them to do, they learn to do good. When
parents base their judgment of what is
good and what is bad upon the righteous
laws and principles of Gods written Word,
their children learn by obedience the best
way to live and thus benefit to the full
from adult direction.
When parents tell children to do some
thing a certain way, obedience is shown
not only by doing it, but by doing it the
way they were told to do it. A failing that
is not uncommon among children, and
even among adults, is to think that their
own way of doing something is better than
the way they were told to do it. Whether

D ecember

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER.

743

their way is better or not is immaterial.

It is not uncommon for youths to object
Their superior told them to do it a certain to such discipline as doing chores about
way, and that is the way the principle of the home or helping their parents operate
obedience obligates them to do it. If they a business. Yet such work is an essential
do not, it will have to be done over accord part of the discipline from their parents.
ing to the way they were told. So if a boy It teaches them how to be industrious and
goes to the store to buy some groceries how to bear responsibility as well as help
that his mother listed for him, he will not ing them to gain valuable skills. A certain
be showing obedience if he decides to get amount of work does more good for young
something different. His mother had a folks than would permission for them to
reason for wanting
spend all their free
what was listed, and
time doing whatever
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
it was not for him to
t h e y p le a s e d . A l
decide to buy some
though you n g p e r
W h ere Can You Find Security?
thing else. By being
sons may not realize
Y o u r Soul Is N ot Im m o rta l!
o b e d ie n t in s m a ll
th e v a lu e o f th e
H ow G reat a W itness?
things as well as big
w ork , love and r e
things children can
spect for parental au
show appreciation for what their parents thority will prompt them to do whatever
have done for them and respect for their work their parents tell them to do. Is it
authority.
not only right that they should use their
youthful strength to help their parents?
DISCIPLINE
This, too, they owe them.
It is the course of wisdom for children
Young adults can show love for their
to heed the discipline given them by their
parents
by being considerate of their par
parents. The word discipline includes the
ents
health
and feelings. One of the ways
thought of giving training that molds and
corrects. At times a child who does some they can do this is to avoid bad actions
thing that his parents consider to be wrong that would cause their parents to suffer
has to be corrected by physical punish worry and mental anguish. That is show
ment, and at other times verbal correction ing love. So also is kindness when speaking
is all that is necessary. (Prov. 13:24; 29: to them. Being gruff, sarcastic, curt and
15) In either case discipline is part of the loud with ones parents is actually being
training that molds the personality of the disrespectful and unloving. How much bet
children. It prepares them to cope with the
ter it is for the temperament of all and the
problems and situations that they will en
peace of the family for youths to speak to
counter in their contacts with the world.
It guides their immature minds by giving their parents in a kind, mild and respect
them a basis for making the right deci ful manner.
The debt children owe their parents can
sions regarding their conduct. So it is with
never
be paid in full. They will always owe
good reason that the Bible counsels chil
them
love, kindness and respect, even
dren: Listen, my son, to the discipline of
your father, and do not forsake the law of when they become older and are free from
parental control.
your mother. Prov. 1:8.

ALL THE NATIONS

"You will... be put on the stand before governors

and kings for my sake, for a witness to them. Also, in
all the nations the good news has to be preached first.
-Mark 13:9,10.
*~X T O NATION of this twentieth cen- was no newspaper
C>r
tury has been able to prevent the publisher and own
proclaiming of the good news inside its er. He was no edi
borders. In the face of the threatening tor of some daily
calamitous end of all the nations of the newspaper having
world the good news has had to be the greatest circu
preached in all the nations before their lation of any of the great metropolitan
end comes. The good news has been a newspapers. The fact is, he never wrote a
much-needed comfort to people of all races book, booklet, pamphlet or tract. He did
and nationalities. The failure to preach the not even write a chapter of the book that
good news would have left all people hope is the most widely distributed and translat
less amid this world distress that now ed book ever on earth, the Sacred Bible.
nears its catastrophic climax. The infal Yet the good news that he gave so long ago
lible prophet who foretold the preaching has lived on and is today being proclaimed
first of the good news among all nations in all the nations. Almost unbelievable it
must have foreseen the need for such good seems, and yet really believable it is, for
news to be preached in this most violent this extraordinary man was Jesus Christ,
century of all human history.
whom his closest followers proved beyond
2The very speaker of this now time- all doubt to be the son of God.
3 Once he was talking about a city that
tested prophecy gave the good news that
was to be preached. He knew what would has been much in the world news particu
be the only good news worth publishing at larly since June of the year 1967 Jerusa
the crucial time to which he pointed for lem. To the east of Jerusalem the moun
ward, nineteen centuries into the future. tain from which he gave his prophecy
The actual carrying out of his prophecy about the good news is still standing
proves that he was no ordinary man. He the Mount of Olives. The glorious temple
built by King Herod the Great is no longer
1. W ith o u t th e p re a c h in g of th e good n e w s , in w h a t
there in Jerusalem, but its absence down
c o n d itio n w o u ld th e peo ples o f th e n a tio n s have been
le ft , a n d w h y ?
2. W h y h a s th e good n e w s t h a t
p ro p h e c y gave liv e d on t ill n o w ?

th e

sp e a k e r of the

3. O n th e M ou nt of O liv e s, w h y d id P e t e r , A n d re w ,
Ja m e s a n d J o h n h a v e a q u e stio n to a s k J e s u s ?
744

ecem ber

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWEFL

745

to
of the accuracy of his prophecy. Four of the apostles said to Jesus: Teacher, see!
his closest followers, namely, the apostles what sort of stones and what sort of
Peter and Andrew, James and John, were buildings!
with him on the Mount of Olives, enjoying
5
A person would have thought that such
a good view of the fair-looking city of Je a magnificent structure, so sturdy, would
rusalem and its temple. If you had heard stand for a couple of thousands of years,
him tell what they had heard him tell like the temple of Athena, the Parthenon,
earlier in the day, you too would have had on top of the acropolis of Athens, Greece,
a question to ask him.
or like the Temple of Karnak at Thebes in
4
International travelers on sight-seeingancient Egypt. But, doubtless to the sur
tours still flock to the place where that prise of the observant apostle, Jesus Christ
temple stood up till the year 70 C.E. But it answered: Do you behold these great
was in early spring of the year 33 C.E. buildings? By no means will a stone be
that Jesus Christ and his apostles visited left here upon a stone and not be thiown
that costly temple built by King Herod of down. The historian John Mark wrote
Jerusalem. As they were leaving it, one of down this remarkable prophecy of Jesus
Christ, when at Rome, some years before
4 ,5 . la ) O n w h a t im p re s s iv e t h in g s h a d one of the
ap o stle s re m a rk e d to J e s u s ? (b ) W h y w a s J e s u s r e p ly
the prophecy was fulfilled through the Roto t h is observant a p o stle d o u b tle ss s u r p r is in g ?

746

SEeWATCHTOWEFL

man legions in the year 70 C.E. (Mark 13:

1, 2) Such destruction of their prized tem
ple of worship would certainly mean a
change of affairs for the Jews.
6What a change in affairs the destruc
tion of King Solomons temple at that
same place in the year 607 B.C.E. had
meant to the Jewish nation! Remembering
this, the apostles Peter, Andrew, James
and John spoke inquiringly to Jesus Christ
as he sat on the neighboring Mount of
Olives with the gleaming temple in view.
But tell us, John Mark, what question they
asked him. Mark 13:3, 4 reports this ques
tion: Tell us, When will these things be,
and what will be the sign when all these
things are destined to come to a conclu
sion? If Jesus Christ had confined his de
scription of the sign to apply to just the
destruction of the city of Jerusalem of his
day, it would, in its fulfillment, be merely
a matter of ancient history, almost nine
teen hundred years ago, and not of too
much concern to us living now in these
most troublous times.
7 However, Jesus plainly extended the
range of his prophetic answer far beyond
Jerusalems destruction in 70 C.E., namely,
as far as to what was foreshadowed by such
destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, so
that we should be most vitally concerned
today. Well, then, what was foreshad
owed? It should be plain, for a shadow
always gives us the outline of the sub
stance that stands in the way of the beam
of light. Well, then, do we mean that the
destruction of Jerusalem and its religious
temple outlined as by a shadow a destruc
tion coming upon the organization and
structure of some religious system that
now claims to be of Jerusalems God? Yes,
6. (a ) A c c o rd in g to J o h n M a rk , w h a t q u e stio n did the
f o u r a p o stle s a s k J e s u s ? (b ) W h a t w o u ld have m ade
J e s u s p ro p h e tic r e p ly o n ly a m a tte r of a n c ie n t h is to r y
to u s of t o d a y ?
7. (a ) J e s u s e x te n d e d th e r a n g e of h is p ro p h e tic a n sw e r
to in c lu d e w h a t o f co n ce rn to u s t o d a y ? (b ) W h a t
w o u ld th a t d e s tru c tio n s ig n ify a b o u t th e p re se n t syste m
o f t h in g s ?

B rooklyn,

N.Y.

and world developments show it to be

due in our day. The people in Christen
dom have reason to believe that theirs
is the religious organization and structure
marked for destruction. But, horrified, you
may say in objection: The destruction of
Christendom would mean nothing less than
the end of the world! Well, you are right,
if by the expression the end of the world
you mean the conclusion of the system
of things. Matt. 24:3, A V and 2VW.
8Well, then, this is really something for
us of today to be concerned about, since
we are to be involved in it. And we really
do need the good news about which Jesus
spoke. And so let us look into his prophecy.
Today millions of persons doubt even the
historical existence of Jesus Christ, that
he actually lived and died at Jerusalem,
and such persons would therefore feel no
need of a warning from Jesus against false
Christs. (Mark 13:5, 6) But if they are
old enough to have lived years before 1914,
they might feel that Jesus next piece of
advice was quite timely: Moreover, when
you hear of wars and reports of wars, do
not be terrified; these things must take
place, but the end is not yet. (Mark 13:7)
Yes, but from the words not yet let us
not get to feeling that the end will never
come, neither the destruction of Christen
dom as foreshadowed by the destruction
of Jerusalem and its sacred temple.
SIGN PRECEDING THE END

9What, then, are we to expect before

that terrific end comes, and what is to
be the sign preceding it? Listen, now,
to what Jesus next says after having made
a dividing point in his prophecy by men
tioning the end. See if you can identify
8. D o J e s u s w o rd s, T h e en d is n o t y e t , g iv e r e a s o n
fo r not b e in g co n ce rn e d n o w ?
9, 10. (a) H o w d id Je s u s m a k e a d iv id in g p o in t in h is
p ro p h e c y ? (b ) W h a t w a s to be th e b e g in n in g o f p a n g s
of d is t r e s s , a n d w h a t does th e e x p re s s io n b e g in n in g
c a ll f o r ?

