The Watchtower — December 15, 1952

The Unchristian Christmas

“JEHOVAH’S Witnesses—Christmas Not Observed by Them. One religious group in New Ulm, Jehovah’s witnesses, will not be following the usual tradition of celebrating Christmas. The local congregation has no special services planned for the yuletide holidays.” Thus began an article in the New Ulm, Minnesota, Daily Journal, last December 22.

Do you wonder why, when nearly all other professing Christians make so much ado over Christmas, Jehovah’s witnesses deliberately ignore it? You do? But would you wonder if you knew that Christmas is not Christian; that in spite of its name it not only is non-Christian but is unChristian; that it is based on pagan customs and superstitions and medieval traditions; that it is in fact the very antithesis of everything that is truly Christian? These statements no doubt seem radical to you, but if you will read on you will learn the reasons why Jehovah’s witnesses, who take God’s Word seriously, cannot afford to have anything to do with Christmas. Nor need we offer any apology for taking the Bible seriously. After all, Christmas is supposed to be a Christian holiday, celebrated by Christians, and both Christ Jesus and his apostles accepted the Bible as God’s inspired truth.—John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21, NW.

WHEN WAS JESUS BORN?

Jehovah’s witnesses do not celebrate December 25 because, among other reasons, that is not the date of Jesus’ birth, practically all historians being agreed on that fact. However, to state, as did one prominent United States clergyman a year ago, that “it might very well have been any one of the 365 days in the year” is to betray ignorance of Scriptural information on the subject, for the Bible does indicate, at least approximately, the date on which Jesus was born. How so? By several lines of evidence, among the strongest of which is the prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah as recorded at Daniel 9:24-27 (AS). This prophecy speaks of seventy weeks and foretells that from the time of the giving of the command to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the Messiah would be sixty-nine weeks.

According to the latest findings of archaeology, Artaxerxes III began ruling in 474 B.C.; and according to Nehemiah 2:1-10, in the twentieth year of his reign he issued the decree for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Since the Messiah did not come after 483 literal days (69 weeks), we must conclude that the Scriptural rule of a “day for a year” must apply. (See Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6.) Counting 483 years from 455 B.C. we come to A.D. 29. There was no year 0 B.C. or 0 A.D.; therefore from 455 B.C. to A.D. 29 was 483 years instead of 484 years.

Jesus began his ministry as the Messiah when he was about thirty years old; and since that was the age according to the Mosaic law for a priest to begin to serve it seems reasonable to conclude that Jesus began his ministry as soon as he reached that age, which, according to the prophecy above referred to, was A.D. 29. This date, incidentally, agrees with what the Bible shows to have been the time when John the Baptist began his ministry.—See Numbers 4:3, 23; Luke 1:26-45; 3:1-4, 23, NW.

Daniel’s prophecy further foretold that the Messiah would be cut off after the sixty-ninth week and that in the middle of the seventieth week (or, after three and a half years of it) he would “cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease”. Since it was by his cutting off or death that Jesus made an end to the validity of the Jewish sacrifices, their code being nailed to the tree with him, this prophecy foretells that Jesus would die after three and a half years of ministry. (Col. 2:14, NW) This is the length of time generally accepted by Bible scholars as the duration of Jesus’ ministry and harmonizes with the evidence available in John’s Gospel that Jesus’ ministry saw four passovers come and go. (John 2:13; 5:1; 6:4; 12:1; 13:1) (For details see Equipped for Every Good Work, page 280.) There being no question about Jesus’ being cut off at passover time, about the first of April, A.D. 33, it follows from the foregoing calculations that he was born 33 ¹⁄₂ years prior thereto, or on about October 1, and in the year 2 B.C.

This October date is in keeping with all the circumstantial evidence available. The shepherds were watching their flocks at night at the time and Joseph and Mary had traveled a long way to Bethlehem to be registered in keeping with the decree of Caesar Augustus. The shepherds would not have their flocks outside during the cold wet rainy winter season of Palestine, nor is it reasonable to conclude that Caesar would require all the Jews to do so much traveling at the worst time of the year for it; a fact apparent from Jesus’ words, “Keep praying that your flight may not occur in wintertime.”—Matt. 24:20; Luke 2:1-20, NW.

ITS PAGAN ANTECEDENTS

In view of these facts, what accounts for December 25 as being chosen for the celebration of Jesus’ birth? Julian I, bishop of Rome (A.D. 337-352), is reputed to have been the first to fix the celebration of Christmas on December 25. And on what basis? Says the Catholic Encyclopedia (Vol. 3, page 727), “The well-known solar feast however, Natalis Invicti [Birthday of the Unconquered] has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date.” And according to the Encyclopedia Americana, the church of Rome arranged for the celebration of Jesus’ birthday on December 25 “on the day of the old Roman [pagan] feast of the birth of Sol, as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ’s birth existed”. (Vol. 6, page 623, 1942 ed.) Other authorities tell us that the church, being unable to wean the people away from this feast, adopted it and gave it a new significance. This caused Tertullian to complain: “By us, who are strangers to Sabbaths, and new moons and festivals, once acceptable to God, the Saturnalia [and other pagan feasts] are now frequented, gifts are carried to and fro, . . . and sports and banquets are celebrated with uproar.”

But perhaps someone will ask, Granted that December 25 is of pagan origin and that Jesus was born on about October 1, why not celebrate that date? Why not? Because the very celebration of birthdays is pagan. Nowhere in the Scriptures do we find recorded the date of anyone’s birth; nor any record of birthday celebrations by Jehovah’s servants, either before or after the time of Christ. The only two birthday celebrations mentioned in the Scriptures were held by pagan emperors and each was marred by an execution, the one by Pharaoh by the execution of his chief baker and the one by Herod by the execution, the beheading, of John the Baptist.—Gen. 40:20-22; Matt. 14:6-11.

Nor are its date, the merrymaking and the giving of gifts the only pagan aspects of Christmas. Its use of the evergreen tree, the mistletoe and the holly are based on the pagan reverence for the things of nature. According to the historian Professor Hislop, the Christmas tree celebration actually harks back to the time of Nimrod some 4,000 years ago: “Now the Yule Log is the dead stock of Nimrod, deified as the sun-god, but cut down by his enemies; the Christmas-tree is Nimrod redivivus—the slain god come to life again.”—The Two Babylons, pages 97, 98.

Christmas tree decorations go back to pre-Christian Teutons who decorated their evergreens with coiled strings of fruit and grain in honor of the sacred dragon Nitthager. Glittering balls of gold were used to pay homage to Balder, god of the ever mystical sun. (Today, antigod communist lands such as Romania make a great deal of the Winter Tree Festival; decorated evergreens are featured, and last year in Bucharest, the capital, the center of attraction was “a tree 70 feet tall, on which there were thousands of lights, golden globes and metal bells”.)

The same is true regarding the mistletoe. According to pagan traditions it was a divine branch that had come from heaven and represented the Savior; it was claimed that the god Loki in envy killed the handsome god Balder with a dart made from the mistletoe; all other plants having vowed not to harm Balder; the mistletoe, having been overlooked, was therefore used. According to this pagan tradition the mistletoe dart was plucked out of Balder’s fatal wound and given to the goddess of love, Freya, whence the custom that a lad may kiss a lass if he sees her under the mistletoe.

In ancient times both the mistletoe and wreaths of holly were hung in windows and doorways for their curative and protective powers, to keep witches and evil spirits from entering. According to another pagan superstition the red berries of the holly represented drops of blood of the pagan god Balder.

And what about the three wise men appearing on Christmas cards? More paganism. In the first place, note that the Bible does not state how many wise men there were. Secondly, it is most likely that they visited Jesus and his mother Mary when Jesus was about two years old, for the account refers to Jesus not as an infant but as a young child; and not as being in a manger but in a house; note also Herod’s decree to kill all male babes two years old and under. Further, it is quite evident that the one directing the wise men with the light was not the same one that directed the shepherds to Jesus’ manger by means of the angels; otherwise why direct them to Jesus’ greatest enemy, and cause Jesus’ life to be put in jeopardy and the death of so many children? No, it is not at all reasonable to conclude that the God who warned his people not to have anything to do with pagan religions would direct astrologers or magi, pagan worshipers of demon gods, to his Son.—Isa. 47:13; compare Matthew 2:1-18 with Luke 2:8-20, NW.

And what about the hanging up of stockings, Santa Claus and St. Nicholas? To the extent that these may not be of pagan origin they can be traced to early medieval origin and, of course, find no basis in the Scriptures.

WHY NOT CELEBRATE

It may be asked, Why not celebrate Christmas, since it seems to bring much joy in spite of its pagan antecedents? Because God’s Word repeatedly warns his servants not to have anything to do with false worship. For example, note how emphatically the apostle Paul states this matter. In discussing the matter of foods offered to idols, after making the point that idols actually are not anything, he goes on to say: “The things which the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I do not want you to become sharers with the demons. You cannot be drinking the cup of Jehovah and the cup of demons; you cannot be partaking of ‘the table of Jehovah’ and the table of demons. Or ‘are we inciting Jehovah to jealousy’? We are not stronger than he is, are we?”—1 Cor. 10:19-22, NW; see also Exodus 23:24, 32, 33; Deuteronomy 7:16; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; James 1:26, 27, NW.

In view of the foregoing, what lack of Scriptural understanding is evinced by Donald Harrington, pastor of the New York Community Church, who, in seeking to justify the celebration of Christmas in spite of its pagan antecedents, states: “It is this integration of pagan rites and ceremonies which stand as an example of the universality of God and makes one realize that Christmas is not merely a Christian festival but a holiday of mankind.”—New York Times, December 24, 1951.

Nor is that all. Note some of the material ills associated with it. In 1951 Christmas holiday deaths totaled 789 in the United States, many of which were caused by drunken Christmas drivers. The New York Times for December 12, 1951, editorialized on the “starkly tragic” aspects of many of the fires caused by Christmas trees. And not only undertakers and firemen but also doctors have extra work during the holiday season as hospitals fill up with victims of overindulgence.

Big business exploits the season, overcharging the public, selling them inferior goods and doing everything within its power to give one and all the Christmas fever, to have ‘the holiday spirit get into their blood’. Estimates as to how many hundreds of millions of dollars are spent by the Christmas shoppers of the United States vary, but the fact that in New York city alone the sanitation department had 25,000 tons of rubbish to clean up after the 1951 holiday indicates to what extent the people are taken in.

Sensing that Christmas is being greatly commercialized, certain clergymen are agitating for a more “Christian” Christmas, actually a contradiction in terms. To what extent their campaign has been successful may be determined from the full-page advertisement that appeared in a daily to the effect that “we think it’s a bright-eyed idea to give someone manure for Christmas. We’ll ship a magnificent one-ton of Daisy’s best to your door (or to the rear of your barn door) for $19”.

True, Jesus said that “there is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving”, but such is true only if one’s giving is sincere and unselfish. Remember he also said: “When you spread a dinner or evening meal, do not call your friends, or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors. Perhaps some time they might also invite you in return and it would become a repayment to you. But when you spread a feast, invite poor people, crippled, lame, blind; and you will be happy, because they have nothing with which to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous ones.”—Luke 14:12-14, NW.

Under the artificial stimulation of the Christmas fever some unfortunates may get some “charity”. But that hardly compensates for the fact that Christmas is in reality a snare of the Devil, to deceive the people into thinking that they are Christians by reason of indulging in pagan customs and ceremonies that gratify the fleshly instincts, waste money, health and lives and, worst of all, arouse Jehovah God to jealousy.

True Christianity does not work that way. It does good to its fellow men 365 days a year and not just one day, and not just in material ways but in the far more important spiritual treasures which lead to everlasting life. Jehovah’s witnesses have devoted their lives to doing this very thing.

And now do you understand why they do not celebrate Christmas?

Theocratic Assemblies in Bible Times

THE great Creator of the universe, the Almighty God, Jehovah, is a wise and loving God. He knows best what will advance his righteous and loving purposes and how best to equip his servants so that they may co-operate with their Maker to his praise and to their own happiness. Proof of this is seen in his provision for having his servants come together in assemblies. And since he is the great God-Ruler or Theocrat, it follows that all assemblies arranged by him would be theocratic assemblies.

Among the very first assemblies that Jehovah caused to be held by his earthly servants was the one that took place when Jehovah’s time came to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. At that assembly “Aaron spake all the words which Jehovah had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed: . . . bowed their heads and worshipped”. (Ex. 4:29-31, AS) Without doubt, that assembly was a joyous occasion, revealing as it did Jehovah’s purpose to deliver his name-people.

Some months later the Israelites were assembled at Jehovah’s command at the foot of Mount Sinai for the purpose of witnessing the giving of the law. “And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And . . . the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder.” (Ex. 19:18, 19, AS) What a strong basis for faith, what abundant proof was there given that Moses was no impostor but was indeed the spokesman of the Supreme Being, Jehovah God! At that assembly the children of Israel agreed ‘to do all the things Jehovah commanded and to be obedient’. At that assembly also the law covenant, previously made in Egypt with the celebration of the Passover, was inaugurated.—Ex. 24:7.

