The Watchtower — February 1, 1990

Can You Believe the Bible?

“IT IS absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane.” How do these words by biologist Richard Dawkins affect you? If you believe the Bible, likely you believe in creation rather than in the theory of evolution. Does that mean that, as a believer in the Bible, you are ignorant, stupid, or insane?

Consider, too, this statement: “New Testament scholars have established beyond any reasonable doubt that the Jesus of early Christian documents is to some extent a fiction of the Christian imagination.” These words in The Weekend Australian were spoken by Dr. Robert W. Funk, a university professor of religious studies and author of a number of books on religious interpretation.

Dr. Funk originated a project known as the Jesus Seminar, a group of more than a hundred Bible scholars who together scrutinized the sayings of Jesus reported in the Bible. Among other things, they concluded that the Lord’s Prayer was not composed by Jesus; that Jesus did not say that the meek would inherit the earth or that the peacemakers would be called sons of God; and that he did not say: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me . . . will never die.”​—John 11:25, 26; Matthew 5:5, 9; 6:9, 10.

Even though their conclusions may shock you, they are not unusual. They are the result of modern Biblical criticism, and similar ideas have been taught in religious seminaries for some time. Perhaps you have hardened yourself to hearing the Bible contradicted by scientists. But when religious leaders cast doubt on the truthfulness of the Bible record, you may wonder whether it is time to reconsider your own position. Is it logical to believe the Bible when so many intellectuals in the field of religion evidently do not?

Have They Proved the Bible False?

HAVE scientists and Bible critics really proved that the Bible contains errors and fiction? Before you accept that they have, you should remember that although many scholars present their opinions in a positive and authoritative way, they are not always right. Often their ideas rest on shaky foundations.

Dubious Presuppositions

As an example of an authoritative-sounding statement by a Bible critic, consider what S. R. Driver said about the book of Daniel. Traditionally, this book has been considered to have been written by Daniel himself in Babylon in the sixth century B.C.E. (Daniel 12:8, 9) But Driver claimed that it was written much later than that. Why? One “proof” offered was that the book contains Greek words, and Driver asserted: “These words, it may be confidently affirmed, could not have been used in the Book of Daniel unless it had been written after the dissemination of Greek influences in Asia through the conquests of Alexander the Great.” Alexander made his conquests about 330 B.C.E.

Driver’s statement could not be more positive. Yet, to back it up, he mentions only three Greek words, all of them names of musical instruments. (Daniel 3:5) Since the Greeks had close contact with western Asia from early in recorded history, how can anyone validly assert that musical instruments with Greek names were not used in Babylon in the sixth century B.C.E.? What a flimsy basis for querying the timing and writership of the book of Daniel!

Another example is the treatment of the first five books of the Bible. Traditionally, these are said to have been written for the most part by Moses about 1500 B.C.E. However, critics claim to see different writing styles in the books. Also, they note that God is sometimes referred to by his name, Jehovah, and sometimes by the Hebrew word for “God.” From such observations they deduce that these Bible books are really an amalgamation of documents written at different times and put in final form some time after 537 B.C.E.

This theory is widely believed, yet no one has explained why Moses could not refer to the Creator both as God and as Jehovah. No one has proved that he could not write in different styles if he was treating different subjects, writing at different times in his life, or using earlier sources. Moreover, as John Romer said in his book Testament​—The Bible and History: “A fundamental objection to this whole method of analysis is that to this day not one scrap of ancient text has been found to prove the existence of the theoretical strands of different texts so beloved of modern scholarship.”

A basic assumption of many Bible critics is explained by McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia: “Investigators . . . start from the assumption that the facts of history which lie behind the narratives are purely natural facts, similar in nature to other facts known to us. . . . Does a writer state as fact an event which lies outside the range of known laws of Nature? Then . . . the alleged event [did] not happen.”

Thus, many suppose that miracles could not have happened, since they lie outside the range of known laws of nature. Similarly, long-term prophecies must be impossible, since humans cannot see far into the future. Any miracle must be a legend or a myth. Any prophecy that was clearly fulfilled must have been written after its fulfillment.a Hence, some argue that the prophecies of the book of Daniel were fulfilled by the second century B.C.E. and that the book must therefore have been written then.

But this kind of presupposition depends upon an article of faith: that God does not exist, or if he does, he never intervenes in human history. Surely, the whole point of the Bible is that God does exist and is active in human history. If this is true​—and the evidence shows that it is—​much of the basis of modern Bible criticism is invalidated.

Has Modern Science Shown the Bible to Be Wrong?

What, though, of the claim that science has shown that we cannot believe the Bible? The truth is, when the Bible touches on what we call science, most of the time what it says is not out of harmony with what modern scientists teach.

For example, the Bible gives very practical commands relating to hygiene and communicable diseases. The book Manual of Tropical Medicine comments: “No one can fail to be impressed by the careful hygienic precautions of the Mosaic period. . . . It is true that the classification of disease was very simple​—[namely] into acute disorders, called ‘plague’; and chronic disorders, with some sort of eruption, called ‘leprosy’​—but the extremely stringent quarantine rules very likely did a great deal of good.”

Consider, too, the Bible’s statement: “All the winter torrents are going forth to the sea, yet the sea itself is not full. To the place where the winter torrents are going forth, there they are returning so as to go forth.” (Ecclesiastes 1:7) This sounds like the description of the water cycle found in textbooks today. The rivers deliver water into the sea, where it evaporates and is carried in the form of clouds back over the land, to fall as rain or snow and run back into the rivers.

Similarly, the conclusions of scientists that mountains rise and fall and that at one time today’s mountains were under ancient seas harmonize with the poetic words of the psalmist: “The waters were standing above the very mountains. Mountains proceeded to ascend, valley plains proceeded to descend​—to the place that you have founded for them.”​—Psalm 104:6, 8.

One writer asserted: “All the writers of the Old Testament regarded the Earth as a flat plate, and they sometimes referred to the pillars which were supposed to support it.” This is not true, though. Isaiah spoke of the “One who is dwelling above the circle of the earth.” (Isaiah 40:22) And Job said of this One: “He is stretching out the north over the empty place, hanging the earth upon nothing.” (Job 26:7) The description of the earth as a round body suspended in space with no visible support sounds remarkably modern.

Evolution

What about the contradiction between the Bible and the theory of evolution?b The Encyclopædia Britannica reports: “The theory of evolution is accepted by the overwhelming majority of the scientific community.” But the Bible teaches, in language simple enough to be understood in a prescientific age, that life is a result of direct creation by God and that the different basic kinds of life did not evolve but were created.​—Genesis 1:1; 2:7.

Evolutionists are not unlike Bible critics. They have strong convictions and express themselves authoritatively. But a few are honest enough to admit that the evolution theory has weaknesses. One points out: “Darwin’s model of evolution . . . , being basically a theory of historical reconstruction, . . . is impossible to verify by experiment or direct observation as is normal in science . . . Moreover, the theory of evolution deals with a series of unique events, the origin of life, the origin of intelligence and so on. Unique events are unrepeatable and cannot be subjected to any sort of experimental investigation.” (Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, by Michael Denton) Another speaks of “the fact of evolution.” Nevertheless, he points up a major difficulty in proving this “fact”: “When you look for links between major groups of animals, they simply aren’t there.”​—The Neck of the Giraffe, by Francis Hitching.

How Much Can They Know?

Much of the evidence for evolution is presented by geologists and paleontologists​—scientists who study the ancient past of the earth. The problems faced by these scientists is not unlike the problem faced by astronomers. With the help of different kinds of instruments, astronomers look at the radiation coming over immense distances from stars, planets, galaxies, and exotic bodies such as quasars. Making the most of the information available, they develop theories about such profound things as the nature of stars and the origin of the universe. They rarely have the opportunity to check their theories, but when they do, they often find them inadequate or just plain wrong.

