The Watchtower — December 15, 1955

‘Sorry, I Have No Time!’

“SORRY,” the lady said, “but I’m too busy.” A man down the block had said the same thing. Though many people really are busy when Jehovah’s witnesses call at their homes, what this lady actually meant was: “I don’t think it’s worth my time.” Rarely is a person too busy for what he really wants to do, or for something that he really considers important.

Would the householder be “too busy” if the person at the door had come to pay a long-standing debt? Then why turn down something far more important than money? Why is the spiritual mission of less importance than a financial one? Is it that the person thinks that the money is more important than peace and life? or is it that he has been misinformed about the nature, purpose and importance of the message that Jehovah’s witnesses bring? It could be either reason, or a combination of both.

In Bible times Jesus was received into the home of Mary and Martha. Mary was interested in the beneficial things Jesus had to say, but Martha was concerned about other matters, “attending to many duties.” She even protested that Mary was not busy with her. But Jesus said: “Mary chose the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.” Would you, like Martha, have been “too busy,” or like Mary would you have had time for the more important things?—Luke 10:38-42, NW.

Saul, like many people today, had been misinformed about the activity of first-century Christians. He participated in the persecution of them, and even had part in the murder of Stephen. It took a blinding miracle to open his spiritual eyes to the truth. Would you require such a jolt to see the importance of the message that true Christians, like those of nineteen hundred years ago, are bringing to people’s homes today?—Acts 9:1-19.

This activity is in harmony with Jesus’ specific instructions: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations, and then the accomplished end will come.” He further specifically commanded that this Christian message be taken right to the homes of the people: “When you are entering into the house, greet the household; and if the house is deserving, let the peace you wish it come upon it; but if it is not deserving, let the peace from you return upon you.” “He that listens to you listens to me too. And he that disregards you disregards me too. Moreover, he that disregards me disregards also him that sent me forth.”—Matt. 24:14; 10:12, 13; Luke 10:16, NW.

Jesus himself journeyed “from city to city and from village to village, preaching and declaring the good news of the kingdom of God.” Yes, the first-century Christians did teach from house to house. Paul explained: “I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.” And even after being flogged for this activity, “every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.”—Luke 8:1; Acts 20:20; 5:42, NW.

Sometimes people who are thus contacted at their doors say: “I’ve been to church this morning, thank you!” Then, is that not all the more reason why they should be interested in discussing spiritual matters with anyone who is interested in them? If they went to church to learn about God, and if they learned what they went to learn, then surely they would be interested in talking about the things they learned there. And if they did not learn anything that they consider important enough to want to talk about, then certainly they do need the very message that is being brought to their doors!

The message that is brought by visiting ministers of Jehovah is of the utmost importance. It is equally important as was the message that the disciples preached in the same manner during the first century. Back then the message was that Jesus was the Messiah, while the message today is that Christ’s second presence has occurred! This is the message to which all the faithful men of God looked, and particularly since Jesus told his disciples to watch for the establishment of his righteous kingdom that would bring lasting peace to the earth.

It is this message that Jehovah’s witnesses bring to your door. Their publications, like the one now in your hand, contain Scriptural proof of these facts. They concern a firm assurance of peace, health, happiness and everlasting life. They point out the reason for earth’s present difficulties and show their specific outcome. Such a message is strengthening and vital! Could anything be more important, more worth your time?

Jehovah’s witnesses, too, are busy people. They are busy working, supporting their families and doing all the things that you must do. But their conviction regarding the truth of these Scriptural promises is so great that they readily take their own time, without pay, to come to your home and show you these things from your own Bible. They are that interested in you. Are you interested enough in yourself to listen to them and to examine their message to prove whether it is true or not? You have nothing to lose by doing so, and actually everything to gain!

Most people take time for the things that they really want most to do, whether it is keeping up with their favorite football team’s scores, reading magazines or an occasional novel, studying trade papers that help them improve their business, watching television, attending movies or just talking with their friends. All of these can be enjoyable and perhaps even profitable things, but the point is that busy people have time for them when they really want to do them.

Do you want life? Do you want more contentment and a freer mind? Do you want to know why earth is in its present difficulties and what the outcome will be? Are these things as important to you as the baseball scores, the current best seller or the evening’s television programs? If they are, then you will have time to study the Bible. And especially will you have time when someone freely offers you a hand with it.

Taking this view, you will never say “I’m too busy” to people who are offering you the one thing above all things that is most certainly worth your time!

Modern History of Jehovah’s Witnesses

Part 24—Expanding in the Western Hemisphere

NORTH AMERICA, with its more than 201 million inhabitants, outstandingly shows an impressive record of the harvesting work. English, French and Spanish are the chief languages spoken. Religiously, a large segment is Protestant. Atheism too has a great hold. But Catholic thinking dominates in many sections. The North American mind, rooted in paganism, has in recent years, due to technological developments, gained a highly materialistic outlook, men thinking they are almost gods able to accomplish any purpose by means of “science,” falsely so called. They are also pleasure- and travel-minded, influenced by fantastic Hollywood films. Having led in the inventing of complicated machines of domestic industry and devices of war, the North American man has become a fearful slave of such inventions rather than their master. No peace of mind exists. Great fear of atomic war prevails, overshadowing the thinking of all, religiously, politically and socially.

The headquarters of the Watch Tower Society being located in North America, Jehovah’s witnesses who live here have had a head start in combing out the vast territory to find the “other sheep.” As soon as the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead began to turn out its well-trained missionaries in 1943, these were sent to the various outlying lands of North America, such as Mexico, Newfoundland, Alaska, the Central American countries (the republics of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador, and the British crown colony of Belize or British Honduras), as well as the isthmian republic of Panama and, yes, the French-Canadian province of Quebec.a By 1947 there were 163 Watch Tower missionaries operating in these fields and by 1955 the number had risen to 663 Gilead graduates working in twelve North American lands.

In the spring of 1945, before World War II came to its end, the Society’s president, N. H. Knorr, accompanied by director F. W. Franz, made the first official visit into Mexico and Central America, where arrangements were completed to expand missionary operations.b Official revisits from the Society’s executives have occurred about every four years. Throughout this vast continent hundreds of new congregations have been developed in isolated areas and also by subdividing congregations fast growing beyond 200 members in the large American cities. Particularly in Canada and the United States many congregations have been forced to build adequately equipped, beautifully designed Kingdom Halls to accommodate the growing needs of the witnesses for meeting places. In Mexico, where so many of those interested in the message of Jehovah’s kingdom are illiterate, schools have been established in each congregation for teaching young and old to read and write Spanish. This Mexican education program has been crowned with great success.c

Since 1945 the major battlefield has been in Canada, centering around the Catholic province of Quebec. From 1943 to 1955, 1,682 prosecutions of the witnesses have taken place there, in addition to many mob actions. Of the prosecutions, 780 were concluded in favor of Jehovah’s people; and recently 899 others have been terminated by the historic Canadian Supreme Court decision in favor of Jehovah’s witnesses in the case of Saumur v. Quebec, decided October 6, 1953.d In January, 1954, the Quebec provincial government retaliated by enacting a law to frame the witnesses. This annoyance, too, has had to be challenged in the courts of the land. In 1951 the witnesses won one of the most outstanding decisions in Canadian legal history, the case of Boucher v. The King, where the Canadian Supreme Court held that the preaching activity of the witnesses was not seditious.e Canada having no guarantees of civil liberty and the witnesses having been victims so long of scandalous persecution, the Society in Canada circulated a petition requesting a Bill of Rights. Eventually 500,967 Canadians signed this petition, which was presented to Parliament June 9, 1947. In February, 1949, a second and still larger petition was submitted, of 625,510 signatures, but this, too, went unheeded. Despite the heat of battle in Catholic Quebec, the number of witnesses is growing very rapidly as this prison house is being opened for honest people to change their thinking in freedom of worship and to escape to God’s New World society.

The following table indicates the stupendous effort that has been put forth in North America in recent years and the very satisfying results indicated in the growing number of ministers.f

1942 7 75,589 19,668,961

1947 12 91,740 20,787,495

1952 12 168,752 25,810,384

1953 12 193,542 26,734,105

1955 12 236,124 29,999,901

Over twenty-nine million hours of preaching spent in 1955 by 236,124 ordained ministers was bound to have powerful effect upon the thinking of millions. By 1955 in North America there was one minister of Jehovah’s witnesses for every 922 inhabitants of the continent. The gathering work in this part of the world has gained great momentum and no amount of clergy opposition can now slow it down. Thousands of congregations are continually expanding as they absorb the tens of thousands of new ones fleeing to God’s organization for safety.

ISLANDS OF THE ATLANTIC, CARIBBEAN AND MEDITERRANEAN

In great numbers the inhabitants of the isles are hearing the call of the Right Shepherd, Jesus Christ, as they hasten to flee to Jehovah’s mountainlike organization. The islands of the Atlantic, Caribbean and Mediterranean are great in total number and quite thickly populated by over sixteen million whites, browns and blacks of English, Dutch, Latin and African origins. Life for them is not so complicated as it is for their North American cousins. Their thinking religiously is colored by that of Catholicism, Anglican discipline and demonistic superstitions such as voodooism. Moral standards are not very high, due to priestcraft’s practice of divine bribery by paying money for forgiveness of sins; the men may have one official wife and several other women with whom they live in common-law relationship. A large percentage of children are born out of wedlock. The women do much of the work and practically support their husbands and children. No great care has been given to educating the young. People live day by day without great worries, enjoying meager pleasures and not exercising their thinking powers to any great degree. Yet among masses of this frame of mind thousands are becoming serious Christian ministers in association with Jehovah’s witnesses.

Late in 1943 Gilead graduate missionaries began to be sent to Cuba, where immediate success was had in teaching eager listeners Bible truth. Thereafter Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Jamaica and other islands began to be “invaded” by Watch Tower missionaries, where the populace gave them ready reception. The Society spent about $125,000 in expanding the ministry in the Caribbean area as well as in Central America and South America in the year 1946 alone.g For three consecutive years from 1944 onward the president of the Society made visits to Cuba and other islands to stimulate the excellent beginnings made in these areas.h By 1955 there were 144 missionaries operating in 38 different political “lands” on islands. For several years the schooner Sibia was a floating missionary home with a crew of Gilead graduates calling from island to island to give lectures, witness to all the natives and hold Bible studies with them.i That vessel has now been replaced by the larger ship Light.j Much isolated interest has thus been gathered for permanent missionary activity by later ministers, whom the Society will send into the territory.

Inspired by the clergy, government bans, missionary deportations and general opposition have developed in Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bermuda, Jamaica and other islands, but this does not deter the witnesses, as is apparent in the following chart of expansion.k

1942 6 1,297 237,057

1947 12 6,429 1,448,810

1952 15 15,659 2,200,647

1953 29 17,421 2,248,941

1955 38 19,615 2,673,483

A mighty preaching service of more than two million hours a year is sounding forth Jehovah’s praises in these islands. By this means thousands more will be educated for life in Jehovah’s glorious new world of righteousness. Already in 1955 there was one minister of Jehovah’s witnesses for every 971 of the islanders. A good percentage this!

SOUTH AMERICA

Up until the close of World War II all the lands of the continent of South America, with its 120 million inhabitants, seemed to be the sole preserve of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1945, with the Western democracies defeating the Catholic-Fascist-Nazi attempt at world control, the door into South America seemed to be wide open for the penetration of true Christianity by means of the courageous missionaries of Jehovah’s witnesses. Spanish and Portuguese are the chief languages. Due to the centuries-long heavy hand of the Vatican Hierarchy the thinking of the people in this part of the world is limited, sensual and superstitious. People are sports mad and go in heavily for gambling. Morals, due to the prohibition of divorce because of the Catholic view of matters, naturally are not too high, and common-law marriage is normal practice. Illegitimate children are many and no practical solution has been found for their pitiful state. There is much need for education, which has never been encouraged much by “the Church.” Many are of a proud nature, quick of temper. All seem to be uniformly fanatical patriots with a feeling of superiority. They are easily excited by an idea or the novelty of a thing, but their superficial thinking prevents them from being further interested. What success will Bible education have upon such a people and their way of thinking? We shall see.

In February and March, 1945, the Society’s president, N. H. Knorr, and his companion, F. W. Franz, made their initial visit into South America.l All the major countries were visited and plans were drawn up for missionary expansion into all these countries. The work in Argentina and Brazil had been started in the early twenties but needed to be modernized considerably. Gilead-trained missionaries were sent to South America shortly thereafter and by 1947 there were 117 of them in twelve different South American countries. By 1955 the number of missionaries assigned there by the Society exceeded 340. This meant the opening and financing of many missionary homes throughout South America and also the establishing of suitable branch offices and quarters. Thousands of dollars were spent in this South American expansion, but the fruitage was quick in forthcoming.a Thousands began to leave the Catholic organization to become students of the ministry as Jehovah’s witnesses. Many had to be taught to read and write in the course of their Bible studies. Furthermore, a moral cleanup was necessary, as only those who are married in accordance with Biblical principles could be counted as associates. This required many marital adjustments. So much so that it has come to public notice that the witnesses are the only ones who provide a moral uplift for their associates. But in spite of all these difficulties, the increase has been phenomenal, from 807 ministers in 1942 to 18,800 in 1955. Opposition has been manifested in Colombia, Brazil and other places. In Argentina the Society continued placed under a ban since 1949 by the late dictatorial Perón government. But this does not stop the increases in Colombia, Brazil and even Argentina.

The growth in South America is encouraging and appears to be just at its beginning, for a truly great multitude seems ready to come forth from that part of Jehovah’s field. Observe the following report of this expansion.b

1942 8 807 219,905

1947 12 2,431 956,928

1952 13 11,795 1,990,208

1953 12 13,174 2,137,541

1955 12 18,800 2,874,637

On this southern continent the witness work is comparatively new. Already there is one minister of Jehovah’s witnesses for every 6,435 of the population. But the future promises that this ratio will be greatly reduced as the expansion of true Christianity continues.

(To be continued)

And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations, and then the accomplished end will come.—Matt. 24:14, NW.

[Footnotes]

The Test That Leads to a Blessing

“Bring the whole tithe into the treasure-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and pour you out a blessing, till there be no place for it.”—Malachi 3:10, Da.