However, the Israelites failed to live up to the agreement they made at that assembly and so, instead of entering the Promised Land in a matter of months, the older ones, with few exceptions, all perished in the wilderness; and we find their offspring thirty-nine years later assembled on the plains of Moab, still on this side of the Jordan river. At this assembly Moses reiterated God’s law and recounted the marvelous way in which Jehovah had preserved and led them, repeatedly exhorting them to faithfulness, and introduced to them Joshua as his successor. To appreciate the heart-warming lesson of faith that Moses there gave to the assembled Israelites one must read the book of Deuteronomy.

Without a doubt that assembly and the words uttered by Moses deeply impressed themselves upon the mind of Joshua, for after leading the Israelites across the Jordan and serving as their military commander and theocratic judge for some twenty years, shortly before his death he also called together an assembly. Gathering all the people at Shechem, he recounted the way Jehovah had dealt with his people and voiced his determination that, regardless of what they decided to do, ‘he and his house would serve Jehovah.’ (Josh. 24:1-28, AS) The people voiced a like determination.

After having had judges such as Joshua, Gideon, Samson and Samuel for some 350 years, another outstanding assembly, marking another milestone in the history of the nation of Israel, was held. The occasion was the request of the people to have a king like those of the surrounding nations, they not being content to have Jehovah as their invisible King. Having first determined Jehovah’s will and choice in the matter, Samuel told the people assembled at Mizpah what Jehovah had said regarding their request. By lots Saul was found to be Jehovah’s choice, he in fact having been previously anointed to be king by Samuel.—1 Sam. 10:17-24, AS.

ASSEMBLIES AT JERUSALEM

The law which Jehovah gave the children of Israel by the hand of Moses provided for three annual assemblies at which every male was to be present. These assemblies were to be held in the city that God would choose, which turned out to be Jerusalem. The first of these annual assemblies was the feast of unleavened bread, which immediately followed the Passover, lasting for seven days beginning with the fifteenth day of Abib or Nisan. This feast, like the Passover that preceded it, commemorated the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt, at which time they were in such great haste that they had to bake their bread before it was leavened.—Ex. 12:39; 23:14-17, AS.

Next came the feast of the harvest or first fruits, celebrated fifty days after the first sheaf of grain had been brought to the priest to be waved before Jehovah. And finally, there was the feast of ingathering or of tabernacles in the seventh month, at the conclusion of the harvest, and which was celebrated for seven days beginning with the fifth day after the day of atonement. Regarding that feast the Israelites were commanded: “Ye shall dwell in booths [made of branches] seven days; . . . that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.”—Lev. 23:39-43, AS.

The convening of yearly assemblies at Jerusalem undoubtedly taxed the housing facilities of that city and its suburbs to the limit, requiring many to use tents and other improvised shelters, except for the feast of tabernacles, when all were required to live in booths. The people saw the significant ceremonies, such as that of the day of atonement, performed by the priests, heard God’s Word read to them and listened to the singing of thousands of trained Levite singers accompanied by huge orchestras.

These annual assemblies impressed upon the minds of the Israelites the awesome majesty of Jehovah their God and of his laws as well as graphically reminding them of the marvelous deliverances he had performed for them in times past, all of which would cause them to rejoice with songs of praise and thanksgiving. Those assemblies, no doubt, also meant the making of many new acquaintances, and we may be sure that even the traveling to them had a broadening effect as they became more and more acquainted with other parts of their land of Palestine.

David called together a special assembly at Jerusalem after all the material needed for the building of the temple had been gathered, at which time he gave Solomon instructions regarding his office and the building of the temple and exhorted the people to faithfulness. To catch the spirit of that occasion read 1 Chronicles 29:10 to 19, AS.

About eleven years later Solomon caused another great assembly to be convened at Jerusalem, this one to mark the dedication of the glorious temple, at which ‘all the congregation of Israel was present with King Solomon and so many sacrifices were made that they could not be counted or numbered for multitude’. That assembly lasted more than three weeks, the people returning to their homes on the twenty-third day “joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that Jehovah had showed”.—2 Chron. 5:2 to 7:10, AS.

EARLY CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLIES

At the time of Jesus the Jews were scrupulously observing the feasts commanded by the law. And while in a sense it might be said that the public meetings held by Jesus at which thousands were in attendance, lasting for hours and making it necessary that Jesus provide them with food, were the first Christian assemblies, it was the feast of Pentecost that really was the first of all Christian assemblies.

The supernatural phenomenon accompanying the outpouring of the holy spirit, and which marked the beginning of the Christian congregation, might well be compared with the assembly held at Mount Sinai at the inauguration of the law covenant. “And they all became filled with holy spirit and started to speak with different tongues,” thus enabling them to preach to the many reverent Jews in Jerusalem at the time for the celebration of the feast of Pentecost from “every nation of those under heaven”.

That assembly of 120 Christians saw a twenty-fivefold increase on its very first day, for the number grew to three thousand. (Acts 1:15; 2:1-41, NW) No question about that’s being a joyful occasion! Truly, the theocratic assemblies of Bible times brought praise to Jehovah, knowledge and instruction to his people, and invariably gave them much cause for rejoicing. The same is true of theocratic assemblies held in modern times.

District Assemblies During 1952

THE expansion of true worship in the earth has been shown in the increase in the size of modern theocratic assemblies. Back in 1893, 360 were in attendance; in 1919, at the Cedar Point, Ohio, international assembly, some 7,000 heard the president of the Watch Tower Society, J. F. Rutherford, speak; while 123,707 heard the president of that Society, N. H. Knorr, give the public lecture at the Yankee Stadium, New York city, in 1950.

In 1952, instead of one international assembly, some 70 district assemblies were held during the months of August and September alone in upward of twenty different lands, with a combined peak attendance of 313,751 persons. Of these assemblies, 35 were held in the United States, 11 in Canada, 8 in Germany and 6 in England and Wales. The programs of these assemblies were identical.

Growing to maturity by making good use of Jehovah’s undeserved kindness was the theme of these assemblies. The outstanding feature was the public discourse “World Unity, Is It Just a Dream?”

ADVERTISING THE PUBLIC LECTURE

Every conceivable and possible means of advertising, ancient and modern, was used to invite the people to come to hear the public discourse Sunday afternoon. Among the ancient means used were those of going from house to house and standing on the streets, particularly on Friday and Saturday mornings, as well as by the witnesses’ making use of every contact with the public to give the invitation. By such methods millions of handbills also were distributed and much Bible literature was placed.

Signs were also extensively used. Many of the witnesses had one or more signs on their cars; bumper signs, signs on the sides and rear and some signs even attached to the tops of their cars. Motorcades toured the streets advertising the lecture. Large signs were put up along the highways, across streets, on the sides of buildings and on hotel marquees. Thousands of signs were placed in store windows. At Galveston, Texas, the request by one of the witnesses to be permitted to put a sign in a certain window resulted in a heated argument between two business partners, one a Jew, the other a Catholic; the Jew was in favor of having the sign placed in the window, the Catholic was opposed thereto. Thinking it futile to wait, the witness left them arguing and proceeded to the next store. However, before reaching it the Jewish businessman called, “Hey, you, come back here and put one of those signs in my window. We won!”

News releases were given to all the newspapers in each area, and very favorable response was given in many cities. In the Syracuse, New York, area some 70 different papers carried items regarding the assembly. Some welcomed the witnesses in their editorial columns, such as the Portland, Maine, Evening Express, and from which we quote: “A more earnest, more orderly gathering of men, women and children (whole families are attending this assembly) one could hardly hope to see. . . . The Witnesses are here on serious business and their assembly is attending strictly and devotedly to that business. And Portland is glad to have them.”

Nor was such fair and even favorable publicity limited to the press. Many radio stations gave good co-operation both by having ten- and fifteen-minute interviews and by spot announcements. In some cities television lent the final word to the modern means of advertising the assembly and particularly the public lecture. As a result of all these various means of advertising, the previously mentioned total of 313,751 persons attended the public lecture Sunday at the assembly points.

HOW JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES IMPRESSED OTHERS

Vainly the world tries by selfish pursuits, by self-indulgence, pleasure-seeking and excesses to find joy and happiness. On the other hand, Jehovah’s witnesses by engaging in the pure worship are seen to be the happiest and most joyful people under the sun. The world calls the Bible and its principles old-fashioned and impractical, but in spite of itself it has to gape in utter amazement as it sees Jehovah’s witnesses apply the principles of the Bible in this twentieth century and obtain results possible in no other way. And yet those of the world continue in their selfish course, overlooking entirely that generosity, love and unselfishness are just as contagious as are greed and selfishness, and far more powerful.—Luke 6:38.

A fire department official at Allentown, Pennsylvania, marveled at the way Jehovah’s witnesses not only succeed in interesting young people in their message but also get the young folks to share in the work at hand. The obvious unity between all races and the very good behavior of the children caused a Bridgeport, Connecticut, newspaper reporter to exclaim, “What you are doing is very practical indeed!” But the world continues too proud to imitate such practical Christianity.

At that same assembly a city official expressed wonderment: “You mean to tell me people are working like that for nothing?” Being assured that such was the case, he replied, “I just don’t get it! We pay people and can’t get them to work like that!” But that is just it: people working for selfish ends do not work that hard. This fact was clearly appreciated by a certain Philadelphia professional tent erector who supervised the erection of the tents for the Wilmington, Delaware, assembly. Commenting on the co-operation he received from Jehovah’s witnesses in the erection of these tents, he said: “You can tell that those men are volunteers. Men working for money just do not work that hard!”

Expressing the same sentiment was the comment of a Buffalo, New York, auditorium official, “You can’t get men to work like that if you paid them money. In my language, you fellows are tops!” And noticing such activity an official at Portland, Maine, moaned, “Why can’t I get men to work like that instead of griping all the time?” Yes, the world wonders why, yet it is all so simple. Love for one’s Creator, Jehovah God, and for one’s neighbor is the strongest force in the world. It accomplishes what no selfish inducement ever could. And yet they say the Bible is impractical!

And that such unselfishness is contagious, as already noted, was particularly apparent from the experiences had by those engaged in the work of obtaining rooms. Many people offered rooms freely, some turning their entire homes over to the witnesses. In more than one city upward of a hundred free rooms were obtained. At Rockford, Illinois, a householder, regretting that he would not be in town during the assembly, offered to pay the cost of two rooms for three days at a hotel. At Amarillo, Texas, another householder expressed regrets at not being able to accommodate any of the witnesses, and contributed five dollars to help provide hotel accommodations for one of the witnesses. In every city the response for rooms was better the second and third times than at the first time the householders were approached.

SOME OPPOSITION

However, not all were ready to cooperate with Jehovah’s witnesses. The American Legion at Rockford, Illinois, did its best, or worst, to keep the witnesses from using the armory, for which a contract had been signed. But state officials did the American thing by standing for freedom of worship, not being cowed by the un-American position of the Legion.

And the American Legion at Galveston, Texas, tried to prevent Jehovah’s witnesses not only from meeting at the city auditorium which had been contracted for, but also from meeting anywhere else in the city, charging that Jehovah’s witnesses were “opposed to the defense of our country and followed the direct teachings of Russian theology”, a charge which obviously revealed either ignorance or prejudice. However, their efforts not only proved to be futile but served to better advertise the assembly and the position of the witnesses on communism, etc.

At one of the district assembly public meetings held in Austria a bishop sent 30 students to disrupt the meeting. However, they were so impressed by what they heard they forgot why they came there and listened attentively to the lecture. Afterward they shame-facedly confessed why they had come and who had sent them!

Some in the United States also experienced a change in heart. A union official at Zanesville, Ohio, stated: “Before your assembly there was an ill-feeling toward Jehovah’s witnesses in this town, but your assembly has surely changed a lot of minds. I am one that changed his mind.” At another assembly, the official in charge, a World War II veteran, started out by doing all he could to make it difficult for the witnesses, and ended up by doing all he could to assist them.

Needless to say, no district assemblies were held behind the Iron Curtain and the Communists in East Germany did their best to keep Jehovah’s witnesses from attending any of these assemblies. But in spite of their opposition, of the some 9,000 witnesses that attended the Berlin district assembly fully half of them crossed over from the Eastern zone. Incidentally, at the Berlin public meeting 14,800 attended, exceeding even the best United States attendance, which was some 13,000 at Los Angeles.

And now Jehovah’s witnesses all over the world look forward to the great international convention to be held July 19 through 26 at the Yankee Stadium, New York city. They are not only looking forward to it but praying for it and making plans to attend it. Are you planning to be there? Those who attended the assembly there in 1950 do not need to be urged.

If you can possibly get there, in faith arrange to come. Remember that according to our faith it will be unto us, that the arm of Jehovah is not shortened, and that ‘positive thinkers and actors will be there’. “If Jehovah wills, we shall live” and be present.—Jas. 4:15, NW.

The Voice of Jehovah

“Worship Jehovah in holy array.”—Ps. 29:2, AS.

1. To what publishing are Jehovah’s witnesses dedicated, and so in what way do publishers of a new Bible version appear strange?