Radio astronomer Gerrit Verschuur wrote: “The recent U.S. planetary probes revealed a shocking paucity of real knowledge about the contents of the cosmos. Up close, Mars turned out to be far different from anything we could have pictured from earth. . . . No astronomer anticipated that the belts of Jupiter would have quite such a fantastic structure . . . Saturn provided the biggest surprises when Voyager’s cameras revealed braided rings, leapfrogging moons and more than 1,000 ringlets. . . . What’s true of space seems to be true of laboratory specimens photographed under ever-increasing magnification. Each closer look reveals totally unexpected information that confounds us and alters our previous beliefs.”

Geologists, paleontologists, and others who provide much of the “proof” of evolution are, like astronomers, concerned with events and things that are very remote​—not in distance but in years. Just as astronomers rely for their information on the dim radiation coming over unimaginable distances, these other scientists are forced to rely on the traces that have survived by accident from the distant past of our planet. Inevitably, like astronomers, they too must be wrong in many of their conclusions.

Can You Believe the Bible?

Hence, thinking people need not be overawed by scholarly opinions to the effect that you cannot believe the Bible. However, this does not in itself prove that you can believe it. For that, you need to do what many of the Bible’s critics have not done​—open the Bible for yourself, and read it with an open mind. (Acts 17:11) Some years ago, an Australian scriptwriter, who used to be a critic of the Bible, confessed: “For the first time in my life I did what is normally a reporter’s first duty: checked my facts. . . . And I was appalled, because what I was reading [in the Gospel accounts] was not legend and it was not naturalistic fiction. It was reporting. First and second-hand accounts of extraordinary events. . . . Reporting has a taste, and that taste is in the Gospels.”

We encourage you to follow his example. Read the Bible for yourself. When you consider the deep wisdom of the Bible, the way its prophecies are fulfilled, and its astounding unity, you will realize that it is more than just a collection of unscientific myths. (Joshua 23:14) When you see for yourself the way the wisdom of the Bible can change your life for the better, you will have no doubt whatsoever that the Bible is God’s Word. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) Yes, you can believe the Bible!​—John 17:17.

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 7]

It is as difficult for paleontologists to discern what happened in the remote past as it is for astronomers to discern the nature of things that exist in remote regions of space

Jesus’ Life and Ministry

They Fail to Entrap Jesus

JESUS has been teaching in the temple and has just told his religious enemies three illustrations that expose their wickedness. The Pharisees are angered and take counsel to entrap him into saying something for which they can have him arrested. They concoct a plot and send their disciples, along with party followers of Herod, to try to trip him up.

“Teacher,” these men say, “we know you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and you do not care for anybody, for you do not look upon men’s outward appearance. Tell us, therefore, What do you think? Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar or not?”

Jesus is not fooled by the flattery. He realizes that if he says, ‘No, it is not lawful or right to pay this tax,’ he will be guilty of sedition against Rome. Yet, if he says, ‘Yes, you should pay this tax,’ the Jews, who despise their subjugation to Rome, will hate him. So he answers: “Why do you put me to the test, hypocrites? Show me the head tax coin.”

When they bring him one, he asks: “Whose image and inscription is this?”

“Caesar’s,” they reply.

“Pay back, therefore, Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.”

Well, when these men hear this masterful answer, they marvel. And they go off and leave him alone.

Seeing the failure of the Pharisees to get something against Jesus, the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, approach him and ask: “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If any man dies without having children, his brother must take his wife in marriage and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and deceased, and, not having offspring, he left his wife for his brother. It went the same way also with the second and the third, until through all seven. Last of all the woman died. Consequently, in the resurrection, to which of the seven will she be wife? For they all got her.”

In reply Jesus says: “Is not this why you are mistaken, your not knowing either the Scriptures or the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but are as angels in the heavens. But concerning the dead, that they are raised up, did you not read in the book of Moses, in the account about the thornbush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob’? He is a God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are much mistaken.”

Again the crowds are astounded by Jesus’ answer. Even some of the scribes acknowledge: “Teacher, you spoke well.”

When the Pharisees see that Jesus has silenced the Sadducees, they come to him in one group. To test him further, one of them asks: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replies: “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.’ The second is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” In fact, Jesus adds: “On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.”

“Teacher, you well said in line with truth,” a scribe agrees. “‘He is One, and there is no other than He’; and this loving him with one’s whole heart and with one’s whole understanding and with one’s whole strength and this loving one’s neighbor as oneself is worth far more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Discerning that the scribe has answered intelligently, Jesus tells him: “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

For three days now​—Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday—​Jesus has been teaching in the temple. The people have listened to him with pleasure, yet the frustrated religious leaders want to kill him. Matthew 22:15-40; Mark 12:13-34; Luke 20:20-40.

◆ What plot do the Pharisees concoct to entrap Jesus, and what would result if he should give a yes or a no answer?

◆ How does Jesus also foil the attempts of the Sadducees to entrap him?

◆ What further attempt do the Pharisees make to test Jesus, and what is the outcome?

◆ During his final ministry in Jerusalem, how many days does Jesus teach in the temple, and with what effect?

Identifying “the Man of Lawlessness”

“The lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with.”​—2 THESSALONIANS 2:8.

1, 2. Why is it vital that we identify the man of lawlessness?

WE LIVE in an era of lawlessness. It is a worldwide phenomenon. Everywhere there is fear of lawless predators and the threat they present to our person and property. Yet, there is a far more insidious lawless element that has been at work for many centuries. In the Bible it is called “the man of lawlessness.”

² It is vital that we identify this man of lawlessness. Why? Because he is intent on undermining our good standing with God and our hope of eternal life. How? By getting us to abandon the truth and to believe falsehoods in its place, thus diverting us from worshiping God “with spirit and truth.” (John 4:23) It is evident from his actions that this particular lawless element opposes God and his purposes, as well as his dedicated people.

3. How does the Bible call our attention to the lawless one?

³ The Bible tells of this man of lawlessness at 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Inspired by God’s spirit, the apostle Paul wrote: “Let no one seduce you in any manner, because [Jehovah’s day of destruction of this wicked system] will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed.” Here Paul prophesied that apostasy would develop and a man of lawlessness would appear before this system’s end. In fact, Paul stated in 2Th 2 verse 7: “The mystery of this lawlessness is already at work.” So in the first century, this lawless one had begun to manifest himself.

The Lawless Man’s Origin

4. Who is the originator and backer of the man of lawlessness?

⁴ Who originated and supports this man of lawlessness? Paul answers: “The lawless one’s presence is according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and portents and with every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth that they might be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10) So Satan is the father and sustainer of the man of lawlessness. And just as Satan is opposed to Jehovah, His purposes, and His people, so is the man of lawlessness, whether he realizes it or not.

5. What fate awaits the lawless one and those who follow him?

⁵ Those who go along with the man of lawlessness will suffer the same fate as he does​—destruction: “The lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with . . . and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8) That time for the destruction of the man of lawlessness and his supporters (“those who are perishing”) will come shortly “at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance upon those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction.”​—2 Thessalonians 1:6-9.

6. What further information does Paul give about the lawless one?

⁶ Paul further describes this lawless one, saying: “He is set in opposition and lifts himself up over everyone who is called ‘god’ or an object of reverence, so that he sits down in the temple of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god.” (2 Thessalonians 2:4) So Paul warns that Satan would raise up a lawless one, a false object of reverence, who would even put himself above God’s law.

Identifying the Lawless One

7. Why do we conclude that Paul was not talking about one individual, and what does the man of lawlessness stand for?

⁷ Was Paul speaking of a single individual? No, for he states that this “man” was evident in Paul’s day and would continue in existence until Jehovah destroyed him at this system’s end. Thus, he has existed for many centuries. Obviously, no literal man has lived that long. So the expression “man of lawlessness” must stand for a body, or class, of people.