ecember

15, 1967

STzeWATCHTOWER

747

and locate on the stream of time the ful good news such as Jesus Christ could give
fillment of what Jesus now says:
us!
10
For nation will rise against nation 12 However, according to what Jesus
and kingdom against kingdom, there will said next in his prophecy his faithful fol
be earthquakes in one place after another, lowers were not to have such an easy,
there will be food shortages. These are a comfortable time from even the days of
beginning of pangs of distress. (Mark 13: the apostles onward. He said: As for you,
8) A beginning suggests also an end, look out for yourselves; people will deliver
and this beginning of pangs of distress you up to local courts, and you will be
must therefore closely precede the end, beaten in synagogues and be put on the
accompanied as it will be by what was stand before governors and kings for my
foreshadowed in the terrible destruction sake, for a witness to them. Also, in all
of ancient Jerusalem and her temple. That the nations the good news has to be
being so, has mankind had any pangs of preached first. But when they are leading
distress such as those described by Jesus you along to deliver you up, do not be
and designated by him as being the be anxious beforehand about what to speak;
ginning that precedes the end ? Let us but whatever is given you in that hour,
speak this, for you are not the ones speak
answer honestly.
ing,
but the holy spirit is. Furthermore,
An honest person will answer Yes,
brother
will deliver brother over to death,
mankind has had such pangs. World War
and
a
father
a child, and children will rise
I, which started in 1914, was greater than
up
against
parents
and have them put to
all the wars of previous human history
death;
and
you
will
be objects of hatred
all put together. And there were also seri
by
all
people
on
account
of my name. But
ous food shortages, with millions of
he
that
has
endured
to
the
end is the one
deaths, that came with and after World
that
will
be
saved.Mark
13:9-13.
War I. Yes, too, there were noteworthy
1
3
In
spite
of
all
this
religious
persecu
earthquakes in one place after another.
tion
against
true,
apostolic
Christians
And, not to be overlooked, there were
pestilences, such as the Spanish flu of 1918 amid international war, food shortages,
after World War I ended, this flu alone earthquakes and pestilences, the good
killing off twenty million victims. John news has to be preached first in all the
nations. Evidently the preaching of the
Marks personal friend, Doctor Luke, men
good news was not to gain for the active
tions pestilence in his historic account of true Christians general favor with the na
Jesus prophecy regarding the same pe tions and peoples. But here it is time to
riod. Millions of us older people remember ask, Just what is the good news ? Peo
these things so well, for we lived through ple in heathendom, in Jewry, in Islam and
those perilous events. (Luke 21:10, 11) in Christendom have tried to overlook the
Talk about pangs of distress ! The dis key person and to leave him out as mans
tress introduced by those events that at last hope, but there can be no truly good
tended and followed World War I has not news today with Jesus Christ not includ
ceased down till this day, nor even grown ed in it. That is why the historian John
less. So what a fitting time this is for Mark opens up the life account about him
II.
W h a t does a n h o n e st p e rso n id e n t ify th a t be
g in n in g of pan gs of d is t r e s s * a s b e in g ? (b ) W h a t, th e n ,
is a fitting tim e fo r good n e w s s u c h a s J e s u s C h r is t
co u ld g iv e ? W h y ?

12. A c c o rd in g to w h a t J e s u s n e x t s a id , h o w w e re h is
fa ith f u l fo llo w e rs to f a r e ?
13. (a ) D e sp ite
w hat
m u st
th e
good
n ew s"
be
p re a c h e d ? (b ) W ith o u t w h a t k e y fig u re c a n th e re r e a lly
be no good n e w s " t o d a y ?

748

S&eWATCHTOWEFL

rooklyn

N.Y.

saying: The beginning of the good news Matt. 20:28) But what kind of government
will it be this kingdom of God with Je
about Jesus Christ.Mark 1:1.
14
Jesus himself recognized his insepasus Christ his Son as King over mankind?
rable connection with the good news,
THE KINGDOM
saying: Whoever loses his soul for the
3
7
That
kingdom
must be the one fore
sake of me and the good news will save
told
by
the
prophet
Daniel at Babylon in
it. No one has left house or brothers or
the
seventh
and
sixth
centuries before our
sisters or mother or father or children or
Common
Era,
for
Jesus
Christ connected
fields for my sake and for the sake of the
good news who will not get a hundredfold his own prophecy to his four apostles with
now in this period of time, . . . and in the the prophecy of Daniel, as he went on to
coming system of things everlasting life. say: However, when you catch sight of
Wherever the good news is preached in the disgusting thing that causes desola
all the world, what this woman did [to tion standing where it ought not (let the
me] shall also be told as a remembrance reader use discernment), then let those in
Judea begin fleeing to the mountains. . . .
of her. Mark 8:35; 10:28-30; 14:9.
35
Rightly, then, Jesus Christ himselfKeep praying that it may not occur in
preached the good news, for no one wintertime; for those days will be days of
could preach it better than he could. (John a tribulation such as has not occurred from
7:46) In confirmation of this, John Mark the beginning of the creation which God
reports: Now after John [the Baptist] created until that time, and will not occur
was put under arrest Jesus went into Gali again. In fact, unless Jehovah had cut
lee, preaching the good news of God and short the days, no flesh would be saved.
saying: The appointed time has been ful But on account of the chosen ones whom
filled, and the kingdom of God has drawn he has chosen he has cut short the days.
near. Be repentant, you people, and have Mark 13:14-20.
is The disgusting thing that causes des
faith in the good news. Mark 1:14, 15.
16
Ah, the good news back there wasolation is the one foretold in Daniel 11:
about the kingdom of God, and especially 31 and 12:11. (See Matthew 24:15; Luke
that it had drawn near. The kingdom of 21:20, 21.) After foretelling the setting up
God is a good thing, in fact, the best and of this disgusting thing that causes deso
only thing for all mankind, and the news lation, the prophet Daniel also foretells
that it has drawn near would be good the outbreak of this unparalleled tribula
news of the most vital importance. It had tion or time of distress that Jesus
drawn near nineteen centuries ago in that Christ foretold to his apostles. (Dan. 12:1)
Jesus Christ, whom God had anointed to So the kingdom of God that Jesus said had
be the Messianic king in the heavenly gov to be preached as good news must be the
ernment, had come to earth as a man in same kingdom of God about which Daniel
order to die a martyrs death for preach himself prophesied earlier. Daniel foretold
ing and teaching that kingdom of God and that it must come along with an unprece
at the same time die as a ransom sacrifice dented time of trouble for the nations of
for all sinful mankind. (John 18:36, 37; the world. What else could Daniel have
meant when he spoke of the last ones of
14. W h at d id J e s u s s a y to sh o w h is in se p a ra b le con
n e ctio n w ith th e good n e w s ?
15. A c c o rd in g to J o h n M a r k , w h a t d id Je s u s h im s e lf
do a b o u t th e good n e w s ?
16. W h a t w a s th e good n e w s b a c k th e re , and w h y w a s
t h a t good n e w s ?

1 7 ,1 8 . (a ) H o w d id J e s u s co n n e ct u p th e k in g d o m of
the good n e w s w ith th e kin g d o m fo re to ld b y D a n ie l?
(b ) A c c o rd in g to D a n ie l, a lo n g w ith w h a t m u s t G o d's
kin g d o m com e, a s a lso fo re to ld b y J e s u s ?

D ecember

15, 1967

frEeWATCHTOWEFL

the political rulers of this wicked world

and said the following?
19 In the days of those kings the God
of heaven will set up a kingdom that will
never be brought to ruin. And the king
dom itself will not be passed on to any
other people. It will crush and put an end
to all these kingdoms, and it itself will
stand to times indefinite. Dan. 2:44.
20 I kept on beholding in the visions of
the night, and, see there! with the clouds
of the heavens someone like a son of man
happened to be coming; and to the Ancient
of Days he gained access, and they brought
him up close even before that One. And to
him there were given rulership and dignity
and kingdom, that the peoples, national
groups and languages should all serve even
him. His rulership is an indefinitely lasting
rulership that will not pass away, and his
kingdom one that will not be brought to
ruin. . . . As for the fourth beast, there is
a fourth kingdom that will come to be on
the earth, that will be different from all
the other kingdoms; and it will devour all
the earth and will trample it down and
crush it. . . . And the Court itself proceed
ed to sit, and his own rulership they finally
took away, in order to annihilate him and
to destroy him totally. And the kingdom
and the rulership and the grandeur of the
kingdoms under all the heavens were given
to the people who are the holy ones of the
Supreme One. Their kingdom is an indefi
nitely lasting kingdom, and all the rulerships will serve and obey even them.
Dan. 7:13, 14, 23-27.
21 This is the kingdom of God, the estab
lishment of which means the best news
ever published to mankind. But that heav
enly kingdom was not established in the
year 70 of our Common Era. In that year
19, 20. (a ) H o w d id D a n ie l fo r e te ll tro u b le fo r th e n a
tions in c h a p te r t w o ? (b ) I n c h a p te r s e v e n ?
21. (a ) D id th e C h r is t ia n s see G o d s k in g d o m estab
lis h e d there in th e M id d le E a s t in 70 C . E . ? (b ) H o w
d id th e O ld J e r u s a le m of th e p re s e n t d a y com e a b o u t?

749

Jesus prophecy was fulfilled concerning

the destruction of Jerusalem and of its
temple without leaving one stone upon an
other not thrown down. The Jewish Chris
tians were not caught in that destruction,
for they had followed Jesus advice and
had fled to the mountains outside of Ju
dea and Jerusalem. They kept on preach
ing elsewhere the coming of Gods king
dom, for they knew that it had not come
there at Jerusalems destruction. Instead
of Gods Messianic kingdom being estab
lished there at Jerusalem in the hands of
the glorified Messiah, Jesus Christ, the
conquering Romans set up a pagan city
sixty-one years later (131 C.E.). They
gave it the status of a Roman colony and
called it Aelia Capitolina. That city, with
some alterations, has stood down till this
day.
22
That destruction of Jerusalem and des
olation of the province of Judea, as fore
told by Jesus Christ and as described by
the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, was
a horrible affair. But it did not match Je
sus description of days of a tribulation
such as has not occurred from the begin
ning of the creation which God created
until that time, and will not occur again.
In fact, unless Jehovah had cut short the
days, no flesh would be saved. (Mark 13:
19, 20) By way of comparison with the
terrible destruction in the Middle East in
the year 70 C.E., what about World War I
in the years 1914-1918 C.E.? What about
World War II in the years 1939-1945,
which culminated with the explosion of
two atomic bombs, the first ones used in
war? What about the possibilities for trib
ulation, destruction and horror of another
world war, with nuclear bombs carried to
their targets by long-range missiles, ac
companied by the worlds greatest famine
22. (a) D id J e r u s a le m s d e s tru c tio n in 70 C . E . m a tc h
J e s u s p ro p h e c y ab o u t t r ib u la t io n ? (b) A longsid e what
re ce n t trib u la t io n does J e r u s a le m 's d e s tru c tio n fade
a w a y to n o th in g ?

