The Watchtower — May 15, 1962

Who Can Be Trusted?

ALL the money lost in the United States annually through burglary, robbery and larceny is not equal to what dishonest merchants steal from the public through short-weighing, short-measuring and short-changing. Whether you buy meat, packaged goods, fuel oil, gasoline or any number of other products, the problem confronting you is where you can find a merchant you can trust. The same problem faces you when repairs are needed on your house, your car, your radio or television set. Where can you find a repairman who will not attempt to cheat you by using inferior materials, by billing you for work he does not actually do, by putting in parts that you do not need, and so forth? Not knowing whom you can trust creates a frustrating feeling, which does not contribute to tranquil living. But what about yourself? Can others trust you?

What you desire in your dealings with others are the things you should practice when they deal with you. This was the principle set out by Jesus Christ when he said: “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them.” (Matt. 7:12) The untrustworthiness of some persons in your community is no reason to forsake this fine principle. It should govern your actions regardless of how other people act. Practicing it yourself encourages others to practice it, and thus your actions contribute to the moral tone of the community.

If you establish a reputation for trustworthiness, people will seek you out in order to do business with you. They prefer, as much as you do, to do business with a merchant or a repairman who can be trusted. If you are an employee, your employer is more likely to give you greater responsibility if he knows you are trustworthy. When he is away his mind is at ease because he knows you will honestly care for his business interests. He also knows that you will give him full measure in work for the wages he pays you. This trustworthiness is in demand by businessmen who are aware of the difficulty in finding employees they can trust.

From a business standpoint it pays to be trustworthy, but that should not be your motive. It should be much deeper than that. It should come from good principles that guide your life, governing your decisions and your actions wherever you may be. Good principles should be part of you and not like the coat that you put on when you go to work and take off when you arrive home. Because of such principles the trustworthy man can be trusted by his employer, by his friends, by his neighbors, yes, and by his wife.

The man who is guilty of marital unfaithfulness reveals a lack of good principles in his makeup, which lack casts a condemning shadow on his outward appearance of being a man of integrity. He is not a lover of honesty and righteousness. A truly trustworthy man can be trusted by his wife at all times. She knows the good principles by which he lives and how firmly they are a part of him. This confidence contributes immeasurably to a happy marital relationship, but how can happiness be present where trust is missing? Thus the man who can be trusted because he lives by right principles is benefited in his marriage as well as in business.

Once a man shatters the trust placed in him, whether by his wife or by others, he faces an extremely difficult task to reestablish it. No matter how repentant he may be, a doubt is certain to remain in the minds of those whose trust he betrayed. The climb back to their complete confidence is a very long and difficult one. A person is always far better off if he sticks close to good principles rather than forsake them for the momentary “benefits” of unfaithfulness. But where can he find such principles?

The best source for good principles by which to live is the Bible. Its fine principles and wise commands can lead a person in the way that is best for him, in a way that maintains for him peace of mind and the respect of other men. What better principle is there for good human relations than the one expressed at Matthew 22:39, “You must love your neighbor as yourself”? With such love, could you cheat your neighbor by not giving him full measure for his money? Could you steal from your employer? Could you lie about something you repaired or something you are selling? Could you do any of the things that stamp a person as untrustworthy? Such actions would not be showing love.

The person with deep respect for God’s Word and a keen desire to do what is right in His eyes, will not be moved to violate Bible principles by the persuasions of dishonest fellow workers or by the pressure of unethical business tactics by other persons. How can he when those principles have been established by God? To go contrary to them is to go against God, and a dedicated Christian would never countenance such a thing. Do you have the same firm conviction moving you to do what is right? Do you have the same keen desire to show love for your neighbor, or other people? Do you have the same determination to be trustworthy in all that you do? Having this fine mental attitude is to your own benefit. Imagine what a different community you could live in if everyone in it lived by Scriptural principles!

The principles and commands in the Bible for governing human conduct provide the basis for a society of trustworthy people, a society in which doors would not have to be locked or valuables securely hidden, a society in which everyone would do as commanded at Ephesians 4:25: “Speak truth each one of you with his neighbor.” That such a society is possible is proved by the general conduct of the New World society. These Christian witnesses of the Most High God have made his principles and commands the guide for their lives.

If you have not as yet permitted Scriptural principles to guide your life, then do as the apostle Paul said: “Quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over.” (Rom. 12:2) Let God’s Word establish your moral standards, and then do not deviate from them. As you want people to be truthful and trustworthy with you, so you be with them.

The Wisdom of God

A series of questions Almighty God put to Job can lead us in the way of true wisdom.

INFINITE is the wisdom of God! And great is the power of the One who can do everything and has made all things. Yes, his creations in heaven and earth testify to his supremacy and unfathomable wisdom. His wisdom manifest in nature, both inanimate and animate, stirs us up to worship and glorify him, thus keeping us humble. To man on earth he asks:

“Can you tie fast the bonds of the Kimah constellation, or can you loosen the very cords of the Kesil constellation? Can you bring forth the Mazzaroth constellation in its appointed time? And as for the Ash constellation alongside its sons, can you conduct them? Have you come to know the statutes of the heavens, or could you put its authority in the earth?”—Job 38:31-33.

The Almighty God raised those questions to show the littleness of man, both in wisdom and power, when compared with his Creator. Can man control the many heavenly constellations in which God’s wisdom is reflected? “There are 88 recognized constellations in the heavens now,” says James S. Pickering in 1001 Questions Answered About Astronomy. “Constellations should be considered in the same light as geographical entities. They designate specific areas on the celestial sphere, and are the addresses of all stars and other objects permanently within their borders and of planets, comets, meteors, the Sun, Moon and other temporary visitors to their areas. Constellations are infinite in depth.”

HIS WISDOM IN THE HEAVENS

We do not know which of the mighty constellations or star groups the Most High God speaks of in those questions to Job. Many persons think that Orion is meant by the term Kesil constellation, that the Kimah constellation is the Pleiades and that the Ash constellation is the Great Bear. Some constellations, such as the Pleiades and Orion, are constituted of stars that give the appearance of being held together by chains and cords; so the idea is: Can man loosen the bands of a star group so that they fly apart and no longer appear as a fixed constellation? Can man move these mighty stars from the places God has assigned them in his wisdom? Man can neither place in order the clustering Kimah nor displace the cords of the Kesil constellation. He can merely behold the power and wisdom of God.

The wonderful order apparent in the entire celestial sphere is due to the commands that have been laid down by the Sovereign of the Universe, Jehovah God. God is the One who can bring forth the Mazzaroth constellation in its appointed time. Said Jehovah of all the heavenly hosts: “Raise your eyes high up and see. Who has created these things? It is the One who is bringing forth the army of them even by number, all of whom he calls even by name.” (Isa. 40:26) God, who can call all the stars by name, is the One who calls them forth in their respective seasons; but this is not in man’s province. God can even bring forth the stars to battle, as he did in the days of Deborah and Barak: “From heaven did the stars fight, from their orbits they fought against Sisera.” It is not in the power of man to order the motions of the stars, nor is man entrusted with the conduct of them.—Judg. 5:20.

Even if modern man has gained a little knowledge about “the statutes of the heavens,” can he put its authority in the earth? The laws of nature are the thoughts of God. In his wisdom he originated these laws that guide the heavenly bodies. Man knows that the heavenly bodies exercise a controlling influence over our weather, tides and atmosphere, yet how utterly impotent he is in exercising any command! The heavenly bodies, such as our sun, exercise authority in unusual ways, as the book Our Astonishing Atmosphere says:

“The dark patches on the sun which we call sunspots are believed to be areas of intense activity. Great surges of atomic upheaval boil up from inside the sun. Accompanying these solar eruptions are huge flares that can be seen sweeping out from the sun’s surface into space. And associated with the flares are streams of electrically charged atomic particles that are spewed out from the sun like water from a hose. . . . When sunspots are active the earth’s magnetism is disturbed. Compass needles misbehave, and the earth acts as though it were a magnet influenced by tremendous electric currents passing near to it. Immediately after a sunspot flare is seen there is a disturbance of radio communications over the sunlit area of the earth. And a day later comes the magnetic storm, the aurora, and a further disturbance of radio communications, less severe than the first but affecting the entire world. Electric currents set up in the earth’s crust can be powerful enough to upset telephone communications as well.”

WISDOM IN THE CLOUDS

If man cannot control the statutes of the heavens and exercise authority over the heavenly bodies, what about that which is nearer to our earth—the clouds? God asks: “Can you raise your voice even to the cloud, so that a heaving mass of water itself may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are!’? Who put wisdom in the cloud layers, or who gave understanding to the sky phenomenon? Who can exactly number the clouds in wisdom, or the water jars of heaven—who can tip them over, when the dust pours out as into a molten mass, and the clods of earth themselves get stuck together?”—Job 38:34-38.

Who is it that can raise his voice to the cloud so that it will let loose an abundance of rain? Not Job. No man can command a cloud to appear above him and then order it to let loose its water. The process of a cloud’s letting loose its water shows great wisdom. Research in cloud physics has made much progress, but what has already been learned is that it is one of many complex sky phenomena. There are many factors involved in the process of rain about which man knows very little. Says the volume The World We Live In:

“The processes by which a cloud manufactures rain remain obscure; it appears that several mechanisms may operate, varying with the temperature of the cloud. In the cold upper strata of lofty clouds it is believed that water vapor congeals on tiny floating crystals of ice which continue to grow until they are heavy enough to fall. On reaching warmer levels they melt and descend as rain. At lower levels raindrops may form through the simple coalescence of minute droplets into larger ones. But there appear to be other requirements. One theory demands the presence of microscopic nuclei, in the form of dust or salt particles, upon which the water vapor can condense to form the cloud droplets. Another theory holds that electricity plays an essential role in rain formation.”

Wisdom in the cloud layers indeed! And who has the wisdom to number exactly the countless clouds? The One of whom it is said: “He is counting the number of the stars,” the great Cloudmaker and Rainmaker, Jehovah. (Ps. 147:4) Jehovah, the Source of all wisdom, determines the number of the clouds and when their contents shall be poured out on the earth.