8. Who is the man of lawlessness, and what are some identifying features?

⁸ Who are they? The evidence shows that they are the body of proud, ambitious clergymen of Christendom, who over the centuries have set themselves up as a law unto themselves. This can be seen by the fact that there are thousands of different religions and sects in Christendom, each with its clergy, yet each conflicting with the others in some aspect of doctrine or practice. This divided state is a clear evidence that they do not follow God’s law. They cannot be from God. (Compare Micah 2:12; Mark 3:24; Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 1:10.) What all these religions have in common is that they do not hold fast to the Bible’s teachings, having violated the rule: “Do not go beyond the things that are written.”​—1 Corinthians 4:6; see also Matthew 15:3, 9, 14.

9. What unscriptural beliefs has the lawless one substituted for Bible truths?

⁹ Thus, this lawless one is a composite person: the religious clergy of Christendom. All of them, whether popes, priests, patriarchs, or Protestant preachers, share responsibility for the religious sins of Christendom. They have exchanged the truths of God for pagan lies, teaching such unscriptural doctrines as immortality of the human soul, hellfire, purgatory, and Trinity. They are like the religious leaders to whom Jesus said: “You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. . . . He is a liar and the father of the lie.” (John 8:44) Their practices also expose them as lawless, for they participate in activities that violate God’s laws. To such ones Jesus says: “Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.”​—Matthew 7:21-23.

Elevating Themselves

10. What relationship has the lawless one had with political rulers?

¹⁰ History shows that those in this man of lawlessness class have displayed such pride and arrogance that they have actually dictated to rulers of the world. Under the pretext of the doctrine of ‘the divine right of kings,’ the clergy have claimed to be the essential intermediary between the rulers and God. They have crowned and dethroned kings and emperors and have been able to turn the masses for or against rulers. In effect, they have said, as did the Jewish chief priests who rejected Jesus: “We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:15) Yet, Jesus clearly taught: “My kingdom is no part of this world.”​—John 18:36.

11. How have the clergy elevated themselves?

¹¹ To elevate themselves even more above the common people, this lawless class has adopted different garb, usually black. Further, they have adorned themselves with all kinds of imposing regalia, together with crowns, crosses, and miters. (Compare Matthew 23:5, 6.) But Jesus and his followers had no such garb; they dressed as did the common people. The clergy have also taken to themselves titles such as “Father,” “Holy Father,” “Reverend,” “Most Reverend,” “His Excellency,” and “His Eminence,” which add to their ‘lifting themselves over everyone.’ Yet, Jesus taught regarding religious titles: “Do not call anyone your father on earth.” (Matthew 23:9) Similarly, Elihu, in rebutting Job’s hypocritical comforters, said: “Let me not, please, show partiality to a man; and on an earthling man I shall not bestow a title.”​—Job 32:21.

12. Whom did Paul say the clergy were actually serving?

¹² When Paul back in his day stated that the man of lawlessness had already begun his activity, he also said concerning those who reflect that one’s lawless attitude: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light. It is therefore nothing great if his ministers also keep transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness. But their end shall be according to their works.”​—2 Corinthians 11:13-15.

Rebellion Against True Worship

13. What is the apostasy Paul foretold?

¹³ Paul said that this man of lawlessness would develop along with apostasy. In fact, the first clue Paul gave as to the identity of this lawless class is that “the day of Jehovah [when Jehovah destroys this wicked system of things] . . . will not come unless the apostasy comes first.” (2 Thessalonians 2:2, 3) But what is meant by “apostasy”? In this context, it does not mean just a lapse or a falling away due to spiritual weakness. The Greek word here used for “apostasy” meant, among other things, a “defection” or a “revolt.” Several translations render it as “rebellion.” William Barclay’s version states: “That day cannot come until the Great Rebellion has taken place.” The Jerusalem Bible calls it “the Great Revolt.” Therefore, in the context of what Paul is discussing, “apostasy” means a revolt against true worship.

14. When did the apostasy begin to develop in earnest?

¹⁴ How did this apostasy, this rebellion, develop? At 2 Thessalonians 2:6, Paul wrote, regarding his day, about “the thing that acts as a restraint” on the lawless one. What was that? It was the restraining force of the apostles. Their presence, with their powerful gifts bestowed by holy spirit, prevented apostasy from then becoming an epidemic. (Acts 2:1-4; 1 Corinthians 12:28) But when the apostles had died, by about the end of the first century, the restraining brakes were removed.

Unscriptural Clergy Class Develops

15. What arrangement was established by Jesus for the Christian congregation?

¹⁵ The congregation that Jesus established developed during the first century under the guidance of elders (overseers) and ministerial servants. (Matthew 20:25-27; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9) These were drawn from the congregation. They were capable spiritual men with no special theological training, just as Jesus had no such training. Indeed, his opponents wondered: “How does this man have a knowledge of letters, when he has not studied at the schools?” (John 7:15) And concerning the apostles, the religious rulers observed the same: “Now when they beheld the outspokenness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were men unlettered and ordinary, they got to wondering. And they began to recognize about them that they used to be with Jesus.”​—Acts 4:13.

16. How did the apostasy cause a deviation from the first-century Christian pattern for congregation organization?

¹⁶ However, the apostasy brought in concepts derived from the Jewish clergy and eventually from pagan Rome’s religious setup. As time went by and the turning away from true faith took place, an unscriptural clergy class developed. A crowned pope began ruling over a college of cardinals, who in turn were drawn from hundreds of bishops and archbishops, who in turn were promoted from seminary-trained priests. Thus, not long after the first century, a mystic clergy class took over in Christendom. This class was not patterned after the first-century Christian elders and ministerial servants but was patterned after pagan religious systems.

17. When, especially, was the lawless one’s power solidified?

¹⁷ As early as the third century C.E., ordinary believers had been relegated to the second-class status of laity. The apostate man of lawlessness gradually assumed the reins of power. This power was solidified during the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine, especially after the Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E. Then Church and State became welded together. Thus, the man of lawlessness​—the clergy of Christendom—​became a centuries-long line of apostates in revolt against the true God, Jehovah. The laws and arrangements that they have followed are their own and not God’s.

Pagan Teachings

18. What blasphemous pagan teachings did the lawless one adopt?

¹⁸ The developing man of lawlessness also borrowed pagan teachings. For example, a mysterious, incomprehensible Trinitarian god was substituted for the One who says: “I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one else shall I give my own glory.” “I am Jehovah, and there is no one else. With the exception of me there is no God.” (Isaiah 42:8; 45:5) This substituting of human, even pagan, concepts for God’s truths was expanded to include a further blasphemy: the veneration of the Bible’s humble Mary as Christendom’s “Mother of God.” Thus, the promoters of such false teachings, the clergy class, became the rankest of “the weeds” sown by Satan to try to choke out the fine seed sown by Christ.​—Matthew 13:36-39.

19. How has Christendom fragmented down through the centuries, but what was perpetuated?

¹⁹ As schisms and rifts took place, Christendom fragmented into hundreds of religions and sects. But each new religion or sect, with few exceptions, retained its clergy-laity division. Thus, the man of lawlessness class has been perpetuated down to this day. And it still continues to set itself up above the common people with its distinctive garb and high-sounding titles. Clearly, Paul did not exaggerate when he said that the man of lawlessness class would glorify itself and elevate itself to a godlike position.