1. What is the reason that worldly prosperity has been uncertain and shaky?

PROSPERITY does not exist without a reason. If it is a real prosperity there must be a solid basis for it. This is true of material prosperity; it is true of spiritual prosperity. Men whose hearts are fixed on gaining the material things of this world have long tried to lay the foundation for a lasting prosperity in material things and have used the best brains of this world to that end, but their prosperity has been very uncertain and shaky and they are ever fearful, nervously tense and expecting cycles of depression. There is a simple explanation for this. Their prosperity, as long as it is enjoyed, is of a selfish, one-sided kind, maintained by the wisdom of this world. It ignores the very source and the very basis for true, enduring prosperity.

2. What is the basis for true material prosperity, and upon what truth does this provable fact rest?

² What we now say may sound strange, but with all their economic slumps and the insecurity of their present flourishing condition the materialists have no grounds for denying it and are unable to disprove it. The basis for true material prosperity is spiritual prosperity. This provable truth rests upon the fact that the one unfailing source of prosperity is the richest Person, the happiest One in the universe, the One who says: “Thus saith God, Jehovah, he that created the heavens and stretched them out, he that spread forth the earth and its productions, he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isa. 42:5, 8, Da; AS) He, though spirit, is the Creator of all material things. He has the continuous monopoly of all material things. He controls the production of all things material. The source of all true and lasting material prosperity must therefore be spiritual. Spiritual prosperity means prospering in our relations with Jehovah God.

3. Which prosperity does the great spiritual Source put first, and why?

³ The great spiritual Source puts spiritual prosperity ahead of material prosperity as being more important, for the former is the basis for the latter. The famous “sermon on the mount” nicely sets forth that fact in these words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the great prosperous God: “Never be anxious and say: ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’ For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. For your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:31-33, NW) Pursuit of material prosperity may lead to enjoying many things of this earth selfishly for a long or a short time, but pursuit of the spiritual prosperity will lead to unending life in an endless world of prosperity in union with the immortal Source of it all, Jehovah God.

4. What examples in the past and present do we have to make us sure of this?

⁴ We do not have just Jesus’ words to make us sure of this. We have a national example of this in the past and a national example of it today. The example of long ago was the nation of Israel in the land of Palestine. The example of today is the “holy nation” of Jehovah’s anointed witnesses. (Isa. 66:8; 1 Pet. 2:9) Jehovah’s witnesses an example of prosperity? Yes, spiritually! But what of all the international hatred of them and the widespread persecution of them? That goes along with the spiritual prosperity, for Jesus said: “No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news who will not get a hundredfold now in this period of time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, WITH PERSECUTIONS, and in the coming system of things everlasting life.”—Mark 10:29, 30, NW.

5. What prophecy foretold the illustration that Jehovah’s witnesses are today furnishing, and for what does the fulfillment of it call?

⁵ The illustration that Jehovah’s witnesses are today furnishing was foretold in a prophecy to ancient Israel. It stated the rule for gaining real prosperity. As this rule is contrary to the rules of this world, the applying of it calls for courage, faith and persistence and brings about a test. But it is a test that proves the rule and leads to a satisfying blessing. The prophecy setting out the rule was given twenty-four centuries ago through the Hebrew prophet Malachi in these words: “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this way,’ says the LORD [Jehovah] of hosts, ‘and see if I will not open for you the windows of the heavens, and pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need.’”—Mal. 3:10, AT.

WHY THE TEST

6. Why were the Israelites of Malachi’s day not prospering materially?

⁶ What was the reason for calling for this test to be made of the Lord Jehovah of hosts? Malachi’s prophecy shows it clearly. It was because the nation of Israel in the fifth century before the Christian era was not healthy spiritually. Could a nation of robbers be healthy spiritually, especially robbers of God? Could breakers of a covenant or solemn contract with him? No, for they were working against the very Source of all prosperity. So because they were not well off spiritually they were not prospering materially. The great divine Source of prosperity wanted to see them getting along well materially according to his promises in his covenant with them. But first they had to keep their part of this covenant. Notice why the only living and true God calls them a nation of robbers and calls upon them to turn about:

7. From what evil course did Jehovah call upon them to return to him?

⁷ “I, Jehovah, change not; therefore ye, O sons of Jacob [whose surname was Israel], are not consumed. From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? yet ye rob me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with the curse [rather, With a curse have ye been cursing, Ro]; for ye rob me, even this whole nation.”—Mal. 3:6-9, AS.

8. How could they be said to be robbing God, and what was shown to be their attitude toward God’s altar and name?

⁸ When a nation enters a covenant with Jehovah God and comes under the command to offer certain sacrifices and then selfishly refuses and fails to offer up the kind of sacrifices required, that nation is cheating; it is robbing God of his due and thus breaking the covenant. The terms of the covenant required that only sound, unblemished animals be offered and accepted for Jehovah’s altar. (Lev. 22:21, NW) Malachi’s prophecy pointed out that they were offering blind, lame, violently torn, sick and lean animals and their priests were accepting such for Jehovah’s altar. His altar is as a table and the sacrifices offered on it are as food to him. (Ezek. 41:22; Num. 28:2, NW) In view of this both the people and the priests were showing contempt for his temple table; they were offering polluted food upon it. They were not thinking much of his name; they were despising it. They were giving it no glory. Theirs were certainly not “offerings in righteousness” and hence were not “pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years,” when the first temple was built and inaugurated on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem by King Solomon. (Mal. 1:6-8, 12-14; 3:3, 4, AS; 2 Chron. 3:1-3; 5:1-14; 7:1-3) When they were thus cheating God and the careless priests gave the impression that he did not mind, how could they rightly expect to receive the blessings promised in the covenant to only faithful, appreciative worshipers of Jehovah God?

9. So under what did they come, and how was this made evident?

⁹ Instead of the blessings, they came under the curse against which God had warned them in the covenant. Their crops in the field did not come to full fruitage; locusts and other pests devoured them. Their vines had the grape clusters shrivel up or they dropped the grapes before the time of vintage. Nations round about had no visible reason to call them a happy people and their land delightsome. They did not enjoy material prosperity because they did not seek spiritual prosperity first.

10. What was the primary reason for restoring the remnant of Jews to their homeland, and how did Cyrus’ action show this?

¹⁰ The Israelites had come to forget or overlook the main purpose for which they had been freed from Babylon and restored to their native land in Palestine in 537 B.C. The reoccupying of the land of Judah and Jerusalem that had lain uninhabited for seventy years and the transforming of it from a jungle and desolation into an earthly paradise was not the primary reason for God to have the conqueror of Babylon free them and send them back home. The primary reason was to restore them to their spiritual privileges and obligations, to rebuild the temple to Jehovah at the place where he had put his name and to worship him there. King Cyrus of Persia, the conqueror of Babylon, in the first year of his reign published a decree and in it told the Jews why he was freeing them: “This is what Cyrus the king of Persia has said, ‘All the kingdoms of the earth Jehovah the God of the heavens has given me and he himself has commissioned me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God prove to be with him. So let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of Jehovah the God of Israel—he is The [true] God—which was in Jerusalem.’” (Ezra 1:1-8, NW) Jews who did not go back made great material contributions to both the house that was to be rebuilt at Jerusalem and also to the Jewish remnant that was going up to rebuild it. And King Cyrus entrusted to this remnant the sacred vessels that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had taken from the first temple at Jerusalem, which he had destroyed. So the spiritual rehabilitation of the Israelites led to their material rehabilitation in their own native land. No question about that!

11. What did the restored Jews set themselves to do, what followed their neglecting to finish the work, and what question arose when they did finish it?

¹¹ Immediately on returning to Jerusalem they set themselves to fulfilling their prime purpose. The altar to Jehovah—his temple table—was rebuilt and the foundation of his second temple was laid on the site of the first. When outside enemies interfered, the temple builders laid off from the work. What followed upon this faithless neglect of Jehovah’s house? During the sixteen years that the temple lay uncompleted, barely begun, they did not prosper materially, not to speak of prospering spiritually. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah called this to their attention. So they defied their enemies and resumed temple building. Then God began blessing them again materially in keeping with his covenant. In 516 B.C. the temple was completed and inaugurated. Now they had Jehovah’s temple again with its acting priesthood and its Levites, the assistants to the priests, and its Nethinim, the non-Israelite temple slaves. Would they continue to keep spiritual matters first, with the correct understanding that the spiritual comes before the material and that the material depends upon the spiritual? During the days of the Jewish governor Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua, yes.

12. After the days of Zerubbabel and Joshua what did they become, and what did this condition of theirs kill?

¹² But after the days of these faithful, spiritually-minded men the Israelites began to lose their appreciation of the pure blessings of the worship of Jehovah God. They set their hearts more on material things. They became materialistic. Their materialism killed their spirituality. They thought that by pursuing materialism at the expense of spirituality they would increase their material things. Just the reverse! Their materialism also killed their material prosperity, for it ignored the Source of prosperity. Jehovah God does not bless materialism. He curses it.

13. For what reason should we today examine those ancient examples?

¹³ “Now these things became our examples, for us not to be persons desiring injurious things, even as they desired them. Now these things went on befalling them as examples and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the accomplished ends of the systems of things have arrived.” So said the apostle Paul, who also quoted from Malachi’s prophecy. (1 Cor. 10:6, 11 and Rom. 15:4, NW) So we must examine how these ancient examples apply to us today, for we have been living in the “time of the end” of this system of things since A.D. 1914. The train of events since then, beginning with World War I and all foretold by Jesus Christ, proves that.

14. Of whose coming did Malachi warn the Israelites, and how does this explain the searching judgment process that is taking place with all religions?

¹⁴ Another thing: Because of the selfish, ungodly materialism of the Israelites the prophet Malachi warned them that the Lord Jehovah God would suddenly come to his temple accompanied by his Angel or Messenger of the covenant of blessing, and then He would be a judge and swift witness and executor against the faithless materialists among the people who claimed to be his. (Mal. 3:1, Da) Jesus, after his forerunner John the Baptist had died, showed that Malachi 3:1 had a fulfillment in his day as an example of warning to us in this day when the greater and final fulfillment comes. (Matt. 11:10-15; 17:10-13) The book You May Survive Armageddon into God’s New World, released last June, and the article “Jehovah Is in His Holy Temple,” published in the November 15 English issue of The Watchtower, prove that Jehovah came accompanied by his Angel of the covenant, Jesus Christ, to the spiritual temple in the spring of 1918. This accounts for the searching judgment process that is going on at Jehovah’s temple, exposing the empty philosophies, false man-made traditions and demonic teachings of all the religions that are a part of this old system of things.

15. With whom did the judgment from the temple begin, and why?

¹⁵ Remember, however, that the people whom Malachi warned were those to whom God had said: “Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah.” (Isa. 43:10, 12, AS) So the judgment began first with Jehovah’s witnesses after he came to his spiritual temple in 1918. At that time they came into great trials because of the persecutions that were heaped upon them, particularly by those nations embroiled in World War I. Then especially they came into a captive, exiled condition like that of the ancient Israelites in pagan Babylon. There was an ensnaring, bondage-bringing “fear of man.” This resulted in a neglect of Jehovah’s spiritual temple, which is made up of his anointed witnesses. Under the restraints of the fear of men these were hurting their own spiritual interests, hence the interests of God’s temple class; and the temple service or God’s assigned work for them was not being done. To them the Bible says: “Do you not know that you people are God’s temple and that the spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you people are.” (1 Cor. 3:16, 17, NW) But the remnant of the temple class on earth were not giving the temple service the due support because of selfish fear of man and man’s governments, who were trying to destroy this remnant of the temple class. Hence Jehovah’s judgment at his spiritual temple had to begin with this anointed remnant of his witnesses.

16. What questions confronted the anointed remnant on their release from antitypical Babylon in 1919, and on what invitation did they act?

¹⁶ In 1919 Jehovah God by his Greater Cyrus, the reigning King Jesus Christ, delivered his witnesses from this modern Babylonish condition of bondage to worldly men. Quite a number of them came out of literal prisons where they had been confined for their religious faith. Now what would they do? The postwar world was now open before them with all its opportunities for trying to rebuild this old, war-torn world under its new League of Nations and give it an artificial prosperity. Would they now join this world in its materialistic desires and pursuits? Was that what they had been praying for when they were under Babylonish captivity and longing to be free? Was that why Jehovah’s Greater Cyrus had set them free? From a materialistic standpoint the worldly opportunities were very inviting. But God’s invitation and command to them was: “Bring the whole tithe into the treasure-house, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and pour you out a blessing, till there be no place for it.” (Mal. 3:10, Da) The temple remnant acted on God’s invitation to test him. How?

THE SPIRITUAL “WHOLE TITHE”

17. In what way was God asking for no more than he had covenanted for, and who was a worthy example of obeying this feature of God’s law?

¹⁷ Jehovah God was asking for no more than he had covenanted or contracted for. In the laws of his covenant with Israel Jehovah commanded the nation to give him a tithe or tenth of all their increase: “Without fail you should give a tenth of all the produce of your seed, what comes forth on the field year by year.” (Deut. 14:22, NW) Jehovah God placed his name upon the temple rebuilt at Jerusalem. Therefore the tithes or tenths had to be brought there and deposited in the treasure house or storerooms there. “To the place that Jehovah your God will choose out of all your tribes to place his name there, to have it reside, you will seek and there you must come. And there you must bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices and your tenth parts and the contribution of your hand and your vow offerings and your voluntary offerings and the firstborn ones of your herd and of your flock. And there you must eat before Jehovah your God and rejoice in every undertaking of yours, you and your households, because Jehovah your God has blessed you.” (Deut. 12:5-7, 11, 12, 17-19; 14:23, NW) God deserved the best: “The best of the first ripe fruits of your ground you are to bring to the house of Jehovah your God.” (Ex. 23:19, NW; Deut. 26:2-4, 10, 12) Hezekiah (king 745-716 B.C.) was a worthy example of a ruler of Jerusalem who had Israel obey this feature of Jehovah’s law.—2 Chron. 31:2-16.

18. Why was the tithe to be paid to the Levites, and how was the material condition of the Levites affected by payment?

¹⁸ The tithe or tenth was required of the twelve tribes of Israel in order to support the tribe of Levi, whose males directly served God at his temple as priests and Levites. “And to the sons of Levi, look! I have given every tenth part in Israel as an inheritance in return for their service that they are carrying on, the service of the tent of meeting. . . . in the midst of the sons of Israel they should not get possession of an inheritance. For the tenth part of the sons of Israel, which they will contribute to Jehovah as a contribution, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance.” (Num. 18:21-24, NW) Thus nine tenths of its increase remained to each of the twelve tribes, and the tribe of Levi got all together twelve tenth parts. As the nation of Israel prospered, the Levites were bound to prosper if the whole tithe were paid them.