God likens the rain-filled clouds to water jars of heaven, and He can tip them according to his pleasure. And when the clouds have poured down rain in abundance, so that the dust becomes mire and the clods cleave fast together, who can seal up those water jars of heaven and prevent more rain from falling? Jehovah can hold back rain as well as produce it. The prophet Elijah prayed for God to hold back rain: “Elijah was a man with feelings like ours, and yet in prayer he prayed for it not to rain; and it did not rain upon the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the land put forth its fruit.” (Jas. 5:17, 18) Men who have true wisdom take up the words of Jeremiah: “Do there exist among the vain idols of the nations any that can pour down rain, or can even the heavens themselves give copious showers? Are you not the One, O Jehovah our God? And we hope in you, for you yourself have done all these things.”—Jer. 14:22.

With rain and clouds there is often lightning. Can any man give life to the lightnings, so that they may fulfill his wishes? Man may wield electric forces, but the lightnings, who can send and who can control them? In God’s words to Job the lightnings are represented as reporting to God the accomplishment of their task: “Here we are!” Could Job get the lightnings to do so for him? One of the assigned tasks of lightning is to fertilize the earth electrically. “Lightning is the world’s greatest producer of nitrogen compounds,” said Science Digest for July, 1956. “In very dilute forms, these compounds fall to earth with rain. . . . It’s even considered possible that without lightning, virtually all plant life on earth might actually wither and die.” What wisdom in lightning! “The scientific study of lightning has been going on for more than two hundred years,” reports the volume Our Astonishing Atmosphere. “Though lightning has been recognized for so long as a mammoth electric flash, its cause and detailed behaviour have remained mysteries to the present time.”

HIS WISDOM IN ANIMAL CREATION

Jehovah now takes examples of his wisdom from the animal creation, illustrating the various endowments and capabilities of living creatures. Jehovah asks: “Can you hunt prey for a lion itself and can you satisfy the lively appetite of young lions, when they crouch in the hiding places, or keep lying in the covert for an ambush? Who prepares for the raven its food when its own young ones cry to God for help, when they keep wandering about because there is nothing to eat?”—Job 38:39-41.

All the animal creation shows the matchless handiwork and loving providence of God beyond man’s understanding. Even before man was created and given dominion over the fish and fowls and beasts and creeping things, God was providing for these creatures, the lion as well as the raven. God asks Job if he would undertake to provide food for the lions. Was not this far beyond his power? The lions can shift for themselves. “The maned young lions are roaring for the prey and for seeking their food from God himself.”—Ps. 104:21.

God’s care does not end with the noble lion; it extends even to the raven, though unclean by Mosaic law. (Deut. 14:11-14) The raven was the first creature to go forth from the ark and to stay out and trust to Jehovah God to provide for it in the earth cleansed by the global Flood. (Gen. 8:6, 7) Not only is the raven’s home in desolate places, but its food is scanty and must be sought over a wide extent of country, as indicated by its habit of flying restlessly about in search of food. They get their food from God. God’s own Son said: “Mark well that the ravens neither sow seed nor reap, and they have neither barn nor storehouse, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more worth are you than birds?” (Luke 12:24) Since God provides for the unclean raven, we can be certain that he will not forget or forsake those persons who put their trust in him.

God cares for the wild animals at their season of greatest need. Their instinct comes directly from God and guides them to help themselves when giving birth. So God asks Job: “Have you come to know the appointed time for the mountain goats of the crag to give birth? Do you observe just when the hinds bring forth with birth pangs? Do you count the lunar months that they fulfill, or have you come to know the appointed time that they give birth? They bow down when they cast forth their young ones, when they get rid of their pangs. Their sons become robust, they get big in the open field; they actually go forth and do not return to them.”—Job 39:1-4.

Can any man keep an exact register of all these happenings and exercise such providential care over these creatures, the mountain goats and the hinds, as to preserve them from dangers during the time of giving birth? Wild goats and hinds are continued from age to age, but not by the care of man. If man even knew when they were going to bring forth, could he tend to them as he can for domestic animals?

Man has difficulty even getting near mountain goats, to observe them in the wild state. “The high mountains,” wrote the psalmist, “are for the mountain goats.” (Ps. 104:18) At one time Saul hunted for David “upon the bare rocks of the mountain goats.” (1 Sam. 24:2) The lonely cliffs above the Dead Sea in the wilderness of En-gedi must have been special haunts for wild goats. But wherever they live, man does not find it easy to get close to them, as the Swiss traveler Johanne Burckhardt wrote in his Travels in Syria:

“As we approached the summit of the mountain [St. Catherine, adjacent to Mount Sinai], we saw at a distance a small flock of mountain-goats feeding among the rocks. One of our Arabs left us, and by a widely circuitous route endeavored to get to the leeward of them, and near enough to fire at them; he enjoined us to remain in sight of them, and to sit down in order not to alarm them. He had nearly reached a favorable spot behind a rock, when the goats suddenly took to flight. They could not have seen the Arab; but the wind changed, and thus they smelt him.”

Just as the mountain goats get along without man, so do the hinds, the female deer. By God-given instinct, when the hind knows she is about to give birth, she secludes herself in the forest and conceals her young and cares for it. Her young ones soon “become robust” and “go forth and do not return.” They shift on their own, cared for by God.

Jehovah’s questions to Job should stir us to worship him, to trust him and to study, not only his Book of nature, but his written Word, the Book of life-giving wisdom. Then our thankfulness for his goodness will be increased: “Respond to Jehovah with thanksgiving, you people; . . . the One who is covering the heavens with clouds, the One preparing rain for the earth, the One making the mountains to sprout green grass. To the beasts he is giving their food, to the young ravens that keep calling.” “Jehovah is good to all, and his mercies are over all his works.”—Ps. 147:7-9; 145:9.

The Faithful Creator

“A God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth.”—Ex. 34:6.

1, 2. What are some of the modern-day ideas about “God”?

THE desire to worship someone or something is inherent in all men. However, there are many different ideas about “God.” Some say, I cannot understand “God,” and make no effort to understand. Others say, There is no God. However, they worship self, sports heroes, film stars and the like. Then there are others whose conception of “God” is represented in a mystic trinity, a halo-crowned saint or Buddha, or in some costly religious temple. Some gods are inoffensive-looking gods of “good luck.” Others are the enshrined souls of warriors, or ancestral spirits who are said to return on certain feast days to receive the lavish offerings of food and drink made by their surviving families.

² In this twentieth century there are multitudes of new gods, or old gods with new names. A group of twenty-five Catholic and Protestant theologians in America recently named some of these as “physical power and comfort,” “financial security,” “prestige,” “sex,” “science,” “social status,” “atomic power,” “Libido” and “war.”a Even the Soviets have their gods, such as Marx, the lonely Lenin and “the god of fortresses.”—Dan. 11:38.

3. What clear statements does the Bible make about the faithful God?

³ In the face of the world’s confusion about “God,” what a joy it is to read the clear statements in the Bible about the faithful God and Creator, who is “abundant in loving-kindness and truth”! He it is who expresses loyal love toward his creature man, leading him in pathways of righteousness, and teaching him the truth of His eternal purposes. He is not only the true God and Creator of mankind, but also the trustworthy Friend of men of faith. (Gen. 5:22-24; 6:9; Jas. 2:23) Those who become friends of this loving God rejoice to hear his name and to be called by his name, for that name carries with it all that is to be cherished in the way of loving-kindness, faithfulness and truth.

4, 5. (a) How has the Creator himself made declaration concerning his name? (b) What depth of meaning does his name hold for those whom he befriends?

⁴ Who could be more competent to make known the glorious name of God, the Creator, than the faithful Creator himself? And that he does! Hear his own words to the prophet Moses: “And Jehovah went passing by before his face and declaring: ‘Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth.’” (Ex. 34:6) What emphasis he lays upon the fact of his having a name! It is a name that identifies him as the Great Purposer, who accomplishes his with certain success. Jehovah! Jehovah! It is the name above all other names—unchanging, eternal, expressing the magnificent personality of the faithful Creator himself.—Isa. 55:8-11.

⁵ In the new world that Jehovah purposes to create, his peerless name will be exalted above all the heavens. Earth, too, will become a sanctuary for his praise. Then will be fulfilled his glorious promise: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes.” (Rev. 21:3, 4) That happy relationship between God and man will be so close and so abundant in the excellence of loving-kindness that life in the new world will overflow with joyfulness and exultation. (Isa. 65:17, 18) A faithful Friend and Creator indeed! A God merciful and gracious, and distinguished above all the “no gods” of this corrupt world by his unique, his incomparable, his grand name—JEHOVAH!—Ps. 115:1-4; Isa. 37:18-20.

THE GLORIES OF HIS CREATION

6. (a) What should Jehovah’s faithful creations inspire in us? (b) How are the Creator’s praises sung in the heavens?

⁶ Consider Jehovah’s faithfulness as expressed in his creations. Does this not inspire us to faithfulness in studying his Word and in doing his divine will? (Ps. 19:1, 14) From time immemorial the hosts of heaven have praised Jehovah for his faithful creations. (Job 38:4-7) Down to this day that loyal organization of living creatures “offer glory and honor and thanksgiving to the one seated upon the throne, the one that lives forever and ever.” Those who are bought from the earth to inherit the heavenly kingdom with Christ Jesus, the Son of God, also take up the song of praise: “You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.”—Rev. 4:9-11.

7. How is purpose to be observed in Jehovah’s creation of earth?

⁷ The creations of Jehovah abound with wonderful purpose. Though the earthly creation is a lesser reflection of the glories of the heavenly, yet we on earth may marvel at the generous provision God has made for mankind. He set sun, earth and moon in place, all in proper relation one to another, so that earth would be provided with warmth, light and energy, night and day, the seasons and the tides. Earth’s natural forces were all wondrously balanced, according to the design of the great Mastermind. Of a truth, “the works of Jehovah are great, searched for on the part of all those delighting in them. His activity is dignity and splendor themselves, and his righteousness is standing forever. A memorial he has made for his wonderful works.”—Ps. 111:2-4.