The Papacy

20. How does a Catholic source describe the pope?

²⁰ An example of such glorification is that of the papacy of Rome. An ecclesiastical dictionary by Lucio Ferraris, published in Italy, describes the pope as “of such dignity and highness that he is not simply a man but, as it were, God, and the Vicar of God.” His crown is a triple crown “as king of heaven, of earth and of hell.” The same dictionary continues: “The pope is, as it were, God on earth, the only prince of the faithful of Christ, the greatest king of all kings.” It adds: “The pope can sometimes counteract the divine law.” Also, The New Catholic Dictionary states of the pope: “His ambassadors have precedence over other members of the diplomatic body.”

21. Contrast the actions of the pope with those of Peter and an angel.

²¹ Unlike the disciples of Jesus, the pope often wears very elaborate garb and welcomes the adulation of humans. The pope allows people to bow to him, kiss his ring, and carry him on their shoulders in a special chair. What vanity popes have displayed over the centuries! A contrast indeed to the humble simplicity of Peter, who said to Cornelius, the Roman army officer who knelt at Peter’s feet to do obeisance to him: “Stand up, . . . I am only a man after all”! (Acts 10:25, 26, the Catholic Jerusalem Bible) And what a contrast to the angel who gave the apostle John the Revelation! John tried to bow down worshipfully to that angel, but the angel declared: “Be careful! Do not do that! All I am is a fellow slave of you and of your brothers who are prophets and of those who are observing the words of this scroll. Worship God.”​—Revelation 22:8, 9.

22. By what Scriptural rule may the lawless one be identified?

²² Is this appraisal of the clergy class too strong? We can determine this by applying the rule that Jesus gave to identify false prophets: “By their fruits you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15, 16) What, then, has been the fruitage of the clergy over the centuries and in our own 20th century? What will be the fate of this man of lawlessness, and who will share that fate? What responsibility do those who truly fear God have in regard to this lawless one? The following articles will discuss these points.

Questions for Review:

◻ What is the man of lawlessness, and when did it become manifest?

◻ How does the Bible identify the author of this lawless class?

◻ How have the clergy elevated themselves above the people?

◻ What apostate teachings and practices were developed by the clergy?

◻ How does the attitude of popes contrast with that of Peter and an angel?

[Picture on page 14]

The apostle Peter, unlike the popes, did not allow a human to do obeisance to him

God’s Judgment Against “the Man of Lawlessness”

“Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire.”​—MATTHEW 7:19.

1, 2. What is the man of lawlessness, and how did it develop?

WHEN the apostle Paul was inspired by God to foretell the coming of a “man of lawlessness,” he said that it was beginning to appear even in his day. As the previous article explained, Paul was talking about a class of individuals who would take the lead in apostatizing from true Christianity. That turning away from the truth began late in the first century, especially after the death of the last apostles. The lawless class introduced doctrines and practices that were in opposition to God’s Word.​—2 Thessalonians 2:3, 7; Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 4:3, 4.

² In time, this lawless class developed to become the clergy of Christendom. Its power was solidified by Roman emperor Constantine in the fourth century when the apostate churches were wed to the pagan State. As Christendom continued to fragment into a multitude of sects, the clergy continued to lift themselves above the laity and often above the secular rulers too.​—2 Thessalonians 2:4.

3. What will be the fate of the man of lawlessness?

³ What would be the fate of the man of lawlessness? Paul foretold: “The lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with . . . and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8) This means that the clergy’s destruction will take place when God brings Satan’s entire system to its end. God uses his heavenly King, Christ Jesus, to lead the angelic executional forces. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9; Revelation 19:11-21) This fate awaits the clergy because they have dishonored God and Christ and have led millions of people away from true worship.

4. By what principle will the man of lawlessness be judged?

⁴ Jesus gave the principle by which the man of lawlessness would be judged, saying: “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? Likewise every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit; a good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, neither can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire. . . . Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.”​—Matthew 7:15-21; see also Titus 1:16; 1 John 2:17.

Fine Christian Fruitage

5. What is the foundation for fine Christian fruitage, and what is a basic commandment?

⁵ The foundation for fine Christian fruitage is noted at 1 John 5:3, which states: “This is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments.” And a basic commandment is this: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) Thus, God’s true servants must have love for their neighbors regardless of their race or nationality.​—Matthew 5:43-48; Romans 12:17-21.

6. Toward whom especially must Christian love be shown?

⁶ Especially must God’s servants have love for those who are their spiritual brothers. “If anyone makes the statement: ‘I love God,’ and yet is hating his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot be loving God, whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, that the one who loves God should be loving his brother also.” (1 John 4:20, 21) That love, Jesus said, would be an identifying mark of true Christians: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”​—John 13:35; see also Romans 14:19; Galatians 6:10; 1 John 3:10-12.

7. How are true Christians bound together worldwide?

⁷ Brotherly love is the “glue” that binds God’s servants in unity: “Clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union.” (Colossians 3:14) And true Christians must be at unity with their brothers worldwide, for God’s Word commands: “You should all speak in agreement . . . There should not be divisions among you . . . Be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.” (1 Corinthians 1:10) To maintain this love and unity on a global scale, God’s servants must be neutral in the political affairs of this world. Jesus said: “They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world.”​—John 17:16.

8. How did Jesus demonstrate what Christians must do?

⁸ Jesus demonstrated the extent of what he had in mind when Peter used a sword to strike off the ear of one of the men who had come to arrest Jesus. Did Jesus encourage such use of force even to protect the Son of God against opposers? No, but he said to Peter: “Return your sword to its place.” (Matthew 26:52) Thus, true Christians do not engage in the wars of the nations or in any other shedding of human blood even if refusal results in their being martyred for their neutral stand, as many have been over the centuries and even in our time. They know that only God’s Kingdom under Christ will eliminate war and bloodshed forever.​—Psalm 46:9; Matthew 6:9, 10; 2 Peter 3:11-13.

9. (a) What does history tell us about the first Christians? (b) How does this contrast with Christendom’s religions?

⁹ History confirms that the first-century Christians would not shed human blood. A former professor of theology from England, Peter De Rosa, writes: “Shedding blood was a grievous sin. This was why Christians opposed gladiatorial combat. . . . While war and the use of force were necessary to preserve Rome, Christians felt unable to join in. . . . Christians considered themselves, like Jesus, messengers of peace; in no circumstances could they be agents of death.” On the other hand, the disunited religions of Christendom have violated the commandment of love and have shed an enormous amount of blood. They have not been messengers of peace but have repeatedly been agents of death.

Bloodguilty Babylon the Great

10. What is Babylon the Great, and why is it called that?

¹⁰ Satan is “the ruler of this world,” “the god of this system of things.” (John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4) Part of Satan’s world is the earth-wide system of false religion he has built up for centuries, including Christendom and her clergy. The Bible calls this worldwide system of false religion “Babylon the Great, the mother of the [spiritual] harlots and of the disgusting things of the earth.” (Revelation 17:5) The roots of today’s false religions go back to the ancient city of Babylon, which was steeped in false religion and in God-dishonoring doctrines and practices. That is why the counterpart of ancient Babylon is called Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion.

11. What does the Bible say about Babylon the Great, and why?

¹¹ Regarding religious Babylon, God’s Word says: “In her was found the blood of prophets and of holy ones and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24) How are this world’s religions responsible for the blood of all those slaughtered? In that all these religions​—Christendom’s churches and non-Christian religions alike—​have supported, condoned, or even taken the lead in the wars of the nations; they have also persecuted and killed God-fearing people who disagreed with them.

A God-Dishonoring Record

12. Why are the clergy of Christendom more reprehensible than other religious leaders?

¹² Christendom’s clergy are more reprehensible in shedding blood than other religious leaders. Why? Because in addition to taking God’s name upon themselves, they have taken Christ’s too. They thereby obligated themselves to follow the teachings of Jesus. (John 15:10-14) But they have not followed those teachings, thus bringing great reproach upon both God and Christ. The responsibility for bloodshed by the clergy has been both direct, in the Crusades, other religious wars, inquisitions, and persecutions, and indirect, in condoning wars in which members of the churches killed their fellowman in other lands.