19. How did the tithing requirement apply to the nonpriestly Levites, and what did the tithes enable the receivers to do?

¹⁹ Even the nonpriestly Levites were required to pay tithes, to the priests, of the family of Aaron the Levite. “And you should speak to the Levites and you must say to them, ‘You will receive from the sons of Israel the tenth part that I have given to you from them for your inheritance, and you must contribute from it as a contribution to Jehovah a tenth part of the tenth part. . . . In this way you yourselves also will contribute a contribution to Jehovah from all your tenth parts that you will receive from the sons of Israel, and from them you must give the contribution to Jehovah to Aaron the priest. From all the gifts to you, you will contribute every sort of contribution to Jehovah, of the very best of it, as some holy thing from them.’” The tithes were like wages to them: “You must eat it in every place, you and your household, because it is your wages in return for your service in the tent of meeting.” (Num. 18:25-32, NW) “And the priest the son of Aaron must prove to be with the Levites when the Levites receive a tenth, and the Levites themselves should offer up a tenth of the tenth to the house of our God to the dining halls of the supply house. For it is to the dining halls that the sons of Israel and the sons of the Levites should bring the contribution.” (Neh. 10:38, 39, NW) Thus the payment of the whole tithe enabled priests and Levites to devote their time and strength to doing their duties at Jehovah’s temple; it kept the temple service going full scale.

20. Failure or refusal to pay the whole tithe was, in effect, what? How did Nehemiah show it affected Jehovah’s temple servants?

²⁰ The refusal or failure to pay the whole tithe was a robbing of Jehovah God, for it was a holding back of what he had covenanted for and deserved. (Lev. 27:30) It was a failure to support his priests and Levites in their service at his temple; it resulted in a lessening of his working staff and of their activities at his temple. It was a neglect of his sacred house and of their spiritual interests. It affected Jehovah’s temple servants just as Nehemiah, governor of Judah, described it: “I got to find out that the very portions of the Levites had not been given [them], so that the Levites and the singers doing the work went running off, each one to his own field. And I began to find fault with the deputy rulers and say: ‘Why has the house of The [true] God been neglected?’ Consequently I collected them [the Levites] together and stationed them at their standing place [in the temple]. And all Judah, for their part, brought in the tenth of the grain and of the new wine and of the oil to the stores. Then I put Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the copyist and Pedaiah of the Levites in charge of the stores, . . . and upon them it devolved to do the distributing to their brothers.” (Neh. 13:10-13, NW) Robbing God as respects his tithes ended up with reduced spiritual benefits and services to Israel.

21. Why, since 1918, can Jehovah’s anointed witnesses not pay tithes according to the ancient law, and why could the Christians of the first century not pay them?

²¹ As Malachi 3:10 applies to the spiritual Israelites, the remnant of the temple class, since Jehovah came to his temple for judgment work in 1918, do these anointed witnesses of Jehovah have to bring literal tithes to him? No; no more than there is a literal house at Jerusalem with literal Levites and priests of the family of Aaron to which to bring such literal tithes. Malachi 3:10 had its first application to the anointed Christian witnesses of Jehovah back in the first century, from Pentecost of A.D. 33 onward. So they are an example to us. After they were anointed with God’s holy spirit on the day of Pentecost these Jewish Christians could no longer bring the literal tithes to Herod’s temple at Jerusalem. To do so would have meant supporting a material temple that God had abandoned. It would have meant supporting a priesthood that had hatefully put Jesus Christ to death and that was fighting Christianity, opposing Christ’s apostles, imprisoning them and trying to kill them.—Matt. 23:37, 38; 27:20; Acts 4:1-10; 5:17-27, 40; 12:1-5.

22. How does the record show that those first-century Christians did not tithe literally?

²² Neither did that remnant of Jewish Christians tithe to support the twelve apostles and the rest of the governing body of the congregation in Jerusalem. If they tithed or tenthed literally in obedience to Malachi 3:10, how is it that the record says that the believers “were together in having all things in common, and they went to selling their possessions and properties and to distributing the proceeds to all just as anyone would have the need”? “And not even one would say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.” (Acts 2:44, 45; 4:32-37; 6:1-6, NW) Materially, this was more than a whole tithe and it did not go to just the apostles, overseers and ministerial servants.

23, 24. What is the antitypical tithe, and how did the fistful of a grain offering that the priest burned on the altar illustrate it?

²³ What, then, is the tithe that must be brought into the storehouse of Jehovah’s spiritual temple by his people today? What today did the tithe or tenth of ancient Israel typify or foreshadow?

²⁴ It is true that in Scripture ten is used as a symbol of earthly allness, entirety, completeness, but a tenth is not. The Israelite tenth did not typify the all that Christians dedicate to God through Christ. So the Israelite’s giving of the tenth does not picture our dedicating ourselves wholly to Jehovah and symbolizing it by water baptism. The Israelite tithe was not all their increase; it was a fraction, a mere tenth. Therefore it represents only a part of all that we have dedicated. Our bringing in the antitypical tithe to Jehovah’s temple storehouse is simply a token or symbol of the fact that we have dedicated our all to Jehovah as our God; it is a memorial of our dedication. It is like the memorial that the priest offered up directly on the altar to God: “In case some soul would present as an offering a grain offering to Jehovah, his offering should prove to be fine flour and he must pour oil over it and put frankincense upon it. And he must bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests, and the priest must grasp from it his fistful of its fine flour and its oil along with all its frankincense, and he must make it smoke as a remembrancer of it upon the altar, as an offering made by fire of a smell of appeasement to Jehovah. And what is left of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons, as something most holy from Jehovah’s offerings made by fire.” (Lev. 2:1-3, 7-10, 14-16; 6:14-18, NW; Num. 5:25, 26) The fistful that the priest burned directly on the altar was just a remembrancer of the entire offering to God. The priest could use the rest.

25. In view of the purpose of the Israelite tithe, what, in brief, is our antitypical tithe?

²⁵ So, too, we Christians who have become God’s people must give proof that we have dedicated our all to Jehovah through Christ, and this proof we must give year after year. This regular contribution that we give in token of the fact that we have given all that we are and have to the Most High God—this is our antitypical tithe. Remember that the purpose of the Israelite tithe was to support Jehovah’s temple and its service by his chosen priests and Levites. So our antitypical tithe is the support that we give directly to Jehovah’s temple service. We may bring this antitypical tithe into the storehouse of Jehovah’s spiritual temple in two ways.

26. How may we, in part, bring in the antitypical tithe?

²⁶ We may, in part, bring in the antitypical or spiritual tithe by making money or material gifts to the promoting of Jehovah’s worship at his spiritual temple, the Foundation Cornerstone of which temple is Jesus Christ. (Eph. 2:20-22, NW; 1 Pet. 2:4-6) These material contributions are not held down to a tenth, neither must they be at least a tenth; they may amount to more or to less than a tenth. But they must be cheerfully given, for “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7, NW) We can make such contributions to the upkeep and furtherance of Jehovah’s worship by donating money to the service agency of His witnesses, the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania, or contributing to the expenses of our local congregation or of a larger assembly or directly to individuals engaged in some department of the temple service or to the poor who belong to Jehovah and by our gifts to whom we lend to Jehovah. (Prov. 19:17) Contributing materially is only part of tithe bringing.

27. How may we bring in the antitypical tithe as respects meetings?

²⁷ We may also bring in the antitypical or spiritual tithe by personally participating directly in the temple worship and promoting it. Ancient temple worship meant to go with your tithe to the temple and be in contact with the priests, Levites and other Israelites there at God’s house; it was more than private worship at home. So we can bring in the spiritual tithe by attending meetings at gathering places of Jehovah’s worshipers and not only being personally present but also taking whatever part is allowed in such meetings and so building up the others there by some spiritual word or assistance; by afterward encouraging newcomers or newly interested ones, as also by aiding others to get to meetings. All this may require doing some private preparing of oneself for the temple worship opportunities. Neglecting meetings is neglecting temple worship now when Jehovah’s day draws near.—Heb. 10:24, 25.

28. How do we also bring in the antitypical tithe as respects field activity?

²⁸ We also bring in the spiritual tithes by preparing ourselves and then going out into the field either alone or in a group to preach the commanded Kingdom message, thus showing others that we worship Jehovah and thus encouraging others to do so. The preparing of ourselves for this will be helped by our attending the congregational “service meeting” and “theocratic ministry school.” Ancient tithes went to supporting the priests and Levites. We must thus support the antitypical “sons of Levi,” the present-day remnant of Jehovah’s “royal priesthood,” in their preaching of his established kingdom and in putting his worship topmost, high above all the political and religious “mountains” of this system of things. (1 Pet. 2:5, 9) This field activity will also include advertising public meetings by word of mouth and leaflet, by attending them oneself and by helping others, whether dedicated brothers or recently interested persons, to attend. Spiritual tithing or tenthing includes our helping along the global movement of “all nations” and “all peoples” up the exalted mountain of Jehovah’s house to his temple courts, there to worship him together.—Isa. 2:2-4, AS.

29. Why does the spiritual tithe-bringing apply to the poor as well as to the materially rich?

²⁹ This spiritual contribution, accompanied by prayer, is more important than the material contribution. All persons dedicated to Jehovah God, whether materially rich or poor, can bring in this kind of spiritual tithe into his storehouse. Whereas some may see themselves able to give only the ‘widow’s mite’ (Luke 21:1-4), they can still give the more vital spiritual tenth to temple worship by directly doing witness work according to opportunity, by offering the home for holding temple-worship meetings, or by some other valuable assistance to Jehovah’s work. The materially well supplied who can give money or goods must not think that that is enough. The money gift does not excuse them from the spiritual contribution in the way of preaching and making public declaration either at meeting place or out in the field in house-to-house work. “This good news of the kingdom” must be preached by all the temple worshipers in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and we must bring in the whole spiritual tithe by backing up the preaching and personally taking part in it.—Matt. 24:14, NW.

Blessed Results from Making the Test

1. What happened when the Israelites listened to Malachi and brought in the whole tenth, and how was that illustrated in Nehemiah’s governorship of Judah?

WHEN the Israelites listened to Malachi and brought in the whole tithe to the temple storehouse, what followed? The full quota of priests and Levites turned out regularly to serve at the temple and to care for the spiritual needs of the people, keeping the people in favored relationship with their God. An illustration of this we have in the days of Nehemiah, governor of the province of Judah, after he rebuilt and inaugurated Jerusalem’s walls in 455 B.C. “There were appointed on that day men over the halls for the stores, for the contributions, for the first fruits and for the tenths, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions [called for by] the law for the priests and the Levites; for the rejoicing of Judah was because of the priests and of the Levites who were in attendance. And they began taking care of the obligation of their God and the obligation of the purification, also the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David [and] Solomon his son. . . . And all Israel during the days of Zerubbabel and during the days of Nehemiah were giving the portions of the singers and of the gatekeepers according to the daily need and were sanctifying [them] to the Levites, and the Levites were sanctifying [them] to the sons of Aaron.” (Neh. 12:44-47, NW) The Israelites rejoiced to see the full service force on duty at the temple; all service positions were filled. They were glad because their own contributions helped to make it so, by providing for all these temple servants. Twelve years later Nehemiah found it necessary to revive this temple support and reinstate the Levitical temple servants in their places and have all Judah back them up materially. (Neh. 13:10-14) Then Judah rejoiced again.

2. (a) How are Jehovah’s witnesses made to rejoice as Judah then rejoiced? (b) How did the agricultural condition of the nation affect the temple servants?

² Likewise with Jehovah’s witnesses today. We too are made to rejoice when we heed God’s invitation and bring in the spiritual tithes, for then we see an increase in the temple worship due to an increase in the number of active, well-supported servants at the temple. Because the remnant of spiritual Israelites brought in the spiritual tithes from 1919 on, the full number of members of the “royal priesthood” were brought in by 1931 to fill up the places of the 144,000 members of the body of Jesus Christ the High Priest. By bringing in the spiritual tithes Jehovah’s house is made to prosper with plenty of food in its storehouse or treasure house, and the temple servants have, so to speak, the necessary food and clothing for carrying on their duties there. In ancient Israel, even when the tithes were brought in, if the produce of the field was poor, the tithes would be correspondingly poor and the temple servants would have correspondingly poor material support. So what?

3. How did Jehovah’s covenant here come into play, and what kind of testing of him was the bringing in of the whole tithe?

³ Here Jehovah’s covenant came into play. According to it he was not going to let such a poor inbringing of tithes be necessary due to poor returns from the field when his people were faithful. If they did their part, then he would do his. Their obediently bringing in the whole tithe he declared to be a testing or proving of him as their God. It was a testing of him as to his carrying out his part of the covenant. This was a legitimate testing of him. It was not a tempting of him to do evil; it was no testing of him by one’s doing evil, or foolishness. (Mal. 3:15; Matt. 4:5-7) It was a doing of one’s proper part of the covenant moved by love and faith, not by presumptuously going beyond what the covenant allowed. It betokened a loving trust in God to do faithfully his part of the covenant, as promised at Leviticus 26:3-10 and Deuteronomy 28:1-14.

4. In answer to the test what did Jehovah promise to do, and what does this show as to the source of prosperity?

⁴ “‘Test me now in this way,’ says the LORD [Jehovah] of hosts, ‘and see if I will not open for you the windows of the heavens, and pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need.’” (Mal. 3:10, AT) The heavens are the source of prosperity, for they are Jehovah’s real storehouse. (Deut. 28:12, AS; Lev. 26:4; Jer. 10:13) The source of our blessing is from heaven down, not from the material earth up. Heaven’s windows are the “floodgates of the heavens.” (Gen. 7:11; 8:2, NW) Through these sluices Jehovah empties out his overflowing blessing upon the covenant keepers. He promised to pour out this blessing before the great and dreadful day of Jehovah.

5. Since when has this test been made, and has Jehovah met it?

⁵ By lovingly, faithfully, zealously bringing in the spiritual tithes since 1919 the remnant of spiritual Israelites proceeded to test Jehovah according to his new covenant through Christ. Has Jehovah met the test? The abundant blessing that has been poured out upon his witnesses during the thirty-six years since then answers emphatically Yes! Note what all this blessing includes:

6. What has this blessing included as to literature?

⁶ October 1, 1919, the magazine The Golden Age (now Awake!) began to be published as a complement to The Watch Tower. In 1920, commencing with Talking with the Dead? and later Millions Now Living Will Never Die, a new series of booklets began to be published regularly. The old Bible textbooks, the seven volumes of Studies in the Scriptures (1886-1917), were replaced, for, beginning with The Harp of God of 1921, a new series of Bible study textbooks was published culminating in the book You May Survive Armageddon into God’s New World in 1955. All these publications since 1919 have kept presenting Bible doctrines and expositions of Bible prophecy from the progressive standpoint and not according to tradition or the understanding of any dead man. In addition to publishing those Bible study helps, the Watch Tower Society has entered into publishing Bible versions, The Emphatic Diaglott, the King James Version, the American Standard Version, and the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. New free tracts were provided, the “Challenge” of 1922 starting off the series that has run into the hundreds of millions of copies till now.

