Watchtower 2012, en

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34567 FEBRUARY 1, 2012 ARMAGEDDON WHAT IS IT? WHEN WILL IT COME?

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Transcript of Watchtower 2012, en

Page 1: Watchtower 2012, en

34567FEBRUARY 1, 2012

ARMAGEDDONWHAT IS IT?

WHEN WILL IT COME?

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THE PURPOSE OF THIS MAGAZINE, The Watchtower, is to honor Jehovah God, the Supreme Ruler of the universe.Just as watchtowers in ancient times enabled a person to observe developments from afar, so this magazine showsus the significance of world events in the light of Bible prophecies. It comforts people with the good news thatGod’s Kingdom, which is a real government in heaven, will soon bring an end to all wickedness and transform theearth into a paradise. It promotes faith in Jesus Christ, who died so that we might gain everlasting life and who isnow ruling as King of God’s Kingdom. This magazine has been published by Jehovah’s Witnesses continuouslysince 1879 and is nonpolitical. It adheres to the Bible as its authority.This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwide Bible educational work supported by voluntary donations. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripturequotations are from the modern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References.

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Printing Each Issue:42,182,000 IN 194 LANGUAGES

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

FROM OUR COVER3 Armageddon—What Do Some Say It Is?5 The Truth About Armageddon8 When Will the War of Armageddon Come?

REGULAR FEATURES10 The Bible Changes Lives

14 Did You Know?

15 Draw Close to God—“I Myself Shall Not Forget You”

16 My Bible Lessons

18 Keys to Family Happiness—When Your Adolescent Questions Your Faith

25 Our Readers Ask . . .Will the Earth Come to an End?

26 Learn From God’s Word—Why Does God Have an Organization?

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE22 Life in Bible Times

—Musicians and Their Instruments

28 “Bring a Smile to Jehovah’s Face”

Cover source: U.S. Department of Energy photograph

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WHAT do you think of when you hear theword “Armageddon”? Likely, images of amajor catastrophe spring to mind. Althoughthe word appears only once in the Bible,the term is repeated often by the news mediaand by religious leaders.

Do popular concepts of Armageddonmatch what the Bible teaches? The answeris worth knowing. Why? Because the truthabout Armageddon can free you fromneedless fear, brighten your outlook onthe future, and influence the way you thinkabout God.

Consider the three following questions,and compare popular concepts ofArmageddon with what the Bible reallyteaches.

ARMAGEDDONWHAT DO SOME SAY IT IS?“And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew

is called Armageddon.”—REVELATION 16:16,

English Standard Version.

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1. IS ARMAGEDDON A MAN-MADEDISASTER?

Journalists and researchers often use theword “Armageddon” to define catastrophescaused by humans. For instance, WorldWars I and II have been referred to as Arma-geddon. After those wars, mankind worriedthat the United States and the Soviet Unionwould direct atomic weapons at each oth-er. The media called that potential con-flict “a thermonuclear Armageddon.” To-day, researchers who fear that pollution willcause drastic changes in earth’s weatherwarn of an impending “climate Armaged-don.”What their definition implies: Humans haveultimate control of the future of the earthand all life on it. If governments fail to actwisely, the earth will suffer permanent dam-age.What the Bible teaches: God will not allowhumans to bring the earth to ruin. The Bi-ble assures us that Jehovah� did not createthe earth “simply for nothing.” Rather, heformed it “to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 45:18)Instead of allowing the earth to be totallydespoiled by humans, God will “bring toruin those ruining the earth.”—Revelation11:18.

2. IS ARMAGEDDON A NATURALDISASTER?

Journalists sometimes use the word “Ar-mageddon” as a label for major natural di-

� In the Bible, Jehovah is the personal name of God.

sasters. For example, in 2010, one reportspoke about “ ‘Armageddon’ in Haiti.” Itwas describing the suffering, damage, andloss of life caused by the massive earth-quake that shattered that country. Reportersand filmmakers apply the term not only toevents that have alreadyoccurred but also tothose that they fear will happen. For in-stance, they have used the word “Armaged-don” to describe the imagined effects of anasteroid striking the earth.What their definition implies: Armageddonis a random event that indiscriminately killsinnocent victims. There is little you can doto protect yourself from it.What the Bible teaches: Armageddon is nota haphazard destroyer of communities. In-stead, during Armageddon, only the wickedwill be wiped out. The Bible promises thatsoon “the wicked one will be no more; andyou will certainly give attention to his place,and hewill not be.”—Psalm 37:10.

3. DOES GOD DESTROY THE EARTHAT ARMAGEDDON?

Many religious people believe that therewill be a final confrontation between goodand evil that will result in the end ofour planet. A poll conducted in the UnitedStates by Princeton Survey Research Asso-ciates found that 40 percent of the adultssurveyed believe that the world will end in“a battle at Armageddon.”What their teaching implies: Humans werenot meant to live on earth forever, nor was

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Would you welcome more information or afree home Bible study? Please send yourrequest to Jehovah’s Witnesses, using oneof these addresses. For a complete list ofaddresses, seewww.watchtower.org/address.

America, United States of: 25 Columbia Heights, Brook-lyn, NY 11201-2483. Australia: PO Box 280, Ingleburn,NSW 1890. Britain: The Ridgeway, London NW7 1RN.Canada: PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Ger-many: 65617 Selters. Guam: 143 Jehovah St, Barrigada,GU 96913. Jamaica: PO Box 103, Old Harbour, St. Cath-erine. Japan: 4-7-1 Nakashinden, Ebina City, Kanagawa-Pref, 243-0496. Puerto Rico: PO Box 3980, Guaynabo, PR00970. South Africa: Private Bag X2067, Krugers-dorp, 1740. Trinidad and Tobago: Lower Rapsey Street &Laxmi Lane, Curepe.

The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) is published semi-monthly by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of NewYork, Inc.; M. H. Larson, President; G. F. Simonis,Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY11201-2483, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Societyof Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Pe-riodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, NY, and at addition-al mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changesto Watchtower, 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. � 2012 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society ofPennsylvania. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

Vol. 133, No. 3 Semimonthly ENGLISH

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the earth designed to last indefinitely. Godcreated humans with the intention thatthey should all die at some point.What the Bible teaches: The Bible clearlystates that God “has founded the earth uponits established places; it will not be made tototter to time indefinite, or forever.” (Psalm

104:5) Regarding earth’s inhabitants, the Bi-ble says: “The righteous themselveswill pos-sess the earth, and they will reside foreverupon it.”—Psalm 37:29.

Clearly, the Bible contradicts many popu-lar concepts of Armageddon. So, what is thetruth?

ARMAGEDDON, sometimes rendered“Harmagedon,” is the name of a place.

That place, however, does not seem to haveexisted in any literal location on earth.

What, then, is the real significance of theword “Armageddon”? Why is it so often as-sociated with an event, such as awar?

Assembled at the Place CalledArmageddon

The original Hebrew word Har–Magedonliterally means “Mountain of Megiddo.” Al-though no such literal mountain existed,a place known as Megiddo does exist. Itis located at a strategic crossroads in the

northwest of the area inhabited by the an-cient nation of Israel. Many decisive battleswere fought near that location. Therefore,the name Megiddo became associated withwar.�

However, the real significance of Megiddois, not what battles were fought there, butwhy they were fought. Megiddo was part ofthe Promised Land that JehovahGodgave tothe Israelites. (Exodus 33:1; Joshua 12:7, 21)He vowed to those people that he would

� Association of a place with war is not uncommon. Forexample, the Japanese city of Hiroshima, which was oblit-erated by an atomic bomb, is now a symbol of the threatof nuclear war.

THE TRUTH ABOUTARMAGEDDON

“Demonic spirits . . . go abroad to the kings of the whole world . . . ,and they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Harmagedon.”

(Italics ours.)—REVELATION 16:14, 16, New Revised Standard Version.