13. For what were the clergy responsible from the 11th to the 13th century?

¹³ For example, from the 11th to the 13th century, the clergy of Christendom introduced the Crusades. These resulted in horrible bloodshed and pillage in the name of God and of Christ. Hundreds of thousands were killed. The Crusades included the senseless deaths of thousands of children who were induced to participate in the Children’s Crusade of the year 1212.

14, 15. How does a Catholic author comment on what the Catholic Church introduced in the 13th century?

¹⁴ In the 13th century, the Roman Catholic Church officially sanctioned another God-dishonoring horror​—the Inquisition. It began in Europe and spread to the Americas, lasting for over six centuries. Originated and backed by the papacy, it was a murderous attempt to torture and stamp out all who disagreed with the church. While the church had previously persecuted non-Catholics, the Inquisition was far more extensive in scope.

¹⁵ Peter De Rosa, who states that he is a “patriotic Catholic,” says in his recent book Vicars of Christ​—The Dark Side of the Papacy: “The church was responsible for persecuting Jews, for the Inquisition, for slaughtering heretics by the thousand, for reintroducing torture into Europe as part of the judicial process. . . . Popes appointed and sacked even emperors, demanded that they impose Christianity on their subjects under the threat of torture and death. . . . The cost to the Gospel message was horrendous.” The only “crime” of some who were murdered was that they possessed a Bible.

16, 17. What comments are made about the Inquisition?

¹⁶ Regarding Pope Innocent III of the early 13th century, De Rosa states: “It has been reckoned that in the last and most savage persecution under [Roman] Emperor Diocletian [third century] about two thousand Christians perished, worldwide. In the first vicious incident of Pope Innocent’s Crusade [against “heretics” in France] ten times that number of people were slaughtered. . . . It comes as a shock to discover that, at a stroke, a pope killed far more Christians than Diocletian. . . . [Innocent] had no qualms about using Christ’s name to do everything Christ objected to.”

¹⁷ De Rosa notes that “in the pope’s name, [the inquisitors] were responsible for the most savage and sustained onslaught on human decency in the history of the race.” Of Dominican inquisitor Torquemada in Spain, he says: “Appointed in 1483, he ruled tyrannically for fifteen years. His victims numbered over 114,000 of whom 10,220 were burned.”

18. How does a writer characterize the Inquisition, and what reason does he give for its continuing for over six centuries?

¹⁸ This writer concludes: “The record of the Inquisition would be embarrassing for any organization; for the Catholic church, it is devastating. . . . What history shows is that, for more than six centuries without a break, the papacy was the sworn enemy of elementary justice. Of eighty popes in a line from the thirteenth century on, not one of them disapproved of the theology and apparatus of Inquisition. On the contrary, one after another added his own cruel touches to the workings of this deadly machine. The mystery is: how could popes continue in this practical heresy for generation after generation? How could they deny at every point the Gospel of Jesus?” He answers: “Pontiffs preferred to contradict the Gospel than an ‘inerrant’ predecessor, for that would bring down the papacy itself.”

19. What other lawless activity was condoned by most of the clergy?

¹⁹ Also lawless was the part that the clergy played in the violent institution of slavery. The nations of Christendom kidnapped many thousands of Africans, took them far from their own lands, and for centuries brutalized them physically and mentally as slaves. Relatively few of the clergy class actively opposed. Some of them even claimed that it was God’s will.​—See Matthew 7:12.

Bloodguilt in the 20th Century

20. How has the bloodguilt of the man of lawlessness reached a peak in this century?

²⁰ The bloodguilt of the man of lawlessness reached a peak in our century. The clergy have backed wars that have taken tens of millions of lives, the worst wars in all history. They supported both sides in the two world wars, in which people of the same religion, “brothers,” killed one another. For instance, in World War II, French and American Catholics killed German and Italian Catholics; British and American Protestants killed German Protestants. At times, they killed others who were not only of the same religion but also of the same national background. The two world wars erupted in the heart of Christendom and would not have been possible had the clergy obeyed the commandment to love, and taught their followers to do the same.

21. What do secular sources say about the clergy’s involvement in war?

²¹ The New York Times affirmed: “In the past local Catholic hierarchies almost always supported the wars of their nations, blessing troops and offering prayers for victory, while another group of bishops on the other side publicly prayed for the opposite outcome. . . . The contradiction between the Christian spirit and the conduct of war . . . seems increasingly clear to many, as weapons grow more brutal.” And U.S.News & World Report noted: “The prestige of Christianity in the world has been gravely impaired by the frequency with which the so-called Christian nations have used violence.”

22. For what else are the clergy responsible in our time?

²² Too, while there is no official Inquisition today, the clergy have used the arm of the State to persecute “prophets” and “holy ones” who differ from them. They have pressured political leaders to ‘contrive mischief under cover of law.’ In this way, they have caused or approved the banning, imprisonment, beating, torture, and even death of God-fearing people in our century.​—Revelation 17:6; Psalm 94:20, The New English Bible.

Called to Account

23. Why will God call the man of lawlessness to account?

²³ Truly, in false religion there is found the blood of prophets, and of holy ones, and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth. (Revelation 18:24) Since the worst bloodshed has arisen in Christendom, the guilt of the clergy is the greatest. How aptly the Bible labels them a “man of lawlessness”! But God’s Word also states: “Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) So God will call the lawless clergy to account.

24. What world-shaking events are soon to take place?

²⁴ Jesus said: “Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:23) And he declared: “Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:19) The time is fast approaching for the fiery end of the man of lawlessness, along with all false religion, when the political elements with which they have played the harlot will turn on them: “These will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire.” (Revelation 17:16) Since such world-shaking events are soon to take place, God’s servants must make them known to others. The next article will examine how they have been doing this.

Questions for Review

◻ What is the man of lawlessness, and how did it develop?

◻ What fine fruitage must true Christians produce?

◻ Who is Babylon the Great, and how bloodguilty is she?

◻ What God-dishonoring record has the man of lawlessness made?

◻ How will God call the man of lawlessness to account?

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The Crusades resulted in horrible bloodshed in the name of God and of Christ

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By courtesy of The British Library

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“Local Catholic hierarchies almost always supported the wars of their nations”

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U.S. Army

Exposing “the Man of Lawlessness”

“Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and . . . receive part of her plagues.”​—REVELATION 18:4.

1, 2. (a) How can the man of lawlessness be identified? (b) What is God’s view of those who claim to serve him but who are bloodguilty? (Matthew 7:21-23)

GOD’S Word foretold the coming of a “man of lawlessness.” It also foretold that this lawless element would be ‘done away with and brought to nothing’ by God’s heavenly Executioner, Christ Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8) As the preceding articles have shown, that man of lawlessness is the clergy of Christendom. Long ago they abandoned the truths of God’s Word and adopted pagan teachings, such as the Trinity, hellfire, and immortality of the soul. In addition, they produced works contrary to God’s laws. Like those Paul warned Titus against, “they publicly declare they know God, but they disown him by their works, because they are detestable and disobedient and not approved for good work of any sort.”​—Titus 1:16.

² Jesus said: “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them.” False prophets would produce “worthless fruit.” (Matthew 7:15-17) An evidence of the clergy’s bad fruitage is their enormous bloodguilt. For centuries they have supported crusades, inquisitions, and wars that have shed the blood of millions. They have prayed for and blessed both sides in wars in which members of their own religions have killed one another. In contrast, the apostle Paul was able to state: “I am clean from the blood of all men.” (Acts 20:26) The clergy are not. To such ones God declares: “Even though you make many prayers, I am not listening; with bloodshed your very hands have become filled.”​—Isaiah 1:15.

