The Watchtower, September 1, 1954
Download: PDF — The Watchtower, September 1, 1954
WATCHTOWER
SEPTEMBER 1, 1954 Semimonthly
RECOGNIZING THE THEOCRATIC ORGANIZATION FOR LIFE
EXAMPLES OF RECOGNIZING THE ORGANIZATION
LIFE WITH JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN AFRICA
Announcing JEHOVAH'S KINGDOM
DEATH, A DOOR TO WHAT?
UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WORD MEANS LIFE
"YOU ARE MY WITNESSES," SAYS JEHOVAH.—Isa. 43:12 THE PURPOSE OF "THE WATCHTOWER"
Literal towers in Bible times were elevated vantage points from which watchmen could observe happenings, warn of danger, or announce good news. Our magazine figuratively occupies such a vantage point, for it is founded on the very pinnacle of wisdom, God's Word. That elevates it above racial, national and political propagandas and prejudices, frees it from selfish bias. It is not bound by any traditional creed, but its message advances as the light on God's purposes and works increases.—Habakkuk 2:1-3.
It sees things Scripturally. When it observes this generation afflicted with greed, delinquency, hypocrisy, atheism, war, famine, pestilence, perplexity and fear, and persecution of unpopular minorities, it does not parrot the old fable about history repeating itself. Informed by Bible prophecy, it sees in these things the sign of the world's time of the end. But with bright hope it also sees opening up for us just beyond these woes the portals of a new world.
Thus viewed, "The Watchtower" stands as a watchman atop a tower, alert to what is going on, awake to note signs of danger, faithful to point out the way of escape. It announces Jehovah's kingdom established by Christ's enthronement in heaven, feeds his kingdom joint-heirs with spiritual food, cheers men of good will with glorious prospects of eternal life in a paradise earth, comforts us with the resurrection promise for the dead.
It is not dogmatic, but has a confident ring in its voice, because it is based on God's Word. It does not privately interpret prophecy, but calls attention to physical facts, sets them alongside prophecy, and you see for yourself how well the two match, how accurately Jehovah interprets his own prophecy. In the interests of our salvation, it keeps sharp and faithful focus on Bible truth, and views religious news generally.
'Be watchful in these perilous times,' God admonishes. So keep on the watch by regularly reading "The Watchtower".
২
PUBLISHED BY THE WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY
117 Adams Street
N. H. KNORR, President
"They will all be taught by Jehovah."—John 6:45, NW; Isaiah 54:13
CONTENTS
Understanding God's Word Means Life 515
Death, a Door to What? 516
Declared Righteous by Jehovah 521
Life with Jehovah's Witnesses in Africa 524
Recognizing the Theocratic
Organization for Life 528
Examples of Recognizing the Organization 534
Moses versus the Scientists 541
Warning of Assault by Gog of Magog 542
Questions from Readers 543
Announcements 544
Check Your Memory 544
Abbreviations used in "The Watchtower" for the following Bible versions
AS - American Standard Version LXX - The Septuagint Version
AT - An American Translation Mo - James Moffatt's version
Da - J. N. Darby's version NW - New World Translation
Dy - Catholic Douay version Ro - J. B. Rotherham's version
ED - The Emphatic Diaglott RS - Revised Standard Version
Le - Isaac Leeser's version Yg - Robert Young's version
Unless otherwise indicated, the Bible used is the King James Version
Five cents a copy
Semimonthly
Monthly
Afrikaans
Indonesian
Arabic
Portuguese
Cebu-Visayan
Italian
Cibemba
Russian
Cinyanja
Japanese
Cishona
Sesotho
Danish
Norwegian
Greek
Siamese
English
Pangasinan
Ibo
Silozi
Finnish
Slovenian
Kanarese
Slovak
French
Spanish
Korean
Ukrainian
German
Swedish
Malayalam
Urdu
Hiligaynon-Visayan
Tagalog
Polish
Yoruba
Hollandish
Twi
Ilocano
Zulu
Watch Tower Society offices Yearly subscription rate
America, U.S., 117 Adams St., Brooklyn 1, N.Y. $1
Australia, 11 Beresford Rd., Strathfield, N.S.W. 8/-
British West Indies, 21 Taylor St., Port of Spain, Trinidad $1.72
Canada, 40 Irwin Ave., Toronto 5, Ontario $1
England, 34 Craven Terrace, London, W. 2 7/-
Jamaica, 151 King St., Kingston 7/-
New Zealand, G.P.O. Box 30, Wellington, C. 1 7/-
South Africa, Private Bag, P.O. Elandsfontein, Transvaal 7/-
Remittances should be sent to office in your country in compliance with regulations to guarantee safe delivery of money. Remittances are accepted at Brooklyn from countries where no office is located, by international money order only. Notice of expiration (with renewal blank) is sent at least two issues before subscription expires. Change of address when sent to our office may be expected effective within one month. Send your old as well as new address.
Entered as second-class matter at Brooklyn, N. Y., Act of March 3, 1879. Printed in U. S. A.
UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WORD MEANS LIFE
OU enjoy living, do you not? And would you not like to live forever especially if conditions were at least halfway decent? Of course you would. Well did you know that the Bible holds out a hope of our living forever if we meet certain conditions? Note what Jesus said, as found at John 17:3 (NW): "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." And you may be sure that this means life in happiness, for the Bible tells us that the time is coming when all suffering and sorrow will be done away with.
You will note that Jesus said that everlasting life depends upon our taking in certain knowledge. Yes, just as we must take in the right kind of material food to keep our bodies alive, so we must take in the right kind of spiritual food if we would gain everlasting life in happiness. Jesus expressed a similar thought when the Devil tried to tempt him to change stones to bread. Matthew tells about it at 4:2-4 (NW), where we read: "After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, then he felt hungry. Also the Tempter came and said to him: 'If you are a son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.' In reply he said: 'It is written, "Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah's mouth."' And this knowledge is where? In the Bible.
