The Watchtower — August 15, 1989

Why So Much Crime?

“MOST crime is against property,” asserts a British government brochure. Yet, in that country violent crime against people is reported to be “the most rapidly increasing form of crime,” although it makes up only 5 percent of all offenses.

This situation mirrors crime’s worldwide escalation. Hijackings, armed robbery, rape, and other violent acts are featured regularly in the columns of the world’s press, often attracting more attention than reports of nonviolent crime. Evidently, then, both you and your possessions may be the target of crime. But why? What prompts people to become criminals?

Many criminals are opportunists. As a consequence, authorities endeavor to counteract the surge of crime by encouraging people to be more aware of what goes on in their neighborhood. While such strategies are employed to try to prevent criminal acts, do they stop people from becoming criminals? No.

The criminal personality is the subject of much study. Interestingly, God’s Word, the Bible, provides a look into the criminal’s thinking when warning young men of those who enticingly say: “Come on; let’s find someone to kill! Let’s attack some innocent people for the fun of it! They may be alive and well when we find them, but they’ll be dead when we’re through with them! We’ll find all kinds of riches and fill our houses with loot! Come and join us, and we’ll all share what we steal.” (Proverbs 1:11-14, Today’s English Version) Yes, greed, covetousness, and a materialistic outlook foster crime.

Drug abuse and hedonism also dominate the thinking of many in this 20th century. Money is needed to pay for the excesses, even if it requires hurting another or taking his life to get the money. In these ‘hard-to-deal-with critical times,’ it is indeed true of a growing number of people that “they hasten hot-foot into crime, impatient to shed blood.”​—2 Timothy 3:1, 3, 4; Proverbs 1:16, The New English Bible.

A crime is “a grave offense esp[ecially] against morality,” says Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. We live in an age of moral breakdown. The apostle Paul warned the Ephesian Christians of people who “walk in the unprofitableness of their minds, while they are in darkness mentally, and alienated from the life that belongs to God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the insensibility of their hearts. [These have] come to be past all moral sense.” Similarly, we need to pay heed today.​—Ephesians 4:17-19.

Do not the proliferation of sadistic video tape recordings, the glorifying of war, and the selfish pursuit of illicit pleasures all contribute to making some become criminals while making innocent people the target of crime? But there is yet another element in the web of criminal intrigue. What is this?

It is Satan the Devil. His anger lights the fire of mindless violence and crime that characterizes this present world. (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:12) His aim is to turn all people away from the true God, Jehovah. Though he may succeed with many, the Bible prophetically reveals that he will fail to break the integrity of God’s true servants. Finally, Satan will be removed. Yet, even with Satan out of the way, will that spell the end of crime? And is the end of crime now near?

The End of Crime Now Near!

DETECTIVES seek to solve crimes by examining clues that reveal the identity and motives of the perpetrators. The methods and skills of the detective are the subject of novels popular worldwide. Though he may eventually be successful in finding the criminal, the detective’s work generally begins after the event, after the crime has been committed.

As can be seen by the escalation in crime, for every criminal caught, there are many others who turn to crime. So more than merely solving those offenses already committed needs to be done to eliminate crime. What will stop people from becoming criminals?

Crime has to do with morals. We have no difficulty in accepting that murder, rape, and other violent acts are crimes. But what of cheating when filling out a tax return? Such an act is also criminal, for it is contrary to moral standards of honesty. Fully ending crime should mean wiping out all acts contrary to fundamental morality.

Consider three Bible examples that highlight not only the cause of crime but also the way it will be eliminated.

Godly Fear Versus Envy

Please note the words of the psalmist Asaph: “I became envious of the boasters, when I would see the very peace of wicked people.” (Psalm 73:3) Yes, envy of a criminal’s prosperity and life-style entices many to adopt lawless ways. Glamorizing crime on television and in the press makes it more acceptable rather than stimulating a hatred of what is bad.

Nonetheless, the inspired writer of Proverbs exhorts: “Let your heart not be envious of sinners, but be in the fear of Jehovah all day long.” The very motive and desire of a person are at the root of the problem. The most effective way to curb them is by building a godly fear of displeasing Jehovah God. “In that case there will exist a future, and your own hope will not be cut off.”​—Proverbs 23:17, 18.

Faith Versus Greed

In the spring of 33 C.E., Jesus was traveling through the town of Jericho. That was the hometown of Zacchaeus, whom Gospel writer Luke describes as “a chief tax collector,” adding that “he was rich.” The fertile district around Jericho was a prime area for tax collection, and as indicated by Zacchaeus’ own words, his activity as chief tax collector provided him with opportunities for extortion. But Zacchaeus did not remain a criminal.​—Luke 19:1-8.

Zacchaeus raced ahead of the crowd gathered around Jesus and because of his small stature sought a vantage point by climbing a fig-mulberry tree. Jesus noticed him and told Zacchaeus to come down, for He would stay with him while in Jericho. Later, Zacchaeus’ words proclaimed a changed attitude: “The half of my belongings . . . I am giving to the poor, and whatever I extorted from anyone by false accusation I am restoring fourfold.” Restoring the extorted sums of money would involve great expense. By promising to do this, Zacchaeus proclaimed his faith in Jesus. Yes, his changed outlook brought a tangible result, a restoring of what had been illegally taken plus another three times that value, making a fourfold restitution. Thus Zacchaeus righted the wrong he had committed and went even further, proving the sincerity of his changed way of living.​—2 Corinthians 7:11.

People More Important Than Possessions

Roman governor Pilate said of the accused Jesus Christ: “I find no crime in this man.” (Luke 23:4) Instead of resorting to criminal conduct to gain possessions, throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus demonstrated a loving interest in people. “On seeing the crowds he felt pity for them, because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples: ‘Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.’” (Matthew 9:36-38) Clearly, Jesus placed people before possessions, even before his own comfort and interests. We see this also from his willingness to expend himself in caring for the disciples and crowds who sought him out for instruction and help. (Matthew 8:20; 14:13-16) In this, Jesus left us a model to follow.​—1 Peter 2:21.

Is it possible for people today to follow that pattern, to hold fellow humans as of more value than material goods? We can answer in the affirmative. Consider Jehovah’s Witnesses, now more than three and a quarter million strong. They seek to have the mind of Christ and to give that practical expression. They are constantly working to eliminate from their hearts the wicked desires that lead many others to crime. Before becoming Witnesses, as they studied the Bible and developed love for God, this touched some of them who had been criminals; it prompted a number of them to make restoration for criminal acts they previously committed. No, such ones did not do this for publicity but so as to have peaceful relations with Jehovah God and thus benefit from his undeserved kindness as expressed through the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ.​—1 Corinthians 2:16; 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.

With love for their neighbors, such Christians take time to visit other folk and to explain how such families can look forward to life in Paradise conditions under God’s Kingdom. Each week Jehovah’s Witnesses hold regular meetings at their Kingdom Halls. One self-confessed thief accepted an invitation to attend to see what the meetings are like. He relates: “To say the least, I was greatly surprised. It was not a bit dull or boring as I had expected. The warmth and love, so evident, were obviously genuine. And the appreciation all the Witnesses seemed to have for spiritual things was outstanding.” He was so impressed that he continued his association, and this helped him reform. Whether you have been involved in crime or not, when you associate with God’s servants, you too will find the same genuine interest in people rather than in possessions.​—Matthew 22:39.

Crime​—Already Eliminated?

If people no longer act as criminals, does this mean that they are perfect? Far from it! Jehovah’s Witnesses, like everybody else, suffer from sin inherited from our first human parent, Adam. (Romans 5:12; 1 John 1:8) But they are now united in serving God, as reflected in their worldwide preaching and teaching work. This bears powerful testimony to the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “It must occur in the final part of the days that the mountain of the house of Jehovah will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, . . . and to it all the nations must stream.” (Isaiah 2:2) Indeed, millions are streaming to Jehovah’s exalted worship, seeking instruction in his ways. You can be one of those who benefit by associating with people who avoid crime.

Crime Elimination​—The Prospects

The increased criminal activity of our day actually presages the nearness of divine intervention to remove all wicked ones, including all perpetrators of crime. “For evildoers themselves will be cut off . . . Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; and you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be.” (Psalm 37:9, 10) The end to crime is indeed now near, for we are drawing close to the time when the original criminal, Satan the Devil, will be bound and abyssed. (Revelation 20:1-3) How thrilling it should be to know that the fear of crime and the pain suffered by its victims will soon be things of the past!

Yet, what about the millions of people who in the resurrection will return to life on earth? (Acts 24:15) If they persist with the same personality and ways that they had before their death, will they not spark a new crime wave? There is no need to fear that. Jesus promised a thief a resurrection, saying: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) This surely indicates that resurrected ones will have to make changes; otherwise the new world would not be a paradise.

