EVER since its establishment as a modern state in 1948, Israel has been in readiness against its neighbors. This confrontation, this running dispute, has left a trail of bereaved and mourning mothers, wives, children, and others—on both sides. Yet, one of mankind’s natural desires, especially at the family level, is to be able to live in peace.
2 However, war and strife are not just Middle Eastern problems. Powder kegs waiting to be ignited seem to be lying around all over the world. So the question is, Will peace, not just in the Middle East but world peace, ever be achieved? If so, how will it be accomplished? Will it be by means of mankind’s political, religious, and ethnic goodwill? Does that seem likely? Or will God, the earth’s Owner and Creator, have to intervene?
3 The Hebrew Scriptures give us heartening prophecies about a time when the nations “shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not take up sword against nation; they shall never again know war.”—Isaiah 2:4.
4 It was not only Isaiah who spoke of this world-encompassing peace. (Psalm 46:9-11 [46:8-10, NW]) A time of complete peace and harmony among men is really a major theme in the Bible. As Israeli statesman and author Abba Eban noted, the Hebrew Scriptures gave the ancient Israelites a unique future perspective and hope, as “Israel alone looked forward to a golden age in the future.”1 Yes, a marvelous future is near at hand for all mankind, an end to war, and much more. Isaiah also prophesied of Paradise conditions earth wide—an end to poverty, sickness, and even death.—Isaiah 11:9; 25:8; 33:24; 35:5, 6; 65:21.
5 Some may respond, ‘Those prophecies were written thousands of years ago, yet war still exists. How can the Bible be considered a reliable source of hope? What concrete proof exists that the Bible is truly the Word of God?’
[Study Questions]
1, 2. What questions arise regarding the world’s future?
3-5. (a) What promise regarding peace is given in the Bible? (b) What questions need further investigation?
The Bible—Inspired by God?
THE New Encyclopædia Britannica calls the Bible “probably the most influential collection of books in human history.” The Bible is held in high regard by many because of its antiquity—parts were written 3,500 years ago. Yet, its practical, up-to-date advice is one of the reasons that over three billion copies have been distributed and that it has been translated, in whole or in part, into almost two thousand languages, making it the world’s all-time best-seller.
2 Aside from these factors, all of which inspire respect for the Bible, there is yet another feature that has made it so influential and appealing throughout the ages—its claim to be the inspired revelation of Almighty God. Moses, who compiled the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) “wrote down” all that God told him to, which included the account of creation, the record of the Flood of Noah’s day, and the history of Abraham and of Moses’ own dealings with God. (Exodus 24:3, 4) King David said: “The spirit of the LORD has spoken through me, his message is on my tongue.” (2 Samuel 23:2) Other Bible writers made similar claims of divine guidance. All these writings together form God’s own explanation of history—its true meaning, interpretation, and final outcome. The many different writers of the Scriptures—kings, hired laborers, priests, and others—were all acting as secretaries in recording the thoughts of God, the Bible’s Author and the Guarantor of its promises.
3 Since the Bible claims divine authorship, perhaps the foremost question for many relates to the very existence of its Author. Many reject God’s existence outright. Others, under the impression that all intelligent people have rejected the idea of God and belief in the Bible, ask: “Why don’t scientists believe in God?” Is this impression really true? An article in the magazine New Scientist said that the “view that commonly expects scientists to be nonbelievers . . . is a view that is wildly wrong.”2 The same article reports that random surveys among universities, research establishments, and industrial laboratories indicate that “as many as eight of every 10 scientists follow a religious faith or countenance principles that are ‘non-scientific.’” So it cannot accurately be said that faith is incompatible with science or scientists. (See box, pages 4-5.)
Is There Proof of Inspiration?
4 When one reaches the conclusion that there is convincing evidence of a Creator’s existence, the question still remains whether he has inspired men to record his thoughts and purposes in the Bible. There are many reasons why we can be sure that this is the case, one of which is its scientific accuracy. (See box, page 6.) For example, over 3,000 years ago, Job said that God “hangeth the earth over nothing.” (Job 26:7, JP) About 2,700 years ago, the prophet Isaiah stated that God “sitteth above the circle of the earth.” (Isaiah 40:22, JP) Now, how could Job or Isaiah have known these basic scientific truths that the earth is suspended in space and is a sphere? They may be well-known today, but these statements were made at a time when such notions were unheard of. Is not divine revelation the most reasonable explanation?
5 Prophecy, in effect history written before it happens, is perhaps the main feature of the Bible that substantiates its claim of divine inspiration. For example, the prophet Isaiah foretold not only that Jerusalem would be destroyed by Babylon and that the entire Jewish nation would be taken captive but also that in time the Persian general Cyrus would conquer Babylon and liberate the Jews from captivity. (Isaiah 13:17-19; 44:27–45:1) Can you think of any means, other than divine inspiration, by which, 200 years in advance, Isaiah could have successfully predicted Cyrus’ birth, his name, and precisely what he would do? (See box, page 7.)
6 Some of the most remarkable prophecies are recorded by Daniel, a prophet who lived in the sixth century B.C.E. Not only did he foretell the fall of Babylon to the Medes and the Persians but he also predicted events far beyond his time, into the distant future. For example, Daniel’s prophecy foretold the rise of Greece as a world empire under Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.E.), the division of Alexander’s empire among his four generals after his untimely death, and the rise of the Roman Empire, with its fearful military might (first century B.C.E.). (Daniel 7:6; 8:21, 22) All these events are now indisputable historical facts.
7 Because Bible prophecies have been so exact, critics have branded them as deceptions, that is, history written after the fact and disguised as prophecy. But how can one rationally assert that Jewish priests would dare to invent a prophecy? And why would they invent prophecies that contained the hardest diatribes imaginable against themselves? (Isaiah 56:10, 11; Jeremiah 8:10; Zephaniah 3:4) In addition, how could an entire literate nation, trained and educated with the Bible as its sacred text, be taken in by such a hoax?—Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
8 How could there have been any fraud connected with the disappearance of entire civilizations, such as Edom and Babylon, when these events took place many centuries after the completion of the Hebrew Scriptures? (Isaiah 13:20-22; Jeremiah 49:17, 18) Even if one maintains that these prophecies were not written in the time period of the prophets themselves, they were still recorded prior to the third century B.C.E., for by then they were already being translated into Greek in the Septuagint. Also, the Dead Sea Scrolls (which include portions of all the prophetic Bible books) are dated to the second and first centuries B.C.E. As noted, many prophecies were fulfilled only after these dates.
Is the Bible Full of Contradictions?
9 But some object: ‘The Bible is full of contradictions and discrepancies.’ Very often, those who make this assertion have not personally investigated the matter but have just heard an alleged example or two from others. In reality most supposed discrepancies are easily resolved if it is remembered that the writers of the Bible frequently condensed their subject to a few words. An example of this is found in the account of creation. In comparing Genesis 1:1, 3 with Genesis 1:14-16, many have asked how it can be that God “made” the luminaries on the fourth creative day when light—evidently from these same luminaries—was reaching the earth on the first creative day. In this case the Hebrew writer eliminated the need for long explanations by a careful choice of words. Note that verses 14-16 speak of “making” in contrast to “creating” in Genesis 1:1, and “lights” in contrast to “light” in Genesis 1:3. This indicates that it was on the fourth creative day that the sun and moon, already in existence, became clearly visible through the earth’s dense atmosphere.
10 Genealogical lists have also caused some confusion. For example, Ezra lists 23 names in his priestly genealogy at 1 Chronicles 5:29-40 (6:3-14) but lists only 16 names for the same period when giving his own genealogy at Ezra 7:1-5. This is, not a discrepancy, but a simple condensation. Additionally, according to a writer’s intention in recording an event, he highlighted, minimized, included, or omitted details that another Bible writer expressed differently in recording the same event. Such are not contradictions but, rather, are differing accounts reflecting the writers’ point of view and intended audience.
11 Often, apparent inconsistencies can be resolved if we just look at the context. For example, “Where did Cain get his wife?” is a question often heard, highlighting the belief that this exposes a discrepancy in the Biblical account. The supposition is that Adam and Eve had only two sons, Cain and Abel. The difficulty is easily resolved if one reads on. Genesis 5:4 says: “After the birth of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and begot sons and daughters.” So Cain married one of his sisters or perhaps a niece, which would have been in full harmony with God’s original intention for the expansion of the human race.—Genesis 1:28.
12 There are obviously many details of human history not recorded as part of the Divine Record. But every necessary detail, both for those who first read it and for us today, has been included without making it cumbersome and impossible to read.
To Be Understood Only by Scholars?
13 Have you ever asked: “Why are there so many conflicting interpretations of the Bible?” After hearing religious authorities contradict one another, some sincere people become confused and discouraged. The conclusion that many reach is that the Bible is unclear and contradictory. As a result, many reject the Bible outright, believing that it is too difficult to read and understand. Others, when confronted with this vast array of religious interpretation, are reluctant to make a serious investigation of the Scriptures. Some say: “Learned men have studied for years in religious seminaries. How could I have any basis for questioning what they teach?” But is this how God views matters?
14 When God gave the Law to the nation of Israel, he did not indicate that he was giving them a system of worship that they could not understand, one that would have to be left in the hands of theological sages or “scholars.” Through Moses at Deuteronomy 30:11, 14, God declared: “Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.” All the nation, not just the leaders, were told: “Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7) God’s commandments, all committed to writing, were clear enough for the entire nation, both parents and children, to follow.
15 As far back as Isaiah’s day, religious leaders incurred God’s condemnation by taking it upon themselves to add to and interpret God’s laws. The prophet Isaiah wrote: “That people has approached Me with its mouth and honored Me with its lips, but has kept its heart far from Me, and its worship of Me has been a commandment of men, learned by rote.” (Isaiah 29:13) Their worship had become a commandment of men, not of God. (Deuteronomy 4:2) It was these ‘commandments of men,’ their own interpretations and explanations, that were contradictory. God’s words were not. The same is true today.
Any Biblical Basis for the Oral Torah?
16 Some believe that Moses received an “Oral Torah” in addition to the “Written Torah.” According to this belief, God directed that certain commands not be written down but rather be passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation, thus being preserved only by oral tradition. (See box, page 10.) However, the Bible account clearly shows that Moses was never commanded to transmit an oral law. Exodus 24:3, 4 tells us: “Moses went and repeated to the people all the commands of the LORD and all the rules; and all the people answered with one voice, saying, ‘All the things that the LORD has commanded we will do!’” Moses then “wrote down all the commands of the LORD.” Further, at Exodus 34:27 we are told: “And the LORD said to Moses: Write down these commandments, for in accordance with these commandments I make a covenant with you and with Israel.” An unwritten oral law had no place in the covenant that God made with Israel. (See box, page 8.) Nowhere in the Bible is there any mention of the existence of an oral law. More important, its teachings contradict the Scriptures, adding to the misimpression that the Bible is self-contradictory. (See box, page 22.) But it is man, and not God, who is responsible for this confusion.—Isaiah 29:13. (See boxes, pages 20-1.)
17 In contrast with the contradictory interpretations of men, the Bible itself is clear and trustworthy. God has provided us with ample proof within his Word that the peaceful world envisioned at Isaiah 2:2-4 is not just a dream but an impending reality. None other than God himself, the God of prophecy, the God of the Bible, will bring it about.
[Footnotes]
It should be noted that the six “days” of creation do not include the statement at Genesis 1:1, which refers to the creation of the heavenly bodies. Furthermore, the Hebrew word translated “day” allows for the thought that the events described at Genesis 1:3-31 took place during six ‘periods of time’ that could have been many thousands of years in length.—Compare Genesis 2:4.
For examples, see the book The Bible—God’s Word or Man’s? chapter 7, “Does the Bible Contradict Itself?”, published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
Difficult questions for judicial cases were handled by a clearly outlined judicial arrangement. (Deuteronomy 17:8-11) In any other important matters that seemed obscure, to receive God’s answer, the nation was directed, not to an oral law, but rather to the Urim and Thummim in the hands of the priests.—Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8; Numbers 27:18-21; Deuteronomy 33:8-10.
Some have read into the text at Deuteronomy 17:8-11 an implication of an inspired oral tradition. However, as mentioned in the footnote to paragraph 14, the text deals solely with the procedure of judgment in judicial cases. Notice that the issue was not whether different customs or traditions were passed down through many centuries or not. There were no doubt some traditions passed down as to how to carry out specifically certain aspects of the Law. But the fact that a tradition is long-standing does not prove inspiration. For example, note the tradition that developed regarding the bronze serpent.—Numbers 21:8, 9; 2 Kings 18:4.
[Study Questions]
1, 2. Why do many respect the Bible, and what claim do its writers make?
3. What shows that belief in God and belief in science are not incompatible?
4. What scientific truths were mentioned thousands of years ago in the Bible?
5, 6. What fulfillments of prophecy give evidence that the Bible writers were inspired by God?
7, 8. (a) What accusation have some made about Bible prophecies? (b) What proves that the accusation of fraud is not well-founded?
9-12. (a) Why do some say that the Bible contradicts itself? (b) How are some “contradictions” resolved?
13-15. (a) Why do some believe the Bible is too difficult for us to understand? (b) How do we know that God intended that his Word be understood?
