34567APRIL 1 , 2014

SHOULD YOU PRAY?

34567APRIL 1 , 2014

SHOULD YOU PRAY?

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THIS MAGAZINE, The Watchtower,honors Jehovah God, the Ruler ofthe universe. It comforts peoplewith the good news that Godsheavenly Kingdom will soon end allwickedness and transform the earthinto a paradise. It promotes faithin Jesus Christ, who died so thatwe might gain everlasting life andwho is now ruling as King of GodsKingdom. This magazine has beenpublished continuously since 1879and is nonpolitical. It adheres tothe Bible as its authority.

The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) is publishedsemimonthly by Watchtower Bible and TractSociety of New York, Inc.; L. Weaver, Jr.,President; G. F. Simonis, Secretary-Treasurer;25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483,and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society ofCanada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4.Periodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, NY, and atadditional mailing oces. POSTMASTER: Sendaddress changes to Watchtower, 1000 Red MillsRoad,Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. 2014 WatchTower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.Printed in Canada.

This publication is not for sale. It is providedas part of a worldwide Bible educational worksupported by voluntary donations. Unless other-wise indicated, Scripture quotations are fromthe modern-language New World Translation ofthe Holy Scriptures.

The Bible Changes Lives 8You Can Resist Temptation! 10Did You Know? 13Thomas EmlynBlasphemer or Advocate of Truth? 14Bible Questions Answered 16

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Should You Pray? PAGES 3-7Why Do People Pray? 3Should You Pray? 4

OTHER BIBLE QUESTIONS ANSWEREDWhat Is the Meaning of Life?(Look under BIBLE TEACHINGS BIBLE QUESTIONSANSWERED)

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Is prayer part of your life? It is for manypeople, even some atheists. But whydo people pray? According to a poll inFrance, half of French citizens pray ormeditate at times simply to feel better.Like many Europeans, they do not prayin a religious sense. Rather, they seekthe soothing eects of prayer. On theother hand, some believers turn to Godonly when they are in need, expectingimmediate answers to their requests.Isaiah 26:16.

What about you personally? Do youthink that prayer is just a way to sort outyour thoughts? If you believe in God, doyou see the eects of prayer in your life?Or does it seem to you that your prayersgo unanswered? The Bible can help youto view prayer, not as a feel-good thera-py, but as a precious means to drawclose to God.

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Why Do PeoplePray?

If God knows everything, including my thoughtsand needs, why should I pray? you might ask.That is a valid question. Did not Jesus say that Godknows what you need even before you ask him?(Matthew 6:8) King David of ancient Israel real-ized this, and he wrote: There is not aword onmytongue, but look! O Jehovah, you already know itwell. (Psalm 139:4) Why, then, should we turn toGod in prayer? To answer that, let us considerwhat the Bible says about the prayers of Godsworshippers.

If we want God to listen to our prayers, we must sincerely en-deavor to meet his requirements. If we do, then we may experi-ence the power of prayer, as discussed in this article. For more in-formation, see chapter 17 of the book What Does the Bible ReallyTeach? published by Jehovahs Witnesses, or visit www.jw.org.

Should You Pray?

Draw close to God, and hewill draw close to you.

James 4:8

APRIL 1, 2014 5

PRAYER DRAWS US CLOSE TO GODAlthough the Bible says that Jehovah God

knows everything, it also shows that he is notinterested in merely collecting facts about hisworshippers. (Psalm 139:6; Romans 11:33) Hislimitless memory is not like that of a computerthat impersonally stores data about individuals.In fact, God is keenly interested in our inner-most thoughts because he wants us to draw clos-er to him. (Psalm 139:23, 24; James 4:8) That iswhy Jesus encouraged his followers to pray, eventhough his Father well knows our basic needs.(Matthew 6:6-8) The more we share our thoughtswith our Creator, the more we will draw close tohim.

At times, we may nd it dicult to know pre-cisely what to ask for in prayer. In such cases,God can even look beyond our unexpressed feel-ings and use his perfect knowledge of our cir-cumstances to respond to our needs. (Romans 8:26, 27; Ephesians 3:20)Whenwe realize that Godhas intervened in our personal life, even in verysubtle ways, we feel drawn to him.DOES GOD ANSWER ALL PRAYERS?