750

SfreWATCHTOWER

and with a pestilence spread by scientifi

cally made disease-germ spreaders and the
atmosphere poisoned by radiological de
vices? Alongside such calamities, Jerusa
lems destruction in 70 C.E. fades away to
nothing.
23 No, indeed, Gentile (non-Jewish) rule
of the earth was not meant to end in the
year 70 C.E. by the setting up of Gods
Messianic kingdom in the heavens. Jesus
Christ himself said so. In his very proph
ecy to his apostles, as reported by the his
torian Doctor Luke with some details not
given by John Mark, he foretold earthly
Jerusalems destruction and said: There
will be great necessity upon the land and
wrath on this people; and they will fall
by the edge of the sword and be led cap
tive into all the nations; and Jerusalem
will be trampled on by the nations, until
the appointed times of the nations are ful
filled. Luke 21:23, 24.
24 The Gentile Times, or the appointed
times of the nations, which began back
in 607 B.C.E. at the first destruction of
Jerusalem and her temple by the Babylo
nians, were to continue on after the second
destruction of Jerusalem and her temple
in 70 C.E. Till when? Daniels prophecy
again comes to our aid, and its chapter
four shows that these appointed times of
the Gentiles world domination without in
terruption by Gods Messianic kingdom
were to run all together for 2,520 years,
or down till 1914 C.E.
THE GOOD NEWS TO BE PREACHEDWHEN ?

25 Note here, please, one prominent fact

in support of this: The preaching of the
good news about Gods kingdom first
and in all the nations was not accom23. H o w d id J e s u s sh o w th a t G e n tile r u le of a ll the
e a r t h w a s not to end in 70 C . E . b y a n y e sta b lish m e n t
o f G o d s k in g d o m th e n ?
24. W h e n d id th e G e n tile T im e s b e g in , a n d w h e n w e re
t h e y to e n d ?
25. I n th e lig h t o f w h a t P a u l w ro te fro m R o m e to the
C o lo ss ia n s, w h a t s h a ll w e s a y a b o u t th e a cco m p lish m e n t
o f t h e p re a c h in g w o r k b y 70 C . E . ?

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

plished by the year 70 C.E. True, the

preaching had spread throughout the Ro
man Empires domain. The apostle Paul
carried it on in Rome, Italy, although held
prisoner there for years. (Acts 28:16-31)
And from his prison quarters in Rome he
wrote to the Christian congregation in
Colossae and said: The telling of the
truth of that good news which has present
ed itself to you, even as it is bearing fruit
and increasing in all the world just as it
is doing also among you . . . you continue
in the faith, . . . not being shifted away
from the hope of that good news which
you heard, and which was preached in all
creation that is under heaven. (Col. 1:
5, 6, 23) The apostle Peter reached old
Babylon in Mesopotamia, which was then
outside the Roman Empire. (1 Pet. 5:13)
This was years before Judea and Jerusa
lem were desolated in the year 70 C.E.
20
And yet, despite such spread of the
good news even before 70 C.E., the apos
tle John in a vision that occurred possibly
twenty-six years after the wrecking of Je
rusalem and her temple was told: You
must prophesy again with regard to peo
ples and nations and tongues and many
kings. (Rev. 10:11) In describing all the
vision, the apostle John speaks of the
great tribulation as being still future, al
so of the destruction of Babylon the Great
and the fighting of the war of the great
day of God the Almighty at the place
called Armageddon as still future from his
day. (Rev. 16:13 to 19:21) In no way,
then, was Jesus prophecy about preaching
the good news first in all the nations ful
filled in the first century C.E. So onward
the preaching of Gods kingdom had to go.
From the days of the Roman Emperor
Constantine, in the fourth century, there
was a preaching of Gods kingdom as hav26. (a ) I n th e R e v e la tio n v is io n g iv e n to th e a p o stle
Jo h n , ho w w a s it in d ic a te d th a t th e p r e a c h in g w o rk
w a s not a ll a cco m p lish e d in 70 C . E . ? ( b ) W h a t w as
p re a ch ed a b o u t G o d 's k in g d o m fro m E m p e r o r C o n sta n
tin e 's tim e o n w a r d ?

D ecem ber

15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOWER

751

ing been established because the emperor nos] . (1 Pet. 2:9) But that race or gen
made the compromising form of Christian eration would by now be a race or genera
ity of his day the State religion. The reign tion over nineteen hundreds of years old.
of Christ for a millennium (a thousand The life length of such a generation would
years) came to be understood as having not be a brief time, and so it would not be
begun and as being in progress.
confined to a limited time of tremendous
27Well, now, what about this preaching urgency. However, the expression this
of Gods kingdom from even the days of generation was used by Jesus to mark a
the apostles and down to the end of the very limited period of time, the life-span
Gentile Times in the year 1914? Was this of members of a generation of people liv
the fulfillment of Jesus words: In all the ing during the time that certain epochnations the good news has to be preached making events occurred. According to
first ? (Mark 13:10) It was thought so Psalm 90:10, that life-span could be of
until early in this twentieth century.* But seventy years or even of eighty years.
note this: All such preaching of Gods
29 Into this comparatively short period
kingdom was done before the ending of of time must be crowded all the things
the Gentile Times in 1914 and it published that Jesus prophesied in answer to the re
Gods kingdom as coming, by world con quest for a sign when all these things are
version, as many religionists of Christen destined to come to a conclusion. (Mark
dom thought. Well, then, would such long- 13:4) Because of its being a part of the
extended preaching, stretching out over sign, the preaching of the good news
almost nineteen centuries, be of itself any first in all the nations must be a special
proof or indication that Gods kingdom preaching that is carried on to a finish
had come? No! It is true that, in his during the lifetime of this generation.
prophecy foretelling the Kingdom preach It must, therefore, be an urgent work,
ing, Jesus said: Truly I say to you that which fact is one reason why it must be
this generation [gened] will by no means done first.
pass away until all these things happen.
30To be part of the sign asked for in
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Mark 13:4, the particular preaching of the
words will not pass away. But what about good news first in all the nations would
that expression this generation ?Mark have to come after the Gentile Times
13:30, 31.
closed in the early autumn of 1914. It must
28By that expression Jesus was not re come after the beginning of pangs of dis
ferring to the entire church or congrega tress started in that year. How sorely the
tion of his faithful disciples, from the day poor people of all nations would need good
of Pentecost of 33 C.E. until the glorifi news then under those circumstances! The
cation in heaven of the last member of news would be good news about the
Christs congregation. True, the apostle same kingdom of God that Jesus and his
Peter wrote to the Christian congregation
apostles preached back there in the first
and said: You are a chosen race [gecentury C.E. That kingdom is needed now,
* See th e bo ok T h e B attle o f A rm ageddon, p u b lish e d
since
1914, more than ever before, for
b y th e W a tc h T o w e r S o c ie ty in 1897, p ag es 169, 567, 568.
there
is
only the one kingdom of God for
27. (a ) T h e p re a c h in g fro m a p o sto lic d a y s do w n to 1914
C .E . tre a te d G o d s k in g d o m fro m w h a t sta n d p o in t?
(b ) A lso , w o u ld th a t p re a c h in g of G o d s k in g d o m over
so lo n g a tim e pro ve t h a t it h a d c o m e ?
28. (a) W ou ld th e e x p re s s io n t h is g e n e ra tio n a s a p
p lie d to the C h r is t ia n co n g re g a tio n m a r k o u t a tim e of
u rg e n c y ? (b) W h a t is th e g e n e ra tio n m e a n t ?

29. W h a t m u st ta k e p la c e w it h u rg e n c y d u r in g th is
g e n e ra tio n ?
30. (a ) W h e n w a s th e K in g d o m p re a c h in g o f M a r k 13:
10 due to b e g in ? (b ) W a s it a b o u t the sam e kin g d o m
ab o u t w h ic h J e s u s a n d h is a p o stle s p re a c h e d ?

752

3TieWATCHTOWER

B rooklyn , N. Y.

the lasting peace, security, happiness and invisible spirit person, too glorious for hu
salvation of the world of mankind. Yet to man eyes to see directly. 1 Tim. 6:14-16.
the preaching so much more would be add
33Hence his ruling over mankind must
ed now in comparison with the good be invisibly, and not on a visible material
news preached by Jesus and his disciples throne in Old Jerusalem in the Middle
nineteen centuries ago. The good news of East, at the site where the ancient kings
the day would be richer. How so?
of the royal line of David used to sit.
Those
earthly kings sat there on what was
31
Well, think of all the fulfillments of
called
Jehovahs throne. (1 Chron. 29:
prophecy that have taken place in our
23)
But
Jesus Christ now actually sits on
time. Why, for decades before 1914, Bible
Jehovahs
real throne, at Jehovahs right
students associated with the magazine
Watch Tower and with the Watch Tower hand, and from there in heaven he now
Bible & Tract Society looked for Gods reigns in the midst of his enemies and will
Messianic kingdom to come into full power reign for a thousand years after the war
in 1914. Why? Because the Gentile Times, of Armageddon and the binding of Satan
the appointed times of the nations, were and his demons. (Heb. 1:1-4; 10:12, 13;
to end in the fall of that year, as marked Rev. 3:21, 7; 5:5) He is mightier than
out by the Bible timetable. Just as the all previous kings of King Davids line.
start of the Gentile Times in the fall of
34 In view of all this, it was not neces
the year 607 B.C.E. marked the overturn sary for Jesus Christ and his heavenly an
ing of the typical, miniature kingdom of gels to drive the non-Christian Turks out
God in King Davids royal line among the of Jerusalem and Palestine at the time
natural Jews or Israelites, so the converse that the Gentile Times ended in 1914 and
or opposite would take place at the ending set up a throne at earthly Jerusalem in or
of the Gentile Times 2,520 years later in der to begin reigning as the Messianic
1914. What? The restoring, the reestab King amidst his enemies. He now reigns
lishing of Gods Messianic kingdom in the in the city of the living God, heavenly
hands of the Permanent Heir to the throne Jerusalem, on the heavenly Mount Zion.
of King David.
(Heb. 12:22, 23) No longer is the king
22
Who is that Permanent Heir in Dadom of the royal line of David in an over
vids royal line? All twenty-seven books turned condition; no longer is it trampled
of the inspired Christian Holy Scriptures on by the Gentiles, for the location of his
(written in Greek) acclaim Jesus Christ kingdom has been transferred from earth
as that Permanent Heir of King David. ly Jerusalem to heavenly Jerusalem.
(Ezek. 21:25-27; Luke 21:24) Never again
(Matt. 1:1-16; Rom. 1:1-3; Rev. 5:5; 22:
16) Though he sacrificed his perfect flesh will the Gentile world powers trample on
ly body as a ransom for dying mankind that Davidic kingdom, for never will they
nineteen centuries ago, he still retained be able to trample upon the heavenly Je
his right to King Davids throne when Al rusalem. This situation has been true
mighty God raised him from the dead as since the Gentile Times ended in 1914, at
an immortal spirit person in heavenly glo which time the heavenly kingdom was
ry and summoned him back to heaven.
born. Rev. 12:1-5.
(Ps. 110:1, 2; Acts 2:34-36) He is now an
31. W h y w a s th e good n e w s ' p re d ic te d in M a r k 13:10
to b e r ic h e r ?
32. W h o is th e P e rm a n e n t H e ir in D a v id s r o y a l lin e ,
a n d h o w co u ld t h a t one to d a y be s u c h ?