16, 17. (a) What do some believe regarding an oral law? (b) What does the Bible indicate regarding an oral law?
[Box on page 4, 5]
EVOLUTION—A FACT?
THE Genesis account of creation states that all living things were created ‘after their kinds,’ or basic groups. (Genesis 1:12, 24, 25) In promoting their theory, many evolutionists have scoffed at the Bible account. But is there any proof that a new kind has ever appeared because of crossbreeding or mutations? From the earliest records until now, dogs are still dogs, and cats continue to be cats. Even cockroaches, found among the earliest fossil insects, are virtually identical to modern ones.
Indeed, what evidence has been produced by the scientific community in well over a hundred years of intensive investigation since Darwin’s Origin of Species? What conclusions have some experts reached?
THE FOSSIL RECORD: Fossil evidence is called by some ‘the final court of appeal’ because it is the only authentic history of life available to science. What does it show?
Professor of natural science John Moore reported on the results of an extensive study made by the Geological Society of London and the Palaeontological Association of England. “Some 120 scientists, all specialists, prepared 30 chapters in a monumental work of over 800 pages to present the fossil record for plants and animals . . . Each major form or kind of plant and animal is shown to have a separate and distinct history from all the other forms or kinds! Groups of both plants and animals appear suddenly in the fossil record. . . . There is not a trace of a common ancestor, much less a link with any reptile, the supposed progenitor.”—Should Evolution Be Taught?, 1970, pages 9, 14.
COULD MUTATIONS HAVE CAUSED EVOLUTION? Because of the harmful nature of mutations, The Encyclopedia Americana acknowledged: “The fact that most mutations are damaging to the organism seems hard to reconcile with the view that mutation is the source of raw materials for evolution. Indeed, mutants illustrated in biology textbooks are a collection of freaks and monstrosities and mutation seems to be a destructive rather than a constructive process.”—1977, Volume 10, page 742.
WHAT ABOUT THE APE-MEN? Science Digest stated: “The remarkable fact is that all the physical evidence we have for human evolution can still be placed, with room to spare, inside a single coffin! . . . Modern apes, for instance, seem to have sprung out of nowhere. They have no yesterday, no fossil record. And the true origin of modern humans—of upright, naked, toolmaking, big-brained beings—is, if we are to be honest with ourselves, an equally mysterious matter.”—May 1982, page 44.
A THEORY IN CRISIS: Notice the following comments by Michael Denton, a molecular biologist, as quoted from his book Evolution: A Theory in Crisis:
“There can be no question that Darwin had nothing like sufficient evidence to establish his theory of evolution. . . . His general theory, that all life on earth had originated and evolved by a gradual successive accumulation of fortuitous mutations, is still, as it was in Darwin’s time, a highly speculative hypothesis entirely without direct factual support and very far from that self-evident axiom some of its more aggressive advocates would have us believe. . . . One might have expected that a theory of such cardinal importance, a theory that literally changed the world, would have been something more than metaphysics, something more than a myth.”—1986 edition, pages 69, 77, 358.
[Footnotes]
A distinction should be made between what has been termed “microevolution,” or progressive developments, adaptations, and changes within a kind, and “macroevolution,” which teaches that one kind evolves into another. Those who teach evolution are usually referring to the latter concept.
For a detailed discussion, see the book Life—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
[Box on page 6]
“IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED” . . .
. . . “THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH.” (Genesis 1:1, JP)—Most scientists today agree that the universe had a beginning. Astronomer Robert Jastrow wrote: “Now we see how the astronomical evidence leads to a biblical view of the origin of the world. The details differ, but the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same: the chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy.”—God and the Astronomers, 1978, page 14.
. . . “LIVING CREATURES.” (Genesis 1:20)—Physicist H. S. Lipson, realizing the odds against a spontaneous origin of life, said: “The only acceptable explanation is creation. I know that this is anathema to physicists, as indeed it is to me, but we must not reject a theory that we do not like if the experimental evidence supports it.”—Physics Bulletin, Volume 31, 1980, page 138.
Even if the odds are against it, could not spontaneous generation have happened anyway? Physicist and astronomer Fred Hoyle says: “There is not a shred of objective evidence to support the hypothesis that life began in an organic soup here on the Earth.” He also states: “As biochemists discover more and more about the awesome complexity of life, it is apparent that the chances of it originating by accident are so minute that they can be completely ruled out. Life cannot have arisen by chance.” Hoyle adds: “Biologists indulge in unsubstantiated fantasies in order to deny what is so patently obvious, that the 200,000 amino acid chains, and hence life, did not appear by chance.” In effect, he asks, ‘Just how could the accidental coupling of chemicals in an organic ooze alone produce the 2,000 enzymes essential to life?’ He says the possibilities are one in 1040,000, or “about the same as the chance of throwing an uninterrupted sequence of 50,000 sixes with unbiased dice!” (The Intelligent Universe, F. Hoyle, 1983, pages 11-12, 17, 23) He adds, “If one is not prejudiced either by social beliefs or by a scientific training into the conviction that life originated [spontaneously] on the Earth, this simple calculation wipes the idea entirely out of court.”—Evolution From Space, Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe, 1981, page 24.
[Box on page 7]
GOD —‘THE REVEALER OF MYSTERIES’ THROUGH PROPHECY
WHEN speaking to an ancient king, the prophet Daniel said: “The mystery about which the king has inquired—wise men, exorcists, magicians, and diviners cannot tell to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” (Daniel 2:27, 28) Is there evidence that God really is a Revealer of mysteries through prophecy? The following are some examples.
The fall of Babylon: “Thus said the LORD to Cyrus, His anointed one—whose right hand He has grasped, treading down nations before him, ungirding the loins of kings, opening doors before him and letting no gate stay shut.”—Isaiah 45:1, prophesied c. 732 B.C.E. See also Jeremiah 50:35-38; 51:30-32, prophesied b. 625 B.C.E.
Fulfillment—539 B.C.E.: Historians Herodotus and Xenophon relate that Cyrus the Persian diverted the waters of the Euphrates, which ran through the center of Babylon, and sent his forces up the riverbed, catching the Babylonian guards unawares and taking the city in one night. Even with this strategy, Cyrus could not have entered the city had the gates on the banks of the Euphrates leading into the city not been carelessly left open. The ‘gates did not stay shut,’ just as the prophecy foretold.
The fate of Tyre: “Thus said the Lord GOD: I am going to deal with you, O Tyre! I will hurl many nations against you, as the sea hurls its waves. . . . And I will scrape her soil off her and leave her a naked rock. . . . And they shall cast into the water your stones and timber and soil.”—Ezekiel 26:3, 4, 12, prophesied c. 613 B.C.E.
Fulfillment—332 B.C.E.: Alexander the Great built a land bridge, or mole, from the mainland to the island portion of Tyre (half a mile [0.8 km] offshore) so that his soldiers could march across and attack the island city. The Encyclopedia Americana reports: “With the debris of the mainland portion of the city, which he had demolished, he built a huge mole in 332 to join the island to the mainland.” After a relatively short siege, the island city was destroyed, and Ezekiel’s prophecy was fulfilled in all its details. Even the ‘stones and woodwork and dust’ of old Tyre (the mainland part of the city) were ‘placed in the very midst of the water.’
The destruction of Jerusalem: “Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Hear the word of the LORD of Hosts: A time is coming when everything in your palace, which your ancestors have stored up to this day, will be carried off to Babylon; nothing will be left behind.’”—Isaiah 39:5, 6, prophesied c. 732 B.C.E.; see also Isaiah 24:1-3; 47:6.
Jeremiah the prophet proclaimed: “I am going to . . . bring them [the Babylonians] against this land and its inhabitants . . . This whole land shall be a desolate ruin. And those nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”—Jeremiah 25:9, 11, prophesied b. 625 B.C.E.
Fulfillment—607 B.C.E. (586 B.C.E. according to most secular chronologies): Babylon destroyed Jerusalem after a year and a half siege. The city and temple were razed, and the Jews themselves were carried off to Babylon. (2 Chronicles 36:6, 7, 12, 13, 17-21) The entire nation remained in captivity for 70 years, as Jeremiah had foretold. Their miraculous release in 537 B.C.E. by Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon, fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which had mentioned him by name. (Isaiah 44:24-28) The prophet Daniel, in captivity in Babylon, calculated the exact time of the release of his people, basing his conclusion on Jeremiah’s prophecy.—Daniel 9:1, 2.
[Box on page 8]
WHERE WAS THE ORAL LAW . . .
. . . when Moses repeated all of God’s commands to the entire nation of Israel? The nation then agreed to carry out what he had repeated, and then Moses “wrote down all the commands of the LORD.”—Exodus 24:3, 4, Italics ours.
. . . when Joshua gathered the nation of Israel after entering the Promised Land and read to them once again all the words that they had agreed to carry out? “There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read in the presence of the entire assembly of Israel.”—Joshua 8:35, Italics ours.
. . . when in the days of King Josiah the misplaced ‘book of the Law of Moses’ was found while the temple was being renovated? Upon hearing the contents read to him, Josiah rent his garments in grief, realizing that for generations the Law had not been carried out according to what was written. He then made arrangements to celebrate the Passover festival, which had not been properly celebrated during the entire period of the kings and of the judges before them. Where was the ‘faithfully transmitted’ oral law during those hundreds of years? Had it existed, this information would never have been forgotten. Only an accurately preserved written record enabled the nation to return to doing God’s will properly.—2 Kings 22:8–23:25.
. . . when the prophet Jeremiah declared: “From the smallest to the greatest, they are all greedy for gain; priest and prophet alike, they all act falsely”? (Jeremiah 6:13) Throughout much of the nation of Israel’s history, this was the spiritual condition of the nation’s leaders, especially the priests, who were responsible to teach the Law. (Malachi 2:7, 8) Written records speak for themselves, but could men who were so unfaithful be depended on to preserve faithfully an oral tradition?
. . . during the more than a thousand years of recording the Hebrew Scriptures? From Moses to Malachi, there is no mention of the existence of such an oral law. Only hundreds of years later, during the period of the rabbis, when conflicting religious sects struggled for control and authority over the Jewish nation, do we find this concept mentioned. Do not those hundreds of years of silence on the subject and the testimony of inspired Scripture negate the claim that there ever was such an inspired oral law?
[Box/Picture on page 9]
DEAD SEA SCROLLS
Dated to before the Common Era, reveal the accuracy of the transmission of the Bible text through the centuries. They also confirm that prophecies were recorded before their fulfillment
[Box on page 10]
DOES THE TORAH HAVE “SEVENTY FACES”?
IN Israel today it is not uncommon to hear people quote a well-known Jewish expression—“There are seventy faces to the Torah”—indicating that they believe that the Scriptures can be interpreted in many different, even contradictory, ways. This is viewed as true both of the written Law and of the so-called oral law. The Encyclopedia of Judaism comments: “The Oral Law is not a definitive code; it includes many diverse and even conflicting opinions. Concerning these the sages said, ‘All of them are the words of the living God.’” (Page 532) However, is it reasonable to believe that God would inspire conflicting and divisive opinions? How did the acceptance of such contradictions come about?
Throughout the period when the Hebrew Scriptures were committed to writing (c. 1513–c. 443 B.C.E.), God’s appointed representatives clarified matters of dispute, very often with God himself backing them up by a display of divine power or by fulfilling prophecies that he had given them to utter. (Exodus 28:30; Numbers 16:1–17:15 [16:1-50, NW]; 27:18-21; Deuteronomy 18:20-22) At that time if someone taught contradictory explanations and interpretations, he was viewed, not as a scholar, but as an apostate. God warned the entire nation: “Be careful to observe only that which I enjoin upon you: neither add to it nor take away from it.”—Deuteronomy 13:1 (12:32, NW).
However, in time a fundamental change occurred in the thinking of the nation of Israel. The Pharisees, who became prominent in Judaism during the first century C.E., espoused the teaching of the “Oral Torah,” which they had developed two centuries previously. They taught that in addition to giving the nation of Israel a written Law at Mount Sinai, God also transmitted to them at the same time an oral law. According to such belief, this inspired oral law interpreted and clarified details of the written Law, details that God had deliberately told Moses not to record. The oral law was not to be written down but was to be transmitted only by word of mouth, from master to disciple, from generation to generation. It therefore gave special authority to the Pharisees, who viewed themselves as guardians of this oral tradition.
After the destruction of the second temple in 70 C.E., the Pharisaic view won out, and Judaism became a rabbi-dominated form of religion, something it had not been previously. With new prominence given to rabbis rather than to priests or prophets, the oral law became the new centerpiece of Judaism. As The Encyclopedia of Judaism states: “The Oral Torah came to be regarded as more important than the Written Torah inasmuch as the explanation and understanding of the latter depended upon the former.”—1989, page 710.
As rabbis gained prestige and as traditions multiplied, the ban on writing down this oral law was lifted. In the late second and early third centuries C.E., Judah Ha-Nasi (135-219 C.E.) systematically recorded these rabbinic oral traditions in a work called the Mishnah. Additions made later were called the Tosefta. The rabbis in turn saw the need to give commentary on the Mishnah, and these interpretations of oral tradition became the foundation of a voluminous collection of books called the Gemara (compiled from the third to the fifth century C.E.). Together these works came to be known as the Talmud. Commentary on all these rabbinic opinions continues to our day. Since it is impossible to harmonize all these greatly differing views, is it any wonder that many prefer to see “seventy faces to the Torah”?