8. For what earthly provisions should man render the Creator heartfelt thanks and praise?

⁸ These works astound in their wisdom and scope. How rich is earth’s store of minerals and oil, and how abundant that essential commodity—water! Jehovah made also the air for man to breathe, and to be maintained in freshness and purity—a provision that unthankful men have abused in these “last days” by filling the atmosphere with smog and radioactive fallout. (2 Tim. 3:1, 2) He brought forth a luxuriant variety of plant life, endowed with remarkable powers of photosynthesis, whereby sunlight is captured and built into energy-rich food. And what a wide range of menus he prepared for man’s future enjoyment! Moreover, he created the colorful array of fish, bird and animal life, for the service and pleasure of man. Truly God’s preparation and provisioning of earth as his gift to humankind is a superlative example of his faithfulness and loving-kindness. What heartfelt admiration and praise it should excite among God-fearing men!—Ps. 37:29; Job 12:7-10.

9, 10. In what respects is man himself a masterpiece among Jehovah’s creations?

⁹ In making man himself, Jehovah provided a mind, a body, a set of organs and an ability and capacity for work that are a miracle of miracles in all the material creation. Consider, for example, the God-given abilities of speaking, listening, writing and reading. Even though fallen from perfection, the man of God can exclaim: “I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, as my soul is very well aware.”—Ps. 139:14.

¹⁰ What a wondrous masterpiece of construction is the upright human frame! The design and balance of the body, its mechanics and its chemistry, and the amazing hookup of nerves, mind and senses, are without parallel in human scientific achievement. Reflect on those ten marvelously designed levers, the human fingers. Even the smartest engineer could never have thought out, or manufactured, anything so beautifully utilitarian. Reflect, too, that no human production on this earth, from a tiny transistor to a mighty ocean liner, could have been constructed without the skillful manipulation of those God-given fingers.—Prov. 31:10-13.

11. How does the miracle of reproduction show forth the Creator’s faithfulness?

¹¹ As further loving provision of the faithful Creator, man was endowed with power to reproduce his kind. “Male and female he created them. Further, God blessed them and God said to them: ‘Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.’” (Gen. 1:27, 28) Is there anything so marvelous in the realm of the material creation as this miracle of reproduction? No outside architect or blueprint decides the form that a growing embryo shall take. The egg cell, once made fertile, divides and multiplies of itself. By miraculous processes—designed by the all-wise Creator, and passed down through each generation of humankind—the embryo develops true to pattern, producing head, body, arms and legs. No outside building materials need be brought in to fashion those sparkling eyes, that powerful heart, or the soft hair that will provide beauty and protection. All is brought forth wondrously from the laboratory of the ever-multiplying cells. As the end of the divinely ordered process, another baby is born, with prospect of further growth to the full radiance of manhood or womanhood. Truly we can thank and praise the faithful Creator for his arrangement whereby we have received the gift of human life.—Ps. 139:15-17; Eccl. 11:5.

12. What expression should mankind make in thankfulness for God’s provisions?

¹² With perfection of wisdom Jehovah made the earth for man and man for the earth. In gratitude all mankind should declare: “Bless Jehovah, O my soul. O Jehovah my God, you have proved very great. With dignity and splendor you have clothed yourself. How many your works are, O Jehovah! All of them in wisdom you have made.” Mortal man should want to use all his God-given body, abilities and vital force to the honor of his God and Maker. His expression should be: “Your loving-kindness, O Jehovah, has filled the earth. Teach me your own regulations. All your commandments are faithfulness itself.”—Ps. 104:1, 24; 119:64, 86.

FAITHFULNESS TO THE CREATOR

13. Why can man be thankful that he was made in the image of God and his Son?

¹³ “Teach me your own regulations.” How appropriate this request! The loving-kindness of the faithful Creator should prompt the God-given human mind to make just such a petition. What a marvelous faculty is that of mind! How thankful we can be that “God went on to say: ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness’”! Thus Jehovah placed in mortal man godly intelligence and attributes of mind that He and His beloved heavenly Son exercise so wonderfully. Man was made with the capacity to appreciate the divine principles that would govern his existence. God’s laws were plainly stated to him. In loving obedience man could now show gratitude for all of Jehovah’s bounteous provision in the earthly paradise.—Gen. 1:26-31.

14, 15. (a) In what did Adam fail, and with what result to mankind? (b) How did the Creator now proceed to carry out his will with respect to the earth?

¹⁴ The first man proved unfaithful to this glorious trust, and as a result death came to rule as king over all mankind. (Rom. 5:12-14) What rank ingratitude on Adam’s part! However, Jehovah continues ever faithful to his divine purpose concerning this earth, which was created to become a global paradise to his praise. (Isa. 45:18, 19) Out of his great love for the world of mankind, he sent his beloved Son to earth to make known the name of the faithful Creator and to become a ransom for those exercising faith in God’s provision.—John 1:14; 3:16; 17:6.

¹⁵ This Son, Jesus Christ, was faithful in witnessing for Jehovah, even to a cruel death on a stake. (Rev. 1:5; 3:14) Jehovah therefore resurrected his Son and exalted him to His own right hand of favor in the invisible heavens. Since A.D. 1914 the Son rules in God’s kingdom, having received authority and power to carry out the Creator’s will with regard to this earth. He has been called “Faithful and True,” and in harmony with this he prepares now to fight Armageddon’s war of righteousness, for the purpose of clearing heaven and earth of every last vestige of wickedness.—Rev. 19:11-21.

16. What new creation has Jehovah brought forth, and what prospect lies ahead for obedient mankind?

¹⁶ In faithfulness to his purpose Jehovah has now brought forth a new creation: “Consequently if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away, look! new things have come into existence.” (2 Cor. 5:17) These “in union with Christ” are the “called and chosen and faithful” from among mankind, and will rule as kings with Christ in his heavenly kingdom for the blessing of the nations of obedient mankind. Already “a great crowd, which no man was able to number,” has been gathered from 185 nations and island territories of the earth, and is being prepared to survive through this world’s end, for eternal life in the earthly realm of the Kingdom.—Rev. 17:14; 14:3; 7:4, 9-17; Matt. 25:31-34.

17. What is required of all who will enter the Creator’s new world, and what examples should these follow?

¹⁷ Faithfulness and integrity are required of all who will enter the Creator’s new world of righteousness. Jehovah himself is faithful in all his creation and activity, and dedicated Christians must also cultivate this quality. “The Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he.” (Deut. 32:4) Christ Jesus is also outstanding in his faithfulness in doing the divine will. Psalm 40:8 was truly fulfilled in him: “To do your will, O my God, I have delighted, and your law is within my inward parts.” We too can have God’s law written on our inward parts by prayerfully studying his Word, by constantly associating with his people in assembly and in service, and by loyally following the leadings of Jehovah’s approved “faithful and discreet slave” organization at this time of the end.—Matt. 24:14, 45-47.

FAITHFULNESS TO DIVINE PRINCIPLES

18. (a) What is the prayer of those who support the Kingdom interests? (b) How does God show himself faithful in time of trial?

¹⁸ In this evil day it is our prayer “that the word of Jehovah may keep moving speedily and being glorified.” If we all hold integrity in support of the Kingdom interests, then certainly we shall continue to share in a grand expansion of the work. Moreover, the faithful Creator will strengthen us to stand against the buffetings of Satan’s world. “The Lord is faithful, and he will make you firm and keep you from the wicked one.” (2 Thess. 3:1-3) In times of temptation and persecution we will find strength in his further promises: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out in order for you to be able to endure it.” (1 Cor. 10:13) “So, then, also let those who are suffering in harmony with the will of God keep on commending their souls to a faithful Creator while they are doing good.” (1 Pet. 4:19) Be ever confident that faithfulness in upholding God’s work and his principles will bring a rich reward from “Jehovah, who is faithful.”—Isa. 49:7.

19. What principle do true Christians observe with regard to exclusive devotion, and how?

¹⁹ What are some of these principles? An outstanding principle, as stated through Moses, and repeated by Christ Jesus when on this earth, is that “Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.” (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29) This fundamental principle of true worship eliminates all other gods, whether they be Baal, a trinity of gods, Allah, Brahma, Buddha or the Red god of Communism. In harmony with this principle Jehovah’s witnesses will not compromise, such as in consenting to a part-Christian, part-Buddhist funeral service. Nor will they compromise by taking part in a local religious ceremonial in honor of community gods. “You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion.”—Ex. 20:5.

20. Why do Jehovah’s witnesses avoid mixed marriages?

²⁰ It is out of respect for this principle, too, that Jehovah’s witnesses decline to take part in mixed marriages or to consent to the marriage of their sons and daughters to adherents of another god or no god at all. The danger of this course is as real as in the days of ancient Israel, when Jehovah warned concerning the surrounding nations: “And you must form no marriage alliance with them. Your daughter you must not give to his son, and his daughter you must not take for your son. For he will turn your son from following me, and they will certainly serve other gods; and Jehovah’s anger will indeed blaze against you, and he will certainly annihilate you in a hurry.” (Deut. 7:3, 4) This warning carries added weight, as we stand now at the threshold of Armageddon’s war.

21. What precautions should wisely be taken against a return to demon worship?

²¹ A family, formerly of a pagan religion, may come to a knowledge of Bible truth and dedicate to Jehovah. What should then be done with the appendages of demon worship, the images, the family altars, the plaques of the dead? So long as these things remain in the house they constitute a spiritual danger. If the head of the house appreciates divine principles, he should see that these emblems of religious wickedness are got out. Thus will be removed the danger of contaminating the household again with demon worship. Even wise King Solomon, who once placed high store on divine principles, was corrupted by the idols he permitted heathen wives to bring into Israel.—Ps. 106:36; 1 Ki. 11:1-13.

22. How do Jehovah’s witnesses show respect for the principle stated at 2 Corinthians 10:3, and with what result?

²² An important Christian principle is clearly stated at 2 Corinthians 10:3: “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage warfare according to what we are in the flesh.” The divided powers of Satan’s world may bring all their nationalistic might to bear upon us, but never may we permit this to break the bond of love that unites Jehovah’s witnesses worldwide. We must be faithful to principle. It was this faithfulness during World War II that made Jehovah’s witnesses a worldwide spectacle of unity. Thus they demonstrated, and they continue to demonstrate, that they are the only people on earth who fully appreciate the divine principle involved in ‘beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning shears.’ (Isa. 2:4) Neither Communist browbeatings nor democratic war hysterias can sway them from their faithfulness to divine principle.