Just as even hardened criminals need rehabilitation before being able to settle into the community without creating problems, so under God’s Kingdom, an extensive educational program will help the subjects to be law-abiding. (Revelation 20:12, 13) With the obvious advantage of being surrounded by the inhabitants of Paradise, who are obeying God’s laws, resurrected ones will experience properly regulated economic conditions. (Isaiah 65:21-23) There will be just rulers in place, and any persistent wrongdoers will face removal from life. (Isaiah 32:1; 65:20) So there is abundant reason to trust that, finally, crime will end.

Although we still live amid a world characterized by crime, you can confidently reflect trust in Jehovah, who promises to reward his faithful servants with perfect life in Paradise. Do so now by taking advantage of the free home Bible study arrangement offered by Jehovah’s Witnesses. (John 17:3) The next time you meet them, why not ask for further details? Or you can write to the address nearest to you as listed on page 2 of this magazine. It is certainly worth putting forth effort, for the end to crime is now near!

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Zacchaeus’ faith prompted him to restore what he had extorted

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An educational program will teach the subjects of God’s Kingdom to be law-abiding

Jesus’ Life and Ministry

Workers in the Vineyard

“MANY that are first,” Jesus has just finished saying, “will be last and the last first.” Now he illustrates this by telling a story. “The kingdom of the heavens,” he begins, “is like a man, a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.”

Jesus continues: “When [the householder] had agreed with the workers for a denarius a day, he sent them forth into his vineyard. Going out also about the third hour, he saw others standing unemployed in the marketplace; and to those he said, ‘You also, go into the vineyard, and whatever is just I will give you.’ So off they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did likewise. Finally, about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day unemployed?’ They said to him, ‘Because nobody has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into the vineyard.’”

The householder, or owner of the vineyard, is Jehovah God, and the vineyard is the nation of Israel. The workers in the vineyard are persons brought into the Law covenant; they are specifically those Jews living in the days of the apostles. It is only with the full-day workers that a wage agreement is made. The wage is a denarius for the day’s work. Since “the third hour” is 9:00 a.m., those called at the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 11th hours work, respectively, only 9, 6, 3, and 1 hours.

The 12-hour, or full-day, workers represent the Jewish leaders who have been occupied continually in religious service. They are unlike Jesus’ disciples, who have, for most of their lives, been employed in fishing or other secular occupations. Not until the fall of 29 C.E. did the “householder” send Jesus Christ to gather these to be his disciples. They thus became “the last,” or the 11th-hour vineyard workers.

Finally, the symbolic workday ends with the death of Jesus, and the time comes to pay the workers. The unusual rule of paying the last first is followed, as is explained: “When it became evening, the master of the vineyard said to his man in charge, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, proceeding from the last to the first.’ When the eleventh-hour men came, they each received a denarius. So, when the first came, they concluded they would receive more; but they also received pay at the rate of a denarius. On receiving it they began to murmur against the householder and said, ‘These last put in one hour’s work; still you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat!’ But in reply to one of them he said, ‘Fellow, I do you no wrong. You agreed with me for a denarius, did you not? Take what is yours and go. I want to give to this last one the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with my own things? Or is your eye wicked because I am good?’” In conclusion Jesus repeated a point made earlier, saying: “In this way the last ones will be first, and the first ones last.”

The receiving of the denarius occurred, not at Jesus’ death, but at Pentecost 33 C.E., when Christ, the “man in charge,” poured out holy spirit on his disciples. These disciples of Jesus were like “the last,” or the 11th-hour, workers.

The denarius did not represent the gift of the holy spirit itself. The denarius was something for the disciples to use here on earth. It was something that meant their livelihood, their everlasting life. It was the privilege of being a spiritual Israelite, anointed to preach about God’s Kingdom.

Soon those hired first observed that Jesus’ disciples had been paid, and they saw them using the symbolic denarius. But they wanted more than the holy spirit and its associated Kingdom privileges. Their murmuring and objections took the form of persecuting Christ’s disciples, “the last” workers in the vineyard.

Is that first-century fulfillment the only fulfillment of Jesus’ illustration? No, the clergy of Christendom in this 20th century have, by reason of their positions and responsibilities, been “first” to be hired for work in God’s symbolic vineyard. They considered dedicated preachers associated with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society to be “the last” ones to have any valid assignment in God’s service. But it is, in fact, these very ones whom the clergy despised who received the denarius​—the honor of serving as anointed ambassadors of God’s heavenly Kingdom. Matthew 19:30–20:16.

◆ What is represented by the vineyard? Who are represented by the vineyard’s owner and by the 12-hour and 1-hour workers?

◆ When did the symbolic workday end, and when was payment made?

◆ What is represented by the payment of the denarius?

Opening Up the Way Back to Paradise

“[Jesus] said to him: ‘Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.’”​—LUKE 23:43.

1, 2. (a) What does “paradise” mean, and like what must the garden of Eden have been? (b) How is the Hebrew word for “garden” translated in the Christian Greek Scriptures?

THE human family got its start in Paradise. Concerning the creation of man, we read in the first book of the Holy Scriptures: “Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul. Further, Jehovah God planted a garden in Eden, toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.” (Genesis 2:7, 8) The name “Eden” means “Pleasure,” and thus the garden of Eden was a spacious park of pleasure, with many and varied beautiful features.

² The word “paradise” is taken from the Greek language, and in that language it means a parklike garden. The Greek word used to translate the Hebrew noun gan, meaning “garden,” is pa·raʹdei·sos. The Scriptures from Matthew to Revelation were written in the Greek language, and this Greek word was used in recording the utterances of the Lord Jesus Christ when he was suffering the penalty of death on a torture stake at Calvary on Nisan 14 of the year 33 C.E.

Jesus’ Paradise Promise to an Evildoer

3. (a) What did a sympathetic evildoer ask of Jesus? (b) The evildoer’s request showed what regarding his belief about Jesus?

³ At that time, two evildoers were impaled alongside Jesus. One of them had stopped speaking abusively to Jesus in the manner that the second robber impaled on the other side of Jesus continued to do. The sympathetic evildoer turned and said: “Jesus, remember me when you get into your kingdom,” thus expressing faith that Jesus, though hung alongside him, was in line for a future kingdom. (Luke 23:42; Mark 15:32) How that must have touched the heart of the Lord Jesus! That friendly criminal believed that Jesus Christ was innocent and that he did not deserve such a severe penalty as impalement in public disgrace. (Luke 23:41) He showed by his request that he believed that Jesus would be resurrected from the dead and would come into a kingdom. The evildoer also showed faith that he himself could have a resurrection and that Jesus would be the One to call him forth from the dead and favor him with renewed life on earth.

4. How did Jesus answer the evildoer’s request, indicating what?

⁴ When Jesus said to him: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise,” he pointed to a resurrection of that sympathetic evildoer. That must have been a real consolation to the criminal who showed faith. For that man’s resurrection to take place, Jesus had to be resurrected first. Then, exercising his God-given resurrection power, Jesus would call back this evildoer from the dead on the day of the resurrection of the world of mankind.​—Luke 23:43; John 5:28, 29; 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23; Hebrews 9:15.

5, 6. (a) What did Governor Pontius Pilate have written above the impaled Jesus? (b) Likely in what language did Jesus speak to the evildoer?

⁵ In what language did Jesus give that promise? Several were in use there at the time. This is shown by the words that Governor Pontius Pilate caused to be written above the head of the impaled Jesus Christ, identifying him for all passersby to read. The account at John 19:19, 20 says: “Pilate wrote a title also and put it on the torture stake. It was written: ‘Jesus the Nazarene the King of the Jews.’ Therefore many of the Jews read this title, because the place where Jesus was impaled was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, in Greek.”

⁶ By his birth in Bethlehem to his virgin mother, Mary, Jesus was born a Jew, or a Hebrew. Accordingly, in his preaching for three and a half years in the land of his birth, he evidently preached in the current Jewish language, or Hebrew. Hence, when he made reassuring remarks to the sympathetic evildoer, he likely spoke in Hebrew. So he would have used the Hebrew word gan when referring to Paradise​—the word found at Genesis 2:8. There, the Greek Septuagint version of the Sacred Scriptures employs the word pa·raʹdei·sos when translating the original word gan.

7. How was Jesus glorified when he was resurrected?

⁷ Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day following his impalement, or on Nisan 16 of the Hebrew calendar. Forty days later he returned to heaven, his original home, only now in a more exalted state. (Acts 5:30, 31; Philippians 2:9) He was now clothed with immortality, a quality shared with his heavenly Father. Jehovah God had been the sole Possessor of immortality until the resurrection of Jesus from the dead on that Sunday, Nisan 16.​—Romans 6:9; 1 Timothy 6:15, 16.

The Ransom Opens Up the Way

8. What was Jehovah’s original purpose regarding the earth, and what shows that he sticks to that purpose?

⁸ All of these were steps in God’s purpose to have the entire earth clothed with paradisaic beauty, yes, to become a global paradise. (Genesis 1:28; Isaiah 55:10, 11) At 1 Corinthians 15:45, the apostle Paul refers to Jesus as “the last Adam.” This indicates that God has held on to his original purpose with regard to the earth and that someone will fulfill the purpose that the first Adam failed to carry out.