If we would follow a course that is right so that we can gain life, not only must we have a Bible in our homes, which most people do, at least in Western "Protestant" lands, but we must also read it, and still more important, we must also understand what we read. It is the same as with material food. Just purchasing a loaf of bread will not stop our hunger; we must eat the bread, and more than that, our stomachs must digest it and our blood stream must assimilate it, if it is to do us any good.
That we need help to understand the Bible is made clear by the experience of a certain Jewish proselyte. At Acts 8:28-31 (NW) we read concerning him: "He was returning and was sitting in his chariot and reading aloud the prophet Isaiah. So the spirit said to Philip: 'Approach and join yourself to this chariot.' Philip ran alongside and heard him reading aloud Isaiah the prophet, and he said: 'Do you really know what you are reading aloud?' He said: 'Really how could I ever do so, unless someone guided me?' And he entreated Philip to get on and sit down with him."
Has not that often been the case with you, reading something in the Bible and not understanding what it really meant? No doubt that is why many do not read the Bible more, because they so often come across something that they do not understand even as was the case with this Jewish proselyte.
And what was he reading, and how was it explained to him?
The next verses, Acts 8:32-35 (NW), tell us: "Now the passage of Scripture that he was reading aloud was this: 'As a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb that is voiceless before its shearer, so he did not open his mouth. During his humiliation justice was taken away from him. Who will tell the details of his manner of life? Because his life is taken away from the earth.' In answer the eunuch said to Philip: 'I beg you, About whom does the prophet say this? About himself or about some other man?' Philip opened his mouth and, starting with this Scripture, he declared to him the good news about Jesus."
Merely reading this prophecy did not make a Christian of this Jewish proselyte, but upon Philip's explaining its meaning to him he did understand and believe, accepting Christianity and dedicating himself to do God's will, being baptized in the name of Christ Jesus without further delay.
Now is it not reasonable to conclude that just as God provided help for those who wanted to understand his Word back there
he would do the same in this, our day? Surely it is. And such is the case. He has provided an instrument, an organization, which serves as his servant in bringing to the people light on the Bible. In fact, Jesus, in his great prophecy concerning his second presence and the end of this old world or system of things, foretold that there would be such a servant organization. Recorded at Matthew 24:45, 46, it states: "Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics to give them their food at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on arriving finds him doing so. Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all his belongings."
That servant or slavelike organization has published and continues to publish, not only Bibles, but also many Bible study aids for the purpose of helping all men of good will and honest heart to read their Bibles with understanding. Foremost of such Bible study aids is The Watchtower, a copy of which you have in your hand. Study it and learn God's provision for everlasting life.
DEATH A Door to What?
DEATH is something for which most of us are not ready. It's something that just doesn't fit into our scheme of things." So spoke the eminent Dean
Pike of New York's cathedral of St. John the Divine in a Sunday sermon early this year. And true it is, the human mind recoils instinctively at the very thought
or mention of death. Continues Dean Pike: "We cover up our uneasiness by the use of soft phrases—'she passed on' or 'passed away'—or by the kindly jargon of the professional morticians who set up a haze of vagueness with talk about 'sleep' and talk about 'paradise' with no careful definitions."
A sample of attempted definitions paints a vivid picture of the human mind's seeking some escape from the inevitable. Death has been called a "glorious adventure .
. . a divine promotion," "the gateway to another form of existence," "the open door to eternal freedom." Others boldly assert: "I believe that personal consciousness survives the shock of that physical episode we call death." "I shall not in any part, in any way, die. The whole of Me, of the real Me, Me myself, will escape death." "Therefore I may hope and even believe . . . that
'there is no death what seems so is transition.'
"And just how do you plan to escape death?" asks the skeptic. With a benign smile his religious friend informs him: "Why, my good man, you do
Whatever it is going to be is so horrible that it cannot be expressed in the language of man."
But many persons find themselves caught in between, so to speak, feeling unworthy of heaven and surely not deserving of hell. For these, Catholic doctrine provides a convenient niche: "It is a much more pleasant thought," they opine, "that there are people not quite good enough for heaven,
Is death an enemy or a friend? A dead-end street or a door to life? What conditions await the dead? Are they blessed? Or distressed? Or at rest? Who, if any, go to heaven? Has anyone ever returned from death's own realm to describe it? Is there hope that anyone ever will? Many and varied are men's opinions, but what does the Bible say? This article gives its authoritative answer.
not really die. The inner you, your immortal soul, that deathless spark of God within you, lives on eternally." Says a Catholic authority: "The soul is the difference between a corpse and a living being. . . It is endowed with spiritual faculties, . . . which will enable it to live and operate when separate from the body. Not being material, it can never be destroyed." Then what happens to it at death? Says a Presbyterian authority: "The souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, . . . and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell." And what awaits them there? Answers evangelist Billy Graham, "Heaven is a literal place, . . . what a glorious place it will be—with streets of gold, the gates of pearl . . . and the tree bearing a different kind of fruit every month." As for hell: "There will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. I believe . . . there is literal fire in Hell, but if there is not literal fire in Hell, then the Bible is talking about something far worse when it speaks of the flames of Hell.
yet not bad enough for hell, and that these are sent to purgatory until they are purified sufficiently for heaven."
Which do you prefer? Which thought stirs you most toward religious living? Heaven's gain?
Or hell's pain? The threat of a fiery future is thought indispensable by many to the gaining and holding of converts, and statistics seem to give some support to this. For instance, Billy Graham's "detailed picture of Heaven [given above] brought 145 listeners to their feet to pledge themselves to Christ. But 350 signed up on the night he described Hell."
How do such teachings leave you? Satisfied? Or fearful? Or perhaps confused, some have thoughtfully asked, "How can a God of love torture men, even the wicked, eternally, sending them through excruciating pains for their delinquencies?" Noting the horror of the civilized world at the maniacal madness of Adolf Hitler, who baked people alive in huge ovens, they asked, "Is God worse than Hitler? At least his victims eventually succumbed to merciful oblivion. They tell us God does not even allow that to his victims, but they must roast and fry and bake and sizzle for ever and ever!" Many are those who have turned in disgust from a heaven and a God who could show such heartlessness.