[Footnotes]
This teaching, initially promoted by the Pharisees, was rejected by many of their contemporaries within the Jewish nation. The Sadducees, many of whom were priests, as well as the first-century Essenes, rejected this Pharisaic concept. Today, the Karaites (since the eighth century C.E.), as well as the Reform and Conservative movements of Judaism, do not view such an oral law as divinely inspired. However, Orthodox Judaism today considers these traditions both inspired and obligatory.
The Encyclopaedia Judaica states: “The title rabbi is derived from the noun rav, which in Biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ and does not occur in the [Hebrew] Bible.”
Knowing the True God—What Does It Mean?
ISAIAH’S stirring prophecy concerning the last days holds out an invitation that should interest people of every nation. The invitation is to get to know the true God personally: “And the many peoples shall go and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the Mount of the LORD, to the House of the God of Jacob; that He may instruct us in His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.’”—Isaiah 2:3.
2 This prophecy shows that in the last days, people of many nations worldwide would be guided to a common source of instruction to help them come to know the true God. What truths will they learn that serve to unite them in bonds of true peace?
3 An outstanding feature of the Bible, almost lost as a result of tradition, is that of establishing a relationship with God, our heavenly Father and Creator, in the most personal of terms, by addressing him by his name. Who is the person that has a dear and beloved friend whose name he refuses to use or even to mention when asked about it? Usually only an enemy is so despised that one prefers not to honor him by even mentioning his name. The special relationship that existed between ancient Israel and their God—whereby they knew him by his name—is beautifully expressed by the ancient psalmist: “Because he is devoted to Me I will deliver him; I will keep him safe, for he knows My name.”—Psalm 91:14.
Should We Use the Divine Name?
4 From the point of view of the Bible, there has never been any question as to the name of the true God. When God spoke to Moses, explaining that He would use him to lead the nation of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, Moses asked a logical question: “When I come to the Israelites and say to them ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” God answered: “Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: The LORD [Hebrew, ×××× = YHWH = Yahweh, or, since the 13th century C.E., Jehovah], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you: This shall be My name forever, this My appellation [memorial, JP] for all eternity.”—Exodus 3:13, 15, italics ours.
5 This name is full of meaning for one who speaks the Hebrew language. It comes from the basic Hebrew root ×××, h·w·h, meaning “to become.” However, the name is in the causative form, Hiph·`il´, according to Hebrew grammar. Therefore its basic sense is not relating to God’s eternal existence but rather to his causing things to come to be or to come about. This is especially true in a unique way regarding his purposes. As he purposed to free his chosen nation from Egyptian bondage, so he caused it to be. No power could stand in the way of his express will. Jehovah is the God who causes his purposes to be fulfilled. He thus causes himself to become the Fulfiller of his promises. This was also true of his purpose to free his nation from Babylonian captivity. The same is true regarding his purpose to bring paradisaic conditions to this earth. His very name gives meaning and a guarantee to these promises.—Isaiah 41:21-24; 43:10-13; 46:9, 10.
6 But do not the Ten Commandments forbid the pronouncing of God’s name? By no means! Although many have interpreted the third commandment in this way, note what the Encyclopaedia Judaica comments: “The avoidance of pronouncing the name YHWH . . . was caused by a misunderstanding of the Third Commandment (Ex. 20:7; Deut. 5:11) as meaning ‘Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH thy God in vain,’ whereas it really means ‘You shall not swear falsely by the name of YHWH your God.’”5 Notice that the text does not forbid ‘taking up’ or pronouncing God’s name. However, even if it meant taking God’s name “in vain,” note what the Hebrew lexicon by Koehler and Baumgartner states regarding the Hebrew term translated “in vain” (Hebrew, lash·shaw´´): “name a name without reason . . . misuse a name.”6 Therefore, this commandment does not forbid the use of God’s name but, rather, its misuse.
7 But what of the argument that God’s name is “too holy to be pronounced?” Well, does it not seem reasonable that if God viewed his name as too holy for men to pronounce, he would not have revealed it in the first place? The very fact that in the original text of the Hebrew Scriptures, God’s personal name appears over 6,800 times shows that he wants men to know him and to use his name. Far from restricting the use of his name to prevent disrespect, God repeatedly encourages and even commands his people to use his name and to make it known. Doing so was evidence of their close relationship with him, as well as their love for him. (Psalm 91:14) The prophet Isaiah showed clearly what God’s will is in this matter when he stated: “Praise the LORD [Hebrew, ×××× = YHWH = Jehovah], proclaim His name. Make His deeds known among the peoples; declare that His name is exalted.”—Isaiah 12:4. See also Micah 4:5; Malachi 3:16; Psalm 79:6; 105:1; Proverbs 18:10.
8 If Jehovah did not want men to pronounce his name, he could have explicitly forbidden it. However, nowhere does the Bible forbid the proper use or the pronouncing of his name. Faithful men of Bible times used his name freely. (Genesis 12:8; Ruth 2:4; 4:11, 14) In fact, God repeatedly condemned those who would cause his people to forget his holy name.—Jeremiah 23:26, 27; Psalm 44:21, 22 (44:20, 21, NW).
9 But how did this prohibition become a part of Jewish thought, since it was so clearly not a part of the Bible? Comments by Dr. A. Cohen, a rabbi and author of the book Everyman’s Talmud, show that the tradition took hold gradually over a period of many centuries. Dr. Cohen writes: “In the Biblical period there seems to have been no scruple against its use in daily speech. The addition of Jah or Jahu to personal names, which persisted among the Jews even after the Babylonian exile, is an indication that there was no prohibition against the employment of the four-lettered Name. But in the early Rabbinic period the pronunciation of the Name was restricted to the Temple service.” Regarding further developments during this period, he remarks: “Instead of JHVH the Name was pronounced Adonai (my Lord) in the Synagogue service; but there is a tradition that the original pronunciation was transmitted by the Sages to their disciples periodically—once or twice every seven years (Kiddushin 71a). Even that practice ceased after a while, and the method of pronouncing the Name is no longer known with certainty.”7 Such was the effect of the “commandment of men.”—Isaiah 29:13; Deuteronomy 4:2; see page 9, paragraphs 15, 16.
Requirements for Those Who Bear the Name
10 Obviously, just knowing or even using God’s name is not enough for a person to please God. Bearing God’s name as one of his true worshipers is a unique privilege, as the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed: “Your word brought me the delight and joy of knowing that Your name is attached to me.” (Jeremiah 15:16) But this grand privilege brings with it a weighty responsibility. Jehovah stated emphatically to kings of Gentile nations: “I am bringing the punishment first on the city that bears My name.” (Jeremiah 25:29) When Jehovah released the nation of Israel from 70 years of captivity in Babylon, he had already warned his people through the prophet Isaiah: “Turn, turn away, touch naught unclean as you depart from there; keep pure, as you go forth from there, you who bear the vessels of the LORD [××××]!” (Isaiah 52:11) What would be involved today in keeping pure as true worshipers, as bearers of the name of the most holy God, Jehovah?
11 Certainly a person who desires to please God in his worship would have to remain pure in conduct, especially with respect to the moral standards that God himself establishes. In contrast with the permissive standards of today’s society, the Scriptures leave no doubt or room for interpretation when expressing God’s condemnation of lying, stealing, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, murder, and every form of deceit. (Exodus 20:12, 13 [20:12-16, NW]; 23:1, 2; Leviticus 5:1; 19:35, 36; 20:13) The Scriptures condemn not only the wrong action itself but also the wrong thinking that leads to wrong conduct.—Exodus 20:14 (20:17, NW); Leviticus 19:17; Psalm 14:1-5; Job 31:1, 9.
12 In addition to moral purity, religious purity would certainly be required of those bearing Jehovah’s name. Repeatedly Jehovah warned the ancient nation of Israel not to be influenced by the religious thinking, practices, and customs of the neighboring nations, who worshiped other gods. In fact, it was on this condition alone—that they would not imitate the false worship of the nations—that they could remain in the Promised Land. (Leviticus 18:24-30; Deuteronomy 12:29-31) Not only idolatry was clearly forbidden but also all forms of superstitious practice and belief, such as astrology, spiritism, fortune-telling, magic, and praying to or inquiring of the dead, were prohibited.—Exodus 20:3-5; 22:17 (22:18, NW); Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:9-13; Isaiah 8:19, 20; 47:13; Jeremiah 10:2.
13 Closely related to religious purity is the matter of doctrinal purity. The warning not to imitate the morals and worship of the nations around them applied more than just at the time when the nation of Israel took over the land from the Canaanites. Jehovah had revealed religious truth to his people. Only they worshiped the true God, Jehovah. (Exodus 19:5, 6; Deuteronomy 4:32-37; Psalm 147:19, 20) Only they knew this God personally and, being his witnesses, were in a position to teach others about him. (Isaiah 43:9-12; Psalm 105:1) In contrast, the religious customs and practices of other nations reflected a basic lack of knowledge of God.—Isaiah 60:2.
14 Despite its good start, the nation of Israel was repeatedly enticed by foreign religious ideas. (Judges 2:11-13; 1 Kings 18:21; Jeremiah 2:11-13; Ezekiel 8:14-18) While the Canaanite and Babylonian cultures left their mark, by far the greatest challenge ever to face Judaism came during the period of Hellenization by the Greek Empire. Summing up this prolonged period of Greek cultural influence, extending from the fourth century B.C.E. well into the early centuries of the Common Era, the Jewish author Max Dimont remarked: “Enriched with Platonic thought, Aristotelian logic, and Euclidian science, Jewish scholars approached the Torah with new tools. . . . They proceeded to add Greek reason to Jewish revelation.”
Does Man Have an Immortal Soul?
15 Were Judaism’s doctrines and religious beliefs influenced during this period? The Encyclopaedia Judaica frankly admits: “It was probably under Greek influence that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul came into Judaism.”8 The Hebrew Scriptures teach simply and clearly that God originally intended for men to live forever in perfect health on this earth. (See pages 11-12, paragraphs 2 to 4.) At Genesis 2:7 we read: “The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (JP) Notice that the text does not state that man was given a soul but, rather, that he became a soul. Because of disobediently rebelling against God, the first man, Adam, was sentenced to death. Therefore, Adam, as a human soul, died. No part of him continued living in another realm. Thus, the concept of an immortal soul is not a Bible teaching. The Bible says plainly: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”—Ezekiel 18:4, JP.
16 What the Scriptures reveal about the condition of the dead harmonizes with the Bible teaching that the soul dies. At Ecclesiastes chapter 9, verses 5 and 10, we read: “The living know they will die. But the dead know nothing . . . For there is no action, no reasoning, no learning, no wisdom in Sheol [mankind’s common grave], where you are going.” (Compare Psalm 146:3, 4.) Death was given as a punishment by God. (Genesis 2:17) It is the opposite of life, not another form of life. Since this is true, we should not be surprised to discover that nowhere do the Scriptures speak of a burning punishment of hellfire (geh hin·nom´). This too is a concept absorbed from Greek philosophy and pagan doctrine. Respecting the Jewish mystical belief in reincarnation, The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia states: “The idea seems to have originated in India. . . . In Kabbalah [mystical books of Judaism] it first emerges in the book Bahir, and then, from the Zohar onward, was commonly accepted by mystics, playing an important role in Hasidic belief and literature.”9
17 Since death is the opposite of life and the soul does not live on in another realm, what hope is there for those who have died? God’s Word clearly teaches that after the restoration of paradisaic conditions to mankind on earth by the intervention of the Messianic King appointed by God, the majority of the dead will be brought back to life. This Bible teaching is often referred to as ‘the resurrection of the dead.’ The resurrected ones will include not only those who faithfully served God but also many millions, even billions, who never received a full opportunity to learn about him and serve him in truth.—Daniel 12:2, 12 (13, NW, JP); Isaiah 26:19; Job 14:14, 15.
18 Is not this Bible hope of the resurrection to perfect life on earth powerful motivation for people of all nations to search for and come to know the true God? But where is the true source of instruction from Jehovah for these last days, as mentioned at Isaiah 2:2, 3? Who can instruct people in Jehovah’s ways, that they “may walk in His paths”? Can either Judaism or Christendom provide such instruction, in the light of the Bible information considered up to this point?
19 According to prophecy there would be a group of people bearing Jehovah’s name in purity, who would truly serve both as his Witnesses and as a source of spiritual light to the nations.—Isaiah 60:2, 3.
[Footnotes]
A casual reading of this prophecy could give the impression that in the last days, there will be a massive conversion to Judaism. However, the context itself, as well as current events, shows that this is not the correct view. The discussion in this section and the next will also be of aid in understanding why we reach this conclusion.
From the time of Alexander the Great’s rule (336-323 B.C.E.), the Greeks made a concerted effort to spread their philosophy, culture, and language to all lands encompassed by the Greek Empire. Those who adopted Greek culture and thought were considered Hellenized. This effort to win other cultures over to that of Greece was perpetuated under the Roman Empire, which, although having conquered Greece, found its culture and philosophy appealing. Even among many of those who ostensibly fought diligently to resist this tidal wave of Greek influence, we find clear evidence of their adopting Greek philosophical ideas, reasonings, and doctrines.
