Professional Documents
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34567
STUDY ARTICLES
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POPULATION
They Saw the Things Promised
3,026,900 Imitate the One Who Promises Everlasting Life
Our ability to think about things we have never experienced
PUBLISHERS or seen can be used wisely or unwisely. In these articles,
11,143 we will discuss several Bible characters. We will learn how
our ability to visualize things unseen can help us to exercise
REGULAR PIONEERS
faith and imitate Jehovahs love, kindness, wisdom, and
2,205 happiness.
2014
29 Questions From Readers
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34567
Vol. 136, No. 10 Semimonthly ENGLISH
May 15, 2015
This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) is published semi- ON L7G 4Y4. Periodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, NY,
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quotations are from the modern-language New World Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. 5 2015 Watch Tower Bible
Translation of the Holy Scriptures. NY 11201-2483, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Printed in Canada.
Society of Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown,
LIFE STORY
Remembering
My First Love
Has Helped
Me to Endure
AS TOLD BY
ANTHONY MORRIS III
IT WAS early summer in 1970. I lay in my hospi- Soon after I reported for duty at a surgical hos-
tal bed at the Valley Forge General Hospital, pital in the Mekong Delta, in Dong Tam, numer-
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, in the United States. ous helicopters lled with casualties arrived. I
A male nurse was taking my blood pressure was very patriotic and loved to work, so I want-
every half hour. I was a 20-year-old soldier suer- ed to get involved right away. The wounded
ing from a serious infectious illness. The nurse, were prepared and then rushed to the small air-
who was a few years older than I was, looked conditioned metal containers that served as op-
troubled. As my blood pressure continued to erating rooms. There a surgeon, an anesthetist,
drop, I said, Youve never seen anybody die be- a scrub nurse, and a circulating nurse were
fore, have you? The color left his face, and he an- crammed into the tiny space, doing their best to
swered, No, I havent. save lives. I noticed that some cargo in large,
At that time, my future looked bleak. But how black bags was not unloaded from the helicop-
did I end up in the hospital? Well, let me tell you ters. I was told that those bags contained the
some of my life story. body parts of soldiers who had been blown apart
in battle. That was my introduction to war.
MY INTRODUCTION TO WAR
I became ill while serving as an operating MY SEARCH FOR GOD
room technician during the war in Vietnam. I en- As a young person, I had some exposure to the
joyed helping the sick and injured and had the truth taught by Jehovahs Witnesses. My dear
goal of becoming a surgeon. I landed in Vietnam mother studied the Bible with the Witnesses, but
in July 1969. Like all new arrivals, I was allowed she did not progress toward baptism. I thorough-
one week of orientation so that I could adapt to ly enjoyed sitting in on my mothers studies.
the dierent time zone and the intense heat. About that same time, I went by a Kingdom Hall
4 THE WATCHTOWER
thereafter, we studied three chapters. I thorough-
ly enjoyed those studies. What a privilege it was
for me to be taught by that anointed brother who
had personally known Charles T. Russell!
After a few weeks, I was approved to be a pub-
lisher of the good news. Jim helped me with my
many concerns, including the challenge of the
house-to-house ministry. (Acts 20:20) As Jim
worked along with me, I came to enjoy the
preaching work. I still regard the ministry as my
greatest privilege. How delightful it is to be
Gods fellow worker!1 Cor. 3:9.
MY FIRST LOVE FOR JEHOVAH
Now let me tell you about a very personal mat-
termy rst love for Jehovah. (Rev. 2:4) That love
My Bible teacher was Jim Gardner, an anointed
for Jehovah has helped me to deal with painful brother who had known Charles Taze Russell
wartime memories and many other trials.Isa.
65:17.
I recall a special day in the spring of 1971. I had
recently been evicted from the condominium
where my parents had allowed me to live. My
stepfather was not going to have one of Jehovahs
Witnesses on his property! I did not have much
money at that time. The hospital where I worked
paid me every two weeks, and I had just spent
most of my check on dress clothes so that I could
engage in the ministry and properly represent Je-
hovah. I had some money saved, but it was in a
bank in Michigan, the state I grew up in. So I
needed to live out of my car for a few days. I
would shave and clean up at gas-station rest-
rooms.
One day during the time I was living in my car,
I arrived at the Kingdom Hall a couple of hours
6 THE WATCHTOWER
With my wife, Susan,
and our sons, Paul and Jesse
sire, he nurtured it and let it grow until it gave birth to sin. powerful?
