1, 2. (a) What did some religious leaders want to know, and how did Peter respond? (See opening picture.) (b) Why was Peter able to speak with courage?

A FEW weeks after Jesus’ death, the apostle Peter faced a group of terrifying Jewish religious leaders. These were the same men who had plotted to kill Jesus. Now they were angry with Peter because he had healed a man who had been unable to walk. They asked Peter: “By what power or in whose name did you do this?” Peter courageously answered: “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you executed on a stake but whom God raised up from the dead, by means of him this man stands here healthy in front of you.”​—Acts 4:5-10.

² Earlier, Peter was so afraid that he denied Jesus three times. (Mark 14:66-72) Now, instead of being fearful, Peter was courageous in front of the religious leaders. Why? In addition to having the help of the holy spirit, Peter was confident that Jesus was alive. Why was the apostle so sure? And why can we have the same confidence?

3, 4. (a) What resurrections happened before Jesus’ apostles were born? (b) Whom did Jesus resurrect?

³ The apostles knew that the dead could live again. Before the apostles were born, God had given the prophets Elijah and Elisha the authority to resurrect the dead. (1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:32-37) A dead man even came to life when his body was thrown into a grave and it touched the bones of Elisha. (2 Kings 13:20, 21) Early Christians believed these accounts, just as we believe that God’s Word is true.

⁴ Likely, you are deeply touched when you read about Jesus’ bringing the dead back to life. For example, imagine the great surprise of the widow when Jesus resurrected her only son. (Luke 7:11-15) Or think about the time Jesus resurrected a young girl. Certainly her parents’ deep sadness turned to joy when they saw their daughter alive! (Luke 8:49-56) And how thrilled people must have been to see Lazarus walk out of his tomb alive!​—John 11:38-44.

WHY JESUS’ RESURRECTION WAS UNIQUE

5. How was Jesus’ resurrection different from those before it?

⁵ The apostles knew that Jesus’ resurrection was different from all others before it. People who were resurrected earlier were given human bodies but later died again. Jesus was given a spirit body that can never be destroyed. (Read Acts 13:34.) Peter wrote that Jesus “was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” Also, “he is at God’s right hand, for he went to heaven, and angels and authorities and powers were made subject to him.” (1 Peter 3:18-22) Other resurrections were outstanding miracles, but Jesus’ resurrection was the greatest miracle ever.

6. How did the resurrection of Jesus affect his disciples?

⁶ Jesus’ resurrection affected the disciples deeply. He was no longer dead, as his enemies believed. Instead, he was alive as a powerful spirit person, and no human could harm him. His resurrection proved that he was the Son of God. Because they knew that Jesus was alive, the disciples were no longer sad or afraid. Rather, they were enthusiastic and confident. If Jesus had not been resurrected, God’s purpose would not succeed and the good news they preached would have no meaning.

7. What is Jesus doing today, and what questions might we ask?

⁷ We know that Jesus was much more than simply a great man. Jesus is alive and is overseeing the worldwide preaching work. He is the King of God’s heavenly Kingdom, which will soon remove all badness from the earth and transform it into a paradise where people will live forever. (Luke 23:43) None of these things could happen if Jesus had not been resurrected. So why can we be sure that Jesus was raised from the dead? And what does his resurrection mean for us?

JEHOVAH’S POWER OVER DEATH

8, 9. (a) Why did the Jewish religious leaders ask that Jesus’ grave be guarded? (b) What happened when women came to the tomb?

⁸ After Jesus was executed, Jewish religious leaders came to Pilate and said: “Sir, we recall what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I am to be raised up.’ Therefore, command that the grave be made secure until the third day, so that his disciples may not come and steal him and say to the people, ‘He was raised up from the dead!’ Then this last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate told them: “You may have a guard. Go make it as secure as you know how.” That is exactly what they did.​—Matthew 27:62-66.

⁹ At his burial, Jesus was put in a tomb carved out of a huge rock, and a large stone covered the entrance. The religious leaders wanted Jesus to stay in that tomb forever. But Jehovah had a totally different thought. Three days later, two disciples, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, came to the tomb. There, they found the stone rolled away and an angel sitting on it. The angel told the women to look inside the tomb and see that it was empty. The angel said to them: “He is not here, for he was raised up.” (Matthew 28:1-6) Jesus was alive!

10. How did Paul prove that Jesus was resurrected?

¹⁰ What happened in the next 40 days left no doubt that Jesus had been resurrected. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Among the first things I handed on to you was what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, yes, that he was raised up on the third day according to the Scriptures; and that he appeared to Ceʹphas, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still with us, though some have fallen asleep in death. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. But last of all he appeared also to me as if to one born prematurely.”​—1 Corinthians 15:3-8.

FOUR REASONS WHY WE KNOW THAT JESUS WAS RESURRECTED

11. How did Jesus’ resurrection happen “according to the Scriptures”?

¹¹ Jesus’ resurrection happened “according to the Scriptures.” God’s Word foretold the resurrection. For example, David wrote that God’s “loyal one” would not be left in the Grave. (Read Psalm 16:10.) On the day of Pentecost in the year 33, Peter explained that the “loyal one” was Jesus when he said: “[David] foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he forsaken in the Grave nor did his flesh see corruption.”​—Acts 2:23-27, 31.

12. Who saw the resurrected Jesus?

¹² Many eyewitnesses saw the resurrected Jesus. During the 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples in the garden near his tomb, on the road to the village of Emmaus, and in other places. (Luke 24:13-15) He spoke to individuals, including Peter, and to groups. Once, Jesus even appeared to a crowd of more than 500 people. We cannot ignore the fact that so many eyewitnesses saw the resurrected Jesus.

13. How did the zeal of the disciples show that they were convinced that Jesus had been resurrected?

¹³ The disciples zealously preached about Jesus’ resurrection. They were persecuted, they suffered, and some were killed because of their preaching work. Think about this: If Jesus had not been raised to life, would Peter have risked his life to preach about Christ’s resurrection to the same people who hated Jesus and plotted his death? Peter and the other disciples were confident that Jesus was alive and was overseeing the preaching work. Also, Jesus’ resurrection gave his followers the strong hope that they too would be resurrected. For example, Stephen died convinced that he would be resurrected.​—Acts 7:55-60.