In Biblical Hebrew the word translated “soul” is ne´phesh. However, in Judaism today, the Hebrew word nesha·mah´ is often considered the part of man that continues to exist after death. But a careful study of the Scriptures reveals that the word nesha·mah´ never conveyed such a meaning; it simply refers to the breathing process or a breathing creature, man or animal.—Genesis 7:22; Deuteronomy 20:16; Joshua 10:39, 40; 11:11; Isaiah 2:22.
[Study Questions]
1, 2. According to Isaiah 2:3, what invitation is made in the last days, and to whom?
3. How was an important feature of the Bible almost lost as a result of tradition?
4, 5. What is the meaning of God’s name?
6-9. (a) How do we know that God does not forbid the use of his name? (b) How and when did a prohibition on the use of God’s name become part of Judaism?
10-14. (a) What does God require of those who would bear his name? (b) What forms of purity are required of those who desire to please God? (c) What foreign pagan influence left a deep impression on Judaism?
15-17. (a) What does the Bible teach about death and the soul? (See box, page 22.) (b) What hope does the Bible hold out for those who have died?
18, 19. Why should a person come to know the true God, and how can he do so?
[Box on page 20, 21]
GOD’S NAME IN THE BIBLE—WHAT GOD SAID
“And God said moreover unto Moses: ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: The LORD [Hebrew, ×××× = YHWH = Jehovah], the God of your fathers, . . . hath sent me unto you; this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.’”—Exodus 3:15, JP, italics ours.
“Presently Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He greeted the reapers, ‘The LORD [××××] be with you!’ And they responded, ‘The LORD [××××] bless you!’”—Ruth 2:4.
“Praise the LORD [××××], proclaim His name. Make His deeds known among the peoples; declare that His name is exalted.”—Isaiah 12:4, italics ours; Psalm 105:1.
“For then I will make the peoples pure of speech, so that they all invoke the LORD [××××] by name and serve Him with one accord.”—Zephaniah 3:9, italics ours.
“Pour out Your fury on the nations that do not know You, upon the kingdoms that do not invoke Your name.”—Psalm 79:6, italics ours.
GOD’S NAME IN THE TALMUD—WHAT MEN SAID
“It was ordained that a man should greet his friends by mentioning the Name.”—Berakhot 9:5.
“Thus did he [the High Priest on the Day of Atonement] say: O JHVH, Thy people, the House of Israel, have committed iniquity, have transgressed, have sinned before Thee. I beseech Thee by the Name JHVH . . . And when the priests and the people that stood in the Court heard the glorious and revered Name pronounced freely out of the mouth of the High Priest, in holiness and purity, they knelt and prostrated themselves, falling on their faces, and exclaiming: Blessed be His glorious, sovereign Name for ever and ever.”—Yoma 6:2.
“In the Sanctuary the Name was pronounced as written; but beyond its confines a substituted Name was employed.”—Sotah 7:6.
“At first the High Priest used to proclaim the Name in a loud voice; but when dissolute men multiplied, he proclaimed it in a low tone.”—The Jerusalem Talmud, Yoma 40d.
“[Among those excluded from the world to come is] he who pronounces the Name according to its letters.”—Sanhedrin 10:1.
“Whoever explicitly pronounces the Name is guilty of a capital offence.”—Pesikta 148a.
[Footnotes]
The phrase “proclaim His name” (Hebrew, ×ש×× ×§×¨××) may also be translated “call him by his name.” (Compare The New English Bible.) The same Hebrew construction is found at Genesis 12:8, where it is translated by the Tanakh: “[Abram] invoked the LORD by name.”
[Box on page 22]
DEATH AND THE SOUL—WHAT ARE THEY?
WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY:
“Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul [ne´phesh].” (Genesis 2:7, JP, italics ours.) Notice man was not given a soul but became one.
“But as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die.” (Genesis 2:17) Notice that death was mentioned to the first man, Adam, only as a punishment for disobedience.
“By the sweat of your brow shall you get bread to eat, until you return to the ground—for from it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”—Genesis 3:19.
“In the towns of the latter peoples, . . . you shall not let a soul [nesha·mah´] remain alive.”—Deuteronomy 20:16.
“And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, . . . all the souls [ne´phesh] that were therein; he left none remaining, . . . but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls [ne´phesh] that were therein.”—Joshua 10:37, JP.
“They proscribed and put to the sword every person in it. Not a soul [nesha·mah´] survived.”—Joshua 11:11.
“Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine; the soul [ne´phesh] that sinneth, it shall die.”—Ezekiel 18:4, JP, italics ours.
“The living know they will die. But the dead know nothing . . . For there is no action, no reasoning, no learning, no wisdom in Sheol [mankind’s common grave], where you are going.”—Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10.
WHAT THE RABBIS HAVE SAID:
“In the seventh heaven, Araboth, are stored the spirits and souls which have still to be created.”—Hagigah 12b, Talmud.
“An additional soul is given to man on the eve of the Sabbath, which is taken from him at the termination of the Sabbath.”—Taanit 27b, Talmud.
“For full 12 months [after death] the body continues to exist and the soul ascends and descends.”—Shabbat 152b, Talmud.
“Worms are as painful to the dead as a needle in the flesh of the living.”—Shabbat 13b, Talmud.
“If a statement is said in a person’s name in this world after his death his lips move in the grave.”—Sanhedrin 90b, Talmud.
“Judaism is ‘the religion which insures the immortality of the soul after the demise of the body.’”—The Kuzari 1:103, Judah Halevi, 12th-century rabbi.
]
This ancient synagogue floor in Tiberias, Israel, is just one example of the extent to which Greek thought and culture influenced Judaism. Notice the signs of the zodiac with their names written in Hebrew. The figure in the center is the sun-god Helios
Who Will Lead the Nations to Peace?
ISAIAH chapter 2 is much more than a prophecy about the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem after 70 years of Babylonian captivity. Indeed, the prophecy refers to nothing less than the turning of peoples of all nations to the pure worship of the only true God, Jehovah. It implies the forming of an international brotherhood rendering sacred service acceptable to God.
2 A transformation of such magnitude, encompassing people in every part of the world, would be not only dramatic but also visible, as if happening on a mountain in full view of everyone. This is exactly what is happening today among Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide. Millions from Christendom’s religions have learned that God is one and have stopped worshiping the Trinity. In India, Hindus have abandoned their pantheon of gods and myriads of idols for the one true God. The same is true of people in Africa, on faraway islands, and in the Middle East. Those who have gone up to Jehovah’s holy mountain, his pure worship, have put away all racial, tribal, and political hatreds; they literally ‘learn war no more.’—Isaiah 2:2-4.
Messiah’s Identity—A Source of Controversy
3 This international brotherhood is also related to the fulfillment of God’s purpose for all mankind: that people of all nations would bless themselves by means of a promised “seed,” a descendant of Abraham, and so worship God in truth and unity. (Genesis 3:15; 22:18, JP) Later prophecies indicated that this “seed” was also to be the ‘prophet like Moses,’ who would mediate a new covenant that would serve as the legal basis for sincere people of all nations to worship God in unity. (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, 19; Jeremiah 31:31-34) In addition this very one was to be the Messiah, a ruler from the line of David, whose throne God would establish forever. (1 Chronicles 17:11, 12) According to the prophet Isaiah, the Messiah would be the rallying figure who would unite people out of all nations (Hebrew, Goh·yim´). Isaiah 11:10 says: “It shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign [“as a signal,” NW] of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious.”—JP.
4 The identity of the Messiah has been debated for centuries. According to Isaiah 11:10 and other texts, he would be a Jew, a descendant of King David (Jesse’s son), and people of all nations would accept him as the legitimate Messiah sent by God. Referring to the first-century Jewish teacher Jesus, Rabbi H. G. Enelow wrote: “No sensible Jew can be indifferent to the fact that a Jew should have had such a tremendous part in the religious education and direction of the human race.”10 What other Jew have so many Gentiles accepted as the Messiah? Could some other Jew receive wider acceptance? Still, there are those who find the idea that Jesus may be the Messiah very disturbing. Their reasons are worth examining.
Christendom’s Apostasy
5 For the majority of non-Christians, it is Christendom, whose adherents supposedly follow Christ’s teachings, that has caused an aversion to the very name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, many nations have suffered at the hands of Christendom, but without a doubt the Jewish people have suffered more than any of them.
6 In our own time, anti-Semitism in Christendom culminated in the Nazi Holocaust. Though many factors were involved, religious hatred cannot be ignored as one of the main ones. And if some in Christendom would deny this, the fact that “Christians,” both Catholics and Protestants, were among the ones that did the killing or condoned it is undeniable. Elie Wiesel sums up the Jewish view in his book A Jew Today: “How is one to explain that neither Hitler nor Himmler was ever excommunicated by the church? That Pius XII never thought it necessary, not to say indispensable, to condemn Auschwitz and Treblinka? That among the S.S. a large proportion were believers who remained faithful to their Christian ties to the end? That there were killers who went to confession between massacres? And that they all came from Christian families and had received a Christian education?”11 Therefore, just how much faith could Jewish people be expected to demonstrate in someone whose name was for centuries connected with every humiliation and blow that they received?
7 Aside from outright persecution, what kind of moral example have the “Christian” countries given to the rest of the world? Little more than wars, Crusades, and “holy” Inquisitions. Even World War I and World War II were begun in “Christian” lands. Could it be said that “Christian” morality has been exemplary? AIDS for example, is rampant in countries where the majority of the population profess Christianity. The scandals among Christendom’s clergy are notorious. Immoral televangelists who rake in millions of dollars and live like kings as well as homosexual clergy, some of whom have even been sued for committing sexual abuses against male minors, are just a few of the things that non-Christians feel characterize Christianity—fruitage that besmirches the name of Jesus, whom “Christians” claim to follow.
8 Additionally, both Judaism and Islam are rightly repelled by the idolatry rampant in Christendom. Many of Christendom’s unscriptural doctrines, such as the veneration of Mary as the “Mother of God,” are also objectionable to these religions. The Trinity doctrine is especially viewed with disdain by Jews as a clear contradiction of the essence of Judaism—the monotheistic concept embodied in the words “HEAR O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE.”—Deuteronomy 6:4, JP.
9 The persecutions perpetrated by Christendom, its wars, immorality, hypocrisy, and blasphemous doctrines are unpardonable not only in the eyes of non-Christians but also in the eyes of God Almighty. For this reason, Jehovah’s Witnesses, though followers of Jesus Christ, are no part of Christendom. Christendom, on the other hand, is no part of true Christianity. Virtually the only similarity between Christendom and the first Christians is the use of the name Jesus. But if Jesus’ teachings were so outstandingly good and practical, how did such an apostasy come about?
10 Actually, that false Christians would arise and that there would be an apostasy from Jesus’ true teachings were prophesied by Jesus himself as well as by the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures, incorrectly referred to as the New Testament. (Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Peter 2:1, 2) According to Matthew 7:21-23, the Messiah himself would judge these apostate ones for what they are and would say to them, “I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.”—NW; compare Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43.
Why Were Additional Scriptures Needed?
11 At first, all the followers of Jesus were Jews. In fact, thousands of Jews in the first century, including “a great crowd of priests,” accepted Jesus as the ‘prophet like Moses,’ the Messiah. (Acts 2:5, 37, 41; 4:4; 6:7; Deuteronomy 18:18) These same Jews became the foundation of a new international group of worshipers of Jehovah God, legally established on the basis of “a new covenant,” mediated by this prophet like Moses.—Jeremiah 31:31-34.
12 With a new covenant came the need for further inspired writings that would provide necessary additional information for those who would serve God under this new-covenant arrangement. These writings, the Christian Greek Scriptures, were all written by Jews. They report on Jesus’ life and teachings, fill in details concerning many prophecies recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures, and clarify points concerning the Messiah and his role in the divine purpose. Additionally, they include letters that serve as counsel and encouragement for the new international body of worshipers.
Was Jesus the Promised Messiah?
13 But wasn’t Jesus rejected by the religious leaders of his day? Yes, and these in turn influenced the masses. But were not Jeremiah and other prophets also rejected by the religious leaders of their day? (Jeremiah 7:25, 26; 20:1-6; 2 Chronicles 36:15, 16) Those of Jesus’ generation who believed in him, who had a firsthand opportunity to examine his teaching and his works as well as the prophecies concerning him, were not dissuaded by the opposition of the religious leaders, who saw their religious monopoly threatened. What those sincere Jews had personally witnessed convinced them that the Messianic prophecies had been fulfilled in Jesus. What were the powerful proofs that made those first-century Jews willing to risk everything, even death, by declaring belief in Jesus as the promised Messiah?—John 9:22; 16:2.
14 In the first place, the time was right. The prophecy at Daniel chapter 9, concerning the Messiah, indicated that he would appear before the destruction of the second temple.—Daniel 9:24-27.