33. F r o m w h e re m u st h e r u le , a n d in w h a t s t a g e s ?
34. (a ) W h y , in 1914, d id he n o t need to d r iv e the
en em ies out of O ld J e r u s a le m in th e M id d le E a s t ?
(b ) W h y is th e t ra m p lin g , sp o ke n of in L u k e 21:24,
n ow o v e r ?

WHAT NOW DISTIN GUISHES

VER since the end of the Gentile

Times in 1914 something of very pres
ent importance has been added to the
good news of God that Jesus Christ used
to preach in the Middle East, preaching to
as many cities as possible, just as he said
on one occasion: Also to other cities I
must declare the good news of the king
dom of God, because for this I was sent
forth (Luke 4:43; 8:1; 16:16) After his
death and resurrection and his glorifica
tion in heaven, his apostles and faithful
disciples preached the good news of the
coming kingdom of God. (Acts 20:24, 25;
28:30, 31) What vital thing has now been
added to the good news of the kingdom
of God that Jesus Christ and his zealous
apostles used to preach nineteen hundred
years ago? This, namely, the birth of Gods
Messianic kingdom in the heavens at the
end of the Gentile Times in 1914. And
after the ensuing war in the invisible
heavens and the ouster of Satan the Devil
and his demons from heaven and down to
earth, this announcement was sounded
forth, to be added to the good news, as
stated in Revelation 12:9-12:
2 Now have come to pass the salvation
and the power and the kingdom of our
God and the authority of his Christ, be
cause the accuser of our brothers has been
hurled down, who accuses them day and
night before our God! . . . On this account
be glad, you heavens and you who reside

in them! Woe for the earth and for the

sea, because the Devil has come down to
you, having great anger, knowing he has
a short period of time.
3 What a joy-inspiring addition or en
largement to the good news now to be
preached! Now has come the victorious
kingdom of our God together with the au
thority of his Christ, his Messiah! As for
Satan the Devil and his demons, they have
only a short period of time until they are
bound and imprisoned in the abyss after
the war of the great day of God the Al
mighty at Armageddon. All this addi
tional wonderful information has been true
since the end of the appointed times of
the nations in 1914, and particularly since
World War I closed in the year 1918. Not
before the appointed times of the na
tions ended in the fall of 1914 could the
good news be preached of the newborn,
established heavenly kingdom of God and
of his Messiah. This, then, must be the
good news that Jesus Christ in his proph
ecy said had to be preached first in all the
nations. (Mark 13:10) This generation of
human society that has seen and experi
enced the world events since the Gentile
Times closed in 1914 this is the genera
tion that will not pass away until all the
things foretold have happened, including
the preaching of the good news first in
all nations.

1, 2. (a ) W h a t of v e r y p re s e n t im p o rta n c e h a s been
added to the good n e w s p re a ch e d b y J e s u s a n d h is
aposAtes? (b ) A f t e r th e o u ste r of S a t a n th e D e v il, h o w
d id th e heavens e x p re s s t h is a d d itio n to th e good n e w s ?

3. (a ) S in c e w h e n h a s a ll t h is w o n d e r fu l a d d itio n a l in fo rm a tio n been a f a c t ? (b ) W h a t , th e n , is t h is gen era tio n d u rin g w h ic h th e good n e w s m u st b e p re a ch ed

f ir s t ?
753

754

SHeWATCHTOWER

Brooklyn , N.Y.

4J
esus prophecy in Mark 13:10, Also, livered prior to the beginning of the world
in all the nations the good news has to be war. Clearly, then, the Master intended for
preached first, has not been undergoing us to understand that a time would come
fulfillment during the past nineteen cen when the church must declare to the world
turies. It is only since the second decade as a witness that the old order is ending
of our twentieth century that this proph and will shortly pass away forever. . . .
ecy has been undergoing fulfillment. This
7 What a blessed privilege the church
began to be realized by the International now has of being the ambassadors of the
Bible Students Association and the Watch Lords kingdom and engaging in delivering
Tower Bible & Tract Society since the end the good news. Pages 199, 200.
of the second decade of our century. In
8 Since the publishing of that new, upthe magazine issue of July 1, 1920, of
to-date understanding of the pi'ophetic
Watch Tower and Herald of Christs Pres words of Jesus Christ more and more evi
ence the article was published entitled dence has piled up in the world events and
Gospel of the Kingdom and based on the conditions and in the experience of the
theme text, And this gospel of the king International Bible Students to prove that
dom shall be preached in all the world for Gods Messianic kingdom was indeed born
a witness unto all nations; and then shall in the heavens at the due time in 1914 and
the end come. Matthew 24:14. In the that this good news of the kingdom
last six paragraphs it said:
means the fresh, brand-new information
5
It will be noted he does not say thethat tells of Gods established kingdom. No
gospel that has been preached to the meek news of the day could surpass that for real
throughout the entire Gospel age shall be goodness. For this reason the whole world
preached. What gospel then could he of mankind deserved to hear this good
mean? The gospel means good news. The news, this gospel of the kingdom. (Matt.
good news here is concerning the end of 24:14, A V ; NW) And according to Jesus
the old order of things and the establish Christ all the world of mankind has to
ment of Messiahs kingdom. It means the hear it. In all the nations the good news
dark night of sin and sorrow is passing has to be pieached, said he.Mark 13:10.
away. It means that Satans empire is fall
IN ALL THE NATIONS
ing, never to rise again. It means the sun
s In obedience to the prophetic command
of righteousness is rising rapidly, its heal
ing beams penetrating the darkness and to Jesus disciples, the earnest endeavor
driving back that which obscures the truth was made to preach to all the nations.
and bringing to the people that which
]0 In the midwar year of 1943, in which
will bless, comfort, strengthen and uplift year the Watchtower Bible School of Gil
them. . . .
ead for training missionaries was opened
0 It will be observed that in the order up by Jehovahs witnesses (previously
named this message must be delivered be known as International Bible Students),
tween the time of the great world war and there were fifty-four lands from which the
the time of the great tribulation men Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of
tioned by the Master in Matthew 24:21, Pennsylvania was receiving reports on the
22. This message could not have been de- 8. (a ) W h a t co n firm s th e t ru t h fu ln e s s of t h a t good
4. S in c e w h e n h a s M a r k 13:10 been u n d e rg o in g fu lfill
m e n t, a n d w h e n d id th is fa ct beg in to be re a liz e d ?
5-7. H o w d id th a t is s u e of T h e W atch T ow er p resen t
th a t n e w u n d e rs ta n d in g of M a tth e w 24:14?

n e w s of th e K in g d o m ? (b ) W h o d e se rv e d to h e a r such
good n e w s , a n d w h y ?
9, 10. (a ) I n ob edience to th a t p ro p h e tic com m an d,
w h a t w a s d o n e ? (b ) H o w h a s t h is w o r k e x p a n d e d sin ce
th e m id d le of W o r ld W a r I I ?

December 15, 1967

SEeWATCHTOW ER.

755

preaching of this good news of the king nations. The world distress, of which we
dom. More new political nations have had a beginning of pangs of distress in
been born on earth, and today the organi World War I and its aftermath of food
zation of the United Nations has 119 mem shortages, pestilences, earthquakes, World
ber nations, including Pakistan, Burma, War II and spreading lawlessness and vio
Indonesia, Jordan, Israel, Zambia, Malawi, lence, must shortly reach the ending of the
Ghana, and so forth. But today, at the pangs of distress. This will be tribulation
close of the year 1967, Jehovahs witnesses on a scale and with an intensity that man
are reporting from 197 lands on their kind has never before undergone and never
preaching of this good news of the king will undergo again. It is before this that
dom there. This means preaching even in all the nations the good news has to
behind the Communist Iron Curtain and be preached first.
under Fascistic dictatorships and in the
FIRST AHEAD OF W H AT?
face of religious persecution, nationalism
13
There is great urgency inherent in
and militarism.
11While there is yet time, Jehovahs that word first. Why? Because since the
Christian witnesses are determined and close of the Gentile Times in 1914 and
putting forth sincere and courageous ef since the adoption of the League of Na
forts to penetrate all other lands with this tions and later the United Nations for
good news of the kingdom. Jesus Christ world peace and security instead of ac
did not exclude any nations from hearing cepting Gods kingdom peaceably, all the
the good news of Gods established king nations are marching to the war of the
dom; he said in all the nations. It is great day of God the Almighty, at Ar
right and proper, therefore, to try to reach mageddon.Rev. 16:13-17.
11 According to the regular way followed
all nations, more and more of them as time
and opportunity allow. But in view of the by God in dealing with the ancient nations
number of nations and lands that have in Bible times, notice must be served upon
already heard the good news preached by the worldly nations of the oncoming war
Jehovahs witnesses, who is there now to and of their certain destruction at the
say that the prophecy of Jesus Christ is hands of Gods anointed Executioner, Je
not at present undergoing fulfillment, or is sus Christ. Hence the good news has to
not rapidly nearing the culmination of its be preached in all the nations. The na
fulfillment? No honest, informed person tions must be confronted with the fact of
the established kingdom of God, the right
can say that it is not!
ful
government for ruling all the earth.
12This very preaching by Christs faith
The
nations must be made to know in ad
ful followers in already 197 lands and
vance
not only of the coming destruction
countries is an outstanding part of the
but
also
of the direction from which and
sign to prove that we are living in the
the
agency
by which the everlasting de
time of the end when all the things fore
struction
comes
upon all the political na
told by Jesus are due to be fulfilled. (Dan.
tions
at
Armageddon.
The time for serving
12:1-4) We are irreversibly moving to the
close of this time of the end for all the this notice is limited by the Great Time
keeper, Jehovah God, and this fact makes
11. (a ) W h y is it p ro p e r to t r y to r e a c h a ll n a tio n s
w ith th e good n e w s ? (b ) H o w a b o u t th e fu lfillm e n t
of M a r k 13:10?
12. (a ) T h is p re a c h in g of th e good n e w s " in so m a n y
la n d s is p a rt of w h a t p r o o f? (b ) W h a t p a r t o f th e d is
tre s s sho u ld w e s h o r t ly be r e a c h in g ?

