The Watchtower — March 15, 1984

Mankind United​—What It Could Mean

“WHETHER Hindu or Catholic, Jew or Lutheran, Quaker or Moslem, Buddhist, Amish or Mormon, if we put as much devotion and zeal into making a heaven right here on Earth as we do in striving to qualify for the hereafter, just think what a brilliantly clean, uncontaminated and beautiful world we would live in.”

With those words American journalist Mel Ellis expressed the desire of many people today. They want a beautiful world to live in. Yet, they continue to keep their religious, political, economic and social divisions​—the very things that have led to so much hatred, strife and bloodshed throughout history.

Still, the earth could be greatly transformed if people were only united in purpose. One immediate result would be that wars would cease. Then phrases such as “armaments races” and “nuclear weapons stockpiles” would be things of the past. There would never again be the maiming of human bodies and the injuring of minds in warfare. Families would not again experience the heartbreak of losing loved ones in armed conflict.

The money spent on arms and military preparation now amounts to about 800 billion dollars (U.S.) a year. If all of that were devoted to peaceful pursuits, what a transformation could take place even amid present imperfect conditions! Think of the necessary homes, hospitals, schools, basic sanitary needs, clean water and other things that could be provided. And all of that could easily result in full employment for those constructing things for the benefit of mankind. If the entire human family, too, worked together for the common good, there would be plenty of food for all. French newspaper editor André Fontaine stated: “There is enough wealth for everyone if only we would use it for the benefit of mankind.”

So think about what a united human family could mean. It could mean loving cooperation instead of heartless competition; fellow feeling instead of blind hatred; upbuilding peace instead of senseless violence; unifying mutual respect instead of divisive nationalism.

But how could such changes ever be accomplished? Surely, they must begin in the minds of people. And to change the mind there has to be a complete change of moral and spiritual education to rid humans of all influences that divide. But where could you get that kind of unifying education? From the political, economic, religious or educational systems of this world?

The Bible gives us its clear answer in these words of the prophet Jeremiah: “I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.”​—Jeremiah 10:23.

That conclusion is supported by the words of Mark Thee, director of the International Peace Research Institute in Norway. He stated: “Today’s international situation is characterized by a profound crisis pervading almost all spheres of human activity: economic and social, political and military, spiritual and moral. Conflict situations are accumulating, violence is on the increase and the use of force as an instrument of policy and diplomacy has become widespread. . . . The balance between peace and war is becoming ever more precarious.”

Is it not evident, then, that humans, on their own, do not have the answers because they lack the wisdom to direct their own step toward global unity? True, some may feel that this is an exaggeration and that humans on their own could someday bring about unity. However, what does the record show? Does it give us any basis for hope that one or more of this world’s elements could be a force for world unity? If not, what would?

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Think what could be done even now if all the money spent on arms were used to build a peaceful world!

Can Unity Ever Come From This World?

COULD the dream of world unity ever be realized by this world’s efforts? Is it possible that one of the leading elements in world affairs might direct mankind toward that goal?

This world has had thousands of years to experiment with different governments, as well as economic and social systems. Has any one of them ever been a force for unity? Could any of them now reverse the tragically disunited state in which the human family finds itself? If not, what could?

The Political Record

A powerful force in human affairs is political leadership. But, sadly, history clearly shows that this has not been a force for uniting people. On the contrary, after thousands of years of trying every possible political ideology, the world is more divided than ever. There are now more independent nations and different types of political systems than at any other time in history.

If human government could be a force for world unity, surely it should have demonstrated this by now. Instead, every century has been stained with the blood of one war after another​—thousands of them. And far from any gradual progress toward unity in modern times, our 20th century has proved to be the most disastrously divided of all. Two horrendous world wars have been fought, with about 70 million lives cut short. As if that were not enough, the recent book War in Peace declares that since World War II some 130 military conflicts in over a hundred countries have killed about 35 million people. Imagine that! In a time of so-called peace!

A basic reason for this deplorable condition is mankind’s adherence to political and national loyalties. These have kept the human family utterly divided and working at cross-purposes. That is why historian Arnold Toynbee said that nationalism “has been in truth the master religion,” since many people give worshipful obedience to it. Toynbee stated that this worship of sovereign states sets their respective members against one another “because this religion is an expression of self-centredness.” And he felt that this “self-centredness is the source of all strife.”

Political divisions are far more disastrous now because mankind is well into the nuclear age. Nuclear war is feared in every nation, especially considering the capacity of nuclear weapons today. In The Fate of the Earth, Jonathan Schell writes: “What happened at Hiroshima was less than a millionth part of a holocaust at present levels of world nuclear armament.”

Schell added: “Politics, accordingly, is fully stuck with the glaring absurdity that with one hand it builds for a future that with the other hand it prepares to destroy. Each time a politician raises his voice to speak of making a better world for our children and grandchildren . . . the peril of extinction is there to gainsay him with the crushing rebuttal: But there may be no children or grandchildren.”

Foretelling this very situation for our day are the prophetic words of Jesus Christ at Luke 21:25, 26: “On the earth anguish of nations, not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and its agitation, while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.” What an apt description of mankind’s present divided state!

With such fearsome prospects in view, the question may be asked: Since no one political system can unite the human family, could the United Nations do so? The answer must be no. Why? Because, in reality, the UN is just a reflection of our strife-torn world. The UN secretary-general acknowledged: “Certainly we have strayed far from the U.N. Charter.” He noted that the body’s resolutions “are increasingly defied or ignored by those who feel themselves strong enough to do so.” As a result, he concluded: “We are perilously near to a new international anarchy.” Thus, based on its record, the credibility of the UN as a unifier of mankind is doubted even by its own officials.

If we face the facts honestly, we must admit that the historical record shows that no political system of imperfect humans is capable of uniting mankind, however sincere the leaders. Appropriately, at Psalm 146:3 God’s inspired Word counsels: “Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs.”

Economic Disarray

Could we look to any economic system of this world as a unifying force, so that the entire human family could benefit from the earth’s ability to produce bountifully? Again, the record of history answers no. Not one of man’s economic systems has ever produced a model for a unified approach so that all mankind’s best interests are served. Every economic system has brought great dissatisfaction and hardship to millions.

In recent years there has been one crisis after another in the global economy. The debts of underdeveloped lands have risen enormously, but their ability to pay has not. Even the debts of most developed nations have grown astronomically. Poverty is rampant. Millions are unemployed. Every year other millions continue to die from hunger or disease brought on by malnutrition. For masses of poor people throughout the earth, the truth of God’s prophetic word at Revelation 6:6 is verified: “A whole day’s wage for a quart of flour.” (The New English Bible) Yes, in many places a day’s wage barely buys just a loaf of bread.

Regardless of temporary improvements after recessions or depressions, the economic picture continues to be much as that reported by The New York Times: “The world economy is facing the most serious threat to its cohesion and prosperity in the postwar period. Inflation, recession, high unemployment and extraordinary trade and financial pressures are placing the principles and institutions of international economic cooperation under enormous stress.” And French newspaper editor André Fontaine declared: “I see no Government in the world today which appears capable of coping with the major economic problems of our time. That is because they are really world problems, and no country can resolve them singlehandedly.”

That is at the heart of the matter. The world’s economic problems require united, global action. But too many different selfish interests are involved for there to be any lasting solution by this world’s leaders.