14. Why do you believe that Jesus is alive?

¹⁴ We have evidence that Jesus is now ruling as King and is serving as Head of the Christian congregation. True Christianity continues to grow. Would this happen if Jesus had not been raised from the dead? In fact, we may never have heard about Jesus if he had not been resurrected. But we have strong reasons to believe that Jesus is alive and is overseeing the worldwide preaching work.

WHAT JESUS’ RESURRECTION MEANS FOR US

15. Why does Jesus’ resurrection give us courage to preach?

¹⁵ Christ’s resurrection gives us courage to preach. Since Jesus’ time, God’s enemies have tried many evil things to stop the preaching work, such as apostasy, mocking, violence, bans, torture, and execution. However, the Bible foretold: “No weapon formed against you will have any success.” (Isaiah 54:17) We do not fear those who are used by Satan. Jesus is helping us as he promised. (Matthew 28:20) We can be confident because no matter what our enemies do, they will never stop us!

16, 17. (a) How does Jesus’ resurrection confirm all that he taught? (b) According to John 11:25, what power has God given Jesus?

¹⁶ Jesus’ resurrection confirms all that he taught. One Bible scholar wrote that if Christ was not resurrected, then Christians are foolish people who believe a big lie. Paul wrote that if Jesus were not resurrected, the preaching and the faith of Christians would be worthless. In fact, the Gospel accounts would simply be a sad story of a good and wise man who was killed by his enemies. But Jesus was resurrected, which confirms that everything he taught was true.​—Read 1 Corinthians 15:14, 15, 20.

¹⁷ Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life.” (John 11:25) This promise of Jesus is guaranteed to come true. Jehovah has given Jesus the power to resurrect those who will rule in heaven and the billions who will live on earth. Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection guarantee that there will be no more death. So we can have the strength to endure any trial and even to face death with courage!

18. The resurrection of Jesus guarantees what?

¹⁸ Jesus’ resurrection gives us the confidence that people will be judged according to Jehovah’s loving standards. Paul told a group of men and women in Athens that God will “judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed” and that “he has provided a guarantee to all men by resurrecting him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) God appointed Jesus to be our Judge, and we can be sure that his judgment will be fair and loving.​—Read Isaiah 11:2-4.

19. How does belief in Christ’s resurrection affect us?

¹⁹ We want to do God’s will because we believe in Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus had not given his life and had not been resurrected, we would remain under sin and death. (Romans 5:12; 6:23) We would have no hope and might as well say: “Eat and drink, for tomorrow we are to die.” (1 Corinthians 15:32) But we do not focus on life’s pleasures. Instead, we cherish the hope of the resurrection and are always eager to obey Jehovah.

20. How is Jesus’ resurrection evidence of God’s greatness?

²⁰ Jesus’ resurrection is evidence of the greatness of Jehovah, the one who “becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Jehovah used great power and wisdom in resurrecting Jesus to immortal life in heaven. God also showed his ability to make his promises come true. Jehovah promised that a special “offspring” would settle the issue of universal sovereignty. For this promise to come true, the “offspring,” Jesus, had to die and be resurrected.​—Genesis 3:15.

21. What does the resurrection hope mean to you?

²¹ We are very thankful to Jehovah for the hope of the resurrection. The Bible promises: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” That promise was given to the apostle John, who was told: “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Who gave John that revelation? It came from the resurrected Jesus Christ!​—Revelation 1:1; 21:3-5.

1. How can the book of Leviticus help us?

JEHOVAH expects all of his servants to be holy. Even though holiness is mentioned throughout the entire Bible, this quality is most often referred to in the book of Leviticus. Understanding and appreciating this book will help us to know how we can be holy.

2. What do we find in the book of Leviticus?

² Leviticus, written by Moses, is part of “all Scripture” that is “beneficial for teaching.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Jehovah’s name is mentioned about ten times in each chapter of this book. Understanding Leviticus will strengthen us to avoid doing anything that would dishonor God’s name. (Leviticus 22:32) The phrase “I am Jehovah,” which is repeated many times in this book, should remind us to obey God. In this article and the next, we will discover valuable treasures found in Leviticus, which will help us to be holy in our worship to God.

HOLINESS REQUIRED

3, 4. What did the washing of Aaron and his sons represent? (See opening picture.)

³ Read Leviticus 8:5, 6. Jehovah appointed Aaron to be Israel’s high priest, and his sons were to be priests for the nation. Aaron represents Jesus, and Aaron’s sons represent anointed Christians. What did the washing of Aaron mean? Did it mean that Jesus needed to be cleansed? No. Jesus was sinless and “without blemish.” (Hebrews 7:26; 9:14) However, after Aaron was washed, he represented Jesus, who is clean and righteous. So, what does the washing of Aaron’s sons represent?

⁴ The washing of Aaron’s sons represents the cleansing of those who are selected to be priests in heaven. Is this cleansing connected with their baptism? No, because baptism does not wash away sins. Instead, baptism is a symbol of a person’s dedication to God. The anointed are cleansed “by means of the word,” so they must apply Christ’s teachings fully in their lives. (Ephesians 5:25-27) In this way, they are holy and clean. But what about the “other sheep”?​—John 10:16.

5. Why can it be said that the other sheep are cleansed by means of God’s Word?

⁵ Aaron’s sons did not represent the “great crowd” of Jesus’ other sheep. (Revelation 7:9) Yet, the other sheep too become holy and clean by means of God’s Word. When those with the earthly hope put faith in what the Bible says about the power of Jesus’ sacrifice, they are motivated to worship Jehovah “day and night.” (Revelation 7:13-15) The cleansing of the anointed and the other sheep is continual. As a result, their conduct remains clean at all times. (1 Peter 2:12) Jehovah is pleased when he sees that all of his people are clean and united as they obey and loyally follow their Shepherd, Jesus!

6. Why must we examine ourselves regularly?

⁶ What does the fact that Israel’s priests had to be physically clean mean for us today? Many people with whom we study the Bible notice that we are neat and clean and that we also keep our places of worship clean. In addition, those who want to worship Jehovah must have “a pure heart.” (Read Psalm 24:3, 4; Isaiah 2:2, 3.) So we must serve Jehovah with clean minds and hearts as well as with clean bodies. We need to examine ourselves regularly. At times we may find that we need to make major changes in order to be holy. (2 Corinthians 13:5) For example, a baptized person who views pornography should ask himself, ‘Am I proving myself holy?’ He should then get help to stop this wicked practice.​—James 5:14.