13. W h a t is in h e re n t in t h a t w o rd f ir s t ," a n d w h y n o w ?
14. (a ) W h a t n o tice m u st be se rv e d u p on th e nations?
(b ) W h o h a s lim ite d th e tim e f o r t h is , a n d w h y m u st
it be done b e fo re h e a c t s ?

756

SHeWATCHTOWER

Brooklyn , N.Y.

the work of serving the notice most ur make us think of a priest or clergyman
gent. God Almighty will not act until this who in professional garments gets up into
work has been done first. He will not a church pulpit to give churchgoers a reli
lay himself open to be accused of taking gious sermon. Why not?
1TThe Greek verb translated to preach
undue advantage of his enemies.
15 The message of the Messianic kingis keryssein. This Greek verb, which oc
dom does not mean gospel or good curs many times in the inspired Greek
Christian
news to
allpeople on earth. To
those Scriptures, means basically to
refusing Gods kingdom the message make proclamation as a herald; to be a
preached by Jehovahs witnesses is not herald, officiate as a herald; to be an an
good news. Not strange, then, that many nouncer; to summon by herald; proclaim
do not take it seriously or try to ignore it, (as a conqueror). The related noun is
whereas others oppose it and misrepresent keryx and means herald; public messen
it. If they are in political positions of pow ger; envoy; crier (who made proclamation
er, they try to suppress it so as to keep and kept order in assemblies, etc.). An
which
others who might like to hear the mes other related noun is
sage from hearing. To persons who have means that which is cried by a herald;
lost confidence in human governments and proclamation; announcement (of victory
who grieve at world conditions morally, in games); mandate; summons. So, not
religiously, socially and politically, the inappropriately, The New English Bible,
message of Gods established Messianic of 1961, reads, at Mark 13:10: But before
kingdom is the good news for which they the end the Gospel must be proclaimed to
have longed. These are the ones that bene all nations. (Also Yg; Ro) This means
fit from the preaching of the good news. that the proclaimers would be acting like
They accept it, act upon it and stand in heralds. They would not necessarily be act
a favored position to escape the certain ing as teachers, conducting Bible studies.
destruction that will befall Kingdom op18Thus Jesus prophesied that, after the
posers. It is for the everlasting good of establishment of the Messianic kingdom,
such persons inclined to receive the mes the good news would be heralded, an
sage as good news that the Kingdom mes nounced, proclaimed, and in this way no
sage has to be preached first, that they tice would be served upon all the nations.
may be able to act now to avoid destruc At least, the good news would be heralded,
let give ear to it and accept it whoever
tion.
will, or let turn a deaf ear and reject it
PREACHING AND TEACHING
whoever will. At least all the nations
18
However, did you notice Jesus Christwould be given the witness. Never should
said that in all the nations the good news they be able to say that the good news
has to be preached ? He did not say that never came their way in this time of the
in all the nations the good news has to end before Armageddon.
19That is why the statement in Matthew
be taught. What is the difference? Or
what difference does that make? That 24:14, which corresponds with that in
word preached should not necessarily 17. (a ) I n th e o rig in a l G re e k te x t, w h a t does t h e w o rd
15. (a ) H o w do w e k n o w w h e th e r th e good n e w s is
s u c h to a ll p e r s o n s ? (b ) F o r w h o se benefit, then, m u st
th e good n e w s ' be p re a ch ed f ir s t ?
16. W h a t d id J e s u s s a y sh o u ld be done as to th e good
n e w s , a n d y e t w h a t sh o u ld w e not t h in k ?

p re a ch e d
b a s ic a lly
m ean?
(b ) W h a t
w o u ld
the
p re a ch e rs not n e c e s s a r ily be d o in g ?
18. So in M a r k 13:10, w h a t d id J e s u s p r o p h e s y w ou ld
be d o n e ?
19. So fo r w h a t did J e s u s sa y , in M a tth e w 24:14, th is
gospel of th e k in g d o m w o u ld be p r e a c h e d ?

December 15, 1967

5]ie W AT CHTOW ER

757

Mark 13:10, says: This good news of the persons at least it would come as good
kingdom will be preached [or, heralded, news.
proclaimed] in all the inhabited earth for
22 The public records verify the fact that
a witness to all the nations; and then the Jehovahs Christian witnesses not only
end will come.
(NW) Thisherald,
gospel proclaim,
of the
preach for a witness or
Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout testimony, but also teach all those who
the earth as a testimony to all nations; accept the Kingdom message as good news.
and then the end will come. (.NEB) Look This teaching was also a work that Jesus
ing forward to our day, Jesus Christ re foretold, although he did not expressly
frained from prophesying that the herald name it in his prophecy on the conclu
ing, proclaiming or preaching of this good sion of the system of things. (Matt. 24:
news of the Kingdom to all the nations 3 to 25:46) Right after giving this proph
would be for the converting of them to ecy, it is reported, so by day he would
Christianity, in order to line up all nations be teaching in the temple, but by night he
on the side of Gods kingdom.
would go out and lodge on the mountain
20The preaching that has been done by called the Mount of Olives. (Luke 21:37)
all the religious clergy of Christendom for He was often called Teacher, and much of
more than sixteen centuries has not re his time he devoted to teaching. (Matt. 8:
sulted in world conversion, nor has it giv 19; Mark 4:38; Luke 9:38; John 13:13,
en people a correct understanding of Gods 14) He did both teaching and preaching.
kingdom. The preaching of the good news (Matt. 4:23) Two weeks or more after
of Gods now-established kingdom as done giving his prophecy on the conclusion of
by Jehovahs witnesses since 1919 has not the system of things, he appeared to his
resulted in world conversion, nor did Jeho disciples at a mountain in the province of
vahs Christian witnesses expect it to do Galilee and gave orders for a future teach
so. Moreover, Jesus Christ did not proph ing work, saying:
23 All authority has been given me in
esy that world conversion to Christianity
heaven
and on the earth. Go therefore and
by preaching this good news of the king
make
disciples
of people of all the na
dom would be a prominent part of the
tions,
baptizing
them in the name of the
sign that would show that the complete
Father
and
of
the
Son and of the holy
end of this system of things was coming
spirit,
teaching
them
to observe all the
within this generation. He prophesied that
things
I
have
commanded
you. And, look!
the giving of the witness to the established
I am with you all the days until the con
Messianic kingdom would be a noteworthy
clusion of the system of things.Matt.
part of the sign of the fast-approaching
28:18-20.
end.
24 One who teaches (
) differs
21Because this was the only good news from a herald, who merely announces or
of the time, the heralds or proclaimers or proclaims. A teacher (
Greek)
preachers of the Kingdom message would instructs, explains, shows things by argu
want to share it with as many others as ment and offers proofs, just as the Greek
possible, in all the nations, and to some word diddsJcein means. So teaching means
20. (a ) W h a t a b o u t w o rld co n v e rsio n a s a r e s u lt of the
p re a ch in g b y c le rg y m e n a n d b y J e h o v a h s w itn e s s e s ?
(b) W h a t, th e n , w a s to be a n o te w o rth y p a r t of th e
sig n " re g a rd in g th e e n d ?
21. B e ca u se of it s b e in g th e o n ly good n e w s , w h a t
w o u ld the p re a ch e rs w a n t to do w ith i t ?

22, 23. (a ) W h a t o th e r in fo r m a tiv e w o r k d id J e s u s fo re

te ll, and c o rre s p o n d in g ly w h a t d id h e h im s e lf d o ?
(b ) B e fo re le a v in g h is a p o stle s on e a r th , w h a t w o r k
of th is k in d d id he o rd e r to be d o n e ?
24. H o w does th e w o r k of a te a c h e r d iffe r fro m th a t
of a h e r a ld ?

758

B rooklyn , N.Y.

SReWATCHTOWER

doing these things, using also the message vate places, weekly, 943,108 Bible studies
that has been preached. This teaching with persons.
26
On the other hand, the preaching, her
work has the aim, not just of giving a wit
ness as in the case of a herald or pro- alding, proclaiming and announcing of
claimer, but rather of making disciples and this good news of the kingdom is a star
then, after the baptizing of these disciples tling feature of only this twentieth century,
of Jesus Christ, helping them to stay his inasmuch as the established kingdom of
God by his Messiah has been a glorious fact
disciples or learners.
25
Down through the centuries since theonly since the Gentile Times ended in 1914.
days of Jesus and his apostles the mak This hope-inspiring good news has to be
ing of disciples has continued on into this preached first (NW), before the end
AT; Mo) ; it has been preached by
conclusion of the system of things and (NEB;
so is just something regular. In order that Jehovahs witnesses thus far with increas
disciples may continue to be made before ing scope and intensity, and it will con
religious Babylon the Great (including tinue to be preached by them to the finish,
antitypical Jerusalem, Christendom) is de in vindication of Jesus prophecy. The end,
stroyed and the war of the great day of of the approach of which this Kingdom
God the Almighty is fought at Armaged preaching is a trustworthy indication, will
don, the Christian teaching work with the come shortly. Happy are all you who, be
Bible must go on. In this teaching work, fore then, take part in preaching this good
during this past service year of 1967, Je news!
hovahs witnesses have conducted in pri- 26. (a ) W h y h a s th e p re a c h in g o f t h is good n e w s of
25. (a ) W h y h a s
r e g u la r ? (b ) W h y

th is te a c h in g w o r k been so m ethin g
m u st t h is te a c h in g w o r k go o n ?

th e k in g d o m been a s t a r t lin g f e a tu re o f t o d a y s w o r k ?
(b ) H o w w ill J e s u s p ro p h e c y o f M a r k 13:10 be v in d i
cated, a n d w h o a re th e h a p p y ones to d a y ?

HONORED TO SERVE
with

Jehovahs Progressive Organization

AS

TOLD

BY

ULY 1893, about three or four miles

from Amsterdam, Holland, was the
time and place of my birth. My parents
had a hard life trying to make ends meet
for a family of five children. Both con
tracted consumption, and by the time I
had reached the age of thirteen we chil
dren were orphans. I can well remember
seeing my mother waste away in bed
throughout two full years, from 160

JOHN

BOGARD

pounds down to little more than 75 pounds.