23. How is the “new personality” created according to God’s will?

²³ As each individual Christian lives faithfully according to the divine will, he will be successful in putting on the “new personality” described by the apostle Paul: “You should be made new in the force actuating your mind, and should put on the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty.” (Eph. 4:23, 24) Loyalty to the divine will demands that the Christian must not become contaminated by the newfangled crazes or last-ditch innovations of Satan’s dying world that run counter to Christian integrity.—1 Tim. 4:7-10.

24, 25. (a) In what way should the modern craze of transfusing blood be viewed by those respecting divine principle and law? (b) How may blood transfusions damage the “new personality”?

²⁴ One such craze is the modern flood of blood transfusions that has been let loose in the world. This may seem a small matter to a world that has spilled the blood of millions of humans in two world wars. (Gen. 9:5, 6) However, it is an important matter to loyal Christians holding fast to the divine principle that blood is sacred to Jehovah. The faithful Creator and Life-Giver himself says: “The life of all flesh is the blood thereof.” (Lev. 17:14, AS) Blood is precious in the sight of God, and he wisely made laws governing its use, which laws are for man’s benefit. His law stated to Noah at Genesis 9:4 applies to all mankind as descendants of Noah: “Only flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat.” This law is repeated for the instruction of all true Christians in a decision handed down by the governing body of the early Christian congregation: “For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to keep yourselves free from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!”—Acts 15:28, 29.

²⁵ Are idolatry and fornication damaging to the Christian personality? Disastrously so! So too is the taking in of blood, whether through blood foods or blood transfusions, for the Christian governing body has included this in the same category as the other evils. Moreover, recent medical research has indicated in a realistic way how blood transfusions may damage the individual’s personality. According to one authority: “The blood in any person is in reality the person himself. It contains all the peculiarities of the individual from whence it comes. This includes hereditary taints, disease susceptibilities, poisons due to personal living, eating and drinking habits.”b Transfusing blood, then, may amount to transfusing tainted personality traits. How great the danger may become if the blood is taken from blood banks to which criminals and other derelicts of society have contributed! Wisely and in faithfulness the Creator of man guarded against this, and other harmful consequences, by his law forbidding blood.—Lev. 17:11-14.

26. What rewards await those who are loyal to the will of the faithful Creator?

²⁶ Those who remain loyal and faithful in doing the will of the Creator will never lack his favor and blessing. “For Jehovah is righteous; he does love righteous acts. The upright are the ones that will behold his face.” (Ps. 11:7) They will really come to know Jehovah as “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth.” They will continue to rejoice in his name and in his provided protection when shortly he brings the Armageddon of destruction upon this last generation of ‘those who hate him.’ All survivors will “well know that Jehovah your God is the true God, the faithful God, keeping covenant and loving-kindness in the case of those who love him and those who keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” Thus the complete fullness of mankind, to the symbolic ‘thousandth generation,’ will gain the reward of everlasting life in the paradise earth, for an eternity of praise to the faithful Creator.—Deut. 7:9-11; Ps. 98:1-3.

[Footnotes]

The Name of Jehovah—a Strong Tower

“The name of Jehovah is a strong tower. Into it the righteous runs and is given protection.”—Prov. 18:10.

1. What is essential for surviving this world’s end and where is it to be found?

THE power of faith—a strong, unwavering faith, grounded in the accurate knowledge of Jehovah, his Son Christ Jesus and his glorious Kingdom purposes—is essential for protection and survival during this twilight hour of Satan’s world. What is this faith? It is not to be confused with the watered-down credulity of Christendom’s religion. It is not to be found in the worship of images, relics and mystic trinities. Nor is it to be found among professing Christians who are steeped in immorality and pagan materialistic pursuits, and whose trust is in multimegaton bombs of the god of war, instead of in the strong tower of true Christians—the name of Jehovah God.—Ps. 20:7.

2. What is the Creator’s judgment on Christendom?

² Counterfeit Christendom has rejected the name of Jehovah. For this reason she stands condemned as did unfaithful Israel of old: “And you must say to them, ‘This is the nation whose people have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah its God, and have not taken discipline. Faithfulness has perished, and it has been cut off from their mouth.’ . . . upon the bare hills raise a dirge, for Jehovah has rejected and will desert the generation with which he is furious.” (Jer. 7:28, 29) We are now living in the days of that generation, which will reap the climactic stormwind of Armageddon’s fury. (Hos. 8:7) Useless is Christendom’s boast in strategic air power and nuclear warheads. She has lost faith in the strong tower of true strength and follows false shepherds. Hence Jehovah declares: “Against the shepherds my anger has grown hot, and against the goatlike leaders I shall hold an accounting.” (Zech. 10:3) Christendom must pay the supreme penalty for her rejection of the faithful Creator.—Jer. 23:1-4.

3. What is one reason for the lack of faith in Christendom?

³ Why is there such lack of faith in Christendom? One reason is indicated in an AP dispatch from New York, dated June 10, 1961. It reported the findings of the general secretary of the United Bible Societies as the result of a worldwide investigation: “Millions of additional people are acquiring Bibles these days, but the book isn’t being read much—except by non-Christians. . . . The exception, he said, was in non-Christian Asian countries, where there was a ‘new interest in scripture.’”a Professing Christians, it appears, are investing in Bibles, but they do not read them, let alone study them. No wonder that Christendom is in the throes of a famine “for hearing the word of Jehovah”!—Amos 8:11.

4. In what realities is the Christian’s faith grounded?

⁴ The true Christianity is alive and meaningful. Far different from fearful Christendom, it holds courageous hope in Jehovah, the faithful Creator and God of the Bible, whose name remains ever a strong tower of protection. The faith of the true Christian is grounded in knowledge of the Bible and carries conviction. It is “the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.” (Heb. 11:1) What a grand demonstration of these unseen realities has the New World society enjoyed throughout its more than forty years of service in Jehovah’s name! His abounding loving-kindness, his truth, the understanding and appreciation of his kingdom by Christ as a glorious reality since A.D. 1914, the prosperity and earth-wide expansion of the Kingdom witness work, the remarkable fulfillments of prophecy in this “time of the end”—all these have become an evident demonstration to us. They are our faith.

5. What does the man of faith appreciate with regard to God’s long-suffering?

⁵ Modern worldlings mock at Jehovah and his strong tower. They fail to appreciate how small man really is. They fail to appreciate how utterly dependent man is upon the sustaining power and mercy of his Creator. For a short season longer Jehovah will ‘make his sun rise upon wicked people and good and make it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous,’ but then his long-suffering will be withdrawn from this generation of the unrighteous, and only the righteous will remain to see the dawn of His new world of blessing. (Matt. 5:45) Happy the man of faith who runs into Jehovah’s strong tower for protection! He has heart appreciation of the fact that “God, although having the will to demonstrate his wrath and to make his power known, tolerated with much long-suffering vessels of wrath made fit for destruction, in order that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory.”—Rom. 9:22, 23.

6, 7. (a) What things are beyond the comprehension of materialistic man? (b) To what do those in union with Christ attain? (c) Where will Jehovah’s will be done with respect to mankind?

⁶ With all his vaunted knowledge and ability, materialistic man will never begin to approach the ‘riches of glory’ of the ‘new creation in union with Christ Jesus.’ However man may boast in his inventive genius and rockets, his telescopes should have told him that even the material universe is an expanse far beyond his power to probe. The eternity of time is also beyond the comprehension of mortal man. Mankind today occupies the tiniest speck of boundless space and lives in a fleeting moment of an infinity of time. Like the grass, mankind blossoms for an instant, then dies. However, the man of God enjoys the evidence for conviction of more glorious things. He exercises faith in Jehovah’s name and Word. “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like a blossom of grass; the grass becomes withered, and the flower falls off, but the saying of Jehovah endures forever.”—1 Pet. 1:24, 25.

⁷ Happy are those who rely upon the “saying of Jehovah”! They “will live by reason of faith.” (Gal. 3:11) They recognize that the heavens belong to Jehovah, and that the spiritual heavens of his presence will be inhabited by his holy angels and the select group in union with Christ, whom ‘Jehovah transforms from glory to glory’ according to his new-covenant arrangement. (2 Cor. 3:18) They recognize that earth itself, not space, is God’s gift to man and that it is right here on this earth that Jehovah’s will must be done with respect to mankind. (Ps. 115:16; Matt. 6:10) They will not be like this modern generation that mocks at God’s great acts of the past and laughs off his declared Armageddon destruction of this evil world. The “saying of Jehovah” and the proof of his mighty acts, as preserved in the Bible, are real to them.—2 Pet. 3:3-7.

8. Why is the foretold Armageddon real to us?

⁸ We will never see those mighty acts of the past, such as the global flood of Noah’s day and the destruction of Pharaoh’s hordes in the Red Sea. They are in the unrepeatable past, but that does not argue that they did not take place. God’s Word describes them as realities, and, moreover, it shows that they are prophetic of greater realities to come. (Matt. 24:37-39; 1 Cor. 10:11) We cannot yet see those realities of the future, but this does not argue that the prophesied Armageddon destruction for this world will not come. It will come right on time! Just as surely as the stream of time catches up with God’s due time for Armageddon, so this evil world will make its abysmal plunge into destruction. “Howl, you people, ‘Alas for the day!’ for a day is near, yes, a day belonging to Jehovah is near.”—Ezek. 30:2, 3; Jer. 25:31-36.

9. How do men of faith view the fulfillment of Luke 21:25-28?

⁹ Does anyone doubt that the waters above a Niagara will finally plunge into the foaming cauldron below? Surely not! The certainty of that plunge becomes the more apparent as the waters begin to leap and churn and to slide ever more rapidly toward the brink. In like manner the stream of events among mankind has flowed down to the time of turbulence foretold by Jesus: “Also, there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations, not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and its agitation, while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” With all their braggadocio, the rulers of this world see the signs of impending destruction. Instead of building for peace, they try to maintain the “balance of terror” by stockpiling more and more bombs, sufficient to annihilate the human race many times over. It is only men of faith who are making the realistic approach to the crisis. To these the promise is real: “But as these things start to occur, raise yourselves erect and lift your heads up, because your deliverance is getting near.”—Luke 21:25-28.

