The Watchtower — October 15, 1963

God’s Place in Your Life

MANY are the persons who pray at times of deep mental anguish or physical stress, yet fail to consider God when happy and physically fit. Only when they need something does God have a place in their lives. Others have a set place for God in their lives, but only at those times when they meet at their place of worship. Relegating worship to such infrequent consideration is certainly incompatible with the sound advice contained in God’s Word, the Bible. It was Jesus Christ who stated the place God should have in your life, when he said, “You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.” (Matt. 22:37) A person loved receives the foremost consideration. So by having complete love for God and expressing that love in your actions, you will be able to place God first in your life.

Fifteen hundred years before God’s Son stated this commandment, the same instruction had been given through God’s servant Moses to the nation of Israel. To ensure that the children of those Israelites would grow up to be adults who would place God first in their lives, the fathers were told to fix God’s law in the minds of their children ‘when they sat in their house and when they walked on the road and when they lay down and when they got up.’ The Christian apostle Paul advised that “all the things that were written aforetime were written” for the instruction of true Christians. In order to place God first in your life you will want to follow the fine example of those Israelites who obeyed the law. You will make certain that time is set aside to study God’s righteous requirements so that these will be fixed in your mind and available to guide you to keep God first in your life.—Deut. 6:7; Rom. 15:4.

The Bible contains examples of men who did place God first in their lives. When faced with the choice of continuing to be reckoned as a son of Pharaoh’s daughter or being “ill-treated with the people of God,” Moses had to make a choice. What would you have chosen? Would you have put God ahead of wealth and worldly fame? Displaying true wisdom, Moses “esteemed the reproach of the Christ as riches greater than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked intently toward the payment of the reward.” And just what was that reward? It was not only to receive mention in the Bible as one of the cloud of witnesses who are excellent examples for Christians today, but also to be reckoned as one of those “who did good things” who Jesus said would receive a resurrection to life.—Heb. 11:24-27; 12:1; John 5:28, 29.

Faithful Daniel was another who kept God in first place in his life. Not just once a week, but three times a day he prayed to God. Even when the Medo-Persian government put a temporary ban on such religious observance, he did not put God in second place to please men. Are you as constant in your worship as Daniel was?—Dan. 6:4-11.

What place does God have in your life? Do Bible principles and commands guide you so that everything you do pleases God? Can it be said that God comes first in your life?

In making decisions that affect their lives, Christians who place God first in their lives stop to consider how their worship of God will be affected by those decisions. For example, when considering the type of secular work in which to engage, the first consideration with God-fearing Christians is not the amount of pay and the opportunities for advancement; rather, they carefully consider what will be involved in taking on such work. If dishonesty or even questionable business dealings were called for, then Christians would refuse to accept that work, realizing that to engage in such would be displeasing to God and would violate their conscience, which they have trained to lead them in harmony with God’s principles as outlined in the Bible.

Likewise in the field of entertainment, Christians select only what is upbuilding and in harmony with godly principles. They wisely avoid literature, TV programs, stage plays and other entertainment that feature immorality, dishonesty, violence, murder and anything else the Bible condemns. Rather than corrupt their minds, they make their minds over in harmony with the will of God.—Rom. 12:2.

The Christian’s thoughts, then, must be pure if he is going to put God first in his life. Exposing the wrong kind of thoughts, Jesus Christ said: “From inside, out of the heart of men, injurious reasonings issue forth: fornications, thieveries, murders, adulteries, covetings, acts of wickedness, deceit, loose conduct, an envious eye.” Those entertaining such reasonings are not putting God first in their lives, for Christians cultivate thoughts that are pure, lovable, righteous and chaste. They do this especially by taking in the precious thoughts of God. Then they will be able to say with David, who placed God first in his life: “To me how precious your thoughts are! O God, how much does the grand sum of them amount to! Search through me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me, and know my disquieting thoughts.”—Mark 7:21, 22; Phil. 4:8; Ps. 139:17, 23.

God deserves that prominent place in your life because of what he is and what he has done. Recognizing this, you will be able to echo these words of reverence: “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. 4:11.

By careful study of God’s Word, learning God’s principles, applying them in your life, benefiting from the examples of faithful men of old, you will be able to place God first in your life. Analyze your thoughts and actions. Make sure they please God. The result is desirable: Everlasting life in which God will always have the first place.

When God Is King over All the Earth

This public address was heard worldwide by 570,932 persons at the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly.

1. (a) What common want do people everywhere have? (b) What timely questions on this matter face us?

PEOPLE all around the globe want an improvement in the government over them. There are men who are convinced that they can bring about the betterment desired in government, and they want to be the government and insist on being it. Suppose that people everywhere were given the freedom of choice and a free election were held in which every adult person could vote without fear, which particular man would they all vote to have over them as king or ruler? Which man would even the majority of the people want to have as the one ruler over all the earth? Can any man or any group of men prominent in world affairs today recommend a candidate for such an office? Is there any man having their confidence who is qualified for such a world-important job? Could any man prove satisfactory in the job? And after he died, what other man would be fit to succeed him? Are people to be divided up forever into many national groups, each within its own sacred boundaries and with its own set of rulers over it and its own style of government and laws? These are practical questions. As we study them it makes us realize the difficult situation of all mankind.

2. How do realistic people view a one-man government?

² Today many realistic people believe that it would be dangerous to entrust world government to any one man, even if he were assisted by a cabinet of men having charge over various departments. Those who know and understand imperfect, selfish human nature shrink from such an idea. The job of world rulership is too big for any one man.

3. Name some of the problems facing any government on earth today.

³ What shall we do, then, since the need for a unified rulership of all the human family grows greater all the time? The expenses of running a national and local government keep increasing year after year. The problem of not enough jobs for able-bodied men and women to earn a living becomes more complicated as the use of machines for human labor spreads. The terrific rate at which the human family is increasing without birth control and because of helping old people to live longer raises the question of how to feed them all when our small earth gets more crowded. No one wants to lower the earth’s population by killing off the excess people with a third world war. It is feared that with the present military preparedness such a world war would kill off too many; it would, in fact, kill off all mankind, despite shelters underground against nuclear attack. Seemingly, it is within mankind’s power today to commit world suicide. The situation looks impossible!

4-6. (a) What would be the general opinion of people if a suggestion were made to try to produce a perfect child? (b) Was such a thing impossible for Jehovah? (c) Just what did Jehovah do in this regard?

⁴ In this day medical science is trying to improve human birth. Suppose, now, we should try to produce a perfect child from an unmarried girl in the best of physical and mental form but without her having sexual union with a man and without what they call “artificial insemination.” That would be impossible, everybody would say. Once there existed a need to produce such a child here on earth. For man such a thing was impossible then, even as it is impossible today. But it was done. It did not prove impossible.

⁵ Not impossible for whom? Not impossible for man’s Creator, who is also the Creator of all things in heaven and earth, of the things seen and unseen. Almost two thousand years ago he sent his messenger, named Gabriel, from the invisible heavens to announce the birth of a child who would one day become king over the whole earth. The angelic messenger Gabriel located the girl who was to be the mother of this future king. She was a young unmarried woman in the small town of Nazareth, about seventy-five miles southwest of the ancient city of Damascus in Syria. This virgin girl was a descendant of a king named David, who used to rule in old Jerusalem, the location of which is now in the land of Jordan. But David’s royal line of successors had been overturned, dethroned, more than six hundred years before this coming of the heavenly messenger. It was now the Creator’s time to produce the descendant of King David who would take the throne over the whole earth for the sake of all mankind. The angel Gabriel said to the virgin girl:

⁶ “Have no fear, Mary, for you have found favor with God; and, look! you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you are to call his name Jesus. This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob [his forefather] forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.”

7. What was the reaction of the young unmarried woman Mary?

⁷ As the girl Mary was unmarried and the angel Gabriel said nothing to her about a husband, she did not see how she could become the mother of an everlasting king. So she said to Gabriel: “How is this to be, since I am having no intercourse with a man?”

8, 9. How did Gabriel satisfy Mary’s mind and later the mind of Joseph?

⁸ Then, in order to explain how the only virgin birth of a man on record would come about, the angel Gabriel said to Mary: “Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason also what is born will be called holy, God’s Son. . . . because with God no declaration will be an impossibility.” Mary agreed to let God perform his will toward her.—Luke 1:26-38.

⁹ God’s declaration to Mary by his angel Gabriel did not prove to be an impossibility, no, not for God the Most High. Some time later Mary, though still unmarried and not living with a man, was found to be pregnant. Not knowing God’s power to produce a virgin birth of his Son on earth, people thought that Mary had violated her virginity, immorally. But an angel from God corrected the wrong understanding of Joseph of Nazareth and he married Mary.

10. Of what significance was it that Jesus was born in Bethlehem?

¹⁰ About six months after Joseph took her, Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, whose name was called Jesus. However, he was born in Bethlehem, about five miles south of Jerusalem, and where King David himself had been born. This fulfilled a prophecy that had been made by a man named Micah of that neighborhood over seven hundred years before then. Pointing forward to the fact that the child whose birth he foretold would be a ruler of world importance, Micah said as God’s inspired mouthpiece: “You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, the one too little to get to be among the thousands of [the tribe of] Judah, from you there will come out to me the one who is to become ruler in Israel, whose origin is from early times, from the days of time indefinite.” (Mic. 5:2) God Almighty made it possible for the man Micah to foretell so many centuries in advance the birthplace of this important ruler.—Matt. 1:1–2:6; Luke 2:1-20.