The Bible assures us that Almighty God an-swers the prayers of his faithful servants, but italso gives reasons why he does not listen to someprayers. For example, at a time when violencewas rampant in ancient Israel, God directed hisprophet Isaiah to tell the people: Although youoermany prayers, I amnot listening; your handsare lled with blood. (Isaiah 1:15) Clearly, those

Jehovah is the name of God as revealed in the Bible.

who show contempt for Gods laws or pray withimproper motives cannot expect to be heard byGod.Proverbs 28:9; James 4:3.

On the other hand, the Bible states: Nomatterwhat we ask according to his will, he hears us.(1 John 5:14) Does that mean, though, that Godwill automatically grant his worshippers everyrequest? Not necessarily. Consider the case ofthe apostle Paul, who begged God three times toremove a thorn in the esh. (2 Corinthians 12:7, 8) It may be that Paul suered from a chron-ic eye aiction. How frustrating that must havebeen for him! Paul had been given the gift of heal-ing and had even performed a resurrection, yethe had to endure his own illness. (Acts 19:11, 12;20:9, 10) Even though the answer to his petitionsdid not take the form he wanted, Paul accept-edGods responsewith gratitude.2 Corinthians12:9, 10.

True, some Bible characters did receive mirac-ulous answers to their prayers. (2 Kings 20:1-7)But such answers were hardly the norm, evenin Bible times. Some believers were disturbedwhen it seemed that God had not respondedto their prayers. King David asked: How long,O Jehovah, will you forget me? Forever? (Psalm13:1) But when that faithful man realized howoften Jehovah had come to his rescue, Davidrearmed his trust in God. In the same prayer,David added: As for me, I trust in your loyallove. (Psalm 13:5) Just like David, Gods wor-shippers today may have to persevere in prayeruntil they perceive Gods response to theirpetitions.Romans 12:12.

This is the condence that we have toward him, thatno matter what we ask according to his will, he hears us.

1 John 5:14

6 THE WATCHTOWER

HOW GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS

God responds to our genuine needs.For good reason, caring parents do not always

give their children what they ask for when theyask for it. In like manner, God may not respondto our requests in the way we think he should orat the moment we expect. But we can be con-dent that our Creator, like a loving father, will re-spond to our genuine needs at the right time andin the right way.Luke 11:11-13.God may answer in subtle ways.

What, though, if we pray to nd relief from anongoing problem? Should we conclude that be-cause there is no miraculous answer, Jehovahhas not answered at all? On the contrary, wewould do well to consider whether God has sup-ported us in more subtle ways. For example, per-haps a caring friend did what he could to help usat just the right time. (Proverbs 17:17) Is it possi-ble that Jehovah moved that concerned friend toreach out to us? In addition, Gods answer to aplea for help may come through the pages of theBible. In it we may nd the insight needed tocope with a challenging situation.2 Timothy 3:16, 17.

Instead of removing a personal problem, Godoften gives his people the strength needed tocope with it. (2 Corinthians 4:7) For example,when Jesus begged his Father to remove an or-deal, fearing that it would bring reproach onGods name, Jehovah dispatched an angel tostrengthen his Son. (Luke 22:42, 43) Similarly,God may use a close friend to give us a word of

encouragement when we need it most. (Proverbs12:25) Because this kind of answer is subtle, wemay have to be more alert to the way God re-sponds to our prayers.Some answers must await Gods timetable.

The Bible says that Almighty God shows favorto humble individuals in due time. (1 Peter 5:6)So if there seems to be a delay in his answeringour sincere requests, we need not see this as alack of interest on Jehovahs part. Rather, withhis vastly superior perspective, our caring Cre-ator no doubt evaluates our petitions in the lightof what he knows is best for us.