JEHOVAH’S witnesses are dedicated to the publishing of Jehovah’s name. His name is clearly indicated in the Hebrew Holy Scriptures by the tetragrammaton יהוה, for which the Latin characters are JHVH, or English YHWH. While the exact pronunciation of the four Hebrew characters for this name is not known, the name of the Sovereign Ruler of the universe as we have long known it is Jehovah in English. Jehovah’s witnesses want all peoples from one end of the earth to the other to become acquainted with that name and its meaning. The inhabitants of all nations should know the divine name in their own languages. But to the reasoning mind it is a strange thing that the religious leaders in Christendom should try to hide, even destroy, that name. This they have done in the recently released Revised Standard Version of the Bible, because the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America wants it removed and so takes the credit and the responsibility for removing the name Jehovah from their new revised English text.

2. How have they degraded God’s name, and yet why without the power to destroy it?

² One wondered how they would make Psalm 83:18 read, where the King James Version states: “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” This Christian educational committee of the National Council now holding the copyright for the Revised Standard Version says it should read, “whose name is the LORD.” However, that rendering of the Hebrew tetragrammaton does not give any distinction or sovereignty or supremacy to the highest Being in all the universe. “Lord” to the ordinary person of today has many meanings. Is this religious committee trying to make the Sovereign Ruler a common individual or less than that by not letting the people of the world know his real name? Or are they saying that he has no real name? Why hide it? Why let the people think that God Almighty is just another master, ruler or nobleman, by letting the tetragrammaton read as a title, “the LORD,” instead of giving him his actual name? Why this degrading of God’s name by the removal of it? When God spoke to Moses, he said: “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Jehovah I was not known to them.” (Ex. 6:3, AS) The Revised Standard Version now reads: “but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.” However, this committee, by a wide circulation of its Revised Standard Version, cannot destroy the name of the only true God of the universe, Jehovah. Why? Because Jehovah’s witnesses are still alive, and they will be busier and more energetic than ever announcing and making known Jehovah’s name to all kindreds and tongues in all nations of the earth.

3. What will the “voice of Jehovah” now do, and for making what decision is it now the time?

³ These religionists of modern days may do what they will with God’s name, Jehovah, but the Great Ruler will see to it that his people proclaim his name and make it known. “The voice of Jehovah” will do this. Nothing, not even Christendom’s religionists, will stop Almighty God from making his name known throughout all the earth, for he himself says: “I will deliver my people out of your hand; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.” (Ezek. 13:23, AS) Jehovah knows that the clergy of Christendom are serving this old system of things, which he himself is going to destroy at the battle of Armageddon. They are certainly not serving him. That is why Jehovah’s Word says to those that love him: “Get out of her, my people.” (Rev. 18:4, NW) The time has come for all persons to make a decision as to whose side they are going to be on, Jehovah’s, or that of those who are against Jehovah.

4, 5. What “sons” does Psalm 29:1 mention, and who could they be? Why?

⁴ Let us listen to what Jehovah himself has to say through his writer, David, when he wrote the 29th Psalm 29. The opening verses of this very descriptive psalm say: “Ascribe unto Jehovah, O ye sons of the mighty, ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength. Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name; worship Jehovah in holy array.” (Ps. 29:1, 2, AS) From this description it appears a time has arrived for celebration, a time for a joyous occasion.

⁵ In considering these two Ps 29 verses 1, 2 we might wonder, Just who are these “sons of the mighty”? It could be those who hold very high positions in the theocratic organization of Jehovah God, maybe the powerful servants that Jehovah has appointed to special work. On the other hand, it could mean “sons of God”, as is pointed out in the footnote of the American Standard Version. If that be so, then “sons of God” could take in all the angels of the heavens that are invisible to man but form Jehovah’s universal organization. In the book of Job it is stated: “Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them.” (Job 1:6, AS) On festive occasions such as this what singing and praise must have been given to the name of the Most High God, Jehovah! It must have been a beautiful, majestic spectacle to behold! Even the rebellious Satan came to look in on this magnificent assembly and to hear the songs the faithful servants must have been singing. On this particular occasion, Jehovah said to Satan, “Whence comest thou?” or “Where did you come from?” to which Satan answered, saying he had been going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in it. (Job 1:7) What was on the earth was the Devil’s world. He had corrupted it. He had not come to this assembly before the mighty ones of Jehovah to praise the Sovereign Ruler. He was just an observer of the splendor and majesty that surround the Creator of heaven and earth.

6. How does Psalm 89:5-7 show Jehovah’s superiority?

⁶ The psalmist expressed beautifully Jehovah’s superiority over these powerful ones, saying in Psalm 89:5-7 (AS): “And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Jehovah; thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies can be compared unto Jehovah? Who among the sons of the mighty is like unto Jehovah, a God very terrible in the council of the holy ones, and to be feared above all them that are round about him?”

“SONS OF THE GODS”

7. What other possible rendering or Psalm 29:1 does the AS footnote show, and who, then, would those sons be?

⁷ There is still another possible rendering of Psalm 29:1, according to a second footnote in the American Standard Version. The Hebrew text could read, “Ascribe unto Jehovah, O ye sons of the gods.” This then would refer to the sons of the nations who have forgotten the first man’s true parentage, the Creator, Jehovah God. Men of all nations have arranged themselves under the imaginary protection of deified heroes. Of course, to help their imaginations, they have made great idols of silver and stone and gold and wood. In this way the peoples of the world have invented and made their own gods. These they have worshiped for centuries; but what has this worship gotten them? The many religions in the world have often been the cause of wars, strifes, hatreds between peoples and nations, class distinction, isolationism. Jesus said to false religionists “You are from your father the Devil.” (John 8:44, NW) The sons of the gods they worship are still carrying on the false religion which began in early mythology, and their doctrines, ideas and philosophies of life have been carried right down to our day. The Sovereign Ruler Jehovah calls on all these sons of the many gods now to ascribe to Jehovah the glory that is due, to ascribe strength to him. Nimrod of centuries past placed himself above God. He wanted to be a mighty one ahead of Jehovah. Where are his strength and glory today? Let the followers of Nimrod and the followers of the many pagan gods, practices and beliefs all forsake their gods and their false religion if they want to live, and give glory to Jehovah, not to some man or image. But the religionists with their many gods will not recognize Jehovah; rather, “modernists” try to hide him.

8. How have the RS translators rendered Psalm 29:2 vaguely, and upon whom does this verse call and to do what?

⁸ Today we have throughout the world many kinds of religions with their many different gods. Even Christendom wants to have many gods and lords, and she wants the sons of these many gods to be satisfied with the latest product of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, their new Revised Standard Version Bible. So they remove the name Jehovah and make it “the LORD”. But their new version or their revision of their old version makes the translators look vague when we read Psalm 29:2 (RS): “Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name.” Hence we ask the Committee, What is his name? Is it the LORD? No! At Psalm 83:18, according to the book entitled “Studies in The Psalms”, by J. B. Rotherham, a very accurate translation is: “That men may know that thou, whose name is Jehovah, thou alone art most high over all the earth.” While Christendom goes on its wayward course, the faithful followers of the Almighty will hearken to the voice of Jehovah, and they will make his message and his name known to the nations. If we allow as possible this third rendering of the text inviting the “sons of the gods” to praise Jehovah, it means that all creation should tremble before him, not only the creatures of the invisible heavens, but all humankind. The writer of the 96th Psalm expresses this thought in Ps 96 verses 7 to 9, where it is stated: “Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. Oh worship Jehovah in holy array: tremble before him, all the earth.” (AS) Here the appeal is to all earthlings to worship Jehovah, and the expression is very similar to that at Psalm 29:1, 2.

9. Who are listening to the praisers of God’s name, and how is their turning and worshiping him foretold?

⁹ While the majority of the peoples of the nations of earth turn a deaf ear to this call, there are many of the other sheep who are listening to the group of praisers in the earth who love to call their God by his name Jehovah, and these sheep are coming to them and joining them in this song of praise. If Jesus said he had “other sheep”, which he must also bring to associate with the “little flock” who are being called out as joint heirs with him in heavenly glory, then these he must bring and make one flock, and Christ Jesus will be their “one shepherd”. (John 10:16) Those whose hearts are right will find Jehovah and know him because of Jesus the Shepherd, and they will be guided to Jehovah’s organization, just as the psalmist pointed out in the 22d Psalm 22, verses 26 and 27: “The meek shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise Jehovah that seek after him: let your heart live for ever. All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto Jehovah; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.” (AS) This is in full accord with the expression in Revelation where the thought is brought out that a great crowd shall come from all nations, kindreds and tongues. They will worship before Jehovah, because they know that glory is due to his name. (Rev. 7:9, NW) Jesus their Shepherd acknowledged that there is one living and true God; not many gods, not many lords. And this unique God, the Sovereign Ruler of the universe, has been distinguished from all the false gods by having a name which is worthy of praise on the part of all creatures in heaven and on earth.

10. Why does this crowd or other sheep do this?

¹⁰ Jehovah’s witnesses are not going to be mixed up with a lot of other gods. Now that we are in the last days of the Devil’s organization, the other sheep are seeing the confusion of the worship among the peoples of the nations and they are fleeing from this confusion. Already hundreds of thousands know what Jehovah’s name stands for. They know that Jehovah is revealing his purposes toward his creatures. They know that Jehovah has fulfilled his promises, and they have confidence in him. They have turned to his Word and have found it to be reliable. And who is the one who has done all this for the lovers of right things and truth? Jehovah—that is his name, and they worship him.

11, 12. How and why should Israel have worshiped Jehovah in holy array, and how did they fail to do this?

¹¹ The expression in Psalm 29:2 (AS), “Worship Jehovah in holy array,” takes in so much. It is hard to comprehend the magnificent spectacle that takes place in the heavens and upon the earth when this Psalm comes into complete fulfillment. When Jehovah God had called out the children of Israel as a special people, he had his priests array themselves in holy garments. Aaron’s garments are described at Exodus chapter 28 and they were most beautiful. His garments distinguished him from all the other priests. When he appeared before Jehovah God he was on certain occasions in his robes of glory and beauty. In days gone by when Jehovah’s people were marching through the wilderness, he had them array themselves in proper positions. All this was done according to his direction. It was organization. Each tribe was happy to take its right position. It was not that one tribe was trying to be the first in position. It was that God had placed them by his own direction. Jehovah was their God and he guided them. He led them through the wilderness and eventually into the Promised Land. They should have worshiped him in holy array. So when they went to the worship of other gods, then Jehovah showed his displeasure.

¹² Time and time again the children of Israel went to the worship of false gods, even after Jehovah had provided them with food, with clothing that did not wear out, with shoes that did not get full of holes from walking. Even though they were well acquainted with God’s deliverance of them from Egypt and his power demonstrated in the destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptians who followed after him, still they forsook Jehovah and went to the worshiping of other gods. These gods were not able to do anything for the Israelites, no more than they were able to do anything for the nations that worshiped them. The prophet Jeremiah put it very forcefully and plainly when he said in his Jer second chapter, verses 26-28 (AS): “As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets; who say to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? Let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.”

13. How has it been similar with the worldly nations today, and that with what end near at hand?

¹³ As it was with the children of Israel, it is with the nations of the world today. Where are the powers of the gods of the nations? Where do they bring blessings to the people? The nations of the earth have marched forth with their armies, they have fought their murderous battles, they have taken possession of new countries, their priests and clergymen have blessed them in their actions, but where is the blessing? The priests that blessed the losing nations have become captives with the losers. The religious leaders who have blessed the victorious nations have not brought peace and prosperity to the winners. Why do not the peoples of the world turn from these religious leaders? Some few do, but the majority of the peoples of this earth are following their blind religious guides and when the guides fall into the pit so will the peoples of the nations. (Matt. 15:14, NW) The falling into the pit of all such peoples of the wicked governments along with their rulers is not far distant. The battle of Armageddon is not too far away, when Jehovah God in holy array will strike against all these nations and destroy them utterly.

14. How has Jehovah spoken for centuries, but how will he speak shortly?

¹⁴ The 29th Psalm 29 gives us a beautiful description of the power of God and how he can destroy the nations, and what an easy matter it will be for him to bring low the great power of the organized governments of the world. Jehovah God, through his kindness and mercy, has spoken through his Word and through his people for centuries. Today he has massed together hundreds of thousands of his witnesses for making proclamation of his name to the ends of the earth. They listen to his voice through his Word. But in a short while the voice of Jehovah will speak in an altogether different manner. He will speak from the heavens in thunderous tones.

LIKE THUNDER

15. To what did Jehovah’s voice get likened, and what example of this did Israel have at Sinai?

¹⁵ The 29th Psalm 29 shows that the thunder of the heavens is like the voice of God. The terrible phenomena of the storm in the heavens are an expression of God’s majesty, his eternalness, his sovereignty and his unshakableness. When Jehovah speaks with his voice of authority from heaven, then all the nations of earth will tremble and shake and pass out of existence. Now the time has come for those of sheeplike disposition to heed the voice of God as spoken in his Word before his voice will speak from the heavens at Armageddon. Jehovah’s expressions are powerful. When he gave the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai, it presented an awesome spectacle. He had just effected a great deliverance of his people. Probably over two million of them, men, women and children, had been brought out of Egypt now into the wilderness. He was going to lead them on to the Promised Land. They were his chosen ones; they were his theocratic organization. And he showed them his power from the heavens. “And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled.” (Ex. 19:16, AS) And then, in the 18th Ex 19 verse 18, we read: “And Mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.”—See also Exodus 20:18.