9. What did Jesus provide to open up the way back to Paradise?

⁹ According to Paul, Jesus provided “a corresponding ransom.” (1 Timothy 2:6) Jesus Christ himself had said: “Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.” This made it possible for those exercising faith in Jesus Christ to gain everlasting life.​—Matthew 20:28; John 3:16.

10. (a) What did God determine with regard to a limited number of favored humans? (b) When did the selecting of the “little flock” begin, and by whom?

¹⁰ When Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection from the dead, he could present the merit of his ransom sacrifice to God in behalf of the human family. However, it was the purpose of his heavenly Father, Jehovah God, to take out of the nations of the earth “a people for his name.” (Acts 15:14) According to Revelation 7:4 and Re 14:1-4, these are to number merely 144,000 individuals, the “little flock,” called to God’s heavenly Kingdom. (Luke 12:32) The selecting of these especially favored ones of Jehovah God began with the selection of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 10:2-4; Acts 1:23-26) Jesus said to the foundation members of his congregation: “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16) These would spearhead the work of proclaiming the coming global Paradise under Kingdom rule.

The Dueness of the Kingdom

11. When was the Messianic Kingdom due to be set up?

¹¹ In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we today continue to offer up prayer to Jehovah for His Kingdom to come. (Matthew 6:9, 10; John 14:13, 14) The Messianic Kingdom was due to be set up at the end of “the appointed times of the nations.” (Luke 21:24) Those Gentile Times were fulfilled by the year 1914.a

12. What took place in 1914 in harmony with Jesus’ prophecy of remarkable things that would signalize his invisible presence?

¹² That year was marked by the first world war of human history. This was in line with Jesus’ prophecy about the remarkable things that would signalize his invisible presence in Kingdom power over the earth. His disciples had asked him the question: “Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?” In reply Jesus said: “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. All these things are a beginning of pangs of distress. And 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 24:3, 7, 8, 14; Mark 13:10.

13. (a) In what respect is the preaching of God’s Kingdom good news? (b) How long have prayers for God’s Kingdom to come been offered up, and did his witnesses on earth never get tired of offering these prayers?

¹³ This good news of Jehovah’s Kingdom is now being preached in over 200 lands, and endeavors are being made to extend it into further territories. It is news, not of a world government yet to come, but of a kingdom now in power, one already ruling. That Kingdom was established in 1914. It set the stage for the answer to the prayer that Jesus outlined more than 1,900 years ago. That prayer has been offered up to the Founder of that Kingdom ever since the one who was to be the King of that government taught his disciples to pray for it. So the Author of that Kingdom has been hearing the request for it for a very long time. He has been pleased to hear the prayer offered to him by his witnesses on earth during all that time, for it demonstrated that they held to their faith in the coming of that Kingdom. They did not get tired of offering up that prayer to the “Father in the heavens,” as if it had become something stale to them.​—Matthew 6:9, 10.

14. Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses persist in preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom?

¹⁴ While Jehovah’s Witnesses believe and declare that the Kingdom was established in the heavens in 1914, they persist in preaching this good news of the Kingdom. They do so because that established Kingdom has not taken over exclusive control of the earth but has permitted the kingdoms of this world to keep on exercising their power and authority over all the tribes and races of mankind. (Romans 13:1) It must therefore come in a full sense, that is, to the degree that it is the exclusive government holding sway over all the earth.​—Daniel 2:44.

15. What has been going on since Pentecost 33 C.E. that is on a grander scale than when Israel’s kings were anointed?

¹⁵ Although designated as King of that Kingdom, Jesus does not rule alone. Jehovah God has appointed 144,000 followers of his royal Son to be joint heirs in the Messianic Kingdom of God. (Daniel 7:27) Just as ancient Israel’s kings were anointed with holy anointing oil by the high priest, so since the day of Pentecost 33 C.E., Jehovah has had the 144,000 joint heirs of Jesus Christ anointed with His holy spirit, begetting them to spirit life in the heavens with the “King of kings and Lord of lords.”​—Revelation 19:16; compare 1 Kings 1:39.

Paradise to Be Restored by “the Last Adam”

16. What was the outlook for the Kingdom at Jesus’ impalement, but why had he not been a proclaimer of erroneous news?

¹⁶ At the impalement of Jesus in 33 C.E., it hardly looked possible that he could have a kingdom at all. But in his preaching of the Kingdom of God, he had not been a proclaimer of erroneous news. On the third day after his impalement, the Founder of the Kingdom made sure that the disciples of Jesus would not be offering up prayer for a government that was not possible. Jehovah resurrected the One who was to represent Him in the prayed-for Kingdom and clothed him with immortality.

17, 18. (a) What is the significance of Jesus’ being called “the last Adam”? (b) What do world events since 1914 indicate?

¹⁷ Jesus knew that the Creator of the first Paradise on earth would lay upon him the obligation to renew Paradise and to see to the populating of the global garden. At 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47, we read: “It is even so written: ‘The first man Adam became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. The first man is out of the earth and made of dust; the second man is out of heaven.” The second Adam came down from heaven and is the one whom Jehovah employs to reestablish Paradise here on earth. It was on this basis that the Lord Jesus said to the sympathetic evildoer: “You will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) From this conversation it is again apparent that Paradise will be established on earth under the Kingdom of heaven in the hands of the glorified Jesus Christ, “the last Adam.”

¹⁸ World events since 1914 harmonize with the prophecies uttered by Jesus Christ and thus prove that Jesus has been in power since then. For over seven decades now, the people of this 20th-century generation living since 1914 have experienced the fulfillment of events listed in Jesus’ prophecy found in Matthew chapter 24. Therefore, this period of time is nearing its end, with the restoration of Paradise on earth close at hand.​—Matthew 24:32-35; compare Psalm 90:10.

An Exciting New-World Era Just Ahead

19, 20. (a) After Armageddon, into what will Jehovah usher his lovers? (b) What will need to be done shortly after Armageddon?

¹⁹ It will be no boring, humdrum system of things into which Jehovah will introduce his lovers after he vindicates his universal sovereignty beyond all peradventure of a doubt at the battlefield of Armageddon. The oncoming era for the human family under the wholesome reign of the Messianic King, Jesus, the Son of God, will be a most exciting one indeed. Oh, how much there will need to be done of a beneficial kind! Any and all scars left on the face of the earth from the globe-encircling conflict between Jehovah’s heavenly armies and the marshaled forces of evil will be removed. No trace will be left.

²⁰ But what of all the war equipment that the nations will leave behind? In view of the symbolic indication of the length of time it will take to dispose of the combustible parts of them, the quantity will be enormous. (Ezekiel 39:8-10) Armageddon survivors may be able to adapt the materials of any remaining war relics of the nations to useful purposes.​—Isaiah 2:2-4.

21. Similar to the experience of the Flood survivors, what situation will confront Armageddon survivors, but with what major difference?

²¹ The blessed modern-day counterparts of Noah and his family as miraculous survivors of the global Deluge will confront an earthly situation similar to the one Noah’s family found. However, Satan the Devil and his demon forces will no longer plague the invisible heavens surrounding the earth but will have been put completely out of action for ten centuries. (Revelation 20:1-3) The Armageddon survivors will have the challenging task of subduing an earth that has passed through “the great day of God the Almighty,” confronting whatever effects this will have left upon this planet.​—Revelation 16:14.

22. How will the Armageddon survivors react to the challenge of extending Paradise earth wide?

²² Relatively few in number, these survivors of the war of Armageddon ordinarily might be expected to be very intimidated when charged with the huge task of extending Paradise earth wide. But on the contrary, thrilled to the extreme, they will make a valiant and obedient start at it. They fully realize that this earth is God’s symbolic footstool, and they sincerely want to have this mundane sphere brought to a state of charm and beauty deserving of having his feet rest here.

23. What backing will the Armageddon survivors have as assurance that their work to restore Paradise will succeed?

²³ It is happifying and encouraging to know that they will not be left alone and unaided after undertaking this joyful service in fulfillment of the divine charge regarding the earth. (Compare Isaiah 65:17, 21-24.) They will have the full, unlimited backing of the One who made the promise of Paradise restored and who said just before his ascension to heaven: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth.” (Matthew 28:18) He possesses that authority still, and he is able to fulfill his remarkable promise to the sympathetic evildoer, as we will see from the following article.

[Footnotes]

Review Questions

◻ What does Jesus’ promise at Calvary assure for mankind and for one criminal?

◻ What is basic to opening up the way back to Paradise?

◻ What did the first Adam fail to do, but what will “the last Adam” accomplish?

◻ After Armageddon, into what kind of system of things will Jehovah usher his lovers?

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The article “End of All Kingdoms in 1914” appeared in “The World Magazine” of August 30, 1914

Paradise Restored Glorifies God

“I shall glorify the very place of my feet.”​—ISAIAH 60:13.