To illustrate: Imagine that you have a youngsonwho asks you for a bicycle. Will you automat-ically grant his request? If you feel that he isnot yet responsible enough to ride a bicycle, youmight decide to postpone the purchase. In time,however, you may grant his request when youknow that doing sowould be in his best interests.In like manner, God may grant the proper de-sires of [our] heart in due time if we keep pray-ing.Psalm 37:4.BE CONFIDENT THAT JEHOVAH LISTENS

The Bible urges true Christians not to lose con-dence in the value of prayer. That is easier saidthan done, some might say. True, if we havebeen enduring a nagging problem or some sort ofinjustice, we may nd it hard to wait for Godsanswer. We do well, though, to remember whatJesus taught about persistence in prayer.

Jesus gave the illustration of a needy widowwho kept going to an unfair judge to obtain jus-

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mightyhand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.

1 Peter 5:6

tice. (Luke 18:1-3) Although the judge at rst re-fused to help her, he nally said to himself: I willsee that she gets justice so that she will not keepcoming and wearing me out with her demand.(Luke 18:4, 5)According to the text in the originallanguage, the judge paid attention to the widowso that she would not strike [him] under theeye, or guratively, damage [his] reputation.If even an unjust judge, out of fear for his repu-tation, will help a poor widow, how much moresowill our caringGod grant justice to those whocry out to him day and night! As Jesus said, Godwill cause justice to be done to them speedily.Luke 18:6-8.

Though we may at times get weary of askingfor help or favor, we should not give up. By per-severing in prayer, we show the genuineness ofour desire to see Gods hand in our life. We alsolearn to recognize Gods answers to our petitionsand, as a result, draw closer to him. Yes, we canbe condent that Jehovah will answer our properprayers if we keep asking in faith.Luke 11:9.

In Bible times, God expected judges in Israel to show specialconsideration for widows and orphans.Deuteronomy 1:16, 17;24:17; Psalm 68:5.

Keep on asking, and it will begiven you.Luke 11:9

Gods answer to a plea for help may come throughthe pages of the Bible

God may use caring friends to help us at just theright time

APRIL 1, 2014 7

8 THE WATCHTOWER

MY PAST: When I was born, my parents had a small farmin a rural village in Galicia, northwestern Spain. I was thefourth of eight children. We enjoyed a warm atmosphereat home. At that time in Spain, it was common for at leastone of the children in a family to enter a seminary or aconvent. In our family, three of us took that step.

At the age of 13, I joined my sister in a convent in Ma-drid. The environment in the convent was impersonal.Friendships did not existonly rules, prayers, and auster-ity. Early in the morning, we gathered in the chapel tomeditate, although my mind often went blank. Later, wesang religious songs and celebrated Mass, all in Latin.I understood virtually nothing and felt as if God werefar away from me. My days passed in strict silence. Evenwhen my sister and I would meet up, we could merelysay, Hail purest Mary. The nuns allowed us only half anhour to talk after meals. How dierent from my happyfamily life back home! I felt isolated and often wept.

Although I never felt close to God, I took my vows andbecame a nun at the age of 17. Really, I just did what wasexpected of me, but soon I started questioning whether Iactually had a religious calling. The nuns used to say thatthose with such doubts would end up in hellre! Still, mydoubts lingered. I knew that Jesus Christ had not isolat-ed himself; rather, he kept busy teaching and helping oth-ers. (Matthew 4:23-25) By the age of 20, I had no clear rea-sons to remain a nun. Surprisingly, the mother superiortold me that if I was at a crossroads, I had better leave assoon as possible. I suspect she feared that I might inu-ence others. So I left the convent.

When I returned home, my parents were very un-derstanding. But since there was no work in our vil-

THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

They used theBible to answerevery question!

AS TOLD BY ISOLINA LAMELA

YEAR BORN1950COUNTRY OF ORIGINSPAINHISTORYCATHOLIC NUN

lage, I migrated to Germany, where one of mybrothers lived. He belonged to an active Com-munist group of expatriate Spaniards. I was atease among those people who fought for work-ers rights and equality for women. So I became aCommunist and eventuallymarried amember ofthe group. I thought I was doing something use-ful, handing out Communist literature and en-gaging in protest marches.

In time, however, I again became discouraged.I felt that Communists often failed to practicewhat they preached. Those misgivings were re-inforced in 1971 when some young members ofour group burned down the Spanish Consulatein Frankfurt. They did that to protest against in-justice in dictatorial Spain. But I believed thiswas the wrong way to express indignation.