GOD'S WORD TO THE RESCUE!
Sharp and clear comes the voice of God's Word, to liberate "all those who for fear of death were subject to slavery all through their lives." (Heb. 2:15, NW) No mere human philosophizing or "educated guessing," this! God, who made the human soul, tells us its destiny for sinning: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezek. 18:4) What was that? 'It shall fry?' No! "It shall die."
The truth of this is borne out by God's own description of what constitutes a soul. In fact, he lists the component parts of the very first human soul, saying: "Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul." (Gen. 2:7, NW) Note, please, that it was not the soul that God thus breathed into man, as if that soul were something intangible, separate from the physical man. Rather it required both the inbreathed "breath of life" and the body, made of the "dust from the ground," to produce the human soul. Man did not have a soul; man was a soul. Therefore the separation of the body of dust and the breath of life would mean the death of the soul.
If the soul cannot die, then why was it that when Joshua's forces captured the city of Hazor "they went striking every soul that was in it with the edge of the sword"? Why did David pray for deliverance from his enemy, "lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces"? (Josh. 11:11, NW; Ps. 7:2) The conclusion is inescapable that the soul can be touched by destructive instruments; the soul can and does die.
"BUT WHAT ABOUT HEAVEN?"
"Surely David's soul could not possibly suffer such an end as that," protest the critics. "His immortal soul and those of all
other faithful men before and after him had the transcendent glory of heaven awaiting them. No mundane thing, however powerful or sharp, could hinder their souls on their way to glory." Ah, but did David's "soul" really waft its way to heaven at his death? The apostle Peter answers flatly: "David, . . . both deceased and was buried and his tomb is among us to this day. . . . David did not ascend to the heavens." (Acts 2:29, 34, NW) No, David, just like Adam, did not have a soul; he was a soul, and so David, the soul, died, was buried and had still not been raised to heaven in the apostles' day. Moreover, neither had anyone else, aside from Christ Jesus himself. Jesus' plain words still stand irrefutable: "No man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man." (John 3:13, NW) Since Jesus was the "firstfruits" of those raised to heaven, no one else could precede him. (1 Cor. 15:20) Jesus' special prayer, "I wish that, where I am, they also may be with me," shows further that even when this heavenly hope was opened up it was just a very special provision, and then not for all mankind, but for only a precious few, a "little flock" of Kingdom heirs. John 17:24; Luke 12:32, NW.
WHERE DOES HELL FIT IN?
The question now arises, "If only a few go to heaven, then what of all the other faithful men and women who ever lived upon this earth?" Faithful Jacob, thinking his beloved son Joseph was dead, said disconsolately, "I shall go down mourning to my son into Sheol!" (Gen. 37:35, NW) Sheol is the Hebrew word which English Bible translators have rendered as "hell," so "hell" is the place to which the righteous Jacob expected to go. Do not be surprised at this, for righteous Job even prayed to go there! Said he: "Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol!"-Job 14:13, AS.
A shocking statement, this? Not at all, for surely these men were not worthy of torment and surely Job would not have prayed to go to hell had he thought it a place of torment. That would be asking for trouble! No, "the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, . . . for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest." (Eccl. 9:5,10,AS) Sheol, or Hades, is nothing other than the common grave of mankind.
But what of the "hell fire" mentioned at Mark 9:47, 48, King James Version? True, Jesus showed there the undesirableness of being "cast into hell fire: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." However, the word "hell" here is not a translation of either Sheol or Hades, heretofore mentioned, but rather of the word Gehenna. Therefore this text cannot be linked up with those that speak of conditions in Sheol or Hades, for previous scriptures have shown that there is no knowledge, device or wisdom in the place designated by those words, and hence neither could there be any sense of pain there, nor ability to suffer from fire, even if such fire existed there.
What, then, is this new word, Gehenna? This Greek word comes from a Hebrew expression, gey hinnom, or "Valley of Hinnom," which in turn refers to the ancient valley of that name, outside the south and west walls of Jerusalem. This valley became the city's dump and incinerator, for disposal of garbage, filth, offal, bodies of dead animals and dead criminals considered too vile for a resurrection. It came to symbolize total destruction, which was actually the purpose of the superheated flames, kept burning continuously and intensified by addition of brimstone, or sulphur. The jagged sides of the valley were strewn with refuse, making them a breeding ground for worms and maggots.
So, then, Jesus' words above quoted had reference, not to a place where live things were tormented, but rather to a place where dead things, vile things, were cremated, reduced to ashes, destroyed. His words were calculated to induce in the Jewish mind, familiar with these things, a vision of the fate awaiting evil ones, the same fate he held out to goatlike opposers of his servants in the last days: "everlasting cutting-off," in a destruction as complete as of garbage in a superheated incinerator.—Matt. 25:41, 46, NW.
WHAT HOPE IS THERE FOR THE DEAD?
"A good question," someone will say. "If only a few go to heaven and all others either to rest in Sheol or Hades or perhaps to a Gehenna of complete and final annihilation, why, just where does that leave us? We might as well put our hopes to rest as well and forget about any future beyond this present life." But no, we are not forced to such a pessimistic conclusion as all this, for again God's Word comes to the rescue with a solid, substantial hope for all those who wish to avail themselves of it.
That hope is the resurrection, one of the Bible's strongest themes throughout. "Abraham . . . reckoned that God was able to raise [Isaac] up even from the dead." Job prayed to God "that thou wouldest hide me in the grave [Sheol, hell], . . . appoint me a set time, and remember me!" Yes, the firm hope of all faithful men of olden times was "that they might attain a better resurrection."—Heb. 11:17-19, NW; Job 14:13; Heb. 11:35, NW.