The doctor could do nothing beyond easing
her condition from time to time.
A memory I cherish is the reverence
with which my mother viewed the name
of the Creator, Jehovah. It was a name
by no means strange in our home. Outside
the home circle, however, all I can recall
is troubles, injustices, and not a little
narrow-mindedness. When we children

ecember

15, 1967

5KeWATCHTOWER.

were left parentless we were scattered:

the two girls to live with the people for
whom they worked, one brother to help
on the farm of an uncle, the youngest to
live with grandmother, myself to hire out
with a farmer for room and board and a
weekly pittance of ten cents.
While mother lived she always insisted
that we go to church every Sunday morn
ing. With wooden shoes all freshly white
washed we had to sit there for three or
four hours in the clammy cold while the
sermon droned on and on. Meantime the
collection plate would be passed around
at least three times. That preacher did not
do so well, for I recall that he took his
own life by jumping headfirst into a deep
well. We certainly gained nothing from
his sermons.
Now I was a farmers boy, thirteen
years of age. I had to get up at four oclock
each morning and start milking and feed
ing the cattle, with lots of other labor un
til six or seven at night. On Sunday morn
ing the farmer took me with his family to
church, and then I was free the rest of
the day until milking and feeding time in
the evening. By the time I was sixteen
I had already worked for three different
farmers.
Then came a great change. One of
my sisters accepted an invitation to come
to America and work for someone in
California. Soon afterward she met a
man who asked her to marry him, and
they moved to Alberta, Canada, settling
on a tract of 160 acres, under the Cana
dian Governments provision for home
steads. They wrote me and offered to pay
my fare to Canada if I would come and
help on their farm. Gladly I accepted, and
in 1910 I was on my way across the ocean.
World War I broke out and normal
conditions were no longer possible. One
preacher, I can recall, declared that if
there were nine young men in his con-

759

gregation who would enlist, he himself

would be the tenth. So, early in 1916 I
signed up with the Canadian Engineers
and was shortly after moved to England.
There I stayed for three years, for they
found that my eyes were defective. I was
made a sergeant of police, escorting bad
boys and deserters between prison and the
Engineers unit, as well as sharing in sports
events for the entertainment of the troops.
We had to attend regularly the religious
meetings and listen to an army chaplain,
all decked out in officers uniform, telling
us that if we would carry on as good sol
diers we would become part of the vicar
ious atonement for the sins of the peo
ple. To me it was positively nauseating,
bringing back memories of childhood when
we had seen so much hypocrisy and little
of real loving concern for widows and
orphans.
POSTWAR EXPERIENCES

Of course, as soon as I was demobilized

I hastened back to Canada. As a returned
soldier, I was able to get preference over
civilian applicants for government jobs.
One of my first jobs was a government
contract to run a mail and passenger route
between Peace River and Dunvegan in Al
bertas Peace River region. Since the dis
tance was 166 miles and was made with
horses, we could make it only once a week.
It gave plenty of opportunity to talk to
passengers. Well do I remember one pas
senger, a spiritualist, telling me all the
things of a strange order that he had seen
and heard. I made up my mind to inves
tigate his beliefs sometime when there was
opportunity.
Then there was the man who told me
about reading seven volumes by Charles
T. Russell of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He
told how, when the books were banned,
he used to go out into the woods and read
for hours. What specially interested him

760

SEeW ATCHTOW ER

was one entitled The Battle of Armaged

don. He wondered what side he should
take when it came.
Finally, I gave up the mail route and
decided to go to Edmonton, where my
brother now lived with his young family.
I figured that I would have a better chance
to investigate spiritism and also look fur
ther into Russells books, which were pub
lished by the International Bible Students
Association. When I arrived at my broth
ers home, things seemed to have changed.
His wife and two boys were quiet and
reverential. My brother was on night shift,
but before leaving for the job he asked
if I would like to join them in a word of
prayer. What is wrong with him? I won
dered. Still I did not connect the change
in his home with my objective to find
out more about the Bible Students.
Next day was Sunday and the family
got ready to go to a meeting. I got ready
also, and traveled the same streetcar they
were on but continued for a couple of ex
tra stops before getting off and asking di
rection to the Bible Students meeting. It
was a most enlightening lecture, and when
I got back to my brothers place I was
all ready to talk about it when I found
that he was already discussing the same
lecture with his wife. You can imagine the
great joy we had when we realized that
we had heard and thoroughly enjoyed the
same lecture. My brother, it seems, had
already been studying the Bible for about
a year.
I quit my job on the railroad for a few
months and took up going to meetings
and studying regularly. By the winter of
1923 I reached a goal I had set before my
selfI was dedicated to God and to doing
his will. In April the railroad wanted me
to go back to building bridges, but now
I wanted to use my time in the service
of Gods kingdom. I wrote to the overseer
in charge of the Edmonton congregation

B rooklyn , N.Y.

of Bible Students by this time I was lo

cated some 65 miles northwest of the city
and requested some literature to dis
tribute. To my disappointment he sent on
ly a few little booklets, which I soon
passed out. I wrote back immediately, en
closing a check for $30 and asking that
he send me that much worth of literature
right away.
There was then real satisfaction in tak
ing the publications to the people in that
little town, seeking to interest them in
what the Bible has to say about the ur
gency of our time. The reactions were
varied, sometimes rough but often very
good. Then came word that there was to
be a big convention in Edmonton and that
J. F. Rutherford, then president of the
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society,
would be giving the public lecture. Mean
time the Edmonton Bible Students had
told the Societys president about the man
who had sent in for $30 worth of litera
ture. He wanted to meet this man. So in
July 1923 I was introduced to him and he
asked if I would like to come to the Bethel
headquarters of the Society in Brooklyn,
New York. When he told me that there
was plenty of hard work to be done there,
I accepted the invitation with eagerness.
A WONDERFUL NEW LIFE

Although having studied with the Bible

Students for only about eight months, I
soon realized that serving with Jehovahs
progressive organization was the answer
to many things. Now I could serve un
selfishly so that multitudes of others
might receive enlightening Bible litera
ture. An accurate knowledge of Gods pur
poses as set out in the Bible helped me
to understand so many of the puzzling
things that I had experienced, the cold
and narrow-minded people I had encoun
tered in youth, the army chaplains who
advocated killing, the mysteries of spirit-

ecember

15, 1967

761

SKeW ATCHTOW ER,

ism and the passenger with his dilemma

about Armageddon. All these things now
became understandable in the light of
what the Bible teaches.
Later I became well acquainted with
Kathryn Harris, who had already served
six years at the Bethel headquarters, and
it seemed good to us to travel on together
as man and wife through whatever the
future would have in store for us. With
President Rutherfords permission for us
to remain at the headquarters we were
duly married, and have since enjoyed
many happy privileges together in Je
hovahs progressive organization. It was
wonderful to live through those momen
tous years in the Societys headquarters.
We received a clear vision of the division
between Satans worldly organization and
Gods. We gladly participated in accepting
the name Jehovahs witnesses in 1931. We
have seen Jehovahs other sheep sepa
rated to the right side of Christs favor
and coming in their multitudes to serve
under Gods arrangement. (John 10:16;
Matt. 25:31-33) Surely our cup has been
well filled. Ps. 23:5.
In 1937 it was our privilege to receive
an assignment to serve at the Watch Tow
er Societys farm, called Kingdom Farm,
near South Lansing, New York, where we
continued for six years. After fifteen
years of city life it was a real change to
get out into the fresh country air and be
able to carry on, sharing the privileges
with our fellow workers at the headquar
ters office. Here we had the pleasure of
seeing the vital produce shipped in regu
larly to maintain the health and strength
of all serving at the Brooklyn Bethel.
One might expect things to be always
peaceful in the country, but in 1939 cir
cumstances arose in the Kingdom Farm
area that showed the Devil was fighting
hard to disrupt the organization and halt
its publication of the Kingdom good news.

For weeks there were ugly rumors that

gangs of fanatics were forming with the
avowed purpose of converging on the farm
and vandalizing it. Finally, one day an old
man who regularly passed the farm told
us we could expect visitors that night who
intended having some fun with us. We
immediately notified the sheriff and the
state police, and it is well that we did.
About six oclock in the evening the
gangs started to gather, one car after an
other, until there were thirty or forty
carloads. The sheriff and his men arrived
and began stopping the car drivers and
examining their licenses and warning
them against any move against Kingdom
Farm. They kept driving back and forth
along the highway fronting our property
till late into the night, but the presence
of the police kept them on the highway
and frustrated their plan to destroy the
farm. It was a most exciting night for all
of us there on the farm, but we were re
minded vividly of Jesus assurance to his
followers: You will be objects of hatred
by all people because of my name. And
yet not a hair of your heads will by any
means perish. Luke 21:17, 18.
STILL MOVING AHEAD

Jehovahs progressive organization still

marches on. In 1943 the Watchtower Bible
School of Gilead for training of mission
aries to serve in foreign fields was due to
commence February 1. Changes were be
ing made and it turned out that we were
among those now reassigned to serve at
the Brooklyn headquarters of the Society.
What a privilege! And we are still here,
having rejoiced to see the organization
grow from small beginnings to the point
where the regular staff here now numbers
over eight hundred, reminding me of what
the prophet of God foretold: The little
one himself will become a thousand, and
the small one a mighty nation. I myself,

762

fReW ATCHTOW ER.

Brooklyn , N.Y.

Jehovah, shall speed it up in its own time.

Isa. 60:22.
I am sure the greatest bank account in
the world cannot bring the satisfaction
that we have enjoyed and still enjoy in
the glorious treasure of service that God
has granted to us. As we look around at
the happy and busy organization that Je
hovah has brought together in these last
days, we are reminded that this is in
fulfillment of Gods promise: The righ
teous himself will blossom forth as a palm

tree does; as a cedar in Lebanon does, he

will grow big. Those who are planted in
the house of Jehovah, in the courtyards
of our God, they will blossom forth. They
will still keep on thriving during grayheadedness, fat and fresh they will con
tinue to be to tell that Jehovah is up
right. He is my rock, in whom there is
no unrighteousness. (Ps. 92:12-15) As
sociation with His progressive organiza
tion has kept us young in mind and spirit.
May Jehovah himself be praised.

t t /* T > E C I S I O N S , deci
* J u / sions, decisions!
Have you recently uttered
such words about the daily
necessity of making deci
sions? Young or old, male
or female, you regularly
have to weigh the facts
or factors in a situation and come to a con
clusion, making a decision. Sometimes it
is only a decision involving a minor ad
justment in your speed or activity as you
move down the road of life. At other
times you face a major fork in the road
and need to make a decision that will have
a long-range effect on your life. In either
case, on what is your decision based? Do
you search out the Bible principles that
apply and use these as a guide?
It is easy to see why many persons have
difficulty when trying to make wise deci
sions. What do they have for a guide?
They might try to employ a form of hu
man logic, such as taking a human prov

erb or experience and using it as a guide

to draw a conclusion about their particular
problem. But how valid is the proverb? Or
is the experience one that will really lead
to a reliable conclusion in this situation?
If such are faulty, then the decision is like
ly to be faulty too. When ones decisions
often lead to unhappy results, how under
standable the refrain, Decisions, deci
sions, decisions.
Thankful we can be that Christians are
not left in the lurch like that when it
comes to making decisions. We have a
guide. Ah, you may think, we have the
Bible as a rule book, and all we have to
do is to look up the rule or law that ap-

D ecember

15, 1967

fReW ATCHTOW ER.