11. In spite of man’s failure to produce a ruler to unify our earth, why can we be confident that the situation is not hopeless?

¹¹ It remains a fact, therefore, that, if the royal families and the politicians on earth today cannot bring forth a man to rule over all the earth for the unifying of all its peoples, God Almighty has someone worthy and capable to put in charge of the whole earth when the time for God’s kingdom arrives. So, despite the alarming conditions in which mankind finds itself today, the situation is not hopeless for us. If we learn about this God and what he has already done and will yet do for the sake of his kingdom over all mankind, and if we put our faith in God with whom nothing is an impossibility, we shall be of good cheer. Mankind can be saved from destruction. “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” That is what the miraculously born Jesus himself said about man’s salvation.—Matt. 19:26.

12. Is there any danger that Jehovah through his Kingdom arrangement may fail to bring about the fulfillment of mankind’s greatest needs? Why?

¹² What has God already done for his kingdom over all the human family, and what will his kingdom mean to earth’s inhabitants? God has already done so much for the sake of putting his kingdom in universal control, that he will not now reverse himself and fail to carry through his purpose to glorious success. Because of what he has promised concerning his kingdom, he will not stop till he has proved all his declarations true, though they seem impossible to men and although the whole political and religious world may be against his kingdom. Regarding the triumph of his kingdom he has said: “Jehovah of armies himself has counseled, and who can break it up? And his hand is the one stretched out, and who can turn it back?” (Isa. 14:27) Let us take courage, then, and continue our examination. It is not into something impossible.

WHEN HE WAS RULER OVER PARADISE

13. (a) What governments are most of mankind interested in today? (b) Are they concerned with God’s government? (c) What had Jehovah done long before man ever came into existence, and what kind of a start did he give to newly created man?

¹³ In this day of great changes, when new nations are being formed with their own native governments, men are talking a great deal about the self-determination of the peoples and national sovereignty over territories. But amid all these discussions, who of mankind ever asks about the sovereignty of God over our earth? Who has the right more than God does to establish a royal government over all the earth? He is the Creator of the earth and of man and beast upon it. The earth, the whole globe, is His, and man and beast owe their lives to Him. In the Holy Book in which his deeds are recorded it is written right at the very start: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1) Before ever he created man and woman, God created the lower animals, the fish, the birds, and the beasts of the earth. At that time he was in absolute charge of the earth, and all forms of animal life thrived, all this without man’s assistance.a Neither was there any man to dispute him. Finally God created man and woman as a creation separate and distinct from all the animals previously created and superior to them. God did not make man and woman cave dwellers and require them to live in holes in the ground. He created them perfect, with perfect minds, and put them in a beautiful park in which to enjoy peace, happiness and plenty as earthly children of God. He did not create them in a so-called Stone Age and oblige them to make stone weapons to fight and kill the animals. He made them earthly overseers over all the animal world, to have control over them without fear and even to domesticate some of them.

14. How do we know Jehovah did not fear there would be an overpopulating of the earth?

¹⁴ God had no fear of the earth’s becoming overcrowded with man and beast, but he said to the first man and woman in their human perfection in the Paradise of Pleasure: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.”—Gen. 1:26 to 2:25.

15-17. (a) Who was mankind’s first ruler, and what opportunities were before them? (b) Would rulership change after the earth became filled with people according to God’s purpose?

¹⁵ At man’s appearance on the earth about six thousand years ago, who was ruler over all the earth? Man, because he lived on it? No, but God, because he created it, and perfect man was merely the subject of God the universal Ruler. He was the Theocrat, which title means God-Ruler, and he had a theocracy over all the earth.

¹⁶ Were the perfect man and woman in the Paradise happy under that theocracy? They were perfectly happy, and they had before them the opportunity of living happily forever in that Paradise, provided they obeyed the heavenly Theocrat perfectly. When, finally, the whole earth became filled with the offspring of this perfect couple in Paradise, who, then, would be the ruler over all the earth? The first man and father of them all? No, but man’s Creator, the heavenly Theocrat. This was the original purpose of God the Creator. Today, merely six thousand years later, it is still his purpose. He has not changed his mind about it because today the billions of earth’s inhabitants are opposed to it.

¹⁷ As regards his declared purpose, he says in his inspired Book: “I am Jehovah; I have not changed.” (Mal. 3:6) Will it be impossible for him to realize his unchanged purpose of worldwide rulership? To judge him by what he has said and done in the past, the answer is a flat No! Today’s generation of mankind are yet going to see whether they can make it impossible for God the Creator to realize his purpose.

18. Why is it not reasonable to believe Jehovah made the start of having men rule on earth?

¹⁸ Who was it that started on the earth this business of making men kings to rule over certain territories? It certainly was not God the Creator. Think of it for a moment! Would he the Creator renounce his own position as Theocrat and appoint a man on earth to be the worldwide or even territorial king, especially an imperfect man, disobedient and out of harmony with God? Who, then, started the kingdoms of men and the world empires? Who is really responsible for the international government mixup we have today?

19. What requirements for man did God properly outline, and what would be the result if man became disobedient?

¹⁹ When God created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, he became their heavenly Father. He properly expected and required of them to render childlike obedience, honor and loyalty and love to him as their Father and Life-giver. He had given them perfect life, and he had the right to take life away from them and destroy them if they disobeyed him and proved rebellious. This earth is only a very tiny part of God’s boundless domain; and as the Ruler over all creation in heaven and earth, he rightfully laid down the laws for the government of his perfect earthly creatures. He published his law to man and said to Adam: “You will positively die,” if you disobey my law. (Gen. 2:15-17; 3:3) This meant the taking away of disobedient Adam’s life, with no future existence for him anywhere.

REBELLION AGAINST HIS RULE

20. Who first rebelled against God’s righteous rule, and why?

²⁰ At this particular time, when all looked peaceable and promising, the question of sovereignty over the inhabited earth arose, and down to this twentieth century of our Common Era it has not been settled. But it will be settled in our day. Let there be no mistaking about that. Back there the question was raised in the invisible heavens by an ambitious son of God. He coveted the sovereignty over the earth, with mankind as his subjects. He set himself in opposition to God the Creator, his own Father. He thus made himself Satan, which name means Opposer. This rebellious spirit son slandered God his Father and thus made himself the Devil, which means Slanderer, Malicious Defamer. He used the serpent in the Garden of Eden to deceive the woman, Adam’s wife Eve, and thus the serpent became a symbol of him as a deceiver, and Serpent, yes, Original Serpent, became one of his reproachful names.—Rev. 12:9; 20:2.

21. What resulted to Adam and Eve for disobedience, and so who now became their sovereign?

²¹ By inducing selfishness in Adam and Eve he led them to break God’s law and take themselves out from under God’s sovereignty and put themselves under the sovereignty of the Serpent, Satan the Devil. For their rebellion God the Creator drove them out of the Paradise of Pleasure to live for some years, to bring forth offspring, and to die. He let them have their sovereign Satan the Devil. God appointed no king over them or their offspring.—Gen. 3:1–5:5.

22. How did God later show he was still very much interested in the earth he had created?

²² Within seventeen hundred years from then the earth became filled with violence, and mankind in general had made its way of life a ruinous one upon the earth, a corrupt way. Was God concerned about this condition in the earth that he had created? Yes, indeed! How did he wipe out the ruinous condition? By transformation of human society, or by world conversion? No. But by destroying all the corrupt people. To his prophet Noah he said: “The end of all flesh has come before me, because the earth is full of violence as a result of them; . . . And as for me, here I am bringing the deluge of waters upon the earth to bring to ruin all flesh in which the force of life is active from under the heavens.”—Gen. 6:11-17.

23. In what way did he show he was still Universal Sovereign?

²³ For Noah and his family to survive the Flood God told him to build a huge floating ark, and to take specimens of various families of birds and animals inside. On the very day that Noah and his family entered the completed ark and the door was shut behind them, the deluge broke upon this terrestrial globe. Billions of tons of water from the heavens were precipitated upon the earth for forty days. Under God’s protection Noah’s ark floated safely upon the waters that rose mountain high, but all the world of corrupt people outside perished. What a demonstration this was of God’s control of natural forces! What a manifestation this was of God’s universal sovereignty!

24. Since God does not change, what can we expect in our day?

²⁴ Inasmuch as Jehovah God does not change, what a warning this destruction of a corrupt world by a global flood is to us today when the earth is once again filled with violence, when human violence in nuclear warfare threatens to wipe out the human race even without God’s having to do it himself! In our ears should ring the words of Jesus, the miraculously born Son of David, earth’s future King: “Just as it occurred in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of man: . . . when Noah entered into the ark, and the flood arrived and destroyed them all.”—Luke 17:26, 27; Matt. 24:37-39.