But actually their hope would have been an unnecessary and ridiculous thing if the religious doctrine of man's deathlessness were true. How so? Because "resurrection," taken from the Greek word anástasis, means "a raising up," or a restanding, to life. Now if one is not actually dead, how can he be restood to life? We are told by some that when man dies he is more alive than ever.
Were that so, there would be no need for a resurrection. It would be superfluous, especially if the person had gone to heaven immediately at death. Why should he then be brought back into an earthly body in a resurrection? No, it is only because men "go down into silence" at their death that the resurrection is necessary. Ps. 115:17.
DEATH YIELDS TO LIFE
"However, now Christ has been raised up from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death. For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a man. For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive." (1 Cor. 15:20-22, NW) Yes, Jesus' resurrected life, witnessed by over "five hundred brothers," now assures us of our resurrection hope, "for just as the Father has in himself the gift of life, so he has granted to the Son to have also in himself the gift of life."—1 Cor. 15:6; John 5:26, NW.
This fabulous gift the Son Christ Jesus presents first to his "little flock" of Kingdom heirs. It is during the second "presence" of the Lord that "those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first." (1 Thess. 4:15-17, NW) Those still living when his invisible presence begins must continue faithfully serving him till death, at which time they will be instantaneously rewarded with a heavenly resurrection. After these persons, to the number of a "hundred and forty-four thousand . . . purchased from among mankind as a firstfruits to God and to the Lamb," have thus been resurrected to life in the heavens, then Jesus' priceless gift of life will be extended to others. (Rev. 14:1, 4, NW) Then there will be a further fulfillment of Jesus' words: "All those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment." (John 5:28, 29, NW) This larger resurrection will include all the faithful men before Jesus' time as well as since then who have died or will die faithful, but without the heavenly hope. It will also include unwitting practicers of "vile things," such as the thief to whom Jesus, in his dying hours, promised: "You will be with me in Paradise."—Luke 23:43, NW.
RESURRECTION—THE DOOR TO LIFE ETERNAL
Then, amid paradisaic conditions on earth, man's true hope of "eternal freedom," of eternal life, will be realized. Not by virtue of a separate "immortal soul" will this be accomplished, thus crediting the power of the accomplishment to man's indestructibleness, but rather by the resurrection of dead souls back to life, to the honor of the only one powerful enough to perform such a miracle, Jehovah God. He will do it, not by overlooking the fact of death, but by coming to grips with death and hurling it and its companion Hades (hell, mankind's common grave) into the "lake of fire," "the second death." (Rev. 20:14) In this highly symbolic language of Revelation we see portrayed our real basis for triumph over death. Our "door to life" is, not the scourge of death, but the gift of resurrection. For this gift and its future prospects we render thanks and homage, not to inherent immortality, which we do not possess, but rather "to God, for he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!"—1 Cor. 15:57, NW. Declared Righteous by Jehovah
THE matter of being declared righteous by Jehovah is not one to be lightly pushed aside. It is a question of life or death, for only those whom Jehovah declares righteous will receive everlasting life. Jehovah's declaring his servants righteous is not for the purpose of acquitting or absolving them from the false charges made against them by their enemies, seen and unseen, for such charges do not influence him. Rather, his declaring his servants righteous concerns their standing with him and the freeing of them of the charges and penalties that his own justice has placed against them.
Why are we in need of being declared righteous by God? Because our first parent Adam willfully disobeyed God's law and therefore lost his righteous standing before God and his conditional right to life. Having lost these priceless possessions he could not pass them on to his offspring, and so all of them were born in sin, imperfect, without a righteous standing before God and without a conditional right to life. That is why "there is not a righteous man, not even one," for "through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned."—Rom. 3:10; 5:12, NW.
By his sin Adam ran us into debt to God's justice. God was not obligated to provide release for us, to pay that debt, but because God is love he mercifully provided for our release, to pay that debt for us. The Scriptures reveal how God could be just and yet declare those harmed by Adam's transgression righteous, namely, by faith in
Christ's ransom sacrifice.
But did not the Law furnish a basis for the Israelites to be declared righteous? No, it did not in fact, it could not. Why?
Because it could not remove their disability, it could not free them from debt. It merely gave them a standard, something to strive to attain to; which only made it even more apparent how far they were coming short of God's righteous requirements. So the Law, by showing the many things that constituted sin, actually made sin to abound all the more. And by its required sacrifices it impressed upon the Israelites their need for a valid sacrifice as well as kept them in Jehovah's pure worship until their Messiah came who could furnish them release from sin.
Still someone may ask, Was not Abraham's faith in Jehovah "counted to him as righteousness"? Yes, but only to the extent that "he came to be called 'Jehovah's friend'." Then are imperfect humans declared righteous in varying degrees and for different purposes? Yes. Abraham had faith in God's promise regarding a seed, and because of his faith God accepted him as a friend. But Abraham did not know who that Seed would be; so he could not exercise faith in Christ Jesus and in his ransom sacrifice, without which no one can be declared righteous with the hope of everlasting life.—Jas. 2:23, NW.
WHO ARE BEING DECLARED RIGHTEOUS NOW
How was Christ Jesus able to provide a basis for the declaring righteous of imperfect human creatures? In having his perfect life transferred from his spiritual prehuman existence to the womb of the virgin Mary he was free from Adamic sin.
As a perfect human creature he was the equal of the perfect man Adam in Eden, and continuing in that righteous condition he could have lived forever on earth. But that was not God's purpose or will for Jesus, and so Jesus was not given a wife and a mandate to be fruitful and fill the earth. Rather, God's destiny for Jesus was to be the divine King of the new world. So his stay on earth was only temporary, just long enough to learn "obedience from the things he suffered," to "bear witness to the truth," and "to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many."—Heb. 5:8; John 18:37; Matt. 20:28, NW.
By voluntarily laying down his life Christ Jesus released merit, something of value that he could use for the benefit of others. Upon his resurrection as a spirit and his ascension into heaven he presented this merit to God, who accepted it in lieu of the claims His justice had against the human race.