(Jas. 1:14, 15) We know that creature as Satan, who did not
stand fast in the truth. He rebelled against Jehovah and be-
came the father of the lie.John 8:44.
2 Since his rebellion, Satan has proved to be Jehovahs
mankind. The titles given to Satan reveal the depth of his cor- vicious?
ruption. Satan means Resister, indicating that this wicked
spirit creature does not support Gods sovereignty; rather, he
hates it and aggressively ghts it. More than anything else,
Satan wants to see the end of Jehovahs sovereignty.
3 As noted at Revelation 12:9, Satan is called Devil, mean- ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ing Slanderer. This reminds us that Satan has defamed Je- deceptive?
hovah by calling him a liar. The words the original serpent
1. Explain how a spirit creature became Satan.
2, 3. What do the terms Satan, Devil, serpent, and dragon re-
veal about Jehovahs greatest enemy?
9
bring to mind that tragic day in Eden 6 Whereas faithful spirit creatures use
when Satan used a snake to deceive their power for good, Satan uses his
Eve. The expression the great dragon power for evil. And what power and in-
brings to mind thoughts of a terrifying uence he has! The Scriptures refer to
monster and aptly ts Satans savage him as the ruler of this world and the
craving to obstruct Jehovahs purpose god of this system of things. (John 12:
and destroy His people. 31; 2 Cor. 4:4) Satan the Devil even has
4 Clearly, Satan poses the greatest the means to cause death. (Heb. 2:14)
threat to our integrity. For good reason, This does not mean that he kills all peo-
the Bible admonishes us: Keep your ple directly. However, his murderous
senses, be watchful! Your adversary, the spirit has permeated this world. More-
Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, over, because Eve believed Satans lie
seeking to devour someone. (1 Pet. and Adam disobeyed God, sin and death
5:8) In view of that warning, this arti- spread to all mankind. (Rom. 5:12) In
cle will consider three characteristics that sense, the Devil has had the means
of Satan that underscore the need to to cause death. He is what Jesus called
guard against this unscrupulous enemy hima murderer. (John 8:44) What a
of Jehovah and His people. powerful enemy we have in Satan!
7 When we oppose Satan, we align
SATAN IS POWERFUL
ourselves against not only him but all
5 Spirit creatures called angels are those who side with him in the is-
mighty in power. (Ps. 103:20) They are sue of universal sovereignty. That num-
superior to humans and thus have great- ber includes a sizable group of other
er intellect and strength. Of course, spirit rebels, or demons. (Rev. 12:3, 4)
faithful angels use their power for good. Time and again, the demons have dem-
For example, on one occasion an angel onstrated their superhuman strength,
of Jehovah struck down 185,000 ene- causing great misery to those whom
my Assyrian soldiersa feat that would they have tormented. (Matt. 8:28-32;
have been impossible for one human Mark 5:1-5) Never underestimate the
and dicult even for an entire army. power of such wicked angels or that of
(2 Ki. 19:35) On another occasion an an- the ruler of the demons. (Matt. 9:34)
gel used his superhuman power and in- Without help from Jehovah, we could
genuity to release Jesus apostles from never win our ght against Satan.
jail. That spirit creature eluded security
measures, unlocked the doors, let out SATAN IS VICIOUS
the apostles, and then locked the doors 8 The apostle Peter likened Satan to a
behind themall of that while guards roaring lion. According to one refer-
were stationed nearby!Acts 5:18-23. ence work, the Greek word translated
4. What will be discussed in this article? 7. How have the demons shown themselves to
5, 6. (a) Give examples showing that spirit be powerful?
creatures are mighty in power. (b) In what 8. (a) What is Satans goal? (See opening im-
sense does Satan have the means to cause age.) (b) From your own observation, how does
death? this world reect Satans vicious spirit?