15 Secondly, the man himself was right. He was from the tribe of Judah and a descendant of King David. (Genesis 49:10; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; compare Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-31.) Also, he was born in Bethlehem, which was commonly understood among first-century Jews to be the designated birthplace for the Messiah. (Micah 5:1 [5:2, NW]; compare Matthew 2:4-6; Luke 2:1-7; John 7:42.) All of these were important credentials that Jews of Jesus’ day expected the Messiah to have as a means of identification.
16 Then, the teaching of the man was right. It was not political or legalistic but spiritual and ethical. Quite simply, he got to the heart of matters. Furthermore, he dared to appeal solely to the Scriptures as his final authority, not to the sayings of previous religious leaders, as was the custom. This astounded the crowds, for “he was teaching them as a person having authority, and not as their scribes.” (Matthew 7:29, NW) The accounts of Jesus’ life reveal a personality so powerful, and a teaching so clear, that historians cite this as one of the reasons that it can be asserted that he was no mythical character.
17 Various prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures, long accepted as Messianic, were fulfilled through the suffering and death of Jesus. Such prophecies link the Messiah’s death with the forgiveness of sins. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, this atonement provided by the death of the Messiah is referred to as the ‘ransom sacrifice.’ (Matthew 20:28; Romans 3:24) What were some of these prophecies?
18 Notice the words of the prophecy at Daniel 9:24, 25 (JP): “Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sin, and to forgive iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness . . . unto one anointed [“Messiah,” Hebrew, Ma·shi´ach], a prince.” One cannot avoid noticing the link established in the text between the “Messiah” (the Anointed One) and the ‘finishing of transgression and making an end to sin.’ Verse 26 goes on to state that “after the threescore and two weeks shall an anointed one [“Messiah,” Hebrew, Ma·shi´ach] be cut off,” in other words, be killed. (See box, page 26.)
19 Another text that is related to the Messiah’s being “cut off,” or killed, as an atonement sacrifice, is found at Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12. (See box, page 28.) Rabbis in the first century applied this text to the Messiah, as did Rambam and others in the Middle Ages. The text makes it perfectly clear that forgiveness is linked with the Messiah and his death.
20 For the above reasons, the teaching that the Messiah’s death would make possible the complete forgiveness of sin in God’s sight was readily understood by many first-century Jews. They knew that the Scriptures spoke of man’s inherent imperfection. (Ecclesiastes 7:20) The need for sacrifice to atone for sin was a lesson perceived daily; it was implicit in the very framework and nature of the Law covenant. The events described in the accounts of Jesus’ life present him as a perfect man whose death could bring atonement for mankind’s sin. (Matthew 20:28; Luke 1:26-38) When the Christian Greek Scriptures highlighted that the various sacrifices under the Law foreshadowed this one final and complete sacrifice, fuller meaning was given to the entire framework of the Law, as well as to other portions of the Scriptures.—Hebrews 10:1-10.
Like Moses—A Reliable Prophet
21 In addition to explaining Jesus’ death as a ransom sacrifice, the Christian Greek Scriptures also highlight his role as a ‘prophet like Moses.’ (Deuteronomy 18:18; see page 14, paragraphs 17 to 19.) As such, he prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and instructed his disciples to flee the city when they would see it surrounded by armies. (Matthew 23:37–24:2; Luke 21:20, 21) But how can one flee a city when it is besieged by troops? The Jewish historian Yoseph ben Mattatiyahu (Josephus), himself an eyewitness of these events, records the answer: “Cestius [the Roman commander, 66 C.E.] . . . suddenly called off his men, abandoned hope though he had suffered no reverse, and flying in the face of all reason retired from the City.”13 That was the opening the Christians needed to flee the city. Four years later, in 70 C.E., the Roman troops, now under General Titus, returned and again besieged the city. Jesus had prophesied of the city that the enemy would build ‘a fortification with pointed stakes and would encircle the city and distress it from every side.’ (Luke 19:43, NW) Josephus confirms that Titus built such a fortification of pointed stakes, nearly five miles [8 km] long, denuding the countryside of trees for a radius of about ten miles [16 km]. Jesus’ prophecies gave precise instructions on how to avoid destruction at the hands of the Romans, and their veracity is proved by the fact that the lives of all those who heeded them were saved.—Luke 21:20-24.
22 Jesus also prophesied about the future destruction by God of all wickedness and those who cause it. At Luke 21:24 (NW), he referred to “the appointed times of the nations,” showing that God had a limit as to how long he would tolerate human rule. Jesus also foretold that the last days of man’s rule would be marked by wars, famine, earthquakes, pestilence, crime, and violence, and that before the end of man’s rule, a worldwide educational work would be carried out to inform people of all nations that God’s government was ruling from the heavens. (See Matthew 24:3-14; Luke 21:10, 11.) Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that this great composite sign has been in evidence since 1914, when “the appointed times of the nations” came to their end. Long before that time they had been announcing that 1914 would be a marked date in human history. When the first world war began in August of that year, their expectations on that were confirmed. In reality, none of the Witnesses had received any divine visions; it was their diligent study of the Holy Scriptures that led them to this conclusion.
Nations Educated in the Ways of Peace
23 However, the Messiah’s role in providing a ransom sacrifice and in being a prophet like Moses would have only limited value if the final aspect of his role in the outworking of God’s purpose was not fulfilled—his becoming the appointed King of God’s Kingdom. (Isaiah 9:5, 6 [9:6, 7, NW]) But how could Jesus hold this position if he died? In harmony with prophecies regarding the Messiah, God resurrected Jesus on the third day after his death. (Psalm 16:8-11; Isaiah 53:10, 12; compare Matthew 28:1-7; Luke 24:44-46; Acts 2:24-32; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8.) God restored him to life, not as a man, since he had offered his perfect human life in sacrifice, but as a powerful spirit creature, waiting at God’s right hand for further instructions.—Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:33-35; Hebrews 10:12, 13.
24 King David wrote that at the time that the Messiah would begin to rule, ‘God’s people would offer themselves willingly.’ (Psalm 110:3) Although world conditions have progressed from bad to worse since that marked year of 1914, there has also been a fulfillment of the positive aspect of the prophecy; God’s people have willingly volunteered their time to preach ‘the good news of the kingdom in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.’ (Matthew 24:14, NW) For example, every year the Witnesses spend hundreds of millions of hours in speaking to people about God’s Kingdom and conducting free home Bible studies with those interested in examining the facts.
25 All this time is given free of charge. The ones doing the work are from every walk of life, of all ages, and from about every profession imaginable. These are the ones described at Isaiah 2:3 by the words: “The many peoples shall go and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the Mount of the LORD [Hebrew, ××××, Jehovah].’” This is no mere campaign to “win souls.” It is a worldwide educational program with two objectives: (1) Inform people in every nation that God’s Kingdom is ruling and tell them exactly what it will soon do, and (2) educate, free of charge, all those who want to examine the facts and serve the living God according to his wishes. The success of the work and the fulfillment of the prophecy are assured. Why? Because Jehovah God himself is backing it.—Zechariah 4:6.
26 Is it not reasonable to see the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses as fulfillment of this prophecy at Isaiah 2:3? Do you know of anyone else who is doing this work? Or do you think it is just a matter of coincidence that millions of people make time in their lives to speak about a message prophesied some two thousand years ago, a message that was to be heralded during a time of unprecedented upheaval? Yes, in these last days, it is Jehovah’s Witnesses who have become ‘a light to the nations.’ (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6) They are the only international brotherhood serving Jehovah God unitedly and peacefully under the direction of the Messiah, “the root of Jesse,” whom they proclaim to be the ‘signal’ for the nations.—Isaiah 11:10, NW, JP.
[Footnotes]
Some allege that these writings are self-contradictory or that they contradict the Hebrew Scriptures. However, examination of these supposed contradictions proves that this is not the case. In fact, the same principle applies here that applied to supposed contradictions within the Hebrew Scriptures themselves. (See pages 6 and 8, paragraphs 9 to 12.) Since all the first Christians, including those who wrote the books making up the Christian Greek Scriptures, were Jews, they did not foment anti-Semitism any more than did the Jewish prophets before them who denounced the religious leaders of their own day.
Among the first-century Jews, there was a general understanding that this prophecy would be fulfilled in their own time. (Luke 3:15) In his work De Termino Vitae (Concerning the End of Life), a 17th-century rabbi, Menasseh ben Israel, wrote: “Some would accept those 70 weeks as meaning that after their end the Messiah would come who would constitute them rulers of the whole world. Indeed, all who took up arms against the Romans at that time held that opinion.”
The ancient Jewish Aramaic paraphrase, or Targum, of Micah 5:1 states: “From thee [Bethlehem] Messiah shall go out before me.”
Jewish historian Joseph Klausner wrote: “A man like Jesus, for whom the ethical ideal was everything, was something hitherto unheard of in the Judaism of the day. . . . Thus, his ethical teaching, apparently goes beyond that of PirkÄ Aboth and of other Talmudic and Midrashic literature. It is not lost in a sea of legal prescriptions and items of secular information.”12
For a complete account of the life and ministry of Jesus, see the book The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
The apostle Paul referred to Jesus as the ‘second Adam,’ whose death brought atonement for sin inherited from Adam. (1 Corinthians 15:45-47; Romans 5:12, 15-19) For more information on why such an arrangement was essential, see page 14, paragraphs 15 and 16 and footnote.
In this light the entire story of Abraham takes on new meaning. God was not asking Abraham to kill his son just to test his faith but also to act out a pictorial drama so that men could understand that God himself was going to provide a sacrifice, someone dear to him, for the eternal benefit of mankind. The One provided would be the very Seed of Abraham, by means of whom God had promised that “all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves.” (Genesis 22:10-12, 16-18; compare John 3:16.) The similarity and concept are too clear and specific for this to be a coincidence or a clever invention of men.
In mentioning “the appointed times of the nations,” Jesus was evidently referring to the prophecy at Daniel 4:10-34 (4:10-37, NW). For an in-depth explanation of this prophecy, see Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, pages 132-5, and “Let Your Kingdom Come,” chapter 14 and appendix, published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
[Study Questions]
1, 2. How is the prophecy at Isaiah 2:2-4 being fulfilled in our day?
3. According to Isaiah 11:10, what effect would the Messiah have on the nations?
4. What did one rabbi state regarding Jesus’ effect on the human race?
5-7. Why do many find the very names of Jesus and of Christianity offensive?
8-10. (a) Why cannot Christendom rightly claim to represent Jesus and true Christianity? (b) What warning did the Scriptures give about an apostasy from Jesus’ true teachings?
11, 12. (a) What are the Christian Greek Scriptures? (b) Who wrote these Scriptures? (c) Why was God’s inspiration necessary for these writings?
13-16. What convinced many first-century Jews that Jesus was the Messiah?
17-20. (a) What prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures spoke of the time of the Messiah’s coming and of his sacrificial death? (b) Why was it necessary for the Messiah to die?
21, 22. (a) How do historical events regarding the destruction of Jerusalem prove that Jesus was a true prophet? (b) How do historical events regarding our day also prove this?
23. How could Jesus become the appointed King of God’s Kingdom?
24-26. How are Jehovah’s Witnesses having a share in the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy?
[Box on page 26]
WHO WAS THE ‘ANOINTED ONE’? WHEN WOULD HE COME?
Daniel 9:24 (JP): “Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people.”
·What is the purpose of the time period mentioned?
“To make an end of sin, and to forgive iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal vision and prophet.” From these words alone, one would expect this to be one of the most important prophecies in the Scriptures.
Daniel 9:26 (JP): “After the threescore and two weeks shall an anointed one [“Messiah,” Hebrew, Ma·shi´ach] be cut off, and be no more.” Notice that the Messiah’s cutting off, or death, would occur before the destruction of the second temple in 70 C.E., as the verse goes on to say: “And the people of a prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.”
·How do Jewish commentators understand this prophecy?
There is no one standard, accepted interpretation for this prophecy on the part of Jewish commentators. Some try to relate portions of it to the return from Babylonian exile (537 B.C.E.), others to the period of the Maccabees’ rebellion against the forces of Hellenization (168-165 B.C.E.), and others to the destruction of the second temple by the Romans in 70 C.E., while still others relate portions of the prophecy to a yet future coming of the Messiah.
On the whole one could say that present-day Jewish interpretations fall short on two basic points:
1. They tend to minimize the importance of this prophecy, totally ignoring its stated purpose to bring an end to sin and iniquity and to establish everlasting righteousness.
2. None of these standard explanations accurately fit into any reasonable time calculation, which was the very purpose in giving Daniel this prophecy in a form that could be used to determine when the fulfillment would come about.—Compare Daniel 9:2.
·Is there an explanation of this prophecy that harmonizes both with its stated purpose and with historical facts?
Notice the following:
Seventy weeks: Jewish commentators almost universally understand this to mean weeks of years, in other words, 490 years. This is in harmony with the Scriptural prophetic calculation of “a year for each day.”—Numbers 14:34; Leviticus 25:8; Ezekiel 4:6.
·“From the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem” Nehemiah relates that in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes, he was given the commission to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This was in the year 455 B.C.E.—Nehemiah 2:1-8; see Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2, pages 614-16, 899-900, published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
Seven weeks: Seven weeks (of years, or 49 years) relates to the period of completing the restoration of the city, Jerusalem.
Sixty-two weeks: Sixty-two weeks (of years, or 434 years) relates to the period after the completion of the city until the coming of the Messiah.