Have any received the benefits of this provision, and, if so, who, how and when? Ever since Pentecost the "body of Christ," which is limited to the one hundred and forty-four thousand that John saw "standing upon the mount Zion" with the Lamb, have been receiving the benefits of this provision, being declared righteous in the sight of God because of their faith in Christ's sacrifice and their dedication to do Jehovah's will.—Rev. 14:1, NW.
The declaring righteous of these is only a means to an end. And what is that? That they might be eligible for membership in the body of Christ as his footstep followers. At the age of thirty he, as a full-grown perfect man, sacrificed his human life so that he might obtain a heavenly inheritance.
However, these who would be Christ's followers, being imperfect, cannot meet
God's requirements for an unblemished sacrifice. Neither have they a right to life to sacrifice on the basis of which they could be given the hope of spiritual life. But on the basis of their faith in Christ's sacrifice and their dedication to Jehovah, Jehovah credits them with Christ's merit, thus making them acceptable for sacrificing and giving them something to sacrifice, which they do sacrifice, God then begetting them by his spirit to a hope of heavenly life.
Their righteousness being imputed by faith, rather than being actual, these cannot keep themselves wholly free from sin. But they will not willingly yield to sin, and though repeatedly coming short they are able to keep their righteous standing before God by appealing for Christ's merit to be applied to them to cover their sins. 1 John 1:9, 10; 2:1.
WHAT ABOUT OTHERS?
Christ Jesus furnished 'propitiatory sacrifice, not only for the sins of his body, the Christian congregation, but also for others of mankind.' (1 John 2:2) When will these others, the faithful men of old who died before Christ came, those of mankind in general in their tombs and those of the "great crowd" of other sheep who are now faithfully serving Jehovah, be declared righteous? In view of what we have seen about justification or being declared righteous by faith as being only a means to an end, so that certain ones might be eligible to membership in Christ's body and share heavenly glory with him, it follows that all whose destiny is the earth, the foregoing ones mentioned, would have no need of having righteousness imputed to them.
Those of the other sheep today may be said to have a token forgiveness. By reason of their faith in Christ's sacrifice, their dedication to do Jehovah's will and their separating themselves from the world, they are pictured as having "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
(Rev. 7:14, NW) Because of seeking Jehovah, righteousness and meekness, they have the hope of being spared during the great tribulation of Armageddon to enter the new world of righteousness without first going into the tomb. In that new world they will gradually attain to actual perfection under the ministration of Christ and his body of kings and priests.
The faithful men of old, who died before Christ gave his life as a ransom, having done "good things," because of their following a righteous course, will be brought forth to a resurrection of life. Theirs will be a resurrection to life, not in the sense that they will come forth with perfect bodies, for they will not, but in that they will be well along on the way to life because of their past integrity-keeping course. They will at once vow and render allegiance to Christ, the reigning King, and will share with others in the privilege of serving as "princes."—Ps. 45:16.
The resurrected faithful men of old and the other sheep will join in making the earth a paradise after which will come the resurrection of mankind in general, those in the "memorial tombs" and who had
"practiced vile things." (John 5:28, 29, NW) These likewise will have the opportunity of availing themselves of Christ's sacrifice and benefiting from his reign, thereby attaining perfection by the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ.
Then all on earth will be put to one last test by the loosing of Satan and his demons from the abyss, to which they had been confined while the uplifting work of Christ's reign was taking place. While, during the thousand-year reign, those who refused to get in line were destroyed, the test at the end of the thousand years will reveal all those who turn selfish at heart, who will then be destroyed together with Satan and his demons in what is termed "the lake of fire" and "the second death." (Rev. 20:1-10, 14) Those maintaining integrity will be declared righteous by Jehovah and be given the right to everlasting life.
Thus, in summing up, we see that from Pentecost to the present time only those of the "body of Christ" are declared righteous, and that by faith; these will gain actual righteousness in the "first resurrection." And the rest of the obedient ones of mankind will be declared righteous to life everlasting after meeting the test at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ.
By works of law no flesh will be declared righteous before him, for by law is the accurate knowledge of sin. But now apart from law God's righteousness has been made manifest, as it is borne witness to by the Law and the Prophets; yes, God's righteousness through the faith in Jesus Christ, for all those having faith. . . For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus. —Rom. 3:20-24, NW. Life with Jehovah's Witnesses
HAVE you ever wondered what life is like in a village in the wilds of Africa where all, or the majority, are Jehovah's witnesses? What would you expect to find?
villages, or to dirt "trunk" roads that pass nearby.
First, let us take a look at a typical African village. It is located in a small clearing, that is, where the "bush" has been cleared and the trees chopped down. In this clearing you will find a number of huts, from eight to twenty in the smaller villages, and most of the villages are small. The huts are built of poles daubed with mud and thatched with grass. Generally, the grass roof does not touch the walls, thus leaving an air space through which the smoke from the small campfire, used for heating the hut in cold weather, can escape. The huts are round in shape and, except for the air space at the top and the doorway, have no other ventilation. There are no streets in the village, for the native's means of travel is by foot and his transportation problems are handled by a head, long skilled in balancing a heavy load, set on top of his strong neck. In most cases there is no particular plan about the village. Out from the village in all directions go well-worn trails leading off into the "bush"; some leading to the scattered garden patches, others leading off to other
In the center of each village one usually finds what might be described as a hut without walls. Its thatched roof is supported by poles, its sides left open. It is here that all matters affecting the village as a whole are discussed in the presence of all the inhabitants, old and young. Here the headman hears complaints of one villager against another. It is here that the village youngsters get their teaching of the unwritten tribal laws and customs by listening to their elders' discussions. Throughout Northern Rhodesia it is in this kind of village that one often finds a majority of Jehovah's witnesses, and sometimes the whole village attends the congregational meetings.