16. Why do his witnesses beware when Jehovah speaks?

¹⁶ The great God of heaven is not a soft-spoken individual. He is a God of indignation, a God who will express his wrath against those who do not serve him and who are fighting against him. He is not a god who can be pushed around by those whom he has created. “Behold, the name of Jehovah cometh from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire.” (Isa. 30:27, AS) The God that Jehovah’s witnesses worship is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe and he has shown forth his magnificence and his wonderfulness as the only rightful ruler of the universe. His people are acquainted with his creation, they are acquainted with his Word, they are acquainted with his mighty acts in times past, and they have faith in what he is going to do in the near future. They can say with the psalmist, “Bless Jehovah, O my soul. O Jehovah my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honor and majesty: who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain; who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; who maketh the clouds his chariot; who walketh upon the wings of the wind; who maketh winds his messengers; flames of fire his ministers; who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved for ever.” (Ps. 104:1-5, AS) So his witnesses beware when Jehovah speaks.

17. What is it that those who have now come to know him want to do?

¹⁷ Those who have now come to know the true God of the universe and his name Jehovah are delighted to honor his name. They want to do something; they want to express to others their knowledge of Jehovah. That is why you will find Jehovah’s witnesses so active. And they say: “I will sing unto Jehovah as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.” (Ps. 104:33, AS) They are anxious to join in the worship of Jehovah in holy array. They recognize that there is an organization that has been formed in the earth, Jehovah’s visible organization.

18. What has Jehovah built up on earth, and so where is our safety?

¹⁸ Just as Jehovah has an invisible organization of principalities and powers, of cherubim, seraphim and angels, all in their proper station in his organization, so upon the earth Jehovah God has built up a great organization. God’s servants in the earth speak one language, the language that Jehovah God teaches in his Word. At the same time they are able to speak these truths from God’s Word in many tongues throughout the earth. God has not gathered his people together into one city or locality or one earthly place of safety and refuge. Through their Leader, Christ Jesus, they are sent forth to the ends of the earth, there to preach the good news of God’s kingdom. But as long as they are in his organization speaking the many tongues of the peoples, they are still sending forth the pure language of God’s Word. It is not a matter of geographic location that brings protection. It is a matter of being faithful to Jehovah God and close to him in his organization, worshiping him in holy array when Jehovah strikes at Armageddon. There must be unity among God’s people; no matter where we find them in the earth, they must see in harmony now that Jehovah has brought forth his organization Zion. Even as the children of Israel were organized in their day for marching from one place to another, and had their respective positions in the camp in the wilderness, so it is today.

19. What groupings are there in this visible organization, and how does it spread into new territories?

¹⁹ We find Jehovah’s people organized in small units where they carry on Bible studies, in larger units where they carry on company organization, and in still larger arrangements where they have their circuit assemblies. Then many circuits are gathered together into district organizations, and all of these districts in certain localities come under the direction of a branch organization. These branch organizations are scattered throughout the world, but they still come under the direction of the home office. All receive the same organizational instructions through the Watchtower magazine. They know how to act, what to say and to do, how to comfort the poor and the meek, how to release the prisoners, how to bring them forth from the Devil’s organization into God’s organization, how to help these take their stand in the midst of God’s people and worship Jehovah in holy array. There are many full-time ministers associated with these company organizations, and they devote their full time to preaching the good news, singing praises continually before the throne of God. Some of these have been trained in the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead and have been sent off into other lands as missionaries. Sometimes they are alone there for a while until they have found the other sheep, and then these assemble with them in a small group for Bible study and eventually a company is started. Then in that part of the earth another segment of Jehovah’s organization grows.

20. What is our common interest, and what do we call on all people now to do?

²⁰ Everyone has his position in God’s organization and all work together in joy and gladness. Whether they be a district servant, a circuit servant, a company servant, a worker in a home or branch office, a pioneer, a missionary or a company publisher, the only thing they all are interested in is to worship Jehovah their God. Their worship is pleasing to the Most High. They know Jehovah has a great work to be done before he strikes in the battle of Armageddon. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it is now. The warning must be given to the people. Jehovah does not destroy the nations without giving them due information as to what is going to happen. Jehovah’s witnesses know what is going to happen, so they are giving forth the message of doom and at the same time a message of comfort. Jehovah’s kingdom must be announced. When he says that the nations of the earth will be crushed and will be as the dust in the balance of a scale, that is exactly what he means. This is not the time to lull people to sleep, saying that everything is going to work out all right and that peace and prosperity can be brought about by efforts of men of the nations. Jehovah God has declared in no uncertain terms that all must worship him in holy array, and those who do not come forth to worship him he will then shake and destroy.

Hearkening to His Voice

1. What must be ascribed to Jehovah, and why this?

IN Psalm 29:3-9, Jehovah shows how thunderings and lightnings will come forth from the heavens and even the great cedars of Lebanon will be broken like matchsticks. The mountains in the wilderness will shake. In like manner will the nations of earth be shaken by the Sovereign Ruler of the universe, because they will not worship Jehovah God. All the false gods of this world must be destroyed. There is no place for them. When Psalm 29:1 (AS) said, “Ascribe unto Jehovah,” it meant we must give, we must attribute, the right things to Jehovah God. Is it not Jehovah who gave us life? Was he not the Creator of man and all the things in the earth? What else could we give to Jehovah except our praise? We should be grateful. We should show our gratefulness. So worship him, and not false gods.

2. What did Moses, in song, ascribe to Jehovah, and when?

² It is by what we do and say that we can show Jehovah God that we recognize his great power and supremacy, his strength and his glory. When Jehovah God gave Moses the victory when coming through the Red sea and let him see the destruction of Pharaoh and his armies, Moses sang a song to Jehovah. Forty years later Moses sang another song with these opening words: “Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain; my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of Jehovah: Ascribe ye greatness unto our God.”—Deut. 32:1-3, AS.

3. Who today follow Moses’ course in this song, and who not?

³ Today Jehovah’s witnesses proclaim the name of Jehovah, and they ascribe greatness to their God. They appreciate the bounties that fall from God’s throne and the blessings that come down from heaven. They are grateful for an understanding of Jehovah’s teachings and for his instructions as to how we are to live today in a new world society. Oh, there are many who have received the blessings of God who do not give glory to God for the blessings they have received. That was true with the Israelites who turned away from God after having come through the Red sea and after having traveled through the wilderness. They became disgruntled. The song that Moses taught them faded in their minds because they failed to continue in the worship of the Most High. They did not stay close to those who were worshiping Jehovah in holy array, but they isolated themselves and turned away to heathen gods.

4. What miraculous cure by Jesus does this cause us to remember?

⁴ You remember the ten cleansed lepers. Jesus was passing through upper Palestine at the time. There were ten lepers there and Jesus cleansed them all. After he had done that he said: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” The reason for doing this was so that they could give praise to Jehovah God in the place of worship. They were to offer their sacrifices of praise to God through the priests, which was according to the arrangement of Jehovah. But was it not strange that only one of them, when he saw that he was healed and was overjoyed about the whole matter, came back to Christ Jesus to glorify God with a loud voice? He sought the feet of Jesus, and it was a Samaritan that gave thanks for the blessings that had fallen upon him. Jesus said to this one: “The ten were cleansed, were they not? Where, then, are the other nine? Were none found that turned back to give glory to God but this man of another nation?”—Luke 17:17, 18, NW.

5. How are many today like the nine cleansed ones who went their way, and how are some like the Samaritan?

⁵ There are many today who hear the message of Jehovah, there are many who then have dedicated themselves to God, but for just a short period. Yes, they were healed, but where is their giving “glory to God”? They associate themselves for a few weeks, a few months or maybe a few years with Jehovah’s witnesses, but they do not show lasting gratitude to Jehovah God for being cleansed. They are not worshiping Jehovah. They do not sing praises. They do not go out to the houses of the people, from door to door, and preach to the people the good news they have learned. They do not conduct Bible studies. They do not make back-calls on those who want to hear. They do not even study God’s Word thoroughly. They do not want to worship Jehovah in holy array. They merely associate for a while and then drift away. Like the nine cleansed lepers that came near Jesus and partook of his blessing for a while, they never give glory to Jehovah for his blessing. Today, with all the preaching of Jehovah’s witnesses, there are not very many who turn completely aside from this old world and start worshiping Jehovah with his great organization. The responsibility to do so is theirs, because they have knowledge and understanding. Gratitude is a wonderful thing to have, and those who study God’s Word and worship Jehovah in holy array along with his entire organization happily express to their God in heaven the gratitude they have for having received the truth and for being able to see that God’s kingdom has now been born, that the Kingdom is established and is here, that shortly Christ Jesus in Kingdom power will show forth his strength against the nations of earth, and that he will crush them along with Satan the Devil and all his demon organization.

6. What does it take to pull away from this world, and how is this quality exercised regularly toward becoming mature?

⁶ To pull away from this gaudy tinseled world takes faith on the part of an individual. This faith, though, comes only by a careful study of God’s Word. That is why it is so important for God’s servants in the earth, his slaves, to continually go to Bible studies and meet with their brothers. They must have faith as Abraham had faith. They must appreciate that God’s power can operate on us through his holy Word and make us better servants. One must appreciate that when he comes into the truth he is just a novice. One can grow up. He does not have to be a baby all his life. One can gain more knowledge and understanding of Jehovah’s Word. He can conduct Bible studies if he has the faith in Jehovah God to take a Bible study. He can comment at a Watchtower study if he has faith in Jehovah God that he knows something about his Word. He can come to the meetings of God’s people and there constantly take in knowledge. He can associate himself with the theocratic ministry school of Jehovah’s witnesses and take his part in the speaking program. Eventually, through faith and study and putting forth an earnest effort, one can become a public speaker for Jehovah’s organization. But it takes faith, and you know faith without any effort or works is dead. Make your faith live. Give glory to God like the grateful one, not the nine ungrateful.

7. Whose faith is held up as an example, and in what will the failure or the effort to exercise it result?

⁷ Too many think, “I can’t do it. That work was not for me.” But everyone who comes under God’s organization must eventually become a good minister, a good preacher. That is part of his training in carrying on true worship in holy array. Why, look at Abraham’s faith. He was an old man when God told him Sarah would bring forth the seed of promise, a son from the freewoman. Paul tells us that there was deadness in the womb of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. “But because of the promise of God he did not waver in a lack of faith, but became powerful by his faith, giving God glory and being fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do. Hence ‘it was counted to him as righteousness’.” (Rom. 4:20-22, NW) Do you have such faith that what appears to be impossible you can do by Jehovah’s help? The help is there. Use it. Make it work for you in all the meetings you attend. Do you believe you could not be a minister? You could not proclaim the good news for Jehovah God? If so, then you lack faith and you will not be a minister. You will not even try. But if you have faith and believe in Jehovah’s power and you put forth every effort to study, and you come to the study meetings and take in knowledge and learn the truth from God’s Word so as to worship him with all his people, then you will worship Jehovah in his great organization, in holy array. You can bring glory to God.

THE TIME TO LISTEN

8. Against whom will Jehovah’s voice be expressed, as stated at Psalm 29:3, but what will be their reaction?

⁸ Jehovah’s name will be made known, not only to his servants today, but to all the nations of the earth by proclamation of it by his witnesses. But even a greater witness will be made, for he will reveal himself by performing wonderful acts. The psalmist in the 29th Psalm 29 describes a storm, a terrible and mighty storm. It is the power of nature in all its fury, but behind that power stands Jehovah God controlling it at Armageddon to his honor. Ps 29 Verse three says: “The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth, even Jehovah upon many waters.” (AS) Jehovah’s voice is heard in thunder, and at the battle of Armageddon they will know who is striking against the nations of the earth, even as Jehovah struck against Pharaoh in Egypt. In Exodus the ninth chapter, the 23rd verse, it says: “And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and Jehovah sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and Jehovah rained hail upon the land of Egypt.” (AS) Jehovah’s voice was heard and felt in his expression of wrath upon man and beast and field. However, in the land of Goshen, where Jehovah’s chosen people were, there was no hail nor storm. This plague, along with all the other plagues that were brought against Pharaoh, only hardened his heart. He would not recognize Jehovah’s name, his glory, his power; he would not hearken to the voice of Jehovah. When the battle of Armageddon strikes, the nations of the earth will not hearken either to the voice of Jehovah. Now they can hear it through his faithful witnesses, but then it will be too late. There will not be a last-minute confession on their part that they were wrong and then all running to Jehovah’s side. No, they will harden their hearts as they always had done at hearing Jehovah’s voice.