Adding these two time periods together, one comes to 69 weeks of years, or 483 years. Counting from the starting point of 455 B.C.E. shows the end of the 69th week to be 29 C.E.
29 C.E.: A Jew named Jesus (Hebrew, Yeshua), born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, from the line of David, begins preaching throughout the land of Israel.—Luke 3:1-3, 21, 22.
·“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah will be cut off” (Daniel 9:26, NW): In the year 33 C.E., Jesus is killed, after preaching for three and a half years. This corresponds to what Daniel 9:27 states.
·“He will cause sacrifice and gift offering to cease” (Daniel 9:27, NW): Jesus spoke of his death as a sacrifice. (Matthew 20:28) It brought a culmination in God’s eyes to the sacrifices offered under the Law covenant. (Hebrews 8:1-13) Jesus’ sacrificial death provided the basis for all that was mentioned in Daniel 9:24.
It would bring forgiveness of sin.
It confirmed God’s promises and prophecies.
It provided a legal basis according to God’s standards for everlasting righteousness in the future.
All of this occurred, as the prophecy indicated, before the destruction of the second temple.
Would not any other explanation indicating a past fulfillment fall short of the stated purpose?
Pointing to a future fulfillment of this prophecy would take it far out of its given time period of 70 weeks of years and it would not be prior to the destruction of Jerusalem’s second temple.
[Footnotes]
The punctuation found in the present-day Hebrew text (the original Hebrew text had no vowel pointing or punctuation), which causes a different understanding of this time division, is not original but rather is an addition by scribes in the Middle Ages who evidently were reacting to the interpretation of this text as being fulfilled in Jesus.
[Box on page 28]
“MY SERVANT”—WHO IS HE?
“‘Indeed, My servant . . . was despised, shunned by men . . . We held him of no account. Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing, our suffering that he endured. . . . But he was wounded because of our sins, crushed because of our iniquities. . . . We all went astray like sheep . . . And the LORD visited upon him the guilt of all of us.’ . . . Though he had done no injustice and had spoken no falsehood. . . . ‘My righteous servant makes the many righteous, it is their punishment that he bears . . . He exposed himself [“poured out his soul,” NW] to death and was numbered among the sinners, whereas he bore the guilt of the many and made intercession for sinners.’”—Isaiah 52:13–53:12.
The picture Isaiah presents here is of a completely innocent, pure individual whose suffering and death provided atonement for his own nation, which did not acknowledge him.
Today, however, most Jewish commentators accept as an established fact that the reference is to the nation of Israel as a whole or to a righteous group within the nation.
The question is, Did the nation of Israel, or even a portion of it, ever fit this description, or does it apply to an individual?
For over 800 years after Isaiah’s writing these words of prophecy (c. 732 B.C.E.), there is no record of any Jew or rabbi who taught that this “servant” was to be viewed in a collective sense. Throughout this period, the prophecy was universally understood to refer to an individual and was generally regarded as a prophecy concerning the Messiah.
In addition, notice the comment in the prologue to the book The Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah According to the Jewish Interpreters: “Surviving Jewish exegesis up to the end of the amoraic period [up to the sixth century C.E.] suggests that it was then frequently, perhaps even generally assumed without question that the figure referred to was the Messiah, which is of course how the Targum also, somewhat later, interprets it.”—Edited by H. M. Orlinsky, 1969, page 17.
What could be the motive for rejecting and reinterpreting the most natural understanding of this scripture as referring to an individual, even the Messiah? Was it not simply an effort to avoid any connection between this prophecy and Jesus, the first-century Jew who fitted its description in every detail?
Jehovah’s Witnesses, here seen by the Sea of Galilee, Israel, are also active worldwide, inviting people of all nations to learn more about God’s purposes and requirements
Our Problems—Who Will Help Us Solve Them?
The storm clouds were gathering as Ramu picked his way over the rough path to his neighbor’s house. He was feeling nervous. Examination time was near, and he could not understand some of his lessons in mathematics. His mother had insisted on his going to their neighbor to ask for his help, but Ramu had not yet spoken to Masterji, who was teaching mathematics at a city school. Ma had said they were a friendly family and would be glad to help. Had not Masterji’s wife carried Ma’s grains from the ration shop after seeing her condition?
Ramu thought about his mother and how hard she worked from morning to night. And soon there would be another member in the family to feed, clothe, and take care of. No wonder his father kept urging him to study hard so that he could get a good job and help support the family.
He had arrived at Masterji’s house. As he hesitated at the door, a kindly voice said, “Hello, come inside,” and Ramu entered.
Some time later Ramu’s father, Anand, was returning from work and saw his son leaving Masterji’s house. Ramu seemed happy, and there was a spring in his step. As Anand got to Masterji’s house, the heavens seemed to open, and the rain poured down in torrents. The schoolteacher, who had been watching Ramu run to his home, called Anand into the house and quickly closed the door against the pelting rain.
The Problems Facing All of Us
Weary after his long day’s work in his cycle repair shop, Anand gladly accepted the hot cup of tea that Masterji’s wife, Mariam, prepared for him. He glanced around the neat room as Mariam returned to her sewing machine and Paul and Rachel, Masterji’s children, settled down with their homework. Suddenly, Anand was filled with a great bitterness and burst out, “I can see you do not have the problems I have to face every day. You are all so calm and contented. How I envy you!” Masterji smiled and said, “Well, we have our share of problems too, Anand. But what in particular is troubling you?”
Warmed by Masterji’s kindly interest, Anand began to pour out his heart. Money, that was the main thing. There was never enough to go around. The landlord kept increasing the rent; school fees and the cost of books and uniforms were always shooting up. Each time his wife, Nirmala, came from the market, she complained about the rising cost of even the basic necessities. Now she was pregnant again, and the doctor said she must have tonics because she was weak and anemic. Where was the money to come from? It would still be some years before his son Ramu finished school, and after all the expense to send him to a good school, what guarantee was there that he would get a good job? Why, even college graduates with several degrees were unemployed. What hope was there for a cycle repairer’s son to find the sort of job that would improve their lot in life? How could he hope to find husbands for his daughters without having the money to give a dowry for them? Even though this was illegal, people still demanded it, in one form or other.
Anand considered himself to be an honest man. His parents had taught him not to lie or cheat. But where did that get him? He did not like corruption, but he realized that he might never get ahead by honest means. Other cycle repairers traded in stolen cycles and sold secondhand spare parts as new, and their businesses were thriving. Why should he not do the same? A little more money would ease so many of his burdens.
Masterji listened patiently and sympathetically until Anand had exhausted his tale of woe.
“Anand,” he asked, “do you really think money will solve your problems? Do you think all rich people are happy, secure, without any problems? Do they never get sick? What about their children becoming drug addicts, immoral, or rebellious? Do we not hear of corruption, taking of bribes, unemployment, and increasing violence in the so-called developed nations where money is more plentiful? No, Anand, I cannot agree that money alone will solve your problems or mine.”
“Your problems,” said Anand, “what are they?”
“They are the same as yours, Anand. I think most of us have the same problems, you know.”
“But you are not troubled as I am. I can see that your family is placid and happy. What is your secret, Masterji?”
“Well, Anand, we as a family are convinced that someone is going to solve all our problems soon.”
“Why, are you expecting to inherit a fortune?”
“No, not that,” said Masterji, laughing. “No, Anand, we believe that very soon God is going to intervene in world affairs and bring about such a change that decent, peace-loving people will no longer have to worry about high prices, sickness, crime, housing problems, lack of employment, violence, or insecurity.”
Anand looked amazed. “You sound just like my mother: ‘Leave everything to God; your fate is in his hands.’ I did not expect such thinking from an educated person like you, Masterji. I know that you are a Christian, but other Christians I know do not feel as you do. They are active in politics and demonstrations, trying to improve conditions by their own efforts; they do not just ‘leave it to God’ to change matters.”
“Perhaps I should explain, Anand, that there is a very big difference between what my family and I believe and what is taught and practiced by the churches. You know that there are many different groups here in the city that claim to be Christian, that is, they say they follow Christ and the teachings of the Bible. Yet, when you examine their beliefs, you find that many of their teachings differ from the teachings of Christ. For example, Christ taught his followers to be nonviolent and to love their enemies. Do the so-called Christian nations follow this teaching? Have they not taken the lead in two world wars and in producing nuclear weapons? And the record shows that the churches have supported them. So when they send their missionaries to non-Christian nations, they are not always bringing the teachings of Christ.
“There are, however, people all over the world who, like us, believe that God will soon bring the solution to our problems. We base our hope on predictions written down long ago in the Bible. These convince us that a world change is very near, and we do all we can to share this good news with our neighbors. Since the God of the Bible who promises this change is called Jehovah, we are known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
“Well, Masterji, this is something new to me. You must tell me more about it another time.”
The Desire to Be Happy on Earth
“They do believe in God,” Nirmala told her father-in-law.
“What are you talking about, Nirmala?”
“You felt that because Masterji and his family never went to the temple or the mosque or to a church and had no images or religious pictures in their home, they must not believe in God. But they do. Mariam explained to me while teaching me how to make clothes for the coming baby. She said they believe in one God who created everything and whose name is Jehovah. Because he is invisible and no one has ever seen him, they do not make images or pictures of him. She told me that their holy book, the Bible, says that “God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) So they pray to God without using any visible thing to look at. They call themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“And she said a very interesting thing about worshiping God with truth. She said that truth means things as they really are, not mythology or imagination. Therefore, they do not believe in man-made philosophy, which does not agree with actual facts. (Mark 7:7, 8) As an example, she said that whereas most religions teach that our ultimate goal is to leave this earth and be united with God or to have a reward in some spirit afterlife, this did not agree with the facts, as this was not man’s natural inclination. She stressed that what man desires most is a good home, good health, a happy family, and loving friends. When people are happy, they do not want to die and go to heaven or attain Nirvana or moksha, losing their personality and becoming nonexistent as individuals. ‘Who must have given man this desire to live happily on earth?’ she asked me. It must have been the One who created him. So the Bible, it seems, teaches that Jehovah God made man to live happily forever right here on this earth. Since this is man’s natural desire, she claimed that this teaching of the Bible describes things as they really are and hence can be called truth.”
“Well, Nirmala, if that were true, then God failed in his purpose. People are not happy on earth. Earthly life means problems and suffering, and we can only get relief if we escape from this earth. Anyway, Anand says that Masterji and his family are visiting us tonight. Let us see what he says about this.”
The One Who Promises to Solve All Problems
After some talk about the weather and the children’s coming examinations, Dadaji brought up the argument he had put to Nirmala earlier in the day. Masterji thought for a few moments, then asked Anand’s mother, “Dadi, what do you do when someone in the family has malaria?”
Surprised, she replied, “I give them medicine, of course. We have had it often enough, so I know what to ask the chemist for.”
Turning to Anand’s father, Masterji said, “You see, Dadaji, that is the logical thing to do when you are suffering; you take medicine to get better. You do not say, ‘Let me die and leave the earth.’ But suppose we had the right ‘medicine’ to remove all suffering and solve all our problems here on earth. Would we not prefer to stay here rather than die and leave our loved ones?
“Obviously, man does not have the ability to solve all his problems. So for a long time, humans have been suffering on earth. But does not your own belief teach that during kalyug, God must take avatar to bring satyug on earth? Does that not show that the ancient philosophers who developed that teaching also believed that God wanted man to be happy here on earth?
“Think of this colony, Dadaji. When it was first built, it was a very fine colony, was it not? But look at it today. So many tenants have moved in who do not care about others. They have broken the streetlights, thrown garbage wherever they like, smashed windows, and stolen taps, so that water is wasted and makes the roads muddy. What needs to be done now? If the bad tenants were removed and the colony facilities repaired, could we not enjoy living here? This is what God has promised to do to the whole earth.
“According to the Bible, God created man perfect, healthy, and happy. But by not obeying God’s laws, men have acted ruinously and become defective. (Deuteronomy 32:4, 5) Not only that but today they are even ruining the earth, which is God’s creation. So the Bible says that God will first remove the wicked ‘tenants’ from the earth and then help good people to restore happy conditions.”—Revelation 11:18.
“But Masterji, things would just get bad again after some time. That is why after God cleanses the earth and brings satyug, bad conditions recur and lead to kalyug again. So only escape from the earth can bring permanent peace. For example, I have solved some of my family’s problems from time to time, but they just come back again, or some other problems come in their place.”
“Yes, that happens to all of us. But it would not happen with God. Not only does he have the power to solve problems but he has the power and the desire to see that they never arise again; he has the ability to maintain peace and security permanently earth wide.”—Nahum 1:9.
At this point, Anand, who had been listening quietly to the discussion, interrupted: “I do not agree with you at all, Masterji. We have had to put up with our problems for such a long time, and has God interfered? No! I think only we humans can bring a change. We must change the whole system, rebel against the rich and the corrupt and remove them from power. If the downtrodden all over the world would rise up against oppression, we could bring a change. Then perhaps I could get Ramu and Priya into a better school without needing to give a large donation or bring pressure through influence.”
“I can appreciate how you feel, Anand. Actually, the Bible speaks of this state of affairs, saying that for centuries ‘man has dominated man to his injury.’”—Ecclesiastes 8:9.