3. What events of global significance are fast approaching?

³ The time for God to execute his judgment against the man of lawlessness is fast approaching. Soon, as Jesus foretold, “there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again.” (Matthew 24:21) That unprecedented time of trouble will begin with the execution of Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion, which includes the religions of Christendom. The political elements “will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire.” (Revelation 17:16) The great tribulation will end with the destruction of the remainder of Satan’s world at Armageddon, “the war of the great day of God the Almighty.”​—Revelation 16:14, 16; 19:11-21.

Obligated to Love Others

4. What must those who worship God “with spirit and truth” keep in mind?

⁴ Since these world-shaking events are soon to come upon the inhabited earth, what obligations rest upon those who “worship the Father with spirit and truth”? (John 4:23) For one, they must keep in mind that Jesus said: “If you observe my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have observed the commandments of the Father and remain in his love. . . . This is my commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you. No one has love greater than this, that someone should surrender his soul in behalf of his friends. You are my friends if you do what I am commanding you.”​—John 15:10-14; 1 John 5:3.

5, 6. (a) What did Jesus command his disciples to do that would identify them? (b) In what sense was this a new commandment?

⁵ True Christians are thus obligated to love other people, especially their Christian brothers and sisters in all lands. (Acts 10:34; Galatians 6:10; 1 John 4:20, 21) Indeed, fellow Christians must have “intense love for one another.” (1 Peter 4:8) That kind of love on a global scale identifies them as true worshipers, for Jesus said: “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”​—John 13:34, 35.

⁶ What was new about that commandment? Were not the Jews under the Mosaic Law given the command, “Love your fellow as yourself”? (Leviticus 19:18) Yes, but Jesus indicated something additional when he said, “Just as I have loved you.” His love included his giving up his life for others, and his disciples must be willing to do the same. (John 15:13) That was a higher level of love, since such a sacrifice was not required by the Mosaic Law.

7. Which religion has obeyed the law of love in this century?

⁷ In our century, which religion has obeyed this law of love? Surely not the religions of Christendom, for they have slaughtered one another by the tens of millions in two world wars and other conflicts. It is Jehovah’s Witnesses who have obeyed the law of love earth wide. They have maintained strict neutrality in the wars of the nations, for Jesus said that his followers must be “no part of the world.” (John 17:16) Thus, they can say, as did Paul, that they are “clean from the blood of all men.” As an example, note the opening part of a resolution adopted by Jehovah’s servants at the Washington, D.C., convention on November 27, 1921:

“As Christians earnestly striving to follow the teachings of Christ Jesus our Lord and his Apostles, we hold: that war is a relic of barbarism, destructive of good morals and a reproach to Christian peoples; that the principles taught by the Lord Jesus Christ preclude consecrated Christians from engaging in war, bloodshed or violence in any form.”

8. What does the historical record say about Jehovah’s Witnesses during World War II?

⁸ How was that view applied during World War II? In that worst war of all human history, some 50 million people were killed. But not one was killed by one of Jehovah’s Witnesses! For example, nearly all the German clergy actively or passively supported Nazism. In contrast, Jehovah’s Witnesses under Nazi rule maintained strict neutrality and refused to heil Hitler or be part of his military machine. Hence, they did not kill any of their spiritual brothers of other countries, or anyone else for that matter. And Jehovah’s Witnesses in all other lands remained neutral too.

9. What happened to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany and Austria under Nazi rule?

⁹ Many of Jehovah’s Witnesses have surrendered their soul in behalf of their friends in obeying the law of love. A review of the book Kirchenkampf in Deutschland (Fight of the Churches in Germany), by Friedrich Zipfel, says regarding the Witnesses: “Ninety-seven percent of the members of this small religious group were victims of National Socialistic [Nazi] persecution. One third of them were killed, either by execution, other violent acts, hunger, sickness or slave labor. The severity of this subjection was without precedent and was the result of uncompromising faith which could not be harmonized with National Socialistic ideology.” In Austria, 25 percent of Jehovah’s Witnesses were executed, beaten to death, or died from disease or exhaustion in Nazi camps.

10. What confidence did those have who died for obeying the law of love?

¹⁰ Those martyred for obeying the law of love were confident that “God is not unrighteous so as to forget [their] work and the love [they] showed for his name.” (Hebrews 6:10) They knew that “the world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2:17) They had the sure hope of being resurrected with eternal life in view.​—John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15.

11. In what way are Jehovah’s servants unique, and what prophecy is being fulfilled in them?

¹¹ Jehovah’s servants are unique in obeying the rule spoken by Peter and other apostles to a high court: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) Because Jehovah’s Witnesses do this, they are backed by “the holy spirit, which God has given to those obeying him as ruler.” (Acts 5:32) That is the power that enables them to fulfill the prophecy at Isaiah 2:2-4. It foretold that in our time true worship would be reestablished and that people from all nations and religions would flow to it. One result would be: “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.” Because Jehovah’s servants are preparing for life in a peaceful new world, they will not learn war anymore. They learn the law of love.​—John 13:34, 35.

12. What must those obeying the law of love do for others?

¹² Since Christian love includes ‘loving your neighbor as yourself,’ God’s servants cannot be selfish about what they know. (Matthew 22:39) There are still many others who would want to serve God and live in his new world. While there is yet time, these too need to learn about the law of love and the many other truths related to the Universal Sovereign, Jehovah God. They must be taught that Jehovah alone is worthy of our worship and how that worship is to be rendered. (Matthew 4:10; Revelation 4:11) Those who have already learned these things are under obligation to tell others about them so that they too may come into Jehovah’s favor.​—Ezekiel 33:7-9, 14-16.

Exposing the Man of Lawlessness

13. As part of our worldwide witness, what must we make known, and why?

¹³ Jesus said that the “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) As part of this worldwide witness, God’s servants are under obligation to make known his judgment against false religion, especially the clergy of Christendom. These are more reprehensible in God’s sight because they claim to be Christian. They must be exposed so that those who want to serve God can be freed from their influence and can take the proper steps for survival. As Jesus said: “The truth will set you free.”​—John 8:32.

14. What clear message must be proclaimed regarding false religion?

¹⁴ Thus, Jehovah’s Witnesses must make known this inspired message regarding false religion: “Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and if you do not want to receive part of her plagues. For her sins have massed together clear up to heaven, and God has called her acts of injustice to mind. . . . In one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine, and she will be completely burned with fire, because Jehovah God, who judged her, is strong.”​—Revelation 18:4-8.

15. How did the year 1914 play a part in Jehovah’s timetable, and what resulted after World War I?

¹⁵ Bible prophecies show that “the last days” for this system of things began in the crucial year 1914. (2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13; Matthew 24:3-13) Since that year we have been in “the time of the end.” (Daniel 12:4) Right after World War I, in harmony with Jehovah’s timetable, his servants began vigorously to expand their announcement of God’s Kingdom as foretold at Matthew 24:14. They also began to expose false religion more strongly, particularly the lawless clergy class of apostate Christendom.

16. How has the exposing of the man of lawlessness gathered force for more than 70 years?

¹⁶ For over 70 years now, with ever greater force, God’s servants have alerted people to the deceptive activity of the man of lawlessness. There were only a few thousand Witnesses doing this after World War I. But now they have become “a mighty nation” of over three and a half million active ministers organized into more than 60,000 congregations all over the earth. (Isaiah 60:22) On an expanding scale, God’s servants are zealously proclaiming the Kingdom of God as the only hope for mankind and, at the same time, are exposing the clergy for what they are​—a deceptive man of lawlessness.

Why So Powerful?