PROVE YOURSELVES HOLY BY BEING OBEDIENT

7. What example did Jesus set that was similar to that of the priests mentioned at Leviticus 8:22-24?

⁷ When Israel’s priesthood was installed, the blood of a male sheep was put on the right ear, thumb, and big toe of High Priest Aaron and his sons. (Read Leviticus 8:22-24.) The way the blood was used illustrated that the priests would obediently carry out their duties. In a similar way, Jesus, as High Priest, set a perfect example for the anointed and the other sheep. He listened to God’s guidance, he did Jehovah’s will, and he followed a holy way of life.​—John 4:31-34.

8. What must all of us do?

⁸ As Jehovah’s worshippers, all of us must follow the example of Jesus, who kept his integrity to God. We must strictly obey God’s guidance found in the Bible and in this way avoid “grieving God’s holy spirit.” (Ephesians 4:30) Be determined to make “straight paths for your feet.”​—Hebrews 12:13.

9. What did three brothers who have worked closely with members of the Governing Body say, and how can their statements help you to be holy?

⁹ Let us examine the words of three brothers who for many years have worked closely with members of the Governing Body. One brother mentioned: “While this has indeed been a unique privilege of service, the close association has from time to time revealed that, although spirit anointed, these brothers are imperfect. Yet, one of my goals over the years has been to be obedient to those taking the lead.” The second brother said: “Such scriptures as 2 Corinthians 10:5, about ‘obedience to Christ,’ have helped me to be obedient and cooperate with those taking the lead. This is obedience from the heart.” The third brother said: “Loving what Jehovah loves and hating what he hates, as well as constantly seeking his guidance and doing what pleases him, means obedience to his organization and to those he is using to advance his purpose for the earth.” This brother remembers the example of Nathan Knorr. Brother Knorr, who became a member of the Governing Body, accepted what was said in the 1925 Watch Tower article “Birth of the Nation,” even though others questioned it. Such obedience truly impressed the brother. Meditating on the words of these three brothers can help you to be obedient to God and remain holy.

HOLY OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S LAW ON BLOOD

10. How important is it that we obey God’s law on blood?

¹⁰ Read Leviticus 17:10. Jehovah commanded the Israelites not to eat “any sort of blood.” Christians are also commanded to abstain from the blood of humans and animals. (Acts 15:28, 29) It is painful for us to imagine doing anything that would cause God to reject us and remove us from his congregation. We love Jehovah and want to obey him. Even if our life is in danger, we will not give in when those who do not know or care about Jehovah demand that we disobey him. We know that some will make fun of us for refusing blood, but we choose to obey God. (Jude 17, 18) What will help us to be determined not to eat blood or accept a blood transfusion?​—Deuteronomy 12:23.

11. Why can we say that Atonement Day was more than a ritual?

¹¹ What Israel’s high priest did once a year on Atonement Day helps us to understand how God views blood. Blood was used only for a special purpose. It was used for forgiveness of sins so that the Israelites could have a peaceful relationship with God. The blood of the bull and the goat was sprinkled in front of the cover of the ark of the covenant. (Leviticus 16:14, 15, 19) By means of that blood, God would forgive the sins of the Israelites. Jehovah also said that if a man killed an animal for food, its blood was to be poured out on the ground and covered with dust, because “the life of every sort of flesh is its blood.” (Leviticus 17:11-14) These commands were not unimportant rituals. Hundreds of years earlier, God had prohibited Noah and his descendants from eating blood. (Genesis 9:3-6) What does this mean for Christians?

12. How does Paul connect blood with forgiveness?

¹² The apostle Paul explained that blood had the power to cleanse when he wrote: “According to the Law nearly all things are cleansed with blood, and unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place.” (Hebrews 9:22) But the value of animal sacrifices was temporary. Paul mentioned that these sacrifices reminded the Israelites that they were sinners and that they needed a greater sacrifice to remove their sins completely. The Law was “a shadow of the good things to come, but not the very substance of the things.” (Hebrews 10:1-4) So how would forgiveness of sins be possible?

13. What does Jesus’ presenting the value of his blood to Jehovah mean to you?

¹³ Read Ephesians 1:7. Jesus died as a sacrifice for all humans, and this has great meaning for those who love him and his Father. (Galatians 2:20) Yet, it was what Jesus did after his resurrection that saved us from sin, as illustrated by what happened on Atonement Day. When the high priest went into the Most Holy, it was as if he entered into God’s presence. There, the priest presented the blood of the animals to God. (Leviticus 16:11-15) After his resurrection, Jesus entered into heaven and presented the value of his human blood to God. (Hebrews 9:6, 7, 11-14, 24-28) We are grateful that we can have forgiveness of sins and a clean conscience because we have faith in the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice!

14, 15. Why is it important to understand and obey Jehovah’s law on blood?

¹⁴ Perhaps now it is clearer to you why Jehovah commands us not to eat “any sort of blood.” (Leviticus 17:10) Do you understand why blood is so sacred to God? Blood represents life. (Genesis 9:4) No doubt you will agree that we should view blood the way God does and that we should obey his command to abstain from it. The only way we can have peace with God is to have faith in Jesus’ ransom sacrifice and understand that blood is very precious to our Creator.​—Colossians 1:19, 20.

¹⁵ Any one of us may unexpectedly have to decide whether or not to accept a blood transfusion, blood fractions, or medical procedures that involve blood. So it is important that you pray to Jehovah, do research, and make a firm decision before an emergency happens. Then you will have the confidence to abstain from blood. We would never want to make Jehovah sad by accepting something that he condemns! Today many doctors and others encourage us to give our own blood with the hope of saving lives. But as God’s holy people, we know that Jehovah has the right to say how blood should be used. To him, “any sort of blood” is sacred. So we must be determined to obey his law on blood. We can also show him by our clean conduct that we value the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice. Only his blood makes forgiveness of sins and everlasting life possible.​—John 3:16.