7. As to means of production and assemblies?

⁷ Additionally, beginning in 1920 with the small printing plant at 35 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, factories were established for printing the literature of Jehovah’s witnesses upon their own presses, and now a thirteen-story addition is in building opposite the nine-story factory at 117 Adams Street. There has been an increase in the number of branches of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania from less than twenty in 1919 to over seventy now, the latest ones being in Luxembourg and Berlin. Besides the recurring circuit, district and national assemblies, great international assemblies began with the Cedar Point Convention in 1919, climaxing in 1955 with the series of thirteen “Triumphant Kingdom” Assemblies at which more than four hundred thousand heard the public talk “World Conquest Soon—by God’s Kingdom” in nine languages, and over thirteen thousand were baptized. The film “The New World Society in Action,” exhibited free to hundreds of thousands over all the earth from 1954 on, continues to show the Society’s factory in operation and a number of international assemblies in progress, especially that at Yankee Stadium, New York city, in 1953, when a visible audience of 165,829 heard the public lecture there.

8. As to sound reproduction and as to training preachers?

⁸ Radio stations were established, the Society’s own radio station WBBR still functioning since its inauguration in 1924, and this now being supplemented by free broadcasting over commercial radio stations. For many years field sound equipment was provided and used, such as sound cars and portable phonographs for playing recorded sermons. New Bethel homes for housing branch workers were built, starting with the new Brooklyn Bethel home in 1927. The missionary school, the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, was opened in 1943, and as a result of sending out missionaries therefrom into many lands scores of missionary homes have been established. Theocratic ministry schools have been set up in all the congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses, and for these a series of textbooks has been provided since 1943, the latest being entitled “Qualified to Be Ministers.”

9. As to promoting field activity and defending and legally establishing it, and all this with what recent participation in field activity?

⁹ The monthly field-service paper was issued, known as the Bulletin in 1922 but now the Informant; and this has been supplemented by booklets, the latest being Preaching Together in Unity. The former traveling preachers known as “pilgrims” have since 1927 been replaced by field-service promoters today known as district servants and circuit servants. For combating all the mischief that the enemies have framed by law against the Kingdom proclamation the Society has opened up a legal department, which has done valiantly in defending and legally establishing the right to preach the good news of the Kingdom as God has commanded through Christ. Midweek prayer, praise and testimony meetings have been superseded by practical service meetings weekly. In consequence of all the foregoing blessings the Kingdom publishers increased from thousands active in the field in 1919 to now hundreds of thousands, 642,929 engaging in the field witness by the end of August of 1955. What temple worship!

10. How has Jehovah thus rebuked the symbolic “devourer” and made the symbolic vine fruitful?

¹⁰ Looking over all these spiritual provisions for those who bring in the spiritual tithes that there may be food in Jehovah’s house, we can deeply appreciate how he has opened the floodgates of the heavens and given us a downpour of blessings so that today no more need exists. Jehovah’s witnesses are now the best spiritually provided-for people on the face of the earth. He has fulfilled his prophecy: “And I will rebuke the devourer [the devouring locust, RS, margin] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts.” (Mal. 3:11, AS) The seed we have sown has been protected, to grow and come to fruition, and the devouring enemies, like locusts, have not been permitted to devour the fruitage by their overrunning tactics, leaving our fields barren of increases. Our pestilential enemies have been rebuked, but the fields of Christendom have been overrun by the plague of symbolic locusts foretold in Joel, chapter two. We are having a blessed time of harvest. Our vine of Kingdom joy has not been blasted or ruined by pests, to cause the developing fruit to drop off or shrivel up before our gladness of heart is realized. Our expectations have been realized, no, exceeded. So we have spiritual bread to strengthen our hearts and spiritual wine to gladden them as we go on in Jehovah’s service and regularly bring into his storehouse the whole memorial of our complete dedication to him.

11. In what way is the nation of spiritual Israel rich, happy and dwelling in a land that is married?

¹¹ Whereas the ancient tithe-bringing nation of Israel was to be materially rich, the nation of spiritual Israel, Jehovah’s anointed witnesses, today is spiritually rich. They have the evidences of the divine favor, blessing and protection in spite of all the attacks of the enemy. Always they have come through triumphant, no matter how terrible and trying their earthly experiences. They are producing the fruitage of Jehovah’s spirit, which is love, joy, peace, goodness, faith, etc., and hence are not corrupted by the “works of the flesh.” They are a clean organization of clean worship. (Gal. 5:19-23) They have a satisfying Bible message, one that glorifies God and satiates one’s hunger and thirst for spiritual nourishment. They are rich in the possessing of God’s unique holy name, and they dwell in a theocratic earthly condition, a symbolic “land” worthy of the name “Beulah,” for it is a land not forsaken, not destitute of inhabitants, but a land undivorceably married by a nonemigrating remnant. So Jehovah’s prediction has come true: “And all nations shall call you happy; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith Jehovah of hosts.”—Mal. 3:12, AS.

12. (a) How have all nations called spiritual Israel happy and a “delightsome land”? (b) How have they acted to share themselves in this spiritual prosperity and happiness?

¹² This has happened at the unhappiest time of all human history, when all the nations are suffering from the “beginning of pangs of distress” and all the aftereffects thereof since 1914. Individuals in all these unhappy nations have come to see that the remnant of spiritual Israelites belong to the organization in which Jehovah delights, named Hephzibah, meaning “My delight is in her”; and that they are happy because their God is Jehovah and they are a “delightsome land” because he delights in them as much as a bridegroom delights in his bride. (Ps. 33:12, AS; Isa. 62:4, 5) Such individuals of the nations call the spiritual remnant happy. Yearning for spiritual prosperity and happiness themselves, they come to the “delightsome land.” They join themselves to the spiritually prosperous remnant. They come up to the exalted mountain of Jehovah’s house, climb up to his temple courts and join in the worship of him with spirit and truth, just as foretold at Isaiah 2:2-4. Learning that continued spiritual prosperity is based upon their obedient action, they too bring in their spiritual tithes in Jehovah’s temple storehouse that there may be sustenance in his sacred house for the temple servants. “For from the rising of the sun even unto its setting my name shall be great among the nations; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure oblation: for my name shall be great among the nations, saith Jehovah of hosts. . . . I am a great King, saith Jehovah of hosts, and my name is terrible among the nations.”—Mal. 1:11, 14, Da.

SPARED

13. How have the worldly proud ones spoken and acted, but how have all their false reasonings been disproved?

¹³ Jehovah’s witnesses, who have faithfully put him to the test, are the happiest people on earth and know it is not useless to serve Jehovah God. The worldly proud ones in Christendom, of which the rejected “evil slave” class is a part, are not happy; they have no faith in Jehovah God to test him for his blessing. To them he says: “‘Your words have been stout against me,’ says the LORD. ‘But you say, “How have we spoken against thee?” You say, “It is useless to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his charge, and have walked in mourning before the LORD of hosts? So now we are deeming the arrogant fortunate [happy]; the doers of wickedness, indeed, are built up; in fact, they test God, and escape!”’” (Mal. 3:13-15, AT) They have not rejoiced in Jehovah’s established kingdom but have opposed those who advertise it. They have walked in mourning before Jehovah of hosts, because of not seeing the issue and so not appreciating the privilege of suffering for God’s side in the great controversy over the sovereignty of the universe. They fret because the schemers of wickedness momentarily prosper materially and politically in their way. (Ps. 37:1, 7) Unlike Job, they take a materialistic viewpoint and charge God with foolishness. (Job 1:22) They have the form of godliness but deny its power. They think their troubles have been in spite of their serving God, whereas these have in fact come because they fail to serve God unselfishly from the heart, not formally for selfish gain but with proper respect, fear and love. The outpoured, overflowing blessing upon Jehovah’s tithe-bringing witnesses disproves all the false reasonings of the disgruntled, faithless, disobedient religionists of Christendom.

14. So what difference already shows up before Armageddon as foretold?

¹⁴ Yes, the difference between faithless robbers of God and the remnant of tithe bringers already shows up before Armageddon’s war, “the war of the great day of God the Almighty.” (Rev. 16:14-16, NW) They have talked respectfully and not cursed Jehovah. “Then they that feared Jehovah spake one with another; and Jehovah hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith Jehovah of hosts, even mine own possession, in the day that I make [or, do this]; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.”—Mal. 3:16-18, AS, margin.

15. Who, since 1931, have joined the remnant in speaking together, and how will that remnant be spared and the wicked be shown up?

¹⁵ To speak with one another the Jehovah-fearing remnant met together regularly to express their thoughts about his name. Since 1931 those to whom Jehovah’s name has become great and terrible among the nations have come and joined in the meetings of the remnant to speak to the glory of Jehovah’s name. Jehovah of hosts claims the remnant as his very own possession, taken out from all the nations. (1 Pet. 2:9, NW) The people of good will also recognize the tithe-bringing remnant to be Jehovah’s possession and so they cleave to them as His choice people, that they may enjoy the coming salvation with them. They know that Jehovah promises to spare the remnant in the day when he takes action and vindicates his universal sovereignty by fighting the war of Armageddon to victory. In that war he will remember to spare them from destruction, for they are recorded in his book of remembrance because of fearing him and bringing in the whole tithe into his storehouse. His sparing them alive during that war will be with all the tenderness of a father who spares the obedient, respectful son that lovingly serves him. Then by the salvation of the Jehovah fearers and the destruction of the Jehovah despisers we shall once more see the difference between the truly righteous and the wicked, between those truly serving God according to his commands and those not serving him.

16. How do the good-will people also make a test of Jehovah, and with what blessed results?

¹⁶ In the face of such a coming differentiation between the two classes let all the people of good will out of all nations now go up with the remnant to Jehovah’s house bearing the spiritual tithes with them. In this way take courage to act on his invitation and put him to the test. Making this test leads to your abundant blessing now, to spiritual prosperity. It will lead to your being spared with the remnant through the war of Armageddon to enjoy everlasting life in Jehovah’s new world with material as well as spiritual prosperity on earth.

Part 2—The “Triumphant Kingdom” Assemblies of 1955

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada June 29–July 3, 1955

FROM Chicago the Society’s president and his secretary and the vice-president flew westward to serve at the five-day assembly in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the second in the “world sweeping series of Christian assemblies,” as one Canadian newspaper termed it. The fact is, this assembly turned out to be the biggest gathering ever to be staged in the history of the province.

The public relations servant of the Watch Tower Society was early on the job, and from the middle of May the newspapers were publishing advance information regarding the coming assembly. German and Swedish newspapers joined in publicizing the assembly, and even the Chinese newspapers from May 13 on. So the general public were alerted well in advance. They were encouraged to receive the thousands of conventioners into their homes by news that requests for accommodations had been received from thirty-four American states, seven Canadian provinces, and England, Hawaii and Australia. Nine thousand room requests were filled and the householders were pleased with their guests. The public was informed that an enormous house-cleaning job was taking place as 400 of Jehovah’s witnesses scrubbed the Empire Stadium, with its seats for 25,557, from top to bottom.

The great oval stadium was given a “religious atmosphere” by the erection of the speakers’ platform with its background of an unusual design and with the convention title above it. Jehovah, too, added his own background, foothills of the Canadian Rockies that stood out boldly in the distance. At the opposite curve of the oval stadium was suspended a huge banner with the year’s text upon it, Psalm 112:7.

The general attitude of the public was friendly, and most of the large department stores, hotels and motels were glad to put up “Welcome Jehovah’s Witnesses” signs. Notices of welcome by business firms were also published in the newspapers, but doubtless no attention was paid to the announcement by one religious organization of a “Special Service for Jehovah’s Witnesses” Sunday night. During the assembly the newspaper publicity grew to grand proportions, 2,112 column inches, all of which amounted to good advertising for the New World society. Add to this the interviews that were had with the Society’s officials and recorded and radiocast, or broadcast direct.

The Vancouver assembly in the polished-up stadium opened up under clouded skies and with cold weather, the friends sitting with their overcoats on or wrapped in blankets. They had come from thirty states of America, eight provinces of Canada and the Yukon, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Hawaii, Japan and Australia. Many who had come up from warmer weather in the South had to act on the welcome of the business firms in town and furnish themselves with heavier garments for the inclement weather. Convention chairman P. Chapman had to give his address of welcome with the rain in his face, and many bright-colored umbrellas “blossomed” throughout the uncovered parts of the stadium. Only two sections on the east and west of the stadium were roofed over, or about only one third of its expanse. While many sat in the rain, others stood and listened to the speeches in the passageways or shelters under the stands. The temperature recording was 56 degrees Fahrenheit, but the conventioners proved that they were not “fair weather Christians.” They supported the assembly and also the speakers, at the cost of good endurance. They were amply repaid, and great was their joy and thanksgiving at receiving the new publications released day after day.

For the president’s opening address there was an attendance of 11,641. The inclement weather continued, and Thursday afternoon the president was obliged to speak while it not only blew and rained but also snowed and hailed. But the program went on, and the attendance had risen to 13,110. The friends were determined to lick the weather, and they did. Outside the stadium they zealously pushed ahead with their united field activities.

Friday morning the sun battled with storm clouds and there was some drip, but as the baptismal candidates stood up to answer Yes to the questions concerning their full dedication to God the sun broke through upon them. In spite of the temperature around 60 degrees F. there were 500 baptized, only two of them privately, all the rest in the open Empire Pool of Vancouver, B.C. Motion pictures taken of this immersion were televised that evening over channel 2, which covers much of British Columbia, and were viewed by many at the stadium.

Saturday afternoon an audience of 17,414, in cloud-dimmed sunshine, received the release of the book You May Survive Armageddon into God’s New World with exclamations of Oh! and hearty applause.