9. Why is now the time to listen to Jehovah’s voice, and how can one do it?

⁹ Now is the time for the people to listen to the voice of Jehovah. Now is the time for them to study his Word and listen to Jehovah’s servants, his witnesses in the earth who are proclaiming the message of the Kingdom. Now is the time to study and find out. At Armageddon time it will be too late. Why keep hardening your heart now? Why keep pushing Jehovah farther away from you? Why not listen to his voice and hear what he has to say? Those who do listen to the voice of Jehovah now will worship him in holy array. The psalmist was under inspiration when he wrote, “The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters.” He was writing this about the storm out of which Jehovah God would manifest himself. Certainly Jehovah will show forth his power out of the heavens in the battle of his great day. Why wait until then to listen to the voice?—Jer. 10:12, 13; Ps. 24:7.

10. How do people now fail to hearken to God’s voice, and with what consequences to them?

¹⁰ In Psalm 29:4 (AS) David says: “The voice of Jehovah is powerful; the voice of Jehovah is full of majesty.” It is true that very few people in the world today believe the voice of God. They do not hearken to his Word. However, Jehovah God has proved his Word by the things he has done. People in the world despise the Word of God, and those who do are going to take the consequences, just as it is expressed at Numbers 15:31 (AS): “Because he hath despised the word of Jehovah, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.”

11. Can we be choosy about what part of God’s word we want to believe? And what does God require of his sons today?

¹¹ Those who have come to know the Word of God certainly should be obedient to it, because God’s Word means life to those who hearken to it. God does not ask us to just pick out that part of the Bible we want to live by and forget the rest of it. So many of the religious leaders of today are choosy as to what they want to believe, and often when Jehovah’s witnesses discuss matters with clergymen and members of their flock and quote Scripture, they say: “We don’t believe that.” Jehovah is not asking us which part of the Bible we want to believe and which part we do not want to believe. He is giving us his commandments. He expresses the matter very plainly in his own Word: “All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers.” (Deut. 8:1, AS) Jesus as the Son of God was willing to accept the whole Word of God, that which was given in the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms. He lived by them, and he received eternal life. In fact, it was only three days after he was killed upon the torture stake that his Father in heaven raised him from the dead and gave him the glory which he had before, even greater, for he had him sit down at his right hand until he would make his enemies his footstool. Jehovah God requires of his sons today faithfulness, the same as he required of his Son Christ Jesus. Moses had it clearly in mind when he said: “For Jehovah your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the terrible, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. He doth execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loveth the sojourner, in giving him food and raiment.”—Deut. 10:17, 18, AS.

12. For how long must we worship God? and how did faithless Israelites illustrate it to be disastrous to disregard God’s voice?

¹² A person cannot be a servant of the Most High God and carry on worship just for a little while and then expect to go his own way and still expect to get eternal life. It is necessary, therefore, that “thou shalt love Jehovah thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances, and his commandments, alway”. (Deut. 11:1, AS) What God says is what counts. It is the voice of Jehovah that we should give heed to. It is not for us to run ahead of Jehovah and decide things ourselves and say: “We are going to do them this or that way; God is wrong.” It is better for us to take the counsel of God and listen to his voice. (Deut. 1:41-46) The faithless Israelites on one occasion were told by him not to go out and fight the enemy, but they thought better of it. No, they were going to go up into the mountains and fight those who were opposed to them. And what happened? They were defeated, they were whipped, they were scattered. Jehovah had told them not to go up into the mountain and fight those people. Jehovah said to Moses: “Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.” (Deut. 1:42, AS) They were very presumptuous, and they went up into the hill country against the commandment of God. They rebelled against Jehovah’s voice and hence were smitten.

13. Why should none be disrespectful and haughty toward God’s Word?

¹³ We should always remember that Jehovah’s Word has authority behind it. Jehovah’s Word is right, it is powerful. Believe it. No one should show disrespect for what God has set forth in his Word. It is his voice. He is the most majestic one in all the universe. He is the most authoritative one. No greater knowledge or wisdom is to be found in anyone. He is the Almighty, the Most High; he should have our respect. Those who are proud and haughty will certainly be brought low in the battle of Armageddon, when his voice is heard in the storm in the heavens. The prophet Isaiah said concerning the humbling of the haughtiness of man: “For there shall be a day of Jehovah of hosts upon all that is proud and haughty, and upon all that is lifted up; and it shall be brought low: and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan.”—Isa. 2:12, 13, AS.

14. What does Psalm 29:5, 6 indicate will happen to the symbolic cedars of Lebanon and the mountain itself?

¹⁴ When that battle of Armageddon strikes men will certainly appear small and puny, even though some may be likened to the great cedars of Lebanon. These mighty trees were there in the high mountains to the north of Israel. Even these mighty trees, great in size and which have stood for centuries, Jehovah will bring low. Psalm 29:5 (AS) said: “The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars; yea, Jehovah breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.” When he breaks them and uproots them they will skip along the snow-covered sides of Mount Lebanon like young calves jumping about. The Ps 29 sixth verse tells us: “He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild-ox.” A small gamboling calf can certainly jump around and be playful. It twists and turns every way. Now, can you imagine a tremendous cedar tree bouncing and jumping around on the side of a mountain? Not one, but all the cedars of Lebanon will be brought low due to a mighty act of Jehovah God. Not only will the trees be moved, but the earth will literally shake. The voice of Jehovah says these things will happen. “The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs.” (Ps. 114:4, AS) “Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was wroth.” (Ps. 18:7, AS) When Jehovah shows his anger against the nations of earth they certainly will know it. It is not going to be a small thing.

15. How does Psalm 29:7, 8 show over what extent Jehovah will carry the destruction? So what is it now time to do?

¹⁵ “The voice of Jehovah cleaveth the flames of fire. The voice of Jehovah shaketh the wilderness; Jehovah shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.” (Ps. 29:7, 8, AS) This is a poetic expression and describes the lightning darting from the clouds. Surely, too, there will be great earthquakes during the battle of Armageddon, even as there are today, only much worse. Now is the time to make the announcement of these things. Now is the time to give the warning of the impending destruction that is coming upon the world of mankind. Now is the time to tell the people of the coming storm, not when it arrives or after it is over. Psalm 29 shows that the storm does not center itself only around the mountains to the north of Palestine, but it sweeps the whole land from one end to the other, even down to Kadesh in the southern extremity in the wilderness. It shows that Jehovah God will sweep through the whole earth and not one nation will be safe.

PROTECTION DURING THE STORM

16. Amid the storm where is protection, and what do those under it say?

¹⁶ The only ones to come under his protection will be those who have hearkened to the voice of Jehovah. So he says in Ps 29 verse nine (AS): “The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to calve, and strippeth the forests bare: and in his temple everything saith, Glory.” This will be such a fearful time that even the animals in the fields carrying calves will bring them forth in premature birth. This storm will be so fierce that even the trees will be stripped of their branches and leaves, even their bark. And while all this storm is going on, this display of Jehovah’s anger against the nations, this display of his power, this voice of Jehovah speaking to the nations in the battle of Armageddon, he says: “And in his temple everything saith, Glory.” Yes, all who understand God and who have come to know him through his Son will say, “Glory,” for the glory belongs to Jehovah. They will worship him in holy array. All creatures in heaven and in earth who have come to worship him will be glad in this day and will rejoice, for it means the vindication of Jehovah’s name and Word. It means the complete destruction of all wickedness and the Devil’s organization.

17. How did Jehovah sit as King at the Flood?

¹⁷ This beautiful description of majestic power in the heavens and upon the earth is now brought to a conclusion in the tenth, and eleventh verses 10, 11 of Psalm 29. It says: “Jehovah sat as King at the Flood; yea, Jehovah sitteth as King for ever. Jehovah will give strength unto his people; Jehovah will bless his people with peace.” (AS) There is certainly no question in the mind of Jehovah’s witnesses that Jehovah was King at the Flood. Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, and it must have been a wonderful array of animals marching into the ark under the direction of these eight persons. And the door of the ark was shut, and then the flood came. Jehovah sat as King at the flood. He had everything under absolute control. When he opened the heavens and the waters poured down on the earth, when the flood came in from all sides, Jehovah was in absolute control, destroying the enemy, bringing to nought all those false gods and their sons, the worshipers of the gods; and there, riding upon the waters, was Noah, his family and all that God desired to have preserved through the flood. He was absolute Ruler; he was King.

18. How will it be likewise at Armageddon, and where will refuge be?

¹⁸ So will it be in the battle of Armageddon. He will have full control, directing his Son as to what to do in destroying the Devil and his organization and preserving his own people. Certainly Jehovah’s witnesses can have full confidence in the Sovereign Ruler, Jehovah. Even while this fearful condition exists in the earth, even while terror is thrown into the hearts of the enemy, his servants will have refuge. The words of the psalmist will come to mind: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, and though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains tremble with the swelling thereof.”—Ps. 46:1-3, AS.

19. For how long is Jehovah King, and why do we not fear coming trouble?

¹⁹ It was not only during the Flood that Jehovah was King. He has sat as King and Ruler forever, even from the time that Adam disobeyed God in the garden of Eden. He just allowed Satan and his organization to remain after Satan reestablished it some time following the flood, so that God might show forth his power. He showed his power greatly at the time of the flood. He is going to show forth his power again in the battle of Armageddon. So Jehovah will sit as King then and forever, even throughout all eternity. Jehovah’s witnesses will not be in terror at the things that are going to happen, nor are they fearful of the things that are happening now in the persecution that is brought against them in many lands, because they know that “Jehovah of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge”. (Ps. 46:11, AS) They are fully confident that the end of all this trouble will bring peace, prosperity and blessings in a new world.

20. Why do we look forward to this great battle, and why are we willing to wait till it breaks out?

²⁰ God’s people in the world today meet up with much opposition. They have to work hard to preach this good news of the Kingdom and to make known Jehovah’s name while they are afflicted and persecuted; but they count it all joy. This hatred on the part of the nations is not going to discourage them. They are looking forward to the great battle, this time of trouble, for it means peace to them afterward. They do not look forward to it with an overanxious spirit. They are patient. They are willing to wait until the storm breaks, for they know that between now and the time of that final battle a great work must be accomplished. It is the great work of preaching this good news of God’s kingdom in all the world for a witness, and while they are doing it they are going to worship Jehovah in holy array.

21. Despite what do we continue to preach, and how under circumstances like those of Jehoshaphat’s day?

²¹ So now they have a big work on their hands, and they know the religionists of all lands are against them in getting their work done. They know that the rulers of all nations are against their message. The Communists refuse to let Jehovah’s witnesses preach concerning Jehovah God’s kingdom, for the Communists believe there is but one form of government that should exist on this earth and that is the communistic form. Why then allow anyone to speak of God’s kingdom and its rule of peace? Communistic opposition or anybody else’s opposition does not dishearten Jehovah’s witnesses. They continue to preach despite all the persecution. They are just like Jehoshaphat and his subjects in his day: “They rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in Jehovah your God, so shall ye be established: believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them that should sing unto Jehovah, and give praise in holy array, as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto Jehovah; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever.” (2 Chron. 20:20, 21, AS) His people did not slack the hand then, nor will they now, in singing praises to the Most High. They have the grand privilege of preaching the good news to the poor and bringing forth those who are prisoners of the god of this world. Satan is his name.

22. How do we offer ourselves in Jehovah’s service, and what yeartext do we carry out?

²² The time is here for preaching and comforting the peoples of the world and telling them of the God of the new world. Jehovah is his name. God’s servants are offering themselves in his service willingly. They are joyful in going forth. They are mindful of Psalm 110:3 (AS): “Thy people offer themselves willingly in the day of thy power, in holy array.” With real joy and gladness Jehovah’s witnesses go forward in their work today in unity with one another and as one man to sing the praises of the Most High. What joy is theirs because they listen to the voice of Jehovah! So, in the words of the text which Jehovah’s witnesses have chosen for their 1953 calendar, they will “worship Jehovah in holy array”.—Ps. 29:2, AS.

“Few Read the Bible”

Under that heading a New York newspaper reported the statement of Dr. Robert J. McCracken of New York’s Riverside Church that “the Bible-reading habit is passing away”. “Too much should not be made of the fact that the Bible is the world’s best seller,” he said. Also, “All the evidence goes to show that in a disconcertingly large number of homes it is consulted as rarely as the collected works of Shakespeare or the volumes of the classics presented as dividends to members of book clubs. It serves more as an ornament than as an instrument. Brides carry it to their wedding and then put it away among their souvenirs. Politicians swear on it when they take office but seldom swear by it afterwards. Even where church members are concerned, the Bible is largely an unknown book. It is a fact that the majority of the people in this country have only the haziest notion of what the greatest book in the world teaches.”

Questions From Readers

● Is vaccination a violation of God’s law forbidding the taking of blood into the system?—G. C., North Carolina.

The matter of vaccination is one for the individual that has to face it to decide for himself. Each individual has to take the consequences for whatever position and action he takes toward a case of compulsory vaccination, doing so according to his own conscience and his appreciation of what is for good health and the interests of advancing God’s work. And our Society cannot afford to be drawn into the affair legally or take the responsibility for the way the case turns out.