WHY JEHOVAH EXPECTS US TO BE HOLY

16. Why must Jehovah’s people be holy?

¹⁶ When Jehovah freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, they were told: “I am Jehovah, who is leading you up out of the land of Egypt to prove myself God to you, and you must be holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:45) Jehovah expected the Israelites to be holy because he is holy. And Jehovah expects the same of us today. The book of Leviticus makes this absolutely clear.

17. How do you now feel about the Bible book of Leviticus?

¹⁷ No doubt you have benefited from our discussion of some points from Leviticus. Very likely, you appreciate this book of the Bible much more and better understand the reasons why we must be holy. Still, what more can we learn from Leviticus? How can this book of the Bible help us to worship God in a clean way? We will discuss this in the next article.

1, 2. (a) What does Jehovah expect from his people? (b) This article will answer what questions?

UNDER inspiration, the apostle Peter quoted the book of Leviticus and explained that Christians must be holy just as the Israelites had to be holy. (Read 1 Peter 1:14-16.) “The Holy One,” Jehovah, expects the anointed and the “other sheep” to do their best to become holy in all their conduct.​—John 10:16.

² In this article, we will extract principles from the book of Leviticus that will help us to learn God’s standard of holiness and to apply it in our lives. We will also answer the following questions: How should we view compromise? What does Leviticus teach us about supporting Jehovah’s sovereignty? What can we learn from the sacrifices that the Israelites offered?

BEWARE OF COMPROMISE

3, 4. (a) Why must Christians avoid compromising on Bible laws and principles? (b) Why should we not take revenge or hold a grudge?

³ To please Jehovah, we must obey his laws and principles, never having an unholy, compromising attitude toward any of them. Today, we are not under the Law of Moses, but that Law helps us to understand what is acceptable or unacceptable to Jehovah. For example, the Israelites were told: “You must not take vengeance nor hold a grudge against the sons of your people, and you must love your fellow man as yourself. I am Jehovah.”​—Leviticus 19:18.

⁴ Jehovah does not want us to take revenge or hold a grudge. (Romans 12:19) If we were to ignore God’s laws and principles, Satan would be happy and we would dishonor God’s name. Even if someone hurts us, we should not become so angry that it consumes us. The Bible describes us as “earthen vessels,” or clay containers, that hold a treasure. This treasure is the ministry. (2 Corinthians 4:1, 7) We do not want to put resentment, which is like acid, in the same vessel as a valuable treasure.

5. What can we learn from the account of Aaron and the death of his sons? (See opening picture.)

⁵ At Leviticus 10:1-11, we read about a situation that caused Aaron’s family extreme pain. Jehovah sent fire from heaven to destroy Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu. God then told Aaron and his family that they could not show their grief in any way. What a test of faith! Are you proving yourself holy by not associating with family members or others who are disfellowshipped?​—Read 1 Corinthians 5:11.

6, 7. (a) When deciding whether to participate in a church wedding, what must we think about? (See footnote.) (b) How might we explain why we would not participate in a church wedding?

⁶ We may not be tested the way that Aaron and his family were. But what if we were invited to attend and participate in a church wedding of a relative who is not a Witness? There is no law in the Bible that says we cannot attend, but there are principles that should affect our decision.a​—See footnote.

⁷ Our decision to please Jehovah and remain holy may confuse our relatives. (1 Peter 4:3, 4) We do not wish to offend them, so we should speak with them in a kind but honest way. If possible, we should have this discussion long before the event. We can thank them for inviting us to be a part of the wedding. Then we might say that we want them to be happy on their special day and that we would not want to embarrass them and their guests by not participating in the religious ceremony. This is one way we can avoid compromising our beliefs and faith.

SUPPORT JEHOVAH’S SOVEREIGNTY

8. How does Leviticus emphasize Jehovah’s sovereignty?

⁸ The book of Leviticus emphasizes Jehovah’s sovereignty. More than 30 times, we read that the laws in Leviticus come from God. Moses knew this and did exactly what Jehovah commanded him to do. (Leviticus 8:4, 5) Like Moses, we should always do what our Sovereign, Jehovah, wants us to do. Even though God’s organization will help us, at times our faith is tested when we are alone, just as it happened to Jesus in the wilderness. (Luke 4:1-13) If we trust in God and support his sovereignty, nobody can cause us to compromise. We will not give in to fear.​—Proverbs 29:25.

9. Why are God’s people hated in all nations?

⁹ We should expect that God’s people around the world will be persecuted, because Jesus told his disciples: “People will hand you over to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations on account of my name.” (Matthew 24:9) Even though we are hated, we continue to preach and remain holy in all our conduct. We are honest and physically and morally clean. We are also good citizens. So why do some people hate us? (Romans 13:1-7) Because we obey Jehovah as our Sovereign and no one else. We worship “him alone” and will never compromise on his righteous laws and principles.​—Matthew 4:10.

10. What happened to one brother who compromised his neutrality?

¹⁰ We are “no part of the world,” so we are neutral and do not get involved in the world’s wars and politics. (Read John 15:18-21; Isaiah 2:4.) Some dedicated Christians have compromised their neutrality. Many of these repented and returned to Jehovah. (Psalm 51:17) However, a few did not repent. For example, during World War II, many brothers were unjustly put in prisons throughout Hungary. Officials gathered 160 of them who were under 45 years of age into one town and ordered them to join the army. Most refused, but nine took the military oath and accepted uniforms. Two years later, one who compromised was assigned to execute the faithful Witnesses. His own fleshly brother was one of them! However, the faithful Witnesses who were condemned were not executed.

OFFER JEHOVAH YOUR BEST

11, 12. What can we learn from the sacrifices offered in ancient Israel?

¹¹ The Law specified what sacrifices the Israelites had to offer. (Leviticus 9:1-4, 15-21) The sacrifices had to be unblemished because they pointed to Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. Also, the Israelites had to follow a specific procedure with each type of sacrifice. Leviticus 12:6 describes what a mother of a newborn child was required to do: “When the days of her purification for a son or a daughter are completed, she will bring a young ram in its first year for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the priest.” Although Jehovah’s requirements were specific, the Law made it clear that he is loving and reasonable. For example, if the mother could not afford a sheep, she was allowed to offer two turtledoves or two young pigeons. (Leviticus 12:8) Even though she was poor, Jehovah loved and appreciated her just as much as those who could offer an expensive gift. What can we learn from this?