NOW PUBLISHED IN 194 LANGUAGES: Acho-li, Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian,Armenian (West), Aymara,� Azerbaijani, Azerbaija-ni (Cyrillic), Baoule, Bengali, Bicol, Bislama, Bulgari-an, Cambodian, Catalan, Cebuano, Chichewa, Chinese(Simplified), Chinese (Traditional)� (audio Mandarinonly), Chitonga, Chuukese, Cibemba, Croatian, Czech,�Danish,� Dutch,�� Efik, English�� (also Braille), Esto-nian, Ewe, Fijian, Finnish,� French,���Ga, Georgian, Ger-man,�� Greek, Greenlandic, Guarani,�� Gujarati, Gun,Haitian Creole, Hausa, Hebrew, Hiligaynon, Hindi, HiriMotu, Hungarian,�� Icelandic, Igbo, Iloko, Indonesian,Isoko, Italian,�� Japanese,�� Kannada, Kazakh, Kikaonde,

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� CD also available.� MP3 CD-ROM also available.� Audio recordings also available at www.jw.org.

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defend them against attackers, and he did.(Deuteronomy 6:18, 19) For example, it wasat Megiddo that Jehovah miraculously de-fended the Israelites against the invadingforces of Canaanite King Jabin and his armychief Sisera.—Judges 4:14-16.

Therefore, the word “Har–Magedon,” or“Armageddon,” has great symbolic signif-icance. It is associated with a confrontation,one inwhich two powerful forces collide.

The prophecy in Revelation speaks of atime in the near future when Satan and thedemons will motivate human governmentsto assemble their armies, thus issuing a defi-ant challenge to God’s interests. The attackwill result in the death of millions of peoplewhen God defeats the invaders.—Revelation19:11-18.

Why would God, whom the Bible de-scribes as “merciful, slow to anger, andabundant in loving-kindness,” cause thedeath of so many humans? (Nehemiah 9:17) To understand God’s actions, we need toanswer three questions: (1) Who starts thewar? (2) Why does God become involved?(3) What lasting effect will this confronta-tion have on the earth and its inhabitants?

1. WHO STARTS THE WAR?The war of Armageddon is not an act of

aggression by God. Instead, God will de-fend good people from those who wouldcrush them. The aggressors in this con-flict are “the kings of the entire inhabitedearth,” the world’s leaders. Why the attack?Because, like a puppet master, Satan willmaneuver both governmental and militaryagencies into an all-out assault on thosewho worship Jehovah God.—Revelation 16:13,14; 19:17,18.

In view of the emphasis on freedom ofspeech and religion in some countries to-day, the idea that governments would crackdown on or even try to obliterate any re-ligious movement may seem far-fetched.However, such attacks occurred during the20th century and are now taking place.�Even so, there are at least two major differ-ences between previous attacks and the oneassociated with Armageddon. First, the scale

� The Holocaust is an example of one government’s at-tempt to stamp out religious and ethnic groups. Duringthe Soviet era, religious groups within the U.S.S.R. werealso severely repressed. See the article “A Peaceable PeopleDefend Their Good Name,” which appeared inThe Watch-tower of May 1, 2011, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Jehovah God has defended his people in the past

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of the attack will be global. Second, theresponse from Jehovah God will be of amagnitude greater than any action that hehas taken in the past. (Jeremiah 25:32, 33)The Bible describes the confrontation as“the war of the great day of God the Al-mighty.”

2. WHY DOES GOD BECOMEINVOLVED?

Jehovah instructs those who worship himto be peaceable and to love their enemies.(Micah 4:1-3; Matthew 5:43, 44; 26:52) Sothey will not take up arms to defend them-selves when this vicious attack comes. IfGod did not step in to save his people,they would be wiped out. Therefore, Jeho-vah God’s name, or reputation, will be atstake. If the aggressors managed to do awaywith His people, it would make Jehovah ap-pear to be unloving, unjust, or helpless.Such an outcome is impossible!—Psalm 37:28, 29.

God does not want to destroy anyone, sohe gives fair warning of what he will do.(2 Peter 3:9) By means of accounts preservedin the Bible, he reminds all that in the past

he has retaliated when his people were at-tacked. (2 Kings 19:35) The Bible also warnsthat in the future when Satan and his hu-man puppets attack God’s people, Jeho-vah will again step in and meet force withforce. In fact, God’s Word long foretoldthat Jehovah will destroy the wicked. (Prov-erbs 2:21, 22; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9) At thattime, there will be no doubt in the mindsof the attackers that they have picked afight with the Almighty himself.—Ezekiel38:21-23.

3. WHAT LASTING EFFECT WILLTHIS CONFRONTATION HAVE?

The war of Armageddon results in the sav-ing of millions of lives. In fact, it is a preludeto a period of peace on earth.—Revelation21:3, 4.

The book of Revelation talks about anunnumbered “great crowd” who will sur-vive this conflict. (Revelation 7:9, 14) UnderGod’s guidance, these will help to restorethe earth to the Paradise conditions that Je-hovah originally purposed.

Do we know when this attack on God’speoplewill come?

Jehovah will defend his people again, during the war of Armageddon

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THE stage is now set for the war of Arma-geddon.How so?

Already there exists a worldwide asso-ciation of people who serve Jehovah andlive by the Bible’s elevated moral stan-dards. With God’s backing, millions fromall nations, tribes, and tongues are gather-ing together to form a harmonious, lov-ing brotherhood. That brotherhood existsamong Jehovah’s Witnesses.—John 13:35.

Soon Satan will gather his armies andlaunch what will be his greatest assault onthese peaceable and seemingly defenselesspeople. (Ezekiel 38:8-12; Revelation 16:13,14,16) Howcanyou be sure of that fact? TheBible describes specific events that help usto know when the battle of Armageddonwill come. Many of the events it identifiesare already being fulfilled.

Events You Are Seeing FulfilledJesus’ disciples asked him how people

would know when “the conclusion of thesystem of things” was at hand. (Matthew24:3) Jesus answered by pointing forward toa period when, as he said, “nation will riseagainst nation and kingdom against king-dom, and there will be food shortages andearthquakes in one place after another.” Hethen said: “All these things are a beginningof pangs of distress.” (Matthew 24:7, 8) Theapostle Paul described this same period as

“the last days,” saying that those days wouldbe “critical times hard to deal with.” (2 Tim-othy 3:1) Does it seem to you that thoseprophecies describe events happening to-day?

Why would this period be so difficult?The apostle John gives the reason. He fore-

WHEN WILL THE WAR OFARMAGEDDON COME?

“I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nationsand tribes and peoples and tongues . . . come out of the great tribulation.”

—REVELATION 7:9, 14.

Could the work of Jehovah’sWitnesses be a fulfillment ofBible prophecy?

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66BIBLEBIBLE

PROPHECIESPROPHECIES

You Are SeeingYou Are Seeing

FulfilledFulfilled

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told that there would be “a short period oftime” in which the activity of Satan and hisdemons would be confined to the earth. Sa-tan is described as having “great anger” dur-ing this time. (Revelation 12:7-12) Do yousense that there is a spirit of anger and vio-lence among people today, not just in onelocation but globally?

Jesus also said that during this timeof great difficulty, an extraordinary workwould be accomplished. “This good newsof [God’s] kingdom,” he said, “will bepreached in all the inhabited earth for a wit-ness to all the nations; and then the end willcome.” (Matthew 24:14) Today, in morethan 235 lands, Jehovah’s Witnesses arepreaching the good news of God’s Kingdomin more than 500 languages. The two Bible-based journals they produce, The Watch-tower and Awake!, are by far the world’smost widely distributed magazines. TheWitnesses have also translated the Bibleinto some 100 languages. Their work is per-formed by volunteers and funded entirelyby voluntary donations. Could this remark-able preaching campaign be a fulfillment ofJesus’ prophecy?

The Bible also outlines the events that willlead directly to war between Jehovah Godand those who oppose him. Consider threesuch prophecies you will see fulfilled.