Social Problems Mount

Social problems also reflect mankind’s growing disunity. Hatred and prejudice, crime and violence, terrorism and armed conflict​—on all continents—​are symptoms of a sick world. Life in many big cities has become especially dangerous. Thus, when a police officer in Italy tried to encourage a prisoner by telling him that he might be released soon, the prisoner’s surprising reaction was, as reported by La Nazione: “I couldn’t care less about getting out. These are difficult times. I prefer to stay in prison. It is too easy to get killed outside.”

There are also human weaknesses that divide families and undermine the quality of life in every type of political system. Divorces are on the increase nearly everywhere; in some places nearly half of all new marriages end that way. Escapism, too, in the form of excessive drinking affects both the Eastern and the Western world. One result is that each day people driving automobiles under the influence of alcohol add victims to a world slaughter that numbers some 300,000 deaths annually.

The plague of drug addiction has brought grief to millions. Rampant sexual permissiveness is resulting in an enormous harvest of dreaded venereal diseases, some now resistant to treatment. And accompanying that is a tidal wave of unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

The situation is just what Bible prophecy foretold for this age when it said: “In the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here.” This prophecy catalogues conditions that sound like a reading from your daily newspaper. It noted that people would be ‘lovers of themselves, lovers of money, haughty, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, without self-control, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.’​—2 Timothy 3:1-5.

Social problems are made worse by the 800 billion dollars a year now spent on armaments. That is over two billion dollars a day! Yet, millions of children die of malnutrition every year, as do many adults. Thus, we cannot escape the truth on this matter: Social problems and inequalities are increasing. Hundreds of millions of disappointed and oppressed people find themselves without hope. And no social system of this world can solve these problems since there is no united approach to them.

Surely, it is evident by now that no political, economic or social system of this world can serve as a uniting force for mankind. But what about this world’s religions? Can we look to them as a unifying factor? Indeed, just what can we look to as a force for uniting this pitifully divided human family? The next two articles will consider these questions.

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Mankind now has the capacity to destroy all life on earth

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Hundreds of millions are hungry

Where Can We Find Unity in This Strife-Torn World?

“In unity I shall set them, like a flock in the pen.”​—MICAH 2:12.

1, 2. Why can we not look to world leaders to unify the human family?

FOR thousands of years the human family has been tragically divided. Political, economic and social differences have split mankind into conflicting, warring factions. Our 20th century has seen the worst results of this. For instance, World War II alone took an estimated 55 million lives, culminating in the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by atomic bombs.

² In recent decades, scores of additional conflicts have taken many more millions of lives. Now, the nuclear weapons of conflicting political systems threaten the very existence of life on earth. And, as The Guardian of England notes, preparations for war, “material and mental, are being vigorously advanced” by the nations, large and small. Surely, then, we cannot look to world leaders to unify the human family.

The Record of World Religion

3, 4. What does history tell us about worldly religion as a potential unifier of people?

³ However, might we look to the religions of this world to unite peoples? Does their record inspire any greater confidence? History answers no. An editorial in the Chicago Tribune stated: “Every major religion preaches peace and brotherhood and mercy, yet some of the cruelest and most intolerant repressions in history have been committed in the name of God.” Newspaper editor C. L. Sulzberger similarly observed: “Disagreeable as the subject may be, should it not be realized that in addition to other causes​—imperialism, racism, militarism—​religion has developed into a persistently greater threat to human life?”

⁴ Yes, history is stained with the blood of religiously inspired or approved strife. Just in our century, during the nationalistic world wars and others, we have witnessed the God-dishonoring practice of Catholic killing Catholic, Protestant killing Protestant, Muslim killing Muslim, Jew killing Jew. Truly, the facts of history spell out the fact that, far from being a force for uniting the human family, worldly religion is responsible for adding to its divisions.

5. Where do this world’s divided religions originate?

⁵ The confused and divided state of this world’s religions demonstrates clearly that God is not their backer. That may come as a surprise to those who think that all religion must be good if it claims to represent God. But God’s own inspired Word plainly states: “God is a God, not of disorder, but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33) Not God’s holy spirit, or active force, but an unholy spirit, or motivating force, produces ‘enmities, strife, contentions, divisions, sects.’ (Galatians 5:19, 20) James 3:14, 15 identifies the wisdom associated with this bad spirit as “demonic,” emanating from “the god of this system of things,” Satan the Devil.​—2 Corinthians 4:4.

A Divided House

6. What principle given by Jesus applies to this world?

⁶ The divided state of the human family brings to mind these words of Jesus: “Every kingdom divided against itself comes to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (Matthew 12:25) On that basis, this divided world must fall. In fact, even the nations agree with the saying, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

7. What need have some people seen to try to avoid catastrophe?

⁷ To try to avoid a calamitous fall, some prominent people call for a drastic change in man’s thinking. Nuclear scientist Harold Urey stated: “There is no constructive solution to the world’s problems except eventually a world government capable of establishing law over the entire surface of the earth.” Similarly, Albert Einstein “insisted that peace among nations could be maintained in the atomic age only by bringing all men together under a system of world law.” He urged: “We must overcome the horrible obstacles of national frontiers.” Yes, many people see the need for a world government.

8. Can this divided world avoid a fall?

⁸ However, is it likely that the nations of this world will give up their sovereignty? If so, to whom? Surely not to the United Nations organization. Nations often go to war rather than submit to the decisions of the UN. Thus, this world, with its divided political, commercial, social and religious systems, is headed for a fall.​—Zephaniah 3:8; 1 John 2:15-17.

A Truly United People

9. What likelihood is there of a united human family?

⁹ Does this mean, then, that world unity is out of the question? Not at all! On the contrary, world unity not only is possible but is inevitable! In fact, the foundation for world unity already has been laid! Already there is a people who are doing what Einstein said, ‘overcoming the obstacles of nationalism.’ Already a truly united people exists worldwide. Already a superior world government exists that has the first allegiance of millions of people throughout all nations.

10. What characteristics must a real government have?

¹⁰ Many will feel that such a view is farfetched. They may ask: ‘Are you talking about a real government with real laws and real citizens? Where is all of this supposed to be happening? Who are involved?’ Well, what makes up a government? Several things: (1) It must have real, living leaders; (2) the place from which it governs must also be real; (3) the nation must have real laws to preserve order; (4) it must have real subjects​—people. For instance, in the United States there is an executive (the president) who has Washington, D.C., as his seat of government. There is a legislature (Congress) that makes laws. There is a judiciary (courts of law) to enforce the laws of the country. And there are over 230 million people who are subjects. Would anyone contend that all of this is not real?

11. How has even the secular press acknowledged that a truly united people does exist?

¹¹ Just as real is the existence of a truly united people today! Where? Which government do they serve? Why can we say that they are fully united? The Brazilian newspaper O Tempo noted this unique people when it wrote: “Although there are many imposing religions with their propaganda in all parts of the globe, there does not exist a single one on the face of the earth today that shows the same love and unity as the Theocratic organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

12. What view expressed in a Belgian newspaper agrees with a reality recognized by Jehovah’s Witnesses?

¹² In Belgium, the newspaper La Nouvelle Gazette carried this headline: “To Avoid a Nuclear War in 25 Years’ Time, American Experts Have Found Only One Solution: That of Jehovah’s Witnesses!” The article stated that the only remedy would be “a radical change in the life-style of mankind . . . in favor of a world government.” The publication concluded that this view agreed exactly “with the proposition upheld by Jehovah’s Witnesses.” And just what “proposition” is that? The one that Jesus made the central theme of his teaching: God’s new government for all the earth, His heavenly Kingdom with Christ as ruler. That government is God’s remedy, the only remedy for all mankind’s ills, including its divided condition. Jesus taught people to pray for that government when he said: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, Catholic Jerusalem Bible) And, as this same Bible version renders the prophecy of Daniel 2:44, that government of God soon “will shatter . . . all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever.”