The Sunday morning talks were given in the rain to 13,689 who braved the weather. Knowing that our heavenly Father makes it rain upon the just as well as the unjust, they had no complaints about the weather; they could not imagine Jehovah God as saying: “What a shame that it rained at Vancouver!” Dampened, yes, in body, but not in spirit, they went out to bring householders and people of good will to the public lecture, and many of the public responded of themselves to the tremendous advertising. Though it kept raining up until the public talk, the biggest turnout ever in the records of British Columbia—21,877—filled the greater part of the stadium, where many umbrellas were up. Many sat in parked cars. Many were in the corridors. As the talk by the president on “World Conquest Soon—by God’s Kingdom” progressed, the rain stopped for good. The many newcomers there were invited by the speaker to attend the meetings at the twenty Kingdom Halls in Vancouver. Many hundreds of them remained for the closing remarks of the president, for a crowd of 18,161 were present at the assembly’s close, in bright sunshine.

The Vancouver assembly was a fine demonstration of Christian fortitude and faithfulness to all observers. It registered a fine triumph for God’s kingdom. At a time when the Fraser River flowing past Vancouver was reaching its highest levels since the 1948 flood year, British Columbia was swept with a flood of truth and truth bearers. Of all Canadian provinces British Columbia is most dense with Jehovah’s witnesses; in fact, one of them to every 124 inhabitants. In all Canada there are 29,178 active witnesses, in 723 congregations, which means one witness for every 480 inhabitants. The effect of the Vancouver assembly should be to raise the proportion of witnesses still higher. The assembly provided a mass of news material for a great deal of postconvention newspaper publicity in the local communities of all homecoming conventioners.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. JULY 6-10, 1955

The third assembly in the summer series now loomed up in Los Angeles. The day preceding its opening the Society’s president, accompanied by his secretary and the vice-president, flew from Vancouver, B.C., in the region of the towering Douglas fir trees, southward to this California metropolis of stately palms and subtropical vegetation. Again the same assembly place, Wrigley Field, was engaged as had been used for the national assembly back in 1947. Then 45,729 gathered in this baseball park to hear the public talk, thousands being seated in chairs on the grass of the baseball diamond’s outfield; and 705 were baptized. Now the estimate, as published in the newspapers, was that 30,000 would attend the public event of the 1955 regional assembly here.

Suddenly, two weeks before the assembly, a roadblock seemed to be raised up to prevent many willing-spirited persons from getting to the assembly grounds. A tie-up of all the city’s transit lines began by a strike that left Los Angeles almost paralyzed as to public transportation, only taxis continuing to operate. The assembly committee saw itself faced with the problem of getting conventioners who had no cars of their own both to their homes and to all sessions of the assembly. Determined to surmount it, they moved to the task. They got as many car-owning brothers as possible to serve as JW taxis and offer free transportation. At all depots, train and bus, incoming conventioners were met, led to waiting taxis, and driven to their room assignments or to the assembly grounds. More vehicles were needed to get the brothers daily to the assembly sessions and back to their rooms again. So they rented four school buses. Also eight congregations outside Los Angeles brought buses, and these also were used after the congregations had arrived in them. No charges were made, no fares taken, of the passengers for this bus transportation, yet the voluntary contributions exceeded the costs of renting the buses and the gasoline used.

Two routes were planned for the buses that took care of visiting delegates staying in the more than thirty hotels downtown, and time schedules and bus stops were furnished to each hotel in behalf of conventioners there. Still more transportation was needed for those staying in private homes in far corners of this widely spread-out city and who were stranded, some of them twenty and thirty miles away from Wrigley Field. At the call for hundreds of voluntary cars, not only did Los Angeles brothers respond but brothers from as far away as Alaska and Canada freely offered their time, car and gasoline to convey the conventioners back and forth. A system of operation for the entire city and suburbs was arranged and applied, and worked conveniently. Daily the big rush came at night after the last session, for all wanted to leave at the same time. The Transportation Department of the assembly handled this situation capably, putting passengers with drivers going in the same general direction. By about 10 p.m. each night all passengers and drivers were on their way home. Transportation was furnished as far as Reseda and San Pedro Harbor, a distance of at least thirty-five miles from Wrigley Field. With the wisdom of God and the help of his holy spirit, the fruitage of which is love, the New World society proved equal to the task.

One day a worker in the Transportation Department stood in the cafeteria line alongside Wrigley Field. A neatly dressed man behind her said: “Isn’t it wonderful? I have never seen anything like it!” When she agreed, he asked: “Are you a member?” She said: “Yes, I am one of Jehovah’s witnesses,” and then asked: “How did you come here?” He said: “I live in downtown Los Angeles and I saw these buses running and knew there was a bus strike. So I decided to get on one to see where it was going. I tried to give the bus driver some money but he wouldn’t take any. So I just sat down, and we ended up at Wrigley Field. I spent all day here and I think it is wonderful!” The sister did not get much dinner eaten that night, trying to get as much basic information to this already impressed stranger as possible in a short time.

So it was that the first afternoon 18,985 were crowding the grandstand, with a few in the bleachers, to applaud and laugh as the president, Brother Knorr, talked on “The Triumphant Message of ‘The Kingdom,’” and then to accept with loud enthusiasm the second volume of the New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures which he released to them. Beneath a yellow umbrella he spoke to them from a stage covered with a carpet of green grass. The stage arrangement with its floral appurtenances was, to quote the president, “colossal.” It followed the baseball-diamond pattern, the stage itself resting on second base, one entrance thereto being near first base and the other near third base. A symmetrical terrace garden of colorful flowers, broken only by light-and dark-green foliage, set on a field of grass, was accented by numerous green trees. Added to this were two circular ponds of blue water with fountains flowing continually. Marking each side of the two entrances were seven-foot column-shaped Eugenia trees, besides other tall ornamental evergreen trees and hedges and green shrubs. On home plate of the baseball diamond was a battery of loud-speakers camouflaged by green shrubs and trees. At the close of this first day the assembly had increased to 20,094 listening to the speeches from this platform. The deaf heard by means of translation into sign language.

Delegates were here from many foreign lands, including one from Seoul, South Korea. Because of the many Spanish-speaking conventioners from Mexico, Honduras and other Latin communities, unprogrammed meetings in Spanish were held Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings, two hours each. Two of the Society’s representatives from Mexico and the president’s secretary and the vice-president addressed these Spanish gatherings on assembly subjects and displayed the successive English releases. The daily attendances were 494, 563 and 602, and many who knew no English felt more deeply that it had been worthwhile to attend the assembly.

The baptismal participation exceeded all expectations; 1,014 were immersed at a swimming pool in Pasadena. All rejoiced that so many had dedicated themselves recently to God through Christ and were now obediently symbolizing their dedication by water baptism.

Saturday evening the president extemporized on the subject, “Youth’s Place in the New World Society,” before an audience of 25,772, giving the youthful witnesses considerable sage advice in harmony with the Scriptures. This was enjoyed by all, old and young alike, and a group of teen-age girls sent Brother Knorr a note of appreciation, saying about the talk: “The only fault was, it was not long enough. Next time make it an hour.”

The book Jehovah’s Witnesses—the New World Society, some hundreds of copies of which were made available at the assembly, became the fifth on the “best-seller” list there in Los Angeles.

Came Sunday, and the newspaper publicity summed up to a total of 1,833 column inches of space. This day was especially radio and television day for the assembly, what with three telecasts of convention principals and two straight radio broadcasts being beamed out to an aroused public. Fair weather favored the entire assembly, this Sunday being no exception. The special problem of the day was how to get all the interested public to Wrigley Field for the public talk and what to do with them when once there. So the same system of dividing the city area into sections was adopted and car drivers were dispatched on regular pick-up routes. After the drivers got their good-will groups to the field, they sat with them. Thus, regardless of the transit strike, all such goodwill persons were cared for, and they were assured that they would be cared for from then on by the local congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses. In this manner the public attendance was enabled to surpass all estimates, and uproarious applause rang out when the public speaker announced that 36,290 had heard the message on God’s world-conquering kingdom. The bleachers as well as the grandstand were jammed with listeners, and the gates were opened to let the overflow come in and sit on the grass to hear the speech. Many conical Siamese straw hats of bright colors and many bright-hued parasols were in evidence among those sitting in the hot sunshine.

Held bound by the attractive message and the pleasant personal contact with Jehovah’s New World society, many remained to hear the president offer his closing remarks. They heard him urge the expansion of the preaching work until none may say, “I didn’t know about the Kingdom.” At the time there was one Kingdom publisher to every 400 inhabitants in California, but it would be still better if it were one to every 200. In calling regularly upon the inhabitants with the message, “we do not pester people; we love them.”

Some time after 6 p.m. the enthusiastic appreciation-rousing assembly in Los Angeles ended, and the friends made ready to depart, powerfully incited to love and right works by not having forsaken the gathering of themselves together.

(To be continued)

Clergy Cause No Disturbance

When the early Christians preached the good news, quite frequently disturbances arose. As to Paul’s preaching in the district of Asia, the Bible says: “There arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.” (Acts 19:23, NW) But the pastors of Christendom’s churches are careful that they disturb no one. This they admit. At the sixteenth Michigan Pastors Conference recently Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, president of Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia, said: “The temptation to walk the middle way is strong, to say nothing that will disturb the hearer or offend the powers that be. And it is easy to rationalize the middle way. After all, a minister has to live.” Then to the 500 pastors present Dr. Mays declared: “There are things we know we ought to do, but we fear to lose our jobs if we do them.”—The Detroit News, January 19, 1955.

Questions From Readers

● What about a witness whose mate dies faithful before Armageddon and is then brought back in a resurrection soon after that battle’s end? Can that couple be reunited and share in the procreation mandate?—A. M., South Africa.

Romans 7:2, 3 (NW) states: “A married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is alive; but if her husband dies, she is discharged from the law of her husband. So, then, while her husband is living, she would be styled an adulteress if she became another man’s. But if her husband dies, she is free from his law, so that she is not an adulteress if she becomes another man’s.” Death ends the marriage tie. We cannot say for sure just how Jehovah will arrange matters after Armageddon, but it does not seem unreasonable for two such persons to be reunited after Armageddon if that is the wish of both. They might entertain that hope. However, the one surviving is free to remarry, before Armageddon, and is under no obligation to wait for the resurrection of the deceased one. The marriage tie is completely broken by death. If the survivor remains single and the dead one is raised shortly after Armageddon, they might be made companions if Christ their Everlasting Father pleases, but whether to procreate, we have no definite scripture to favor this.

Announcements

ACTIVELY TRUSTING JEHOVAH FREE FROM FEAR—Isa. 12:2, AS.

In their active service for Jehovah God, his witnesses proceed with confidence, free from fear. They can truly say, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid: for Jehovah, even Jehovah, is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation.” With this assurance and appreciating that the day is here for Jehovah to vindicate his word and name, his witnesses press on in Kingdom service, doing the work that He has directed for them to do. They continually go from door to door and take advantage of all opportunities to acquaint others with Jehovah’s purposes. During December they will offer a volume of the New World Translation of the Scriptures and a book on a contribution of $2. All persons of good will are invited to share in this important activity, trusting Jehovah and free from fear.

1956 YEARBOOK AND CALENDAR

Have you ever thought how valuable it would be to review every issue of The Watchtower for this year? Limited time makes it difficult, does it not? Yet for proper Christian growth and maturity it is essential to deepen the mental impression made by these rich spiritual truths. Repetition assists us to make them our own. The daily Bible texts with comments from The Watchtower that appear in the 1956 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses provide an invaluable aid in this accomplishment. New points of doctrine, as well as Christian admonition regarding conduct and service, find their place among these carefully chosen portions from The Watchtower for 1955. As a single jewel takes on added brilliance in an isolated setting, so these choice excerpts often appear completely new though being read for the second, third or even fourth time. If read every day and meditated on, they will spiritually refresh, strengthen and develop you. In addition, the 1956 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses keeps you abreast of the remarkable growth of the New World society world-wide. Obtain your copy today for 50c and benefit immediately from the stimulating material it contains. Order at the same time your copy of the beautiful 1956 calendar that contains the Bible service text for the new year. They are 25c each; five for $1 to one address.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

January 22: The Test That Leads to a Blessing, ¶1-22. Page 745.

January 29: The Test That Leads to a Blessing, ¶23-29, and Blessed Results from Making the Test. Page 751.

Check Your Memory

After reading this issue of “The Watchtower,” do you remember—

✔ What has resulted from North America’s great accomplishments? P. 741, ¶1.

✔ Where, since 1945, North America’s battleground for free speech and worship has been? P. 742, ¶1.

✔ What major moral problems even today face South America? P. 743, ¶4.

✔ What the real basis even of sure material prosperity is? P. 745, ¶2.

✔ What example of ancient Israel pointedly warns against materialism? P. 748, ¶12.

✔ How even meeting attendance is a part of our tithe? P. 752, ¶27.

✔ How bringing in the whole tithe is a legitimate test of Jehovah as our God? P. 754, ¶3.

✔ How today’s materialistic world takes exactly the wrong view of the reason for its troubles? P. 757, ¶13.

✔ What recent religious assembly proved to be the biggest gathering in all of British Columbia’s history? P. 759, ¶2.

✔ By what truly amazing arrangement a Christian assembly overcame a transportation strike in Los Angeles? P. 761, ¶1.