VILLAGE RULE
If you have never been in Africa and have never seen one of these small villages, you may wonder how the life of the village is ordered and how it is related to the general social and economic conditions of the country. Briefly, the situation is like this: In each village a headman is appointed, very often a hereditary office. The principal duties of the headman are to see that the village is kept clean, that the villagers conduct themselves in peace and good order, that they grow sufficient food for themselves and their families; to see that taxes are paid each year (a head tax is levied on each male African once a year) and to see that small roads and wood bridges are kept in fair repair. The village headman is responsible to the local chief, who may have many such villages under his jurisdiction. The chief will have a local native court to hear cases and will have kapasos, or messengers, who might be said to have limited police duties, in the way of keeping order, etc. The chief will have "counselors," who assist him in the running of his area from the social and economic standpoint and who assist him in trying cases in the native court.
These native courts have limited jurisdiction, dealing with not only civil cases such as accusations of adultery, but also minor criminal offenses such as theft, fighting, etc. Any cases of serious consequence are referred to the district commissioner, to whom the chief is responsible, and who acts as a magistrate.
The villagers live as a community under what might be almost a patriarchal arrangement. When such a village comes into the truth this does not really affect the chief, unless it is the chief's own village. There are no courts or prisons in the villages except at the chief's village. There is no military conscription of the Africans, as this would be impractical. The only form of municipal employment, if it can be called such, is that the chief will send around his messengers from time to time to recruit labor from each village for some local construction work, such as building a new road, repairing a major road, repairs to chief's property, etc. This labor may be paid for or not, according to the chief.
VILLAGES ALL OR PREDOMINANTLY JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
With this background in mind one can better appreciate what happens when a village takes to the truth. Of course, in the village it may be that it is just the majority who are dedicated witnesses of Jehovah or who come to the meetings, but there are a number of villages where all in the village are either active Christian witnesses themselves or at least attend the meetings. In fact, the casual observer on visiting one of such villages would perhaps not notice very much difference from the others, except for the one thing that is generally apparent, that is, the cleanliness of the village. The improvement in the
cleanliness and the upkeep of villages that are inhabited either wholly or in large part by Jehovah's witnesses has been remarked on often by government officers and other visitors to such areas. Commenting on this aspect is this report: "The houses are in rows with yards perfectly clean. Banana trees dot the shade in between. The main duty of the headman is to see that the village and houses are clean. When I asked him if he had any difficulty in this he simply smiled, as Jehovah's witnesses are noted for their co-operation in this respect."
However, if one stayed in the village for a while he would soon notice even more marked differences. He would note that there is more co-operation and help shown among the villagers. The people are happy and contented, and as they go about their work one will hear songs of praise to Jehovah being sung by the parents and children rather than the tribal and sometimes phallic songs of those who are pagan. In the evenings, instead of gathering for beer drinks or tribal dances and drum beating, one will find the villagers sitting around their fires singing together Kingdom songs or aiding one another in Bible study. All this makes for peace and tranquillity, with a lack of crime, fighting and squabbling. Indeed, villages of Jehovah's witnesses are noted for these qualities and local authorities are generally impressed with them, unless they are too prejudiced. Gone too are the pagan rites and ceremonies of initiation, etc., accompanied by much pain and suffering for those who are the subjects of the rites, which many religious organizations have found difficult to stamp out.
In many cases the headman himself comes into the truth. He remains as headman and continues to care for his duties of looking after the cleanliness and social conditions of the village. He may also be an assistant minister, perhaps the presiding minister of the congregation, and that makes his work much easier.
If he has become one of Jehovah's witnesses and is a member of the congregation with some other villager as the presiding minister, then the headman continues to look after his particular duties, and the presiding minister cares for the spiritual needs of the village. There is good harmony and no difficulty or friction in this matter. The headman sees that the village is kept clean; indeed, he will be more particular about this since he is now a dedicated Christian and perhaps his village also contains the congregation meeting place, the Kingdom Hall, and so he wants the whole village to reflect an appropriate atmosphere. He now has no difficulty in seeing that taxes are paid, and he continues to co-operate with the local chief, arranging for a quota of labor to be supplied for various jobs, as before. One of the Watch Tower Society's traveling representatives reports on this point in connection with villages in his area: "There has not been a single village of Jehovah's witnesses that has given trouble to road conscription works; the chief's messengers ('kapasos') have no trouble—they are the most willing ones. Several of the 'kapasos' are themselves Jehovah's witnesses."
RESPECT GIVEN AUTHORITIES
In other words, the pattern of social life continues much the same in such villages, except that there is a marked improvement in the cleanliness, peacefulness and orderly conduct of the villages. There is no attempt to set aside the authority of the chiefs or headmen, since this they recognize as necessary for law and order. Of course, some chiefs go beyond their stated functions. If prejudiced, they may try to victimize the witnesses, trying to pile on them an unfair amount of labor. A few still look for abject submission that
amounts to worship from those in their territory, and since the giving of such would be a violation of the Christian's worship of the only true God, Jehovah, Jehovah's witnesses refrain from giving such. Because of this it is sometimes thought that they are disrespectful. Not so! In fact, many of the villages of Jehovah's witnesses have become noted for their hospitality and kindness to chiefs and others when they pass through them. The district servant reporting on one area says: "When the chief tours through his villages he likes to stop overnight at the villages where Jehovah's witnesses predominate as here he receives better hospitality."
Note the following report describing life in a village in Barotseland, where, out of sixty persons, there are thirty-two Jehovah's witnesses, with the remainder of no religious affiliation:
"The headman is a publisher. There is no drinking or dancing in the village. When the other villagers wish to drink and dance, they go elsewhere. The chief and indunas (counselors) choose this village to sleep in during visits to the area because it is quieter and cleaner than others." The report adds that the villagers have also ceased from certain tribal customs, such as filing the teeth and marking the skin and the various rites practiced at puberty, etc.
At L congregation the presiding minister is also the headman and a brother of the chief. He is well respected in the community and the chief's court often asks for his advice.