When my rst child was born, I told my hus-band that I was going to stop attending Commu-nist meetings. I was very lonely because noneof my former friends visited me and my baby. Iwondered about the purpose of life. Was it real-ly worth making an eort to improve society?HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE: In 1976, twoSpanish Witnesses knocked at our door andoered some Bible literature, which I accepted.On their second visit, I began to re questions atthem about suering, inequality, and injustice.I was surprised when they used the Bible to

answer every question! I readily accepted a Biblestudy.

At rst, my interest was just intellectual. Butthings changed when my husband and I start-ed attending meetings at the Kingdom Hall ofJehovahs Witnesses. By that time, we had twochildren. TheWitnesses kindly picked us up andhelped care for our children during the meet-ings. I developed warm feelings toward the Wit-nesses.

Even so, I still had some religious doubts. I de-cided to visit my family in Spain. My uncle, apriest, tried to discourage me from studying theBible. But the localWitnesses helped me greatly.They answered my questions from the Bible, justas the Witnesses in Germany had. I resolved toresume my Bible study when I returned to Ger-many. Althoughmy husband decided not to con-tinue studying the Bible, I followed through withmy resolve. In 1978, I was baptized as one of Je-hovahs Witnesses.HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: Accurate knowledge ofBible truth has given me clear purpose anddirection in life. For example, 1 Peter 3:1-4encourages wives to be in subjection to theirhusbands with deep respect and to cultivate amild spirit, which is of great value in the eyes ofGod. Such principles have helped me to fulllmy role as a wife and mother.

Some 35 years have passed since I became aWitness. I feel happy to serve God as part of atrue spiritual family, and I am delighted that fourof my ve children do likewise.

APRIL 1, 2014 9

10 THE WATCHTOWER

I didnt set out to look for pornography. But I got on the Internet and an adpopped up. Something snapped, and I just clicked it open.CODY.

An attractive girl at work started irting with me. One day she suggested thatwe go to a hotel to play around. I knew exactly what she wanted.DYLAN.

I CAN resist anything except temptation. Thisfamous quip well describes how some peopleview temptationdeep down they relish it. Yetothers regard temptation as a persistent foe thatthey would dearly love to defeat. What do youthink? When faced with temptation, should youyield or resist?

Of course, not all temptations lead to big prob-lems. Sneaking that extra cookie, for example,will hardly ruin your life. But yielding to other en-ticementsespecially those leading to sexual im-moralitycan bring tragic consequences. The Bi-ble warns: Anyone committing adultery . . . islacking good sense; the one who does so bringsruin on himself.Proverbs 6:32, 33.

If an immoral temptation comes knocking,how should you react? The Bible answers: This

Names in this article have been changed.

is the will of God, that you should be holy andabstain from sexual immorality. Each one of youshould know how to control his own body in ho-liness and honor. (1 Thessalonians 4:3, 4) Howcan you cultivate that strength of will? Considerthree steps that can help.Step 1: Guard Your EyesFeeding our eyes on sensual images will onlyfuel improper desires. Conrming the link be-tween seeing and desiring, Jesus warned: Every-one who keeps on looking at a woman so asto have a passion for her has already committedadultery with her in his heart. Using vivid hy-perbole, he urged: If, now, your right eye is mak-ing you stumble, tear it out and throw it awayfrom you. (Matthew 5:28, 29) The point? To re-sist temptation, we must act decisively and notfeast our eyes on provocative images.

You Can Resist Temptation!

APRIL 1, 2014 11

To illustrate: Imagine you glimpsed the blind-ing ash of a welders torch. Would you keepon staring at it? Of course not! You would turnaway or shield your eyes to protect your sight.Likewise, if you glimpse erotic imageryin print,on the screen, or in the eshquickly look away.Protect your mind from being infected. A formerpornography addict, Juan, says: When I see anattractive woman, I often feel the urge to take asecond and a third look. So I forcemyeyes to lookaway, and I tell myself: Pray to Jehovah! You ab-solutely need to pray now! After I pray, the im-pulse soon fades.Matthew 6:9, 13; 1 Corinthi-ans 10:13.