After consideration of the matter, it does not appear to us to be in violation of the everlasting covenant made with Noah, as set down in Genesis 9:4, nor contrary to God’s related commandment at Leviticus 17:10-14. Most certainly it cannot reasonably or Scripturally be argued and proved that, by being vaccinated, the inoculated person is either eating or drinking blood and consuming it as food or receiving a blood transfusion. Vaccination does not bear any relationship to or any likeness to the intermarriage of angelic “sons of God” with the daughters of men, as described in Genesis 6:1-4. Neither can it be put in the same class as described at Leviticus 18:23, 24, which forbids the mingling of humans with animals. It has nothing to do with sex relations.

Hence all objection to vaccination on Scriptural grounds seems to be lacking. The only proper objection that some persons could raise to it would be on the matter of the health risks involved or of keeping their blood stream clean from diseased matter coming from a foreign source, whether from an animal sore or from a human sore. Medical science, in fact, claims that vaccination actually results in building up the vitality of the blood to resist the disease against which the person is inoculated. But, of course, that is a question for each individual concerned to decide for himself and as he sees it to be Jehovah’s will for him.

We merely offer the above information on request, but can assume no responsibility for the decision and course the reader may take.

Announcements

FEAR OF THE SOVEREIGN JEHOVAH

“Let all the earth fear Jehovah.”—Ps. 38:8, AS.

Not a nation on earth today is free from fear. Jesus predicted men would be “faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth”. (Luke 21:26, NW) But there is another fear which is healthful, conducive to long life. That is the fear of Jehovah, which is pure. Millions of people need to be taught that fear of Jehovah is the way of life, and that, in brief, is the purpose of the Watchtower magazine. During January, 1953, Watchtower readers may join in presenting this journal to the people on a year’s subscription for $1. Three booklets will be given free.

GOD’S WAY IS LOVE

A brand-new 32-page booklet by the above name has just come off the presses of the Watchtower Society. It contains a public address by the president of the Society, simultaneously broadcast over WBBR, New York. The booklet presents clear and easy-to-understand facts that demonstrate the great love of God toward humankind. All scriptures used in this booklet are from Catholic editions of the Holy Scriptures, and therefore it is of special interest to Catholics. God’s Way Is Love may be obtained on a contribution of 5 cents per copy. Companies of Jehovah’s witnesses may order supplies of God’s Way Is Love at the regular campaign literature rate for use with the three-booklet premium during the forthcoming Watchtower subscription campaign.

YEARBOOK AND CALENDAR

During 1952 Jehovah’s witnesses preached the good news in 127 different lands. The 1953 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses sets forth a report from each country on the progress made. A 1953 calendar, interestingly depicting ways in which Jehovah’s witnesses perform their ministry, is also available. A Yearbook will be sent on a contribution of 50c, and calendars are 25c each, or 20c each if five or more calendars go to one address.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES

Week of January 25: The Voice of Jehovah.

Week of February 1: Hearkening to His Voice.