¹² The apostle Paul urged Christians to offer to God “a sacrifice of praise.” (Hebrews 13:15) We offer a sacrifice of praise when we speak to others about Jehovah’s name. Brothers and sisters who are deaf use sign language to praise God. Christians who are unable to leave their homes praise Jehovah by letter writing, telephone witnessing, and preaching to visitors. How much we are able to do in praising Jehovah will depend on our health and ability, but what we offer should always be our best.​—Romans 12:1; 2 Timothy 2:15.

13. Why should we report the time we spend in the ministry?

¹³ Because we love Jehovah, we willingly offer him sacrifices of praise. (Matthew 22:37, 38) But what should be our attitude when we are asked to report the time we spend in the ministry every month? We should be willing to do it because in this way, we show our godly devotion. (2 Peter 1:7) Still, no one should feel that he must spend many hours in the ministry just to turn in a larger report. In fact, if a publisher is unable to do much in the ministry because of his age or health, he can report as little as 15 minutes. Since this is the best he can do, Jehovah is happy with that. Jehovah also knows that our brothers and sisters love him and really want to be his Witnesses. Just like those in ancient Israel who although poor could still offer a gift to God, today those who are limited can still turn in a report with which they can be happy. Our report is included in the total world report, which helps the organization to plan for the needs of the field. This is the reason why we report the time we spend in the ministry.

OUR STUDY HABITS AND SACRIFICES OF PRAISE

14. Explain why we should examine our study habits.

¹⁴ After learning these valuable lessons from the book of Leviticus, do you have a deeper appreciation for the reasons why this book has been included in God’s inspired Word? (2 Timothy 3:16) Are you more determined to remain holy? Jehovah requires that we give him our best, and he deserves it. You may also want to study the rest of the Bible more deeply. (Read Proverbs 2:1-5.) Examine your study habits prayerfully. Ask yourself: ‘Am I giving Jehovah my best? Or do I allow television programs, video games, sports activities, or hobbies to keep me from making progress in the truth?’ If so, it may be good to think seriously about what Paul said in the book of Hebrews.

15, 16. Why was Paul so direct when he wrote to the Hebrew Christians?

¹⁵ Paul was very straightforward when he wrote to the Hebrew Christians. (Read Hebrews 5:7, 11-14.) He told them: “You have become dull in your hearing.” Why was he so direct? Like Jehovah, he loved them and was concerned that they were trying to survive on only milk, or a basic knowledge of the Bible. Even though understanding basic teachings is important, we need to take in “solid food,” that is, deeper Bible teachings, if we want to make progress in the truth.

¹⁶ Instead of being able to teach others, the Hebrews needed someone to teach them. Why? They avoided “solid food.” Ask yourself: ‘Do I have the right attitude toward deeper Bible teachings? Am I eager to study them? Or do I avoid deep study and prayer? If so, are my study habits part of the problem?’ We not only must preach to people but also teach them and make disciples.​—Matthew 28:19, 20.

17, 18. (a) Why should we regularly take in “solid food”? (b) How should we view the use of alcohol before our meetings?

¹⁷ Jehovah does not use guilt to make us want to study the Bible. Even if Bible study is not easy for us, we should continue to take in “solid food” no matter how long we have been in the truth. This is essential if we want to remain holy.

¹⁸ To be holy, we must examine the Scriptures carefully and do exactly what God asks of us. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu were executed for offering “unauthorized fire,” perhaps while they were under the influence of alcohol. (Leviticus 10:1, 2) Note what God then told Aaron. (Read Leviticus 10:8-11.) Does this passage mean that we must not drink anything alcoholic before going to a Christian meeting? Think about these points: We are not under the Law. (Romans 10:4) In some lands, our fellow believers use alcoholic beverages in moderation at meals before attending meetings. Four cups of wine were used at the Passover. When instituting the Memorial, Jesus had his apostles drink wine that represented his blood. (Matthew 26:27) The Bible condemns heavy drinking and drunkenness. (1 Corinthians 6:10; 1 Timothy 3:8) And because of their conscience, many Christians may not drink any alcohol before worshipping Jehovah. However, circumstances are different from one country to another, and the important thing is for Christians to “distinguish between the holy thing and the profane” so that they can remain holy and please Jehovah.

19. (a) How can we make our family worship and personal study meaningful? (b) How can you show that you are determined to remain holy?

¹⁹ There are many beautiful Bible principles that we can discover if we make a careful search of God’s Word. Use the research tools available to make your family worship and personal study meaningful. Get to know Jehovah and his purposes better. Draw close to him. (James 4:8) Pray to God as the psalmist did who sang: “Open my eyes so that I may see clearly the wonderful things from your law.” (Psalm 119:18) Never compromise on Bible laws and principles. Willingly obey the law of “the Holy One,” Jehovah, and zealously participate in “the holy work of the good news of God.” (1 Peter 1:15; Romans 15:16) We need to remain holy during these wicked last days. May all of us be holy in our conduct and support Jehovah’s sovereignty.

1. What do some believe about those who worship God?

MANY today say that the main religions of the world do little to help mankind. Some think that God cannot approve of these religions because they do not teach the truth about God and they do terrible things. Still, they often believe that God accepts good people in all religions. But is this true? Or does God require that those who worship him be separate from false religions? Let us find the answer by seeing what the Bible says about Jehovah’s true worshippers throughout history.

GOD’S COVENANT WITH HIS PEOPLE

2. Who became Jehovah’s people? What identified them as a people who had a special relationship with Jehovah? (See opening picture.)

² About 4,000 years ago, Jehovah selected a group to be his people on earth. Abraham is described in the Bible as “the father of all those having faith,” and he was the leader of a large family with hundreds of servants. (Romans 4:11; Genesis 14:14) In Canaan, he was respected as “a great chieftain.” (Genesis 21:22; 23:6; footnote) Jehovah made a covenant, or an agreement, with Abraham and his descendants. (Genesis 17:1, 2, 19) God told Abraham: “This is my covenant between me and you, that you and your offspring after you will keep: Every male among you must get circumcised.” He added: “It will serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you.” (Genesis 17:10, 11) So Abraham and all the males of his family were circumcised. (Genesis 17:24-27) Circumcision identified Abraham’s descendants as the people who had a special relationship with Jehovah.