Events You AreSoon to See Happen

Prophecy 1. The Bible says that the nationswill issue a significant declaration of “peaceand security.” They may think that theyare on the cusp of solving major prob-lems. However, the events that follow thisstatement will be anything but peaceful.—1 Thessalonians 5:1-3.Prophecy 2. Next, various governments willdecide to move against the world’s religious

organizations. In the Bible, these govern-ments are symbolized by a wild beast; andthe world’s false religions, by a woman whorides the back of the beast. (Revelation 17:3,15-18) The symbolic beast will unwittinglydo God’s bidding by destroying religionsthat falsely claim to represent God.

In symbols, the apostle John describes thedrama this way: “The ten horns that yousaw, and the wild beast, these will hate theharlot and will make her devastated andnaked, and will eat up her fleshy parts andwill completely burn her with fire. For Godput it into their hearts to carry out histhought.”—Revelation 17:16,17.Prophecy 3. Following this successful attackon false religion, Satan will marshal the na-tions for an assault on those who wor-ship Jehovah God.—Revelation 7:14; Mat-thew 24:21.

How Will You Be Affected?If you have not had the opportunity to

study the Bible closely, you may find it dif-ficult to believe that the events describedabove will occur. But there is good reason totrust that every detail will be fulfilled andthat these events will take place in the nearfuture. The long record of Bible propheciesthat have already been fulfilled providesthat assurance.�

Why not set aside some time to find outwhy Jehovah’s Witnesses are convinced that“the war of the great day of God the Al-mighty” is close at hand andwhyyoudo nothave to be afraid of it? Have them discusswith you what the Bible says you must do tobe among those whom Jehovah God pro-tects. (Revelation 16:14) What you learnmaychange your viewof the future.

� For evidence that Bible prophecies have come true, seechapter 2 and chapter 9 of the book What Does the BibleReally Teach? published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

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MY PAST: My parents emi-grated from Albania in 1939and settled in Mareeba, a small townin Queensland, Australia. Many Bosnians,Greeks, Italians, and Serbians, among oth-ers, also settled in this area, bringing withthem their values, customs, and cultures.Mareebawas a tobacco-farming area, andmyparents began growing that crop.

Soon, my older sister was born, followedby my two older brothers and me. Sadly, Daddied of a heart attack when I was a year old.Mumremarried and had four more sons. Weall grew up on my stepfather’s tobacco farm.

I left home in my teens. When I was in myearly 20’s, I married my wife, Saime, in thelocal mosque, since we were both Muslims.All of myuncles, aunts, and cousins followed

the Islamic faith. I read theKoran and a book about theprophet Muhammad’s histo-ry. At the same time, I alsoread a small Bible. The Koranspeaks of the prophets men-tioned in the Bible, and read-ing the Bible helped me tounderstand when they lived.

Jehovah’s Witnesses calledat my house and regular-ly left magazines and books,which both Saime and Ienjoyed reading. I remem-berhaving many stimulatingdebates with the Witnesseson various religious subjects.

On each occasion, they answered my ques-tions from the Bible, rather than giving theirpersonal opinion. That made a real impres-sion on me.

The Witnesses offered to study the Biblewith me and invited me to their meetings,but I always refused. My immediate priority

THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

WHAT motivated a tobacco farmer to change not only his occupation but alsohis deeply held religious beliefs? How did an alcoholic gain the strength tochange her lifestyle? Read what these people have to say.

“I love being part ofthis large family.”—DINO ALI

YEAR BORN: 1949

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: AUSTRALIAHISTORY: TOBACCO FARMER

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was to own myown farm and to havea large family. I never did own afarm, but I eventually did becomethe proud father of five children.HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MYLIFE: Nine years after my first con-tact with Jehovah’s Witnesses, I hadstill not changed my religious be-liefs. However, I enjoyed receivingand reading all the publications thatthey produced. Every Sunday, Saimeand I took time to read this literature.We kept all the magazines that wehad received over the years. Theyproved to be a very helpful resourcewhen others began to test the faith that wasgrowing in my heart.

For example, Imet an evangelical preacherwho tried to pressure me to accept Jesus asmy Savior. He had succeeded in convincingSaime’s brother and one of my half brothersto follow him. Soon, acquaintances from allsorts of religious backgrounds began tryingto convinceme to join their religious groups.

Some gave me literature that attacked Jeho-vah’s Witnesses. I asked these critics to showme from the Bible the reasons for the doc-trines that they taught, but they could notanswer my questions.

All this opposition only made me digdeeper into the Bible and do more research,using the literature I had collected from theWitnesses. Finally, I realized that the timehad come for me to act on what I was learn-ing.

I didn’t have a personal Bible study withone of the Witnesses; I just began attendingtheir meetings. At first, I was very nervous

and shy, but I met many friendly peopleat those meetings, and I enjoyed what Ilearned. I made up my mind that I would be-come one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and in1981, I symbolized my dedication to God bybeing baptized.

My wife did not oppose my decision, al-though she sometimes questioned whether Iwas being deceived. Still, she attended mybaptism. I continued to share with her themany truths that Iwas learning. About a yearafter my baptism, as we were driving homefrom vacation, Saime expressed her desire tobecome a Witness. I was so surprised that Ialmost drove off the road! She was baptizedin 1982.

Making theneeded changes inour lifestylewas not easy. I had stopped growing tobaccobecause doing so conflicts with Bible princi-ples. (2 Corinthians 7:1; James 2:8) It tooksome time before we found acceptable em-ployment that provided a steady income.Also, for many years after that, some of ourrelatives refused to visit us. We tried to treatthem according to Bible principles by show-ing them love. Eventually, the barriers camedown, and now our close relatives no longershun us.

I realized that the time hadcome for me to act

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HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: Going throughvarious tests, whether overcoming my shy-ness, coping withfinancial anxieties, or deal-ing with family opposition, has taught mehow patient Jehovah God is in helping medeal with my problems. For example, I nowserve as a congregation elder and must oftenteach from the platform. This is still a chal-lenge for me because I battle with stammer-ing as a result of nervousness. But by meansof constant prayer and with Jehovah’s help, Iam able to care for this privilege.

My wife and I have grown closer, and thebond we now enjoy is beyond value. Wemade mistakes when raising our childrenbut tried our best to inculcate in them the Bi-

ble truths that we learned. (Deuteronomy6:6-9) In fact, my oldest son and his wife areserving as missionaries.

I remember one occasion shortly after webegan attending the meetings of the Wit-nesses as a family. I parked the car andlooked inside the hall at the crowd gatheringthere. I asked my family, “What do yousee?” Inside were people of different cul-tures, backgrounds, and tongues—Aborigi-nals, Albanians, Australians, Croatians—yetthey were happily mingling together. I lovebeing part of this large family of spiritualbrothers and sisters, which exists not onlyin Australia but all over the world.—1 Peter5:9.

MY PAST: I was born in Kras-nogorsk, a small, peaceful citynear Moscow. I grew up in afamilyof teachers. I was a goodstudent and received an education in music.My future looked bright.

When Imarried,myhusband and I movedto an area where cursing, drunkenness, and

smoking were the norm. Ididn’t realize it at the time,but the environment had abad effect on me. At first, Iwent topartiesmerely to singand play the guitar. Once Iwas there, however, peoplewould invite me to smokeand drink with them. Soon Iwas addicted to alcohol.

My addiction began to de-stroy my life. It took sometime for me to hit rock bot-tom, but when I did, I couldhardly eat anything. I want-ed to die, and I made a clum-sy attempt at suicide. I amthankful that I did not suc-ceed.

Through all of this, my sister visited meregularly. She had become one of Jehovah’sWitnesses, and she tried to explain how theBible could help me. I wasn’t interested in

“My sister nevergave up on me.”—YELENA VLADIMIROVNA SYOMINA

YEAR BORN: 1952

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: RUSSIAHISTORY: ADDICTED TO ALCOHOL,ATTEMPTED SUICIDE

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the Bible, so at first I chasedher away. Butmysister never gave up on me. She showed somuch patience and love that I finally agreedto study the Bible.HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE: Af-ter I started studying the Bible, I made a firmresolve to quit drinking. About that time, Iwas attacked and beaten by a neighbor whowas drunk. I ended up in the hospital in seri-ous condition. Four of my ribs were broken,and one of my retinas had been damaged.Nevertheless, that stay in thehospital helpedme through the alcohol-withdrawal symp-toms.