25. Who became the first human king on earth, and how does the Bible describe him?

²⁵ Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the Flood, but before he died the first human king had established himself in the earth and the first empire on earth was begun. This was not by Noah, nor by God’s raising up such a king and founding such an empire. It was by a rebellious great-grandson of Noah, namely, Nimrod. He was a killer, a hunter. Here is how one modern translation of the Bible record about him reads: “He began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before Jehovah: wherefore it is said, Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Jehovah. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, . . . in the land of Shinar.”—Gen. 10:8-10, AS.

26. Show how Jehovah’s sovereign power operated toward this human king’s plans.

²⁶ Jehovah God gave a setback to Nimrod’s imperial designs when he broke up Nimrod’s building operations by mixing up the language of the builders. Only after a long time Babylon rose to a position that dominated the whole inhabited earth. Because of its imperial plans it even destroyed the templed city of Jerusalem. But where is Babylon today, that mother of human kingdoms, that founder of man-made empires? Look, please, to the modern Republic of Iraq and to the banks of its Euphrates River, near earth’s thirty-second parallel. There you see only some broken-down ruins, dug up less than seventy years ago in a barren wasteland not now fit to live in. Here again is a historical proof of the universal sovereignty of Jehovah God.

27. (a) How did David of Israel become a king? (b) Of whom were David and all Israel descendants? (c) What kind of a government did Israel have over it, and who was the ruler?

²⁷ How, then, did David the shepherd boy of Bethlehem (now in Jordan) come to be king of Jerusalem? Not in Nimrod’s way! But by God’s anointing of him to be king, at the hands of the faithful prophet Samuel. David was a descendant of Abraham, who is familiar to Mohammedans as well as Jews and Christians. Abraham proved himself to be a friend of Jehovah God. He loved God so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own beloved son Isaac if his God commanded him to do so. Because Abraham demonstrated this willingness, Jehovah God chose to be his people the descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. By means of marvelous miracles God gave this chosen people the land of Palestine to occupy. They had no visible human king over them. Jehovah, the God of Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was their King, their Lawgiver, their Judge. Their government was a God-given one, a Theocracy. There was not another government like it on the earth. In its day it was the best government on earth. Worship of God meant obedience to the law of the invisible heavenly King of this theocratic government. He permitted no image to be made that would picture him visibly. By law he did not allow his chosen people to worship him by means of any man-made image or by means of anything in nature as a symbol. As long as his earthly subjects obeyed and worshiped him they prospered.

28, 29. (a) How did Israel come to have human kings, and was it to their advantage? (b) How did Jehovah meet a crisis early in the kingship of Israel?

²⁸ However, about three hundred and fifty years after Jehovah God gave them the Promised Land in the Middle East, they got weak in faith and asked to have a visible human king. In this respect they wanted to be like the nations in all the rest of the earth. Was this worldly wisdom on their part really wise and in the best interests of their nation? No stronger answer to the question can we find than to look at the experience of the Jewish people over the past two thousand years. God forewarned them of the trouble that this change of rulership would bring upon them, and the first human king that he let them have proved this to them.

²⁹ This first king went down in defeat before the enemy, and his son who succeeded him was murdered. It was at this crisis that Jehovah God gave them David as their anointed king, because he was a man in agreement with God’s own heart. Seated on the royal throne in Jerusalem, King David ruled as visible representative of his God Jehovah. He was said to sit on “Jehovah’s throne.”—1 Chron. 29:23.

30. (a) How long was the line of kings to continue in David’s line? (b) To what grand climax did this lead?

³⁰ Because of David’s devotion to the worship of his God, Jehovah promised to keep the kingship in the line of David’s descent forever. (2 Sam. 7:1-17) The world-famous wise King Solomon was the first successor of David according to this divine promise or covenant. But the most important thing is that someone wiser than King Solomon has been born in David’s line and has become everlasting heir of the kingship. This one is he whose miraculous birth Jehovah’s angel Gabriel announced to Mary at Nazareth nineteen centuries ago. His name, Gabriel said, was to be called Jesus, because of the meaning of the name. It is a shortening of the name Jehoshuah and, according to Bible dictionaries, it means “Jehovah Is Salvation.” Almighty God has to make that name of his Son come true. To that end Jehovah God let his Son die a sacrificial death and then resurrected him on the third day to immortal life in the heavens. God seated him at His own right hand in the heavens, far above the heights to which man’s rockets of today can reach in outer space.—Acts 2:22-36; 1 Cor. 15:3-28.

GOD’S ANOINTED KING NOT WANTED

31. Do the nations of earth desire God’s anointed king as ruler, and what would the reaction be to such a suggestion to members of the United Nations?

³¹ These are the historical facts. All the kingdoms, empires, republics and the United Nations and all other political alliances of our day cannot set aside those facts. If not well known in the Mohammedan world and in the world called pagan or heathen by Western nations, these Biblical and historical facts should be fully known by Christendom, the professed Christian world. In the face of these facts, which are beyond disproof, do any or all of the nations today want God the Creator as King over all the earth, including themselves? Introduce such an idea into the General Assembly or the Security Council of the United Nations, and, not merely the Communist bloc, but its one hundred and eleven member nations will laugh at you.

32. What quality does our modern age lack leading to their rejection of whom?

³² Today in this modernistic, materialistic age of accomplishments in outer space, the nations have no more faith in God the Creator than the Israelites did when they asked Jehovah’s prophet Samuel to set a visible, human king over them. The full meaning of their demand Jehovah God explained with these words: “It is I whom they have rejected from being king over them.”—1 Sam. 8:1-22.

33. (a) Who did and who did not want Jehovah as king 1900 years ago? (b) What action of the Jews and Romans shows their attitude?

³³ Today who wants Jehovah God as king over earth? Not the nations. They do not want him any more than the Jews and the Romans wanted him as king nineteen centuries ago when his Son, Jesus Christ, rode into the city of Jerusalem and offered himself as king, while multitudes of the common people cried out: “Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah’s name! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Save, we pray, in the heights above!” “Blessed is the One coming as the King in Jehovah’s name! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest places!” (Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38) As a sign of Jews and Romans refusing to have God as king over them, they refused his Son Jesus Christ. In an attempt to prevent God’s Son from ruling in earthly Jerusalem and over the land of Israel the priests had him arrested, given a mock trial, handed over to the Roman governor of Jerusalem, and under the pressure of a religious riot, given over to death by being nailed to a criminal’s stake.

34. What did Jehovah do in behalf of his Son, and what attitude is still shown by this world?

³⁴ But how vainly the faithless nations exerted themselves to block God’s purpose concerning this earth’s government! On the third day God, with whom nothing is impossible, raised his faithful Son from the dead as the everlasting heir of David’s kingship and exalted him to his own right hand to be a heavenly king. The nations can now kill him no more, but he can kill them unless they first destroy themselves in nuclear, bacteriological, radiological warfare. Though confronted today with the facts concerning this glorified Son of God who has the right of everlasting kingship, they take up the words the Jewish chief priest yelled to Roman governor Pilate: “We have no king but Caesar.”—John 19:15.

35, 36. (a) How do we know the attitude of this world is no different today? (b) Yet to what extent is Jehovah’s kingship proclaimed?

³⁵ Their attitude toward having God as King and reigning through his Son Jesus Christ can be seen in the way in which they react to the preaching of the everlasting good news of God’s kingdom. Ever since 1914, the year in which World War I began, Jesus’ prophecy has been undergoing fulfillment, namely: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14) Though small at first, this witness to God’s established kingdom has grown, till today more than a million Kingdom witnesses are reported preaching publicly and from house to house in 194 lands in 162 languages. The Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania, America, with branch offices in ninety locations around the earth, has received reports from that many.

³⁶ But have the nations inside and outside of the United Nations organization accepted this preaching as good news? The fulfillment of Jesus’ own prophecy that his obedient followers would be persecuted for preaching the good news of the Kingdom gives us an answer, the meaning of which is unmistakably clear. (Matt. 24:9-13; 25:31, 41-45) The nations just do not want God’s kingdom by Christ to be preached by his witnesses, not to speak of actually having God’s kingdom rule over them and all the earth.—Luke 19:14, 27.

37. What timely question is now asked, and what is the only logical answer?

³⁷ So have we now reached a stalemate? No! Well, then, whose sovereignty over our earth is to determine the future rulership over mankind, in order to bring improvement in government to perfection? The sovereignty of the nations of this world or God’s sovereignty over all his creation? Man, even nations of men, cannot win out against God. Human history proves that fact. Farsighted statesmen of the world, military experts and specialists on economics are continually warning us that there is disastrous trouble ahead for mankind, but they do not tell us what the real cause of it will be. The real cause is that men do not desire to turn the sovereignty of the earth over to God.

38. Like the king of Babylon, what facts must the nations come to know?

³⁸ Men still try to determine their own times and seasons. They want to change God’s times for things on earth, but they cannot do so any more than they can prevent the sun from rising at its appointed time. The great king of ancient Babylon had to learn this lesson, and it was in connection with him that the prophet Daniel said in prayer to the Most High God: “Let the name of God become blessed . . . he is changing times and seasons, removing kings and setting up kings.” He gives the kingdom over mankind to the one to whom he chooses and anoints, and at his own due time. The mighty king of Babylon was obliged to admit: “All the inhabitants of the earth are being considered as merely nothing, and he is doing according to his own will among the army of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth. And there exists no one that can check his hand or that can say to him, ‘What have you been doing?’”—Dan. 2:20, 21; 4:17, 25, 35.