Demonstrating True Love and Unity

13. Regarding a world government to unite people, what has happened since 1914?

¹³ World events in fulfillment of Bible prophecy show that God’s heavenly government began to rule in 1914. At that time God installed as ruler his proved King, Jesus Christ. (Matthew 24:3-14; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Revelation 12:10) That government has superior laws and principles, as recorded in the most sacred of all documents, God’s inspired Word, the Bible. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) And since 1914 the Fine Shepherd, Jesus Christ, has been gathering the citizens of God’s New Order. So right now the foundation of that new earthly society is being laid! Yes, all of this is very real. It is not just a dream.​—Matthew 25:31-46; John 10:14-16; 2 Peter 3:13.

14. What disuniting factor have Jehovah’s Witnesses overcome?

¹⁴ As citizens of the New Order, Jehovah’s Witnesses in every land give God’s heavenly Kingdom government their first allegiance. Thus, when Jehovah’s Witnesses read the command of Jesus, “Love one another just as I have loved you,” they take that to mean what it says, and they do it on a worldwide scale. (John 15:12) As a result, they have really broken the restraining bands of petty nationalism. They are able to demonstrate true love for all mankind, regardless of a person’s race, tribe or nationality.

15, 16. How has the overcoming of nationalism been recognized by others?

¹⁵ In this regard, in the Italian church magazine Andare alle genti a Roman Catholic nun wrote the following about Jehovah’s Witnesses: “They are worthy of our admiration for the way they refuse any form of violence and without rebelling put up with the many trials inflicted on them because of their beliefs . . . How different the world would be if we all woke up one morning firmly decided not to take up arms again, whatever the cost or the reason, just like Jehovah’s Witnesses!”

¹⁶ The Italian newspaper Il Corriere di Trieste observed: “Jehovah’s Witnesses should be admired for their firmness and coherence. Contrary to other religions, their oneness as a people prevents them from praying to the same God, in the name of the same Christ, to bless two opposing sides of a conflict, or from mixing politics with religion to serve the interests of Heads of State or political parties.”

17. How do 1 John 3:10-12 and John 13:35 distinguish between God’s children and Satan’s children?

¹⁷ Note how this harmonizes with 1 John chapter 3, verses 10 to 12. There it states: “The children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: Everyone who does not carry on righteousness does not originate with God, neither does he who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should have love for one another; not like Cain, who originated with the wicked one and slaughtered his brother.” No, God’s children do not slaughter their brothers. It is Satan’s children who do.​—John 13:35.

18. What happens to formerly disunited people when they become Jehovah’s Witnesses?

¹⁸ Thus, when Arabs, Jews and professed Christians in Israel and Lebanon become Jehovah’s Witnesses, they unite in an unbreakable bond of love and unity. So do former Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. So do blacks and whites in the United States. So do members of different African tribes who formerly hated and fought one another. The British magazine New Society noted: “The Witnesses are perhaps more successful than any other group in the speed with which they eliminate tribal discrimination among their own recruits.”

Source of Unity

19. In what two vital respects are Jehovah’s Witnesses extraordinary?

¹⁹ Why can Jehovah’s Witnesses display such love and unity? Is it because of their secular education, prominence, wealth or cleverness? No, they are just ordinary people. But they are extraordinary in two vital respects. First, Jehovah’s Witnesses accept the entire Bible as the inspired Word of God, and they do their utmost to live by it. As the apostle Paul said: “When you received God’s word, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but, just as it truthfully is, as the word of God, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13) Secondly, Jehovah’s Witnesses take the same position as that of Jesus’ apostles, who said to the rulers: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.”​—Acts 5:29.

20. What is the real source of unity among Jehovah’s Witnesses?

²⁰ What happens to a people who accept the entire Bible as God’s Word, live by it and obey God as their Ruler in all things? Acts 5:32 states that God gives his powerful holy spirit, or active force, “to those obeying him as ruler.” That is the source of strength that enables Jehovah’s Witnesses to accomplish and maintain a world unity that is impossible for others.

21, 22. (a) Who, then, fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 2:2-4? (b) What prophetic fulfillments do Jehovah’s Witnesses now experience?

²¹ Who, then, in view of the evidence, fulfills the prophecy at Isaiah chapter 2, verses 2 to 4? Speaking of the time in which we live, that prophecy declares that the true worship of Jehovah would become firmly established under Kingdom rule, and that many would say: “Come, you people, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, . . . and he will instruct us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” The prophecy also says: “He will certainly render judgment among the nations and set matters straight respecting many peoples. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.”

²² Who is it that have let God and his Word “set matters straight” among them? Who have really responded to God’s command ‘not to learn war anymore’? Who have spent a total of thousands of years in prisons and concentration camps in our time rather than kill their neighbors? Who show respect for the Bible as God’s inspired Word and obey God as Ruler? Who demonstrate an international brotherhood that is unique in this strife-torn world? The answer can only be, Jehovah’s Witnesses. And now the “other sheep,” in the hundreds of thousands, are being gathered as companions of the remaining ones of the anointed “little flock.” (John 10:16; Luke 12:32) These are also benefiting from the fulfillment of a prophecy given in Hosea’s time. It foretold that all of Jehovah’s servants would “certainly be collected together into a unity” under one Head, Jesus Christ, in Kingdom power. (Hosea 1:11) They also see fulfilled in their unity the words of Jesus when he prayed to God that his followers “may be one just as we are one.” (John 17:20-22) Thus, toward them God has kept his promise of long ago: “In unity I shall set them, like a flock in the pen.”​—Micah 2:12.

Do You Remember These Points?

□ Why must we conclude that God is not the backer of worldly religion?

□ How does 1 John 3:10-12 identify those who are truly united in this strife-torn world?

□ What is the real source of strength enabling Jehovah’s servants to maintain world unity, and why do they have that source of strength?

□ What grand prophecies do we see fulfilled today regarding the unity of God’s servants?

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The foundation for world unity has been laid already!

God’s United “Mighty Nation” to Fill the Earth

“The little one himself will become a thousand, and the small one a mighty nation. I myself, Jehovah, shall speed it up in its own time.”​—ISAIAH 60:22.

1, 2. (a) What has happened to world unity and order? (b) In the midst of a debased world, what is happening to Jehovah’s servants?

KNOWLEDGEABLE people agree that this world is becoming ever more disunited and disorderly. An editorial in The New York Times declared: “Political violence is spreading around the globe as seldom before. . . . There is such a lot of the violence now that it’s hard to keep track.” It observed: “The fact is that nobody is running the world anymore and keeping a semblance of order.” However, this breakdown is just what God’s Word foretold for our day.​—2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13; Matthew 24:3-13.

² To Jehovah’s united servants, the spreading disorder is a sure sign that an old system of things is nearing its end, while a new system of things is emerging. (Luke 21:28) Yet, in the midst of a world that more and more imitates its debased god, Satan the Devil, Jehovah is cleansing his people and leading them toward a bright New Order. He gathers them to his pure worship, which has been exalted as if on a mountain, high above all other forms of worship. The ones who turn to this united worship of the true God then say to others: “Come, you people, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will instruct us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” (Isaiah 2:2, 3) Those brought into this united worship look forward eagerly to ‘new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness is to dwell.’​—2 Peter 3:13.