1, 2. (a) Through his prophet Isaiah, what did God foretell regarding the earth? (b) Looking a thousand years into the future, what do we see?

JEHOVAH created the earth as a planet under his feet, as his figurative footstool. Through his prophet Isaiah, God foretold that he would ‘glorify the very place of his feet.’ (Isaiah 60:13) With the aid of the inspired Bible, we can look, as if by a powerful telescope, a thousand years into the human future. What a rapturous sight greets our eyes! The entire earth glows with impeccable beauty produced by the greatest Gardener in all the universe. Paradise will have been restored earth wide to mankind!

² Yes, the divine Supreme Being who started off man’s existence in a garden paradise has man’s greatest happiness in mind. What a loving Creator indeed for mankind to have, of whom it is no extravagance of speech to say, “God is love”! (1 John 4:8, 16) In the restored Paradise, mature men and women in flawless human perfection dwell together as loving brothers and sisters. (Isaiah 9:6) Motivated by love, they are in perfect subjection to the glorious Creator of heaven and earth, Jehovah God.

3, 4. (a) In what way will heaven and earth correspond to each other? (b) How will the angels respond when Paradise is restored to the earth?

³ Thousands of years previously, in a divinely inspired description of his realm, God spoke these impressive words to his chosen people: “The heavens are my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” (Isaiah 66:1) The sheer glory of his “footstool,” the Paradise earth, should appropriately correspond to the glory of his throne in the invisible heights.

⁴ At the time of earth’s creation, those who were attendant upon God’s throne in the celestial realm considered the earthly scene below. How enraptured they must have felt as their eyes contemplated its glorious brilliance! How could they refrain from spontaneously bursting into song? (Compare Zephaniah 3:17, Revised Standard Version; Psalm 100:2, The Jerusalem Bible.) The pleased and happy Creator inspired his earthly scribe to portray an accurate description of the heavenly scene, saying: “The morning stars joyfully cried out together, and all the sons of God began shouting in applause.” (Job 38:7) How much more so will the angelic sons of God cry out in joy, to God’s glory, when Paradise is restored!

5. How should we feel about the attainment of God’s original objective regarding the earth?

⁵ It is indeed heartwarming for us to be reassured by the inspired Holy Scriptures that the grand attainment of a paradise earth was the objective at which Jehovah God aimed from the very beginning. This joy-inspiring, praise-evoking culmination of God’s purpose for this earth is just the right thing to be expected of a God who goes on from glory to glory with no failure in displaying his excellency. All praise to him!​—Psalm 150:1, 2; Isaiah 45:18; Revelation 21:3-5.

Resurrected Ones Assist in Restoring Paradise

6. After Armageddon, how will the earth be populated?

⁶ Though the Armageddon survivors will be relatively few in number, it will not be entirely by childbearing on their part that the earth will be fully populated. Jehovah will also ‘glorify the place of his feet’ by restoring to life those who are in the memorial tombs and who come under the benefits of Christ’s ransom sacrifice. These, in turn, will have the privilege of sharing in the delightful work of transforming our earthly globe into a surpassingly beautiful paradise.​—Acts 24:15.

7. What words of Jesus will the Armageddon survivors keep in mind?

⁷ The Armageddon survivors will ever keep in mind the soul-stirring words of the Lord Jesus Christ on the occasion when he was moved to say: “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.” (John 5:28, 29) What an hour that will be when the human dead in their memorial tombs begin to hear the voice of the Son of God saying words similar to those addressed to Lazarus, whose corpse lay in the tomb at Bethany: “Lazarus, come on out!”​—John 11:43.

8, 9. Who will likely be the first ones to be resurrected to renewed life on earth, bringing what delight to Armageddon survivors?

⁸ Who will likely be the first ones to be resurrected to renewed life on earth under the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ and in response to his command? It would reasonably be the “other sheep” who died during the last days preceding the end of this system of things. They will experience an earlier resurrection. (John 10:16) They would probably have the least difficulty in adjusting themselves to the new world.​—Compare Matthew 25:34; John 6:53, 54.

⁹ How delightful it will be for the Armageddon survivors when they see resurrected those of the “other sheep” who died during the generation before the “great tribulation”! (Matthew 24:21) With clear powers of identification, the Armageddon survivors recognize them, welcome them, and with them proceed to renew their united service to the Most High God!

10. By surviving Armageddon, what may you witness?

¹⁰ By being one of the Armageddon survivors, you may witness the resurrection of the first one of your own earthly relatives. How could the emotional effect of this upon you be otherwise than that upon the parents who saw the Lord Jesus restore their 12-year-old daughter alive to their yearning arms? “At once they were beside themselves with great ecstasy.” (Mark 5:42) Ah, indeed, unspeakable joy will be yours at the resurrection of the dead from Hades and the sea. (Revelation 20:13) Oh, what a glorious tomorrow that will be, a tomorrow that will soon be here!

“Princes in All the Earth”

11, 12. (a) What does Psalm 45:16 emphasize? (b) From among whom may the King, Jesus Christ, appoint “princes in all the earth”?

¹¹ By the exercise of his power to resurrect the human dead for whom he laid down his perfect human life as a ransom sacrifice, Jesus will be able to bring about the fulfillment of Psalm 45:16. This psalm is prophetically addressed to Jesus Christ as the installed King: “In place of your [earthly] forefathers there will come to be your sons, whom you will appoint as princes in all the earth.” This psalm emphasizes that Jesus Christ will become a heavenly father to children down here on the earth and that he will install sons from among them as “princes in all the earth.” As the “son of David” and as the firstborn son of the Judean virgin Mary, Jesus had earthly human forefathers all the way back to the first father, Adam.​—Luke 3:23-38.

¹² Is Psalm 45:16 saying that those who were formerly Jesus’ natural forefathers will become his sons by his resurrecting of them from the dead? Yes. Is Psalm 45:16 also saying that out of regard for his descent from them, Jesus will show them special royal favor and appoint only them to be “princes in all the earth” in its Paradise state? No. Fulfillment of the prophecy in such a way would allow for only a limited number of “princes” in all the earth. Besides that fact, not all these forefathers of his were so outstanding as to merit special prominence on earth during his Millennial Reign. The King, Jesus Christ, will have countless more than his earthly forefathers to appoint as “princes”​—qualified ones of the Armageddon survivors, of the resurrected “other sheep,” including the pre-Christian men of faith. From among all of these, he can appoint qualified deserving ones to hold princely office as his earthly representatives.

13, 14. What resurrected ones will the Armageddon survivors be privileged to see with their own eyes?

¹³ Think of such ones who are in line for resurrection under the Messianic Kingdom. Look! Can we believe our eyes? There is Abel, the first human martyr, and Enoch, who kept walking with the true God. There, too, is Noah, the ark builder. There are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, forefathers of the nation of Israel. There are Moses (of the priestly tribe of Levi) and David with whom the everlasting covenant for the Kingdom was made. And there, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and all the other Bible-writing Hebrew prophets down to the last of them, Malachi, and, of course, John the Baptizer and also Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus.

¹⁴ On one occasion Jesus said to the Jews that they would “see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but [they themselves would be] thrown outside.” (Luke 13:28) The “great crowd” of earthly survivors of “the war of the great day of God the Almighty” will be favored with the privilege of literally seeing the resurrected “Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets” back here on the Paradise earth and in royal service under the Kingdom of God by the “Eternal Father,” Jesus Christ.​—Revelation 7:9, 14; 16:14; Isaiah 9:6.

15. What incomparable privilege awaits those who survive Armageddon?

¹⁵ How soul-stirring it will be for you who survive the end of this present evil world to compare notes with Noah and his immediate family, “eight souls,” who survived the end of the first world in the global Deluge in 2370 B.C.E.! No one else to all eternity will have had experiences like yours and thus be able to serve as a Witness of Jehovah God in this outstanding, unrepeatable regard.​—1 Peter 3:20; Mark 13:19; 2 Peter 3:5-7.

A Sympathetic Evildoer Remembered

16, 17. (a) When Jesus remembers the sympathetic evildoer, what privilege will the Armageddon survivors and others then alive have? (b) What hope is entertained regarding the resurrected evildoer?

¹⁶ Doubtless, by then the restoring of Paradise to earth will be well under way. The malefactor who was impaled on Calvary alongside Jesus and who said in recognition of the sign above His head, “Jesus, remember me when you get into your kingdom,” will be resurrected to earthly life in the restored Paradise. (Luke 23:42) It will be the privilege of the survivors of Armageddon and the others then alive to welcome him back from the dead. They will teach him fully about the now reigning King, Jesus Christ, toward whom he showed deep sympathy on Nisan 14 of the year 33 C.E.

¹⁷ The Lord Jesus Christ will not fail to remember him sometime during His reign of a thousand years. No doubt that sympathetic, resurrected evildoer will demonstrate his appreciation for the reigning King, Jesus Christ, to whom he owes his resurrection, by proving his faithfulness to the Universal Sovereign, Jehovah God. Then he would be counted worthy to enjoy living in the Paradise new world to all eternity along with the rest of restored, obedient humankind.