During that time, I prayed constantly. A Bi-ble passage that brought me great comfortwas Lamentations 3:55, 56, which says: “Ihave called out your name, O Jehovah, froma pit of the lowest sort. My voice you musthear.Do not hide your ear tomy relief, to mycry for help.”

I truly believe that Jehovah answered myprayers. He gave me the strength to keepfrom returning to my past. There were times

when I was tempted to start drinking again.I’m happy to say that I never gave in to thattemptation.

As I continued studying the Bible, Ilearned that I needed to support my hus-band in his role as head of the family. (1 Pe-ter 3:1, 2) That wasn’t easy for me to do,as I was accustomed to bossing my hus-band around. I prayed for Jehovah’s help.The change didn’t happen overnight, butgradually I becameabetter,more supportivewife.

Upon seeing these changes, my dear hus-band was amazed. Up to that point, he wasnot interested in the Bible. But when I decid-ed to quit smoking, he said: “If you will quitsmoking, then I’ll start studying the Bible!”We both quit smoking on the same day.HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: My husbandkept his promise and began to study the Bi-ble. Now we read the Bible together everyday, meditate onwhat we read, and try to ap-ply the counsel in our lives.

Words cannot describe howour family lifehas improved—not to mention how I havebenefited personally. I am grateful to Jeho-vah forhaving drawnme to him. (John6:44)I’m also grateful tomy sister, whonever gaveup on me. As a result, I’ve learned firsthandthat the Bible really does change lives.

My sister showed so muchpatience and love that I finallyagreed to study the Bible

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ˇ The Bible speaks of flutes beingplayed on festive occasions. (1 Kings 1:40; Isaiah 5:12; 30:29) It also states thatflutes were played at a funeral. In thatinstance, flutes were the only instru-ments mentioned. Matthew’s Gospelsays that a Jewish ruler asked Jesus toheal his daughter, who was near death.When Jesus arrived at the ruler’s house,however, he “caught sight of the fluteplayers and the crowd in noisy confu-sion,” for the child had already died.—Matthew 9:18, 23.

Is Matthew accurate when recordingthis custom? Bible translator WilliamBarclay says: “Throughout most of theancient world, in Rome, in Greece, in

Phoenicia, in Assyria and in Palestine,the wailing of the flute was inseparablyconnected with death and tragedy.”According to the Talmud, even thepoorest Jew who had become a widow-er during the first centuries C.E. wouldengage two flute players and a wailingwoman to mourn his dead wife. Fla-vius Josephus, a historian who lived inthe first century, records that whennews reached Jerusalem of the Ro-man conquest of Jotapata, in Galilee,and the massacre of its inhabitants in67 C.E., “many of the mourners hiredflute-players to accompany their funer-al dirges.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Did people really play flutes at funerals in Jesus’ day?

ˇ The Bible calls these evildoers “rob-bers.” (Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27)Some Biblical lexicons point out thatthe Scriptures use different words todistinguish one type of criminal fromanother. The Greek word kleptes re-ferred to a thief who acted secretly so asto escape detection. This word is ap-plied to Judas Iscariot, who furtivelystole from the disciples’ money box.(John 12:6) The word lestes, on the oth-er hand, usually referred to one whorobbed using violence and could evenrefer to a revolutionary, an insurrection-ist, or a guerrilla. Those executed withJesus were of this second type. In fact,one of them is reported to have said:“We are receiving in full what we de-

serve for things we did.” (Luke 23:41)That would suggest that they wereguilty of more than just theft.

Like those two robbers, Barabbas iscalled a lestes. (John 18:40) That Barab-bas was certainly more than a simplethief is clear from Luke 23:19, whichstates that he “had been thrown intoprison for a certain sedition occurringin the city and for murder.”

So while the evildoers executed withJesus committed robbery, it is possiblethat they were also involved in seditionor even murder. Whatever the case, theRoman Governor Pontius Pilate consid-ered them to be worthy of execution byimpalement.

What was the crime of the evildoers who wereexecuted alongside Jesus?

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THE WATCHTOWER ˙ FEBRUARY 1, 2012 15

DOES Jehovah really care about his people?If so, how deep is his concern for them?

There is only one way that we can know the an-swers to those questions—through God’s ownrevelation. In the Bible, Jehovah clearly revealshow he feels. Consider the words found at Isa-iah 49:15.

To illustrate the deep feelings that he has forhis people, Jehovah, through Isaiah, uses oneof the most touching examples that we couldimagine. He begins by asking this thought-provoking question: “Can a wife forget hersuckling so that she should not pity the son ofher belly?”At first glance, the answer seems ob-vious. How could a nursing mother forget hersuckling? Her baby is completely dependent onher day and night—and it lets her know when itneeds attention! But there is more to Jehovah’squestion.

Why does a mother nurse her child and carefor its every need? Is it just to quiet a cryingbaby? No. A mother naturally has pity for, orpities, “the son of her belly.” The Hebrew verbhere translated “pity” is also rendered “showmercy.” (Exodus 33:19; Isaiah 54:10) This He-brew term can convey the idea of tender com-passion for the helpless or vulnerable. A moth-er’s compassion for her suckling is one of thestrongest emotions that we can imagine.

Sadly, though, not every mother has pity forthe baby that longs to nurse at her breast.“Even these women can forget,” says Jehovah.We are living in a world in which many menand women are “disloyal, having no natural af-fection.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) At times, we hearabout mothers who neglect, abuse, or aban-don their newborn baby. Commenting on Isa-iah 49:15, one Bible reference work explains:

“Mothers are sinful and their love is sometimesovercome by baseness. Even the greatest of hu-man love may fail.”

“Yet,” Jehovah assures us, “I myself shall notforget you.” Now we can begin to see the pointof the question that Jehovah raises, as stated atIsaiah 49:15. What he is making here is not somuch a comparison as a contrast. Unlike imper-fect mothers, who may fail to show compassionfor their helpless infant, Jehovah will never failor forget to show compassion for his worship-pers in need. Fittingly, the reference work men-tioned above says of Isaiah 49:15: “This is one ofthe strongest, if not the strongest expression ofGod’s love in the Old Testament.”

Is it not comforting to learn about “the ten-der compassion of our God”? (Luke 1:78) Whynot learn how you can draw closer to Jehovah?This loving God assures his worshippers: “I willby no means leave you nor by any means for-sake you.”—Hebrews 13:5.

DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

“I Myself Shall Not Forget You”

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SUGGESTED BIBLE READING FOR FEBRUARY:˛ Isaiah 43-62

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18 THE WATCHTOWER ˙ FEBRUARY 1, 2012

“I don’t want to follow my parents’ religion anymore.I just feel like giving up.”—Cora, 18.�

YOU are convinced thatyour religion teaches

the truth about God. Youbelieve that the Bible pro-motes the best wayof life. Itis only natural, then, thatyou try to instill your valuesin your child. (Deuterono-my 6:6, 7) But what if, as hegrows, your child loses in-terest in spiritual things?�What if he begins question-ing the very faith that heseemed to accept eagerly as a child?—Gala-tians 5:7.

If that is happening, do not conclude thatyou have failed as a Christian parent. Otherfactors may be involved, as we will see. How-ever, know this: How you handle your ado-lescent’s questioning may well determinewhetherhe will choose to draw closer to yourfaith or pull farther away from it. If you de-clare war with your adolescent over this is-sue, you are in for a strenuous battle—a battlethat you are almost certain to lose.—Colos-sians 3:21.

� Names in this article have been changed.� For simplicity, we refer to the adolescent as a male

in this article. However, the principles discussed applyto both genders.