Separating “Sheep” From “Goats”

3, 4. (a) What events have been taking place since 1914? (b) How are people being separated for survival?

³ According to God’s timetable of Bible prophecy, the “new heavens” (the heavenly Kingdom of God under Christ’s rule) was established in the crucial year of 1914. Since then the selection of the 144,000 associate rulers of the “new heavens” has generally been completed. (Revelation 14:1-4) Now Jehovah is calling out people to be earthly subjects of that Kingdom. They will “come out of the great tribulation” as survivors to begin building a righteous new order under Kingdom direction.​—Revelation 7:9, 14; Matthew 24:21.

⁴ Jesus foretold this gathering in these words: “When the Son of man [Christ] arrives in his glory [in heavenly Kingdom power], and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.” With what result? Jesus stated: “Then the king will say to those on his right [sheeplike persons], ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.’ . . . Then he will say, in turn, to those on his left [goatlike persons], ‘Be on your way from me, you who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire [eternal destruction] prepared for the Devil and his angels.’ . . . And these will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.”​—Matthew 25:31-46.

5. How is Jehovah’s mercy manifest now?

⁵ Yet, Jehovah is a merciful, loving God. “He is patient with you because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) Hence, before God brings this divided, warring world to its finish, it is his will that his servants deliver the message of hope of eternal life in a righteous New Order. Accordingly, his Son declared: “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.”​—Matthew 24:14.

6. Whom does Jehovah use in Kingdom-preaching work?

⁶ Who is to do this preaching of the Kingdom before the end comes? Obviously, Jehovah will not use those who do not want to serve him. The ones he uses in Kingdom-preaching work are those who willingly submit to him. Upon the remnant of spiritual Israel the prophecy has been fulfilled: “In unity I shall set them, like a flock in the pen.” (Micah 2:12) The “other sheep” now share that unity with them. (John 10:16) All these are the internationally united witnesses of Jehovah. They include old and young, male and female, for the inspired psalms say: “Praise Jah, you people! . . . You young men and also you virgins, you old men together with boys. Let them praise the name of Jehovah.” “The women telling the good news are a large army.”​—Psalm 68:11; 148:1, 12, 13.

Preaching in Unity

7. (a) What unity do Jehovah’s Witnesses have? (b) How can we be certain that this unity will be preserved?

⁷ Jehovah, Jesus Christ and the holy angels see to it that the earthly organization of Kingdom preachers proclaims God’s message in unity. (Matthew 28:19, 20; John 14:26; Revelation 14:6, 7) So Jehovah’s Witnesses do what God’s inspired Word says. They are “completely united, with only one thought and one purpose.” ‘With one accord and with one mouth they glorify the God and Father of their Lord Jesus Christ.’​—1 Corinthians 1:10, Today’s English Version; Romans 15:6.

8. What is vital in promoting unity of worship?

⁸ To achieve this unity of thought, purpose and preaching, Jehovah’s Witnesses regularly study God’s Word of truth. They do this in private, at annual conventions and also at five congregation meetings each week. In this way they receive unifying spiritual food from Jehovah’s table. (Matthew 24:45-47; Hebrews 10:24, 25) This Bible education is recognized as being a key to their united worship. As Catholic writer William Whalen said in the magazine U.S. Catholic: “Any kingdom hall [of Jehovah’s Witnesses] offers more adult education in a month than most Catholic parishes do all year.” Yes, Bible education is the key to having “one thought,” “one purpose,” “one mouth.”

9. How can we identify those whom Jehovah uses to preach the Kingdom message?

⁹ If you have any doubt as to whom Jehovah is using to preach his “good news of the kingdom,” ask yourself: When individuals call at the homes of people to talk about Jehovah and his Kingdom, who are these callers? It is well known that they are Jehovah’s Witnesses. How often do people of other religions call on you to talk about Jehovah and his Kingdom? How often do such people talk about these things at all, anywhere? The adherents of this world’s divided religions are silent about Jehovah and his Kingdom. Few of them even know who Jehovah is or what his Kingdom will mean for this earth. Yet, Jehovah and his Kingdom are world-shaking news, because, as Daniel 2:44 foretold, Jehovah’s Kingdom will soon ‘crush and put an end to all other governments and it alone will rule forever.’

Rapid Growth From Small Beginnings

10. How numerous were Jehovah’s servants before 1914, but how should we view what was accomplished then?

¹⁰ Modern-day Kingdom proclamation began in a small way. From the 1870’s to the pivotal year of 1914, the numbers of Kingdom proclaimers were small. But those faithful ones laid the groundwork for what was to come. While that beginning was small, it calls to mind the scripture that says not to ‘despise the day of small things.’ (Zechariah 4:10) For Jehovah’s servants it was a “day of small things” before 1914, but much more was soon to come.

11, 12. (a) What evidence was there of holy spirit in action after 1914? (b) What comment was made about the Kingdom work over 30 years ago, and what can we say about it now?

¹¹ With the beginning of World War I in 1914, the old system of things entered its “last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1) Kingdom rule also began in 1914. (Revelation 12:10-12) Christ was then authorized to begin separating the “sheep” from the “goats.” Thus, God’s holy spirit began to act mightily on his faithful servants. (Compare Acts 2:16-21.) The ranks of Kingdom proclaimers grew from about 4,000 in 1918 to over 260,000 in 1948, a period of 30 years. About that time, C. S. Braden, a professor of religious history, wrote: “Jehovah’s Witnesses have literally covered the earth with their witnessing. . . . It may be truly said that no single religious group in the world displayed more zeal and persistence in the attempt to spread the good news of the Kingdom than the Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

¹² However, that was well over 30 years ago! Today there are more than ten times as many Kingdom proclaimers throughout the world as there were in 1948! Since, as Braden noted, Jehovah’s Witnesses had “covered the earth” with the Kingdom proclamation back then, what could be said about the scope of the Kingdom work now? And we can say this with confidence: Far more is to come in the immediate future!

13. What developments throughout the world indicate that Isaiah 60:22 is undergoing fulfillment?

¹³ Reports from over 200 countries tell of expansion in the ranks of Kingdom proclaimers. To correspond with this, new or expanded Watch Tower branch facilities have been or are being constructed. There are new machines, new and faster printing methods, computerization on a large scale, and willing workers in growing Bethel families the world over. All this rapid expansion tells us that we are seeing fulfilled before our very eyes the heartening promise made long ago regarding God’s faithful and patient servants: “The little one himself will become a thousand, and the small one a mighty nation. I myself, Jehovah, shall speed it up in its own time.” (Isaiah 60:22) There is no question about the fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses are being spiritually equipped and organizationally prepared to give the greatest witness to Jehovah and his Kingdom in the history of the world!

14. Why can we say that Jehovah’s servants are well on their way to becoming “a mighty nation”?

¹⁴ Today there are over two and a half million active Christian ministers of the good news. They are found in more than 46,000 congregations throughout the world. When Jehovah’s Witnesses gathered on March 29, 1983, to commemorate Christ’s death, 6,767,707 persons met together, thus showing their interest in God’s Kingdom. That number exceeds that of the individual population of nearly two thirds of the nations of the world! Surely, Jehovah’s united servants are well on their way to becoming “a mighty nation,” although they are relatively few when compared to the total world population of about four and a half billion.​—Matthew 7:13, 14.