Consider, too, the faithful man Job, who said:I have made a covenant with my eyes. So howcould I show improper attention to a virgin? (Job31:1) Why not make a similar resolve?Try this: If you glimpse erotic imagery, quicklyavert your eyes. Imitate the Bible writer whoprayed: Turn my eyes away from looking at whatis worthless.Psalm 119:37.

Step 2: Guard Your ThoughtsBecause we are all imperfect, at times we maystruggle with wrong desires. The Bible states:Each one is tried by being drawn out and en-ticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when ithas become fertile, gives birth to sin. (James 1:14, 15) How can you avoid being caught in sucha downward spiral?

When you experience wrong desires, remem-ber that you can choose how to respond tothem. Fight those desires. Tear them from yourmind. Refuse to dwell on immoral fantasies.A man named Troy, who was hooked on Inter-net pornography, says: I fought to purge wrongthoughts from my mind by focusing on positivethoughts instead. It wasnt easy. I had many re-lapses. But eventually I learned to control mythinking. A woman named Elsa, who struggled

When you see erotic images, look away

When you have wrong thoughts, stop and pray

with immoral temptation as a teenager, recalls,By keeping busy and praying to Jehovah, I wasable to keep wrong thoughts at bay.Try this: When you are plagued with immoralthoughts, immediately stop and pray. Fightwrong thoughts by lling your mind with what-ever things are true, whatever things are of seri-ous concern, whatever things are righteous,whatever things are chaste, whatever things arelovable, whatever things are well-spoken-of,whatever things are virtuous, and whateverthings are praiseworthy.Philippians 4:8.

Step 3: Guard Your StepsWhen desire, temptation, and opportunity con-verge, trouble can easily follow. (Proverbs 7:6-23)How can you avoid becoming a victim?

The Bible wisely counsels: The shrewd onesees the danger and conceals himself, but the in-experienced keep right on going and suer the

consequences. (Proverbs 22:3) So guard yoursteps. Anticipate situations that could triggerproblems, and avoid them. (Proverbs 7:25) Aman named Filipe, who overcame his addictionto pornography, states: I put the family comput-er where everyone could see it and installed In-ternet lter software. And I go online only whileothers are around. Similarly, Troy, mentionedearlier, says: I avoid watching provocative mov-ies and mixing with people who talk crudelyabout sex. I dont want to put myself in harmsway.Try this: Honestly evaluate your weaknesses,and plan ahead to avoid situations that couldexpose you to temptation.Matthew 6:13.

DO NOT GIVE UP!What if, despite your best eorts, you weaken

and give in to temptation? Do not lose heart andquit trying. The Bible says: The righteous onemay fall seven times, and he will get up again.(Proverbs 24:16) Yes, our heavenly Father encour-ages us to get up. Will you accept his lovinghelp? Then never tire of turning to him in prayer.Build your faith by studying his Word. Strength-en your resolve by attending Christian meetings.Take heart from Gods promise: I will fortifyyou, yes, I will help you.Isaiah 41:10.

Cody, mentioned at the outset, states: It tookgreat eort to beat my pornography habit. I hadmany setbacks, but with Gods help, I nally suc-ceeded. Dylan, also mentioned earlier, states: Icould easily have had sex withmyworkmate. ButI stoodmyground and told her No! It feels greatto have a clean conscience. More important, Iknow I made Jehovah proud of me.

When you stand rm and resist temptation,you can be sure thatGodwill be proud of you too!Proverbs 27:11.

I go online only while others are around

APRIL 1, 2014 13

Phoenicia, which roughly corresponded to modern-day Leba-non, was noted for its Tyrian purple dye, named after the city ofTyre. King Solomon of ancient Israel furnished his temple withpurple wool produced by an artisan from Tyre.2 Chronicles2:13, 14.

Tyrian purple was the most precious dye of its time, in largepart because of the labor required to produce it. First, sherscollected murex shellsh from the sea in large numbers. Asmany as 12,000 were used to produce the dye for a single gar-ment. Next, thesemarine snails were removed from their shellsso that their dye glands could be extracted. Dye makers com-bined these with salt and exposed the mixture to the open airand the sun for three days. Then they placed the mass in a cov-ered vat and simmered it with seawater for several more days.