10. Contrast man without faith with the man of faith.

¹⁰ Puny man, who says he cannot believe in God because he cannot see Him from his own lowly station in created space! Puny man, who bases all his conclusions on the few generations with which he is acquainted, but ignoring God’s Word, which describes the generations of mankind from the creation onward, and His blessing “to a thousand generations” of those who love him! (Deut. 7:9; Ps. 135:13) Man without faith is lost, unhappy and without a real purpose in life. The man of faith has bright hope, together with warm love for God and neighbor. Life, the prospect of eternal life among all the creation of the faithful God, is real to him and he works with joyful zest to prove worthy of this blessing. He delights to be called by Jehovah’s name. To him “the name of Jehovah is a strong tower” of present strength and an abiding tower holding promise of “life to time indefinite.”—Prov. 18:10; Ps. 133:3.

ENDURING IN JEHOVAH’S NAME

11. What encouragement do we draw from Hebrews chapter 11, and from Jesus’ example?

¹¹ What a grand definition of faith is to be found in all the forty verses of Hebrews chapter 11! Jehovah’s invincible power and his loving promises were real to those faithful men mentioned therein! They endured in the name of Jehovah as “so great a cloud of witnesses.” They are an inspiring example to us, that we may never fall back into the easily entangling sin of lack of faith. We are told also to “look intently at the Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus,” who endured with joy, in order that we ourselves ‘may not get tired and give out in our souls.’—Heb. 12:1-3.

12. (a) What has been outstanding in the case of Jesus and other faithful men on earth? (b) What fine example did the early Christian congregation set?

¹² What do we find outstanding in Jesus, and in all men who have faithfully served Jehovah on this earth? They were men of activity. Their faith was alive and dynamic, filling their lives with godly works. (John 5:17) It was a practical faith. Since knowledge was the basis for their faith, they constantly stirred up their minds, and one another’s minds, in deepening appreciation of the magnificent things of God. (Acts 2:11; 2 Pet. 1:12-15) When the Christian congregation was first organized, there was no reluctant, occasional assembling together, but “they continued devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to sharing with one another” Jehovah’s spiritual provision for them. “Day after day they were in constant attendance at the temple with one accord,” for that is where they met to consider Jehovah’s Word.—Acts 2:42, 46.

13. What does the record say as to the thoroughness of the congregation in apostolic times?

¹³ The congregation was also intensely active in witnessing to Jehovah’s Kingdom purposes. On the day of Pentecost Peter “bore thorough witness and kept exhorting them, saying: ‘Get saved from this crooked generation.’” (Acts 2:40) The record of active and thorough witnessing continues on right through the book of Acts. (Ac 4:32, 33; 8:25; 10:42; 18:5; 20:20, 21) Yes, right on to the concluding chapter, where we read that Paul “explained the matter to them by bearing thorough witness concerning the kingdom of God and by using persuasion with them concerning Jesus from both the law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.” (Acts 28:23) There is no question that the early Christian congregation knew the Scriptures and that all its anointed members were most active and thorough in following through on interest, holding studies, explaining and making plain Jehovah’s Kingdom purposes with great power.

14, 15. How do Jehovah’s witnesses run into his strong tower today?

¹⁴ To run into the strong tower of Jehovah’s protection, his witnesses today must be just as active in their regular weekly service, calling repeatedly on persons of goodwill and studying the Bible with them. The apostles exhorted all men of faith to such activity. “But we desire each one of you to show the same industriousness so as to have the full assurance of the hope down to the end, in order that you may not become sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”—Heb. 6:11, 12.

¹⁵ It is this industriousness, this dynamic faith, that has carried the witnesses of Jehovah to the ends of the earth. It has marked them as different from all other religions and has set them apart as a miracle and an astonishment among the nations. (Isa. 8:18) Neither religious prelates nor Communist bullies have been able to find the answer to this faith that spreads out to capture the minds and hearts of men of goodwill in every land under the sun.—Rom. 10:18.

16. (a) What are the rewards of those demonstrating the pioneer spirit? (b) Why must pioneer service be recommended now?

¹⁶ Missionaries who have ‘worked at it whole-souled as to Jehovah’ have often had great trials of faith, but the rewards have been wonderfully stimulating, not the least being the great crowd of native ministers who have come forth to imbibe the same pioneer spirit. (Col. 3:23) Surely this spirit of activity, the true pioneer spirit that energized Jesus and the apostles and that has energized the modern-day witnesses of Jehovah, should be embraced by all who come to a knowledge of Jehovah’s Kingdom purposes! The need was never greater for pioneer ministers, for giving a thorough witness in all possible territories before the world’s end. It is by giving the very fullness of our time and energy in “faithful work” and “loving labor” that we may endure “with joy of holy spirit.” (1 Thess. 1:2-7) This endurance with the joy of the pioneer is far preferable to trying to endure in an unhappy, halfhearted way, with only an occasional hour of service for the record’s sake.—Rev. 3:14-18.

17. What grand assurance may Jehovah’s people claim? How?

¹⁷ “Those who are hoping in Jehovah will regain power. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not tire out.” (Isa. 40:31) Claim all this grand assurance as your own. Walk regularly from door to door in Jehovah’s service; the activity will refresh you. Expand your service. Run! Sample the vacation pioneer service; it will not weary you, but rather provide you with thrilling experiences of service, new studies and a heightened appreciation and desire to expand Kingdom activity. Be far-visioned, like the eagle, mounting up and grasping the opportunity of a lifetime of regular or special pioneer service! The greater your activity, the greater will be the power of Jehovah’s spirit on your behalf. What rich rewards of the spirit you will enjoy by taking the forward step into pioneer service, and staying in that service!—Matt. 11:28-30.

18. What results from enduring in faithful activity?

¹⁸ Endure, then, in joyful activity. Keep building faith and appreciation for all of Jehovah’s goodness. This appreciation will deepen through years well spent in Kingdom service, so that you will exclaim thankfully with David: “If I had not had faith in seeing the goodness of Jehovah in the land of those alive—!” Like David, you will be able to commend Jehovah’s goodness to others: “Hope in Jehovah; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Yes, hope in Jehovah.” (Ps. 27:13, 14) His name is our strong tower!

REMAINING IN THE STRONG TOWER

19. What powerful assurances are given those who endure in faith?

¹⁹ Faithful activity will bring its trials. However, Jesus admonishes: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Exercise faith in God, exercise faith also in me.” (John 14:1) Jehovah through Christ gives power to all who remain in the strong tower by witnessing to His name. Some trials are especially cruel. Jesus’ prophecy concerning the end of this system of things has had its literal fulfillment in Communist and some other lands: “Moreover, you will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death; and you will be objects of hatred by all people because of my name.” However, those who endure in faith also have the powerful assurance: “And yet not a hair of your heads will by any means perish. By endurance on your part you will acquire your souls.”—Luke 21:16-19.

20. Why must heart and mind be guarded in this evil day, and in what way?

²⁰ There is more to it, even, than enduring family opposition, concentration camps and prisons and mockings and harsh words from worldly people. Satan brings pressure to bear from many directions. If he cannot succeed by the direct frontal attack of persecutions, he will try more subtle approaches through materialism or moral temptation. That is why it is necessary both to “brace up your minds for activity” and to “keep your senses completely,” with minds set undividedly upon the hope of “the undeserved kindness that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” at Armageddon. “But as for us who belong to the day, let us keep our senses and have on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” (1 Pet. 1:13; 1 Thess. 5:6, 8) Guard heart and mind against the slightest infiltration of worldly desires or immoral thoughts. If these are permitted to take root, they will grow until disaster overtakes the unwary.—1 John 2:15-17; Jas. 1:14-16.

21. How may we keep on acquiring power in the Lord?

²¹ Of what value are long years of endurance under persecutions, even to the point of death, if one emerges from persecution to enter a life of immorality? Of what advantage is a record of faithful ministry over many years, if this is at last sullied by a return to the ways of Satan’s world, so that one is cut off from Jehovah’s clean organization? Make no mistake! For every one of us, the spiritual fight is on to the finish. All of us need to “go on acquiring power in the Lord and in the mightiness of his strength,” and to put on and keep on “the complete suit of armor from God.” (Eph. 6:10, 11) We need to keep heart, mind and body active in Kingdom service, and to keep cultivating “the fruitage of the spirit.” (Gal. 5:22, 23) No matter how many our years in Jehovah’s service, we must heed Paul’s admonition: “Keep testing whether you are in the faith, keep proving what you yourselves are.”—2 Cor. 13:5.

22. From what are we told to “flee”? How do we do this?

²² The same letter of the apostle that tells us to “flee from idolatry” tells us also to “flee from fornication.” (1 Cor. 10:14; 6:18) Yes, flee! Get out of the way of situations where temptation might take root. Remember how righteous Joseph fled from the lustful wife of Potiphar. (Gen. 39:7-21) It is folly for one to think that he can dabble in sin and then find his way back into Jehovah’s house, for once Jehovah removes His spirit, the sinner is without help in a godless world. For protection we have to remain in the “strong tower,” as an honor to Jehovah’s name, all the time. Our salvation is to be found in pursuing righteousness at all times. “So, flee from the desires incidental to youth, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, along with those who call upon the Lord out of a clean heart.”—2 Tim. 2:22; see also 1 Timothy 6:9-11.

23, 24. How may we remain secure in Jehovah’s strong tower?

²³ The race is nearing the finishing line. Let us, then, exercise self-control, that we may not run uncertainly. (1 Cor. 9:24-27) The awesome day of Armageddon looms close ahead, and also the prize of eternal life. May we be like the apostle Paul, who ‘ran the course to the finish and observed the faith,’ thus to share in the reward that “the Lord, the righteous judge, will give . . . to all those who have loved his manifestation.” (2 Tim. 4:7, 8) May we finish the course with joy, secure in Jehovah’s strong tower.

²⁴ Great are the rewards to be enjoyed by all who find refuge in Jehovah’s name and who hold their place in dedication. Speaking of the unfading inheritance that is reserved for overcomers, Peter writes: “In this fact you are greatly rejoicing, though for a little while at present, if it must be, you have been grieved by various trials, in order that the tested quality of your faith, of much greater value than gold that perishes despite its being proved by fire, may be found a cause for praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”—1 Pet. 1:6, 7.

25, 26. (a) What prospect lies before those exercising faith today? (b) What must these now do?