3. How did Abraham’s descendants become a people?

³ Abraham’s grandson Jacob, or Israel, had 12 sons. (Genesis 35:10, 22b-26) In time, these sons became fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel. (Acts 7:8) Jacob’s son Joseph was taken to Egypt, and Pharaoh later gave him great authority. During a famine, Joseph was responsible to oversee the food supply for the entire country. Because of this famine, Jacob and his family went to Egypt. (Genesis 41:39-41; 42:6) Jacob’s descendants became many and were called “a congregation of peoples.”​—Genesis 48:4; read Acts 7:17.

JEHOVAH SAVES HIS PEOPLE

4. At first, what relationship existed between the Egyptians and the descendants of Jacob?

⁴ The descendants of Jacob lived for more than 200 years in a part of Egypt called Goshen. (Genesis 45:9, 10) Pharaoh had invited the Israelites to live in Egypt because he knew Joseph and respected him. (Genesis 47:1-6) For about 100 years, they were at peace with the Egyptians. The Israelites lived in small towns and raised animals. Although the Egyptians hated people who herded sheep, they had to obey Pharaoh and allow the Israelites to live there.​—Genesis 46:31-34.

5, 6. (a) How did the situation of God’s people change in Egypt? (b) Why was Moses not killed, and what did Jehovah do for His people?

⁵ After a while, the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. The Bible says: “In time there arose over Egypt a new king, one who did not know Joseph. So he said to his people: ‘Look! The people of Israel are more numerous and mightier than we are.’” As a result, the Egyptians forced the Israelites to make bricks, to care for fields, and to do other hard work as slaves. They treated the Israelites cruelly.​—Exodus 1:8, 9, 13, 14.

⁶ This new Pharaoh also commanded that all Israelite baby boys be killed when they were born. (Exodus 1:15, 16) At that time, an Israelite woman, Jochebed, gave birth to Moses. When he was three months old, she hid him in the reeds growing by the Nile River. Soon, the daughter of Pharaoh found Moses and adopted him. She allowed Moses’ mother to take care of him as he grew up. In time, Moses became a loyal servant of Jehovah. (Exodus 2:1-10; Hebrews 11:23-25) Jehovah saw that his people were suffering and decided to use Moses to lead them out of Egypt. (Exodus 2:24, 25; 3:9, 10) In this way, Jehovah “redeemed,” or saved, the Israelites.​—Exodus 15:13; read Deuteronomy 15:15.

GOD’S PEOPLE BECOME A NATION

7, 8. How did Jehovah’s people become a holy nation?

⁷ Jehovah had not yet organized the Israelites as a nation with laws and a priesthood, but he chose them as his people. That is why Moses and Aaron were instructed to say to Pharaoh: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘Send my people away so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.’”​—Exodus 5:1.

⁸ But Pharaoh did not want to let the Israelites go. To free his people, Jehovah brought ten plagues on Egypt and later destroyed Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea. (Exodus 15:1-4) Less than three months later, Jehovah made a covenant with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, saying: “If you will strictly obey my voice and keep my covenant, you will certainly become my special property out of all peoples.” They would become “a holy nation.”​—Exodus 19:5, 6.

9, 10. (a) As explained at Deuteronomy 4:5-8, how did the Law make the Israelites different from other nations? (b) What did the Israelites have to do to show that they were “a people holy to Jehovah”?

⁹ For centuries, servants of Jehovah were led by family heads who served as rulers, judges, and priests. In Egypt, the Israelites followed this system of leadership before they became slaves. (Genesis 8:20; 18:19; Job 1:4, 5) However, after Jehovah freed the Israelites from slavery, he gave them laws that made them different from all other nations. (Read Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Psalm 147:19, 20) The Law set up a separate group to be priests for the nation. Also, the Law said that the “elders,” who were respected for their knowledge and wisdom, would be judges. (Deuteronomy 25:7, 8) The Law gave the people instructions for their worship and their daily life.

¹⁰ Just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Jehovah repeated his laws to them. Moses told them: “Today Jehovah has obtained your declaration that you will become his people, his special property, just as he has promised you, and that you will observe all his commandments and that he will put you high above all the other nations that he has made, giving you praise and fame and glory as you prove yourself a people holy to Jehovah your God.”​—Deuteronomy 26:18, 19.

NON-ISRAELITES COULD WORSHIP WITH GOD’S PEOPLE

11-13. (a) Who began to worship with God’s people? (b) If people who were not Israelites wanted to worship Jehovah, what did they need to do?

¹¹ Although the Israelites were Jehovah’s chosen nation on earth, he allowed people who were not Israelites to live among his people. For example, the Bible says that a large number of them, including Egyptians, went with the Israelites when God brought them out of Egypt. (Exodus 12:38; footnote) Likely among them were some of Pharaoh’s servants who had obeyed Moses’ warning during the seventh plague.​—Exodus 9:20.

¹² Just before the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into Canaan, Moses told them that they must love the foreign residents in their midst, that is, the non-Israelites who lived with them. (Deuteronomy 10:17-19) If a non-Israelite was willing to obey basic laws, such as the Ten Commandments, God’s people were instructed to let that person live in their community. (Leviticus 24:22) Some non-Israelites even became worshippers of Jehovah. For example, Ruth was a Moabite who wanted to serve Jehovah. She said to the Israelite Naomi: “Your people will be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16) These non-Israelites were called proselytes, and the males were circumcised. (Exodus 12:48, 49) Jehovah was happy to allow them to be a part of his chosen people.​—Numbers 15:14, 15.

¹³ One of Solomon’s prayers also shows that Jehovah approved of non-Israelite worshippers. When the temple was dedicated, Solomon prayed: “Concerning the foreigner who is not part of your people Israel and who comes from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, and he comes and prays toward this house, may you then listen from the heavens, your dwelling place, and do all that the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as your people Israel do, and may know that your name has been called on this house that I have built.” (2 Chronicles 6:32, 33) Even in Jesus’ day, non-Israelites who wanted to worship Jehovah could do so if they worshipped with His chosen people.​—John 12:20; Acts 8:27.