10 THE WATCHTOWER
Satan rejoices when one of
Jehovahs servants commits a sin
(See paragraph 10)
roaring denotes the howl of a beast sion before the kill and experiences no
in erce hunger. How well that de- remorse afterward. In a similar way, Sa-
scribes Satans vicious disposition! Al- tan has shown no pity for those whom
though the whole world already lies in he tries to devour. For example, think
his power, Satan is hungry for more vic- about how often Satan the Devil must
tims. (1 John 5:19) To him, the world have been lurking somewhere when the
might be a mere appetizer. In eect, Israelites succumbed to such sins as sex-
Satan has turned his attention to the ual immorality and greed. When you
main coursethe anointed remnant, read about the tragic consequences that
who are accompanied by their compan- befell immoral Zimri and greedy Gehazi,
ions, the other sheep. (John 10:16; Rev. for instance, can you see the roaring
12:17) Satan is intent on devouring Jeho- lion reveling in his conquest?Num. 25:
vahs people. The waves of persecution 6-8, 14, 15; 2 Ki. 5:20-27.
he has unleashed against Jesus follow- 10 Satan had special reason to focus
ers from the rst century until now give his attention on ancient Israel. After all,
evidence of his vicious spirit. that nation was to produce the Messiah
9 In his attempts to hinder Gods pur-
the very one who would crush Sa-
pose, Satan shows himself to be vicious tan and vindicate Jehovahs sovereignty.
in yet another way. A famished lion feels (Gen. 3:15) Satan did not want the Isra-
no pity for its prey. It feels no compas- elites to thrive, and he was vicious in his
9, 10. (a) How did Satan try to hinder Gods
eorts to contaminate them with sin. Do
purpose with regard to the nation of Israel? not imagine that Satan felt sorry for
(Give examples.) (b) Why did Satan have spe- David when he committed adultery or
cial reason to focus his attention on ancient Is- had any sympathy for Moses when that
rael? (c) How do you think the Devil feels when
one of Jehovahs servants commits a serious sin prophet was no longer qualied to enter
today? the Promised Land. On the contrary,
12 THE WATCHTOWER
God, might not shine through.2 Cor. times. Satan wants us to relax our guard,
4:4. to be kind to ourselves by carving out
15 One of Satans greatest means of a niche in this world, thus losing our
deception is false religion. How pleased sense of urgency. Do not let that happen
he must be to see people worship their to you! Instead, keep on the watch.
ancestors, or nature, or animalsanyone (Matt. 24:42) Never believe Satans de-
or anything other than Jehovah, who re- ceptive propaganda that the end is far
quires exclusive devotion! (Ex. 20:5) oor that it is not coming at all.
Even many who think that they are wor- 18 Satan tries to deceive us in yet an-
shipping God properly are shackled to other way. He would have us believe
false beliefs and useless rituals. They are that from Gods standpoint we are un-
in a pitiable state, much like that of lovable and our sins are unforgivable.
those whom Jehovah implored: Why do That is all part of Satans deceptive pro-
you keep paying out money for what is paganda. After all, who is particularly
not bread, and why spend your earnings and really unlovable in Jehovahs eyes? It
for what brings no satisfaction? Listen is Satan. Who is really unforgivable?
intently to me, and eat what is good, and Again, it is Satan. But the Bible assures
you will nd great delight in what is tru- us: God is not unrighteous so as to for-
ly rich.Isa. 55:2. get your work and the love you showed
16 Satan can fool even zealous ser- for his name. (Heb. 6:10) Jehovah ap-
vants of Jehovah. For example, consider preciates our eorts to please him, and
what happened when Jesus told his dis- our service is not in vain. (Read 1 Corin-
ciples that he was about to be killed. No thians 15:58.) So let us not be fooled by
doubt with good motive, the apostle Pe- Satans deceptive propaganda.
ter took him aside and said: Be kind to 19 As we have seen, Satan is powerful,
yourself, Lord; you will not have this vicious, and deceptive. How can we win
happen to you at all. Jesus reply to Pe- our battle against such a daunting ene-
ter was rm: Get behind me, Satan! my? Jehovah does not leave us defense-
(Matt. 16:22, 23) Why did Jesus call Pe- less. His Word educates us about Sa-
ter Satan? Because Jesus understood tans methods, and we are not ignorant
what was about to happen. The hour ap- of his designs. (2 Cor. 2:11) When we
proached when he would die as a ran- understand Satans tactics, we are better
som sacrice and prove the Devil a liar. able to keep our senses and remain
At that critical juncture in human histo- watchful. But just knowing Satans de-
ry, it was not a time for Jesus to be signs is not enough. The Bible says: Op-
kind to himself. Relaxing his guard pose the Devil, and he will ee from
would have been precisely what Satan you. (Jas. 4:7) The following article will
wanted him to do. discuss three areas in which we can ght
17 As we near the end of this system
Satan and win.
of things, we too are living in critical
18, 19. (a) How might Satan try to deceive us
16, 17. (a) Why did Jesus tell Peter: Get be- with regard to the way we think about our-
hind me, Satan? (b) How might Satan deceive selves? (b) How does Jehovah help us to keep
us regarding the matter of urgency? our senses and to remain watchful?