Life in the Global, Restored Garden of Eden

18. What will life be like in the restored Paradise?

¹⁸ In the restored Paradise, everyone is a friend to everybody else. The bonds of the worldwide family relationship are felt to the depths of each one’s soul. All understand one another. They are speaking a common world language. It is likely mankind’s original language, which everybody on earth spoke for the first 1,800 years of human existence​—from Adam’s creation in 4026 B.C.E. until Peleg’s day (2269 to 2030 B.C.E.), for “in his days the earth [that is, earth’s population] was divided.” (Genesis 10:25; 11:1) Everyone is enjoying the privilege of living, and each new day is greeted with thankfulness for the added day of life. Bodily infirmity is not increasing as time goes on. Physical forces are building up, and bodies are not wearing out.​—Compare Job 33:25.

19. What will be observed about those who had previously been handicapped?

¹⁹ And look! The once lame are walking, yes, skipping about for joy. Lost arms and legs have been miraculously restored. The previously blind see, the deaf hear, the dumb speak and sing for sheer joy. (Compare Isaiah 35:5, 6.) Unsightliness about human form and figure disappears. Human masculinity is beautifully balanced by human femininity. (Genesis 2:18) Human perfection glorifies Jehovah God, the Creator of the perfect human body.

20. What will be observed about the forces of nature, food supplies, the animal creation, and how the earth will be used?

²⁰ The whole earth is becoming one global beauty spot. From no part of the earth is there any report of drought or of rainfall in ruinous downpours or of destructive cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes. (Compare Mark 4:37-41.) All the forces of nature are being brought into a perfect balance for making the whole earth an exquisite place in which to live. There is no lack of food anywhere, for the earth is yielding its produce to the full. (Psalm 72:16) Peace and security obtain worldwide for both man and animal, just as Jehovah states: “They will not do any harm or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain.” (Isaiah 11:9; see also Isa 11 verses 6-8.) In this way the earth will be made a delightful place in which to live and carry on the worship and service of Jehovah God, the Creator and Owner of the earth. It being his property by right of creation, it deserves to be used in a way that pleases him and that glorifies him.​—Compare Isaiah 35:1, 2, 6, 7.

21. How will redeemed mankind view everything on earth, and what music will be heard?

²¹ Refreshingly new​—that is what everything on earth is for redeemed humans who were never inside the Paradise garden of Eden where human life started out in beautiful perfection! (Revelation 21:5) What delightful music, instrumental and vocal, will then be heard​—all of it praising Jehovah!​—1 Chronicles 23:4, 5; Psalm 150:3-6.

22. How will it feel to live in the Paradise new world?

²² How wonderful it will be to live in an earth in which human life abounds to the full and where all the stages of the dying process due to the original sin of Adam will have been effaced! (Compare John 10:10.) Yes, it will be an earth wherein every approved human creature radiates the image and likeness of Jehovah God with which the first man Adam was created! (Genesis 1:26, 27) The earth will then no longer be an eyesore to the seraphs, to the cherubs, and to the radiant angels of heaven. When they turn lovable faces toward the earth, peering down at it adorned with paradisaic beauty, they will have only praise and gratitude to express to the One whose countenance they have the privilege of beholding directly​—Jehovah, the Universal Sovereign.​—Matthew 18:10.

A Happy, Endless Future

23. What is possible regarding the anointed Christians, and with what result to the inhabitants of the earthly Paradise?

²³ It is within the realm of possibility and of likelihood that, some day in the future, the names of all those anointed Christians who have made their “calling and choosing” to the heavenly Kingdom sure and who have been blessed by this supernal resurrection will be published in full for the information of the human family in their earthly Paradise. (2 Peter 1:10; Psalm 87:5, 6) Thus, the absence of the 144,000 spirit-begotten anointed disciples of Jesus Christ from the earthly Paradise will be fully understood to the satisfaction of everybody and with a wholehearted rejoicing over them and together with them.

24. (a) What will Jehovah have accomplished regarding his “footstool”? (b) How do we know the new world will never end, and what prophetic song will be fulfilled?

²⁴ Happy will be the endless future for all who remain in unbreakable devotion to Jehovah, the ideal Sovereign of all the universe. The comfortably filled Paradise earth will be a suitable place, a creditable place, as a “footstool” upon which God’s feet may figuratively rest. Yes, for all eternity Jehovah will have glorified ‘the very place of his feet,’ and all mankind will be in unswerving subjection to him! (Matthew 5:34, 35; Acts 7:49) The new world will be a world without end because “to the abundance of the princely rule and to peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:7) Then, the prophetic song of the heavenly angels at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea in 2 B.C.E. will be fulfilled: “Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men of goodwill.”​—Luke 2:13, 14.

25. (a) What do those who belong to the “great crowd” of “other sheep” now appreciate? (b) What should be our heartfelt desire?

²⁵ Those who belong to the “great crowd” of the Fine Shepherd’s “other sheep” appreciate the soul-stirring words of promise of Paradise restored. It is their privilege to be associated with God’s organization now and to be zealously engaged in the work foretold by the Lord Jesus Christ, the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom in all the inhabited earth for the final witness. (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10) Our sincere, heartfelt desire as Jehovah’s Witnesses is to maintain our integrity unsullied throughout all eternity, to the everlasting glory and vindication of the Universal Sovereign, Jehovah God, and under the royal rulership of his only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. “Hallelujah!”​—Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6, RSV, New International Version; Proverbs 10:9.

How Would You Answer?

◻ What promise has Jehovah made regarding his figurative footstool, the earth?

◻ Who will assist in restoring Paradise?

◻ From among whom will the King, Jesus Christ, appoint “princes in all the earth”?

◻ What soul-stirring experience may be yours when the resurrection takes place?

◻ What future awaits those who remain in unbreakable devotion to Jehovah?

Persecution in Burundi​—A Broken Promise of Religious Freedom!

Freedom of religion is taken for granted in many Western lands. However, the religious persecution taking place in the African land of Burundi illustrates how fragile that freedom can be. Indeed, as long as the basic human rights of any group of people are trampled on, no one’s rights are secure. We therefore urge our readers to examine what is taking place in Burundi.

FEBRUARY 16, 1989, saw the shadow of the Dark Ages fall upon the African land of Burundi. On that date the president of the Republic of Burundi, Pierre Buyoya, held a meeting with the governors of the provinces. In the wake of that meeting, vicious, widespread religious persecution broke out against Jehovah’s Witnesses. Men, women, and even children soon became the victims of illegal arrests, beatings, torture, and starvation.

That such atrocities can take place in this day and age is in itself shameful. However, Burundi’s persecution of Christians is particularly odious. Why? Because it constitutes a betrayal of a promise of religious freedom.

Government Betrayal

Burundi is a remote African nation located just south of the equator, though this mountainous land enjoys a cool, pleasant climate. (See map.) Few persons around the globe were aware of Burundi’s existence until August 1988, when it captured world headlines. At that time a bloody dispute erupted between its two major ethnic groups, the Tutsi and the Hutu. This no doubt left a negative impression of Burundi on the minds of many.

Nevertheless, there are many good things to be said about this progressive land. Its people are industrious and hardworking. An article in The New York Times Magazine further observes that “in various ways obvious to a visitor, Burundi, poor as it is, works. Maurice Gervais, the resident representative of the World Bank, calls it ‘a very high-performing country.’”

Burundi’s religious situation, however, threatens this positive viewpoint. About 80 percent profess to be Christians, the majority Roman Catholic. Yet, political regimes there have set a disturbing pattern of religious intolerance. On October 16, 1985, The Christian Century reported: “Over the past year the Burundi government has mounted a series of actions aimed at undermining the church’s existence . . . The right to public and private worship and prayer has been drastically curtailed. All the churches of some denominations . . . have been closed and forbidden to function; . . . dozens of individual Christians have been imprisoned, some even tortured . . . all for exercising their right to religious practice.”

Hopes thus ran high when, in September 1987, a new government under the leadership of President Pierre Buyoya came to power in Burundi. The new president promised his nation religious liberty, and he quickly took steps to make good his word. A report by the U.S. Department of State says: “During his first year in office, President Buyoya made sweeping changes in Burundi’s policies toward organized religion, reversing the repression of religious expression under the [previous] regime. Buyoya freed all religious prisoners; reopened the closed churches; returned all confiscated church properties.” These enlightened actions won President Buyoya the esteem of freedom lovers the world over.

Why, then, were Jehovah’s Witnesses recently singled out as a target for religious oppression?

Jehovah’s Witnesses​—Struggle for Recognition

Over the decades, the Catholic Church “evolved into a powerful economic and political entity,” reports The New York Times. In the nation’s colonial days, the church was allowed “virtually to rule the country,” as it “played the main role in providing health care and education.” Little wonder, then, that the government may have felt threatened by organized religion.