17. Why have Jehovah’s servants powerfully exposed the man of lawlessness?

¹⁷ Why have Jehovah’s servants powerfully exposed the man of lawlessness all these years? Because the millions of the great crowd of Jehovah’s sheep that are already on the way to salvation must be protected from Satan’s world and its false religion. (John 10:16; Revelation 7:9-14) Moreover, unless the clergy are exposed, honesthearted people who are not yet part of God’s flock would not know how to avoid a wrong course. So they must be informed, just as Jesus informed people when he said regarding the hypocritical religious leaders of his day: “Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”​—Matthew 15:14; see also 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:13-15.

18. What do truth seekers need to know?

¹⁸ The clergy are part of Satan’s world. (John 8:44) But it is a world that God will soon crush out of existence. (2 Peter 3:11-13; 1 John 2:15-17) So God’s Word warns: “Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) The clergy ignore that warning and continue to meddle in political affairs. They tell their followers that a better world will come through efforts of politicians. But that is a false hope, since this world under Satan is on its way out. So people who look to this world for hope are being deceived. They need to be told the truth about where the world is heading and what will take its place.​—Proverbs 14:12; 19:21; Matthew 6:9, 10; Revelation 21:4, 5.

19. How has the worldliness of some clergy been exposed in the media in recent times?

¹⁹ The worldliness of some clergy has even been exposed in the media in recent times, as for example the licentious and luxurious life-styles of some TV clergymen. One modern songwriter composed a song with the title: “Would Jesus Wear a [$10,000] Rolex [watch] on His Television Show?” The song goes on to say: “Would Jesus be political if He came back to earth, have His second home in [luxurious] Palm Springs and try to hide His worth?” In addition, more and more clergymen condone or practice homosexuality. Even now the Catholic Church in the United States is paying millions of dollars in damages to compensate for priests guilty of sexual abuse of children.​—Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.

20. Why must God’s servants keep exposing the man of lawlessness?

²⁰ Such wrongdoing cannot be ignored by God’s servants but must be exposed for the benefit of others. The great crowd of other sheep must be protected from those who would try to lead them to break God’s laws. And those “sighing and groaning over all the detestable things that are being done” need to be searched out and gathered to the protective guidance of the Great Shepherd, Jehovah God, and “the fine shepherd,” Christ Jesus.​—Ezekiel 9:4; John 10:11; Proverbs 18:10.

21. What will Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to declare?

²¹ Therefore, God’s people will not hesitate to declare his vengeance against all of Satan’s world, including its man of lawlessness, the clergy of Christendom. They will proclaim with vigor the angelic message of Revelation 14:7: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of the judgment by him has arrived.” And they will include in this proclamation the urgent warning of Revelation 18:4 regarding false religion: “Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and . . . receive part of her plagues.”

Questions for Review:

◻ What will be the fate of the man of lawlessness, and why?

◻ What obligation do Jehovah’s servants have regarding others?

◻ How have Jehovah’s people kept free from the blood of all men?

◻ What must we do regarding Babylon the Great?

◻ Why will we continue our powerful message regarding the man of lawlessness?

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The apostles told a high court: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men”

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Sincere people need to know where the world and its religions are heading

I’ve Seen It Grow in Southern Africa

As told by Robert Albert McLuckie

THE Kingdom preaching activity in South Africa goes grandly on. From the hundred or so preaching in the late 1920’s, there are now about 45,000 declaring the good news in South Africa. And another 150,000 or so are preaching in other countries where our South African branch previously had oversight.

I have had the joy of seeing this marvelous growth in southern Africa during the past 60 years! Let me tell you briefly about it and about the share my family and I have been privileged to have in it.

It Began With Tragedy

On June 22, 1927, my beloved wife, Edna, died, leaving behind our daughter, Lyall, age three and our son, Donovan, age two. I was only 26. Her death left me consumed with grief and quite bewildered. Where was she? Not believing that she was in hell, I gained some comfort at night by dreaming that she was in heaven.

That July little Donovan handed me a pamphlet that was addressed to someone else but somehow had got mixed up with our mail. It contained a discourse by Joseph Rutherford, the Watch Tower Society’s second president. The contents interested me so much that I promptly ordered all the publications listed. Little did I realize that this would change my life.

Among the booklets that arrived, the one entitled Hell​—What Is It? Who Are There? Can They Get Out? caught my eye. How absolutely thrilled I was to see that booklet! After only two or three pages, I actually laughed with delight.

Eager to share what I had learned, I either wrote to or spoke with my parents and other family members. As a result, my four brothers, Jack, Percy, William, and Sydney, soon became interested and began preaching to others. Years later, my father, mother, and two sisters, Connie and Grace, also accepted the faith.

I could find no other Bible Student, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then known, in our part of South Africa. I moved to Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and worked for about a year on a cattle ranch with my brother Jack. As a result of reading the Watch Tower Society’s literature, it was not long before I felt an urgent desire to enter the full-time ministry.

As yet I had not met any fellow believers except those to whom I had witnessed. So I made the 1,400-mile [2,300 km] train journey to the Society’s branch office at Cape Town, South Africa. What a warm reception I received from George Phillips, who had charge of the work in southern Africa! On January 10, 1930, I was baptized.

Early Years of Pioneering

Though having talked to hundreds of persons about the Bible during the previous three years, I had not shared in the house-to-house ministry. Nevertheless, I was enrolled in the full-time ministry as a pioneer. There was no training program in those days. In fact, publishers would seldom go together to the same home. Since we had so few publishers, it just did not seem practical to do so.

Naturally, I was concerned about the welfare of my children, Lyall and Donovan, who were being cared for by their grandparents. Since they were receiving good care, at the time I felt it proper to expend myself in spreading the Kingdom message to others. So that is what I did.

During the next three years of pioneering, I had five partners, including my brother Syd. Later he contracted typhoid fever while in the pioneer work and died. Pioneering was not easy in those early days. We used a commercial van with built-in bunks, made to fold up on either side of the van. This enabled us to sleep, sit, cook, and eat inside.

The most outstanding event of my early pioneer days was when we received our new name, Jehovah’s Witnesses, in 1931, along with the booklet The Kingdom​—The Hope of the World. I distinctly remember feeling overawed at the thought of using that illustrious name, wondering if I could use it worthily.

Another memorable event in those early years was baptizing my brother Jack and his wife, Dorrell, in the crocodile-infested waters of the Nuanetsi River in Southern Rhodesia. Before the immersion, we threw some rocks into the river to scare off any lurking crocodiles. Later, in the 1950’s, I baptized my mother in a bathtub.

In Other Countries

In 1933 my fifth partner, Robert Nisbet, and I were assigned to fresh, untouched territory​—the islands of Mauritius and Madagascar off the southeast coast of Africa. We spent the better part of four months on those two islands, planting seeds of Bible truth. What joy it is now to see that Mauritius has about 800 Kingdom publishers and Madagascar some 3,000! When we returned to South Africa, Robert and I parted company. Later he pioneered with my brother Syd and still later served as branch overseer in Mauritius.

Prior to our return to South Africa, I arranged to meet Lyall and Donovan at my father’s home. After visiting with them, there came the inevitable separation, accompanied by tears. I traveled on to meet the branch overseer, Brother Phillips, to receive my next assignment. It was Nyasaland, now Malawi. A 1929 model Chevrolet was purchased for me to use there.

So, in 1934, off I went on the 1,200-mile [1,900 km] journey, mainly over dirt roads, from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Zomba, the capital of Nyasaland. Eventually I reached my destination, the home of an African brother, Richard Kalinde. He became my close companion and interpreter during my stay in Nyasaland. In time, I obtained two rooms in an old hotel that was no longer in use. One I used as the depot office, and the other for accommodations.