HOW CAN WE TAKE SATAN is at war with the anointed remnant and the other
OUR STAND AGAINST sheep. (John 10:16) The Devils goal is to devour as many of
SATAN AND . . . Jehovahs servants as he can in the short time that he has left.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Read Revelation 12:9, 12.) Can we win our ght against Sa-
shun pride? tan? Yes! The Bible says: Oppose the Devil, and he will ee
from you.Jas. 4:7.
2 Many sco at the idea that Satan even exists. To them,
14
3 As servants of Jehovah, we are not because of your endurance and faith in
among those who are misled. We know all your persecutions and the hardships
that the Devil is real, for it was Satan that you are suering. (2 Thess. 1:4) So
who spoke to Eve through a serpent. feeling good about the works of others
(Gen. 3:1-5) Satan taunted Jehovah re- and even having a degree of pride in
garding Job. (Job 1:9-12) It was Satan ourselves can be healthy. We are not ex-
who tried to tempt Jesus. (Matt. 4:1-10) pected to be ashamed of our family, cul-
And after the birth of Gods Kingdom in ture, or the region where we grew up.
1914, it was Satan who began to wage Acts 21:39.
war with the remnant of anointed ones. 6 On the other hand, there is a kind of
(Rev. 12:17) That war still rages as Satan pride that can eat away at relationships
seeks to destroy the faith of the remnant and damage our friendship with Jeho-
of the 144,000 and the other sheep. To vah. Such pride can cause us to resent
win the battle, we must take our stand and reject needed counsel rather than
against Satan and remain rm in the humbly accept it. (Ps. 141:5) This type
faith. This article discusses three ways of pride is dened as inordinate self-
to do so. esteem or a haughty attitude shown by
people who believe, often unjustiably,
SHUN PRIDE that they are better than others. Jeho-
4 Satan is anything but humble. In vah hates arrogant pride. (Ezek. 33:28;
fact, for a spirit creature to have the au- Amos 6:8) But Satan must delight to see
dacity to challenge Jehovahs sovereign- humans display boastful pride, for it
ty and set himself up as a rival god is echoes his own arrogance. How Satan
the epitome of pride and presumptu- must have reveled in the boasting of
ousness. Therefore, one way that we such men as Nimrod, Pharaoh, and Ab-
can take a stand against Satan is by salomall of whom fell victim to im-
shunning pride and cultivating humili- proper pride! (Gen. 10:8, 9; Ex. 5:1, 2;
ty. (Read 1 Peter 5:5.) But what is pride? 2 Sam. 15:4-6) Pride also played a role in
Is it always bad? the downfall of Cain. He was counseled
5 One dictionary denes pride as a by God himself but was too proud to
sense of dignity and self-respect and accept the correction. He stubbornly ig-
a feeling of satisfaction which you have nored Jehovahs admonition and rushed
because you or people close to you have headlong into disaster.Gen. 4:6-8.
7 Today, people manifest pride in
done something good or possess some-
thing good. There is nothing wrong a number of destructive ways. Pride
with that. The apostle Paul told the sometimes goes hand in hand with rac-
Thessalonians: We ourselves take pride ism. One dictionary denes racism as
in you among the congregations of God prejudice or animosity against people
who belong to other races and the be-
4. How has Satan shown himself to be full of lief that people of dierent races have
pride?
5, 6. (a) Is pride always bad? Explain. 7, 8. (a) What is racism, and how can it be a
(b) What kind of pride is dangerous, and what form of pride? (b) Explain how pride could dis-
Scriptural examples illustrate this? rupt a congregations peace.