For hundreds of years, through their commerce and coloniz-ing, the Phoenicians maintained both the market for Tyrian pur-ple and their capacity to produce it. Relics of their dye produc-tion have been found around the Mediterranean Sea and as farwest as Cadiz, Spain.

Their shells are between two and three inches (5-8 cm) in length.

Why was ancient Phoenicia famous for itspurple dye?

Courtesy of SDC Colour Experience (www.sdc.org.uk)

In the Roman Empire, multitudes became slaves through mili-tary conquest or kidnapping. Those captured were sold and typ-ically never saw their homes or families again.

Many slaves were worked to death in the mines, while farmlaborers and domestics fared better. A slave might be forced towear an iron collar with an inscription or a tag promising a re-ward if after running away he was returned to his owner. Thosewho tried to escape repeatedly could be branded in the fore-head, often with the letter F for fugitivus (fugitive).

The Bible book of Philemon discusses the apostle Paulssending the runaway slave Onesimus back to his owner, Phile-mon. Even though Philemon had the legal right to punish Ones-imus severely, Paul asked Philemon to receive him kindly, onthe basis of love and personal friendship.Philemon 10, 11,15-18.

DID YOU KNOW?

What was life like for slavesin the Roman world?

ROMAN SLAVE COLLAR Vanni Archive/Art Resource, NY

WHO was Thomas Emlyn, and what movedhim to take a stand for truth? What mightwe learn from him that could help us today?

To answer those questions, we need to go backto the late 17th and early 18th centuries in En-gland and Ireland. The Church of England thenwielded considerable authority. Various Protes-tant groups and individuals were at odds withthe church.WHO WAS HE?

It was into this environment that Thomas Em-lyn was born on May 27, 1663, at Stamford, Lin-colnshire, England. At the age of 19, he preachedhis rst sermon. Later, he became a chaplain fora countess who lived in London; and still later,he moved to Belfast, Ireland.

In Belfast he eventually ociated in a parishchurch. As time passed, Emlyn served as a min-ister in several places, including Dublin.WHY WAS HE ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY?

During those times, Emlyn was carefullystudying the Bible. His studies caused him todoubt the Trinity, although he had originally be-lieved in it. As he researched the Gospels, hebecame convinced that they supported his im-proved understanding.

Emlyn did not immediately reveal what hehad found. However, some in his Dublin churchnoticed that he did not refer to the Trinity in hissermons. Knowing that his ndings would notbe received well by others, he wrote: I cannothope to continue here in my present post, when

once I have professed. In June 1702, two asso-ciates confronted him about the omission of theTrinity from his sermons. Emlyn confessed thathe no longer believed in it and oered to resign.

Within a few days, he left Dublin, Ireland, forEngland. However, after ten weeks he returnedto Dublin to settle some aairs, with the goalof moving to London permanently. While there,hoping to vindicate his views, he published AnHumble Inquiry Into the Scripture-Account of JesusChrist. In this publication, he gave clear Scriptur-al proof as to why Jesus could not be the Su-preme God. This infuriated members of Emlynsformer congregation in Dublin. A formal com-plaint was led.

Emlyn was arrested and brought before theQueens Bench Court in Dublin on June 14, 1703.In his True Narrative of the Proceedings, Emlynstates that he was indicted for writing and pub-lishing a book, wherein, it says, I had blasphe-mously and maliciously asserted, etc. That Je-sus Christ was not equal to God the Father.The trial proved to be a farce. Seven bishops ofthe Church of Ireland sat on the bench with thejudges. Emlyn was not allowed to speak in his

Thomas EmlynBlasphemer orAdvocate of Truth?

I suer for what I take to behis [Gods] truth and glory.Thomas Emlyn

&From

thebook

TheWorksofM

r.ThomasEm

lyn,1746,

14 THE WATCHTOWER

own defense. Richard Levins, a distinguishedlawyer, told Emlyn that he would be run downlike awolf, without law or game.At the conclu-sion of the trial, Richard Pyne, Irelands LordChief Justice, told the jury that if they did notcome to the expected verdict, his lords the bish-ops were there, perhaps implying that the jurywould be duly punished.