²⁵ Let Gog of Magog throw all his satanic hordes, visible and invisible, against the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses! He cannot destroy the faith of those who trust in the name of Jehovah! They shall endure in His strong tower. Then, as our beloved King, Christ Jesus, reveals himself in fiery majesty at Armageddon, to execute judgment on Gog and his mob, we will receive ‘the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls.’ Though we may not now look upon Christ in a physical way, yet our faith gives us implicit confidence in his power to fight Armageddon to a decisive finish. Since we exercise faith in him, we “are greatly rejoicing with an unspeakable and glorified joy.”—1 Pet. 1:8, 9.

²⁶ How great that joy! It is a joy to be found only in the strong tower of Jehovah’s name. This joy is the heritage of those who remain in that tower, loyally witnessing to the Kingdom purposes of the faithful Creator and upholding his righteous principles. To all of these the apostle says: “Always rejoice in the Lord. Once more I will say, Rejoice!”—Phil. 4:4.

[Footnotes]

An Amazing Book

THE Bible is an amazing book. This was also the opinion of the famous Italian critic, Francesco de Sanctis, who filled the office of Minister of Public Education in the government of Cavour and who wrote: “I had never read the Bible, nor had the students. With an attitude of indifference mixed with contempt, that then prevailed regarding religious items, the Bible, as the Word of God, created sarcasm. I read here and there the marvels of this book, as evidence of its powerful eloquence, and, drawn by the theme of my lessons, I cast a glance at the book of Job. I was stupefied. In my classical studies I found nothing comparable to its greatness. I brought my impressions immediately to school. I had already given a lesson on the origin of evil and the meaning of this book, and this had gained rapt attention. But when I read the entire book, my feelings and my admiration overwhelmed everyone. With this enthusiasm, we plunged into these studies. Greatly enjoyed were the Canticles, a Psalm of David, in which the contemplation of the creation sustains the power and the greatness of the Creator, and some of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. For us it was like a journey in some unknown and distant lands, strange to us. With the enthusiasm of novices, we forgot our classics, even Homer, and for several months nothing was heard except the Bible. . . . I marvel that in our schools, where so many frivolous things are read, Bible anthology has not penetrated.”—La Bibbia nel giudizio di illustri Italiani (The Bible According to Illustrious Italians), by Augusto Jahier, page 34.

“The Joy of Jehovah Is Your Stronghold”

As told by Alice Hart

I CAN just see that old box cupboard in the entrance hall of our London home. It had always been there as long as I could remember. I had grown up with it, and how I came to love it! Why? Because of what it contained and what it was used for. Originally it had been sent over from America by the Watch Tower Society full of Bible literature. That was in the late 1880’s, and by the time I was born, in 1892, my father had had it converted into a storage cupboard for some of the literature that the Society sent regularly into the British Isles. It continued to be used for this purpose until the Society established a British Branch headquarters in the east end of London in the year 1900. So until that time our home became a dispatch center, and as the orders came in, father would make them up and then allow his little girl to carry the smaller ones to the nearby post office. I was always thrilled to do this, and it brought a wonderful happiness into my earliest childhood years. So you can see how, from my youngest years, my life began to be centered around a work that was to bring the true joy of Jehovah to the hearts of so many.

EARLY TRAINING LAYS BASIS FOR FUTURE JOYS

The Watch Tower started coming regularly into our house in the year 1883, nine years before I was born. Both my parents were God-fearing, devoted to righteous principles. I was the seventh in our family of ten children and I have never regretted the severe and strict upbringing we were all given. Although we went to Sunday school for a short time, father soon saw the Scriptural need of personally instructing his household, so, with the help of a book called “Bible Stories in Simple Language,” he would get the younger members of the family together on a Sunday morning and explain the Bible to us all. Bible reading played a regular part in our family life, so much so that even in my early teens my love for God began to grow stronger and I felt an inward joy and happiness that in later years I felt was impossible to live without.

Sundays were full and busy days for God’s people then, even as they are now. I can so well remember regularly standing outside some of the churches in our district distributing the various tracts published by the Society. Before engaging in this work we would meet in a brother’s home and seek Jehovah’s blessing on our work—yes, just as we do today in the group service centers. Then there were meetings to attend in the evening. I can hear Father now saying to us children, “Who is coming with me?” and it does make me feel happy now to recall that more often than not, at a very early age, I felt an urge voluntarily to accept his invitation. It makes me so grateful that my father endeavored to train up his children in the way they should go, and so we became, as it were, holy in the eyes of Jehovah, our heavenly Father.—1 Cor. 7:14.

The time came for leaving school, and, after looking after my aged grandparents for some time, I took up a position in domestic service. My father always maintained that a girl should make it her goal to become proficient in household duties and, indeed, it stood me in good stead for later years in Jehovah’s service. But what a change in life I felt! Only after I left home and had to mix with the outside world did I realize all that my Christian home environment had meant to me. These years were unsettled ones for me. The deep joy and peace of mind I once had seemed to be gone. It was often difficult to get to the meetings. My employer suggested to me that I should be confirmed in the local church, but I knew full well that this would never give me the strength of Jehovah for which I longed. I started earnestly to study The Divine Plan of the Ages, and as I studied it and read my Bible I felt a growing strength and conviction as to what the truth of God’s Word really was.

MY HEART’S DESIRE COMES TRUE

The spring of the year 1910 I shall never forget. Can you guess why? Yes, you are right. That was the year I symbolized by water baptism my dedication to do God’s will. My own father immersed me. Can you imagine his joy? And oh—I must tell you about one of our sisters who was there. She came from Scotland, and never was there a more ardent Bible student. We used to call her Aunt Sarah. I can see her now and the genuine warmth of her smile after my immersion as she quoted a Scripture text for me to keep ever in mind. It was Psalm 37:4 (AV): “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” I have proved it true over and over again.

The great growing desire of my heart was to work forever in God’s service, to regain that feeling of security and joy that I once felt so strongly when living in my father’s house. That desire was granted me in a most unexpected way. My father knew that some domestic help was needed at the Society’s Branch, which was now at Eversholt Street in northwest London. He suggested that I offer my services. I grasped at the opportunity and before the week was out I found myself a member of the six-strong London Bethel family in 1910. So began my now over fifty-one years of full-time service in one of the Society’s many Branch Office homes. I soon found that the secret of retaining the joy of Jehovah was to be willing to fit in with any service asked of me. Finding my place of service has brought into my life a joy and sense of security that has acted like a stronghold through all the trying years of our present generation.

HOLDING MY PLACE WITH JOY

I should like to tell you now about some of the things that I feel have helped me over the years to find strength to hold my place with joy in Jehovah’s service. It is a wonderful privilege to be a member of any Bethel family. The reason is, I think, that one feels so much an intimate part of a family that is being so wholly used by Jehovah. But let me say this: The happiness of my assigned work inside the Bethel home has always been measured by my consciousness of the need for engaging in the service work outside. I have found that true joy comes only if I keep the field ministry work in pace with my duties inside the home. It is because of this that I have always tried to share in every feature of the Kingdom work as it has come along.

Soon after the headquarters were moved to Craven Terrace, west London, in 1911, I used to go down into the City on Friday evenings with a party of four or five and put tracts under the doors. They were not just like the tracts published by the Watch Tower Society today, but, rather, when folded into four, they were about the size of this magazine you are now reading. Some of the names I shall never forget, such as “The Fall of Babylon,” “End of the World—1914” and “Hope for Distressed Humanity.”

My sister and I were responsible for regularly covering a large section of territory just east of the Bethel home with these tracts. The only time we could fit in this work was early on Sunday mornings before preparing breakfast for the family. This meant rising about five o’clock in the morning and spending two hours “tracting.” The rest of Sunday was always a busy but a happy day, what with preparing meals and attending the various meetings. Why, it was usually nine o’clock at night before we were free.

Since I usually got up earlier than most members of the family, working as I did for many years in the kitchen, I had a little time off in the afternoons and I often spent this time in our “book-loaning” work in the immediate vicinity of the home. It was in this work, shortly before World War I, that I conducted my first Bible study with an interested person. I watched her grow to spiritual maturity as the years passed. Imagine my joy when I received a letter from her this last summer, shortly before the Twickenham assembly, in which she said, “My life has been very full all these years and the work has given me much pleasure that the world could not give . . . ” After all these years, still faithful! Here is the real joy that strengthens any servant of Jehovah, whether he works in one of the Society’s Bethel homes or elsewhere.

As the years rolled on I can remember saying to another member of our family, about 1928, that I felt I was getting narrow in my outlook. He told me this was nonsense, but I inwardly felt that something was lacking, although I was still as busy as ever as far as my Bethel duties were concerned. Then it was that the Sunday service work was arranged and the Bethel family were also given Saturdays off to engage in the ministry. Well, this was just what was needed. It brought a renewed vigor and joy into my life and into the lives of many others too. This joy has continued to increase as we have been further wonderfully equipped to “teach others also.”

Those of us who have been privileged to live right through the experiences of Jehovah’s people from before World War I well know the number of testings that have occurred. Our little family in London did not escape, and I can remember a time toward the end of World War I when it was split into two divisions. It is under these circumstances that you discover the depth of your love for the truth and whether you are serving Jehovah himself or some individuals in the organization. I have not always been able to appreciate at the time why God allows certain conditions to exist, but through the years I have gradually learned always to accept the theocratic arrangement and appointments until changes are made by Jehovah himself. This is another thing that has helped me to remain happy in Jehovah’s service. If one tries to run ahead of Jehovah it brings unhappiness to oneself and maybe to others also.

Oh, and there is something else that has contributed to my joy in living for the new world: my close association with many of the pioneers. I have always felt at home with the pioneers and have many times spent my vacation in service with them. These have been extremely happy occasions and I have returned home strengthened and refreshed in mind and body. You know, even inside the New World society I have always tried to watch that my associations, in the little time the busy life in Bethel allows, have been with those who are whole-souled in their theocratic outlook, either because they are in the full-time ministry or because they have a pioneer spirit.