Scripture Index for Texts Explained, 1952

GENESIS

1:3 694

1:11, 20, 22, 28, 31 539

1:26 558, 628

1:28 164, 628

1:29 640

1:29, 30 165

2:15 164

2:15-17 199, 628

2:17 629

3:2-5 630

3:4 407

3:4, 5 200

3:14, 15 262

3:15 479, 630

3:16 254

3:17-19 165

3:21 52

3:24 558

4:3-7 640

4:3-8 70

4:4 264, 640

4:10 339

5:4 352

6:1-4 764

6:5-8 201

6:5, 7, 9, 13, 18 335

6:8 264

7:2 639

8:20 640

8:21 166

9:2-4 640

9:4 764

9:5, 6, 13, 15, 16 618

9:25-27 729

11:1-9 647

12:1-3 202

13:10 166

13:14, 15 251

14:1-20 730

15:1-3 730

15:6 206

17:9-14, 22-27 731

18:17, 19 558

18:19 731

18:25 591, 666

19:12-26 391

21:33 590

22:1-18 559

22:15 264

22:18 631

24:1-10, 61-66 730

24:7 264, 759

25:5 732

26:19-32 732

29:4 759

31:11 264

37:2 569

37:30-34 439

39:9, 22 569

40:9-13 648

41:15, 16 242

41:46 569

47:15-26 734

48:16 264

EXODUS

3:14, 15 590

4:10-16 614

5:1, 2 202

6:3 749

7:3 192

7:3, 4 607

8:15, 32 192

9:15, 16 549, 667

9:16 262

9:23 758

12:14 149

12:26, 27 414

13:14-16 414

14:19 264

15:20, 21 288

17:14-16 593

20:4, 5 37

20:5, 6 626

21:1-5 733

21:23-25 106

22:10-13 438

23:31 251

25:37 249

28:41 308

29:35-37 309

30:30, 31 250

31:16, 17 151

31:18 245

32:1-6 159

32:10 159

32:25-27 159

32:28-35 159

32:29 310

33:19 591

34:5-7 591

34:12-16 70

34:15, 16 190

34:16 543

34:27, 28 245

LEVITICUS

9:23, 24 309

11:44 591

14:7, 8 249

16:14 149

17:10-14 764

18:19 406

18:23, 24 764

19:9, 10 410

19:17 431

20:18 406

24:5-9 574

25:9, 10 208

25:10 404

25:55, 42 731

NUMBERS

6:24, 25 693

6:25 695

12:10-12 287

13:23 166

13:27 166

13:27, 28, 30-33 614

15:31 759

16:1-35 384

16:32, 35 135

20:5-12 569

25:4, 5, 9 223

26:9, 10 384

26:9-11 344

35:10, 11, 14 617

35:26-28 618

35:31, 32 619

DEUTERONOMY

1:42 760

6:4-7 39

6:6, 7 50, 382

6:7 40, 41

7:1-6, 16, 25, 26 70

7:3, 4 49, 190

7:4 543

7:9 590

8:1 759

8:7-9 166

10:17, 18 760

11:1 760

11:10-15 166

11:16, 17, 26-28 166

11:26-28 558

13:3, 4 558

13:6-11 703

14:22-26 48

15:17 733

16:19 50

17:18-20 50

18:15-19 297

18:15, 17-19 464

19:4-6 617

19:18-21 617

19:21 106

21:10-13 543

21:22, 23 223

23:17, 18 337

27:9, 10 558

30:1-10 558

30:19, 20 167

31:11-13 414

31:29 666

32:1-3 756

32:3, 4 591

32:39, 40 590

JOSHUA

2:15 648

3:14-17 648

4:18 648

6:5, 17, 18, 20, 22-24, 26 648

8:29 223

9:3-27 734

10:1-27 734

10:26 223

23:6-8, 12, 13 190

24:15 415

JUDGES

2:11, 14, 15 666

6:27, 32 734

1 SAMUEL

15:21 560

15:22 560

15:23 170

15:29 693

16:6, 7 560

16:13, 14 192

16:21 574

17:15 574

17:43-47 594

17:55-58 574

21:1-6 575

30:6 596

2 SAMUEL

6:14, 15, 20-22 568

21:1-14 734

22:1-4 589

24:1 351

24:9 351

1 KINGS

8:41-43 317

11:1-11 71, 190

12:27-30 570

16:33, 34 649

18:21-28 83

20:11 391

2 KINGS

2:11, 12 468

11:12 250

1 CHRONICLES

16:22 568

17:11-14 632

21:1 351

21:5 351

28:9 528

29:5 311

2 CHRONICLES

13:5, 6 571

20:12 595

20:20 727

20:20, 21 763

29:31 311

32:7, 8 595

36:22, 23 656

EZRA

1:1 656

1:1-3 656

6:1-10 378

6:14 727

9:1, 2 190

NEHEMIAH

1:4, 11 379

2:4, 5, 8 379

8:10 459

9:29 568

ESTHER

4:16 379

5:2 379

JOB

1:6 750

1:6-12 263

1:7 750

12:2, 7, 8 83

12:13 628

14:1 623

14:1, 2 164

14:7-10 623

14:13 623

26:2, 3 83

36:10, 11 727

38:1, 4, 5, 12, 13, 19 370

38:32, 33 49

39:26 49

PSALMS

1:1, 2 566

2:1-3 597

2:2, 6, 7 465

2:6, 7 274

2:7-9 275

2:10-12 207

6:6a 625

9:15 659

16:10, 11 469

18:7 761

19:1, 2, 7-11 373

19:11-14 183

22:8 592

22:26, 27 752

24:1 52

24:7 759

24:8, 10 472, 665

27:13, 14 184

29:1 750, 756

29:1, 2 750

29:2 749

29:3 758

29:4 759

29:5 760

29:6 761

29:7, 8 761

29:9 761

29:10, 11 762

30:6 725

31:2, 3 591

33:8 373

34:7 264

35:10b 626

35:27 728

36:6 591

36:9 693

40:5 661

40:6-8 306, 507

40:7, 8 661

40:9, 10 662

43:3 693

44:21 182

45:7 529

46:1 327

46:1, 2 700

46:1-3 762

46:11 762

48:1, 2 602

48:2, 3, 15c 624

48:16d 624

49:3, 4 246

50:5 312

57:6 659

59:4-6, 11-13 600

59:16, 17 601

61:12e 628

62:2 591

68:6 724

68:17, 18 469

69:7-12 566

74:10, 11 600

74:23 597

75:5-7 77

78:2 246

83:2-4 597

83:9-18 600

83:18 749

88:49f 624

89:3, 4, 29, 35-37 465

89:5-7 750

91:1, 2, 9, 10, 15 597

94:21, 22 591

95:3, 7, 8 294

96:2g 628

96:5 675

96:7-9 751

102:13-16 603

103:5h 630

103:20 558

104:1-5 754

104:33 754

106:1-5 723

106:4, 5 721

106:6 725

106:47, 48 728

107:17-20 259

110:1 273

110:3 763

110:4 313

113:1, 7, 8 158

114:4 761

118:18-20 603

118:22-26 465

118:24, 25 722

119:105 695

119:143, 144, 153, 157, 161 184

121:4 693

122:3 697

122:6-9 727

123:2 561

127:1 721

132:14 700

133:1 697

139:1-6 532

139:17, 18 532, 661

139:19-22 599

139:22-24 532

139:23, 24 601

144:20i 626

145:4j 625

147:1-3 259

147:2, 3 497

147:5 497

147:10, 11 497

147:16, 17 52

147:20 497

PROVERBS

1:32 725

4:18 81

4:23 182

6:16-19 711

6:20-23 39

8:10, 11 415

8:22-31 127

8:22, 27, 30 661

10:22 635

11:4 619

12:15 174

14:12 51

14:12, 14 174

15:3 693

15:31, 32 295

16:9 184

16:20-23 183

17:28 67

18:6 67

18:10 589

18:15 295

18:21 711

19:8, 21 174

20:11 39

21:2 51, 174

21:27 109

22:6 40, 50, 351, 681

22:6, 15 415

22:15 39

22:17, 18 295

23:12 295

23:13, 14 39

25:12 295

26:15 709

27:11 662

28:13 725

28:23 431

29:19-21 39

ECCLESIASTES

1:4 631

1:10, 14, 15 3

2:4, 5, 9, 11, 12 3

3:1, 8 665

4:13 40

5:2, 4-7 318

8:11 607

9:5, 10 625

9:10 626

10:16 44

ISAIAH

1:3 82

1:18 198

1:21 677

2:2, 3 261

2:12, 13 760

6:5, 3 472

6:8 30

6:9, 10 30, 607

6:10 192

6:11 681

6:11, 12 30

7:14 621

8:9, 10 275

8:13 372

9:3, 6, 7 537

9:6 191, 383

9:6, 7 465, 632

11:4-9 632

11:12 249

13:17-22 656

14:1, 4, 8, 12-16 656

14:4, 8, 12-16 267

14:13, 14 205, 531

14:15-20 205

23:1-13 655

24:5 618

24:5, 6 372

24:5, 6, 17-20 167

24:15, 16 603

25:6 613

25:10, 11, 2 602

26:1, 2 602

26:1-4 601

26:3 603

26:5, 6 602

28:8 82, 613

29:13 82

29:18 296

30:27 754

32:1 188, 588

34:2 618

35:3, 4 184

35:3-6 63

35:5, 6 296

39:6, 7 656

40:3-11 252

40:8 660

40:13, 15 370

41:22, 23 653

42:1, 6, 7 694

42:19 662

43:8, 9 296

43:9-12, 20, 21 517

43:10 77

43:12 411

44:6 590

44:6, 8 517

44:7, 8 653

44:24-28 656

44:28 656

45:1, 2 656

45:7 665

45:11, 12 401

45:18 630

46:10 693

46:10, 11 169

53:7-9 274

53:10, 11 697

54:17 725

55:1-3 423

55:3 295

55:4 518

55:8, 9 281, 415

55:11 169, 630

56:10, 11 83

59:21 537

60:1, 3 700

60:1, 4, 5, 8 537

60:18 603

61:1 250, 445

62:10, 11 276

64:4 413

65:17, 21-23, 25 404

65:21-25 632

66:7, 8 603

JEREMIAH

1:4-10 614

2:26-28 753

5:31 294

7:1-16 127

7:31 626

8:6 250

8:7-9 67

10:23 49

11:14 127

14:11 127

14:19 721

17:10 182

17:14-16 259

18:2-10 370

18:2-12 266

19:5 626

20:9 614

22:21 725

23:5 465

23:29 612

25:9 656

25:29 680

25:33 348, 667

27:1-11 655

29:1-7 378

29:10 655

32:14 652

49:36 249

51:6 619

51:30, 37 655

EZEKIEL

1:5 249

2:7 296

3:17, 18 442

6:13, 14 676

8:4-6 714

8:10, 11 715

8:14 715

8:16 716

8:17 716

8:18 716

9:1, 2 678

9:1-7 304

9:1-8 677

9:4 679

9:4-6 342

9:5, 6 680

9:6 43

9:6, 7 680

9:8 680

9:9, 10 680

9:11 680

12:23 472

13:23 750

16:12 250

16:53-55 336

18:4 624

18:20 344

21:25-27 266

21:27 410

26:1-14 655

28:12-16 262

28:12-18 200

28:14-16 402

28:15, 17 531

28:16-19 262

33:11 634

36:22-24 334

43:3 607

43:26 311

DANIEL

1:20 120

2:31-45 477

2:44 52, 275, 477, 632

4:9-16 269

5:1-4 319

5:1, 29, 30 650

5:30, 31 650

7:13, 14 274

8:3-8 657

8:20-22 657

8:8 249

9:24-27 251, 658, 739

9:27 649

10:13, 21 264

11:31 649

12:3 710

12:4 253

12:11 649

JOEL

2:28 252, 253

2:28, 29 732

AMOS

8:11 228

MICAH

4:3, 4 632

NAHUM

1:8 655

2:6, 8 655

3:13 655

ZEPHANIAH

2:1-3 207, 679

2:2, 3 471

2:3 619, 635

3:8 598

3:8, 9 207

ZECHARIAH

1:8 250

1:17 725

2:4 88

2:8 710

7:7 725

7:10, 11 568

8:23 250

9:2-4 655

13:4, 5 67

14:3, 13 598

MALACHI

3:1 252

3:1-3 426

3:2 567

3:6 590

4:2 475

4:4-6 464

4:5 471

MATTHEW

1:20, 21 31

1:22, 23 191

2:19-23 224

3:10 172

3:11-15 31

3:16 245, 413

3:16, 17 32

4:10 615

4:15-17 694

5:7 550

5:10-12 563

5:14-16 694

5:15 701

5:17-20 287

5:43-45, 48 668

5:44 598

6:2, 3 320

6:9 383, 518

6:10 409, 633

6:12 550

6:23 701

6:24 732

7:7-11 80

7:13, 14 75, 173, 456

7:15 646

7:17-20 230

7:20-23 72

7:21 73

7:21-27 171

7:23 427

7:24, 25 295

7:24-27 408, 643

8:21, 22 639

9:36-38 89

10:14, 15 338

10:14, 15, 23 345

10:39 255

11:2-6 62

11:5 210

11:11 287

11:20-24 338

12:1-4 575

12:22-32 126, 339

12:22-33 231

12:30 73, 342

12:31, 32 146, 599

12:41, 42 339

12:43-45 191

13:3-9, 18-23 229

13:34, 35 246

13:39-43 89

15:1-9 76

15:3-9 51

15:12-14 171

15:14 74, 339, 343, 753

15:19 31

16:6, 11, 12 74

16:22, 23 391, 616

16:23 662

16:24-26 391

16:27 471

16:28 463, 654

17:1-9 462

17:1, 2, 5 654

17:5-9 463

18:15-17 147

18:17 704

19:9 31, 190, 414

19:11, 12 487

19:14 383

19:16-22 170

19:24-30 286

20:1-16 287

20:28 106, 444

21:5, 9 466

21:12, 13 662

22:15-21 374

22:42-45 466

23:5 67

23:9 383

23:12 95

23:15, 33 339

23:17 83

23:38 138

24:3 275

24:7 273

24:10 634

24:12 701

24:13 391

24:14 79, 88

24:15 649

24:15, 16 714

24:20 51

24:30 471

24:34 542

24:45 253, 683

24:45-47 77, 382, 732

24:45-51 78

24:48 414

25:14-30 78

25:31 275, 471

25:31-46 317, 341

25:40, 45 73

26:19-29 103

26:27-29 105

26:39-44 616

26:52, 53 592

26:63, 64 273

27:43 592

28:19, 20 55, 411, 419

MARK

3:28-30 127

5:22-24, 35-42 639

7:21, 22 31

8:27-29, 31 462

9:1 463

9:1-10 462

9:38-40 72

9:49, 50 571

10:11, 12 190, 414

10:13-16 383

10:17-21 38

10:23-31 286

10:39 111

11:12-14 228

12:17 42

12:29-31 572

13:30 542

14:22-25 103

14:23-25 105

LUKE

1:30-35 31, 466, 622

1:31-33 632

1:41-43 31

1:67-79 31

2:8-14 204

2:8-20 31

2:9-11 466

2:25-32 31

2:26, 34 466

2:36-38 31

2:39 223

2:49 31

3:15 658

3:22 466

4:8 599

4:18 250, 445

4:18, 19 8

5:33-39 74

6:43, 44 549

7:11-15 639

8:11 229

8:31 479

8:41, 42, 49-55 639

9:27 463

9:27-36 462

9:31 463, 468

9:34, 35 469

9:62 391

10:10-15 338

10:27, 28 170

11:9-13 80

11:13 500

11:24-26 191

11:31, 32 339

12:1 74

12:42 81

13:6-9 228

13:23-30 286

14:11 287

14:26 255

16:10 88

16:19-31 157, 602

16:24 251

17:4-6 622

17:14 757

17:17, 18 757

17:26, 27 335

17:28-30 335

17:32 391

18:16 37, 48

18:18-30 391

18:25 338

20:13, 14 467

20:25 37

21:24 267

21:27 273

21:28 276

21:32 542

21:34-36 182, 217

22:19 105

22:42 409

JOHN

1:1-5 693

1:1-13 696

1:4, 10-12 691

1:5 700

1:14 466, 470

1:14-18 698

1:15 32

1:18 622

1:19-25 466

1:34 466

1:49 466

2:1-11 320

2:13-17 662

2:19 606

2:20-22 606

3:16 444, 629, 696

3:30 32

4:20-24 496

4:34 613, 661

5:22, 27 619

5:26 112

5:26-29 633

5:28, 29 347

5:30 661

5:36 127

5:39 233

5:43 518

6:28, 29 692

6:38 661

6:53-57 112

6:62 469

7:24 229

8:12 694

8:31, 32 403

8:44 83, 407, 599, 693, 751

10:3-5 294

10:11, 14, 16 112

10:11-16 440

10:16 317

10:37, 38 127, 210

11:11-15 625

12:13 250

12:36 693

12:47-49 339

12:49, 50 246

13:1-38 10

13:23 691

13:34 131

13:34, 35 710

14:6 693

14:8, 9 698

14:16 297

14:17, 21 698

14:26 246

14:30 264

15:1-8 228

15:2, 8 534

15:5 537

15:8, 27 698

15:11 691

15:15 223

15:18-20 118

15:19 190

15:26 297

16:2, 3 173

16:7 297

16:12-14 9

16:33 118, 700

17:3 636

17:4, 6 518, 662

17:4-6 622

17:5 32

17:6-8, 11, 14 9

17:6, 26 411

17:12 441

17:14-16 190

17:17 645, 652

17:20 660

17:21 698

18:11 111

18:36 54

18:37 518, 662, 694

19:10, 11 374, 592

19:13-18 76

19:32, 33 223

20:21, 22 244

21:7, 20 691

21:15 419

ACTS

1:18 411

2:2-4 244

2:25-31 624

2:37-40 315

2:41 538

2:46 324

3:19, 20 315

3:19-22 472

3:20-23 297

3:22 251

3:22, 23 470, 561

3:24 242

4:4 538

4:19 415

5:14 538

5:27-29 375

5:29 415

5:40-42 459

6:7 538

7:22 120

7:30, 35 264

7:51 127

9:36-41 639

10:9-16 640

10:10-16 247

11:5-10 247

11:27, 28 243

12:6-11 264

13:44-50 339

14:22 118

15:10, 11 151

15:20, 29 126

15:21 41

16:1-3 681

16:3 446, 447

16:5 538

16:30-33 315

16:31-34 390

17:11 80, 233, 623, 636

17:27, 30 505

17:30, 31 347

18:18 446

19:9 140

19:13-20 73

20:20 615

20:29 646

21:10, 11 243

21:20-26 446

21:25 126

23:6-10 72

25:10, 11 158

26:28-32 380

ROMANS

1:26, 27 406

2:13-15 100

2:21-23 431

3:4 659

4:3 206

4:13 251

4:20-22 758

5:2-5 459

5:12, 14 443

5:18 403

6:3-5 111

6:9, 10 107

6:14 408

6:16 445

6:16-23 95

6:23 412, 624, 633

7:6 150

7:7 150

8:7-13 616

8:16 500

8:16, 24 63

8:21 401

8:24, 25 459

8:26 500

8:33 670

8:35-39 700

9:17 262

9:17-26 550

9:20, 21 370

9:22, 23 457

10:2, 3 172

10:4, 8-10 316