However, when Jehovah’s Witnesses began their public evangelizing work in Burundi in 1963, they made no attempt to interfere with the affairs of State. Rather, they confined their work to preaching “this good news of the kingdom.” (Matthew 24:14) Since the Bible says that true Christians are to be “no part of the world,” Jehovah’s Witnesses stayed politically neutral, a stand taken by Witnesses the world over.​—John 17:16.

The Witnesses conscientiously refrained from joining political parties and shouting political party slogans. Governments have often misunderstood this neutral stand as being a lack of patriotism or even reflecting subversion. But such is not the case. Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout the world are known to be exemplary, law-abiding citizens. They take seriously the Bible’s command to “be in subjection” to secular governments. (Romans 13:1) Though refraining from saluting or in any way showing reverence for national symbols such as flags, they do not treat such emblems with disrespect.​—Exodus 20:4, 5.

In 1975 Jehovah’s Witnesses had requested legal recognition of their work. But in 1976 a military coup ousted the government and put President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza in power. He promised freedom of worship. Yet in March 1977, Jehovah’s Witnesses were officially banned! Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide put forth effort to clarify the matter for members of the Bagaza government, but letters, visits to the embassies of Burundi in France and Belgium, and meetings with government officials in Burundi all proved fruitless. In 1987 some 80 Witnesses in Burundi​—men and women—​were thrown into prison for months. One Witness died there.

Then in 1987 a coup brought Major Pierre Buyoya to power. Catholics and Protestants soon benefited from his religious tolerance​—but not the Witnesses.

The Outbreak of Religious Persecution

Following a meeting of President Buyoya with the governors of the provinces on February 16, 1989, it was announced on the radio that one of the big problems that Burundi had to face up to was the expansion of Jehovah’s Witnesses. As if acting on cue, the governors of interior provinces initiated a wave of persecution. Although the details are still sketchy, the following reports give some idea of what is taking place there:

Province Gitega: Governor Yves Minani ordered that the police and the population be mobilized to arrest all of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Subsequently, agents of the security police broke into the home of Ntibatamabi Edmond, a special pioneer evangelizer, and arrested him. While in confinement, he was deprived of food. Many times he fainted from hunger. He was also subjected to torture in an attempt to make him confirm a rumor that Jehovah’s Witnesses eat human blood​—a vicious lie!

After Edmond’s arrest, Ntikarahera Aaron and Ntimpirangeza Prime, also Jehovah’s Witnesses, were arrested and placed in the prison in Gitega. They received similarly brutal treatment.

Nijimbere Charlotte, wife of a circuit overseer​—a traveling minister who visits a number of congregations—​learned of the plight of her Christian brothers. She tried to take food to the prison but was arrested on March 16, 1989, and held as hostage in an attempt by the authorities to lay hands on her husband.

Province Muramvya: Governor Antoine Baza sent a summons to all known Witnesses to meet with him and answer questions. On March 4 a group complied with that request. Though respectfully answering his questions, they refused to shout political party slogans.

In response the governor incited the local population to attack Jehovah’s Witnesses. On March 16 police entered the homes of known Witnesses and began beating men and women for refusing to shout party slogans. A shop owned by a Witness was seized and closed down​—depriving the family of its livelihood.

On March 17 four women were beaten because they refused to deny their faith. They were put in a prison cell lacking ventilation, even though one of them was the mother of a 20-day-old baby.

On March 20 a mob equipped with sticks and torches broke into the homes of some Witness women, who were beaten and chased away from their homes. Among those assaulted were a 75-year-old woman who was studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses and a number of youngsters under 14 years of age!

Pierre Kibina-Kanwa, the school director of the primary school Nyabihanga, tried to force Witness schoolchildren to salute the nation’s flag. Unable to do so, he expelled them. Twenty-two Witnesses from that town were forced to flee, leaving behind everything they owned. Among those arrested were Ndayisenga Leonidas, Kanyambo Leanard, Ntahorwamamiye Abednego, Bankangumurindi P., Kashi Grégoire, and Mbonihankuye Thadée.

Province Bujumbura: The administrator of commune Muhuta, Nahimana Macaire, summoned Kavunzo Vincent, Ndabazaniye Sylvestre, and Ndizwe-Nzaniye​—all Witnesses—​to a meeting. There he accused them of being implicated in an August 1988 ethnic clash. Although Jehovah’s Witnesses were clearly not involved, beatings and arrests followed.

Province Bubanza: Two Witnesses were arrested simply for possessing Bible literature. When they refused to give the party salute, Governor Kimbusa Balthazar had them sent to a military camp. There they were tortured by having their fingers smashed.

What You Can Do

Most of these abuses have taken place in the interior, away from the eyes of foreign observers. However, over 13 million copies of this article will be distributed the world over in 105 languages. Burundi’s atrocities will no longer be secret. Freedom-loving people will be appalled that such flagrant violations of human rights are taking place​—rights for which thousands of Africans have struggled.

Burundi thus risks much in failing to keep its promise of religious freedom. It risks damaging the reputation it has worked so hard to establish, that of a progressive, hardworking nation. Does Burundi want the onus of being viewed as a nation of fanatical religious persecutors? We think not. We can only assume that President Buyoya has been badly misinformed, misled by his advisers.

The charges made against Jehovah’s Witnesses are absurd lies designed to inflame irrational passions. Jehovah’s Witnesses are no threat to the security of the government of Burundi or any other nation. They are peaceful and law-abiding, respectful of national emblems. Contrary to rumor, they absolutely refuse to ingest blood in any form​—even when their lives are at risk.​—Acts 15:28, 29.

True Christians throughout the world will therefore unitedly pray on behalf of their brothers in Burundi. (1 Timothy 2:1, 2) Many readers will also be moved to write directly to President Pierre Buyoya, respectfully making an appeal that the religious persecution be halted and that Jehovah’s Witnesses receive official recognition as an established religion. Burundi must respond to reason if it is to redeem itself in the eyes of the world.

His Excellency Major Pierre Buyoya

President of the Republic of Burundi

Bujumbura

REPUBLIC OF BURUNDI

[Maps on page 22]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

RWANDA

ZAIRE

BURUNDI

TANZANIA

LAKE TANGANYIKA

Guatemalans Embrace the Good News

BLUE mountains and giant volcanoes appear suddenly in the distance as the plane approaches the capital. Passengers on one side look out their window and see Mount Pacaya erupting, blowing great puffs of smoke that form a column that rises and melts into the sky. Passengers on the other side look down and see sailboats and rowboats serenely crossing Lake Amatitlán. This is Guatemala, land of great contrasts.

Located in Central America, Guatemala covers an area of approximately 42,000 square miles [109,000 sq km]. Its landscape varies from towering mountains​—including 33 volcanoes, 4 of which are active—​to lowland jungles, rain forests, and crystal-clear lakes and rivers. The altitude ranges from sea level to 13,816 feet [4,211 m]. In the capital city, there is eternal spring, with an average temperature of 75° F. [24° C.] year round. While higher up in the mountains the temperature can drop below freezing, the coastal areas may swelter in 100°-F. [38° C.] heat. This is a country that can suit anyone’s taste, with beaches, jungles, mountains, arid zones, and fruitful valleys. And in all these areas, the Kingdom good news is being preached.

Kingdom Proclamation Begins

Kingdom preaching began in Guatemala about the year 1920. In time small groups of interested people and Kingdom proclaimers began to be formed in various parts of the country. When the first two missionaries arrived on May 21, 1945, they found much interest. One relates: “On the second Saturday after our arrival, I decided to do street work with the magazines. That evening I left with my book bag full of literature, and in an hour and a half, I emptied it, placing 32 magazines, 34 booklets, 4 books, and one Bible.” That first month they began conducting 17 home Bible studies! The first missionary sister that arrived is still enthusiastically preaching the Kingdom good news 44 years later.

Contrasts abound in the preaching territory. The capital, Guatemala City, has many modern high-rise buildings, as well as exclusive residential areas with beautiful homes, where maids answer the door by means of an intercom. But within a stone’s throw are dirt-floor dwellings with adobe walls and thatched roofs where electricity and running water are mere dreams. With such marked variety of territory, there is no such thing as an ordinary day in the field service.

In recent years many doors are not opened because both husband and wife are out working. So in order to witness to such people, Witnesses often share in street work. Some start at 5:30 a.m., offering literature at the busy bus stops. A Witness has to be in good physical condition to keep pace with people rushing to catch their bus. One morning a group of Witnesses decided to approach some taxi drivers because the bus-line activity had slowed down. To their surprise several taxi drivers pulled out their copies of the Watchtower magazine already underlined. One or two had questions, which the brothers were happy to answer using the taxi drivers’ own Bibles.

Preaching in the Highlands

Panajachel is one of the villages around Lake Atitlán, a beautiful blue-green lake surrounded by majestic mountains and three volcanoes. Some villages are named after the apostles. About 95 percent of the people are of Mayan descent, Cakchiquel and Tzutuhil being two of the main languages. While the men also speak Spanish, most of the women do not, for they spend much of their time at home. Each village has its own colorful traditional dress, usually handwoven by the women.