A NATION OF WITNESSES

14-16. (a) In what way were the Israelites to become a nation of witnesses for Jehovah? (b) What does Jehovah expect from his people today?

¹⁴ The Israelites worshipped their God, Jehovah, but other nations worshipped their own gods. So an important question needed to be answered: Who was the true God? In Isaiah’s day, Jehovah said that this question had to be answered in the same way that a legal question is answered in a court trial. He said that if the gods of the nations were real, they should provide their own witnesses for this trial. He said: “Let them present their witnesses to prove themselves right, or let them hear and say, ‘It is the truth!’”​—Isaiah 43:9.

¹⁵ The gods of the nations could not prove that they were real. They were only idols that could not speak and could not move unless someone carried them. (Isaiah 46:5-7) But Jehovah told his people Israel: “You are my witnesses, . . . yes, my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and have faith in me and understand that I am the same One. Before me no God was formed, and after me there has been none. I​—I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no savior. . . . So you are my witnesses, . . . and I am God.”​—Isaiah 43:10-12.

¹⁶ Like witnesses in a court trial, Jehovah’s people had the honor to testify that Jehovah is the only true God. He called them “the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.” (Isaiah 43:21) They were known as Jehovah’s people. Because Jehovah had freed Israel from Egypt, he expected them to obey him willingly and glorify him as their Sovereign. Jehovah expects the same from his people today. The prophet Micah expresses the attitude God’s people should have: “All the peoples will walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God forever and ever.”​—Micah 4:5.

A REBELLIOUS PEOPLE

17. Why did Jehovah view Israel as a useless vine?

¹⁷ Sadly, Israel was not faithful to Jehovah. They started to imitate nations that worshipped gods made of wood and stone, and they made many altars for false worship. About 2,800 years ago, the prophet Hosea said that Israel was like a grapevine that was no longer producing good fruit. He added: “Their heart is hypocritical; now they will be found guilty.” (Hosea 10:1, 2) About 150 years later, Jeremiah too compared rebellious Israel to a grapevine. He described them as an excellent vine that changed and became useless. Through Jeremiah, Jehovah said: “Where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them rise up if they can save you in your time of calamity.” He added: “My own people have forgotten me.”​—Jeremiah 2:21, 28, 32.

18, 19. (a) How did Jehovah foretell that he would have a new chosen people on earth? (b) What will the next article discuss?

¹⁸ Israel produced bad fruit because they did not worship Jehovah in the right way. They did not continue to be his witnesses but instead worshipped idols. So Jesus told the wicked Jewish leaders of his day: “The Kingdom of God will be taken from you and be given to a nation producing its fruits.” (Matthew 21:43) Only individuals whom Jehovah would choose could be part of that new nation, spiritual Israel. He would make “a new covenant” with them. Jehovah said about them: “I will become their God, and they will become my people.”​—Jeremiah 31:31-33.

¹⁹ After Israel became unfaithful, Jehovah chose spiritual Israel to become his people in the first century. But who are his people today? How can those who want to serve God know who his true worshippers are? We will discuss this in the next article.

1, 2. What change did Jehovah make on Pentecost of the year 33? Who became members of Jehovah’s new nation? (See opening picture.)

ON Pentecost of the year 33, Jehovah made a historic change. He created a new nation called “the Israel of God,” or spiritual Israel. (Galatians 6:16) Jehovah used his holy spirit to select the individual members of this nation. Paul wrote that those in this new nation do not need to be circumcised as the descendants of Abraham did. Instead, their “circumcision is that of the heart” by holy spirit.​—Romans 2:29.

² The first members of God’s new nation were the apostles and over a hundred other disciples of Christ who had met together in an upper room in Jerusalem. (Acts 1:12-15) God poured out holy spirit on them, and they became sons of God. (Romans 8:15, 16; 2 Corinthians 1:21) This proved that Jehovah had accepted Christ’s sacrifice and replaced the Law covenant with a new covenant. (Luke 22:20; read Hebrews 9:15.) These anointed disciples became members of Jehovah’s new nation, or people. Holy spirit gave them the ability to speak and understand many languages and to teach “the magnificent things of God.”​—Acts 2:1-11.

THE NEW PEOPLE OF GOD

3-5. (a) What did Peter tell the Jews on the day of Pentecost? (b) How did the new nation grow during its early years?

³ Jehovah used the apostle Peter to invite Jews and proselytes to become members of His new nation, the congregation of anointed Christians. On the day of Pentecost, Peter boldly told the Jews that they had killed Jesus and that now they needed to accept him as their “Lord and Christ.” When the crowd asked what they should do, Peter told them: “Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the free gift of the holy spirit.” (Acts 2:22, 23, 36-38) That day, about 3,000 people became part of the new nation of spiritual Israel. (Acts 2:41) Afterward, the apostles continued to preach with zeal, and more people accepted the truth. (Acts 6:7) The new nation was growing.

⁴ Later, Jesus’ disciples began preaching to the Samaritans. Many of them accepted the truth and were baptized, but they did not receive the holy spirit. The governing body in Jerusalem sent Peter and John to visit these new Samaritan brothers and sisters. These two apostles laid their hands on them, “and they began to receive holy spirit.” (Acts 8:5, 6, 14-17) In this way, these Samaritans were anointed and became members of spiritual Israel.

⁵ In the year 36, God used Peter to invite another group into the new nation of spiritual Israel. This happened when Peter preached to the Roman army officer Cornelius and his relatives and friends. (Acts 10:22, 24, 34, 35) The Bible says that while Peter was speaking, holy spirit was given to all the non-Jews who were listening. “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the free gift of the holy spirit was being poured out also on people of the nations.” (Acts 10:44, 45) From that time on, uncircumcised non-Jews were invited to be a part of spiritual Israel.

“A PEOPLE FOR HIS NAME”

6, 7. What did the members of the new nation do as a people for Jehovah’s name?

⁶ At a meeting of the governing body in the year 49, the disciple James said: “Symeon [Peter] has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name.” (Acts 15:14) This new “people for his name” included Jewish and non-Jewish Christians whom God formed into one nation. (Romans 11:25, 26a) Later, Peter wrote: “You were once not a people, but now you are God’s people.” Peter explained the purpose of this new nation by saying: “You are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that you should declare abroad the excellencies’ of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9, 10) They had to be courageous witnesses for Jehovah and publicly praise him as the Universal Sovereign.