15. What has happened in the past few years regarding the ingathering of sheeplike people?

¹⁵ Recently, the ingathering of sheeplike people has picked up speed. Righteously disposed persons are now flocking to Jehovah’s organization for worship. In doing so, they are participating in a thrilling fulfillment of God’s promise at Haggai 2:7, where Jehovah says: “I will rock all the nations, and the desirable things of all the nations must come in; and I will fill this house with glory.” These desirable, humble individuals say to Jehovah’s servants: “We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people.”​—Zechariah 8:23.

16, 17. How will Jehovah use his people before he brings this ungodly system of things to its end?

¹⁶ The expanding visible organization of Jehovah is nearing the time when he will use it in another mighty way: to deliver his final judgment message against this system. This may be likened to the time when the Israelites, who had already marched around Jericho once a day for six days, were instructed: “On the seventh day you should march round the city seven times and the priests should blow the horns. . . . When you hear the sound of the horn, all the people should shout a great war cry; and the wall of the city must fall down flat.” So on the final day the work speeded up by seven times! Then the horns sounded, the people shouted a war cry and “the wall began to fall down flat.”​—Joshua 6:2-5, 20.

¹⁷ Today the “soft” waters of truth are being taken to the people to encourage them to turn to Jehovah. But the day soon will come when the message will turn “hard.” It will announce the imminent end of this entire satanic system. The soft waters of truth will congeal to become the hard hailstones of truth. So powerful will these final judgment messages be that they are likened to “a great hail with every stone about the weight of a talent,” that is, of gigantic size. That is why Revelation 16:21 states: “The plague of it was unusually great.”

“A Mighty Nation” Fills the Earth

18. (a) How real is God’s Kingdom? (b) What does Daniel 2:35 show that the Kingdom will eventually do?

¹⁸ The Kingdom of God to which Jehovah’s Witnesses give their first allegiance is indeed a real government. It has Christ and his 144,000 associates as heavenly rulers. It has real laws and a “constitution”​—God’s Word. This real government also has real subjects that make up a growing nation, millions of them united as one people. And the Bible foretells that after this Messianic Kingdom crushes all worldly governments out of existence, it will ‘fill the whole earth.’ (Daniel 2:35) How will this come about?

19, 20. How will Jehovah’s servants come to be “a mighty nation” in the fullest sense?

¹⁹ Those who survive Armageddon will begin building the Paradise Jesus spoke of at Luke 23:43. (Revelation 16:14, 16) Then, in time, “there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) During the Thousand Year Reign of Christ in Kingdom power, all will be given the opportunity to take their stand for Kingdom rule. Those who do not want righteous rule will be taken out of the way. (Revelation 20:6, 11-15) Hence, at the end of the thousand years, everyone living on earth will be a devoted worshiper of Jehovah! Then it can be said that Isaiah 11:9 will be fulfilled in the complete sense: “The earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.”

²⁰ What a glorious time that will be! Every person you meet will be a worshiper of Jehovah, with “one thought,” “one purpose,” “one mouth.” Billions of such united worshipers, lifted to human perfection, will fill the Paradise earth. Then they will truly constitute “a mighty nation,” the mightiest nation the earth has ever seen. No, a united human family is not just a dream. It is well under way right now! Are you a part of it?

Questions for Review

□ While the world grows more disorderly, what is happening to Jehovah’s people?

□ What great separating work is being carried on now?

□ Why can we be confident that the unity of Jehovah’s servants will be preserved?

□ How is Jehovah’s visible organization developing into “a mighty nation,” and where will this lead?

[Picture on page 15]

As a shepherd separates sheep from goats, so Jesus Christ in Kingdom power separates people today

[Pictures on page 17]

Bethel homes and factories such as these are being built or expanded to further the Kingdom-preaching work

Ebina, Japan

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Ingleburn, N.S.W. Australia

Enebakk, Norway

Ajalvir (Madrid), Spain

Music​—Jehovah’s Joyous Gift to Us

WHEN our first father, Adam, became conscious as a living soul, a veritable concert poured into his ears. There, in that beautiful garden of Eden, was a resident orchestra of colorful birds whose tuneful warblings and cheerful chirpings filled the air. What music Jehovah God had composed for man’s listening pleasure!

Of course, those feathered musicians were singing due to instinct rather than with an intelligent, acquired knowledge of melody, harmony and rhythm. The notes making up their songs were composed and implanted in their DNA by God on the “day” he created “every winged flying creature according to its kind.” (Genesis 1:21, 23) What a stupendous musical feat!

The songs God composed for each kind of bird served his purpose well. By means of these melodious chirpings territorial claims were announced and mates were attracted. Even more wonderful is the fact that Jehovah God in his infinite wisdom and prudent economy also designed this practical function to bring joy to humans.

But why does man sing? Why does music motivate and thrill humans?

The Mystery Behind Music

Science is unable to explain why humans can compose music, invent and play musical instruments, or even why we enjoy music and song. It is all a baffling mystery!

Dr. Lewis Thomas, who is affiliated with the Scientists’ Institute for Public Information, has observed:

“If you are looking about for really profound mysteries, essential aspects of our existence for which neither the sciences nor the humanities can provide any sort of explanation, I suggest starting with music. The professional musicologists, for whom I have the greatest respect, haven’t the ghost of an idea about what music is, or why we make it and cannot be human without it, or even​—and this is the telling point—​how the human mind makes music on its own, before it is written down and played. The biologists are no help here, nor the psychologists, nor the physicists, nor the philosophers, wherever they are these days. Nobody can explain it. It is a mystery. . . . The Brandenburgs [concertos by J. S. Bach] and the Late Quartets [by Beethoven] . . . carry the news that there are deep centers in our minds that we know nothing about except that they are there.”​—Discover, July 1981, page 47.

Music is a sublime art emanating from a higher intelligence. Jehovah created man with a sensitive, aesthetic nature that would respond emotionally and intelligently to the unique songs of birds. Not only would such God-given music delight man’s heart and mind but it would also refresh him, thereby contributing to his physical and spiritual well-being. Surely, then, music is from that same loving Creator.

Yes, music is from the One who ‘planted the ear’ and “appointed a mouth for man.” (Psalm 94:9; Exodus 4:11) It is from Jehovah that we have received this gift of music, this ability to compose it and enjoy it. What a wonderful present from our Father!​—James 1:17.

The Heavenly Origin of Music

Music is, indeed, a creation of God. It is his art. Why, long before he created our earth, all its winged singers and humankind, God himself was enjoying the sweet pleasures of music! He had created millions of angels with the ability to sing most gloriously. From their ranks he heard exquisite musical harmonies expressing to him their adoration, praise and thanksgiving.

Those angelic “sons of God” sang out joyfully at seeing their Father create our earth. (Job 38:4-7, New World Translation; An American Translation) What a wondrous sight! Here was a comparatively tiny globe, like a colorful gem shrouded in thick clouds, revolving in the light of the sun against the velvety black backdrop of the universe. Only a choral outburst could express how deeply the heavenly hosts then felt!

Right into our 20th century, music has resounded in the heavenly realms. (Revelation 5:9, 10; 14:1-3) The coronation of Jesus Christ in 1914 may well have been celebrated by the happiest singing ever heard till then among those residing in the heavens. Likely, choral praises rang out as Jesus gained access to Jehovah, “the Ancient of Days.” With “ten thousand times ten thousand” assembled, he was brought before Jehovah’s resplendent throne and “given rulership and dignity and kingdom.” Glorious vision! Glorious music!​—Daniel 7:9-14; compare 2 Samuel 6:15; Psalm 27:6.