On arriving in Panajachel, you will notice that it is not like other small towns in Guatemala. Alongside humble adobe or block homes, you see beautiful chalets. In even greater contrast are the modern hotels. People from all over the world come to Panajachel to admire Lake Atitlán.

One Witness describes how the preaching work is done here: “Beforehand a boat is rented for a day, and our brothers from nearby Sololá, together with others visiting from Guatemala City, are invited to help cover the large territory. The brothers from Sololá are a great help because most of them live on mountainous terrain similar to what we will be visiting. They also speak the local language. The trip starts early in the morning. While the boat crosses the lake, the children admire the crystal-blue water and parents practice a few words in the language.

“This time five villages will be visited. First, three groups are formed. Then they are paired off​—those who speak the language with those who do not. There are only three small docks where we can disembark to reach these villages, so a group is dropped off at each. It is heartwarming to see our brothers in their colorful native dress working side by side with those wearing western-style dress. That in itself is a fine witness to the villagers. Curious children usually greet us. After finding out the purpose of our visit, they run off to inform all the villagers.

“By the time we reach the humble homes, many people are eagerly waiting to see our colorful brochures or My Book of Bible Stories that the children have told them about. Whatever piece of Bible literature is left at the first house will be the one asked for at the following homes because everyone wants to have the same beautiful item that his neighbor received. Many cannot read, so they especially enjoy the illustrations concerning the coming Paradise. Their faces light up as they listen to the hope for the future that the Bible promises at Revelation 21:3, 4. We stop briefly for an enjoyable picnic-style lunch and then continue talking to the people until 3:00 p.m. Then we head back to the dock to wait for the boat to pick us up. Once everyone is on board, the brothers happily share their experiences.

“One sister recalls the delight she felt when she heard a woman above her shouting, ‘Sister, sister, here I am. You came back to visit me. Thank you, thank you.’ She looked up to the next terrace on the mountain and recognized the woman excitedly waving at her. The last time she had visited that village, the woman had showed much interest as they considered the Bible together. The woman had been awaiting the promised return. They again sat down to another enjoyable Bible study.

“Though everyone is exhausted from walking long distances on rocky terrain, they are eager to know when the next trip will be. As the boat reaches the shore, we bid one another farewell with comments about the next joyous occasion.”

Down by the Low Coastal Lands

Guatemala also has two contrasting coastlines: the Pacific coast with its spectacular black sand beaches and the Caribbean shore with its white sand.

Within a 45-minute drive from the capital toward the Pacific, the change of environment and climate is considerable. Hot and humid weather prevails along the coast, accompanied by a proliferation of insects. Palm, coconut, and ceiba trees along with an abundance of vegetation give evidence that you are in the tropics. There are large congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in many of the towns in the region.

Here the bicycle has replaced the traditional horse, so it is not uncommon to see our brothers steering nimbly through the cane fields as they witness from hut to hut. One brother conducted a Bible study with a man who lived 22 miles [35 km] away. Weekly he would travel on his bike double that distance to teach this interested person Bible truth.

You might imagine that you have entered another country if you visit the twin seaports of Santo Tomas de Castilla and Puerto Barrios on the Caribbean coast. The style of living is different from that of the rest of Guatemala. The houses have lawns and shrubs visible to all; you seldom find an adobe wall around a property, which is a distinguishing mark of Mexico and Central America. Furthermore, you do not find here the tribal dress that is so common throughout the rest of Guatemala.

“Because this is a port town, you have opportunity to explain the Bible’s message to all sorts of people,” explained one full-time minister. “I walked through the swinging doors of one bar. The ‘madam’ took the offer of a book and Bible, and she invited me back to teach her how to study them. When I returned the next week, she was waiting at a big table with the Bible and the book. Making a friendly gesture for me to sit down, she said to wait a minute while she called all the ‘girls.’ She wanted them to learn too. Before I knew it, the whole table was surrounded by her ‘girls.’ Turning to me, she said, ‘Now show us how to study the Bible.’ I thought: ‘How did I ever get myself into this?’ But I calmly proceeded, as though I always studied the Bible in a bar.” The madam progressed rapidly, abandoned her business, and became a baptized Witness. Today she is active in another congregation and is herself conducting Bible studies with interested people.

An hour away by canoe across the bay is the picturesque town of Livingston, a sleepy community of friendly people who have been strongly influenced by African superstition and voodoo. It is not uncommon there to hear the sound of drums in the night and to see African-style dancing in the streets during festivals. You can also detect a dialect that is strange to the ears​—Caribe, or Garifuna. A small but rapidly growing group of Kingdom proclaimers serves the spiritual interests of the people there.

Violence and Persecution Contrast With Peace

Some problems arose in 1982 as the new president of Guatemala attempted to suppress guerrilla activity that had gained momentum during the leadership of his predecessor. His strategy was to form civilian patrols consisting of armed civilians who patrolled the streets at night, defending the towns and alerting the military to any suspicious activity. In many areas this civilian patrol movement proved to be a test of the neutrality of our brothers.

In one town the entire congregation had pressure brought on them to violate their Christian neutrality by participating in patrol activity. Threatened with death, they fled to the capital, where they received shelter at a Kingdom Hall until they could be put up in the homes of brothers. Yes, many brothers have endured severe trials and persecution as the military attempted to force them to patrol.

One brother relates: “I am 20 years old and live with my brother and his wife. My difficulties started when the guerrilla and military activity reached the farm where I worked. On one occasion, before our very eyes, eight persons were taken away at gunpoint. Only two returned; the other six were never seen again.

“In April 1984 armed forces came to the ranch to find new recruits. They asked my coworkers and me to join. After I refused, they beat me without letup. Upon seeing this, my coworkers cried like children, begging me to take the weapon and join. One soldier jabbed his fingers into my neck and twisted my ears while another held me down so that yet another could slap and kick me. An officer angrily screamed, ‘What is wrong with you? Are you an animal, or are you God?’ Finally another officer arrived and said, ‘Leave him alone because that is how the Witnesses are. You have to kill them before they concede.’ The first officer said, ‘Shoot him!’ But instead he butted me in the stomach with his rifle. When they were convinced that I would not join them, they stopped beating me. After three days, they set me free. With Jehovah’s help I did not break my integrity. That is why I tell other youths to have plenty of confidence in Jehovah, who will help us to have endurance when we need it.” Happily, the situation changed greatly after the new president took office in January 1986.

Very soon the contrasts of war and peace, wealth and poverty, life and death, will disappear forever. In the coming global Paradise, pleasant contrasts of night and day, mountains and valleys, roaring oceans and quiet lakes, will be enjoyed as Jehovah God purposed. You can be there too if, like the more than ten thousand Kingdom proclaimers of Guatemala, you wholeheartedly embrace the good news.

Do You Remember?

Have you enjoyed reading the recent issues of The Watchtower? Well, see if you can answer the following questions:

◻ What is the basis for a successful marriage?

The partners must show mutual love, respect, and loyalty, appreciating each other’s virtues and learning to overlook and forgive each other’s weaknesses.​—5/15, page 15.

◻ In what respects did God’s laws given to Israel assist them in remaining holy?

Jehovah’s laws helped the Israelites to remain clean spiritually, morally, mentally, physically, and ceremonially, the latter in connection with their worship.​—6/1, page 11.

◻ What is meant by the expression “mental hygiene”?

“Mental hygiene” means conscious effort on our part to be clean in mind by dwelling on things that are ‘true, righteous, and chaste’ and by ‘continuing to consider these things.’ (Philippians 4:8)​—6/1, page 16.

◻ Why did Jesus say that his presence would be “as the lightning”? (Luke 17:24)

Jesus was here indicating that proof of his presence in Kingdom power would be seen over a wide area, enabling all who wish to observe it to be aware of the fact.​—6/15, page 8.

◻ Why are Christian manners directly related to Christian love?

Christian manners​—the way we deal with others, our bearing, our deportment, and our habitual conduct—​are an indication of how much we care about other people. Our manners show the depth of our love for them. (John 13:35; 1 Corinthians 10:24; 13:4-7)​—6/15, page 14.

◻ When does the marriage of Jesus and “his wife” of 144,000 faithful anointed followers take place? (Revelation 19:7, 8)

This marriage will take place following the battle of Armageddon and the abyssing of Satan. Then Jehovah will have vindicated his sovereignty by removing from the earth those who challenge his rulership and by eliminating the wicked influence of Satan and his demons.​—7/1, page 24.

◻ How can the yoke of discipleship bring refreshment, as indicated in Jesus’ words at Matthew 11:29, 30?

Since Jesus is not unreasonable, it is refreshing to work along with him under the same yoke. He takes into consideration our limitations and weaknesses. And how refreshing it is to tell others that they can live forever in Paradise!​—7/15, page 20.