It is far better to heed the admonition ofthe apostle Paul. “A slave of the Lord doesnot need to fight,” hewrote, “but needs to begentle toward all, qualified to teach, keepinghimself restrained.” (2 Timothy 2:24) Howcan you show yourself “qualified to teach” ifyour adolescent questions your faith?

Be DiscerningFirst, try to discern what factors might be

contributing to your adolescent’s view. Forexample:ˇ Does he feel lonely and friendless in theChristian congregation? “Because I wantedfriends, I got close to several schoolmates, and ithindered my spiritual growth for years. I lost in-terest in spiritual things for the most part be-

KEYS TO FAMILY HAPPINESS

When Your AdolescentQuestions Your Faith

As they mature, many youths chooseto adopt the religion of their parents.(2 Timothy 3:14) Some, however, donot. What can you do if your growingchild starts to question your faith?This article will discuss how Jehovah’sWitnesses handle such a challenge.

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THE WATCHTOWER ˙ FEBRUARY 1, 2012 19

cause of bad association, and now I have manyregrets.”—Lenore,19.ˇ Does he lack self-confidence, making it dif-ficult for him to speak up about his faith?“When I was in school, I was hesitant to sharemy beliefs with my classmates. I was afraid thatthey would view me as weird or as a ‘Bible boy.’Any kids who were different were rejected, and Ididn’t want that to happen to me.”—Ramon, 23.ˇ Does he feel overwhelmed by the responsi-bility of living up to Christian standards? “Ifeel as if the Bible’s promise of everlasting lifewere at the top of a big stairway, and I am noteven on the steps; I am far, far away from them.The fear of getting on the stairway has been sobig that I have considered giving up my faith.”—Renee,16.

Talk It OutWhat underlying issue might your adoles-

cent be facing? The best way to find out is toask him! Be careful, though, not to let thediscussion deteriorate into an argument. In-stead, follow the admonition of James 1:19:“Be swift about hearing, slow about speak-ing, slow about wrath.” Be patient with him.Employ “all long-suffering and art of teach-ing,” just as you would with someone out-side the family.—2 Timothy 4:2.

For example, if your adolescent balks at at-tending Christian meetings, try to find out ifsomething else is bothering him. But do sowithpatience. Little good is accomplishedbythe parent in the following scenario.

Son: I just don’t like going to meetingsanymore.

Father: [hostile tone] What do you meanyou don’t like going?

Son: I find them boring, that’s all!Father: Is that how you feel about God?

You find him boring? Well, that’s just toobad! As long as you live under our roof,you’re going with us—whether you like it ornot!

God requires that parents teach their chil-dren about him and that children obey theirparents. (Ephesians 6:1) However, you wantyour child to do more than blindly followyour spiritual routine and reluctantly gowithyou toChristianmeetings. If at all possi-ble, you would like his mind and heart tocome along too.

You have a better chance of accomplishingthat if you discern any underlying issues thatmight be contributing to his attitude. Withthat in mind, consider how the above con-versation could have been handled more ef-fectively.

Son: I just don’t like going to meetingsanymore.

Father: [calmly]Whydoyou feel thatway?Son: I find them boring, that’s all!Father: Sitting for an hour or two can be

boring. What do you find most challengingabout it?

Son: I don’t know. I guess I just feel like I’drather be somewhere else.

Father: Is that how your friends feel?Son: Well, that’s just it! I don’t have any

—at least not anymore. Ever since my bestfriend moved away, I feel like there’s no oneto talk to! Everyone else is having a goodtime. I feel so left out!

Myth: Parents who are Jehovah’s Witnessesforce their children to follow their faith.Fact: Witness parents strive to inculcate lovefor God in their offspring, just as the Biblecommands them to. (Ephesians 6:4) Never-theless, they realize that when a child be-comes an adult, he or she will make a per-sonal choice with regard to worship.—Romans 14:12; Galatians 6:5.

Deceived?

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By drawing out the adolescent, the fatherin the above scenario not only gets to the un-derlying issue—in this case, loneliness—butalso builds trust, thus keeping the door openfor further discussions.—See the accompany-ing box “Be Patient!”

In time, many young ones learn that ifthey confront the issue that is impedingtheir spiritual growth, they will usually feelbetter about themselvesand their faith.Con-sider Ramon, the young man quoted earlierwho cringed at the thought of identifyinghimself as a Christian at school. Eventually,

Ramon found that speaking up about hisfaith was not as traumatic as he imagined itwould be—even when it resulted in ridicule.He relates:

“On one occasion a boy at school was pok-ing fun at me because of my religion. I gotreally nervous, and I sensed that the wholeclass was listening. Then I decided to turnthe discussion around and ask him about hisfaith. To my surprise, he was even more ner-vous than I was! Then I realized that manyyoung people have religious beliefs, but theydon’t understand them. At least I can explainmy beliefs. Really, when it comes to talkingabout faith, my classmates should be theones who feel awkward—not me!”

TRY THIS: Draw out your adolescent byasking him how he feels about being aChristian. In his own view, what are thebenefits? What are the costs? Do the bene-fits outweigh the costs? If so, how? (Mark10:29, 30) Your adolescent could writedown his thoughts on paper using two col-umns—the left-hand one for the costs andthe right-hand one for the benefits. Seeinghis assessment on paper may help your ado-lescent to identify his problem and workout a solution.

Your Adolescent’s “Power of Reason”Parents and experts have observed that

there is a markeddifference between thewayyoung children think and the way adoles-cents think. (1 Corinthians 13:11) Whileyoung children typically think in concrete,black-and-white terms, adolescents tend toreason on things more abstractly. For exam-ple, a young child can be taught that Godcreated all things. (Genesis 1:1) However, anadolescent might wrestle with such ques-tions as: ‘How do I know that there is a God?Why would a God of love permit evil? How

Talking to your adolescent might require theutmost patience on your part. But the payoff—building trust—is worth it. One teenagegirl relates: “In one night’s discussion, I toldmy dad that I secretly had a social networkpage and a boyfriend and that I wanted torun away. He stayed so calm as he talked thewhole thing out with me! I don’t know an-other dad who could just sit there and notstart yelling at his daughter when he foundout she had kissed a guy and was textinghim nonstop. I feel like I can tell my dad any-thing. I know he really wants to help me.”

Be Patient!

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THE WATCHTOWER ˙ FEBRUARY 1, 2012 21

can it be true that God has always existed?’—Psalm 90:2.

You might feel that such questioning rep-resents a step backward in your adolescent’sfaith. In reality, it may well represent a stepforward. After all, questioning can be animportant aspect of a Christian’s spiritualgrowth.—Acts 17:2, 3.

Furthermore, your adolescent is learningto use his “power of reason.” (Romans 12:1, 2) As a result, he is able to appreciate “thebreadth and length and height and depth”of the Christian faith in away that he simplycould not as a child. (Ephesians 3:18) Morethan ever, now is the time to help your ado-lescent reason on his beliefs so that he candevelop firm convictions regarding his faith.—Proverbs 14:15; Acts 17:11.

TRY THIS: Go back to the basics withyour adolescent, revisiting subjects that you—and he—might have taken for granted. Forexample, have him think about such ques-tions as: ‘What convinces me that there is aGod? What evidence do I observe thatshows that God cares about me? Why do Ifeel that it is always in my best interests toobey God’s laws?’ Be careful not to forceyour views on your adolescent. Instead,help him develop his own convictions. Thatway he will find it easier to build confidencein his faith.

“Persuaded to Believe”The Bible speaks of the young man Timo-

thy who “from infancy” knew the holy writ-ings. Yet, the apostle Paul urged Timothy:“Continue in the things you learned andwere persuaded to believe.” (2 Timothy 3:14,15) Like Timothy, your adolescent may havebeen educated in Bible standards from birth.Now, though, you need to persuade him sothat he develops his own convictions.