Scripture Index for Texts Explained, 1955

GENESIS

1:1 303

1:1 to 2:4 305

1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25 574

1:20 540

1:20, 21 120

1:20, 21, 24, 30 534

1:24-31 95

1:26 118, 245

1:27 95

1:28 442

2:5 to 5:2 306

2:7 120, 534, 536

2:15 442, 466

2:15-17 541

2:19 95, 534

2:23, 24 306

3:1-5 245, 572

3:1-7 306

3:3 306

3:7-10 351

3:15 52, 223, 307, 357, 573, 602

3:17-19 541

3:19 676

3:22-24 541

4:1-15 247

4:26 50

5:4, 5 542

5:18-24 247

5:21-24 307

6:1-5 574

6:1-6 250

6:2, 4 574

6:4 574, 575

6:9 86

6:15, 16 240

7:6 95

7:11 95, 755

7:15 549

8:2 755

8:20 86

9:4-6, 11-16 713

9:5 535

9:6 718, 727

10:8-10 573

12:8 307

13:10 464

14:13 415

14:13-20 87

14:18-20 150

15:1 308

17:9-14, 22-27 87

18:1-15 248

19:1-11 593

19:12-29 593

19:14 199

19:24 199

20:7 307

21:1-7 248

22:17 63

22:17, 18 308, 709

22:18 315, 414, 692

23:1-20 202

23:3, 4 202

23:5, 6 202

23:6 203

23:7-9 202

23:11 202, 203

23:13 203

23:14-20 203

24:1-27 87

28:20-22 150

37:35 69

46:18, 26 535

47:19, 20, 25 378

48:14-20 414

50:20, 21 341

EXODUS

1:5 535

1:17, 21 373

4:19 535

4:22, 23 373

4:31 103

6:5 373

6:7, 8 373

7:1 543

7:10, 11, 20-22 533

8:6, 7, 17-19 533

10:26 373

12:22 408

13:1, 2 374

15:1-3, 6, 13 81

15:13 80

19:4 267

19:5, 6, 8 374

20:1-3 374

20:2-5 581

20:5 270, 374

20:8-10 664

20:10 93

21:12-14 717

21:26 702

22:25, 26 318

22:28 184

23:1, 2 497

23:19 750

23:32, 33 374

24:7 374

28:30 309

31:17 465

32:5 582

32:7-9, 34 82

33:20 310

34:29-35 660

35:20-29 148

36:6, 7 274

40:33-35 689

LEVITICUS

2:1-3, 7-10, 14-16 752

2:13, 11 190

6:14-18 752

7:25, 27 535

9:22-24 689

11:13 158

11:44 245

16:2 690

17:10-14 537

17:11, 14 535, 712

17:15 535

19:16 497

19:23-25 467

19:28 560

19:31 569, 573

19:34 73

20:6, 27 569, 573

21:1, 11 561

22:4 561

22:11 535

23:6, 7 93

24:14 511

24:17, 18 120

25:35-37 318

26:1 580

26:4 755

27:16 242

27:30 751

NUMBERS

3:45 374

4:5 582

5:12-31 382

5:19-22 382

5:28 382

5:25, 26 752

6:6 561

7:89 690

11:31, 32 243

13:33 575

14:1-4 182

15:16 73

15:36 511

18:19 190

18:20-29 149

18:21-24 750

18:25-32 750

19:11, 13 561

22:12, 20, 22, 34, 35 287

23:10 560

25:1-9 287, 593

31:15, 16 593

31:16, 8 287

31:19 562

31:28 120

35:1-29 447

35:11-13 719

35:14, 15 722

35:16-21, 30, 31 726

35:19 718

35:24, 25 723

35:26-28, 32 723

35:33, 34 718

DEUTERONOMY

1:31 81

1:34-40 82

4:2 123

4:15-24 580

4:24 271, 310

6:4 118

8:1-20 326

10:17-19 698

12:5-7, 11, 12, 17-19 750

12:8 123

12:11 149

12:20 535

12:23 535

13:1-5 570

13:9, 10 511

14:22 749

14:22-29 149

14:23 750

15:8 318

17:5-7 511

17:18, 19 251

18:10, 11 573

18:10-19 569

18:15-19 562

18:16-19 310

19:2, 3 726

19:10 718

19:11-13 726

Chap. 20 374

20:1, 5, 6 467

21:1-9 721

22:9-11 574

23:5 287

23:19, 20 318

23:24 535

24:6 318

24:7 535

24:16 702

26:2-4, 10, 12 750

27:15 583

28:8, 10 148

28:12 755

30:12-14 600

30:19, 20 55, 67

32:3 81

32:3-5 53

32:4 244, 303, 571

32:5 82, 571

32:10-12 81

32:11, 12 267

32:42, 43 727

34:1-6 597

JOSHUA

2:13, 14 560

3:4 241

10:28, 30, 32, 35, 37, 39 562

11:11 562

13:5 415

20:4-6 725

20:7, 8 718

20:9 718, 722

24:14, 15 373, 377

24:16-18 377

24:19-25 378

JUDGES

5:18 560

6:19 242

6:31 396

6:34 550

10:13, 14 438

14:5, 6 77

16:16, 30 560

21:25 268

1 SAMUEL

1:11 374

2:6 565

2:30 479

3:10 374

8:5-7 326

8:15 149

14:14 241

15:22, 23 565

15:23 250, 607

15:35 565

28:3-22 564

2 SAMUEL

7:23 81

8:11 374

12:1-9, 13 171

14:6, 7, 11 727

23:2 133

1 KINGS

1 Kings 95

2:28-34 718

2:36-46 724

7:51 374

8:6, 7, 9-11 690

8:27 153

8:41-43 380, 700

8:53 666

8:63 374

9:3 691

10:24 441

17:17, 21, 22 537

17:21-24 537

18:32, 38 242

19:4 560

19:18 582

20:35 309

21:8-11 667

2 KINGS

2 Kings 95

2:3, 15 309

5:1-3 284

5:10-12 285

18:4 582

18:8 383

21:10-16 714

1 CHRONICLES

10:13, 14 566

29:14 151, 274

2 CHRONICLES

2 Chronicles 95

6:18 691

6:19, 20 691

7:1-3 690

Chaps. 12-36 95

13:5 190

26:6, 7 383

28:18 383

31:2-10 149

36:15, 16 310

36:17-23 714

36:21 94

EZRA

1:1 94

1:1-8 747

3:1, 2 94

4:14 190

7:6, 9, 28 665

7:12, 21 637

8:28 149

NEHEMIAH

2:8, 18 665

2:12 274

10:37, 38 149

12:44-47 754

13:10-13 751

ESTHER

8:8, 10 667

10:3 637

JOB

1:6-19 122

1:6 to 2:10 594

1:22 758

2:1-7 122

2:9 221

6:6 191

10:21 69

12:12 214

13:15 35, 246

14:13 69

14:13, 14 248

14:20-22 255

14:22 255

18:4 535

26:7 134

27:5 221, 246

28:2 134

32:8 370

32:21, 22 264

33:18, 30 535

36:14 560

38:4-7 570, 574

38:25, 27 301

39:27-29 104

39:29 134

PSALMS

2:1, 2 624

2:1-12 296

2:7-9 624

3:8 55, 423

7:2 535

14:1 301, 370

15:1, 3 501

16:10 70, 596

16:11 414

19:1 370

20:7 328

22:20 535

25:8 244

26:1, 2, 11 255

26:8-12 286

27:1-4 24

32:7 281

32:8 276

32:8, 9 281

33:3-5 244

33:6 9

33:12 757

33:19 560

34:8 126

36:9 55, 302

37:1, 2, 7-10, 12, 13 281

37:1, 7 758

39:1-3 505

40:6-8 375

41:6 506

45:7 247

46:8-11 433, 439

48:1, 2 700

49:15 120

49:20 518

52:2-5 500

55:22 145

56:2-4 25

57:4 500

64:3, 4, 8 500

67:6 443

73:22 518

78:50 560

78:70-72 88

80:17 665

82:6 118, 543

84:11 302

89:6 574

89:33-37 84

89:48 120

90:2 118, 302

92:15 244

93:2 302

96:1 441

97:11 594

103:14 209, 506

103:20 570

Ps. 104 276

104:1, 2 276

104:3-5 276

104:4 570

104:6-9 277

104:10-12 277

104:13-15 277

104:16-18 277

104:19 277

104:20-23 278

104:24 278

104:29, 30 538

104:33 424

106:6 267

106:33 505

110:1 414

110:1, 5 414

110:1-6 103

110:5 414

111:9 262

112:7 23

112:7, 8 25

112:9, 10 31

115:17 69

116:8 560

119:9 423

119:105 286

119:126 475

120:2 501

139:14 508

140:3 500

141:3 505

142:7 535

144:15 646

145:2 282

145:15 145

145:16, 19, 20 61

145:20 54

146:3, 4 121

146:5 646

147:4, 5 278

148:8 437

149:9 158

PROVERBS

1:7 370

1:24-26, 28-31 196

1:33 25

2:1-5 473

2:4 147

3:5-7 22

3:13-18 110, 473

3:27 139

4:13-15 11

4:18 94, 316

4:23 251

6:6 42

6:16-19 58

6:18 503

6:19 351, 499

6:32 562

8:10, 11 473

8:13 501

9:10 370

10:12 507

10:18 499

11:4 326, 472

11:13 497

11:25 478

11:25, 17 422

12:10 381, 518

12:18 501

13:3 501

14:7 506

14:12 125, 325, 372

14:27 372

14:29 505

14:31 319

16:2 506

16:18 112

16:20 646

16:28 499

16:32 549

17:4 506

17:9 499

17:17 499

18:13 505

19:13 215, 498

19:15 134, 475

19:17 319, 752

20:3 499

20:19 497

21:2 325, 720

22:6 136, 421

22:15 136

22:29 475

23:2 139

23:4 477

23:13 136

23:13, 14 421

24:5, 6 487

25:20 134

25:23 501, 506

26:20-22 499

27:6 497

27:7 535

27:11 180, 246

27:15, 16 215, 498

28:23 506

29:18 419

29:25 488

30:6 123

30:8, 9 469

30:17 158

ECCLESIASTES

1:2, 3 469

2:10, 18, 19, 24, 25 469

2:24, 25 472

3:1 292

3:12, 13 468

3:13 465, 468

3:18-21 538

3:19, 20 54, 121

4:4-6 469

4:7, 8 469

4:8 483

4:9, 10 146

5:2, 4-6 413

5:10 483

5:15-17 470

5:18 470

6:2 469

7:12 147

9:5, 10 69, 121

9:10 62, 596

10:2 414

10:20 504

12:7 537, 538, 549

12:12 419

12:13 136, 470

ISAIAH

1:2 441

1:11, 14, 15 166

1:14 536

1:18 117, 259

1:22 113

1:31 474

2:2, 3 89, 433

2:2-4 699, 753, 757

5:1-8 715

5:10 241

5:20 436

6:5-7 191

6:8, 9 375

6:11 62

8:13, 14 633

8:15 633

8:16, 19-22 604

8:19, 20 340

8:20 117

9:6 118, 410, 543

11:1-5 84

11:3, 4 198

11:6-9 84

11:9 708

11:10 84, 296

11:10, 12 84

12:1 267, 697

12:2 145, 707

14:12-15 122

14:28, 29 383

14:29 383

14:30, 31 383

17:12, 13 443

20:1-4 630

24:1, 5, 6, 19, 20 436

24:1-6 714

25:7 445

25:8 539

28:23-26 155

29:16 475

30:24 191

31:1, 3 326

33:7 442

33:22 197

34:2 436

35:4 489

40:10, 11 92

40:15, 22 438

40:22 134

40:28 465

41:10, 13 145

42:1 536

42:1-4 57

42:1, 4, 6-8 83

42:5 303

42:5, 8 745

42:8 580

42:24 267

43:10 85, 663

43:10-12 85, 490

43:10, 12 749

43:10, 21 661

43:12 314

43:21 334

43:27 250

45:12, 18 52

45:17-22 714

45:18 303

46:9 118

47:9, 12, 13 573

49:26 716

50:4 145

50:7 3

51:16 267, 315

52:7, 8 296

52:11 697

Chap. 53 83

53:12 120, 359, 451, 560

54:1 222, 223

54:1-8 222

55:1, 2 126

55:2, 3 536

55:3, 4 83

55:4 254, 410

55:7-9 509

56:3, 6-8 701

56:7 693

56:10 132

57:15 118

59:17 339

60:1-3 296

60:17 334

60:22 348

61:1, 2 62

61:1-3 83, 183

62:4 267

62:4, 5 757

62:10 88, 124

62:10-12 84

63:1-6 728

63:3 712

63:14 81

65:17 315

65:22 476

66:1 303

66:7 267

66:7, 8 3

66:8 267, 746

66:8, 9 714

66:19, 20 710

66:20-22 267

66:22 488

JEREMIAH

1:4-10 661

1:9 665

1:10 124, 649

2:13 442

2:21 391, 715

2:27, 28 438

2:34 535, 720

6:14 442

7:31 70

8:9 123

10:10 118

10:13 755

16:16 233

17:9, 10, 14 502

17:13 304

18:20 535

23:28, 29 112

23:29 124, 191

23:30 114

25:12 94

25:33 132, 436

26:20-24 251

31:31-34 658, 701

31:34 660

38:20 536

48:10 475

51:14 536

51:25 434

LAMENTATIONS

1:12, 14, 15, 18 715

EZEKIEL

4:6 103

7:19 472

8:12 442

9:1-4 699

9:4 88

13:6, 7, 9 563

13:19 560

15:1-8 611

18:4 255

18:4, 20 560

20:39 153

21:19-22 530

21:27 103

28:11-16 279

28:13-17 572

28:13-18 250

28:14, 15 122

28:14-16 391

33:1-9 727

33:8 272

33:11 445

34:18, 19 113

37:5-10 538

Chap. 38 62

38:1 to 39:11 600

Chap. 39 62

43:24 190

47:1-5 304

47:1-10 233

DANIEL

2:34, 35, 44 446

2:44 339

2:44, 35 434

3:1 241

4:1-37 103

4:9-16 94

6:16-18 367

7:9, 10 303

7:10 280

7:13, 14 387, 446

7:14 267

9:25 358

11:32, 33 427

11:35 50

12:1, 4 51

12:4 50

12:12 365

HOSEA

4:1, 2 195

4:6 115

5:8 596

14:2 191

JOEL

2:7, 8 22

2:28 296

2:28, 29 312, 453

3:9 596

3:9, 10 437

3:9-14 715

AMOS

6:8 536

8:11 663

9:2 70

9:2, 3 434

9:11, 12 312

JONAH

1:2 596

2:3 69

3:2, 4, 5, 7 596

MICAH

1:16 158

4:1-5 407

4:3 442

7:6 344

NAHUM

1:9 442

HABAKKUK

2:14 634

2:18-20 583

ZEPHANIAH

1:14-18 436

1:18 472

2:1-3 12

2:3 292, 360, 437

3:8 436

HAGGAI

2:13 561

ZECHARIAH

1:12 94

2:5 346

3:1, 2 597, 599

3:2 599

4:6 551

8:23 344

11:12 575

MALACHI

1:6-8, 12-14 747

1:11, 14 757

2:1, 2 111

2:7 611

2:17 692

3:1 599, 691, 748

3:1-3 191, 315

3:2 696

3:3 696

3:3, 4 747

3:4 696

3:5 698

3:5, 6 697

3:6-9 746

3:8, 9 153

3:10 145, 157, 745, 746, 751, 755

3:11 756

3:12 757

3:13-15 758

3:15 754

3:16-18 758

4:5, 6 671

MATTHEW

3:11 406, 550

3:11, 12 409

3:13-17 662, 693

3:15 406

3:16, 17 404

3:17 247

4:4 326

4:5-7 754

4:10 518

4:24 595

5:3, 6 158

5:13, 14 190

5:21, 22, 27, 28 319

5:39 478

6:10 338

6:19-21 473

6:19-21, 24 483

6:19, 30-34 327

6:21 328

6:24 443, 580

6:25 20

6:31-33 745

6:33 20