My assignment in Nyasaland was particularly to bring order out of the chaotic conditions resulting from the so-called Watchtower movements. Years before, an African, familiar with the writings of the first president of the Watch Tower Society, Charles Taze Russell, had been responsible for the development of these movements, even though he himself never became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.​—See the 1976 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, pages 71-4.

I visited congregations of those who were using the Watch Tower literature and read a resolution concerning our new name, Jehovah’s Witnesses. All in favor of the resolution were requested to signify this by a show of hands. Though the majority did so signify, many did not fully understand what this really involved. Thus, over the years, while some failed to progress spiritually, others withdrew their support entirely from the one they had viewed as leader and truly became Jehovah’s Witnesses.

After about six months in Nyasaland, I went over into Mozambique, where the Kingdom message had not yet been proclaimed. There I met a young Portuguese officer whom Robert Nisbet and I had contacted on the boat en route to Mauritius. He invited me to a meal, and I was able to speak further with him.

On another occasion, while in a village in northern Mozambique, a car stopped next to me. It turned out to be the governor of the area. He inquired if he could be of help and invited me to his home, where he accepted many of the Watch Tower publications. Even though the preaching work is now banned in Mozambique and Nyasaland (Malawi), it is thrilling to me to know that many faithful brothers and sisters are active there.

Bethel Privileges

After I returned to Nyasaland, what a surprise I received! I was invited to join the office staff in the South Africa branch at Cape Town, and my younger brother William was sent to replace me in Nyasaland. So I set off on the 2,200 mile [3,500 km] journey in the Chevrolet. En route I visited Donovan and Lyall. They were 11 and 12 years old now, and it would be another year before I would see them again.

I was assigned to take charge of the branch office whenever Brother Phillips, the branch overseer, was away. Although I had not been associated regularly with any one congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses since learning the truth nine years earlier, in 1936 I was appointed to be the presiding overseer of the Cape Town Congregation, composed of about 20 publishers.

A Change in Status

I did not want to sacrifice my privileges of service, but Lyall and Donovan were about to enter their teens, and I was concerned about their welfare, including their spiritual well-being. Thankfully, a solution to the matter was near.

On June 6, 1936, Brother Phillips introduced me to newcomers from Australia, Sister Seidel and her attractive 18-year-old daughter, Carmen. Within the year Carmen and I were married. So I obtained secular employment and established a home.

For a year I held a job in South Africa, but then Carmen and I and our baby son, Peter, moved to Southern Rhodesia, where my brother Jack had invited me to join him in a gold-mining venture. After we got settled, Lyall and Donovan, who had stayed behind with Carmen’s mother, joined us.

Facing Wartime Persecution

In September 1939, World War II broke out, and the following year our Bible literature was banned. We determined to test the legality of the law by distributing the literature come what may. Arrests and convictions followed, and our books and Bibles were confiscated and burned.

One morning after our preaching work, we were invited by a detective to pick up our children at the police station where they had been taken. We refused, pointing out that since the young ones were apparently under arrest, it was up to the police to look after them. That afternoon, after returning from the field ministry, we found the children home safe but not a policeman in sight!

On another occasion, in 1941, Carmen was sentenced to three months in prison even though she was pregnant. Estrella, however, was born before Carmen began serving her sentence. Rather than leave the baby home with me, Carmen chose to take her to prison. Thus, Estrella came to have as a nursemaid an African woman who had murdered her husband. When Carmen was released, the murderess was so distraught she cried bitterly. Incidentally, Estrella started pioneering in 1956 at age 15. Later, she married Jack Jones and for more than 20 years now has served with her husband in South Africa and presently at the Watch Tower Society’s headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.

Soon afterward I also spent several months in prison for preaching. While I was there, in January 1942, Joseph Rutherford died. I couldn’t help shedding a few tears that night in the privacy of my cell. I had opportunities to witness, and one Sunday morning, while everyone else was in the outer courtyard for exercise, I baptized a fellow prisoner who had responded to the Kingdom message.

A New Branch Office

After my release from prison, I obtained employment on the railways in Bulawayo. Carmen had learned dressmaking in prison and used the skill to help support the family. Lyall returned from South Africa, where she had been pioneering, and also helped with expenses. As a result, we soon had more income than we really needed, so we talked it over, and it was agreed that I could again take up the full-time ministry.

Having a railway pass, in 1947 I traveled by train to Cape Town to see Brother Phillips. To my great surprise, I was assigned to open a depot for handling the Society’s literature in Bulawayo. Then, the following year, Nathan H. Knorr, the Watch Tower Society’s third president, visited and arranged for the depot to become a branch office on September 1, 1948, with Eric Cooke as branch overseer of Southern Rhodesia. For the next 14 years, I was privileged to work at the branch while, of course, living at home with our growing family. I am so grateful for the material support that Carmen and our older children rendered, enabling me to continue working at the branch office.

Another Preaching Assignment

By 1962 Carmen and I desired to go farther afield and work where the need was greater. So we sold our home and took Lindsay and Jeremy, our two youngest children​—the other five had grown up and left home—​and headed for the Seychelle Islands.

First, we traveled by car, mostly along dirt roads, for about 1,800 miles [2,900 km], arriving in Mombasa, Kenya. We left the car with a brother and embarked by boat for the Seychelles. An interested person introduced us to others, and soon we had meetings going almost in the shadow of the bishop’s house. We held other meetings on a nearby island in a privately owned boathouse surrounded by tall palm trees and with waves lapping the shore.

Our activities soon became known, and the authorities eventually ordered us to stop preaching, something we simply could not agree to do. (Acts 4:19, 20) So we were, in effect, deported, but in the meantime we had baptized five persons. During our five-month stay in the Seychelles, Carmen became pregnant with Andrew, our last child. On our return to Southern Rhodesia, our daughter Pauline invited us to stay with her and her husband pending the birth of Andrew.

Blessings and Satisfactions

I am happy to say that all eight of our children, including Lyall and Donovan, have engaged in pioneering at one time or another. In fact, four of our sons and sons-in-law are now elders, and two are ministerial servants. In addition, how glad we are that many of our grandchildren and great-grandchildren together with their parents are proclaiming glad tidings in no less than four countries and that scores of other members of the McLuckie family are also serving Jehovah. Such results, I am convinced, are due to consistent family attendance at meetings and engaging regularly in the preaching activity.

Now at 89 years of age, I still have the privilege of being an elder in our congregation in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. It brings me true satisfaction to look back on more than 60 years in Jehovah’s blessed service. Especially is it a blessing to have seen five generations of our family, including my parents, bring praise to Jehovah, the great God of all the universe.

Business Witnessing​—Japanese Style

JESUS CHRIST’S command to push the witnessing work to “the most distant part of the earth” must embrace business areas. (Acts 1:8) In Japan, giving the Kingdom witness to people who work in public agencies and offices of big companies presents quite a challenge. Kingdom publishers in one congregation obtained permission to do magazine witnessing in a city office building during lunch break. The publishers not only prayed to Jehovah to give them courage but paid much attention to their dress and conduct and even prepared lapel cards showing their names and identifying them as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

A Witness would approach a worker, saying: “Excuse me, I was given permission to talk to people here. Would you mind listening to me while you eat?” The Witnesses had to show good judgment and use words “seasoned with salt.” (Colossians 4:6) On their first visit, they placed 39 magazines, but it took up to four visits to cover the entire eight-story building where 1,500 people work. They placed a total of more than a hundred magazines and were able to start magazine routes and make return visits.

One of the publishers made a return visit on a manager. When he heard a scripture read from the New World Translation, he said: “This Bible is easy to understand. The one I read before was in archaic Japanese and was very difficult to read.” A copy of the New World Translation was delivered to him the following week.

Can you do more in your congregation’s territory to preach the good news to “all sorts of men,” including those in business districts?​—Compare 1 Timothy 2:4.

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