39, 40. Why is 1914 a marked year in human history, and into what time period have earth’s nations now entered?

³⁹ God has placed a time limit upon man’s exercise of sovereignty over the earth. That limit, according to God’s time schedule in the Holy Bible, was reached in the year 1914. There the time came for God to establish his kingdom in the heavens in the hands of his Son Jesus Christ, the permanent Heir of King David. Because the nations chose to follow the counsel of their religious advisers and not the instruction given in the Bible, the nations of Christendom began a world war in 1914 over the issue of world domination. Today, a half century later, they are trying to prevent a third world war over the very same issue.

⁴⁰ It is very plain to see that, in all this, God the Creator is being ignored by men, to their own hurt. Since 1914, when the “appointed times of the [Gentile] nations” ended, all the nations of this world have been in their “time of the end.” (Luke 21:24; Dan. 12:1-4) They have continually been told of this by Jehovah’s witnesses, who, in the face of world opposition and persecution, have been preaching the everlasting good news of God’s kingdom.—Matt. 24:9-14; Mark 13:10.

41. (a) Who determines when this time period will end, and what will mark its close? (b) Thus who only will survive the time of the end?

⁴¹ God, not world politicians and statesmen, will determine when this “time of the end” shall close. Shortly the clock of universal time will strike the hour, and the “war of the great day of God the Almighty” will break out, not by accident or by human miscalculation, but because God has had enough of mankind’s opposition and ignoring of him. With destructive forces held in reserve for that great day he will at last fight to make his sovereignty universal so as to include this earth. That will be the real battle of Har–Magedon foretold in the last book of the Holy Bible. (Rev. 16:13-16) With crushing force it will come like the global flood of Noah’s day. There has never been a war like it, and there will never be another like it. So Jesus Christ, the everlasting Heir of the Kingdom, has foretold. Only men and women, like Noah and his family, who are in favor and support of God’s kingdom by his Son Jesus Christ will survive. Only they will be protected through the war of the great day to see Jehovah’s sovereignty in full, undisputed sway over the earth.—Matt. 24:21, 22, 37-39; 25:34.

THE LONG-DESIRED CHANGES

42. To whom will this decisive war bring kingship of our earth, resulting in what type of future for mankind?

⁴² Concerning the permanent result of that decisive war of the great day of God the Almighty the prophecy of Zechariah 14:9 says: “And Jehovah must become king over all the earth. In that day Jehovah will prove to be one, and his name one.” Can we imagine the desirable changes that this will mean for our earth? We are not left to imagine and indulge in mere guesswork. We have the written Word of God, for whom no declaration is impossible of fulfillment, and its prophecies tell us in advance, that we may be joyful in our hopes for the future of mankind. The future will be a time of rejoicing, just as Psalm 97:1 assures us, with the words: “Jehovah himself has become king! Let the earth be joyful. Let the many islands rejoice.”

43. Outline some of the results of this decisive battle.

⁴³ Of course, the war of the great day against the opposers of Almighty God’s sovereignty will tremendously reduce the population of the earth, just as the global flood did in Noah’s day. Very likely the transportation systems and the various means of rapid communication will be broken down or paralyzed for the time being. It may be some time before the survivors of the end of this old system of things are able to get in touch with one another in the many lands. For example, the worshipers of the Sovereign God Jehovah are reported to be in 194 lands around the globe today. In this year of 1963 they flock together in this Round-the-World Assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses scheduled to be held in twenty-four prominent cities in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the globe.

44. What attitude is now shown by Jehovah’s witnesses?

⁴⁴ No less so than now, rather, more so than now, Jehovah’s witnesses will be eager to communicate and get together after the universal war of Har–Magedon. The King Jesus Christ, whom Jehovah God puts in charge of earth’s inhabitants, will see to it that they do get in touch with one another and work together in Christian brotherhood, for it is written concerning Jehovah’s King: “In his days the righteous one will sprout, and the abundance of peace until the moon is no more. And he will have subjects from sea to sea and from the River [Euphrates, no more under Babylon’s control] to the ends of the earth.” (Ps. 72:7, 8) He will leave none of his subjects isolated.

45. Destruction of national sovereignties will mean what for surviving mankind?

⁴⁵ With all national human sovereignties destroyed in the war of Har–Magedon, and with only the one living and true God as the Sovereign over all the earth, what need will there be for the national boundaries on earth under Jehovah’s one King in charge of mankind? Such artificial national boundaries will be wiped out and will appear on no maps of that future time. The King Jesus Christ will deal with his subjects, not as nationalities, but as children, as his redeemed people for whom he laid down his perfect human life in sacrifice nineteen hundred years ago. (John 3:16) By loyalty and obedience to him they are really in line to get everlasting life through him, for he is to become the Everlasting Father to them.

46. What will be the relation of earth’s inhabitants to the ruler in that kingdom?

⁴⁶ The prophecy of Isaiah 9:6, 7 says of the Son of David who was born in Bethlehem and who has become King David’s everlasting Heir: “There has been a child born to us, there has been a son given to us; and the princely rule will come to be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. To the abundance of the princely rule and to peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom in order to establish it firmly and to sustain it by means of justice and by means of righteousness, from now on and to time indefinite. The very zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.” Thus all his earthly subjects will become the children of the King, all brothers in a brotherhood on a kingly basis.

47. What other changes will be made for mankind’s common good?

⁴⁷ At the present time mankind are groaning under the taxation for the increasing expenses of government during this nuclear, space age. But not so then! What material support does Jehovah God as the Universal Sovereign need from mankind? He is the Creator of all things. The whole universe belongs to him. In arguing his case with mankind of today he says: “I will not take out of your house a bull, out of your pens he-goats. For to me belongs every wild animal of the forest, the beasts upon a thousand mountains. If I were hungry, I would not say it to you; for to me the productive land and its fullness belong.” (Ps. 50:1, 9, 10, 12) As regards his heavenly Son, Jesus Christ, whom he makes king over mankind, this Prince of Peace is the Heir of all things. (Heb. 1:1-6) Mankind will not need to be taxed in order to maintain their King in material luxury and extravagance. He will not permit any oppression or extortion by any of his visible human representatives in the earth. (Ps. 45:16; Isa. 32:1, 2) The present “god of this system of things,” Satan the Devil, and his demons will be bound and imprisoned in what the Bible describes as an abyss or bottomless place, but with a cover of restraint over it.—Rev. 19:11 to 20:3.

48, 49. (a) What interesting question now arises regarding repopulating the earth? (b) How are we assured the earth is to be inhabited?

⁴⁸ When Jehovah God created the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden, he blessed them and commanded them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.” (Gen. 1:28) Now, since the battle of Har–Magedon will make such a cut in the earth’s population that seems to be exploding today, how long will it take for the earth to be filled when God is king over all the earth and rules through his Son Jesus Christ? From the flood of Noah’s day till now it has been more than four thousand years, and it has taken all this time to pass the mark of three thousand million inhabitants, despite two world wars and all the other wars and deadly calamities in the meantime. How long will it take after Har–Magedon to fill the earth under God’s kingdom, and how will such a filled earth be fed, clothed and sheltered? This is no impossibility for God. His original purpose for our earth will be realized.

⁴⁹ Isaiah 45:18 assures us that Jehovah God is “the Former of the earth and the Maker of it, He the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited.” After he created the earth, he pronounced it very good. (Gen. 1:31) For these reasons he will never destroy this good earth, but it will abide and stand in existence for all time, regardless of what modern-day scientists or astronomers or false religionists say. (Eccl. 1:4; Ps. 104:5) It will be inhabited to its fullness.

50. (a) When will the start to once again populate the earth begin, and who will have a part in it? (b) Under what type of conditions will offspring be born?

⁵⁰ The new start to fill the earth with a righteous race of humans will get under way after the war of the great day of God the Almighty is over. It will begin with the earthly survivors of that universal war, as pictured by Noah and his family when they emerged from the ark of salvation after the Flood. (Gen. 9:1, 7) Married couples survived that Flood, and their offspring married, when of age, among themselves. Likewise, the battle of Har–Magedon will not dissolve the marriage ties of those surviving it, and we may reasonably believe and expect that marriages by single persons surviving Har–Magedon will be authorized by the King Jesus Christ, and their marriages will be fruitful with children. Although children then born from still-imperfect Har–Magedon survivors will not be born perfect, there will be no stillbirths or miscarriages or deformed children. They will be born in righteousness, by righteous parents, in God’s righteous new order, and there will then be no need for artificial birth control.

RETURN OF THE DEAD

51. What other grand provision has the Universal King made for filling our earth, and in what way has he reassured man that it will happen?

⁵¹ However, marriage will not be the only procedure contributing toward the filling of the earth with righteous subjects of God’s kingdom. The bringing forth of children by honorable marriage of Har–Magedon survivors and, in turn, by such post-Har–Magedon children will be approved by the King for evidently a limited time—for how many generations we do not know. Why so? Because it will have to take into account the fulfillment of a marvelous prophecy of God’s written Word. What promise? That of the resurrection of the dead, the resurrection of those whose names God has not blotted out of his memory as being too bad to be reformed. God’s resurrection of his own Son Jesus Christ from the dead was a guarantee of the resurrection of mankind in general. Jesus, looking forward to his kingdom, said: “The hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, . . . to a resurrection.” (John 5:28, 29) What ruler on earth today could bring back your dead?