7:1-5 210, 496

7:9 342

7:12 135, 505

7:13, 14 116

7:14 136

7:21 42

7:21-23 568

7:24-27 115, 328

10:1 571

10:1, 8 595

10:5, 12-14 626

10:16 217

10:16-23, 28 346

10:27 344

10:28 132, 488, 561

10:36 217, 220

10:40 599

10:40-42 311

11:10-15 748

11:11 231

11:16-19 444

11:26 543

11:28-30 92, 184

12:17-21 57

12:18 536

12:22-30 568

12:24 571

12:24-27 122

12:28 595

12:30 146, 358

12:31, 32 118, 550

12:34 443, 502

12:36, 37 496, 501

12:38-40 447

12:43 571

12:43-45 125, 505

13:10-16 169

13:14, 15 439

13:16 439

13:38 710

13:47 233

13:54-56 91

13:57 311

14:24-32 569

15:3, 6, 9 123

15:14 644

15:19 443

16:5-12 115

16:16 358

16:18 613

16:19 615

16:21-23 292

16:22 616

16:24 405

16:24-26 165

17:5 56

17:9 568

17:10-13 671, 748

17:14-18 568

17:20 345

18:13 341

18:15-17 127

18:18 311

19:4-6 209

19:16-24 110

19:19 421, 506

20:28 101, 423

21:15, 16 693

21:28-31 344

21:42-44 634

22:21 699

22:30 574

22:35-40 60

23:6-9 262

23:8 261

23:8, 9 230

23:9, 10 615

23:13-15, 33 644

23:23 149

23:24 291

23:34-36 729

23:38 693

Chap. 24 158

24:1, 2 693

24:3 101, 622

24:3, 42-44 314

24:7, 8, 21 624

24:9 314, 670

24:12 59, 103

24:14 30, 296, 315, 622

24:15, 16 360

24:16, 21 434

24:20 241

24:20, 21 132

24:21 442, 486

24:21, 22 51

24:22 44

24:24 357

24:28 158

24:30 447

24:31 314, 710

24:34 139, 338

24:37-39 597, 713

24:39 132

24:40, 41 344

24:45 298

24:45-47 85, 285, 315, 663

24:45, 47 146

24:48-51 359, 698

25:1-23 314

25:14-30 468

25:27 319

25:31, 32 200

25:31-33 315

25:31-46 61, 394

25:34 446

25:40 359

25:40, 45 599, 727

25:41 593

25:46 71

26:38 561

26:63-65 447

27:3-10 251

27:9 575

27:9, 10 575

27:24, 25 729

27:50, 51 693

27:52, 53 241

28:19 379, 551

28:19, 20 90, 409, 626

MARK

1:23-25, 34 569

1:23, 26, 27 571

3:4 562

3:22 571

7:9 114

9:43-47 382

9:43-50 190

9:47, 48 71

9:49, 50 190

10:29, 30 222, 746

10:38, 39 409

11:15-17 693

11:17 700

12:29, 30 42

12:30 138

12:31 184

13:3, 4 622

13:9 346

14:34 561

14:36 543

16:8 454

16:17 454

LUKE

1:15-17 671

1:68 103

2:43-46 241

3:1-3 93

3:3 406

3:8, 9 260

3:16, 17 409

3:21 403

3:38 55

4:1, 9-12 569

4:8 85

4:16-21 662

4:16-30 511

4:17-21 62, 83

4:29 511

4:33, 36 571

5:10 233

6:9 562

6:27, 28 53

6:34, 35 318

6:38 422

6:45 424

8:54, 55 537

9:1 595

9:23 405

9:28-36 567

9:62 89

10:1, 5 626

10:17 595

10:27 136

10:33-37 183

10:38-42 739

10:39-42 146

11:42 149

11:52 614

12:15 548

12:15-21 326

12:16-21 10, 536

12:22, 25, 26 422

12:32 63, 230, 315, 709

12:33 151

12:48 139

12:50 409

12:51-53 217, 220

14:12-14 319

14:18-20 343

14:26 536

14:27 378

14:28-33 379

14:34, 35 190

16:10 90

16:15 262

16:22-24 70

Chap. 17 158

17:21 446

17:32, 33 562

17:34-37 158

17:37 158

18:8 103

18:9-14 503

18:18, 19 262

21:1-4 753

21:2-4 154

21:10, 11 486

21:24 94, 598

21:25 443

21:25, 26 486

21:26 100, 132

21:28 487, 515

21:32 486

23:45, 46 693

23:46 538

24:27 337

24:44 575

JOHN

1:1 118, 543

1:1-3 304

1:14 101, 310, 358

1:14, 17, 18 304

1:18 543

1:19-21 671

2:6-8 242

3:5 446

3:5, 6, 16 59

3:13 101

3:16 570

3:19-21 372

3:23 408

4:14-24 340

4:21-23 296

4:24 168, 326, 549

4:32, 34 159

4:34 465

5:17 465

5:22, 30 197

5:24 16

5:28 198

5:28, 29 600

5:41 262

6:44 378, 708

6:63 10

7:16-18 305

8:28 92

8:58 101

9:4, 5 62

10:11 536

10:14-18 57

10:16 314, 315, 407, 664, 709

10:30 118

10:35 543

10:38 454

11:42 304

12:25 536, 562

12:31 598

13:13 543

13:16 119

13:17 646

13:34, 35 231

13:35 75

14:6 378

14:6, 13 63

14:8-10 311

14:10 209, 305

14:12 313

14:15-17 119

14:17 550

14:19 102

14:26 119, 550

14:28 92, 119

15:5 669

15:13 58, 210

15:19 231

15:20 345

15:26 119, 550

16:1-4 179

16:13-15 119

16:33 35

17:2, 3 371

17:3 20

17:5 101

17:6, 11, 26 314

17:11 263

17:16 520

17:20-23 118

17:21 709

17:21-23 209

18:36 520

18:37 101

19:30 693

19:31 93

20:1-29 102

20:17 543

20:28 543

ACTS

1:8 296

1:9-12 569

1:11 102

1:12 241

1:15 119

2:1-4 119, 453

2:1-4, 17 550

2:1-4, 32, 33 408

2:5-18 453

2:15-18 312

2:17 678

2:27, 31, 32 596

2:27-32 561

2:31 70

2:37, 41 378

2:44, 45 147, 751

3:6 146

3:19, 20 378

3:19-23 83

3:22, 23 562

3:23 310

4:32 151

4:32-37 751

5:16 571

5:29 220, 558

5:38, 39 232

6:1-6 751

7:52 103

7:57-59 511

8:7 571

8:9-24 615

8:18 667

8:36 401

9:5 359

9:15-18 662

9:17, 18 659

10:3-5, 30, 31, 44 380

10:24-26 583

10:25, 26 615

10:44, 45 614

10:44-48 663

11:15-17 663

11:16 550

12:17 261

13:1-3 666

13:2 551

13:24 406

14:23 666

15:7 614

15:13-19 616

15:14 103, 314

16:16-18 595

17:6 260, 475

17:26 73

17:31 197

18:12 94

18:24-28, 1-11 669

19:1-5 406

19:4 406

19:11-16 568

20:20, 21, 25 626

20:21 405

20:28 254, 551

20:28-30 114

20:29, 30 359, 390

20:35 110, 164, 646

21:18 261

22:14-16 659

22:16 405

26:2, 25 264

26:20 405

ROMANS

1:1, 2 666

1:8 344

1:11, 12 20

1:19-23 278

1:20 452, 570

1:21-23 517

2:1 503

2:6, 7 539

2:7 230

2:14, 15 702

3:4 567

3:20 121

4:17 565

5:1, 6-9, 18, 19 630

5:3 191

5:6-11 56

5:12 53

5:18 676, 678

6:3, 4 409

6:9 724

6:14 121

6:23 54, 120, 677

7:6, 7 122

7:9 414

7:15 502

8:1, 33, 34 631

8:6 478

8:16 551

10:2 115

10:6-8 600

10:9 424

10:9, 10 628

10:13, 14 411

10:14 10

10:18-21 344

11:13 660

12:2 17, 43, 423, 710

12:3-8 90

12:9 400

12:10, 11 90

12:11 475

12:17 219, 505

13:1 86, 368

13:8 507

14:19, 20 185

15:5, 6 116

15:26, 27 155

16:17 116, 351, 607

16:20 573

1 CORINTHIANS

1:4-9 339

1:10 123

1:10, 12-15 74

1:10, 13 112

1:11 497

1:11-13 229

1:13-15 411

1:17 411

1:18, 21 445

2:9, 10 337

2:10 551

2:14, 15 328

2:16 710

3:1-4 21

3:8 118

3:9 164

3:10-15 191

3:12-15 474

3:16 695

3:16, 17 749

3:19 147, 445

4:2 90

4:4 720

4:6 123

4:8 391

4:11-13 91, 180

4:15 91, 263

4:16 661

4:16, 17 91

5:11 607

6:1-6 127

6:1-8 126

6:2, 3 595

6:9, 10 127, 135

6:9-11 421

7:12, 13, 16, 15, 11 219

7:14 219

8:1 185

8:5 543

8:6 551

9:5 616

9:7-11 466

9:16 628

9:19-23 234

9:27 44, 139

10:1, 2 403

10:4 613

10:6, 11 748

10:10, 11 181

10:11 18

10:12 41

10:13 348

10:21 358

11:1 230, 484

11:3 119, 209

12:12, 13 408

12:14 85

12:27-30 455

13:1-3 44

13:4, 5 136, 422

13:4-7 507

13:4-8 215

13:8-11 568

13:8, 11 455

13:12 313

14:4-25 455

14:8 123

14:12 185

14:20 19

15:18-22 562

15:22, 23, 42, 52 540

15:24 198

15:24-28 296

15:25, 26 601

15:25, 28 676

15:28 119

15:29 409

15:33 253, 506

15:36-38 600

15:45 95, 549

15:45, 47 534

15:47, 45, 50 102

15:50 119, 446

15:53 121

15:53, 54 539

15:58 475

16:1, 2 156

2 CORINTHIANS

2:14-17 632

2:16, 17 668

2:17 113, 636, 660

3:1-3 413, 669

3:5, 6 657, 661

3:7, 3 122

3:16 to 4:16 660

4:2 113

4:3, 4 11, 445, 660

4:4 118, 543

4:17 191

4:18 484

5:1 724

5:18 to 6:1 88

5:20 12, 54, 284, 411

6:14 115

6:15 358

8:1-4 152

8:7 152

8:12 139

8:13-15 155, 619

9:6-9 152

9:7 44, 752

9:9, 10 155

9:11-13 152

10:4, 5 115, 710

11:3 572

11:3, 14 85

11:14 455

11:28 249

13:5 345

13:5, 6 14

13:11 181

13:14 551

GALATIANS

1:1, 15-17 662

2:9 616

2:20 58

3:13 121

3:24, 25 121

3:27, 28 408

3:28 74, 421

3:29 63, 709

4:4 101, 358

4:22-31 223

5:9 115

5:16-26 411

5:18 121

5:19-21 605

6:1 22

6:8 379, 411

6:16 709

EPHESIANS

1:4 446

1:8-10 254

1:9-12 85

1:17, 18 169

2:1, 2, 5 542

2:8 188

2:15 121

2:19-22 89

2:20 229, 613

2:20-22 695

2:21, 22 254

3:5, 6 614

3:10 313

4:4, 5 408

4:4-6 116

4:8, 11, 12 146

4:11, 12 230

4:12 90

4:13 146

4:13, 14 123

4:24, 31, 32 177

4:26 422

4:26, 29, 31 219

5:3, 4 75

5:15, 16 139, 648

5:18 411

5:21 252

5:22, 25, 28-31, 33 212

5:23 308

5:26 43

6:1-4 214

6:10-20 339

6:11, 12 122

6:11-18 605

6:14, 15 438

PHILIPPIANS

1:1 264

1:7 426

2:3, 4 219

2:5-8 211, 596

2:6, 7 119

2:7 101

2:9 119

2:9-11 410

2:10, 11 676

2:12 475

2:12, 13 22

2:14-18 186

3:1, 15, 17 186

3:3-6 657

3:13, 14 500

3:17 484, 505

3:19 478

4:6, 7 252

4:8 42, 509

4:14-16 155

COLOSSIANS

1:9-12 22

1:15 570

1:15, 16 118

1:18 229

1:23 348

1:26 614

2:8 114

2:12 409

2:13-15 629

2:14 121

2:16 121

2:16, 17 719

2:23 478

3:1, 2 697

3:13-21, 23, 24 216

3:18-21 208, 421

4:2-4 252

4:6 191, 219

1 THESSALONIANS

1:9 580

2:5 503

4:9-11 185

4:11 499

4:17 158

5:2 439

5:2, 3 339

5:4, 5 439

5:14, 15 254

5:19 550

5:20 315

5:21 124

2 THESSALONIANS

1:7, 8 104

1:7-9 200

2:3, 4 359

2:3, 7, 9 357

2:5, 7, 9 390

2:9 339, 563

3:11 499

1 TIMOTHY

1:11 54, 177

1:12-16 658

1:17 540

2:5 570

2:7 662

2:9, 10 218

2:12 46

2:14 306

3:2-7 283

3:4, 5 219

3:11 498

3:15 232

4:1 602

4:6 86, 91, 144

4:12 666

4:15 13

4:15, 16 23

4:16 11, 23

5:6 542

5:13 498

5:22 666

6:5 164

6:9, 10 109

6:12 348

6:14-16 540

6:15, 16 573

6:17-19 474

6:20, 21 114

2 TIMOTHY

1:10 540

2:2 116

2:3 617

2:6 466

2:15 43, 423, 475

2:20, 21 253

3:1 103, 132

3:1-3 228

3:1-5 60

3:3 499

3:5 165

3:12 232

3:15 136

3:15-17 294

3:16, 17 123, 135

3:17 475

4:1 387

4:2 475

4:5 252

4:8 103

TITUS

1:5 264, 551

2:3 498

2:3-5 283

2:13 177

3:10 116

HEBREWS

1:1 551

1:1-4 310

1:3 102

1:8, 9 58, 249

1:14 303, 549

2:1 508

2:9 119

2:11-17 727

2:12 22

2:14-16 573

4:12 9

5:5, 6 662

5:8, 9 101

5:9, 10 410

5:11-14 16

5:13, 14 40, 358

5:14 260

6:1, 2 403, 667

6:1-3 19

6:4-6 344

6:10 474

6:10-12 19

6:11, 12 89

7:7 119

7:9, 10 415

7:12 150

7:15-17 724

7:18, 19 121

8:11 660

9:7 690

9:24-26 596

10:1 719

10:7 151, 369, 409

10:12, 13 596

10:13 103

10:22, 23, 32-39 348

10:23-25 9, 12, 350, 584

10:24, 25 753

10:25 423

10:26 344, 550

10:34 249

10:38 536

10:39 562

11:1 452

11:6 378

11:7 86, 348

11:19 248

11:23-29 248, 338

11:23-29, 32, 38-40 567

11:24-26 343

11:32 309

11:33-38 309

11:35-38 346

12:1, 2 4

12:2, 3 254, 347

12:4-13 342

12:11 497

12:18, 22, 23 254

13:5 422

13:6 487

13:15 191

13:15, 16 151

JAMES

1:2, 3, 12 188

1:5-8 342

1:7, 8 123

1:12-15 601

1:13-15 306

1:17 303

1:22 144

1:22, 25 474

1:25 178

1:27 231, 666

2:1-4, 8, 9 74

2:4 261

2:5 422

2:15, 16 151

2:26 230

3:2-12 502

3:15, 17 583

4:3 111, 340

4:4 231, 328

4:17 139, 509

5:1-3, 5 472

5:10 484

5:10, 11 248

5:20 561

1 PETER

1:6, 7 191

1:11 551

1:12 313

1:13-15 3

1:15, 16 372

1:17 184, 474

1:24, 25 295

2:1 499

2:4-6, 9 694

2:4-8 613

2:5, 9 753

2:9 4, 231, 599, 746, 758

2:19-23 180

2:21 405, 484

2:21-23 422

3:1-5 217

3:6 248

3:7 210

3:8, 9 252

3:9 505

3:15 43, 260

3:18 102

3:18-22 595, 597

3:21 253, 598