Naturally, all this singing was done in ‘the tongues of angels.’ (1 Corinthians 13:1) Since these creatures are so mighty and are spirits, their music must be of such harmonic and melodic magnitude that it is far beyond our limited hearing and comprehension. Yet, when we consider the heavenly origin of music and the grandeur of this gift from our Creator, how are we affected personally? What bearing should all of this have on our choice of music?

Our Obligation to the Giver of Music

Jehovah’s gift of music carries with it the same obligation as does any gift we receive. It is that we use music for its intended purpose. What sensible person would use the gift of a new garment to mop up spilled food or oily liquids? To do so would show no appreciation for the gift and its purpose, as well as utter disrespect for the giver. It would hurt him deeply.

So it is with music. Jehovah has given it to us for our enjoyment and happiness. Above all, music is another means by which we can praise our loving heavenly Father and draw closer to him. It is designed to contribute to our spiritual health.​—Psalm 149:1-3; 150:1-6.

How God-dishonoring the myth that credits the creation of music to the goat-footed god Pan during his immoral sexual adventures! Today, however, immorality is promoted in many songs. We find that there has been rapid increase in ungodly music during this world’s “time of the end.” (Daniel 12:4) Indeed, the climactic year 1914 ushered in an era of moral decadence, violence and depravity without parallel in human history. Accordingly, much present-day music reflects the sexual permissiveness, confusion and madness of “the last days” of this wicked system of things.​—2 Timothy 3:1-5.

How vital that “lovers of Jehovah” reject ungodly music and cling to what is good in God’s sight! (Psalm 97:10) Periodically, therefore, this journal and its companion, Awake!, have contained articles warning against music that ‘violates what is holy.’ (Compare 2 Timothy 2:16.) These discussions have exposed the dangers of music’s subtle passion-arousing influences and its incitement to rebellion.a

A desire to please Jehovah God and a candid appraisal of much modern music could well cause a person to ask: What music is left? Is there some we can safely enjoy without peril to us spiritually?

Good Music Abounds!

In the vast body of music that has been composed since the mid-1600’s, only a small amount is Scripturally objectionable. These questionable works in the classical field are mainly among the operas and ballets, many of which are based on immoral, tragic themes or pagan mythology. But even if we avoided all this music, what would be left is so voluminous that we could never hear all of it in an average lifetime.

Just to familiarize ourselves with the unobjectionable works of Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann, Handel, Haydn and Mozart would take years. And, mind you, this does not include works by their contemporaries. Moreover, we have not even mentioned good instrumental and folk music from many lands. We merely need to glance at European and American printed music catalogs to realize that good music abounds!

Yes, every form of music imaginable is on discs and cassette tapes. So much music is available in the classical field alone that a person can be very selective and still find more than enough.

How Will You Use This Gift?

“Lovers of Jehovah” desire to please him in all things. This, then, is their wish in choosing music. The decisions made are personal responsibilities. (Galatians 6:5) But what will help in making a choice?

Generally, nonreligious music composed in the 1700’s and early 1800’s presents no problems for the conscientious Christian. Moreover, this music is quite easy to learn to enjoy. Listen a few times and you will become familiar with its sparkling melodies and buoyant rhythms.

Of course, in choosing music, consideration of the title alone is not enough. The composer has written infectious melodies and developed them in harmonically pleasing ways. Program music has a title attached to it so as to describe some story or incident or to convey a certain mood. But not all that meets the eye is fact. A number of entitled pieces were not so named by their composers.

To illustrate: Beethoven never inscribed “Moonlight” on his Piano Sonata No. 27 in C# minor. Nor did he entitle his fifth piano concerto “Emperor.” The names attached to some of the Chopin pieces did not come from his hand. They were based on what others thought they heard in these works or were added by a music publisher with an eye to increased profits.

A practical step in making a choice is to read the jacket notes on any record you consider buying, just as you would read labels on packaged foods. If the music is described as being cacophonic, dissonant, 12-toned, dodecaphonic, serial or percussive, you can be sure that it is strident, with no easily identifiable tunes, and that its beat is very propulsive. This can prove to be mentally exasperating and fatiguing. Obviously, music with a mythological program promoting a lie or that is suggestively immoral is no candidate for purchase by a true Christian.

It is noteworthy that Jehovah’s Witnesses have faith-inspiring music with words that honor and praise God in harmony with his revealed truths. No claim is made that these songs are great masterpieces. They are simple melodies composed by dedicated musicians whose hearts and minds moved them to express their love for Jehovah and his purposes, and for all their fellow believers. Many relaxing hours can be enjoyed listening to records or cassettes of these tunes. Singing these Scripturally based songs in congregational assembly or in our homes will remind us of the need to praise Jehovah constantly.

Jehovah God did not have to give us this joyous gift of music. He could have kept it locked up in the heavens for his own enjoyment with his angelic family. However, because he is so unselfish and music so delights him, he wanted us to enjoy its pleasures. Does not this expression of Jehovah’s loving-kindness move us to love him even more?

Moved by our love for God, then, may we use all of Jehovah’s gifts to his praise. Indeed, ‘whether we are eating, drinking or doing anything else’​—and that includes singing and listening to or performing music—​let us “do all things for God’s glory.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) As his faithful witnesses, may we thus show true appreciation for music, one of Jehovah’s joyous gifts to us.

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 22]

Jehovah’s Witnesses regularly praise God in song

God’s Word Is Alive

How Important Is Prayer to You?

Darius, the king of the Medes about 2,500 years ago, made Daniel one of the highest officials in his kingdom. Darius appreciated the work of Daniel so much that the Bible says he “was intending to elevate him over all the kingdom.” The other officials became jealous and hatched a scheme to get Daniel into trouble. The scheme had to do with prayer, and this raises the question, How important is prayer to you today?

THE enemies of Daniel go to King Darius and ask him to sign an interdict, or decree, “that whoever makes a petition to any god or man for thirty days except to you, O king, should be thrown to the lions’ pit.” Not realizing its purpose, Darius signs the decree. If you had been a servant of Jehovah God back then, would you have stopped praying to Him? Upon learning about the decree, Daniel immediately goes into his house and prays to God. As usual, he prays three times a day.

At that his enemies go off to report to Darius that Daniel has not obeyed. This makes Darius sorry that he signed the decree and he tries to figure out how he can save Daniel. But that evening Daniel’s enemies come to Darius and say: “Take note, O king, that the law belonging to the Medes and the Persians is that any interdict or statute that the king himself establishes is not to be changed.” So Darius is forced to give the command for Daniel to be thrown into the lions’ pit.

Darius is so upset that he cannot sleep that night. The next morning he is up early and hurries to the lions’ pit. As he gets near, he cries out with a sad voice: “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you are serving with constancy been able to rescue you from the lions?” Right away, Daniel answers: “O king, . . . My own God sent his angel and shut the mouth of the lions, and they have not brought me to ruin.”

How glad Darius is! ‘Lift Daniel out of the pit,’ he commands. Then, what does the king do to those who schemed to have Daniel fed to the lions? Why, he has those wicked men thrown into the lions’ pit! Even before they reach the bottom of the pit, the lions grab them. Afterward, Darius writes to all the people in his kingdom, telling them that they should respect Daniel’s God because He performs great miracles. Yes, Jehovah rescued Daniel from the lions.​—Daniel 6:1-28.

