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34567

AUGUST 1, 2012

MIRACLESDO THEY REALLY HAPPEN?

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THE PURPOSE OF THIS MAGAZINE, The Watchtower, is to honor Jehovah God, the Supreme Ruler of the universJust as watchtowers in ancient times enabled a person to observe developments from afar, so this magazine showus the significance of world events in the light of Bible prophecies. It comforts people with the good news thaGods Kingdom, which is a real government in heaven, will soon bring an end to all wickedness and transform thearth into a paradise. It promotes faith in Jesus Christ, who died so that we might gain everlasting life and who

now ruling as King of Gods Kingdom. This magazine has been published by Jehovahs Witnesses continuouslsince 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, Scriptuquotations are from the modern-language New World Translation of the Holy ScripturesWith References.

345676 Printing Each Issue:42,182,000 IN 195 LANGUAGES AUGUST 1, 201

FROM OUR COVER

3 Why Be Interested in Miracles?

4 Are Miracles Really Possible?Three Common Objections

7 Can You Believe the MiraclesRecorded in the Bible?

8 Miracles That Are About to Happen

REGULAR FEATURES

11 The Bible Changes Lives

15 Our Readers Ask . . .Does It Really Matter to God Whether I Use

Tobacco?

16 Learn From Gods WordWhen Did Jesus Become King?

24 My Bible Lessons

26 Did You Know?

27 Draw Close to GodJehovah Hates Injustice

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

18 Life in Bible TimesThe Fisherman

21 A Conversation With a NeighborDo All Good People Go to Heaven?

28 Champions of the Truth

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DO YOU believe in miracles? As shown by the above quo-

tations, opinions vary drastically. But how would youanswer that question?

You may be hesitant to answer, Yes, I believe. Perhaps youfeel that to do so might indicate that you are somewhat super-stitious or uneducated. Many feel that same way.

On the other hand, you may be convinced that miracles real-ly do happen. You might believe in the miracles recorded inthe Bible, such as Moses parting of the

Red Sea. You may also believe that mira-cles occur in our time. In fact, a reportrecently issued revealed that a signif-icant proportion of the population ofthe Western worldfor example aroundthree-quarters of those in the UnitedStates and 38 per cent in Britaincontin-ue to believe in miracles. (The Cam-bridge Companion to Miracles, edited byGraham H. Twelftree) Moreover, belief

in miracles is not limited just to Chris-tians. According to the Britannica Ency-clopedia of World Religions, belief in miraculous events is a fea-ture of practically all religions.

Or you may belong to a third group, who would answer: Idont know, and I dont care! Miracles dont happen in mylife! Really, why should you be interested in miracles?

WH Y BE IN T E R E ST E D IN

Miracles?Miracles, by definition, violate the principles of science.RICHARD DAWKINS, FORMER PROFESSOR FOR PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING

OF SCIENCE.

Belief in miracles is entirely rational. Far from being an

embarrassment to religious faith, they are signs of Gods

love for, and continuing involvement in, creation.ROBERT A. LARMER, PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY.

WHAT IS AMIRACLE?

It is an event thatsurpasses all knownhuman and naturalpowers and is usuallyattributed to somesort of supernaturalpower.

TH E WAT CH TO W ER AUGUST 1, 2 012 3

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OBJECTION 1: Miracles are impossible be-cause they violate the laws of nature. Ourunderstanding of the laws of nature is basedon what scientists have observed happeningin the natural world around us. However,those laws are similar to the grammar rulesfor a languagethere may be some excep-tions to the rule. Our understanding of theserules may, in fact, be very limited. (Job

38:4) A dedicated scientist may have spent alifetime studying a certain law of nature. Butall it takes is one exception for him to haveto reevaluate his understanding of that law.

As the saying goes, Just one black swan un-does the theory that all swans are white.