◻ What is “the re-creation” that Jesus speaks about at Matthew 19:28?

Jesus showed here that there will be a “re-creation” of conditions on earth so that things will be as they were in the garden of Eden.​—8/1, page 9.

Annual Meeting​—October 7, 1989

THE ANNUAL MEETING of the members of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania will be held on October 7, 1989, at the Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2932 Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, New Jersey. A preliminary meeting of the members only will convene at 9:30 a.m., followed by the general annual meeting at 10:00 a.m.

The members of the Corporation should inform the Secretary’s Office now of any change in their mailing addresses during the past year so that the regular letters of notice and proxies can reach them shortly after August 15.

The proxies, which will be sent to the members along with the notice of the annual meeting, are to be returned so as to reach the Office of the Secretary of the Society not later than September 1. Each member should complete and return his proxy promptly, stating whether he is going to be at the meeting personally or not. The information given on each proxy should be definite on this point, since it will be relied upon in determining who will be personally present.

It is expected that the entire session, including the formal business meeting and reports, will be concluded by 1:00 p.m. or shortly thereafter. There will be no afternoon session. Because of limited space, admission will be by ticket only. No arrangements will be made for tying in the annual meeting by telephone lines to other locations.

Questions From Readers

◻ Is Jesus the Mediator only for spirit-anointed Christians or for all mankind, since 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 speaks of him as the “mediator” who “gave himself a corresponding ransom for all”?

The Bible contains both basic teachings and deep truths, which are solid food for study. One such study involves Jesus Christ’s role as Mediator. The apostle Paul wrote: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all​—this is what is to be witnessed to at its own particular times.”​—1 Timothy 2:5, 6.

To grasp what Paul is saying, we must first appreciate that the Bible sets out two destinies for faithful humans: (1) perfect life on a restored earthly paradise and (2) life in heaven for Christ’s “little flock,” numbering 144,000. (Luke 12:32; Revelation 5:10; 14:1-3) Christendom teaches that all good people go to heaven, which unscriptural position has colored the general view, so that Jesus is considered a go-between for all such people. What, though, does the Bible indicate?

The Greek word me·siʹtes, used for “mediator,” means ‘one who finds himself between two bodies or parties.’ It was a ‘many-sided technical term of Hellenistic legal language.’ Professor Albrecht Oepke (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament) says that me·siʹtes was “one of the most varied technical terms in the vocabulary of Hellen[istic] law.”

But why does the Bible use a legal term for Jesus’ mediatory role? As background, consider what Paul wrote about God’s Law given to Israel assembled before Mount Sinai: “It was transmitted through angels by the hand of a mediator.” (Galatians 3:19, 20) That mediator was Moses. He was the intermediary agent between Jehovah and the fleshly nation of Israel. An agent for what? For establishing a covenant, or legal contract, between God and the nation.a

Does this mean that there is a specific legal sense involved in Jesus’ role as Mediator? Yes. Note Paul’s comment at Hebrews 8:6. After speaking about the tabernacle and other typical representations under the Law covenant, he wrote: “Jesus has obtained a more excellent public service, so that he is also the mediator of a correspondingly better covenant, which has been legally established upon better promises.” The “better covenant” was the new covenant, which replaced the covenant mediated by Moses. (Hebrews 8:7-13) The new covenant was “legally established.” It laid the basis for some of Christ’s followers, beginning with the apostles, to gain “entry into the holy place,” heaven itself.​—Hebrews 9:24; 10:16-19.

There are other indications too of the legal nature of Jesus’ role as Mediator of the “new covenant.” Commenting on God’s promise at Psalm 110:4, Paul wrote: “To that extent also Jesus has become the one given in pledge [enʹgy·os] of a better covenant.” (Hebrews 7:22) This is the only Biblical use of the word enʹgy·os. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology says: “The engyos guaranteed that a legal obligation would be carried out.” So Jesus as Mediator of the new covenant serves as a legal pledge that “a better hope” would be realized.​—Hebrews 7:19.

Elsewhere Paul uses yet another word having a legal sense, ar·ra·bonʹ, translated “token.” The same dictionary says: “The Gk. word arrabōn . . . is a legal concept from the language of business and trade.” Note how Paul used this legal term: “He who has anointed us is God. He has also put his seal upon us and has given us the token of what is to come, that is, the spirit, in our hearts.” (2 Corinthians 1:21, 22) Both other occurrences of ar·ra·bonʹ also deal with God’s anointing of Christians with spirit, bringing them an ‘everlasting reward or inheritance in the heavens’ as spirit sons of God.​—2 Corinthians 5:1, 5; Ephesians 1:13, 14; see Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures.

Clearly, then, the new covenant is not a loose arrangement open to all mankind. It is a carefully arranged legal provision involving God and anointed Christians.

This should help us to understand 1 Timothy 2:5, 6. Here the reference to “mediator” was made after the five other occurrences of the word in letters written earlier. Hence, Timothy would have understood Jesus’ mediatorship to be His legal role connected with the new covenant. The Pastoral Epistles, by Dibelius and Conzelmann, acknowledges that at 1 Timothy 2:5 ‘the term “mediator” has a legal significance,’ and “although in this passage, in contrast to Heb 8:6, the [covenant] is not mentioned, one must nevertheless presuppose the meaning ‘mediator of the covenant,’ as the context shows.” Professor Oepke observes that 1 Timothy 2:5 presents Jesus as “the attorney and negotiator.”

A modern-day illustration may help to clarify this, especially if you are not a spirit-anointed Christian. Think of a legal case in which an attorney is involved. His role may be not so much that of a lawyer arguing for justice as that of one who is mediating or bringing about a legal contract acceptable to and beneficial to two parties. Of course, you are not in that legal case, so in that sense he is not serving as your attorney. Yet he may be your very close friend who in other ways gives you valuable help.

Sometimes an attorney’s work produces results that benefit many others. So it is with Jesus’ legal accomplishments as Mediator of the new covenant. It produces what the Law covenant did not, a heavenly “kingdom of priests.” (Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9) Thereafter anointed Christians in the Kingdom will work with Jesus from heaven to bring a blessing to “all nations of the earth.”​—Genesis 22:18.

The people of all nations who have the hope of everlasting life on earth benefit even now from Jesus’ services. Though he is not their legal Mediator, for they are not in the new covenant, he is their means of approaching Jehovah. Christ said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) All who will gain life on earth must direct their prayers to Jehovah through Jesus. (John 14:13, 23, 24) Jesus also serves as a compassionate High Priest who is able to apply in their behalf the benefits of his sacrifice, allowing them to gain forgiveness and eventual salvation.​—Acts 4:12; Hebrews 4:15.

Consequently, 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 is not using “mediator” in the broad sense common in many languages. It is not saying that Jesus is a mediator between God and all mankind. Rather, it refers to Christ as legal Mediator (or, “attorney”) of the new covenant, this being the restricted way in which the Bible uses the term. Jesus is also a corresponding ransom for all in that covenant, both Jews and Gentiles, who will receive immortal life in heaven. The apostle John referred to these at 1 John 2:2. But he indicated that others too will receive the benefit of Christ’s sacrifice: “He is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s.”

Those of ‘the whole world’ are all who will gain eternal life in a restored earthly paradise. Millions of such approved servants of God now have that earthly hope. They view Jesus as their High Priest and King through whom they can daily gain approach to Jehovah. They rely on Jesus’ ransom, which is available to them, just as it will be to men such as Abraham, David, and John the Baptizer when these are resurrected. (Matthew 20:28) Thus, Christ’s sacrifice will lead to everlasting life for all obedient mankind.

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 31]

Here at Mount Sinai, Moses served as mediator of the Law covenant

[Credit Line]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

Better Than Any Medicine

“I have been suffering for ten years with schizophrenia, a severe mental illness,” writes a woman from Ohio, U.S.A. “It required medication to help me cope. Recently my body has been reacting to the medication, so it is difficult for me to sleep.

“One evening before retiring, I turned on the Kingdom Melodies. I couldn’t believe how soothing and relaxing this was. Best of all, when I awake in the middle of the night and can hear those melodies in a soft relaxing sound, I thank Jehovah, ‘Oh, you sure do know what delights your people!’ And I fall back to sleep. Believe me, it is better than any medicine I could take.”

You too can benefit from these refreshing musical arrangements. Each of the eight cassettes, Kingdom Melodies No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, is only $2 and has a playing time of about one hour. Receive the cassettes that are listed below by filling in and mailing the accompanying coupon.

Please send, postpaid, the cassette(s) checked below. For each cassette

ordered, I have enclosed $2 (U.S.) to cover the cost.

[ ] Kingdom Melodies No. 1 [ ] Kingdom Melodies No. 2

[ ] Kingdom Melodies No. 3 [ ] Kingdom Melodies No. 4

[ ] Kingdom Melodies No. 5 [ ] Kingdom Melodies No. 6

[ ] Kingdom Melodies No. 7 [ ] Kingdom Melodies No. 8