UNEXPECTED PRIVILEGES

These are some of the things that have strengthened me down through the years to continue serving our heavenly Father with joy, but, of course, there have been numerous other blessings as well. Recently, as we have been studying Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, it has thrilled me to relive so many of the exciting theocratic experiences in which I have been privileged to share so intimately by being associated with the London Bethel family: the Photo-Drama of Creation, with its ushering duties several times a week as it was shown in turn at such places as the Princes Theatre, the Opera House and the Royal Albert Hall; the distribution of Golden Age No. 27; the big assemblies in Britain over the years, when Bethel was so often the central hive of activity; and then, more recently, since the ending of World War II, my privileges of attending some of the huge assemblies in America and Europe. Really, I never imagined that so many happy experiences and unexpected privileges as I have enjoyed could be crowded into a single lifetime!

Our family has grown from six to over sixty; our Bethel home, from a small house to a beautiful home and large factory; yes, large enough to hold thousands and thousands of book cupboards like the one we had in our old home, and requiring many post-office vans every day to collect the mail.

And now my heart is full of thanksgiving to Jehovah. I thank Him for his sustaining power. I thank him for continuing to give me a part in that joy-yielding, upbuilding work that is being conducted throughout the earth today by his organization of faithful people. And I thank him that I can have a small part in this and experience the “joy of Jehovah,” which is my “stronghold.”—Neh. 8:10.

The Book of Mormon Compared with the Bible

TO MEMBERS of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Book of Mormon is the word of God and is considered to be in complete harmony with the Bible. Their view was concisely expressed by Brigham Young in Journal of Discourses of July 13, 1862: “The Book of Mormon in no case contradicts the Bible. It has many words like those in the Bible, and as a whole is a strong witness to the Bible.” Mormons with this firm confidence in The Book of Mormon should not object when others compare their book with the Bible. Their publicly expressed conviction that it is truthful is an invitation to others to make such a comparison. But first let us briefly compare the backgrounds of these two books.

The writing of the Bible was done over a period of more than 1600 years, and much of its historical narrative has been confirmed by many archaeological findings as well as by secular historians of different periods of time. Thousands of manuscript copies of the Bible in the original languages that date back close to the days of the apostles exist today. These are available for examination by all language scholars.

The claim made for The Book of Mormon is that it covers a period from about 600 B.C. to about A.D. 421. Joseph Smith claimed that he translated it from golden plates that he found in a hiding place revealed to him by an angel. The reason why the plates or copies of the text on them are not available for examination is explained by saying that the angel had forbidden Joseph Smith to show them to anyone except those designated by the angel. After the translating work was done the angel is said to have taken them away.

The mass of archaeological data and the secular records that confirm the accuracy of Biblical history is conspicuously absent with regard to what is claimed to be historical narrative in The Book of Mormon. Nor is the deep secrecy that surrounded the writing of The Book of Mormon characteristic of the production of the Bible. The stone tablets upon which God wrote the Law were neither taken back by an angel nor was Moses forbidden to display them. The same can be said for the other writings that make up the Bible. They were openly displayed and copies distributed far and wide.

THE SUPREME BEING

If The Book of Mormon contains the word of God, its doctrines should be in harmony with the Bible. Let us see if this is so regarding what it says about God. Concerning him Mosiah 3:5 states: “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles.” Here we find reflected the popular trinity doctrine of the churches of Christendom, which churches Joseph Smith considered to be wrong.

Consider a few more examples and note how The Book of Mormon boldly asserts that God and Christ are one God. Alma 11:38, 39 says: “Now Zeezrom saith again unto him: Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father? And Amulek said unto him: Yea, he is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.” Mormon 7:7 speaks about singing praises “unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.” The Book of Mormon has Jesus Christ flatly saying, at 3 Nephi 11:14, “I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.”

Nowhere does the Bible make such trinitarian statements. At no time did Jesus Christ claim to be the “God of the whole earth” or the “God of Israel.” On this point The Book of Mormon contradicts the Bible. Instead of saying that the Father and the Son are one God, the Bible reveals the Son to be a creature who was the beginning of the Creator’s creations and who is subject to the Father even after his ascension to heaven. This is shown at 1 Corinthians 15:28, “But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone.”

Rather than claiming to be God in the flesh, Jesus Christ pointed out his dependence upon the Father and his inferiority to him by saying: “I cannot do a single thing of my own initiative; just as I hear, I judge; and the judgment that I render is righteous, because I seek, not my own will, but the will of him that sent me.”—John 5:30.

Frequently the Hebrew text of the Bible refers to the great Source of life as Elohim. The trinity doctrine is not proved by the fact that this word is in the plural form. It is applied not only to the true God but also to the pagan god Dagon, as at Judges 16:23, 24. When referring to the Father, who is identified in the Bible by the proper name Jehovah, the definite article ha is often used before Elohim. Instead of indicating a plurality of gods or persons in one God, it means the plural number of majesty or excellence, as with the royal “we.”

JESUS CHRIST

A number of books in The Book of Mormon are dated before the coming of Christ, but they repeatedly talk about Jesus Christ, his sin-atoning sacrifice, his resurrection, his baptism in water, the baptism by the holy spirit, the salvation of man through Christ and the need of exercising faith in him in order to be saved. These things are mentioned with the great frequency that marks literary works produced after Jesus was killed and resurrected. Such statements about him become anachronisms in the time setting given them by The Book of Mormon. Being out of time-order, they conflict with the Bible, which places similar statements after Christ, not before his coming.

As might be expected when events are talked about out of time-order, The Book of Mormon occasionally slips and refers to them in the past tense instead of in the future tense. At 2 Nephi 31:6, 8 this is done. Speaking of Jesus Christ, these verses state: “Now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water? Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove.” These verses are assigned a date between 559 B.C. and 545 B.C. The same thing is done at 2 Nephi 33:6: “I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.” How can a person supposedly living long before Christ made his sacrifice say that Christ had redeemed him?

About 124 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, The Book of Mormon has people crying out: “O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.” (Mosiah 4:2) How can a people cry for forgiveness of sins by the atoning blood of Christ long before that blood was shed and at a time when God’s people were required to rely upon the animal sacrifices of the Law for atonement of sins?

Why do none of the Hebrew Bible writers talk about Jesus Christ, his sin-atoning sacrifice and resurrection as The Book of Mormon does? Did God reveal these vitally important things to people living in North America at that time and not to these beloved Hebrew servants of his? Mosiah 3:13 says: “The Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins.” Why, then, did not the prophets living prior to 124 B.C., when Mosiah was supposed to have been written, mention these things in their inspired writings?

It would be wholly incredible to claim that the Bible text as we have it today is so defective because of copyist errors that not one reference to Jesus Christ by name and to his sacrifice was left in the copious writings of the Hebrew Scriptures. If such references had ever existed, surely the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures would have mentioned them. Rather than being grossly defective, the Biblical text as we have it today has been refined by comparison with very old manuscripts to the point where it is very accurate, little different from what the apostles had. What is subject to suspicion is not the accuracy of the Bible but the accuracy of The Book of Mormon.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Greek word biblía, from which we get the word Bible, was not used as a title for the Scriptures until the fifth century after Christ, The Book of Mormon has the term being used more than 500 years before Christ. It says at 2 Nephi 29:3, 10, “Many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible. Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words.” The term Bible, or biblía, means “books” or “booklets” and is applied to the collection of inspired writings that are bound in codex form, that is with leaves and covers. No such collection existed when 2 Nephi was supposed to have been written. Here, then, is another inconsistency on the part of The Book of Mormon.

BIBLICAL QUOTES AND EXPRESSIONS

A very striking thing about The Book of Mormon is the frequent quotes or near quotes it makes from the Bible, the Authorized or King James Version. This was the version that was popular during the days of Joseph Smith. The books of the Bible were originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek without chapter and verse divisions. These came in the sixteenth century after Christ. But in the numerous direct quotes from the Bible that are made by The Book of Mormon, the very same verse divisions as found in the Authorized Version are generally used. Except for the occasional addition of a few words the quotations are identical with the Authorized Version. For example: 1 Nephi 20 and 21 are the same as Isaiah 48 and 49; 2 Nephi 7 and 8 are the same as Isaiah 50 to 52:2; 2 Nephi 12 to 24 is the same as Isaiah 2 to 14; 2 Nephi 27:25-35 is the same as Isaiah 29:13-24; Mosiah 14 is the same as Isaiah 53; 3 Nephi 24 is the same as Malachi 3; 3 Nephi 25 is the same as Malachi 4 and Moroni 10:9-17 is basically the same as 1 Corinthians 12:8-11. These are only a few of the many practically direct quotations from the Authorized Version of the Bible.

Interestingly enough, The Book of Mormon has men who are supposed to have lived several hundred years before Christ using expressions that are found in the Greek Scriptures of the Bible, which Scriptures were written after the time of Christ. Paul’s expression at Hebrews 13:8 is used at least five times. He said: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (AV) Its first appearance in The Book of Mormon is at 1 Nephi 10:18, which was supposedly written more than 600 years before the days of the apostle Paul. It says: “For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever.” The other places where it appears are 2 Nephi 27:23, Alma 31:17, Mormon 9:9 and Moroni 10:19. The expression Paul used about the resurrection of Christ’s anointed followers at 1 Corinthians 15:53 is also used in several places. Paul said: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (AV) Notice the similarity to this famous expression of Mosiah 16:10: “Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption.” Variations of it appear at Alma 40:2 and 41:4. Both of these books are dated before Christ.

At Hebrews 3:8, 11 (AV), which quotes from Psalm 95:8, 11, it is written: “Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.” See the similarity of this statement at Alma 12:35, which is dated 82 B.C.: “Whosoever will harden his heart and will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest.” Verses 36 and 37 repeat the expression. A few verses back in this same chapter there is another expression found in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews with a slight variation. Verse 27 says: “It was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment.” The same expression appears at Hebrews 9:27.

Sometimes a verse in The Book of Mormon will contain familiar expressions from more than one place in the Bible. For example, Alma 34:36 states: “This I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb.” The part about God not dwelling in temples is a variation of Stephen’s statement at Acts 7:48. It was Jesus who said the righteous would sit down in the kingdom. His words are recorded at Luke 13:29. The part about the white garments corresponds with Revelation 7:14. Another example is Mormon 9:9: “For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?” These expressions came from Hebrews 13:8 and James 1:17. Although Mormon is supposed to have said this in North America about 400 years after Christ, it is obvious where the statements originated.