16 THE WATCHTOWER
tan can exploit our desires with the de- 14 Whether married or single, we
ceptive power of riches. (Matt. 13:22) must strenuously resist all forms of sex-
Many think that money will make them ual immorality. Is the ght easy? By no
happy or that material possessions are means! If you are a young person, for in-
the key to success. Such thinking is stance, you might hear your school-
pure deception, and it can cause us mates boast about having casual sex or
to lose the most valuable possession about sexting, a practice that in some
we haveour friendship with Jehovah. places is viewed as being tantamount
Jesus warned his followers: No one can to distributing child pornography. The
slave for two masters; for either he will Bible says: Whoever practices sexual
hate the one and love the other, or he immorality is sinning against his own
will stick to the one and despise the oth- body. (1 Cor. 6:18) Both suering and
er. You cannot slave for God and for death have resulted from the spread of
Riches. (Matt. 6:24) If we slave exclu- sexually transmitted diseases. And the
sively for Riches, we have stopped serv- majority of unmarried youths who lose
ing Jehovah, and that is precisely what their virginity say that they regret what
Satan wants us to do! May we never let they did. The reality of immoral sex is
money or the things it can buy eclipse far dierent from what is portrayed by
our friendship with Jehovah. To ght the entertainment media, which would
Satan, we must maintain a balanced have us believe that breaking Gods
view of material things.Read 1 Timo- laws has no consequences. Such think-
thy 6:6-10. ing makes people fall victim to the de-
RESIST SEXUAL IMMORALITY ceptive power of sin.Heb. 3:13.
15 If you struggle with temptation to
13 Another trap of Satans world is
sexual immorality. Today, many peo- engage in sexual immorality, what can
ple view marital faithfulnessand even you do? Acknowledge your weakness.
marriage itselfas restrictive and old- (Rom. 7:22, 23) Pray to God for strength.
fashioned. For example, one famous ac- (Phil. 4:6, 7, 13) Avoid situations that
tress stated: Monogamy is impossible could lead to immorality. (Prov. 22:3)
for both sexes. I dont know anyone And when a temptation arises, reject it
whos faithful or wants to be. An actor without delay.Gen. 39:12.
said: Im not sure if it really is in our na- 16 Jesus set a powerful example for us
ture to be with someone for the rest of in resisting temptations. He was not
our lives. Satan must be pleased when fooled by Satans promises, nor did he
inuential people malign Gods gift of have to take time to weigh the pros and
marriage. The Devil certainly has no in- cons. Rather, he immediately responded
terest in endorsing that arrangement or with the words: It is written. (Read
seeing it succeed. To ght Satan and Matthew 4:4-10.) Jesus knew Gods
win, therefore, we must uphold Gods
marital arrangement. 14, 15. How can we resist sexual immorality?
16. How did Jesus respond to Satans tempta-
13. How has this world promoted a distorted tions, and what can we learn from that exam-
view of marriage and sex? ple?
OUR ability to form mental pictures of things we have not CAN YOU EXPLAIN?
seen is a gift from God. It allows us to make wise plans and ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
to look forward to good things. Jehovah can foresee future What God-given ability
events, and in the Scriptures he often tells us ahead of time makes faith possible?
what will happen. We may be able to form mental pictures
of what will occur. In fact, our ability to conceive of unseen
things helps us to exercise faith.2 Cor. 4:18.
2 A mental picture of something we have never seen may ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
not always be based on reality. For example, if a little girl pic- How do we know that faithful
tures herself riding on a buttery, that is mere fantasy. But men and women in the Bible
when Hannah spent time thinking about what it would be were able to imagine their re-
like when she took her son Samuel to serve at the taberna- ward?
cle, she had a basis for her mental picture. It was based on
what she had resolved to do, and this helped her to focus on
her objective. (1 Sam. 1:22) If we visualize what God has
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
promised to do, we are thinking about something that will
Why does discussing our
denitely happen.2 Pet. 1:19-21.
hope benet us?
1. How can we benet from our ability to visualize things we have not
seen? (See opening image.)
2, 3. (a) Why is the basis for what we visualize important? (b) What
questions will we consider in this study?
19
3 No doubt, many faithful people of ly concerning all their ungodly deeds
Bible times formed mental pictures of that they did in an ungodly way, and
things God had promised. How did concerning all the shocking things that
such individuals benet by visualizing ungodly sinners spoke against him.
future blessings? And how may we nd (Jude 14, 15) As a man who exercised
it benecial to think about the wonder- faith, Enoch could have formed a men-
ful things God has foretold for obedient tal picture of a world free of ungodli-
mankind? ness.Read Hebrews 11:5, 6.