“But is that not what God intended?” asked Anand. “Even in places of worship, the rich get preference over the poor and dominate over them.”
“No, this was not what God intended, Anand. The Bible account says that God made man to dominate over the lower forms of life—animals, fish, and birds only—not over fellow humans.”—Genesis 1:28.
“Good. Then if such domination is contrary to God’s wishes, would not revolutionaries be carrying out God’s will if they were to destroy corrupt, domineering people?”
“But what would happen after the revolutionaries removed such ones? They would take control and become oppressive themselves, so that we would be back where we started. No, only God can remove all wicked domination and bring lasting peace by establishing divine rulership. This is what the Bible says Jehovah God will do very soon. This is what my family and many thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses firmly believe, and it gives us a wonderful hope for the future.”
When Will the Problems Be Solved?
“That sounds all right,” said Anand, “but I cannot see any sign of change or improvement on earth. How can I believe that God is going to bring a change in my lifetime?”
“Suppose I told you, Anand, that when you were out of the house, I had planted a mango seed in your garden. You go outside and look, but you cannot see anything, not even a disturbance in the soil. I am a stranger to you. You may feel: ‘Why should this stranger take the trouble to come into my garden and plant a mango seed?’ Would you be inclined to believe that I had actually done what I had claimed to do?”
“No, I do not suppose I would. At least I would be very doubtful that you had done it.”
“Yes, I can believe that. Now, suppose after some time you see a plant begin to grow. You realize that someone is quietly watering the plant when you are not at home. Time passes, years pass. You begin to recognize that it truly is a mango tree. Then, one year you see that the tree is filled with blossoms. Now what would you feel?”
“Well, I would know that what you had said was true. I would know you were kind and really cared for me. And I would keep watching the tree, excitedly waiting for the fruit.”
“Exactly. Your reaction is just what one would expect. Now, this is an illustration to show you why Jehovah’s Witnesses are expecting a tremendous world change very soon. Let me explain.
“The Bible took about 1,600 years to be written. More than 40 different men wrote it in the form of 66 small books, which were later collected together into one large book. None of the writers claimed to be expressing his own thoughts. They stated that God was telling them what to write and that the information was from him. One writer, a king who ruled in the Middle East, said, ‘The spirit of Jehovah it was that spoke by me, and his word was upon my tongue.’—2 Samuel 23:2.
“The very first book describes creation; it says that Jehovah God made man perfect and gave laws to guide him. But he also gave him free will so that he could choose whether to follow God’s laws or not. Following these laws would bring happiness; breaking them would bring punishment. Man chose to break God’s laws and thus brought suffering and death upon himself and his offspring. But now God planted a ‘seed.’ Yes, a ‘seed’ of hope that one day he would solve all our problems and restore peace and happiness to the human race.
“This ‘seed’ was in the form of a promise that God would bring a change. Now, to most of mankind down through history, God has been a ‘stranger.’ You and I and all the people living today were not present when Jehovah made that original promise or planted that ‘seed.’ Nor were we present when he kept ‘watering’ the seed by repeating his promise and enlarging upon it, giving more details over the centuries. But an account of this is found in the Bible, spread throughout the various books. When the Bible was completed, it had fully explained how God would remedy mankind’s problems.
“So this is the point of my illustration, Anand. Even though we did not observe the planting of the ‘seed’—God’s original promise—or the watering of it by means of all the additional information God gave, we can today see the fully grown tree with blossoms on it. So we can be sure the fruit will come.”
“What do you mean? As I told you before, I cannot see anything that shows a change is coming.”
“Yes, you can. But you do not recognize it because no one has told you what to look for. The Bible gives a detailed description of what conditions will be like on earth at the time God will intervene. It says clearly that a number of outstanding things will be seen by one generation of people and that the very generation that sees this ‘sign’ will also see the end of wickedness and the start of a peaceful new world. (Matthew 24:3) Now, Anand, wouldn’t you like to know what the Bible says so that you can judge for yourself and see if you too can see these things happening?”
“I certainly would.”
“The Sign”
“Do you remember the other evening that we were discussing the increasing violence in the locality, and we agreed that the women and children should not go out alone after dark? So many people have been assaulted and robbed in this area, which was formerly such a peaceful part of the city. Well, that is part of the sign. The Bible says there would be an ‘increasing of lawlessness’ and that people would become ‘lovers of money, . . . without self-control, fierce.’ We also spoke of the recent raids on manufacturers of spurious drugs—do you remember? What a cruel thing that is, to put people’s lives in jeopardy for the sake of making money! Normally, humans feel sorry for people who are sick, but the Bible says that during the last days of this wicked world, times would be very critical as people become ‘lovers of themselves, . . . having no natural affection, . . . without love of goodness.’”—Matthew 24:12; 2 Timothy 3:1-3.
Ramu suddenly spoke up, “This is just what Dadi tells us is a sign of kalyug; she says people become very selfish and greedy during kalyug. But she says it will still take a long time for satyug to come, that it will not come in her lifetime.”
“Well, Ramu, many feel as Dadi does. They realize that conditions are very bad, and they expect a change, but there are many different ideas about when it will come. This is where the Bible helps us. It makes it very clear that the change will come in our lifetime. You see, there is much more to the sign than just man’s personality becoming bad.
“In the Bible book of Matthew chapter 24, verse 7, it says, ‘For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another.’ This is part of the sign that Jesus Christ gave to show that the last days of wickedness had come and destruction from God was near. Now, compare this with a description of the same period given in the last book of the Bible, called Revelation. In chapter 6, verses 4 to 8, we find that these conditions would be all over the world. Describing war, it speaks of taking ‘peace away from the earth.’ You have no doubt learned in your history lessons, Ramu, that 1914 was the year in which the first world war began. Historians tell us that this was a turning point in history because since then we have seen one war after another, and peace has been taken away completely from the whole earth.
“The same chapter gives more details of the food shortages that Jesus spoke about. It speaks of getting just a small quantity of wheat for a full day’s wage. Is that not what Nirmala complains about, Anand, when she goes to the market? Prices of even basic commodities constantly increasing? Look at the terrible shortage of food caused by drought in many parts of Africa and Asia. Lakhs of people go to bed hungry at night. Children die because of diseases caused by malnutrition. Yes, food shortages are a worldwide menace in our day.
“Another part of the same sign is pestilence, or disease. Despite all the progress man has made in the field of medicine, he still cannot rid us of the mosquitoes that plague us with malaria and other diseases. Man is still not able to provide everyone with clean drinking water so that we do not get typhoid, cholera, jaundice, dysentery, or worm infestations. And in the so-called developed countries where these diseases are rare, there are increased cases of cancer, heart disease, sexually transmitted diseases, and many other pestilences.
“Here, now, is where the Bible pinpoints the period of time in which the end will actually come. Priya, why not read out for us from the book of Matthew chapter 24, verses 32 to 34.”
“Now learn from the fig tree as an illustration this point: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and it puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. Likewise also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near at the doors. Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.”
“Thank you, Priya. Do you see what this means? The tree puts forth blossoms, and you know that summer is near. You see the sign—all the different things that make up the sign taking place—and you know that God’s time to take over world affairs is near. How near? Jesus says ‘this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.’ Which generation? Why, the generation that sees the complete sign. Otherwise, what would be the point of the sign? This is a warning to people living at that time that they must take action to preserve their lives. When the bell rings on the railway platform, does it mean that the train is coming tomorrow? Do we settle down and doze off to sleep? No. We pick up our bags and stand ready because we know the train will be coming onto the platform shortly. So Jesus was saying that the generation of people who saw the warning sign would be the same generation that would see the complete end of this wicked world. In other words, some people who were living and aware of what was happening when the first part of the sign appeared in 1914 would still be alive when the end came.”
“Dadaji, were you alive in 1914?”
“No, Ramu, I am not quite as old as that. But I was born not too long after that, and I remember my mother telling me when I was small that we were poor because my father and many of his family had died of a terrible disease that came after the first world war. It was called the Spanish flu, and millions of people all over the world died because of it.”
“You see, Dadaji, that is another part of the sign. That epidemic was so outstanding that you know about it and remember the effects of it even though it happened nearly 70 years ago.
“However, even though God in his kindness gives us such a clear warning of what he is going to do, the Bible states that the majority of mankind will ignore the warning. It tells us that most people will go about their daily affairs being concerned only about what they will eat and drink, who their children will marry, and other such normal things, and they will take no notice until the destruction suddenly comes upon them. Many, the Bible prophesies, will even mock and ridicule when told about the coming end of this wicked world. So it warns humble, sincere people not to be like the majority but to take this warning seriously.—Matthew 24:38, 39; Luke 21:34-36; 2 Peter 3:3, 4.
“This is what some 38 lakhs of people in 212 lands have done. They believe this warning and are doing all they can to prove that they are worthy of surviving this great destruction and remaining on earth as fit ‘tenants’ of this beautiful home that God has given to man. You will find that wherever they live, Jehovah’s Witnesses make no distinction as to race, caste, or color; they are one big worldwide family. In obedience to God’s laws, they take no part in war, violence, revolutions, or political movements in an effort to bring changes in the world. Instead, they practice love toward all, the greatest expression of that love being the time, effort, and money that all of them expend to visit people from house to house and encourage them to take notice of God’s warnings so that they too can enjoy life in God’s peaceful new world.”
A New World—How Different?
“Masterji,” said Ramu, “you keep speaking of a new world and of God bringing changes. What sort of changes will God make? I mean, what will be different in this new world?”
“Let us ask Rachel to tell us something about that, Ramu. What are some of the things you have read in the Bible, Rachel, about conditions on earth when God intervenes in man’s affairs? Tell us some of the things that appeal to you.”
“This is one of the Bible verses I love to read,” Rachel said, “because I love playing with animals. May I read it out? It is from the book of Isaiah chapter 11, verses 6 to 8. It says: ‘The wolf will actually reside for a while with the male lamb, and with the kid the leopard itself will lie down, and the calf and the maned young lion and the well-fed animal all together; and a mere little boy will be leader over them. And the cow and the bear themselves will feed; together their young ones will lie down. And even the lion will eat straw just like the bull. And the sucking child will certainly play upon the hole of the cobra; and upon the light aperture of a poisonous snake will a weaned child actually put his own hand.’ I think it will be wonderful when we can go into the jungle without fear of being attacked by lions or bitten by snakes; we will be able to play with all the animals.
“When I get the flu or malaria or even a bad cold, I think of the text that says, ‘And no resident will say: “I am sick.”’ (Isaiah 33:24) At school there is a girl who is lame because she had polio when she was very small. She suffers so much and is not able to play games with us. I took my Bible to school one day and read this out to her from Isaiah 35:5 and 6: ‘At that time the eyes of the blind ones will be opened, and the very ears of the deaf ones will be unstopped. At that time the lame one will climb up just as a stag does, and the tongue of the speechless one will cry out in gladness.’ She was so happy to hear that.
“My uncle, who is a farmer living in our village, was happy too when I read the next verse to him: ‘And the heat-parched ground will have become as a reedy pool, and the thirsty ground as springs of water.’ (Isaiah 35:7) He has so much hardship when the monsoon rains fail and his crops are poor. But the Bible says there will be plenty of food for everyone in God’s new world—no crop failures then! It says that Jehovah God will ‘make for all the peoples . . . a banquet of well-oiled dishes’ and that ‘there will come to be plenty of grain on the earth.’ (Isaiah 25:6; Psalm 72:16) Ezekiel 34:27 tells us: ‘And the tree of the field must give its fruitage, and the land itself will give its yield, and they will actually prove to be on their soil in security.’ Is that not wonderful?”
“It would certainly be wonderful if I could really play with a lion,” said Asha, Anand’s youngest daughter. “I have seen them in the zoo, and they look so frightening.”
“I am sure you would enjoy that, Asha,” said Masterji. “Now, do you see, Anand, how the Bible shows that Jehovah God recognizes our specific problems and promises to remove them? Sickness, lack of food due to poor rainfall and failing crops, these are things that affect all of us. Poor housing conditions are also a major problem. High rents and overcrowding, these are things that will not exist in God’s new world. In Isaiah 65:21 and 22, it says this about housing: ‘They will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating.’ So God promises homes and gardens for everyone on earth.
“However, these wonderful conditions could not be enjoyed if we had insecurity because there were wicked people waging wars and causing violence. These are the ones God will destroy. Psalm 37:10 states: ‘And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; and you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be.’ Because wicked people will be destroyed, we can have confidence in the promise, ‘He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth.’—Psalm 46:9.
“Jehovah God promises to accomplish this by means of a government that the Bible calls God’s Kingdom. This government will be different in many ways from any human government. For one thing, it will be a heavenly government, so it will be impossible for it to be corrupted. Second, it will guarantee justice for all, not just for the rich and powerful. Let me show you a beautiful description in the Bible of this government in action: ‘With righteousness he must judge the lowly ones, and with uprightness he must give reproof in behalf of the meek ones of the earth. . . . And righteousness must prove to be the belt of his hips, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.’—Isaiah 11:4, 5.