The book Questions Young People Ask—An-swers That Work, Volume 1, states: “As longas your adolescent lives under your roof, youhave the right to require compliance with aspiritual routine. In the end, however, yourgoal is to instill love for God in your teen’sheart—not simply to elicit some mechanicalaction.” By keeping that goal in mind, youcan help your adolescent become “solid inthe faith” so that it becomes his way of life—not just yours.�—1 Peter 5:9.

� For more information, see The Watchtower of May 1,2009, pages 10-12, and Questions Young People Ask—An-swers That Work, Volume 1, pages 315-318.

ASK YOURSELF . . .ˇ How do I react when my child questionsmy beliefs?ˇ How could I use the material in this articleto improve the way that I react?

Sometimes youths are helped when anadult outside the family provides encour-agement. Do you know someone whosespiritual outlook could be an inspiration toyour adolescent? Why not arrange for himor her to spend time with your son ordaughter? Your purpose is not to abdicateyour responsibility. But think of Timothy. Hebenefited greatly from the apostle Paul’s ex-ample, and Paul benefited greatly by hav-ing Timothy as a companion.—Philippians2:20, 22.�

� From the book Questions Young People Ask—AnswersThat Work, Volume 1, 2011 Edition, page 318, published byJehovah’s Witnesses.

The Value of a Mentor

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MUSIC and musicians have long playeda vital role in the worship of Jeho-

vah God. For example, when Jehovah mi-raculously delivered the Israelites throughthe Red Sea, Moses’ sister, Miriam, led thewomen in a victory song and dance. Thedancers accompanied themselves with tam-bourines. This event demonstrates how im-portant music was to the Israelites—they hadjust fled from the Egyptian army, yet manyof the women had their instruments handyand ready to play. (Exodus 15:20) Later,King David arranged for thousands of musi-cians to play their instruments as part ofworship at the tabernacle. This arrangementcontinued at the temple built by his son Sol-omon.—1 Chronicles 23:5.

What were these instruments made of?What did they look like? What sounds didthey produce? And whenwere they used?

Kinds of Musical InstrumentsThe instruments described in the Bible

were made of precious wood, stretched ani-mal skin, metal, and bone. Some were inlaidwith ivory. Strings were made of plant fiberor animal intestines. While almost no an-cient instruments remain to the present day,pictures of them have survived.

LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES

Musicians and Their Instruments“Praise [God] with the blowing of the horn. Praise him with the stringed instrumentand the harp. Praise him with the tambourine and the circle dance. Praise him withstrings and the pipe. Praise him with the cymbals of melodious sound. Praise himwith the clashing cymbals.”—PSALM 150:3-5.

22

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The instruments used in Bible times can be di-vided into three basic categories: stringed instru-ments, such as the harp, the lyre (1), and the lute(2); wind instruments, such as the horn, or shofar(3), the trumpet (4), the much loved flute, or pipe(5); percussion instruments, such as the tambou-rine (6), the sistrum (7), cymbals (8), and bells(9). Musicians played these instruments to accom-pany poetic songs, lively dancing, and singing.(1 Samuel 18:6, 7) Most important, they usedthem inworship of the God who had blessed themwith the gift of music. (1 Chronicles 15:16) Con-sider more closely each group of instruments.Stringed Instruments The harp and the lyrewere light, portable instruments with stringsstretched over a wooden frame. David played astringed instrument to soothe the soul of an-guished King Saul. (1 Samuel 16:23) These instru-ments were used in the orchestra at the dedicationof Solomon’s temple and on other joyous occa-sions, such as festivals.—2 Chronicles 5:12; 9:11.

The lute was similar to the harp, but it usuallydiffered in shape. It often consisted of a few stringsstretched over a frame that held a sounding board.The vibrating strings may have produced melodi-ous tones not unlike the classical guitar of today.The strings were made of twisted vegetable fibersor animal intestines.Wind Instruments These instruments are oftenmentioned in the Bible. One of the most ancientis the Jewish horn, known as the shofar. Thishollowed-out ram’s horn produced loud, piercingtones. The Israelites used the shofar to assembletroops in battle and to direct the nation to action.—Judges 3:27; 7:22.

Another type of wind instrument was the metal-tube trumpet. A document found among the DeadSea Scrolls indicates that musicians could play asurprisingly wide range of tones on these instru-ments. Jehovah instructed Moses to make twotrumpets of silver for use at the tabernacle. (Num-bers 10:2-7) Later, at the inauguration of Solo-mon’s temple, 120 trumpets added their mighty

(Instruments not to scale)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

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sound to the celebration. (2 Chronicles 5:12, 13) Artisans made trumpets of differentlengths. Some measured at least three feet(91 cm) from mouthpiece to bell-shapedfront.

A favorite wind instrument of the Isra-elites was the flute. Its happy, melodioussound lifted the spirit of people attend-ing family gatherings, feasts, and weddings.(1 Kings 1:40; Isaiah 30:29) The flute’s lyri-cal voice could also be heard at funerals,where musicians played songs as part of themourning ritual (see page 14).—Matthew9:23.Percussion Instruments When the Israel-ites celebrated, they used a variety of per-cussion instruments. The rhythmic soundshelped to rouse strong emotions. The tam-bourine, made of an animal skin stretchedtaut over a round wooden frame, produced adrumlike thump as the musician or dancerstruck the instrument with his hand. Whenthe musician shook the frame, loosely at-tached bells produced a rhythmic jingle.

Another percussion instrument wasknown as the sistrum. It had an oval-shapedmetal frame and a handle, as well as cross-

bars that held loose metal disks. When rap-idly shaken to and fro, a sistrummade a starkjingling sound.

Bronze cymbals made an even sharpersound. Cymbals were discs of two sizes.Large clashing cymbals were boldly strucktogether. Smaller melodious cymbals wereplayed between two fingers. Both producedclashing sounds but of differing intensity.—Psalm 150:5.

Following the PatternToday, Jehovah’s Witnesses begin and end

their meetings for worship with music andsinging. At their larger gatherings, the or-chestras that provide the recorded musicalaccompaniment include modern versions ofstringed, wind, and percussion instruments.

By including music and songs in theirworship, the Witnesses follow the pat-tern set by both the ancient Israelites andthe first-century Christians. (Ephesians 5:19)Like God’s servants of Bible times, Jehovah’sWitnesses today enjoy combining poetrywith melody to praise Jehovah.

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THE WATCHTOWER ˙ FEBRUARY 1, 2012 25

ˇ Some believed that the earthwould end on October 21,2011. It did not. Thus, theprophecy of U.S. radio broad-caster Harold Camping ranghollow. He predicted that Judg-ment Day would come onMay 21, 2011—a tremendousearthquake would roll acrossthe globe, and five months lat-er, on October 21, the earthwould be annihilated.

The earth, however, will nev-er come to an end. Earth’s Creator will not allowit. His Word states: “You have solidly fixedthe earth, that it may keep standing.”—Psalm119:90.

Some Bible readers may object, however, thatthis planet will be destroyed by fire. They pointto 2 Peter 3:7, 10 to support that view: “By thesame word the heavens and the earth that arenow are stored up for fire and are being re-served to the day of judgment and of destruc-tion of the ungodly men. . . . Yet Jehovah’s daywill come as a thief, in which the heavens willpass away with a hissing noise, but the ele-ments being intensely hot will be dissolved, andearth and the works in it will be discovered.”Are the apostle Peter’s words to be taken liter-ally?

No, they are not. Why not? Because the inter-pretation of these verses must line up with thecontext of Peter’s letter and with the rest of theBible. A literal view of those texts would meanthat the heavens, or universe—billions upon bil-lions of stars and other matter—will be con-sumed by fire because just one speck in itsvastness contains wicked humans. Would you

destroy miles of shoreline ofsand because one grain is notto your liking? That would notmake sense! So neither wouldJehovah destroy all of his creat-ed universe because rebellionerupted on just one of his cre-ative works.