52. How do we know that all the children born to Armageddon survivors and the returning dead will not overpopulate our earth?

⁵² Think of all the billions of dead that will be brought back to life on earth to enjoy the benefits of God’s kingdom over the earth and to take advantage of the opportunity then offered to gain everlasting life on earth! This will result in no overcrowding or overfilling of the earth. This will create no food problem and no unemployment problem. Agriculture and gardening will then be carried forward on an intelligent basis under supervision of the King Jesus Christ, and all the earth will be cultivated and cared for till it becomes a Paradise everywhere. It will be the earthwide Paradise that God the Creator set before Adam and Eve as a goal to work for, saying: “Fill the earth and subdue it.” No ruiners of the earth and no contaminators of air, soil and waters will be allowed. Good, wholesome food will be produced in abundance and will contribute toward the gaining of perfect health of body and mind.

53. Why will spiritual food be so important?

⁵³ Besides natural food, spiritual food will be served them, for without it eternal life on the Paradise earth could never be gained. As Jesus Christ the King himself said, when quoting God’s Word: “It is written, ‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.’” (Matt. 4:4; Deut. 8:3) The King wants his subjects to live forever in Paradise.

54. What are some of the many blessings in store for those living under God’s rulership?

⁵⁴ Within the thousand years of his reign the King will have the earth filled with a righteous race of mankind, according to God’s will. When the last of the dead is resurrected, it will mean the destruction of the grave, yes, of the cemetery. When the condemnation that Adam and Eve brought upon all mankind has been lifted because of the ransom sacrifice of the King Jesus Christ, and when the last trace of imperfection and evil tendency inherited from Adam has been overwhelmed and wiped out, then the death inherited from Adam will be no more on earth. As the prophecy in the last book of the Bible declares: “God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more. The former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:3, 4; 20:4-6) This will mean a happy people. But that is the very thing desired, for the success of a ruler is measured by the righteousness and happiness of his people, and also by the multitude of his subjects who choose to live under him. Wise King Solomon, son of David, gave the measure of a successful king when he stated: “In the multitude of people there is an adornment of a king, but in the lack of population is the ruin of a high official.” (Prov. 14:28) The success of Christ’s thousand-year kingdom will be seen in a Paradise earth full of righteous, happy subjects, for all of whom he died.

55. Why will there be no unemployment in that new world?

⁵⁵ No problem will arise over the question of employment because of modern-day labor-saving machines and so-called automation. The King will keep all his subjects fully occupied, and they will become perfect workmen. Work will be properly distributed among all, and there will never be cause for unemployment. The divine rule will be enforced: “If anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat.” (2 Thess. 3:10) The greatest employment will be that of doing the will of God, prayerfully seeing to it that God’s will is done on earth as it is done also in heaven. (Matt. 6:9, 10) In fact, it will be only by doing the will of God forever with a loving heart that men and women, perfected, will be rewarded with the gift of everlasting life under Jehovah’s theocratic government.

56. What should we do now in expectation of the time when God is “king over all the earth”?

⁵⁶ Here, indeed, will be the desired improvement in government in a perfect sense. It is a government that will never pass away, for God the Universal Sovereign will never pass away. He is immortal, almighty, supreme. (Dan. 2:44; Ps. 145:10-13) It is our privilege now, not just to pray formally for God’s kingdom, but also to take our stand for it and everywhere to proclaim the everlasting good news about it. May our determination henceforth be to live now in expectation of the glorious time when God is “king over all the earth.”

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 614]

‘You will give birth to a son, Jesus, Son of the Most High’

[Picture on page 619]

David, on the royal throne in Jerusalem, sat on “Jehovah’s throne”

[Picture on page 620]

“Blessed is the One coming as the King in Jehovah’s name!”

[Pictures on page 624, 625]

RIGHT: Milwaukee climaxes first of Around-the-World Assemblies with 57,055 hearing public address in County Stadium Ball Park.

LEFT: N. H. Knorr, halfway around the world, gives same lecture through Thai translator to 961 persons.

BELOW: Manila—37,806 hear president through three languages.

RIGHT: Munich attracts 107,164 to hear Knorr talk on “When God Is King over All the Earth.”

BELOW: Vice-president, F. W. Franz, gives public talk to 25,160 persons in Stockholm through Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Finnish translators.

[Picture on page 626]

Children will be brought forth in righteousness

Worldwide Witness

◆ One of Jehovah’s witnesses in the United States, in Illinois, reports: “One Saturday morning while working from door to door in Oak Park, spreading the Word of life, I came across a woman who was very busy. The luggage, she indicated, had just returned from a trip. With a few words to help her appreciate the need of the Word of life, I showed her The Watchtower. ‘Oh, no, not The Watchtower,’ she said in a sighing tone. ‘I have just returned from a world tour and in every country that I visited, people were approaching me with The Watchtower.’”

Around the World with the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly

NOTHING like it had ever taken place before a Christian assembly that traveled around the world in ten weeks. Going all the way around the world with the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses were 583 convention delegates. They stayed at about 200 different hotels, used 57 airlines and traveled some 26,000 miles. What a privilege to travel with this assembly around the world, an assembly that was scheduled to be held for three to eight days in twenty-four principal cities of the world!

This Around-the-World Assembly began on June 30, 1963, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, moved to New York city, then to Europe, the Middle East, the Far East and concluded September 1-8 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Moving all these delegates to the assembly cities was a tremendous job. The largest group ever to visit Taiwan, for instance, came and went in four short days. B. Henson, Philippine manager of the Civil Air Transport, which handled the round-the-world delegates from Manila to Taiwan, Japan and Korea, said: “This is the biggest thing I’ve ever handled. As far as I know, it is the biggest tour ever to go around the world.”

Why did hundreds of persons go around the world with the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly? Why did an additional 494 delegates travel with the assembly as far as Palestine? Because of the rich spiritual blessings that resulted from this assembly, which featured God’s Word, the Holy Bible, and God’s established kingdom. Many were the highlights of this assembly, an outstanding one being the widely advertised public talk “When God Is King over All the Earth,” printed in this special issue of The Watchtower. Around the world, a vast crowd of 570,932 persons came to the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly to hear this inspiring talk and felt richly rewarded.

SPIRITUAL REWARDS GREAT

But that public talk was just one of many outstanding spiritual blessings resulting from this assembly. Before the public talk at the New York city assembly, for instance, there were many spiritual benefits. These are a few of them:

On the first day of the program at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, July 7, the Watch Tower Society’s vice-president, F. W. Franz, talked on “The World—God’s Field of Work.” In this most enlightening talk, Franz discussed the meaning of the Greek words in the Holy Bible translated “world.” He showed how the Greek word kosmos is used three different ways: (1) “That framework of surroundings, that arrangement of things, into which a man is born and in which he exists,” as illustrated at John 12:25; (2) “the mass of mankind as apart from the Christian congregation and in opposition to it,” as at John 17:9 and (3) “just the people themselves, the entire body of them as one family, all humankind on earth,” as at John 3:16.

The next day followed with many more spiritual blessings, such as the stirring talk “‘Everlasting Good News’ for the ‘Time of the End,’” the keynote speech at the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly, delivered by N. H. Knorr, the Watch Tower Society’s president. This talk, based on chapter 14 of the book of Revelation, showed that since 1919 we have heard the “glad tidings” concerning the birth of God’s kingdom in the heavens and concerning His vengeance against mankind’s foes. At the close of his talk, the Society’s president released to a delighted audience of 58,524 persons two Bibles, a pocket-sized edition of the revised 1961 New World Translation and an edition of the original six large-print volumes of the New World Translation, all in one volume. These editions were eagerly taken up by the conventioners.

On Tuesday, the conventioners heard the Society’s president speak again on “Living in Hope of a Righteous New World.” He stressed how Christians must bring their lives in harmony with the righteous standards of conduct of God’s Word, the Bible. At the close of his talk, he released a new sixty-four-page booklet entitled “Living in Hope of a Righteous New World,” in both English and Spanish. A most excellent study aid for those progressing toward dedication of themselves to God.

NEW WORLD TRANSLATION IN SIX LANGUAGES

Wednesday brought the remarkable talk “Messengers of Liberation,” by F. W. Franz, which talk made clear why the fall of Babylon the Great had to occur before Armageddon. The main reason is that a religious liberation must take place before the destruction of Babylonish religion. That same day, the Society’s president spoke on “The Importance of Bible Distribution,” thrilling his audience of 62,956 conventioners by announcing the release of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures in six different languages: Italian, Dutch, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. What applause when the speaker announced it could be obtained in any language on a contribution of only 50c!