763

plies. Yes . . . and no. It is true that there proper guiding of our lives. It is just as
are a number of laws in the Bible that the writer who received a gift of special
apply to Christians, such as those against wisdom from Jehovah wrote: In all your
murder, stealing and idolatry. (1 Pet. 4: ways take notice of [Jehovah], and he
15; 1
oCr. 10:14) On decisions involving
himself will make your paths straight.
conduct that is plainly either right or (Prov. 3:6) Or as his father said: I have
wrong from a Biblical standpoint, the Bi placed Jehovah in front of me constantly.
ble is a useful rule book. But most of the Because he is at my right hand, I shall not
decisions we face in daily life seemingly be made to totter. Ps. 16:8.
do not involve such clear-cut issues; they
FINDING THE PRINCIPLES
are not either black or white, as it were,
But you may be wondering just how one
but, rather, they fall into a gray area.
At such times Bible principles can come goes about finding these valuable princi
to our rescue. Usually Bible principles ples. They are in the Bible, so a knowledge
come to ones rescue because one prepared of Gods Word is vital. A Bible principle
oneself in advance by learning these eter is a settled guide for conduct; hence when
nal principles, as a swimmer might put reading the Bible we should be on the
on an inflatable life preserver. Thus prin lookout for such principles, putting on the
ciples learned in advance are ready for use life preserver, as it were, that can be
when needed, when a decision is necessary. used in the future. The more of these we
The principles in Gods Word can be know, the more stable we will be and the
said to be eternal, since they do not pass less likely it is that we will make unwise
away or become outdated. As English decisions. A brief illustration of how to
historian, Sir John Seeley, commented: locate and apply such principles will be
Principles last forever; but special rules helpful.
In reading the restatement of the Ten
pass away with the things and conditions
Commandments
in Deuteronomy, chapter
to which they refer. So, Jehovah does not
five,
we
find
these
words in verse nine:
require Christians to learn an endless Tal
mud of rules designed to cover every situa You must not bow down to [carved im
tion that might occur. Instead, he wisely ages] . . . , because I Jehovah your God
provided a limited number of basic laws am a God exacting exclusive devotion.
that Christians must obey, and gave some This law against idolatry is based on the
general principles that can be used for general principle that Jehovah demands
guidance in many situations, situations exclusive devotion. That is the principle
that occur in your daily life. Ps. 119:129. we want to consider. But does it seem too
These principles are divine and perfect. general? Would you have a hard time
They do not come from imperfect human knowing how and when to apply it?
Jesus illustrated an application of this
reasoning, but from the all-wise and per
fect Creator. As our Creator, is it not general principle. As the last of three
reasonable that he would know the best temptations, Satan said to Jesus Christ:
principles for the efficient and happy op All these things [the kingdoms of the
eration of the human mechanism? Of world and their glory] I will give you if
course! In addition, he has observed the you fall down and do an act of worship to
experiences of thousands of millions of im me. In reply Jesus said: Go away, Sa
perfect humans. So, obviously he is in the tan! For it is written, It is Jehovah your
best position to supply principles for the God you must worship, and it is to him

764

SfieW ATCHTOW ER

alone you must render sacred service.

(Matt. 4:9,10) Now, there was no specific
law in the Hebrew Scriptures saying, If
Satan tries to tempt you, you must not
worship him. But by applying the princi
ple of giving exclusive devotion to Jehovah,
Jesus made a proper decision. Also, this
protected him from actually breaking a
law, since worshiping Satan would have
been making him a god, and the Law said:
You must not have any other gods against
my face. Ex. 20:3; Isa. 44:8.
This same general principle might be
used in many situations today. For exam
ple, what if you were invited to attend
some function at which there would be a
false religious ceremony? There may be
no Bible rule forbidding attendance at the
function, so you would have to make a
'personal decision on the basis of principles
that apply. Would you weigh this principle
of giving exclusive devotion to Jehovah?
Just being present when the false religious
ceremony was going on would not neces
sarily make you a false worshiper, but
would embarrassment at being different
lead you to kneel before an image or a
cross with the rest? That would be break
ing the Biblical law forbidding idolatry.
(1 John 5:21) Will the others attending
conclude that your presence indicates that
you have abandoned exclusive worship of
Jehovah and started worshiping their trin
itarian god? These are questions that the
principle should suggest.
Another point that might be made in con
nection with this example is that usually
quite a few principles might have a bear
ing on the decision. A Justice of the United
States Supreme Court once said: There
is hardly a question of any real difficulty
before the Court that does not entail more
than one so-called principle. Anybody can
decide a question if only a single principle
is in controversy. In this example asso
ciated principles might be: Do not stumble

Brooklyn , N.Y.

others needlessly. (Phil. 1:10) Do what is

truly loving for your relatives and friends.
(Matt. 22:39) If a wife or children are
involved, there is the principle of subjec
tion, to husband or to parents. (Col. 3:18,
20) Avoid bad associations; they spoil use
ful habits. 1 Cor. 15:33.
By searching for as many principles as
might apply, you have a greater likelihood
of making a decision that is truly in line
with the guidance provided by God. The
broad principles of loving God and neigh
bor do cover all situations (Rom. 13:8;
Mark 12:29-31), but if you can find ones
of more direct application to your prob
lem, it should be easier to make a wise
decision.
EFFECT OF PROGRESS TOWARD MATURITY

As a Christian increases in knowledge

of Gods Word and advances toward spiri
tual maturity, he will know more prin
ciples that have a bearing on the decisions
to be made. Also, he will let these have
a greater influence on his life. Thus, with
matters that must be decided personally,
not all will reach the same conclusions, be
cause Christians vary in the progress to
maturity that they have made. The apos
tle Paul indicated that this was true in his
day by writing, Let us, . . . as many of
us as are mature, be of this mental atti
tude, and, Let us press on to maturity.
Phil. 3:15, 16; Heb. 6:1.
If one takes into consideration only a
few Bible principles and allows these to
have only a minor influence on his deci
sions, that does not mean that he is not a
Christian. But an unwise decision could
reflect a need for assistance in growing in
spirituality and knowledge of Jehovahs
eternal principles.Ps. 86:11.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

While a mature Christian might help

a newer one to locate Bible principles that

D ecem ber

15, 1967

3HeWATCHT0WEFL

bear on a decision the latter has to make,*

usually a person must, in the end, make
his own decision. The apostle Paul wrote:
Each one will carry his own load. (Gal.
6:5) Hence, experience in looking for and
applying Bible principles will make it eas
ier for you to carry your own load in
making decisions that are your responsi
bility, ones no one else can make for you.
Would you like to have some practice
in doing that? You will find below a list
of situations or problems. Let us assume
that you have to make the decision in each
case, or that you are asked to help some
one see the principles that apply so he can
decide for himself. Read one of the prob
lems, and then try to determine the prin
ciples involved. You may want to get out
a piece of paper and list the principles that
come to mind and the Bible verses where
they can be found. Or you may want to
select one problem each day and discuss
it with your family after dinner. Possibly
a group of Christians traveling together
could discuss them; that would be most
upbuilding conversation. (Mai. 3:16) With
these as a pattern, some may want to pro
pose other problems and then let the group
search for related principles; this would
be a beneficial activity at a Christian
gathering.
In smaller type below the problems, are
presented some principles that are in
volved. These are not all the principles
that apply. You may be able to think of
others. If so, fine! Remember, though, that
these are just given for training; in such
matters a personal decision must be made
by those facing the issues. So do not try to
determine the answer, as if you were
deciding what others must do. If the prac
tice helps you to see how you would make
a wise decision if you were faced with such
* H e m ig h t d ire c t a tte n tio n , fo r e x a m p le , to the
h e a d in g D e c isio n s in M ake Sure o f A ll T h in g s; H old
F a st to W hat Is F in e .33

765

an issue, very good. Another person may

not have made as much progress as you
have, or he may have made more, so he
might come to a different conclusion as
to what he would do.
This practice in searching for Bible prin
ciples should help all Christians as they
make decisions in life, as they are filled
with the accurate knowledge of his will in
all wisdom and spiritual discernment, in
order to walk worthily of Jehovah to the
end of fully pleasing him. Col. 1:9, 10.

1. Is it wise to join a school or office sports

team?
Your associates can have a good or a bad effect on you.
(Prov. 13:20) Will it involve time that should be spent
with your family or in theocratic activity? (Eph. 5 :1 5 , 16)
Physical training is of limited value. (1 Tim. 4 :8 ) It is
wise to avoid the fierce competitive spirit of the world.
(G al. 5 :2 6 ) Could it involve one in nationalistic ceremo
nies? (1 Cor. 10 :1 4; Dan. 3 :1 8 ) Parents are to make the
decisions for minor children. (Prov. 2 2 :6 ; 23 :2 2)

2. Would if be wise fo accept a promotion on

my secular job?
A husband is responsible fo provide materially for those
in his care. (1 Tim. 5 :8 ) Materialistic desire for luxuries
can lead one away from the faith. (1 Tim. 6 :1 0 ; Mark
4 :1 8 , 19) Jehovah will provide the necessities for those
trusting in him. (1 Tim. 6 :8 ; Matt. 6 :1 1 , 31-34) W ill if
interfere with your service to God? (Col. 4 :5 ; Heb. 11:
24-26)

3. May a Christian go to the theater to see

a popular motion picture?
G o ds people shun entertainment that encourages im
moral desires or a love of the world. (2 Tim. 2 :2 2 ; 1 John
2 :1 5 -1 7 ; Rom. 12:9) We should seek association and
entertainment that upbuild and encourage right conduct.
(Phil. 4:8? Ps. 119:63) W ill others who see you attend
be stumbled? (Phil. 2 :4 ; 1 Cor. 1 0 :3 2, 33)

4. Should I permit my son or daughter to go

out on a date with a person of another religion?
As head of the household, the husband is responsible
to make the final decision. (Eph. 5 :2 2 ; 6 :4 ) Association
with false worshipers should be avoided. (2 Cor. 6 :1 6 ,
17; Ps. 106:35, 36) Might it lead to a marriage to an
unbeliever? (Deut. 7 :3 , 4; Neh. 1 3 :2 5, 2 6 ; 1 Cor. 7:39)
Parents should protect the moral integrity of their children.
(Gen. 3 4 :1 , 2; Prov. 5 :1 -4 ) Children can show respect
for Jehovahs arrangement of things by being obedient to
their parents. (Eph. 6 :1 )

766

SfreW A T CHTOWER,

5. Is it all right to wear the short miniskirts

that are currently in style?
Female adornment should be modest. (1 Tim. 2 :9 , 10)
A Christian wife is to be in subjection to her husband; a
minor daughter is to be obedient to her father. (Col. 3:18,
20) Christians do not seek to imitate the world, but set
an example of goodness. (1 Pet. 4 :4 ; Eph. 5 :9 -1 2 ; 1 Cor.
1 0 :3 1 ) W e need to shun anything that would cause stum
bling or would detract from our ministry. (2 Cor. 6 :3 , 4 ;
1 Cor. 1 3 :4 , 5)

6. Is it compatible with Christian principles to

go hunting or fishing?
Animals may be killed for food. (Gen. 9 :3 ) True wor
shipers may obtain food by fishing. (John 2 1 :6 -1 3 ; Luke

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

24 :4 2, 4 3 ) While man has dominion over animals, he

should not deal cruelly with them. (G en. 1:2 8 ; Prov. 12:
10) We should avoid the bloodthirsty spirit of Nimrod,
killing just for sport. (Gen. 10:9)

7. Is it proper for a Christian wife to go to a

nightclub with her unbelieving husband?
Christian wives are to be in subjection to their husbands.
(Titus 2 :5 ) If a mature Christian visits a place with a bad
reputation, it might wound the conscience of a weak one.
(1 Cor. 8 :10-13) Christians do not seek to be present
where shameful conduct or speech is common. (Eph. 5 :
3-5) G ods servants seek to maintain a clear conscience
before Jehovah. (1 Pet. 3 :1 6 , 21)

Real SecurityWhere?
BOUT three thousand years ago faithful
King David of Israel confessed the source
of his security. H e wrote: In peace I will
both lie down and sleep, for you yourself
alone, O Jehovah, make me dwell in security.
(Ps. 4 :8 ) Yet in the years since those words
were written, how many people have failed to
look to Jehovah as the real source of security!
Men, instead, put their hopes in bank accounts,
old-age insurance and retirement plans. With
the economic situation in the world subject to
rapid change, how frail are the hopes of se
curity based entirely upon finances!