NEW WORLD CONDUCT AND ACTIVITIES
Jehovah's witnesses in such villages have their regularly scheduled congregation meetings just like all other congregations of Jehovah's witnesses throughout the world. They carry on their Christian preaching activity, visiting the neighboring villages, telling them about the good news of God's kingdom and the new world.
They pursue a normal village life caring for their gardens, fishing, and otherwise attending to the daily needs of themselves and their families. The general practice is for each family to have its own garden and to care for it. However, in some of these villages where there is a majority of Jehovah's witnesses a common garden is worked. The proceeds go to provide for the entertainment of visitors such as full-time representatives of the Society or to help some sick or disabled member of the congregation. If there is a surplus it is sometimes sold and the proceeds put to the Kingdom work.
Located at one end of the village is a neat, clean building large enough to accommodate all the members of the village and others besides. It is the Kingdom Hall of the congregation. It is large because the village is the headquarters for the congregation, other members living in near-by villages. Inside are solid benches made of sun-dried bricks, and at one end there is an elevated platform. There are openings in the walls to provide for light and ventilation. In some cases, nearby will be another building somewhat smaller. This used to be the Kingdom Hall, but became too small for the growing congregation. So it is used as stopping-over quarters for those coming from a long distance to attend congregation meetings. After the meeting these persons will sleep during the night and then return to their villages, perhaps five or six hours' walking distance away.
The peaceful activities and Bible-education work of Jehovah's witnesses also have their effect in the larger African communities in Northern Rhodesia. In the large towns, such as on the Copperbelt, there
are large African townships, sometimes housing as many as 30,000. In these communities are found large congregations of Jehovah's witnesses, some with as many as four or five hundred. Concerning their activities a local paper commented:
"Watch Tower Christians in the townships of Ndola, Kitwe, Chingola, Mufulira and Luanshya (Northern Rhodesian towns) are very active, but I am glad to report that their activities are very good indeed and are reducing fighting among the Africans in these townships.
"Once they join the Watch Tower . . these Christians do not fight among themselves, and they call one another 'brother.' They do not go to beer halls to be mixed up with other fellows or with women. Although one is not a member of their church yet one must say that they have love in their hearts."—The African Weekly of August 30,1950.
In recent years in Northern Rhodesia and Central Africa politics has been introduced to the African. Propaganda from European and African politicians has even found its disturbing way into the rural African villages, trying to convince the masses of Africans that in their schemes and policies lies the hope of their future peace and prosperity. But, in villages where the belief in the Bible predominates and where Jehovah's witnesses live together as members of the New World society, such propaganda goes unheeded. Not allowing themselves to be disturbed and unsettled by human theories, they go about their daily life quietly, lawfully and in peace with one another, looking with confidence to the hope of a new world of God's building under the righteous government of his Son, Christ Jesus.
Recognizing the Theocratic Organization for Life
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, while you cast all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you."
-1 Pet. 5:6, NW.
RECOGNIZING Jehovah's theocratic organization cannot be stressed too strongly. If one's life depended upon a course of action, one ought to be only too glad to take that course, even if it hurt his pride by humbling himself. That is the way it should be with acknowledging the theocratic organization and its mode of operation under God's hand. Anarchists refuse to recognize organization and to submit to it. To say that there is no theocratic organization smacks of lawlessness or anarchism, for that would mean God has no organization and does not have his people, his flock, organized. It is more important for him to have his living, intelligent creation organized than for him to have his inanimate creations, the sun, moon and stars, organized, for the unity, harmony, peace and working effectiveness of his universe depend upon their being theocratically organized and operated.
2 The sacred Bible is God's Book of instructions to his intelligent creatures on earth. To be able to carry out the instructions of God's Book, or Bible, we have to recognize the theocratic organization, inasmuch as the Bible itself recognizes it, from cover to cover.In fact,the Bible is
the Book of the visible theocratic organization. The words that are the first words in it that God himself wrote with his own "finger" were for a theocratic organization, that is, the "Ten Words," the Ten Commandments, for his typical theocratic organization, the nation of Israel. (Deut. 10:1-4) All the other parts of the Torah, or the Law, from Genesis through Deuteronomy, were written by the prophet Moses at the inspiration of Jehovah God for the same organization. The fact is, all the other books of the ancient Hebrew Scriptures were written for the typical theocratic organization of Israel. But not for them only, because the Christian apostle Paul writes to the Christian congregation of God and quotes Psalm 69:9 to make this argument: "Even Christ did not please himself; but just as it is written: 'The reproaches of those who were reproaching you have fallen upon me.' For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope." (Rom. 15:3, 4, NW) Consequently, the ancient Hebrew Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi were written primarily for the instruction of the Christian congregation of God.
Scriptures from Matthew to Revelation. Except for the gospel account by Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, the letters to Timothy, Titus and Philemon and the second and third letters of the apostle John, all the books of the Christian Greek Scriptures were written directly to the Christian congregation and primarily for the Christian congregation. But even those eight exceptions were written to persons of the Christian theocratic organization and were written to them expressly in behalf of that organization. Hence today all the twenty-seven books of the Christian Greek Scriptures belong to the Christian flock of God and not to any individual; and these books, together with the thirty-nine books of the Hebrew Scriptures, form the complete inspired Bible. In view of its unbreakable connection with the Christian theocratic organization, the Bible is organizationminded and it cannot be fully understood without our having the theocratic organization in mind. This makes it very necessary for those who humble themselves under God's mighty hand to take account of the theocratic organization and to recognize it. All the sheep of God's flock must be organization-minded, like the Bible.
STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITIES
4 Today we are nineteen centuries removed from the visible theocratic organization of the first century of the Christian era. During all those centuries the organization that professes to be Christian has undergone many changes and has split up into hundreds of religious sects and cults, which has resulted in a scattering of the religious flock. The religious disorganization in Christendom has therefore often taken the form of violent religious wars and persecution of smaller or newer sects. To have Christian theocratic organization
we must slash through the religious traditions of Christendom and go back to the apostolic instructions and arrangements of the first century. Today on earth God has his flock of sheep under his Right Shepherd, and so he must and he does have a visible organization now under His mighty hand. In proof that it is theocratic, just as the apostles of Jesus Christ were, this organized flock of his sheep is apostolic in its arrangements and its methods of activity. At the same time it is adjusted to the needs of our modern day for God's prescribed service.
5 The organization's being apostolic does not mean it has living "apostles," so called, or even "apostolic successors." It could not have such, because the twelve apostles of the Lamb Jesus Christ were foundation stones of the Christian congregation and belonged to its beginning, founding, or infancy. (Rev. 21:14, 19) By the close of the first century all the authentic apostles were dead, and they made no appointment of successors. The inspired Bible speaks against so-called "apostolic successors," who, like Simon Magus of Samaria, greedily want to exercise the power of the apostles over God's flock. "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light. It is therefore nothing great if his ministers also keep transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness." Such ambitious self-exalting men fail to recognize the theocratic organization and to humble themselves under God's mighty hand. 2 Cor. 11:5, 12-15; Acts 8:9-24, NW.
6 A.D.33 the Christian congregation started out as a visible theocratic organization of one hundred and twenty members on the festival day of Pentecost in an upper room in Jerusalem.
On that occasion God's holy spirit was poured out through his Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, upon that little flock of faithful followers of Jesus. Due to that outpouring of holy spirit with miraculous manifestations upon that little congregation an impressive witness was given to Jehovah God and his exalted Son Jesus Christ by the preaching of Peter and the other apostles under the power of the outpoured holy spirit. Three thousand in the crowd of listeners accepted the message and were baptized in water in evidence of their becoming believers in Jesus Christ as the Son, Lord and Christ of Jehovah God. Concerning their apostolic organization and activities we read this in the Record: "Therefore those who embraced his word heartily were baptized, and on that day about three thousand souls were added. And they continued devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to association together, to taking of meals and to prayers."—Acts 2:1-42, NW; 1:15.
7 In further comment upon their activities the Record goes on to say: "And day after day they were in constant attendance at the temple with one accord, and they took their meals in private homes and partook of nourishment with great rejoicing and sincerity of heart, praising God and finding acceptance with all the people. At the same time Jehovah continued to join to them daily those being saved." (Acts 2:46, 47, NW) The congregation at Jerusalem kept up this course even after persecution by the unbelieving Jews burst forth upon them: "And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus."—Acts 5:42, NW.
8 From this Record we note that the procedure in apostolic days included the following: Devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles, which teaching was backed up by the Hebrew Scriptures, from which they made many quotations; associating together as fellow believers to form a new congregation separate from the Jewish synagogue; taking meals together in private homes with rejoicing and sincere hearts. This was in connection with their preaching from house to house, for, as they taught and declared the good news about Jesus Christ, those who accepted this spiritual food would share material food with them for their physical refreshment. (Gal. 6:6) Besides this house-to-house preaching, they held public gatherings in the courts of the temple, attending there day by day in order to reach the crowds thronging the temple with the message. So they were active continually in praising Jehovah God and declaring the good news about Jesus Christ both privately and publicly. This method was successful, for Jehovah added believers to their number daily.
What was theocratic back there is theocratic today. What succeeded back there because of its theocratic nature should succeed today. That is why Jehovah's witnesses have gone back to the time of the apostles by trying to imitate them. This is one way of devoting ourselves today to the apostles' teaching: copy their methods. As for their oral teaching, we do not have the apostles personally in the flesh with us today, but we do have their writings, together with the inspired writings of their fellow disciples, such as Mark, Luke, James and Jude. By closely following these inspired Christian writings and refusing the religious traditions of uninspired men we today devote ourselves to the written teaching of the inspired apostles.
This written teaching instructs us on how the true Christian congregation today should be organized and conducted with qualified overseers and ministerial servants, these being appointed by the governing body of the entire Christian congregation throughout the earth. As in the apostolic days Jehovah's witnesses associate to-
sus, to bear thorough witness to the good news of the undeserved kindness of God." Acts 20:20, 21, 24, NW.
11 So penetrative has this house-to-house method been in reaching most of the people with God's message in this twentieth century that the religious clergy of Christendom have untheocratically objected, protested and caused the matter to come
gether in their places of meeting, doing so regularly and not falling into the bad habit of forsaking the gathering of themselves together, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as they behold the day for the battle of Armageddon drawing near. The temple of Jerusalem was destroyed A.D. 70, and Jehovah's witnesses today cannot attend there for the purpose of holding public meetings, but they do hold public meetings today wherever they can, indoors and outdoors.—Acts 14:23; 20:28- 35; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Heb. 10:25.
before political, police and judicial authorities of the land, just as the Jewish clergy did in the days of the apostles. As a result, the witnesses of Jehovah have had to fight in the courts of law in order to hold open this avenue of preaching the message of God's kingdom. In lands where Jehovah's witnesses have been banned or where the state religion does not allow their holding public lectures, they imitate the apostles by theocratically going from house to house, quietly preaching without exciting public attention.
apostolic days marks the theocratic activities of Jehovah's witnesses today. What? Their preaching of the good news from house to house and when they are being entertained in private homes, as at large conventions in certain cities corresponding to Jerusalem, the ancient convention city. That the apostles themselves were not above the theocratic requirement to preach from house to house the apostle Paul showed, saying to the older men of the Ephesus congregation: "I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that
PRINCELY SLAVES
12 Bringing ourselves into agreement with the apostolic methods and arrangements of the first century is a part of our recognizing the theocratic organization today for the sake of our lives. We know that the New Jerusalem is pictured as having twelve foundation stones and on them the "twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." (Rev. 21:14, 19, NW) We today, to be theocratic, must still rest upon this twelvefold foundation of these Christian apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the foundation cornerstone
…