After this announcement, Knorr called on some Italian-speaking convention delegates to comment on the Italian-language translation. “Bravo! Bravissimo!” exclaimed one of them as he looked at the fine concordance to the Bible. The Italian-speaking delegates pointed out that the price of some Italian Bible translations is very high, so what a blessing the New World Translation will be to the mass of 50 million people in Italy, and to many more in Libya, Somalia and Switzerland! Dutch-speaking delegates also commented on the Dutch edition of the New World Translation. They rejoiced that God’s name Jehovah had been restored to the Greek Scriptures and that the translation will have wide use in the Netherlands, Northern Belgium, Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles. French-speaking delegates also commented on the fine qualities of the translation and how it will benefit people in France, Belgium, Switzerland, French Guiana, Canada and many other places. German-speaking delegates rejoiced that the Society had printed 250,000 copies with which they could begin to help the 85,000,000 German-speaking people around the world. “What an opportunity for Jehovah’s witnesses,” said one of them, “to awaken the interest that the Germans once had in the Bible.” Portuguese-speaking delegates marveled at the translation, one saying: “I think the Portuguese-speaking brothers all over the world will be thrilled to have this Bible.” And the Spanish-speaking delegates were thrilled, as one put it, “just thinking of all the people that are going to benefit from it in Spanish alone.” The Society’s president pointed out that there are 165 million Spanish-speaking people throughout the world, and today there are 94,000 Jehovah’s witnesses that speak the Spanish language and who will be using the new Bible.

Thursday brought more spiritual goodness, as the Society’s president talked on the subject “The Book of ‘Everlasting Good News’ Is Beneficial.” He stressed that the Bible “is a book of ‘everlasting good news’ for every nation, tribe and people of no matter what language.” “The good news of the Bible,” he said, “is just as good today as ever, because it is ‘everlasting’ good news. It never loses its value.” He then illustrated how the Bible is beneficial for “teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness,” as stated at 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. At the close of this talk President Knorr electrified the audience of 66,295 with announcement of a new book—“All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial.” This Watchtower-sized book, released to the audience on a contribution of just $1.00, has 78 chapters, 66 of them a thorough discussion of each book of the Bible. The first section of each of these studies deals with the background of the book, then a condensed discussion of the contents of the book and, finally, a section called “Why Beneficial,” showing the great value of that Bible book to the reader. The conventioners eagerly obtained their copies and marveled at the wealth of Biblical information.

Friday followed with more beneficial talks, one of them being “Make Disciples, Baptizing Them,” by W. A. Bivens. Following this, 2,251 delegates at the New York assembly were baptized, in symbol of their dedication to Jehovah God. Around the world, there was a total number of 16,267 who were baptized.

RESOLUTION ADOPTED AROUND THE WORLD

Saturday was a momentous day at Yankee Stadium, for the conventioners had been asked in advance to be in their seats early Saturday afternoon for a special program. After the Society’s vice-president, F. W. Franz, explained “Why We Should All Join in a Resolution,” he proposed that a Resolution be presented by President Knorr. This resolution was adopted by 84,890 conventioners at New York city. For the Around-the-World Assembly there was a total of 444,374 persons who adopted it.

This Resolution stressed that Jehovah’s witnesses recognize that the one true God is Jehovah, that the Bible is his written Word, that Jehovah God is the Sovereign of the Universe, that men and nations have set up the United Nations rather than surrender to the sovereignty of God’s Messianic Kingdom, and that though nations have given idolatrous worship to that political image, this Jehovah’s witnesses refuse to do. The Resolution showed that radical governments have been formed, but that “We, as witnesses of God, the Source of life, will maintain our Christian steadfastness and have no part in such radical movements, but will hold fast to our Christian neutrality toward all radical and other types of human government over earth.” It stressed that the nations are being led by invisible wicked spirits to Armageddon, but that “we will not march with them to Har–Magedon, for we refuse to fight against God Almighty and his kingdom.” Jehovah’s witnesses, it was resolved, will continue to declare to all the ‘everlasting good news’ concerning God’s Messianic Kingdom.

Following the adoption of the Resolution, Knorr spoke on the subject “Execution of Divine Judgment upon False Religion.” Here he stressed that the Bible teaches only one true religion, that the Devil is the source of false religion, which began in the ancient city of Babylon, founded by Nimrod who set himself in opposition to Jehovah God. After the confounding of the language of the builders of the Tower of Babel, men spread out to all parts of the earth, carrying with them their false Babylonish religious ideas. The identity of the mysterious Babylon the Great of the book of Revelation was revealed. It is a symbol for the world empire of false religion based on Babylon’s religion, be this professed Christian or pagan. What applause when Knorr announced that hundreds of thousands of persons have already forsaken her and are now preaching God’s kingdom, yes, to the number of 1,028,986 from 194 different lands during last April!

NEW BOOK CAUSES JUBILATION

To climax his talk, the Society’s president released the new book “Babylon the Great Has Fallen” God’s Kingdom Rules! This 704-page book, he explained, is really two books in one. The first section deals with ancient Babylon, how it appears in the Hebrew Scriptures and what its relation was to God’s people, while the second section includes a verse-by-verse explanation of the book of Revelation, chapters 14 through 22. What jubilation throughout the 84,890 persons present at the New York assembly! Yes, these conventioners not only were happy, they were jubilant, for as one conventioner put it, “This is just what I have waited for, for years!” Eagerly, the conventioners obtained their copy, available on a contribution of 75c, perusing it with intense excitement. In the view of many conventioners, no book published by the Society had ever thrilled them more than “Babylon the Great Has Fallen!” God’s Kingdom Rules!

Sunday was the climactic day at Yankee Stadium and the New Rockland Palace, where the eight-day Spanish assembly was held, the day that had been widely advertised because of the public talk “When God Is King over All the Earth.” It had been advertised by the distribution of 2,420,000 handbills and by the use of 20,500 signs inside subways and buses in the city. On Sunday, though it rained intermittently throughout the day, Yankee Stadium overflowed for the public talk. What a pleasant surprise when it was announced that, despite the rain, the attendance at this meeting was 107,483!

The delegates were now keenly awaiting the president’s closing remarks. They had been looking forward to this talk because they felt sure it would contain good news for the future. And it certainly did! Brother Knorr revealed that plans were in the making for some outstanding conventions to be held in the Western Hemisphere and larger ones in Europe, Asia and Africa in 1966 and extending on into 1967. Many of the brothers present from Newfoundland, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Brazil were thrilled to hear the names of their lands mentioned as possible sites for these assemblies. The Latin-American delegates, especially, were quick to act upon the president’s suggestion to the North American brothers by inviting these to make plans to travel southward.

RECORD CROWD AT MILWAUKEE

The program at the New York assembly was typical of the assemblies around the world, as far as the spiritual rewards; but there were different features about each assembly. The assembly at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the first of the around-the-world assemblies, drew much favorable comment by the local newspapers. The Milwaukee Star, for example, said in its issue of July 6, 1963: “Milwaukee is currently hosting approximately 50,000 of Jehovah’s Witnesses from 48 states and 12 other countries, in the midst of their Around-the-World International assembly for 1963. This is indeed an honor for our city. . . . Many of the Jehovah’s Witnesses our city is welcoming are Negroes, for this is one of the most integrated religions in the history of all the world. Negroes serve in all capacities in the Witness’ ranks. It is with a great deal of honor that the Milwaukee Star pays tribute to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the work they are doing for the good of all mankind. . . . We say to all of our readers: If you are able to make any of the sessions at Milwaukee County Stadium, remember that you are seeing freedom at work—in action.”

Many people in Milwaukee responded to the tens of thousands of printed invitations to attend the talk “When God Is King over All the Earth.” The crowd at the public talk was such that the Milwaukee Journal of July 8, 1963, said: “Stadium records were smashed again Sunday afternoon when 57,055 persons attended the last session of the Jehovah’s Witnesses assembly and heard a description of the paradise on earth which awaits righteous survivors of the battle of Armageddon.”

After moving from Milwaukee to New York, the Around-the-World Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses traveled to London, England. The delegates going around the world with the assembly traveled by jet plane to Europe; while en route they were often seen to use time wisely by reading the Babylon book. Babylon’s fall was a topic of conversation for conventioners. Many were heard to long for the time when they can have some hours of solitude to become absorbed in the thrilling new book.

LONDON, STOCKHOLM, MUNICH, MILAN

Upon arriving at the convention grounds at Twickenham’s Rugby Union Grounds, the conventioners noticed the novel way the parking lots adjacent to the stadium had been converted into a little city. There were 244 tents, each one with 24 occupants who lived here during the eight-day assembly. In well-organized fashion, these tents were all laid out in named streets and appeared as a small city.

For the public talk on Sunday, July 21, there was a clear blue sky and the stadium overflowed with a crowd of 50,111.

Taking advantage of the time in London the conventioners also visited the British Museum, to see objects of interest to Bible students. Nearly 7,000 conventioners were conducted through the Museum during the mornings of the assembly. They saw the famed Sinaitic and Alexandrine Bible manuscripts and the Nabonidus Chronicle, which helps date the fall of Babylon in the year 539 B.C.

Simultaneous with the London assembly was one in Stockholm, Sweden. Here talks in general were translated into four languages: Danish, Norwegian, Finnish and Swedish. To avoid disturbance from the other languages, each section had a number of specially directed loudspeakers. The beautiful platform in the center of the lawn was shaped like a four-leaf clover. From each of the four “leaves,” the conventioners from the four Nordic countries could hear the program in their own languages simultaneously. At the public talk, given by F. W. Franz, the Society’s vice-president, an estimated number of 3,000 goodwill persons from the Stockholm area were present among the crowd of 25,160 persons who heard this inspiring lecture.