⁷ Jehovah was now using the new nation of spiritual Israel and could call them “the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.” (Isaiah 43:21) They courageously told people that Jehovah is the one true God and that all other gods were false. (1 Thessalonians 1:9) They were witnesses of Jehovah and of Jesus “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the most distant part of the earth.”​—Acts 1:8; Colossians 1:23.

8. What warning did the apostle Paul give to God’s people in the first century?

⁸ Paul was a brave witness for Jehovah and defended him as the only true God, even when he spoke to pagan philosophers. He reasoned that Jehovah “made the world and all the things in it” and that he is the “Lord of heaven and earth.” (Acts 17:18, 23-25) Paul also warned the congregation: “I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts 20:29, 30) By the end of the first century, there were already many apostates.​—1 John 2:18, 19.

9. What happened to God’s people after the apostles died?

⁹ After the apostles died, the apostates spread throughout the congregations and created the churches of Christendom. Instead of being a people for Jehovah’s name, these false Christians have removed God’s name from many of their Bible translations. They have also dishonored God in many other ways. They have followed pagan rituals and taught doctrines that are not from the Bible. They have fought so-called holy wars and claimed to have been fighting for God. They have been corrupt and sexually immoral. For hundreds of years after the apostasy began, there were only a few faithful worshippers of Jehovah on the earth and no organized group who were “a people for his name.”

REBIRTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE

10, 11. (a) What did Jesus foretell about “the wheat” and “the weeds”? (b) How was Jesus’ parable fulfilled after 1914?

¹⁰ Jesus used his parable of the wheat and the weeds to foretell that the apostasy would make it very difficult to identify the true religion. He said that “while men were sleeping,” the Devil would plant weeds in the field where the Son of man had sown wheat seeds. The wheat and the weeds would grow together until “the conclusion of the system of things.” He explained that “the fine seed” means “the sons of the Kingdom” and that “the weeds” are “the sons of the wicked one.” During the time of the end, the Son of man would send angels to separate the weeds from the wheat. Then the angels would gather the sons of the Kingdom. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43) How did this happen? How did this make it possible for God to have an organized group of worshippers on earth again?

¹¹ “The conclusion of the system of things” began in 1914. At that time, there were only a few thousand anointed Christians on earth. During the war that began that year, these anointed “sons of the Kingdom” were still in captivity to Babylon the Great. But in 1919, Jehovah freed them, and the difference between these true Christians and false Christians became very clear. He gathered “the sons of the Kingdom” to be an organized people, just as Isaiah had prophesied: “Will a land be brought to birth in one day? Or will a nation be born all at once? Yet, as soon as Zion went into labor, she gave birth to her sons.” (Isaiah 66:8) In this context, Zion is Jehovah’s organization of angels. Zion “gave birth” when the nation of anointed sons on earth was created.

12. How are the anointed a people for Jehovah’s name?

¹² Like the first-century Christians, the anointed “sons of the Kingdom” today are witnesses of Jehovah. (Read Isaiah 43:1, 10, 11.) They stand out as different because of their good Christian conduct and because they preach the good news of the Kingdom “for a witness to all the nations.” (Matthew 24:14; Philippians 2:15) In this way, they have helped millions to develop their own close relationship with Jehovah.​—Read Daniel 12:3.

“WE WANT TO GO WITH YOU”

13, 14. What must those who are not anointed do so that their worship is acceptable to Jehovah? How was this foretold in the Bible?

¹³ The previous article showed that in ancient Israel, Jehovah accepted the worship of non-Israelites when they worshipped with his people. (1 Kings 8:41-43) Today, those who are not anointed must worship Jehovah with his anointed Witnesses.

¹⁴ Long ago, prophets foretold that many would worship Jehovah with his people in this time of the end. Isaiah foretold: “Many peoples will go and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will instruct us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths.’ For law will go out of Zion, and the word of Jehovah out of Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:2, 3) Zechariah foretold that “many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek Jehovah of armies in Jerusalem and to beg for the favor of Jehovah.” This group would come out of “all the languages of the nations.” They would worship God along with spiritual Israel and say: “We want to go with you, for we have heard that God is with you people.”​—Zechariah 8:20-23.

15. What does it mean that the “other sheep” “go with” spiritual Israel?

¹⁵ The “other sheep” “go with” spiritual Israel by preaching the good news of the Kingdom. (Mark 13:10) They become a part of God’s people. They and the anointed are “one flock” under “the fine shepherd,” Christ Jesus.​—Read John 10:14-16.

BE PROTECTED WITH JEHOVAH’S PEOPLE

16. What will Jehovah do that will lead to Armageddon?

¹⁶ After Babylon the Great is destroyed, there will be an all-out attack on God’s people. We will need Jehovah’s protection to survive. At his chosen time, Jehovah will direct matters on earth, which will result in the attack on his people. This will trigger the final part of the “great tribulation,” Armageddon. (Matthew 24:21; Ezekiel 38:2-4) So Gog will attack “a people regathered from the nations.” (Ezekiel 38:10-12) When that happens, Jehovah will immediately intervene to rescue his people and wage war against Gog and his armies. Jehovah will magnify his sovereignty and sanctify his name. He says: “I will certainly magnify myself and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.”​—Ezekiel 38:18-23.

17, 18. (a) When Gog attacks Jehovah’s people, what instructions will Jehovah give them? (b) If we want to be protected by Jehovah, what must we do?

¹⁷ When Gog begins the attack, Jehovah will tell his servants: “Go, my people, enter your inner rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a brief moment until the wrath has passed by.” (Isaiah 26:20) During that time, Jehovah will give us instructions about what we need to do to be protected. The “inner rooms” may be connected with our local congregations.

¹⁸ If we want to be protected during the great tribulation, we must accept that God has a people on earth today and that he has organized them into congregations. We must take sides with Jehovah’s people and stay close to our local congregation. Just like the psalmist, may we say with all our heart: “Salvation belongs to Jehovah. Your blessing is upon your people.”​—Psalm 3:8.