6 Noah survived the Deluge because
STRENGTHENED
BY SEEING THEIR HOPE of his faith. (Heb. 11:7) After the Flood,
he was moved by faith to oer ani-
4 Did Abel, the rst faithful human,
mal sacrices. (Gen. 8:20) Like Abel,
see anything that Jehovah had prom- he undoubtedly had faith that man-
ised? It cannot be said that Abel had kind would eventually be released from
foreknowledge of the eventual outwork- bondage to sin and death. As he entered
ing of the promise contained in Gods the dark post-Flood era during which
words to the serpent: I will put enmity Nimrod acted in opposition to Jehovah,
between you and the woman and be- Noah still had faith and hope. (Gen. 10:
tween your ospring and her ospring. 8-12) Very likely, he would have been
He will crush your head, and you will heartened to think about mankind as
strike him in the heel. (Gen. 3:14, being set free from oppressive rule, in-
15) However, Abel likely gave much herited sin, and death. We too can see
thought to that promise and realized such a wonderful timeand it is near in-
that someone would be struck in the deed!Rom. 6:23.
heel so that mankind could be lift-
ed to perfection such as that enjoyed SEEING THE PROMISES FULFILLED
by Adam and Eve before they sinned. 7 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob could
Whatever Abel may have visualized re- have visualized a grand future because
garding the future, he had faith based God had promised that by means of
on Gods promise, and Jehovah there- their ospring, all nations of the earth
fore accepted his sacrice.Read Gene- would obtain a blessing. (Gen. 22:18;
sis 4:3-5; Hebrews 11:4. 26:4; 28:14) The descendants of those
5 Faithful Enoch exercised faith, even patriarchs would become numerous and
though he faced ungodly people who would reside in the God-given Promised
spoke shocking things against God. Land. (Gen. 15:5-7) By faith those God-
Enoch was divinely inspired to proph- fearing men could see their progeny in
esy that Jehovah would come with possession of that land. For that mat-
his holy myriads to execute judgment ter, ever since human creation lost per-
against all, and to convict all the ungod- fection, Jehovah has assured his loyal
4. What basis did Abel have for forming a men- 6. What could Noah continue to keep in mind
tal picture of the future? after the Flood?
5. Why would a mental picture of the future 7. What future could Abraham, Isaac, and Ja-
have encouraged Enoch? cob have seen?
20 THE WATCHTOWER
servants that the blessings forfeited by When she was 90 years old and child-
Adam were not gone forever. less, her positive view of the future en-
8 It is likely that Abrahams ability to abled her to act with faith. In eect, she
form a mental picture of what God had saw her ospring enjoying blessings
promised enabled him to perform out- that Jehovah had promised. (Heb. 11:11,
standing acts of faith. The Scriptures 12) What gave her such expectation?
point out that although Abraham and Jehovah had told her husband: I will
other loyal servants of God did not bless her and also give you a son by her;
receive the fulllment of the promis- I will bless her and she will become na-
es in their lifetime, they saw them tions; kings of peoples will come from
from a distance and welcomed them. her. (Gen. 17:16) After Sarah gave birth
(Read Hebrews 11:8-13.) Abraham had to Isaac, she had good reason to envis-
so much evidence to demonstrate the age the fulllment of the rest of Gods
reality of what he hoped for that it was promise to Abraham. What a gift we too
as if he could see what he had not actu- have of being able to form wholesome
ally beheld! mental pictures of things that are prom-
9 Abrahams faith in Gods promises
ised by God and are sure to happen!
strengthened his resolve to do the di-
vine will. Acting in faith, he left the city LOOKING INTENTLY AT THE REWARD
of Ur and refused to take up permanent 11 Moses is another person who exer-
residence in any of the cities of Canaan. cised faith in Jehovah, cultivating deep
Like Ur, they had shaky foundations be- love for him. While Moses was a young
cause of their ungodly governments. man living as part of the Egyptian royal
(Josh. 24:2) For the rest of his long life, household, he could easily have devel-
Abraham was awaiting the city hav- oped a love for power and riches. From
ing real foundations, whose designer his natural parents, however, Moses ev-
and builder is God. (Heb. 11:10) Abra- idently learned about Jehovah and His
ham saw himself living in a perma- purpose to free the Hebrews from slav-
nent place governed by Jehovah. Abel, ery and give them the Promised Land.
Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and others like (Gen. 13:14, 15; Ex. 2:5-10) If Moses of-
them believed in the resurrection of the ten thought about the blessings ahead
dead and looked forward to life on for Gods people, what do you think
earth under Gods Kingdom, the city would grow in his heartlove of promi-
having real foundations. Reecting on nence or love for Jehovah?
such blessings bolstered their faith in 12 The Scriptures tell us: By faith
Jehovah.Read Hebrews 11:15, 16.
10 Consider Abrahams wife, Sarah.
Moses, when grown up, refused to
be called the son of Pharaohs daugh-
8. What helped Abraham to demonstrate out- ter, choosing to be mistreated with the
standing faith? people of God rather than to have the
9. How did having faith in Gods promises temporary enjoyment of sin, because
benet Abraham?
10. How may Sarahs view of the future have 11, 12. How did Moses cultivate love for Jeho-
beneted her? vah?
22 THE WATCHTOWER
when we talk about the possibilities, we
encourage one another and express our
faith in the reality of what God has
promised. When the apostle Paul visit-
ed his brothers in Rome, they sure-
ly appreciated the interchange of en-
couragement, and so do we in these
troubled times.Rom. 1:11, 12.
17 Visualizing the future can also help
CAN YOU EXPLAIN? JEHOVAH has given us the ability to put ourselves in the
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ place of others. To some extent, we can conceive of a situa-
In what ways did Jesus reect tion that we have not experienced. (Read Ephesians 5:1, 2.)
Jehovahs qualities? How can we use this God-given gift wisely? What should we
do to prevent it from harming us?
2 Undoubtedly, we rejoice that God has promised immor-
24
(Zech. 2:8) Just as a mother has tender Suppose a Christian youth, whom we
feelings for her baby, Jehovah is moved will call Alan, is thinking about an
to act lovingly in behalf of his people. elderly brother whose poor eyesight
(Isa. 49:15) In a sense, Jehovah can put makes it hard for him to read. He also
himself in the place of others, and he nds it dicult to walk from house to
has given us that ability.Ps. 103:13, 14. house in the ministry. Alan remem-
bers Jesus words: Just as you want
HOW JESUS REFLECTED GODS LOVE
men to do to you, do the same way to
3 Jesus sensed the pain of others,
them. (Luke 6:31) So Alan asks him-
even those whose exact circumstances self, What do I want men to do to me?
he had never experienced. For instance, His frank answer is, I want them to
the common people lived in fear of the play ball with me! But the aging broth-
religious leaders, who deceived them er will not be able to play ball, will he?
and burdened them with many man- Jesus statement implies that we must
made rules. (Matt. 23:4; Mark 7:1-5; ask ourselves, What would I want my
John 7:13) Jesus was never frightened or neighbor to do to me if I were in his cir-
deceived, but he could understand situ- cumstances?
ations that he had not lived through. 6 Alan is not elderly, but he has the
Therefore, on seeing the crowds, he ability to conceive of experiences he has
felt pity for them, because they were
not had. He observes the elderly broth-
skinned and thrown about like sheep
er and listens to him with concern.
without a shepherd. (Matt. 9:36) Like
Gradually, Alan understands what it is
his Father, Jesus was loving and com-
like to be an older person who nds it
passionate.Ps. 103:8.
hard to read the Bible or walk from
4 When Jesus saw people suering,
house to house. When Alan feels the ag-
he was moved to show them love. Thus, ing brothers distress, he sees what help
he perfectly reected the love of his is needed, and he wants to be help-
Father. After one extensive preaching ful. We can do the same. To imitate
tour, Jesus and his apostles were about Gods love, we must put ourselves in
to go to an isolated place to get some our brothers shoes, so to speak.1 Cor.
rest. Because he felt pity for the crowd 12:26.
awaiting him, however, Jesus took time 7 It is not always easy to understand
to teach them many things.Mark 6:
the pain that others are experiencing.
30, 31, 34.
Many people face diculties that we
HOW WE CAN IMITATE JEHOVAHS LOVE have never known. Some are challenged
5We can imitate Gods love by the physically because of injury, disease, or
way we treat our neighbor. To illustrate: aging. Others are coping with emotion-
al trials because of depression, panic at-
3. What shows that Jesus was compassionate? tacks, or the aftereects of abuse. Still
4. How did seeing the suering of others aect others are part of a religiously divided
Jesus?
5, 6. To imitate Gods love, how must we treat 7. How can we come to know others well
our neighbor? Illustrate. (See opening image.) enough to feel their pain?