The Around-the-World Assembly next moved to Munich and Milan, where meetings were held simultaneously. It was expected that the attendance for the public talk at Munich might reach 100,000 persons. This figure was not only reached but surpassed, there being 107,164 persons in attendance, or just 319 less than at New York. Since there was no hall large enough in Munich to accommodate 100,000 persons, it was necessary for the Witnesses to change the vast Theresien meadows into a huge Kingdom Hall, with the sky as a roof.

It was an exciting day for the conventioners at Milan, Italy, when on Wednesday, July 24, the Society’s president released the New World Translation in six languages. Four of them were the official languages of the assembly, so practically all present were able to receive a copy with great joy and satisfaction. The public talk, delivered by F. W. Franz, was translated simultaneously into four languages. This hope-inspiring discourse brought rejoicing to the 9,864 Italians, 8,454 French, 1,444 Spanish and 754 Portuguese who listened, each one in his own tongue, making up a total attendance of 20,516. It was estimated that about 4,000 of these were people of Milan who had responded to the invitations.

While at Milan, as at other cities, the around-the-world conventioners took out time to share the “everlasting good news” with the people of the city. The conventioners had opportunity to talk with persons who had never been visited by the Witnesses before. One Japanese Witness, a sister, reported how an Italian householder hugged and kissed her when she learned that this Witness had come all the way from the Orient to bring her the good news of God’s kingdom. It gave the Italian minister who was with the Japanese Witness a fine opportunity to explain God’s truths.

From Milan and Munich, the assembly was scheduled to move on to Athens, Greece. A one-day assembly was scheduled for July 30. The Athens police had given the Witnesses a permit for the assembly, but just a few days before some 1,400 convention delegates converged on Athens, the government canceled the permit and banned the assembly. The Greek government disgraced itself by giving in to the demands of the Greek Orthodox clergy, who repeatedly demanded the ban on the assembly. But the ban did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the Greek Witnesses, who were grateful that so many traveling conventioners came to Athens to spend a few days with them.

The conventioners used their time wisely by visiting points of Biblical interest, such as ancient Corinth, the Acropolis and Mars Hill. It was most thrilling for them to stand on top of Mars Hill where the apostle Paul stood and spoke the words of Acts 17:22-31 to the mighty ones of Athens who did not know the true God. Sloping off to the one side of Mars Hill was a sort of terraced terrain forming a natural amphitheater arrangement where people could gather and view and listen to the one speaking.

Leaving Greece, the conventioners winged their way to Beirut, Lebanon. Here the Witnesses were not allowed to have an assembly, but they were permitted to meet in their Kingdom Halls. A schedule was worked out whereby some of the Witnesses traveling with the Around-the-World Assembly, and especially the speakers from the Society’s headquarters, spoke at these Kingdom Halls. Thus the Witnesses in Lebanon heard the principal assembly talks. The public talk “When God Is King over All the Earth” was given at various Kingdom Halls to a total audience of 914 persons.

While in Lebanon the conventioners had opportunity to visit the famed cedars of Lebanon. This was quite an adventurous trip for them up a very winding, mountainous road until they reached a small group of the cedars. They are a squatty tree, 50 to 80 feet tall. Apparently they are not of the gigantic size they were centuries ago, but it was a real pleasure for the assembly delegates to stop and have their lunch under the cedars of Lebanon and to view snow-capped Mount Hermon. They could now appreciate better the location of places in the Scriptures, after having been eyewitnesses to these things.

VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND

The next stop of the around-the-world conventioners was Jerusalem, in Jordan. Though an assembly was not scheduled for Jordan, the stop was profitable, since the conventioners were very anxious to see Jerusalem and to experience walking in this area where God’s own Son walked and where the apostles had carried on Kingdom preaching. For many it was a major highlight of the around-the-world trip. It amazed many of the conventioners that the terrain of the Holy Land had great variance. Some had expected it to be lightly hilly and rolling; but the land was really mountainous. Traveling from Jerusalem to Bethlehem or Bethany required going down a winding mountain road and back up another similar road.

The conventioners often photographed Jerusalem. Across the Kidron Valley they saw the Garden of Gethsemane. Only a small area remains, and on the rest of the ground are two large churches. It was most interesting for the conventioners to study out the terrain, visualizing the activities of the early Christians. They also visited the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, which is 1,297 feet below sea level. Seeking to find a little refreshment, some of the traveling conventioners walked to the shores of the Dead Sea and were going to wade in it, but they found the water to be not only warm, but hot and with no refreshing quality at all.

INDIA, BURMA AND THAILAND

Returning to Lebanon from Jordan the Around-the-World Assembly travelers moved to Delhi, India, where all 583 of them were housed in the government-owned Ashoka Hotel, India’s prestige hotel. The place of assembly was also a fine one, the impressive Vigyan Bhavan (House of Knowledge), India’s prestige hall. Each chair has a writing table and is equipped with earphones, with selector switch so that one can switch to any of four languages, in addition to the speech from the platform. About half the hall was used by Indian delegates who listened to talks in Kanarese, Malayalam, Tamil and Urdu-Hindi. Attendance at the public talk was the largest the Witnesses ever experienced in India, as 1,296 persons rejoiced in hearing “When God Is King over All the Earth.”

Then the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly moved to Rangoon, Burma, and Bangkok, Thailand, both scheduled for August 8-11. The public talk in Rangoon was held at 6 p.m. Saturday; and when heavy rain swept over the city an hour before the talk, it appeared that prospects for a record attendance were bleak. Despite this, a steady flow of people soared the attendance figure to 603 persons. In Bangkok, attendance for the public talk reached 961, about 200 of them being newly interested persons.

THE NORTHERN ROUTE

From Thailand, the Around-the-World Assembly took two routes, the northern and the southern. The conventioners who took the northern route went next to Hong Kong, where the assembly opened August 13. For the public talk, an audience of many local Chinese Witnesses and goodwill persons, totaling 1,180 in all, listened attentively to this thrilling lecture given by the president of the Society and his Chinese interpreter.

From Hong Kong the assembly moved to Manila, in the Philippines. Here the Witnesses, in advertising the public talk, used 5,000 placards, 500,000 handbills, 50,000 posters, 2,000 bus signs, 46 jeep signs and 32 billboards. Provision was made at this assembly for the audience to listen in Tagalog, Cebu-Visayan and Ilocano. On Sunday afternoon for the public talk, the sun shone brightly on a tremendous crowd of 37,806 jamming the stadium. A stadium official commented, “I have spent many years here, but this is the first time I have ever seen the stadium filled.”

On to Shou Feng, Taiwan, and here the Around-the-World Assembly had an unusual setting. It was the public school grounds, situated at the foot of mountains covered with the lush green foliage so typical of Taiwan, an ideal setting to learn about the time when God’s kingdom will make the whole earth a paradise. The public talk, delivered in the Chinese language and translated into the local Ami dialect, was heard by a fine audience of 1,566 persons.

Next stop for the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly was Kyoto, Japan, a city rich in Buddhist tradition, with 3,500 temples. As in the other assembly cities, the visiting Witnesses shared in door-to-door witnessing and also toured Kyoto. At temples and shrines they saw in Buddhism many of the appendages of worship of Babylonish origin that are common also in Christendom—holy water, incense, candles, rosaries, images, haloed “saints,” and representations of “hell.”

From Japan the assembly moved to Seoul, Korea. When the around-the-world conventioners arrived in Korea, they were supplied with convention badges written in the Korean language, including the delegate’s name and home country; thus any Korean could immediately read and know where the delegates came from and what they represented. The assembly turned out to be the greatest event in the history of the New World society in Korea. The assembly was held in the beautiful Citizen’s Hall, where Brother N. H. Knorr gave the public talk that drew a record crowd of 8,975 persons, including 1,412 at an overflow hall.

THE SOUTHERN ROUTE

While 463 of the around-the-world conventioners took the northern route, 120 chose to go with the assembly via the southern route, the first stop after Thailand being Singapore. Here the conventioners took a tour through Chinatown and saw such items of religious interest as “hell-money”—money that is burned by the worshiper and which is supposed to help the relative or friend in a supposed fiery hell. The public talk at Singapore was attended by 560 persons, the largest theocratic assembly ever held in Singapore. At the next stop, Bandung, Indonesia, the assembly likewise had a record attendance, with 752 persons coming to the public talk. The previous peak for a public talk had been 451.

From Indonesia, the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly moved to Melbourne, Australia. The climactic day at this assembly was described by the Australian magazine The Bulletin, in its issue of August 31, 1963: “Melbourne has seen some marvelous conferences . . . but I don’t think we have ever seen anything like the ‘Everlasting Good News’ Assembly of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. . . . The time was almost 7:45 p.m. The great moment, the climax of the assembly, had arrived; Brother F. W. Franz, from Brooklyn, New York, vice-president of the Watch Tower Society, was to give his address, ‘When God Is King over All the Earth.’ There were over 12,000 jamming into the huge pavilion and the sight was almost unbelievable . . . There was huge applause from the 12,000 in the sheep pavilion as they clapped the Everlasting Good News.” The actual attendance was 13,142, including 682 who listened in German, Greek and Italian.