Do you have the kind of faith in Jehovah God that Daniel had? Do you believe that when God brings the end of this wicked system of things he will rescue you if you remain faithful to him? If so, you will not let any law or threat that humans may make cause you to stop serving him.

Insight on the News

Tobacco Morality

When the North Carolina Council of Churches attempted to consider the question of the morality of tobacco growing, it met with considerable opposition from those in the industry, reports The New York Times. “We disagree that there is a moral dilemma concerning tobacco,” argued the managing director of the Tobacco Growers Information Committee. He believes that “use of tobacco is a matter of personal choice for an individual’s life style.”

A consultant in tobacco-related businesses added his “expert” opinion: “I don’t believe the good Lord will deny the more than 50 million smokers in this country and the additional millions of smokers in other countries of the world entrance into heaven based solely on whether they consume tobacco products.” He asserted that the churches have no “jurisdiction or credence in the tobacco issue.”

The clergymen, however, found the issue less clear-cut. The chairman of the church council’s Tobacco Study Committee felt that his panel was being put on the “horns of a dilemma.” Why? North Carolina is the largest tobacco producer in the United States, and the industry supports 150,000 jobs in that state alone. That is not all, but as the aforementioned consultant was quick to point out, “tobacco farmers, marketers and manufacturers have played an important role in the . . . forming and sustaining of the church.”

While the clergymen are having such a difficult time grappling with the issue, does not the Bible give clear guidance on the tobacco habit, stating: “Let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit”?​—2 Corinthians 7:1.

Wisdom Needed

“Knowledge exists, but it is not always accompanied by wisdom. We know that wars are terrible, but humanity continues in its crazy fratricidal race.” So writes Agustín Saavedra Weise in an editorial in El Diario of La Paz, Bolivia.

Señor Weise laments that although the 20th century “has brought in a formidable sum of human knowledge in all walks of life: science, technology, medicine, war preparations, literature, architecture, etc.,” there has been no comparable progress in wisdom. The result? “Throughout the past years we have witnessed the most barbarous and primitive forms of aggression, genocide and violence,” says Weise.

But why is it that for all the knowledge in the world there is such a lack of wisdom? Because people have abandoned Jehovah and turned to science, money, pleasure and other substitute “gods.” Thus they have left behind the Source of true wisdom. Indeed, when men reject God’s word, “what wisdom do they have?”​—Jeremiah 8:9.

Trendy Sermonizing

In a study of church sermons through the years, Richard Wentz, a religion historian at Arizona State University, notes that clergymen’s preaching styles were influenced by the trends of the times. In colonial days, says the professor, the emphasis was on the sovereignty of God, that “we are in God’s hands.” In the 19th century, when the nation was “new” and “optimistic,” the emphasis was shifted to “the possibilities of human perfection” and the thought that “God is waiting for us to respond.”

What about today? “The sermons now seem to give people what they want instead of giving them what they ought to be saying,” Wentz says. Today’s sermons are short, averaging 10 to 20 minutes, are usually in the form of stories with “cutesy characters” and are meant to entertain. Most people want something to “titillate their feelings and emotions,” he adds.

This reminds some of just what the apostle Paul foretold: “The time is coming when men will not tolerate wholesome teaching. They will want something to tickle their own fancies, and they will collect teachers who will speak what they want to hear.” But preachers who merely cater to the whims of the people have to answer for much. “Remember that we who are teachers will be judged by a much higher standard,” warned the disciple James.​—2 Timothy 4:3; James 3:1, Phillips.

Kingdom Expansion in Denmark

IN 1891 the Watch Tower Society’s president, C. T. Russell, visited Denmark and found the circumstances ideal for spreading the Bible’s message about God’s Kingdom. Thus, in 1894, a Bible Student, a Danish-American, was sent to Denmark. From 1897 onward, articles from The Watchtower were printed in a little periodical, and since 1900 the Watchtower magazine has been published in Danish. During the nearly 93 years that have passed since C. T. Russell visited Denmark, the work of preaching the good news has expanded so that there are now some 14,000 proclaimers of God’s Kingdom in that land.

In 1957 the Society constructed a branch office facility in Virum, north of Copenhagen. It had housing for 40 persons and also contained a factory. So at that time the branch started printing their own magazines. By 1978 the facilities had become far too small. Plans were then made for building new and larger facilities on a piece of ground located in Holbæk, a small town about 40 milesa west of Copenhagen. The new facilities would occupy 148,500 square feetb of floor space. And how would it be built? It was to be constructed entirely by Jehovah’s Witnesses. When a well-meaning official at the surveyor’s office heard about this, he asked worriedly if the Witnesses should not give up the idea. He learned that the work would go ahead.

When the time came to begin, it was clear that the Witnesses had all the needed know-how within their own ranks. Architects, engineers, surveyors, technicians, draftsmen, supervisors, master builders, foremen, workmen, laborers, drivers, machine operators, office clerks, purchasers, accountants, cooks, or just men and women with willing hands​—they all rallied. A variegated crowd they were, but they had one thing in common: love for their God and his work.

On an average day there were 200 of these willing workers on the job. They kept building for a hundred weeks, including Sundays and holidays. The construction progressed throughout the worst winter of this century, with weeks of below-freezing temperatures of 14 to −2 degrees Fahrenheit (−10 to −19° C.) and even −22 degrees Fahrenheit (−30° C.) one night. Assisted by weekend volunteers, these workers produced what would correspond to a 1,485 square-foot Kingdom Hall or a one-family home a week. The buildings were finished on May 20, 1983.

Open House

May 19, 1983, was set for a reception on the premises for town officials, neighbors and business people. The mayor headed a delegation of town officials, and a total of 125 persons responded to the invitation. It afforded a fine opportunity to explain to them the purpose of the buildings and that the Witnesses had financed the project by voluntary contributions and loans from fellow believers in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands.

While touring the buildings, the experts from the town’s building department commented on the excellent choice of materials and the fine workmanship​—something that they rarely see nowadays. As for the kind, well-meaning official from the surveyor’s office who had initial misgivings, he smilingly said: “You see, at that time I didn’t know the kind of organization you people have.” After refreshments, every guest received a gift parcel containing some of the Society’s latest publications.

On the same day there was also open house to the general public. Seventy-five people accepted the invitation and got a guided tour of the premises. Thus a fine witness was given to the honor of Jehovah.

Dedication Highlights

May 21, 1983, was the day of dedication. Besides the construction crew and the staff of Bethel workers, the local congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses were invited to attend. So were 90 old-timers among the Witnesses, representing the 240 congregations in Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Thus a total of nearly 700 happy people were invited to the dedication. Brother Daniel Sydlik of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses had come from Brooklyn, New York, to give the dedication discourse.

Several times in his dedication talk, Brother Sydlik referred to 2 Samuel 24:21-24, where one reads about King David’s answering a man who was going to give him, free of charge, a plot of ground, wood and animals for a sacrifice. “No, but without fail I shall buy it from you for a price,” declared David, “and I shall not offer up to Jehovah my God burnt sacrifices without cost.” ‘No sacrifice without a sacrifice’ was the gist of the talk. The audience felt very elated at this thought. This building program had cost every one of them something in the form of money or hard work, or both. It had meant sacrificing time from home and secular work, even giving up jobs and selling a business (as several brothers did), and putting up with inconveniences during the many months of construction.