26 THE WATCHTOWER
were wise! They would ponder over
this. They would think about their out-
come.Deut. 31:29, 30; 32:28, 29.
11 To imitate Gods wisdom, we
28 THE WATCHTOWER
QUESTIONS FROM READERS
END OF THE
1,000 YEARS
.
+ GOG AND MAGOG: +
SATAN With murderous intent, rebellious humans will THE END OF WICKEDNESS:
RELEASED encircle righteous mankind Fire from heaven destroys
Incites some to rebel Gog and Magog (Rev. 20:9)
against Jehovah Satan and the demons
and his people thrown into lake of fire
(Rev. 20:10)
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Paris,
France,
1961
He Saw That Love
Ran the Cafeteria
FEASTING together at Jehovahs table has al- in the cafeteria at a 1937 convention. I met peo-
ways been a theocratic highlight. When Gods ple from other places, she related, and heard
people assemble for a spiritual banquet, the shar- how they were overcoming their problems. It was
ing of material food often adds to their joy. then that I rst began to have the hope of becom-
In September 1919, the Bible Students held ing a pioneer.
an eight-day convention at Cedar Point, Ohio, Conventioner Beulah Covey said: The dedica-
U.S.A. Hotels were to provide rooming and tion of the workers makes the whole thing run
meals for the delegates, but thousands more ar- like clockwork. The work, though, had its chal-
rived than were expected. Overwhelmed by the lenges. Only upon arriving at Dodger Stadium in
throngs, waiters and waitresses quit en masse. Los Angeles, California, in 1969 did Angelo
The desperate cafeteria manager asked if any Manera learn that he had been appointed cafete-
young delegates could help, and many willingly ria servant. He admitted, I received one of the
responded. Sadie Green was one of them. It was greatest shocks of my life! Preparations for
my rst experience as a waitress, she recalled, that convention included digging a quarter-mile
but we had a good time. (0.4 km) trench to run a gas line to the kitchen!
In the years that followed, convention cafete- In Sierra Leone in 1982, industrious volunteers
ria arrangements enabled countless happy vol- rst had to clear elds and then build the cafete-
unteers to serve their brothers and sisters. Work- ria using the materials on hand. In Frankfurt,
ing with fellow believers also helped many young Germany, in 1951, resourceful brothers rented a
ones to set spiritual goals. Gladys Bolton served locomotive that provided steam for 40 cooking
kettles. Servers dished out 30,000 meals an hour. specting our cafeteria at Yankee Stadium in New
To lighten the load for the 576 workers in the York City, United States Army personnel urged
dishwashing department, conventioners brought Major Faulkner of the British War Department to
their own knives and forks. In Yangon, Myanmar, make a similar examination. Therefore, he and
thoughtful cooks used fewer ery chilies than his wife came to the 1955 Triumphant King-
usual in dishes served to international delegates. dom Assembly in Twickenham, England. He
said he could see that love ran the cafeteria there.
THEY EAT STANDING UP For decades, willing workers lovingly served
Standing in the hot sun in a long cafeteria line nutritious, inexpensive meals for the benet of
at a convention in the United States in 1950 convention attendees. But this enormous task of-
brought Annie Poggensee a blessing. She said: I ten required that large numbers of volunteers
became completely engrossed in a heartwarming work long hours and even miss some or all of the
conversation between two sisters who had come program. Convention food arrangements were
over from Europe by boat. Each described how simplied in many places in the late 1970s.
Jehovah had helped her to attend. There was no Then, beginning in 1995, delegates were asked to
one there any happier than those two sisters, bring their own food to conventions. This en-
stated Annie. Time waiting in lineand the abled those who had prepared and served food to
heatmeant nothing to them. enjoy the spiritual program and Christian fellow-
At many of the large conventions, huge cafete- ship.1
ria tents housed rows of standing-height tables How Jehovah must cherish those who worked
that encouraged diners to nish eating quickly so hard to serve their fellow believers! Some may
and make room for others. How else could thou- feel wistful about those joyful days of working in
sands be fed during the lunch period? One per- the cafeteria. But one thing is certain: Love is still
son who was not a Witness remarked: That is a the main ingredient at our conventions.John 13:
strange religion. They eat standing up. 34, 35.
Military and civil authorities marveled at the 1 Of course, many opportunities remain for volunteers to as-
eciency and organization they saw. After in- sist other convention departments.
s
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