10:10 183

10:13, 14 295

10:13, 14, 17 659

11:33, 34 6

12:2 527

12:11 729

12:14 564

12:17 95

13:1 375

13:2-4 376

13:5 99

13:6, 7 377

13:8-10 152

14:2, 3 96

14:2-4 550

14:17 476

15:3 566

15:4 391

16:17 82, 135

16:17, 18 137

16:20 665

1 CORINTHIANS

1:10 135

1:11-13 114

1:19, 20 659

1:26-31 95

2:6-10 497

2:10, 12, 15 500

2:11-16 498

2:12, 13 253

2:13 500

3:1-4 501

3:3, 4 114

3:6-9 13

3:10-15 425

4:12, 13 564

4:15 383

5:1-12 134

5:1-13 114

5:5-11 414

5:6 74

5:7, 8 149

5:9-11 704

5:11 140

6:5-8 668

6:9 31

6:9-11 134

6:19, 20 10, 223, 733

7:2-4 406

7:12-16 511

7:14 43, 343, 510

7:20-24 95

7:22, 23 733

7:23 223

7:28 512

7:32-35 487

7:38 488

7:39 49, 191, 414

8:1-10 126

8:1-13 575

8:5, 6 676

8:6 519

8:7-10 639

8:7-13 100

8:11-13 126

9:16 442

9:19-22 94

9:19, 20, 22 324

9:20-23 447

9:24-27 392

9:27 616

10:1-5 392

10:1-12 726

10:4 105

10:8 223

10:11, 12 392

10:13 564

10:16, 17 110

10:18-21 126

10:18-22 701

10:23-33 126

10:25-30 551, 575

10:27-29 100

11:2-10 254

11:3 415

11:17-22 114

11:23-34 102

11:26 113

11:28-30 102, 110

11:29, 30 110

11:31, 32 529

12:4, 8-11 412

12:7-11 245

12:18 79

12:27 110

12:28 243

13:4, 7, 8 458

13:8 244

13:8-11 231

13:11 44

14:8, 9 296

14:16 318

14:26 412

15:24-28 670

15:25, 26 634

15:33 351

15:45 106

16:2 283

16:10, 11 682

2 CORINTHIANS

1:12 669

2:4 712

2:6-11 142

3:7-11 151

3:16 504

3:16–4:6 504

3:17 404

3:18 694

4:1, 2 669

4:1-6 694

4:4 263

4:8-10 592

4:16-18 548

5:16 536

5:17 412

5:20 55

6:3-10 458

6:4, 5 592

6:11-13 536

6:14, 15 190

6:14-18 75, 138

6:15-17 474

6:17 445

7:1 591

9:7 283

10:3, 4 589

11:2 54

11:3 531

11:4 532

11:12-15 531

11:14 402

11:14, 15 68

11:15 701

12:1-4 248

12:20, 21 114

13:10 114

GALATIANS

1:8 172

3:2, 7-9, 26-28 692

3:16, 29 537

3:24, 25 150

3:28 94

4:1, 2 44

4:21-31 150

4:26 251

5:1 444

5:2-6 446, 447

5:9 74

5:13 405

5:19 31

5:19-23 230

5:19-24 445

6:1 145

6:17 734

EPHESIANS

1:9, 10 697

1:16-18 593

1:19-21 469, 592

2:13-16 150

2:19, 20 243

3:5-9 498

3:8, 9 6

3:10-13 7

3:18-21 498

4:1-3 10

4:3, 4, 15 536

4:4-6 11

4:4-13 77

4:7, 8 10

4:8 469

4:11, 12 243

4:11-14 12

4:11-16 535

4:15 14

4:16 14, 132, 697

4:30 146

5:1, 2 131

5:15, 16 430

5:21-33 358

5:33 254

6:1, 2 44

6:4 43, 50, 382

6:10-12 589

PHILIPPIANS

1:7 411

2:1-5 663

2:5-8 661

2:5, 9-11 375

2:10, 11 519

3:13-16 530

4:8 431

COLOSSIANS

1:10, 11 459

1:13, 14 697

1:15 472

1:15, 16 557

2:8 646

2:13, 14, 16, 17 149

2:17 438

2:18, 19 537

3:5-10 144

3:21 43

1 THESSALONIANS

2:19 471

5:14: 139

2 THESSALONIANS

1:6-9 601

1:7-9 626

2:3 414

3:6, 7, 11 132

3:13-15 133

3:14, 15 704

1 TIMOTHY

1:4, 7 82

1:12-16 5, 346

1:19, 20 138

2:1-4 377

2:5, 6 106, 444, 633

2:9, 10 360

3:1-13 346, 712

3:4, 5, 12 415

4:2 100

4:8 46

4:10 593

4:12 682

4:16 15, 460

5:22 346

5:23 682

6:1, 2 95

6:3-5, 20, 21 82

6:5-10 96

6:10, 11 458

6:13 518

2 TIMOTHY

1:5 382

1:12 593

1:13 82

2:10 460

2:14, 16-19, 23-26 82

2:15 233

2:15, 16 68

2:19 88, 343

3:2, 3 406

3:2-5, 13 102

3:12 118, 598

3:15 382

3:15-17 233, 631

3:16 244

4:3, 4 294

4:3-5 68

4:7, 8 391, 593

TITUS

1:6 415

1:13-16 100

2:8 704

3:9-11 82

3:10, 11 137

PHILEMON

vs 10-16 94

HEBREWS

1:1, 2 467

1:1-3 470

1:3 412

1:9 529

1:14 264

2:1 613

2:1, 3 470

2:14 671

2:14, 15 444

3:1 309

3:12 460

4:13 528, 693

5:1-6 307

5:7, 8 391

5:8, 9 560

5:11-14 516

5:11–6:3 501

5:12-14 615

6:1 516, 615

6:4-8 192

6:7, 8 516

6:11-15 457

6:19 613

7:4 432

7:15, 16 251

7:16, 24, 25, 27 107

9:11-14 149

9:14 669

9:17-20 107

9:22 106

9:23-28 109

10:1 149

10:1-4 107

10:4-10 306

10:5-7 560

10:7 661

10:10-18 108

10:19-22 314

10:25-38 146

10:26 83

10:26, 27 127, 192

10:32-39 613, 616

10:36 456

11:1, 6 659

11:4 339

11:6 693

11:9 432

11:18, 19 251

11:32-38 243

12:1 517

12:1-3 457

12:2 661

12:3, 5, 6 564

12:4-11 415

12:22-25 476

13:4 31

13:11, 12 109

JAMES

1:2, 3 659

1:2-4 460

1:5 500

1:6, 7 80

1:6-8 659

1:14, 15 402

1:22 613

2:1-4 319

2:1-9 552

2:14-26 659

2:17, 24 316

2:23 206, 558

2:26 701

3:7, 8 711

3:11, 14-18 711

4:2, 3 4

4:4 55

5:4 665

5:7, 8 534

5:10, 11 458

1 PETER

1:6, 7 659

1:10-12 498

1:16 591

1:25 660

2:4-7 606

2:5 697

2:9 356, 518, 694

2:16, 17 133

2:17 377

2:19 101

2:21 170

2:21-23 564

3:1-4 511

3:1-6 360

3:7-9 406

3:16 101

3:21 669

4:2, 3 445

4:10 718

4:15 158

5:2, 3 441

5:2-4 10

5:6, 7 564

2 PETER

1:2, 3, 8 461

1:4 412

1:5, 6 459

1:16-18 462, 654

1:19 471, 474

1:19-21 631, 654

1:20, 21 242, 476

1:21 245

2:1-4 335

2:4 136

2:5-9 335

2:12 351, 406

2:19 400

2:20-22 83, 192

2:22 613

3:3-13 348

3:16 646

1 JOHN

1:3, 4 691

1:5 689, 692

1:5, 6 695

1:7 700

1:8 690

2:1 690

2:1, 2 430

2:6 698

3:4, 6-8 430

3:4, 8 402

3:15 618

3:23 691

4:1 42

4:8 152, 628

4:8-13 622

4:9-11 698

4:16 621, 689

4:16-19 699

5:3 170, 458

5:4 699

5:7 388

5:14, 15 699

5:16, 17 127

5:19 691

5:21 701

2 JOHN

vs 9, 10 142

vs 10 704

vs 10, 11 346

JUDE

vs 7 336

vs 12 228

vs 13 711

vs 14 264

vs 18, 19 406

REVELATION

1:4, 12, 16 249

1:5 518

1:8 242

1:10, 11 248

2:10 250

2:23 529

3:14 518

3:15, 16 72, 612

3:16 138

4:4 250

4:6 249

6:2 250

7:1, 2 249

7:4-8 250

7:9 250

11:8 251

11:8, 9 722

11:15 274

11:18 167

12:4, 5 274

12:7 264

12:7-10 275

12:11 700

12:12 206

13:1 250

13:2 263, 375

13:15-17 304

13:18 249

14:1 250, 276

14:9, 10 304

14:14 250

15:3 731

16:13-16 205

17:8, 10-14 657

17:8-14 52

18:1 473

18:2, 7 251

18:4 264, 445, 473, 750

18:4, 5 423

18:4, 5, 8 333

18:8, 20 618

19:6 375

19:8 678

19:11 250

20:2 205

20:3 479

20:4, 5 250

20:7 479, 670

20:8-10 671

20:9 348

20:10 479

21:3 700

22:1-3, 17 259

22:3 725

[Footnotes]

Subject Index for “The Watchtower,” 1952

Abandoned Bible Aid Yields Fruit 671

Above All Else, Guard Your Heart! 181

Aids for Understanding Prophecy 249

“All the Gods of the Nations Are Idols” 675

Alpine Countries Join in Theocratic Expansion 153

Answering the Question, Are You Saved? 389

Appreciating God’s Gifts 485

Are the Popes Infallible? 177

Are You Choosing Life or Death? 163

Assemblies in Frankfurt, Berlin, St. John’s 56

Avoid Shame by Study 67

Basis for Believing the Bible 645

“Be transformed by Making Your Mind Over” 527

Better Basis for Belief, A 653

Catholic Clerics Differ on Church Gambling 452

Choosing Now to Live Then 169

Christian Expansion in the Arab States 328

Christians—First of All Jehovah’s Witnesses 517

Christians Shun Political Ambassadors 53

Christians Suffer Violence in the Philippines 492

Christ’s Kingdom No Part of World 728

“Clean Worship” Assembly in Frankfurt 25

Clergy Philosophers Void the Bible 515

Climax of Clean Worship Assemblies at Washington 185

Complete Cycle, The 660

Counteracting Old World Influence on Children 44

Dedication for Life in the New World 315

Dedication to God and Consecration 304

“Defending and Legally Establishing the Good News” 451

Defense That Wins, The 483

Determining the Year by Fact and Bible 265

Devil Worshipers Accept Truth 232

Distributing French Awake! in Quebec 477

District Assemblies During 1952 746

Do Catholic Bible Claims Fit the Facts? 580

Do You Have Hearing Ears? 293

Efforts to Undermine the Bible 643

Enduring to the End 456

‘Ethiopia Stretches Forth Her Hands’ 509

Evidences of the Year’s Correctness 272

Fear Jehovah the Superior 368

“Feed My Young Lambs” 419

Few Read the Bible 763

Field of Bible Prophecy, The 241

Fiji Island Youth Remembers Creator 573

Fixing Destinies in This Judgment Period 341

Following Apostolic Footsteps to Cyprus 301

Freedom with Security 400

Fruitfulness a Manifestation of Holy Spirit 229

“Get Out to Her, My People” 333

Gift of Singleness, The 487

Gilead Class Appreciates What Has Religion Done for Mankind? 61

Gilead’s Nineteenth Class Graduates 637

Giving God’s Word First Place in Our Lives 396

Glad Tidings in the Troubled East 364

God’s Spirit Essential to Maturity 496

God’s Way Is Love 621

God’s Way of Financing His Work 281

God’s Word a Sure Guide 49

Good News from Korea! 213

Growing in the Undeserved Kindness 717

Happiness in an Unstable World 3

Harvest Time in Northern Europe 89

Healing for Life in the New World 259

Hearkening to His Voice 756

“He Done It” 636

“Hold a Good Conscience” 99, 669

Honest ‘Shepherd’ Changes Diet for Korean Flock 684

Horse Blessing Undergoes Change 584

International Assembly in Rome, An 217

In the Image and Likeness of God 489

In Union with Light 689

In Union with Love 695

Is God Responsible for World Distress? 195

Is Interfaith God’s Way? 69

Istanbul 284

Jehovah Makes Peace, Creates Evil 665

Jehovah’s Merciful Provision 617

Jehovah’s Theocratic Organization Today 76

Jehovah’s Witnesses Stand Firm in Albania 525

Jubilee Trumpet, The 208

Keeping Christ’s Mental Attitude 661

‘Keeping Strict Watch on How We Walk’ 429

Keeping the Organization Clean 131

Legal Papers in Cookie Jar 652

‘Let Each One Watch How He Builds’ 425

“Let Your Kingdom Come!” 476

Lost Sheep Finds the Right Shepherd, A 115

Loyalty the Test 565

Luke, the Beloved Physician 493

Mark and His Gospel 585

Marking Those Who Sigh and Cry 677

Marriage Ceremony, The 355

Matthew, from Publican to Apostle 393

Mature View of Dedication, A 504

Maturity Essential to Increase 533

Memorial—Are You Entitled to Partake? The 101

Ministers of Good News at Your Door 323

Miracle of the Transfiguration, The 461

Missionary Activity in the Gold Coast 424

Missionary Work Spreads Liberty and Love 291

Modern Idolatry Foreshadowed 713

Name of Jehovah a Strong Tower, The 589

Need to Awake, The 579

New “Bible” Omits God 638

1914 a Marked Year! 260

No Division in the Mosaic Law 149

“Not the Kind That Shrink Back” 612

Obedience Leads to Life 557

Only One Catholic Church? 453

Opposed Pure Worship Flourishes in Eastern Mediterranean Lands 237

Organizing for the Ministry 12

“Out of the Mouth of Babes” 83

Paganism Routed 48

Palestine in Spring 1952 553

Papal Unity versus Communism 35

Patriarchal Society 432

Paul, Apostle to the Nations 520

Pharisees Past and Present 148

Pinning the Blame on the One Responsible 201

Power and Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ 467

Preaching Effectively at the Doors 324

Preaching in West Africa 664

Princes’ Just Rule 588

Propriety of Disfellowshiping 137

Publish Uplift and Comfort for the Poor 157

Purifying Worship in Nigeria 620

Questions from Readers In every issue

Quran—A Literary Miracle? The 209

Quran—Confirmatory of Previous Scripture? The 233

Quran—Harmonious with Itself? The 277

Quran—Of God or of Man? The 297

Recommending Themselves as God’s Ministers 707

“Record Record” 75

Religious Fog and Concealment 296

Report from Nigeria 702

Restrictions of Christian Freedom 405

Rulers of Malaya Oppose Free Worship 20

Scripture Index for Texts Explained, 1952 765

Shadows Out of the Past 437

Sharing in the Prosperity of God’s Nation 721

Should We Go to School or Quit? 117

Sin Making Reinstatement Impossible 145

Small Christians’s Big Decision, A 207

“Son of the Man, The” 587

Spiritual Refugees in Israel and Westward 397

Strong Refuge 327

Strong Refuge Today, A 596

Subjection to Superior Authorities 373

Subtly Discrediting God’s Word 387

“Teacher of Trouble” Gets Fined 604

Tell the People “Until Cities Be Waste Without Inhabitant” 30

Testing the Chain of Papal Successors 84

Theocracy’s Increase 88

Theocratic Assemblies in Bible Times 743

Theocratic Assemblies in Sweden and Norway 121

Theocratic Slaves 729

There Is No Place like Ireland 685

Thessalonian Pattern Repeats 381

“Things Unseen Are Everlasting, The” 547

Timothy, the Youthful Minister 681

Tolerance for Unity and Increase 549

Too Many Blood Transfusions 114

Training Children for Life in the New World 36

Triumphant Clean Worship 720

Truth Inspires Zeal in Youth 605

Unchristian Christmas, The 739

Unity of God’s Visible Organization, The 5

Vatican’s View of the Ambassador 222

Voice of Jehovah, The 749

Walking Blamelessly Through the Last Days 709

Waterless Clouds, Fruitless Trees 227

What About Those Not Partaking? 111

Why Are They Leaving the Churches? 420

Why Maturity of Discernment Vital 528

Witness Replies to a Clergyman, The 541

“Word of God Is Alive, The” 611

Works of charity 447

World Assembly 1953 428

If thou cry after discernment, and lift up thy voice for understanding; if thou seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures: then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, and find the knowledge of God.—Prov. 2:3-5, AS.