When Emlyn was found guilty, the solicitor-general proposed that he retract. Emlyn refused.He was ned and sentenced to a years impris-onment. Because he could not pay the ne, hestayed in prison for two years until a friend con-vinced authorities to reduce the amount. Emlynwas released on July 21, 1705. The ignominies he

suered moved him to de-clare, as earlier quoted: Isuer for what I take to behis [Gods] truth and glo-ry.

Emlyn moved to Lon-don, where he eventual-ly associated with WilliamWhiston, another Biblescholar who had been os-tracized because he pub-lished what he felt wasBible truth. Whiston re-spected Emlyn, calling himthe rst and principalconfessor of old christian-ity. WHY DID HE REJECTTHE TRINITY?

Like William Whistonand another respected

scholar, Isaac Newton, Emlyn found that the Bi-ble does not support the Trinity doctrine as re-ected in the Athanasian Creed. He explained:After much serious thought, and study of theholy Scriptures, . . . I found great reason . . . to al-

ter my judgment, in relation to formerly receivedopinions of the Trinity. He concluded that theGod and Father of Jesus Christ is alone the Su-preme Being.

What brought Emlyn to that conclusion? Hefound many scriptures pointing to dierencesbetween Jesus and His Father. Here are just afew examples (Emlyns comments on the scrip-tures are in italics): John 17:3: Christ is never said to be that one Godor so God, as to be the only God. Only the Fatheris called the only true God. John 5:30: The Son does not his own will, but thewill of the Father. John 5:26: His Life is given him of the Father. Ephesians 1:3: Whereas Jesus Christ is common-ly styled the Son of God, we never find the Fatherstyled the Father of God, tho he be oft called the Fa-ther of our Lord Jesus.

After Emlyn considered all the evidence, heemphatically stated: There is no one passage inholy Scripture, wherein it can be somuch as pre-tended, that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit areexpressly said to be one and the same individu-al being.WHAT CAN WE LEARN?

Many today back o from taking a stand forwhat the Scriptures teach. But Emlynwaswillingto stand up for Bible truth. He raised the ques-tion, If a man may not profess the most im-portant truths, which he nds clear and evidentin the holy Scriptures, to what end should heread and search them? Emlyn would not com-promise the truth.

The example set by Emlyn and others canmove us to consider whether we are willing tostand up for the truth in the face of scorn. Wetoo can ask ourselves, Which is more importantthe honor and blessing of the community orupholding the truth of Gods Word?

Emlyns publicationthat presentedScriptural proof as towhy Jesus could notbe the Supreme God

APRIL 1, 2014 15

WHAT DOES

THE BIBLE

Really TEACH?

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What will Jesus do in thefuture?In the year 33 C.E., Jesus died, rose from thedead, and ascended to heaven. Much later, Je-sus was given authority to rule as King. (Daniel7:13, 14) In the future, Jesus will take action asKing to establish world peace and eliminate pov-erty.Read Psalm 72:7, 8, 13.

Jesus will do marvelous things as Ruler of man-kind. He will use the power that the Father hasgiven him to restore humans to perfection. Theywill enjoy life on earth without ever growing oldand dying.Read John 5:26-29; 1 Corinthians 15:25, 26.

What is Jesus doing now?Jesus is now directing the worldwide preachingwork of his true followers. They visit people toshow them what the Bible says about Gods King-dom. Jesus said he would continue to support thework of his disciples until Gods Kingdom bringshuman governments to an end.Read Matthew24:14; 28:19, 20.

Bymeans of the true Christian congregation, Je-sus is guiding people into a better way of life. Hewill continue to guide them through the destruc-tion of the present system of things into Godspromised new world.Read 2 Peter 3:7, 13; Rev-elation 7:17.

BIBLE QUESTIONS ANSWERED

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As King, Jesus will cleanse the earthof unrighteousness

For more information,see chapter 8 of thisbook, published byJehovahs WitnessesAlso availableat www.jw.org

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