“Finally, God’s Kingdom will replace all other governments, so that it will be a real world government. This is shown in a striking prophecy in the book of Daniel: ‘In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.’ (Daniel 2:44) Yes, things will be much better when God’s Kingdom is in full control. No wonder Jesus taught his followers to look forward to its coming. He even told them to pray to God: ‘Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.’—Matthew 6:10.
“So you can see that the almighty God, whose name is Jehovah, is fully aware of our difficulties and is sympathetic toward us. He assures us that very soon he will take action to solve our problems.”
Benefits Now From Wise Counsel
“That all sounds very good, Masterji, but just sitting and waiting for God to bring a change is not going to feed and clothe my children today. We must work. We must put forth effort ourselves to improve our lot in life.”
“We certainly must work, Anand. The Bible tells us to work hard even in the face of difficulties in order to provide for those who are dependent on us. (1 Timothy 5:8) In fact, it clearly says: ‘If anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat.’ (2 Thessalonians 3:10) It also gives us laws, principles, and counsel that are beneficial to our health and happiness if we follow them. For instance, the Bible shows that God disapproves of overeating and overindulgence in alcoholic drinks. We know both these things can seriously harm our health and waste hard-earned money.
“Similarly, Bible principles teach us to avoid tobacco and betel nut, which seriously impair our health, as doctors agree, and which waste money that could be better spent on paying off debts or buying food for the family. (2 Corinthians 7:1) Following the Bible’s high moral standards and wise counsel on hygiene also keeps us emotionally happy and helps us to avoid many diseases. That is why in the Bible, Jehovah God speaks of himself as ‘the One teaching you to benefit yourself,’ and he goes on to say, ‘O if only you would actually pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.’—Isaiah 48:17, 18.
“However, we must admit that even though to a great extent we can improve the quality of our lives today by following wise advice, we still cannot solve the big problems of injustice, corruption, racial and caste prejudice, partiality, serious sickness, and death. For these to be removed permanently, God himself must intervene.”
“I believe we can bring great changes by our own good works,” Dadi broke in. “Our good karmas affect other people also, and by daily meditation we can get inner peace and be undisturbed by whatever problems we have to face.”
“Many persons feel as you do, Dadi, but one thing is certain. No matter how good our deeds are, we cannot remove wickedness from the earth. Our good works may influence others to do good, but some people will not change. In fact, some will take advantage of your goodness to do more harm.
“You will agree that most Hindus believe that only by God’s taking avatar can satyug come. They feel that God’s intervention is very necessary when the majority of humans are doing bad karmas. And just think, Dadi, if you have inner peace due to meditation, will that of itself guarantee that Anand earns enough money to feed, clothe, and educate the family? It would not, would it?
“What you say about meditation is very interesting. First, though, we have to learn to meditate correctly. For example, we must first have information to meditate upon. That is why we send our children to school; they need someone with more information to teach them. Then the children can meditate upon what they learn. We do not tell them just to sit at home and meditate and let knowledge come from within them. We recognize the need for a teacher, or guru, one who knows more than we do. So who knows more about man and his problems than the One who created him? Surely, then, we can expect our Creator also to act as our Teacher and to show us the solution to our problems. We educate our children because we love them. Would not a loving, almighty, heavenly Father do the same?”
“I must say you sound convincing, Masterji,” interrupted Dadaji, “but the way you explain things is too simple. Our religion consists of much deeper philosophy. Our saints and sages spent years meditating on the meaning of life. I myself have read the holy books all my life, but I still cannot grasp the meaning of all the mysteries of the universe and life and its purpose.”
“It is certainly true that God’s wisdom is far superior to ours, Dadaji. The Bible speaks of a man called Job who, after long years of deep thought about God and his creation, admitted, ‘Look! These are the fringes of his ways, and what a whisper of a matter has been heard of him!’ (Job 26:14) But even though we with our inferior minds cannot understand all there is to know about God, could he not teach us at least what we need to know if he so desires?
“For example, if a professor of mathematics, a very learned man with a reputation for being a brilliant mathematician, offered to teach Ramu without taking any fees, would you refuse the offer, saying, ‘He is much too advanced in knowledge; Ramu could never understand all he knows?’ Of course not! You would know that however brilliant a scholar he is, if he is a good teacher, he can teach even kindergarten children so that they can grasp and understand. So could not an all-wise God teach us, his children, what we need to know in simple language that we can understand? The Bible says he does so. It says: ‘All your sons will be persons taught by Jehovah.’ (Isaiah 54:13) That is why you find the teaching of the Bible to be simple and understandable to us humans. It is full of illustrations, has records of ordinary people, and contains accounts of everyday life written in simple language that any of us can understand. This is an excellent way for a person of superior intelligence to show us the solution to our problems.
“But we must go now. We have really enjoyed this time spent together and appreciate your hospitality.”
A Book of Instruction
A few days later, Nirmala and Mariam were checking the instruction book of Mariam’s sewing machine, which was not working properly. When the difficulty was cleared up, Mariam asked Nirmala, “Do you not think that the God who made us would give us a book of instructions that we can refer to when we have problems?”
“What do you mean, Mariam?” asked Nirmala, surprised.
“When we bought this sewing machine, the maker gave us a book of instructions. Similarly, would it not be reasonable that God, who is the Maker of man, would give instructions that would benefit humans if they followed these instructions?”
“I suppose you believe the Bible is that book of instructions?”
“Yes, I do, Nirmala. There are many books that are called holy books. Some of these are accepted as mythology, some as the philosophy of individuals living at a particular time in history and developed by their own thinking. Others give a moral code and social laws to fit a particular area at a specific time. All these books teach different things, and people choose to follow what appeals to them, just as a woman chooses what color sari she will wear.
“The Bible, however, is different. As we discussed earlier, none of the writers claimed that the thinking was their own. As one writer explained it, the message in the Bible ‘was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God.’ (2 Peter 1:21) Although the Bible’s counsel was practical at the time it was written, it is also practical today in the 20th century because God’s guidance is eternally beneficial and his standards do not change. It has always been a force for good in the lives of those who follow it, helping them to make tremendous changes in their lives. That is why a lawyer living almost 2,000 years ago said: ‘For the word of God is alive and exerts power.’—Hebrews 4:12.
“Perhaps, though, the most outstanding value of the Bible for us living today, Nirmala, is that it clearly pinpoints our generation as the one that will see the change God has promised. It gives us ‘the sign’ that we were discussing the other evening. Bible writers looked forward to this time, but many of them did not understand the meaning of the prophecies that they recorded, although they were keenly interested in how God would solve man’s problems. For example, one writer, Daniel, requested an explanation of things he had been told to write down. But look at the answer he got: ‘Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of the end . . . The ones having insight will understand.’ Also, he was told about the time of the end, ‘Many will rove about, and the true knowledge will become abundant.’—Daniel 12:4, 8-10.
“This is really happening today. For centuries the Bible was available only in the original languages, then one or two other languages. Today, we have all or part of the Bible available in over 1,900 languages, and more than 200 crore of copies have been distributed worldwide. Add to this the fact that some 38 lakhs of Jehovah’s Witnesses are going from house to house helping people to understand the Bible, and you can see how that prophecy is being fulfilled. The things ‘made secret’ are being understood now as ‘the true knowledge’ increases in ‘the time of the end.’ This is vital if people are to be made aware of God’s instructions for survival of the end of this wicked world. By studying the Bible, people can see that things God foretold in the past really took place, so they can believe his promise of a new world that will bring the solution to our problems.”
What We Must Do to Survive
Dadi had just finished her evening prayers when Mariam walked home with Nirmala. After admiring the pretty clothes for the expected baby, Dadi suddenly changed the subject.
“If Masterji is right,” she said, “and God is soon going to destroy wicked people, we will be safe. We do not cheat or lie, we go to the temple and pray, and we lead a moral life. No harm can come to our family.”
“It would certainly be necessary to lead a moral life to survive God’s destruction of wicked people, Dadi,” Mariam responded. “He would not want people in his new world who lie, cheat, and kill, or it would be no different from the present world, would it? But just think, Dadi. In a time of disaster, like a flood, the government gives us specific instructions for survival. These are based on their knowledge of the exact situation and what they know is going to happen. We would not sit at home and say, ‘I am a good person, so I will not drown,’ would we? Now, God is going to bring a much greater disaster than a flood. He is bringing a war, which the Bible calls Armageddon, that will affect every individual on earth. (Revelation 16:14-16) The Holy Scriptures tell us that being morally good is one basic necessity for survival. But God has also given other specific instructions, based on his knowledge of the situation. These also we must follow if we are to survive. Those who follow God’s instructions would be considered ‘righteous,’ ‘upright,’ and ‘blameless’ ones who the Bible says will be left over in the earth when God destroys the wicked.”—Proverbs 2:20-22.
At this point Dadaji responded: “But in our present state, how can we be considered righteous enough to survive?”
Mariam answered, “Jehovah God made a wonderful legal arrangement to help man. Let me explain it with an illustration. Suppose, Nirmala, you give Ramu ten rupees and send him to buy a kilo of sugar. On the way to the shop, he stops to play and loses the money. When he gets to the shop, will the shopkeeper give him the sugar?”
“No, of course not,” said Nirmala.
“Ramu stands crying. He knows the whole family will suffer because he lost the money. A kind gentleman standing nearby takes pity on him and gives him ten rupees. This is given to the shopkeeper for the sugar, and your family is able to use it.
“The Bible tells us that our problems started when the first human pair that God created misused their free will and chose to disobey God’s wise instructions. God had warned them of the punishment for doing so—loss of perfection, loss of their Paradise home, and loss of their right to continue to live on earth forever. God justly enforced his laws. This left their offspring crying, as it were, because of their great loss. But because God tempers his justice with love, he arranged to give humans the chance to regain what the first pair had lost. Like the kind gentleman in the illustration, God provided the exact price of what had been lost. He did this by sending his own spirit son from heaven to be born on earth as a human known as Jesus Christ. When Jesus willingly sacrificed his perfect human life, which was equal to the life that the first man, Adam, had forfeited, and presented the value to God, then that price could be used to buy back for humankind what had been lost, namely, perfect life forever on a paradise earth.”
At this point in the discussion, Masterji, who had entered a short while earlier with Anand, joined in. “So you can see from what Mariam is saying that Jesus was not an avatar of God but a spirit son of God, born as a man to offer his perfect life for humans, paving the way for them to regain what was lost because of the disobedience of the first human pair. When we come to accept this arrangement God has made, then we are well on the road to surviving the end of this wicked world and enjoying everlasting life on a peaceful, problem-free earth. This hope is so wonderful that Jehovah’s Witnesses all over the world are exerting themselves to help people of all nations to learn about it. True, it requires effort to prove to ourselves that this hope is reliable, but the rewards held out to us surely make the effort worthwhile.”
A Bright Future
The sun was shining in a clear blue sky when Anand brought Nirmala and the new baby home from the hospital. It looked as if the rainy season was almost over. There was a lot of excitement in the family, and neighbors came in to see the new arrival. Anand slipped out quietly into the compound and sat watching a sparrow collecting pieces of straw to make a nest. ‘She wants a secure future for her family just as I do,’ he thought.
What if all the things Masterji had been saying were true? Then this new child in his home would have a wonderful future ahead of it. Anand remembered Masterji’s closing words when they had conversed a few days earlier. He had said, “Suppose when Ramu has completed his education, you see an advertisement in the newspaper for a job. It is being offered to someone with Ramu’s qualifications. The pay is excellent, the location is where he would like to live, good accommodation is available, and the work is something he would enjoy doing. What would you do? Ignore the advertisement, or do everything in your power to obtain that employment?” ‘Well, the answer to that was obvious,’ thought Anand.
So, what about the things the Bible says that God is offering to people living today? A paradise earth, a good home, plenty to eat, satisfying employment, perfect health, and total security. Suppose that was true. Anand thought for a long time.
As the sun began to set in a glorious blaze of color, he made up his mind. ‘Yes,’ he said to himself. ‘I owe it to myself and my family to examine thoroughly the evidence as to whether this change will really come. And if I am satisfied, we must do everything in our power to prove worthy to survive the end of wickedness and enjoy a happy future when all our problems will have been solved.’
[Footnotes]
Respectful term for a schoolteacher.
Grandfather.
Grandmother.
Kalyug is the “black age,” or period of wickedness. “Avatar” means “incarnation.” Satyug is the age of truth, peace, and happiness.
A lakh equals 100,000.
Deeds, or actions.
200 crore equals 2,000,000,000.
[Blurb on page 5]
“I can see you do not have the problems I have to face every day. You are all so calm and contented. How I envy you!”
[Blurb on page 7]
What man desires most is a good home, good health, a happy family, and loving friends
[Blurb on page 13]
There is much more to the sign than just man’s personality becoming bad
If the bad tenants were removed and the colony facilities repaired, could we not enjoy living here? This is what God has promised to do to the whole earth
“It is certainly true that God’s wisdom is superior to ours”
“In our present state, how can we be considered righteous enough to survive?”
For a long time, humans have been suffering on earth
Will it take a revolution to give them an opportunity for a happy future?
When you see the tree blossom, you know that summer is near. Similarly, when the whole sign is being fulfilled, the end is near
The Bible warns humble, sincere people to take God’s warnings seriously
The Bible’s counsel is practical today because God’s Word is eternal
“I owe it to myself and my family to examine the evidence”