Besides, such a view is in di-rect conflict with the words ofJesus Christ, who said: “Hap-py are the mild-tempered ones,since they will inherit the

earth.” (Matthew 5:5; Psalm 37:29) Would aloving father handicraft a comfortable house forhis family only to burn it down? (Psalm 115:16)That would be unthinkable! Jehovah is not onlythe Creator but also a loving Father.—Psalm103:13; 1 John 4:8.

Peter uses the term “earth” in a figurativesense, referring to human society—in this casewicked human society. Note that Peter draws aparallel with the Flood of Noah’s day. (2 Peter 3:5, 6) On that occasion, only wicked mankindwas destroyed; the earth itself and righteousNoah and his family survived. By the same to-ken, Peter’s use of “heavens” would also besymbolic. In this case, “heavens” refers to hu-man rulership over the ungodly. Thus, the in-corrigibly wicked will be gone, as will all wickedgovernments, which will be dissolved and re-placed by God’s heavenly rule, or Kingdom.—Daniel 2:44.

So, will planet earth come to its end? No.What will end is the symbolic earth, or wickedhuman society. The earth itself and the futuregodly human society will last forever.—Proverbs2:21, 22.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Will the earth come to an end?

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26 THE WATCHTOWER ˙ FEBRUARY 1, 2012

1. Why did God organize the Israelites?God organized descendants of the patriarch

Abraham into a nation and gave them a body oflaws. He called the nation Israel and made it thecustodian of true worship and of his Word, the HolyScriptures. (Psalm 147:19, 20) Thus, people of allnations have benefited.—Read Genesis 22:18.

God chose the Israelites to be his witnesses.When they were obedient, they benefited fromGod’s laws. (Deuteronomy 4:6) By studying thehistory of the Israelites, we can get to know moreabout the true God.—Read Isaiah 43:10,12.

2. Why are true Christians organized?In time, Israel lost God’s favor, and Jehovah re-

placed that nation with the Christian congregation.(Matthew 21:43; 23:37, 38) Formerly, the Israeliteswere witnesses of God. Now, true Christians serve asJehovah’s witnesses.—Read Acts 15:14,17.

Jesus organized his followers to witness about Je-hovah and to make disciples in all nations. (Mat-thew 10:7,11; 24:14; 28:19, 20) This work is reachingits climax. For the first time, Jehovah has united mil-lions from all nations in true worship. (Revelation 7:9,10) True Christians are also organized so that theycan encourage and help one another. Worldwide,they enjoy the same program of Bible instruction attheir meetings.—Read Hebrews 10:24, 25.

LEARN FROM GOD’S WORD

Why Does God Havean Organization?

This article raises questions you mayhave asked and shows where you canread the answers in your Bible.Jehovah’s Witnesses would be pleasedto discuss these answers with you.

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3. In modern times, how didJehovah’s Witnesses begin?

The modern-day organization of Jehovah’s Wit-nesses began in the 1870’s. A small group of Bi-ble students began rediscovering long-lost Bibletruths. They knew that Jesus organized the Chris-tian congregation to preach. So they undertookan international Kingdom-preaching campaign. In1931 they adopted the name Jehovah’s Witnesses.—Read Acts 1:8; 2:1, 4; 5:42.

4. How are Jehovah’s Witnessesorganized today?

In the first century, the Christian congrega-tions in many lands benefited from a centralgoverning body that recognized Jesus as theHead of the congregation. (Acts 16:4, 5) Simi-larly today, Jehovah’s Witnesses recognize Je-sus as their Leader. (Matthew 23:9, 10) Theyalso benefit from the guidance of a Govern-ing Body of experienced elders who provideScriptural encouragement and direction forthe more than 100,000 congregations. Ineach congregation, qualified men serve as el-ders, or overseers. These men lovingly care forGod’s flock.—Read 1 Peter 5:2, 3.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are organized topreach the good news and to make disciples.In order to help people everywhere, theytranslate, print, and distribute Bible studymaterial in over 500 languages. Like the apos-

tles, they preach from house to house. (Acts20:20) They offer to study the Bible personal-ly with sincere lovers of truth. Since Jehovah’speople focus on pleasing God and helpingothers, they are an organization of happypeople.—Read Psalm 33:12; Acts 20:35.

For more information, see chapter 19 of thisbook, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

WHAT DOESTHE BIBLE

Really TEACH?

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FAMILY, friends, and well-wishers gatheredon September 10, 2011, to attend the

graduation of the 131st class of the Watch-tower Bible School of Gilead. At the start ofthe day, nerves knotted the stomachs of bothspeakers and students. By the end of the pro-gram, though, all 9,063 present were relaxedand smiling, having enjoyed the talks, dem-onstrations, and interviews.

Stephen Lett, a member of the GoverningBody of Jehovah’s Witnesses and chairmanfor the program, delivered the opening talk.He examined Bible verses that refer to Jeho-vah God as having a figurative body and fo-cused on passages that discuss how Jehovahuses his figurative eyes, ears, hands, andarms.

First, the speaker considered 2 Chronicles16:9, which says that Jehovah’s “eyes are rov-ing about through all the earth to show hisstrength in behalf of those whose heart iscomplete towardhim.” The studentswere en-couraged to maintain a heart that is com-pletely devoted to Jehovah. They were toldthat they could imitate God by looking forthe good inpeople.Next, Brother Lett consid-ered 1 Peter 3:12, which says that Jehovah’sears are toward the righteous ones’ supplica-tion. He urged the students to keep thelines of communication open, rememberingthat Jehovah really does want to hear theirprayers.

The speaker also examined Isaiah 41:13, inwhich Jehovah makes this promise: “I, Jeho-vah your God, am grasping your right hand,the One saying to you, ‘Do not be afraid. Imyself will help you.’” With warm sincerity,Brother Lett said: “Notice this very touching

expression of Jehovah. He reaches out hishand to take hold of our hand.” He then toldthe students always to allow Jehovah to helpthemandnever to resist his help.He also saidthat the students could imitate Jehovah byreaching out their hands to help others.

Finally, Brother Lett read Isaiah 40:11. Heinvited the audience to visualize the tenderaffection conveyed by that scripture. “Jeho-vah gathers us with his arms,” said Broth-er Lett. “He carries us in his bosom.” Howshould we respond? The students were ad-monished to remain soft and gentle like a lit-tle lamb so that Jehovah will want to carrythem in his bosom.

“We Have This Treasurein Earthen Vessels”

David Splane of the Governing Body ex-amined that Scriptural theme. (2 Corinthi-ans 4:7) What is the treasure? Is it knowl-edge or wisdom? “No,” answered the speaker.“The treasure that the apostle Paul spokeof is ‘this ministry’ of ‘making the truthmanifest.’” (2 Corinthians 4:1, 2, 5) Broth-er Splane reminded the students that the fivemonths they had spent studying was in prep-aration for a special assignment in the minis-try. That assignment is something to be high-ly esteemed.

The speaker explained that the “earthenvessels” refer to our fleshly bodies. He con-trasted a vessel made of earth with one madeof gold. Vessels of gold are not used often.Vessels made of earth, on the other hand, aremeant for work. If we placed a treasure in avessel of gold,wemight focus asmuchon thevessel as on the treasure it contains. “You stu-

131ST GILEAD GRADUATION

“Bring a Smileto Jehovah’s Face”

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dents don’t want to draw attention to your-selves,” saidBrother Splane. “As missionaries,you want to direct people to Jehovah. You aremodest earthen vessels.”

Continuing the analogy, the speaker saidthat in Bible times some earthen vessels werefire-resistant, and some had a tough glazethat prevented the vessel from chipping. Thepoint? During the first months in their as-signment, the missionaries will no doubtform a tough glaze. They will become lesssensitive to criticism, less inclined to take of-fense. “You will discover that you are tougherthan you think you are,” said Brother Splane.Jehovah has entrusted this treasure of theministry, not to angels, but to earthenvessels.“That shows that Jehovah has confidence inyou,” concluded the speaker.

“With Footmen You Have Run . . .Can You Run a Race With Horses?”