4:7-9 185

4:8 215, 506

4:12 191, 220

4:12-14 179, 346

4:15, 16 346, 499

4:17 315

4:19 188

5:2 254

5:6, 7 187

5:8-10 346

2 PETER

1:5-11 345

1:16-19 567

1:21 551

2:4 594

2:4, 5 250

2:4-7 593

2:5 199, 598

2:5, 9 52

2:6 200

2:9 272, 348

2:12 518

2:15, 16 287

3:3-5 439

3:5-7, 10-13 440

3:8 197, 542

3:9 445

3:10 475

3:10-12 594

3:10-15 600

3:11-13 52

3:13 315

3:15, 16 314

3:16 114

1 JOHN

2:6 19

2:15-17 58, 432

2:17 477

2:22, 18 357

2:27 314

3:12 503

3:14 60, 61

3:16 282

3:17, 18 400

4:1 607

4:8-10 56

4:8, 18, 19 17

4:18, 17 43

4:18 351, 488

4:19 57

4:20 507

5:3 42

5:4 629

5:7 119

5:21 583

2 JOHN

vs 7 357

JUDE

vs 5-7 592

vs 6 250, 279

vs 7 200

vs 9 122, 597

vs 11 287

vs 14, 15 52, 247, 307

vs 16 503

REVELATION

1:1, 2 567

1:7 102

2:10 346

2:12, 14 287

2:23 474

2:25, 26 344

3:10, 16 345

3:14 83, 92, 118

3:21 629

4:11 302, 543

5:4, 5 567

6:1, 2 629

Chap. 7 230

7:4 313, 709

7:9 62, 394, 407, 709

7:13, 14 567

8:2 334

8:9 561

9:7-9 426

9:16 280

9:20, 21 602

11:3, 4 315

11:3, 4, 7, 11 175

11:8-11 537

11:11 266

11:15-18 67, 103

11:18 440

12:1-7 594

12:1-12 103

12:3, 9 638

12:5 267, 624

12:6, 14 267

12:7-9 598

12:7-10, 12 487

12:9 122, 131, 571

12:10 599

12:11 536, 561, 625

12:12 51, 122, 604

12:15, 16 367, 520

12:16 559

12:17 663

13:8 446

13:11-15 638

14:1 63, 314

14:1, 4 230

14:13 474

14:18-20 729

15:3 543

16:1 334

16:3 561

16:5-7 716

16:10 365

16:13 638

16:14 435, 445

16:14-16 600, 602, 634

16:14, 16 104, 638

16:16 434

17:1, 15 443

17:3, 8 360

17:6 716

17:8-18 650

17:9 434

18:4 83, 139, 314

18:20 543

18:23 573

18:24 716

19:1, 2 716

19:10 583

19:11, 14, 15 435

19:11-15 102

19:11-16 83, 728

19:11, 16-18, 21 159

19:13 304

19:15 84

19:20 360

20:1-6 600

20:1-6, 11-15 725

20:2 435, 571

20:2, 3 197

20:7 198

20:7, 8 62, 601

20:8 62

20:9, 10 199

20:10 72

20:11 280

20:12, 13 600

20:13 70, 198

20:14 71, 702

21:1 315

21:1-4 54

21:1, 3, 4 443

21:4 340, 702

21:8 504, 600, 605

21:9 598

22:1, 2 304

22:2 340

22:14, 15 605

22:16 84

22:18, 19 314

Subject Index for “The Watchtower,” 1955

Abraham and the Hittites 201

Acting as a Right Kind of Minister 144

Actively Trusting Jehovah Free from Fear 707

Aids to Prevent Loss of Integrity 251

Alert to “Incidental” Hunting and Fishing 264

Animal Worship—Ancient and Modern 516

“Apostolic” Leader Becomes Truly Apostolic 711

Archaeology and the Word “Covenant” 415

Avoidance Inside the Cities of Refuge 716

Avoiding the Wine Press of God’s Anger 712

“Be Rich in Right Works” 473

Be Satisfied by Work 465

Bible Is Not a Catholic Book! The 293

Bible’s Answer to Modern-Day Living, The 133

Biblical Measures 240

Blessed Results from Making the Test 753

Blood Substitutes 523

Bracing Up the Mind for New Nation Activity 3

Business Teaches Churches Morality? 611

“But We Can’t Do That?” 391

Can Clergymen Bestow Blessings? 111

Changes Sign After Three Months 92

Charlemagne Pious? Yes—Christian? No! 447

Choosing Life Now to Keep Alive Forever 67

Choosing the One Right Religion 117

Christian Baptism for the New World Society 407

Christian Channel of Communication 308

Christ’s Coming an Academic Question? 387

Churches Compromise with World 678

Cleric Indulges in Speculation, A 480

Congratulations, Formosa! 510

‘Consider One Another, Trusting in Jehovah’ 16

Cultural Breakdown, The 227

Dedication to Jehovah 369

Defeating Red Persecution Today 36

Delinquency Diagnosed 607

Did Christ Establish the Catholic Church? 388

Did Jesus and Paul Harp on Money Matters? 316

Disappointed Boy Burns Church 432

Discharging Their Responsibility 356

Do Christians Take Honorary Titles? 261

Does the Bible Teach Universal Salvation? 675

Exclaiming About the Peril of Our Time 131

Exploitation of Hypnotism 583

Expression of His Triumph, An 635

Foggy Hope, The 323

Foundation of Education, The 452

Gilead Graduates Its 24th Class 269

Giving the Reason “with Deep Respect”? 159

God’s Love to the Rescue in Man’s Crisis 49

Gossip Can Destroy You! 496

Group Witnessing in Mountainous Italy 63

“Having a Form of Godly Devotion” 165

Hay for the Vulture 104

Holding Fast the Public Declaration of Our Hope 9

How Bible Principles Apply to Your Life 420

How Does Christ Come the Second Time? 101

How Do You Measure Up? 235

How Today’s Churches Would View Paul 637

Hunting and Fishing for Men 233

Identifying the Antichrist 357

Is Hell Hot? 68

Is the Full-Time Ministry for You? 137

Is Your Best Good Enough? 41

Italian Communists and the Catholic Church 355

It Could Happen Only in Japan 300

“Jehovah Is in His Holy Temple” 688

Jehovah Leads His People 80

Jehovah’s Channel of Communication 301

Jehovah’s Witnesses—A Religion Without Ministers? 329

Jehovah’s Witnesses—the New World Society (a book) 511

Jesuit Implies Hierarchy Blame 652

Judgment Day—Just a Joke? 196

Keeping Integrity 244

Keeping Within the Bounds of Refuge 723

Keep Up with the Good Examples 483

Keep Your Place 276

Knowledge Comes from God, The 271

Maintaining Happiness by Dispelling Complaint 177

Maintaining Sanctity for Theocratic Warfare 519

“Majesty of the Scriptures, The” 711

Manifesting the Spirit of Cain 268

Missionary Comforts Japanese Mother 620

Modern Gideons in French Equatorial Africa 396

Modern History of Jehovah’s Witnesses

Part 1: Early Voices (1870-1878) 4

Part 2: Small Beginnings (1879-1889) 45

Part 3: Expanding the Organization 76

Part 4: Going on the Offensive 105

Part 5: The Warning Work (1909-1914) 140

Part 6: 1914 Date Verified 173

Part 7: New Administration amid World War I 204

Part 8: International Attempt to Destroy Society Fails 236

Part 9: Postwar Revival of the Witnesses 265

Part 10: Modern Restoration of True Worship (1919-1932) 296

Part 11: Restoration of Theocratic Organization 333

Part 12: An Era of Prophesied Happiness Begins 365

Part 13: Champions of Freedom of Speech and of Worship 392

Part 14: Fight Carried into the Law Courts 425

Part 15: Foreign Activity Under Fascist-Nazi Persecution 461

Part 16: Publishing Under a New Name, Theocratically 489

Part 17: Christian Neutrals During World War II 520

Part 18: Second World War’s Christian Neutrals in British Commonwealth 556

Part 19: Christian Neutrals in America During World War 588

Part 20: Theocratic Warfare by Christian Neutrals During World Conflict 617

Part 21: Education for the Theocratic Ministry Advanced 649

Part 22: Gilead and Congregational Ministry Schools 684

Part 23: Expanding with a Trained Ministry 708

Part 24: Expanding in the Western Hemisphere 741

More Evidence of the Bible’s Accuracy 464

More Manufacturing Dextran 439

Nazis Bluffed, but Not the Witnesses, The 542

Negative Thinking Has Power 168

Neighbor Love Not Enough 291

“New Sects of New Zealand, The” 395

1954 Service Year Report of Jehovah’s Witnesses World-wide 27

“No-Bingo Collection” 413

No “Gift of Tongues” Today 453

“Not Forsaking the Gathering of Ourselves Together” 350

“Nothing Doing!” 380

Oh, for a Fragment of Faith! 634

Only One Right Religion 112

Opposition Awakens Interest 703

Optimistic in the Face of Disaster 515

Ordination of the Qualified Ministers 661

Out of Darkness into Light 255

Overcoming the Fears of This Generation 485

Peace That Follows War from Heaven, The 440

“Please Cancel Our Subscription” 232

Practicing True Love Every Day 400

Praisers, Young and Old 108

Pray for World Peace? 195

Preaching by Seven-Year-Old Bears Fruit 548

Preaching for the Purpose of a Witness 207

Preaching to the Falkland Islanders 336

Preaching to the Maronites in Lebanon 679

Priest Advises Einstein 451

Priest Rebukes Parishioner 216

Pursue the Things That Are Upbuilding 183

Pursuing My Purpose in Life—F. E. Skinner 317

Pursuing My Purpose in Life—Hazel O. Burford 653

Pursuing My Purpose in Life—R. W. Kirk 585

Putting of Your Faithfulness to the Proof, The 337

P.V.P. 100 Per Cent Effective 492

Qualified to Be Ministers 657

Reassuring History of Dedication, The 373

Recipe for Happiness 109

Recognizing the Theocratic Organization for Life 479

Report on “The New World Society in Action” in Asia and Africa 680

Report on “The New World Society in Action” in Europe and the Americas 361

“Right Kind of Minister, A” 86

St. Charalampus Punished for Neglect! 176

Secular Progress and Spiritual Sloth 547

76-Year Search, A 188

She Wanted Bread, She Was Given a Stone 172

Should the Bible Be Your Guide? 419

‘Sorry, I Have No Time!’ 739

Steadfastness Bears Fruit 368

Striking Evidence of Tree Worship 383

Supporting Jehovah’s Organization 145

Swing to Religion, The 652

Tested Quality of faith 345

Test That Leads to a Blessing, The 745

Theocratic Conduct Within the Family Circle 208

Theocratic Tact in Divided Households 217

They Are Not Afraid 24

Those Who Hear Teach Others 116

To Start Action 656

Training to Be a Clergyman 424

“Triumphant Kingdom” Assemblies of 1955, The

Part 1 730

Part 2 759

Triumphant Message of “The Kingdom,” The 621

True Christian Congregation, The 229

True Christians Defeat Persecution 35

True Riches, The 8

Truly Out of This World in Barotseland 189

Truth Found in Garbage Heap 639

Truth Inspires Generous Giving, The 273

Unchristian Caste System, The 72

Undertaker Understood! The 349

“Uniformed Persons” 235

Use of Images in Christian Worship, The 579

Using Wisely the Reduced Time Left 648

Vacuum in Ideals? 275

Visiting Jehovah’s Witnesses in Central America 429, 456, 493, 552

Visiting Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico and Central America 397

Wanted: Robot Minds for Today 99

War from Heaven Brings Peace to Earth 433

Was Peter the First Pope? 612

Way to Real Happiness, The 645

Welcome to the Witnesses! 108

Were You Baptized? How? Why? 401

What Do the Scriptures Say About “Survival After Death”?—Part 1 524

What Do the Scriptures Say About “Survival After Death”?—Part 2 560

What Do the Scriptures Say About “Survival After Death”?—Part 3 592

What Is Applied Christianity? 163

Wheedling Money for Religious Causes 381

When Materialism Penetrates Christian Homes 325

“Where There Is a Will There Is a Way” 619

Who Leads Whom? 495

Who or What Is the Holy Spirit? 549

Why Many Church Pew Are Empty 40

Why Use Illustrations? 169

“Wider Interpretation of the Christian Faith? A” 643

Will You Reason on Religion? 259

Working Toward Deliverance of People of Godly Devotion 272

You Can Crush Gossip! 501

Zeal for Improving Service 203