Auckland, New Zealand, was the next stop for the Around-the-World Assembly. When people learned that Jehovah’s witnesses had hired New Zealand’s largest theater, the Civic, for the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly, many said, “Unheard of,” or “How did you do it?” This was an unprecedented move—the stopping of films to make way for a five-day religious convention. But the theater was not even large enough for the assembly, and the 2,000-seat Auckland Town Hall was tied in with the Civic Theater to accommodate the crowds. Situated on the main street, these buildings provided an excellent place to hold what proved to be the largest religious assembly in the history of New Zealand. On the day of the public lecture the assembly sites were packed to capacity with 6,005 persons.

During the Auckland assembly, as at the others, the around-the-world conventioners took time out to share in telling the good news with the people of Auckland. Many householders were amazed that people on a world tour would take time off from sight-seeing to preach God’s kingdom. The people of Auckland were also impressed by the conduct of the Witnesses. The Civic Theater manager, for instance, said: “You are the best organized and by far the best behaved people I have seen.”

Then on to Suva, Fiji, where the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly program was presented in four languages: English, French, Samoan and Fijian. Delegates came from seventeen different lands, including Western Samoa, American Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Niue, New Caledonia and New Hebrides. The around-the-world travelers here were treated to a special island meal of tasty native dishes; they saw the genuine uncommercialized hospitality of these Pacific Island people. A half hour before the public talk the audience was treated with singing of Kingdom songs by Samoan and Fijian choirs, dressed in national costumes. At the public talk a record crowd of 1,080 heard this hope-stimulating lecture.

HAWAII AND PASADENA

At the next stop, Honolulu, Hawaii, the conventioners on both the northern and southern routes converged, along with 1,200 more delegates from the mainland of the U.S.A., Canada and Alaska, for an assembly at the Waikiki Shell, an open-air amphitheater, situated at the foot of the Diamond Head, just two blocks off Waikiki beach. The Shell has a backdrop of lovely coconut palms. Amid this ideal setting, the message “When God Is King over All the Earth” was delivered by the Society’s president to an audience of 6,189 persons. It was the largest convention ever held by any organization in the Hawaiian Islands; moreover, it was the first time that the public talk was televised. The estimated viewing audience was between 60,000 to 100,000, covering the entire Hawaiian Island chain.

The Around-the-World Assembly reached its conclusion with an eight-day assembly in southern California’s famous Rose Bowl in Pasadena. By the afternoon of the opening day 80,543 conventioners had assembled at the huge stadium, English-speaking delegates in the Rose Bowl and Spanish delegates in an adjoining ball park. They had come from all over the United States and many other countries, and for eight joy-filled days they feasted on the same spiritual provisions that their brothers around the world had enjoyed. How happy they were when 2,496 new ministers were baptized on Saturday morning! Their joy was increased the following day when many of their friends gathered with them for the public talk, swelling the attendance to 118,447!

Another great thrill for the conventioners was when Brother Knorr spent three and a half hours describing the tremendous success of each one of the completed assemblies. Jehovah’s blessing has resulted in a great crowd of people from all nations being gathered to His organization, he emphasized. Why, just during the seventy-one days of the Around-the-World Assembly, 16,267 new ministers were baptized and 570,932 persons assembled to hear the public talk!

Brother Knorr therefore urged his vast audience of dedicated Christians to assume their responsibility to care for the thousands of sheeplike persons Jehovah God was gathering to His organization. He encouraged them to imbibe the spirit of the missionaries, 805 of whom were able to be in attendance at the assemblies. After outlining future assembly plans, Brother Knorr concluded the Around-the-World Assembly with heartfelt admonition to stick to Jehovah’s organization.

Besides the cities tied in with the around-the-world tour, there were other assemblies, such as the one at Haifa, Israel, where 115 persons heard the public talk, and Nicosia, Cyprus, where 702 rejoiced in hearing “When God Is King over All the Earth.” The complete details of all the assemblies will be published soon in a 200-page convention report, with many pictures.

Yes, around the world, thousands of persons rejoiced over the benefits of the epic “Everlasting Good News” Assembly. For the around-the-world conventioners, it was marvelous to see how the New World society is expanding throughout the globe. A great number of people have gained access to God’s truth and are rejoicing in their being released from the bondage of Babylon the Great and can thereby make their lives happy, as they enjoy sharing in the “everlasting good news,” to Jehovah’s glory.

[Picture on page 632]

Around the world 444,374 persons adopted the resolution. Here a crowd of 84,890 conventioners adopted it at Yankee Stadium, New York city.

[Picture on page 635]

Around-the-world conventioners visited places of religious interest where they traveled. A delegate here photographs Jerusalem.

[Picture on page 637]

The around-the-world conventioners shared the “everlasting good news” wherever they went. Here one with an interpreter offers a person in Bangkok, Thailand, the “Watchtower” magazine in the Siamese language.

Questions From Readers

● Does Matthew 24:19 apply to those inside the Christian congregation or to those outside the congregation?—E. N., United States.

Pregnant women and those with new babies would encounter hardship because of the difficult times foretold by Christ when he said at Matthew 24:19: “Woe to the pregnant women and those suckling a baby in those days!” True to his words, extreme adversity befell pregnant women and those suckling babies when Roman forces descended upon Jerusalem and dealt the Jews a crushing blow A.D. 70. Thousands of persons suffered and died. Famine prevailed, and it alone was terrible. Concerning the treatment then meted out by the seditious to their own fellow Jews, Josephus wrote:

“The old men, who held their food fast, were beaten; and if the women hid what they had within their hands, their hair was torn for so doing; nor was there any commiseration shown either to the aged or to the infants, but they lifted up children from the ground as they hung upon the morsels they had gotten, and shook them down upon the floor.”—Wars of the Jews, Book V, Chapter X, ¶3.

Imagine mothers standing by, forced to look upon such brutality inflicted upon their own children, even infants. Think also of the horror experienced by these mothers at seeing them slaughtered before their very eyes, for that also occurred! By reason of her emotional makeup it is very natural for a woman to show deep concern for those she loves, those of her own family. How much greater is her concern when dire circumstances threaten the well-being and life of her offspring! So let us not minimize the suffering of women at that time. For those who were pregnant things were naturally more difficult. During a time of calamity maternal protective instincts assert themselves all the more. So just imagine the intense suffering, the utter feeling of helplessness, that must have been experienced by nursing mothers in Jerusalem of the first century as they themselves were subjected to cruelties and as they witnessed the suffering of their offspring! Indeed, it was a time of woe to pregnant women and those suckling babies!

Humans can well understand a mother’s love. For example, Paul saw fit to illustrate his gentleness toward Christians at Thessalonica with the words: “To the contrary, we became gentle in the midst of you, as when a nursing mother cherishes her own children.” (1 Thess. 2:7) We can also readily comprehend the intense concern of a pregnant woman or a nursing mother because of what might happen to her child at a crucial time. So, at Matthew 24:19, Jesus was putting in human and very understandable terms the manner in which the things destined to occur would affect persons. There would be great difficulties. Extremely trying times were ahead.

Christ’s words of woe to pregnant women and those suckling babies apply to our day. The major fulfillment of this prophecy takes place in these last days. And Jesus’ statement applies specially to persons outside the Christian congregation. The days ahead as this old world draws to its Armageddon end will be days of woe and hardship. They will not be easy times for anyone.

Let it be noted, however, that at Matthew 24:19 Jesus Christ was not discussing the propriety of Christian married couples having children in these last days. Christians today are not under command to have children, but neither are they under a command not to have them. This is a matter to be decided by marriage mates themselves. It is their own business.—Gal. 6:5.

Hardship, then, is to be expected by all persons as this world comes to its end. That surely includes pregnant women and those suckling babies. If pregnant women or women with small children allow this situation to keep them from fleeing this world and dedicating themselves to God through Christ, they will miss out on divine protection. Yet mothers who take advantage of the time left to flee to Jehovah’s “mountain” of safety will be protected. They will experience hardship, to be sure, but Jehovah’s protection can extend to them and to their children, born and unborn.—Ps. 91:7, 8, 14-16.

Announcements

FIELD MINISTRY

During the month of October, Jehovah’s witnesses, with courage and faith in their God, will take advantage of every opportunity to acquaint others with Jehovah’s kingdom and the blessings in store for all who love and serve him. As an aid in this work, they will offer a year’s subscription for the Awake! magazine, together with three booklets on Bible themes, on a contribution of $1.

IT’S NEW! IT’S THRILLING!

The Bible-study aid “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial” will prove to be a new experience for you. It contains an intensive heartwarming study of the Bible as a book. It reveals the origin of the Bible, its writers and the evidences of its inspiration. It acquaints you with the background and contents of every one of its books. It is not an interpretative study. It makes the Bible live for you. Send for your copy today for only $1.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

November 10: When God Is King over All the Earth, ¶1-30. Page 613.

November 17: When God Is King over All the Earth, ¶31-56. Page 620.