The Book of Mormon has Jesus Christ appearing in the flesh to the people of North America after his resurrection and ascension. Much of what it represents him as saying to the people are expressions written in the Bible. Lengthy quotations from the Authorized Version of what he said in Palestine are put in his mouth as being said in North America. For example, 3 Nephi 12:3-18, 21-28 and 31-45 are practically identical, verse for verse, with Matthew 5:3-18, 21-28 and 31-45 in the Authorized Version. This will also be found true when comparing 3 Nephi 13 with Matthew 6 as well as 3 Nephi 14 with Matthew 7. The type of similarities that comparison of these passages reveals would not have existed if Jesus had truly repeated these things to another people and they were written by different writers in a different language.

Many of Jesus’ statements recorded in the Bible can be found liberally sprinkled throughout The Book of Mormon, from those parts dated nearly 600 years before his birth to those dated over 400 years after his birth. What Jesus said about his sheep at John 10:9, 14, 16 is found, in part, at 1 Nephi 22:25, dated 588 years before Christ. Alma 31:37 uses Jesus’ words at Luke 12:22, although this book is dated 74 years before his birth. Jesus’ well-known expression at Matthew 16:19, where he tells Peter: “Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven,” is found at Helaman 10:7, which says: “Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This is dated twenty-three years before the birth of Jesus. It should be of interest to mention here that what Peter said about Jesus at Acts 3:22-25 appears, with the exception of a few alterations, at 3 Nephi 20:23-25, as words that Jesus was supposed to have said A.D. 34 to people in North America, but its close resemblance to the Authorized Version of the Bible identifies its source.

In the liberal use that The Book of Mormon makes of what is written in the Authorized Version it has included the spurious passage that appears in this version at Matthew 6:13, the latter part of which verse is recognized as being an uninspired addition to the original Bible writings. This spurious passage at Matthew 6:13, which says: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen,” appears in identical form at 3 Nephi 13:13. Also, the apparently spurious verses at Mark 16:17, 18 appear almost word for word at Mormon 9:24.

After comparing The Book of Mormon with the Bible, the inevitable conclusions that must be drawn are these: It is not in harmony with the Bible but teaches doctrines that conflict with it. The reason that it has, as Brigham Young said, “many words like those in the Bible,” is that it lifts from the Bible, in great number, expressions used by the Bible writers and weaves them into its own text. What also dresses it up to sound like the popular Authorized Version of the Bible is its constant use of the archaic English of that version.

Measured against the detailed history of the Pentateuch, the sublime beauty of the Psalms, the concisely expressed wisdom of the Proverbs and the upbuilding counsel of the Pauline letters, The Book of Mormon stands as a shabby, uninspiring and painfully wordy imitation of God’s Word.

What They Are Saying About and to Jehovah’s Witnesses

AMONG the many interesting expressions made about and to the witnesses of Jehovah by officials, clergymen and others, as recorded in the 1962 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, are the following:

Upon seeing the Witness film “The Happiness of the New World Society” at his home, a premier mayor in the Republic of the Congo said: “This is a thing to encourage as much as possible.”

The deputy mayor of a certain town in French Guiana made a similar remark upon seeing the same film: “It is the first time that I have seen such a thing in my life! Everybody should see this film!” Further, he arranged with the mayor to have the film shown in the biggest hall in town. Among the comments heard was: “Now the priest tells us to read our Bibles, but Jehovah’s witnesses are ready to explain it to us.”

In the Malagasy Republic a Protestant clergyman, after several discussions with a witness of Jehovah, confessed: “I am thirsty for knowledge of the Bible, knowledge of the truth . . . I can see that you teach only what is in the Bible.”

At the Hamburg, Germany, assembly in 1961 many thousands of Witnesses were housed at schools that had been turned into dormitories. A caretaker at one of these schools where 500 Witnesses stayed commented: “These eight days were the nicest in my whole life, and I was very sad when the brothers took their departure and left the school so empty.”

A priest in Sicily, upon meeting a Witness that was calling on householders, invited the Witness to visit him. Among other things, the priest then said: “For years you have been coming into this territory with your literature, and my parishioners have been providing me with magazines; but, instead of burning them, I read them.” As to taking his stand for Jehovah, he cryptically replied: “When the fruit is ripe, it falls to the ground by itself.”

In the Bahamas, an onlooker at a Witness immersion asked: “Is this being done by Jehovah’s witnesses?” When assured that it was, he commented: “I knew it must be; no other organization would ever be seen where a white man would be baptizing a colored man. It must be Jehovah’s witnesses.”

The subject of hell was being discussed in the house of a lover of righteousness in the Dominican Republic by a Witness and an Evangelical preacher. Being unable to refute the Scriptural presentation of the Witness, the preacher jumped to his feet and angrily shouted: “Look! man, God is not a God of love!” He then left, never to return. And what about the householder? He says that now he and his house are for Jehovah!—Josh. 24:15.

A truth-hungry man in Somalia, Africa, complained to the Witness visiting him: “Why doesn’t the local priest tell us these good things instead of spending his evenings playing cards with the boys at the clubhouse?”

In Ghana an overseer and his assistant made a call on one of the Witnesses that was becoming weak spiritually. Others in the same house overheard their remarks, causing one of them to say: “These people are really good Christians; their brother has not been going with them these days, so they came to strengthen him, and now look how happy he has become. If our priest had been doing the same thing we might not have gotten lost from the Church. I am going to look into this religion more fully.”

Witnesses in the Leeward Islands, in the Caribbean Sea, en route to their convention were pleased to hear the immigration officer say: “We will take all of Jehovah’s witnesses first in a group. I know they can be relied on to return when their convention is over. These people never give us any trouble.”

In reply to her request for help in understanding certain Bible doctrines a woman in Czechoslovakia was surprised to hear the following from her Roman Catholic priest: “Dear lady, I am not in a position to give you a thorough answer to these Biblical questions. In fact, we, the church, are really responsible that the people know so little about the Bible, and I know that we shall have to suffer God’s punishment for this. But if you want to know more about the truth of the Bible, there are people living in our town who will be able to tell you a lot about your questions and these [Jehovah’s witnesses] you should see.” This woman had begun studying with Jehovah’s witnesses and was disturbed to find their teaching so different from that of the Catholic Church. But now she no longer had any qualms about continuing to study with them!

Questions From Readers

● In view of the fact that it has been stated in the Watch Tower publications that the works of healing performed by Jesus and his apostles did not depend upon the faith of those cured, how are we to understand Matthew 13:58, which reads: “He did not do many powerful works there on account of their lack of faith”?—N. B., United States.

Today many faith healers, when brought face to face with the fact that they cannot heal a person, claim that it is due to his lack of faith. However, this is merely a subterfuge to explain away their inability to heal. Such, however, was not the case with Jesus and his apostles. There is nothing in the record to indicate that the widow of Nain exercised faith that her son would be brought to life again. Jesus merely noted the mourning mother and comforted her by raising her son from the dead. Thus also Peter and John healed a cripple at the temple gate without any expression of faith on his part. He looked at them expecting to receive some alms, and, to his amazement and astonishment, he was made whole.—Luke 7:12-15; Acts 3:1-8.

What the Scriptures state at Matthew 13:58 is that Jesus did not do many powerful works because of their lack of faith, not that he could not do works there. Apparently few people came out there to see him and to be healed. This was in striking contrast to other places, of which we read: “Great crowds approached him, having along with them people that were lame, maimed, blind, dumb, and many otherwise, and they fairly threw them at his feet, and he cured them.” The very fact of their bringing these to Jesus was a sufficient act of faith. There is nothing to indicate that Jesus quizzed these as to their faith.—Matt. 15:30.

● Is there any objection to a dedicated Christian minister’s belonging to a nudist group or living at a nudist camp or resort?—M. D., United States.

Whether man would have continued naked had he not sinned the Word of God does not explicitly state. However, we do note that after the first human pair sinned Jehovah God made clothes for them, slaughtering animals to provide the skins. (Gen. 3:21) Certainly that was a change from their original nakedness. But since these clothes were provided by the Creator himself, who would dare claim that Adam and Eve would have been better off without them? Certainly throughout the Scriptures we note that God’s servants wore clothing, and oftentimes it is described.

More than that, man is the only creature on earth that has need of clothing, and that for at least three sound reasons. First, as a protection from the elements and nature, from heat and cold, from rough terrain or thorns, and so forth. Secondly, there is the matter of beauty and comeliness. Clothing adds to the appearance, helps give one a measure of confidence and serves to cover one’s unseemly parts, even as the apostle Paul notes at 1 Corinthians 12:23. And thirdly, there is the matter of modesty. Thus we read at Revelation 16:15 that Christians should take care lest they lose their garments and be exposed to shame. True, this refers to spiritual garments, but the illustration would be without force if the nude state were to be preferred to the clothed.

Further, the Scriptures admonish Christian women to be chaste and modest in their attire: “I desire the women to adorn themselves in well-arranged dress, with modesty and soundness of mind.” (1 Tim. 2:9) It would be stretching credulity to believe, as claimed by the nudists, that men and women of the world are of such a high moral tone that in the presence of nude women they would not be likely to transgress along the line Jesus mentioned at Matthew 5:28: “Everyone that keeps on looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Therefore no dedicated Christian minister can remain in good standing in the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses and at the same time be a member of a nudist colony or frequent nudist camps.

Announcements

FIELD MINISTRY

In view of the clear information in the Bible concerning our times, there is no need for a person to wonder what his responsibility as a Christian is. Awake to their responsibility, Jehovah’s witnesses will call at homes during May offering the Bible-study aid From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained, on a contribution of only 75c.

DESIGNED TO FIT YOUR NEEDS

Awake! is designed for you! Whoever you are, wherever you are, Awake! is published with you in mind. It covers the world and far beyond and puts you there in a way that is stimulating, enlightening, thought-provoking. It treats of every phase of life, specializing in those things that concern you. It is designed to fit your needs. Send for it. Read it. Enjoy it. One year, $1.

QUEBEC CITY ASSEMBLY

The Courageous Ministers District Assembly scheduled for Quebec City, Quebec, July 27-29 will have an all-French program. There will be no English-language sessions.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

June 24: The Faithful Creator. Page 297.

July 1: The Name of Jehovah—a Strong Tower. Page 303.