W ith abundant proof that Jehovah is going

to reestablish a paradise on the earth within
our time, we have all the more reason to look
to him for security. This attitude, though, came
as a shock to an insurance man in Connecticut
who called one evening at the home of one of
Jehovahs witnesses. The Witness relates what
happened:
H e asked for a few minutes of m y time to
explain the highlights of an insurance pro
gram which he felt would be of interest and
importance to me. Agreeing to a brief discus
sion, I listened as he outlined a security and
retirement program. Though I was deeply
impressed by his sincere manner, I couldnt
help smiling at his description of the benefits
that would come to m y fam ily by the end of
the century. Sensing m y amusement, he asked,
"Dont you agree that a program of this nature
is the most sensible approach to real security?
""I replied, "My idea o f what constitutes real
security and your idea of real security are

worlds apart. "What do you mean by th a t?

he asked. Replying, "Im glad you asked that
question, I picked up m y Bible and started
to show him what I thought constituted real
security.
The conversation lasted a little over three
hours five minutes for insurance, three hours
for Bible truths. A number of times the in
surance man asked, ""But how do you know
thats true? The minister responded, ""You
will never know or be sure unless you investi
gate for yourself, carefully, methodically,
thoroughly.
About a month later the minister was
pleased to receive a phone call from the insur
ance man. It seems that he wanted a Bible in
modern language, like the one that was used
during the discussion. The W itness agreed to
deliver one to his office and brought along a
copy of a Bible-study aid. Accepting them,
the insurance man asked, ""What would I
gain by studying the Bible as you suggest?
W hat would you say to that question? The
minister answered: "The satisfaction of know
ing the truth about God and his purposes for
the earth and man. Also, the ability to gain
his favor and merit life under the promised
new system of things, not to mention finding
real and permanent security.
You can imagine the joy the W itness re
ceived to be able to give an affirmative reply
to the question, Could you arrange to have
someone hold a weekly Bible discussion with
m e? The insurance salesman is now rapidly
increasing his knowledge of Bible truths.

D ecem ber

15, 1967

SHeWATCHTOWER.

How happy can be the lot of all such persons who now take a positive step toward
acquiring real security! That security will
be of the most dependable type, with Jehovah
God as its Source. He assures us that the

How could there be a reference to the whole

field of the Amalekites in Abrahams day, as
related in the Bible at Genesis 14:7, before
Amalek was even born
(Gen. 36:15-19)?
J. E., U.S.A.
As Genesis 36:12, 15-19 shows, Amalek, a
grandson of Esau, was among the fourteen
sheiks of Edom. The name A m alek also
designated his tribal descendants. (Deut. 25:17;
Judg. 7:1 2 ) The belief of some that the Am ale
kites were of a much earlier origin and not
descendants of Esaus grandson Amalek is not
founded on solid factual ground. For example,
some have identified the Amalekites with those
living in Melukhkha, a land the name of which
appears in cuneiform inscriptions of about 2000
B.C.E. However, archaeological discoveries
revealed that the land of Melukhkha was not
the Sinai Peninsula and W est Arabia as had
been supposed, but that it was located in India.
Balaams proverbial utterance at Numbers
24:20 is sometimes used to support the belief
that the Amalekites predated Am alek: Amalek
was the first one of the nations, but his end
afterward will be even his perishing. This,
however, does not support such belief, for
Balaam was not speaking of history in general
and the origin of nations seven and a half
centuries earlier. He was speaking of history
only in connection with the Israelites whom he
was hired to curse and who were about to enter
the Promised Land. Hence, after listing Moab,
Edom and Seir as Israels opponents, Balaam
declared that the Amalekites were actually the
first one of the nations to rise up in opposition
to the Israelites on their march out of Egypt
toward the Promised Land, and for this reason,
the end of Am alek will be even his perishing.
As a consequence, Jehovah decreed ultimate

\
Ij
jl

767

security of his new order will not be marred

by wars or want. (Ps. 72:7, 16) Men will then
experience security at Jehovahs hand, for he
promises: I will make them lie down in
security. Hos. 2:18.

extinction for the Amalekites. Ex. 17:8-16;

Deut. 25:17-19.
But now, what about the words at Genesis
14:7 in connection with Chedorlaomer king of
Elam and his allied kings who turned about
and came to En-mishpat, that is, Kadesh, and
defeated the whole field of the Amalekites ?
Here Moses was relating events of Abrahams
day before Amalek was born, but he was de
scribing the region in terms that were under
stood by people of Moses time, rather than
implying that Amalekites predated Amalek. So
Genesis 14:7 refers to the land afterward pos
sessed by its well-known inhabitants, the
Amalekites.
Would having some fellow Christians over
to ones own home on N ew Years Eve be
wrong? G. M., Canada.
It is not wrong to have fellow Christians to
ones home for upbuilding association and
relaxation. However, if the occasion coincides
exactly with a worldly celebration, there are
some matters that the Christian would do well
to consider before making a decision to arrange
for or attend such a gathering.
Though customs vary from country to
country, in many places it is traditional to
stay up until midnight on December 31 to
watch the old year out. This evening is often
associated with unrestrained drinking, loose
conduct between the sexes, gift giving and the
making of promises to reform in the new year.
The modern practices in many lands are directly
linked with pagan celebrations. The 1966 World
Booh Encyclopedia, Volume 14, page 237,
reports: In ancient Rome, the first day of the
year was given over to honoring Janus, the god
of gates and doors and of beginnings and
endings. . . . New Years Day became a holy day
in the Christian Church in A.D. 487, when it was
declared the Feast of the Circumcision. A t first,
parties were not allowed on this day because the
pagans had followed that custom. This was
gradually changed and celebrations could again
be held. (For more details, see Awake! of
January 8,1957, pages 21 through 23.)
Before bringing their lives into harmony with

768

fReW ATCH TOW ER

the Bible, some who are now Christians may

have joined in such riotous living. But now they
observe the inspired advice: As in the daytime
let us walk decently, not in revelries and
drunken bouts, not in illicit intercourse and
loose conduct. (Rom. 13:13) They diligently
strive to match Jesus* description: They are
no part of the world. (John 17:16) So without
question Christians would avoid the New Years
Eve celebrations related to pagan practices.
But does that mean that Christians have to
avoid one anothers company on that day be
cause it is misused by those doing works be
longing to darkness ? (Rom. 13:12) No, they
do not have to do that. Some might arrange
for a group of Christians to gather together
on that day because it is an occasion when they
are free from secular work and able to do so.
The Christians in Jerusalem after Pentecost of
33 C.E. took their meals in private homes and
partook of food with great rejoicing and sin
cerity of heart. (Acts 2:46) The association
with fellow Christians and the spiritual dis
cussions engaged in were no doubt very bene
ficial to those believers. And a gathering of
Christians today has a similar effect, if Bible
principles govern what is said and done.

B r o o k l y n , N .Y .

If one is arranging a get-together fo r Decem

ber 31, or planning to attend one, it would be
good for him to examine his motive as well as
the situation involved. Is the gathering planned
because it is New Years Eve, or is there special
enthusiasm about it because it falls then?
Do the activities engaged in, or the time at
which the gathering is over, indicate a copying
of what the world does on that day? I f so,
regardless of what one m ay say, he is cele
brating New Years and sharing with the world
in its ways. W h at he is doing is not Christian.
So no rule need be established relative to
this occasion. If Christians gather together out
of the proper motive and if their conduct in
every way befits Christians, then they certainly
do not need to avoid one anothers company on
any day simply because it is a day that the
world misuses. Each Christian can take into
consideration his own motive, Scriptural prin
ciples that apply and the proddings of his Bibletrained conscience. (1 John 2:15-17; Rom. 14:13;
1 Tim. 1:19) Then he can make a personal
decision, seeking to set an example of Christian
maturity that will have Gods approval. Paul
encouraged us: Keep on making sure of what
is acceptable to the Lord. Eph. 5:10.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
WATCH TOWER PUBLICATIONS INDEX

The past year, like previous years, has

brought you much valuable information con
tained in the publications released by the
W atch Tower Society. In order to help you use
this fine material to the best advantage, a
new edition of the Watch Tower Publications
Index will be released on January 8. It contains
subject and Scripture references to all publi
cations released during 1967. Send 10c. Also
available, 1930-1960 Index for $1; 1961-1965
Index for 50c.
FIELD MINISTRY

The theme that the apostle Paul develops

right from the beginning of his letter to the
Galatians is that God through Jesus Christ has
delivered his people from this present wicked
system o f things. The apostle stresses the fact
that Christians have been made free for the new
system of things, and now they are to stand

fast for that freedom, zealously guarding their

liberty-giving worship. (Gal. 1:3, 4; 5 :1 ) One
of the main ways Jehovahs w itnesses, guard
their liberty-giving worship is by sharing it
with others. But for others to experience this
grand deliverance and to attain to liberty-giving
worship they need the W ord of God, the Bible.
To meet this need, Jehovahs witnesses, during
the month of December, are offering /to all
persons a copy of the New World Translation
of the Holy Scriptures, along with a booklet
for $1.
WATCHTOWER STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

January 14: In A ll the Nations the Good

News Has to Be Preached First, 111-30.
Page 744. Songs to Be Used: 10, 103.
January 21: In A ll the Nations the Good
News Has to Be Preached First, 1131-34,
and W hat Now Distinguishes the Good
News to Be Preached, lfl-26. Page 752. Songs
to Be Used: 25, 4.