Now the brothers wanted to offer the buildings as a gift to Jehovah. So from the moment of dedication the buildings would belong to Jehovah God and be reserved for the purpose of rendering sacred service to him. Then, joined in a dedication prayer, all in attendance did indeed gladly give from their hearts this fruit of their labor to the grand God, Jehovah.

That same evening, the delegates shared a meal together and listened to speeches and music. Then they, like the Israelites following the dedication of Solomon’s temple, went home “rejoicing and feeling merry of heart over all the goodness that Jehovah had performed.”​—1 Kings 8:66.

The new branch facilities will, indeed, be a blessing to the brothers and will aid in the continued expansion of the Kingdom work in Denmark.

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 28]

Bethel library

The printery

[Picture on page 29]

The dedication talk encouraged a self-sacrificing spirit

Questions From Readers

◼ My friend had a miscarriage. As a woman I sympathize with her, but would it be proper to encourage her to hope in a resurrection?

You certainly can do much good by giving her comfort and loving Christian help. But the Bible does not provide a basis to expect a resurrection of the embryo. Consider why:

When a woman conceives, there is just one cell, a fertilized egg. Normally, over a period of nine months that cell divides and implants in her uterus, the embryo develops, and finally a child is born. A miscarriage cuts short this natural process, ending the life that has begun and that should grow into a separate human. If an abortion is performed, it conflicts with the sanctity of life and with God’s command against murder.​—Exodus 20:13; 21:22, 23; Numbers 35:16-18; 1 Peter 4:15.

Our Life-Giver is aware of a life growing in the uterus, as we can see from what the Bible says about Jesse’s wife carrying the embryo that developed and that was born and named David. (Psalm 139:13-16; compare Job 31:15.) What, though, about the possibility of a resurrection in instances of miscarriage or stillbirth?

The Bible acknowledges that a fetus or an embryo can die. This results in spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage, or in a stillbirth.​—Genesis 31:38; Exodus 23:26; 2 Kings 2:19-21; Job 21:10; Psalm 58:8; 144:14.

Job mentioned various ways in which a miscarriage can occur, any of which he felt would have been better for him than the suffering he was experiencing. He said that he might have been “a hidden miscarriage,” someone who “should not come to be, like children that have seen no light.” (Job 3:16) This could refer to a woman’s miscarrying even before she realized that she was pregnant and while the embryo was not viable. The Body Machine states: “Many ova [fertilized eggs] do not develop normally, a greater number in fact than those which do. About ten per cent fail to implant and of those that do about half are aborted spontaneously, usually without the mother knowing.”

Job also said that if ‘the doors of his mother’s belly had been closed, he would have been concealed from trouble.’ So he would have escaped suffering if he had ‘proceeded to die from the womb’ or “in the womb.” (Job 3:10, 11, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures; Rotherham) Serious defects in the embryo or fetus sometimes cause this. Or it may result from abnormalities in the mother’s reproductive organs; deficiencies of vitamins, hormones or oxygen; or maternal disease.

In his agony Job felt that such possibilities would have been better for him. Yet his mother would have been saddened, even as are women today when inherited imperfection results in miscarriage or stillbirth. In mentioning those possibilities, Job did not say that he would have been in line for a resurrection anyway. The benefit, as he saw it, was that he would have been concealed from trouble or have been undisturbed.

Job added another possibility: “Why did I not come forth from the belly itself and then expire?” (Job 3:11) If, as sometimes occurs, Job had been born and soon thereafter died, maybe even before having been suckled, what might his future prospects be? He did not in the context discuss that. But later he showed that if, after having lived as a human, he had died and gone to Sheol, God likely would ‘set a time limit and remember him.’ Our Life-Giver ‘would call and Job himself would answer.’ Yes, Jehovah God could bring Job back to life, resurrect him.​—Job 14:13-15.

This accords with our knowledge of resurrection in Biblical examples. Those who were resurrected evidently were brought back to life as the individuals they had been at death. That is, children who died were resurrected as children, adults as adults. (2 Kings 4:17-20, 32-37; Luke 7:12-15; 8:40-42, 49-55; John 11:38-44) Would it be reasonable to think that if a “hidden miscarriage” had occurred in Job’s case, in the New Order that microscopic embryo would be restored to his mother’s womb to continue a pregnancy of which she might have been unaware? That does not conform to what the Bible shows about the resurrection, which always involved persons who had been born and existed as separate individuals before God.​—John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15.

But what if the embryo was more developed, had become a fetus or even was close to full term? There are many possible situations. However, there is no point in speculating, for there are countless sad consequences of imperfection suffered today. In the restored Paradise our loving heavenly Father will reverse man’s sinful condition and bring marvelous blessings. Many people will be resurrected. The decision as to how the resurrection will be carried out, and to what extent, rests with Jehovah and Jesus. We can be sure that the decision will reflect Jehovah’s perfect wisdom and justice.

Elihu assured Job: “Far be it from the true God to act wickedly, and the Almighty to act unjustly! For according to the way earthling man acts he will reward him . . . Yes, for a fact, God himself does not act wickedly.” (Job 34:10-12) All of us, including couples who have had the very sad experience of a miscarriage or stillbirth, can take comfort in knowing that “good and upright is Jehovah.”​—Psalm 25:8.

◼ Since the Bible speaks of certain men as “anointed” because they were specially chosen, or appointed, by God, could all overseers today be termed “anointed ones”?

The Hebrew and Greek words for “anoint” have the idea of daubing, or smearing, as with oil. The term “anointing” could also be used when holy spirit was poured out on someone, such as Jesus and the Christians whom God chooses to be his joint heirs.​—Genesis 28:18, 19; 31:13; Psalm 133:2; 45:7; Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18; Hebrews 1:9; Ephesians 1:13, 14.

On occasion the Bible uses the word “anointed” with regard to one who was chosen, or appointed, for a special role or office. For instance, Elijah was to “anoint Hazael as king over Syria” and ‘Elisha as prophet in place of you.’ (1 Kings 19:15, 16) Yet, there is no record that they were anointed with literal oil, as was Jehu. (2 Kings 9:1-6) Cyrus the Persian apparently never had actual oil or holy spirit poured out on him, but he was called Jehovah’s anointed because he was specially commissioned for a specific role. (Isaiah 45:1) Similarly, Moses could be referred to as “the Christ [anointed]” because God commissioned him, gave him a special appointment.​—Hebrews 11:26.

What about elders, or overseers, in the local congregations? At Acts 20:28 the apostle Paul told congregational elders that “the holy spirit has appointed you overseers.” That was at a time when all baptized Christians whom God approved were anointed with holy spirit and called to heavenly life.​—2 Corinthians 1:21, 22; 1 John 2:20, 27.

However, in saying that ‘the holy spirit appointed you overseers,’ Paul did not use the Greek word for anointed. He used a form of the word tithemi, which can mean put, place, establish, appoint.​—Compare Mark 4:21; 16:6; 1 Corinthians 3:10; 9:18; 15:25; 2 Timothy 1:11; Hebrews 1:2.

It is true that God uses his holy spirit in appointing, commissioning, or putting, elders in assigned places. But it would not be proper to speak of all congregation overseers as anointed. That could lead to confusion, suggesting incorrectly that all elders are anointed with holy spirit and have the heavenly calling. In fact, by far the majority of faithful overseers in the congregations today, while appointed as elders, have the hope of everlasting life in the restored earthly Paradise.

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