“How long and how fast can you run?”asked Samuel Herd of the Governing Body.Why raise that question with the students?The speaker drew a comparison between theexperiences of the students and those of theprophet Jeremiah. That faithful man had adifficult time dealing with the challenges hewas facing. But he had bigger trials ahead. SoJehovah asked him: “Because with footmenyou have run, and they would tire you out,how, then, can you run a race with horses?”—Jeremiah 12:5.

Applying this point to the students, Broth-er Herd said: “You may feel that you havebeen running with horses because of all theexams you’ve had. But you have really beenrunning with footmen, not with horses. Inyour assignments you will be racing withhorses, or facing bigger challenges than youcan imagine today. How will you fare? Gileadtraining has prepared you to run with horsesandnot tire out.”He encouraged the studentsto keep training themselves spiritually, to

maintain a good routine of Bible study andprayer.

Brother Herd acknowledged that in the fu-ture some of those sent out as missionarieswill face discouragement or apathy. Otherswill be troubled by sickness or feelings of per-sonal inadequacy. But he reassured the stu-dents that they have a source of strength thatwill help them to outrun any bad situationand not tire out. “Whether you run againstfootmen or horses,” said the speaker, “trustthat God’s mighty hand can sweep you pastthe finish line. You will then be successfulmissionaries to Jehovah’s honor and praise.”

Other Highlightsof the Program

“Do Not Hold Yourself to a Few.” John Ek-rann, a member of the United States BranchCommittee, discussed the account involvingthe prophet Elisha and a widow who wasabout to have her sons taken from her andsold as slaves. (2 Kings 4:1-7) The widow hadonly a small jar for oil. Elisha instructed herto collect other jars from her neighbors, say-ing: “Donot hold yourself to a few.” ThroughElisha, Jehovah miraculously filled with oilall the jars that the widow collected. The wid-ow then sold the oil and received enough in-come to pay her debts and support her familyfor a time.

What lessons could the future missionar-ies learn fromthis account?When thewidowcollected the extra vessels, she was not likelytohavebeenpicky. “Shewouldhave gatheredany vessel that would hold oil,” said thespeaker, “and probably the bigger the better.”Brother Ekrann then urged the students totake any and every assignment, big or small.“Don’t be picky,” he said. He also remindedthe students that the amount of blessings thewidow received was directly related to howmuch attention she paid to Elisha’s instruc-tions. His point? The amount of blessings we

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receive is directly related to the amount ofzeal and faithwe demonstrate. “Don’t be self-sparing,” said the speaker.

“They Are Bread to Us.” William Samuel-son, overseer of the Theocratic Schools De-partment, developed this theme, taken fromNumbers 14:9. He highlighted the good ex-ample set by Joshua and Caleb. The term“bread” as used in this case signified that theinhabitants of Canaan could easily be con-quered and that the experience would sus-tain and strengthen Israel. What is the lessonfor the students? “In your future spiritual ac-tivities,” said the speaker, “view challenges assomething that will strengthen and sustainyou.”

“Will Their Ship of Faith Be Anchored Solidin the Storms Ahead?” Sam Roberson, one ofthe instructors, discussed the apostle Paul’swarning that some had “experienced ship-wreck concerning their faith.” (1 Timothy 1:19) He urged the students to build in others afaith that is solidly anchored in Jehovah God.“Your work,” he said, “could be likened tothat of a blacksmith.” In what way? A black-smith welds together the links of a chain thatcan safely anchor a ship. Likewise, missionar-ies help Bible students build spiritual quali-ties needed for salvation.

The speaker associated the links in a chainwith the eight qualities recorded at 2 Peter 1:5-8. Brother Roberson said that if missionar-

ies help their Bible students to see how Jeho-vah displays those qualities, those studentsare likely to develop an unbreakable attach-ment to Jehovah. They will weather anystorm of adversity that might test their faith.

Experiences and InterviewsMichael Burnett, another of the instruc-

tors, asked the Gilead students to relate andreenact some of the preaching experiencesthey had recently enjoyed. The audience wasdelighted to hear how the students were ableto preach to people at a shopping mall, at anairport, in the door-to-door ministry, andeven over the phone to a person who calledthe wrong number.

Michael Hansen of the United States Beth-el Family then interviewed three men whohave had years of experience as missionaries—Stephen McDowell in Panama, Mark Nou-mair in Kenya, and William Yasovsky inParaguay. Their expressions highlighted thetheme of the part, “Finding Delight in DoingJehovah’s Will.” (Psalm 40:8) Mark Noumair,for example, mentioned specific causes fordelight that he and his wife had found asthey served in their assignment. The friend-ships they forged with the local Witnessesbrought the couple great satisfaction. Otherreasons for joy included seeing the brothersfollow instructions, observing them makebig changes in their lives, and noting how Je-hovah blessed their efforts. He assured thestudents that their greatest joys are in the fu-ture.

After a member of the 131st class read a let-ter that beautifully expressed the apprecia-tion of the students, Brother Lett concludedthe program by encouraging the graduates toact wisely. If they did, he said, they would“bring a smile to Jehovah’s face.” These mis-sionaries are bound tomake Jehovah smile asthey faithfully serve him in their assign-ments.—Isaiah 65:19.

Gilead studentsreenact one oftheir preachingexperiences

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In the list below, rows are numbered from front to back, and names are listed from left to right in each row.(1) Lesch, C.; Lesch, N.; Shakarjian, P.; Shakarjian, T.; Budden, R.; Budden, K.; Nash, T.; Nash, L.(2) Tremblay, E.; Tremblay, C.; Garvey, D.; Garvey, G.; Gaunt, R.; Gaunt, P.; Lau, J.; Lau, J.(3) Davis, S.; Davis, S.; Sargeant, J.; Sargeant, J.; Fonseca, C.; Fonseca, S.; Thenard, E.; Thenard, A.(4) Petratyotin, A.; Petratyotin, R.; Reyes, N.; Reyes, N.; Eisiminger, B.; Eisiminger, S.; Hacker, J.; Hacker, C.(5) Hartman, E.; Hartman, T.; Goolia, W.; Goolia, K.; Thomas, J.; Thomas, E.; Okazaki, N.; Okazaki, M.(6) Mills, C.; Mills, A.; Benning, L.; Benning, T.; Sobiecki, S.; Sobiecki, T.; Gagnon, L.; Gagnon, E.(7) Hansen, B.; Hansen, M.; Fahie, A.; Fahie, M.; Dalgaard, J.; Dalgaard, J.; Andersson, M.; Andersson, R.

131st Graduating Class of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead

CLASS STATISTICS10 countries represented

34.7 average age19.0 average years since

baptism13.5 average years in

full-time ministry

Class assigned to the countries shown below

BENIN

BRAZIL

BULGARIA

BURUNDICAMEROON

CANADA

CENTRALAFRICANREPUBLIC

GERMANY

GHANAHONG KONG

INDONESIAKENYA

LIBERIA

LITHUANIA

MALAYSIA

MOZAMBIQUE

NEPAL

PANAMA

PARAGUAY

SIERRALEONE

SLOVAKIA

SOUTH AFRICA

UNITED STATESOF AMERICA

VENEZUELA

CLASS ASSIGNMENTS

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Even in this troubled world, you can gain happiness from accurate Bible knowledge of God, his Kingdom,and his wonderful purpose for mankind. If you would welcome further information or would like to havesomeone visit you to conduct a free Bible study, please write to Jehovah’s Witnesses at the appropriateaddress listed on page 4.

Is Armageddon a natural disaster?SEE PAGE 4.

Why would a God of love kill people during the battleof Armageddon? SEE PAGE 6.

What three major events does the Bible foretellwill soon take place? SEE PAGE 9.

How did an alcoholic find the strength tochange her lifestyle? SEE PAGES 12-13.

Will the earth be destroyed? SEE PAGE 25.

Would you welcome a visit?

www.watchtower.org wp12 02/01-E