A humorous story illustrates how easy it isto base an opinion on incomplete facts. JohnLocke (1632-1704) related this story aboutthe Dutch ambassador and the king of Siam:

While describing his country, Holland, tothe king, the ambassador mentioned that attimes it was possible for an elephant to walkon water. The king rejected the idea and feltthat the ambassador was lying to him. How-ever, the ambassador was merely describingsomething that was beyond the kings per-sonal experience. The king did not realizethat when water freezes and becomes ice, it

can support the weight of an elephant. Thisseemed impossible to the king because hedid not have all the facts.

Consider some modern accomplishmentsthat may have been considered impossiblejust a few decades ago:

An airplane can transport more than800 passengers nonstop from New York toSingapore, traveling at a cruising speed of560 miles per hour (900 km/h).

Are Miracles Really Possible?T H R E E COM MON O BJ E CT IONS

345676Would you welcome more information or afree home Bible study? Please send yourrequest to Jehovahs Witnesses, using oneof these addresses. For a complete list ofaddresses, see www.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 semmonthly by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of NeYork, Inc.; L. Weaver, Jr., President; G. F. SimonSecretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, N11201-2483, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Socieof Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Priodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, NY, and at additioal mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changto Watchtower, 1000 Red MillsRoad,Wallkill, NY 12583299. 5 2012 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

Vol. 133, No. 15 Semimonthly ENGLI

Consider this scenario: Imagine that youhave an incurable disease. If you were toread a report in a reputable medical journalabout a new medicine that might cure yoursickness, would it not be worthwhile to ex-pend at least a little time and energy to

investigate the facts? Similarly, the Biblepromises that soon some amazing miracles

will occur. They will affect the lives of everyliving creature on this planet. Would it notbe worth some of your time and ener-gy to find out whether that promise is reli-able?

However, before we examine what those

promised miracles are, let us answer threecommon objections concerning miracles.

4

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Video conferences can enable people ondifferent continents to engage in face-to-faceconversations.

Thousands of songs can be stored on adevice smaller than a box of matches.

Surgeons can transplant hearts and otherbody parts.

What logical conclusion can we draw fromsuch facts? This: If humans can accomplish

feats that just a few years ago seemed impos-sible, then surely the God who created theuniverse and all that is in it can performamazing acts that we do not yet fully under-stand or cannot presently replicate.1Gene-sis 18:14; Matthew 19:26.

1 If you question the existence of God, please see thebrochures Does God Really Care About Us? and Was LifeCreated?or ask the person who gave you this magazine formore information.

OBJECTION 2: The Bible relies on miracles tomake people believe. The Bible does not tellus to believe all miracles. In fact, the oppositeis true. The Bible warns us to be very carefulwhen it comes to trusting miracles and pow-erful signs. Notice this clear warning: Thecoming of the lawless one will be in accor-dance with the work of Satan displayed in allkinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and won-

ders, and in every sort of evil that deceives.2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10, New InternationalVersion.

Jesus Christ also warned that many wouldclaim to follow him but would not be his gen-uine followers. Some would even say to him:Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in yourname, and in your name drive out demonsand perform many miracles? (Matthew 7:22, NIV) But Jesus said that he would not

Only decades ago, many wouldhave thought it impossiblefor people to fly at hundredsof miles an hour

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6 THE WATCHTOWER AUGUST 1, 2012

accept those people as his followers. (Mat-thew 7:23) Obviously, then, Jesus did notteach that all miracles are from God.

God does not tell his worshippers to basetheir faith simply on miracles. Rather, theirfaith should be firmly established on facts.

Hebrews 11:1.Let us consider, for example, one of the

well-known miracles recorded in the Bible,the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Years afterthat event, some Christians in Corinth start-ed to question whether Jesus had been resur-rected. How did the apostle Paul help thoseChristians? Did he simply say, Have morefaith? No. Notice how he reminded them ofestablished facts. He stated that Jesus was

buried, yes, . . . he has been raised up thethird day according to the Scriptures; andthat he appeared to Cephas, then to thetwelve. After that he appeared to upward offive hundred brothers at one time, the mostof whom remain to the present.1 Corin-thians 15:4-8.

Did it matter whether those Christians be-lieved in that miracle? Paul goes on to say: IfChrist has not been raised up, our preachingis certainly in vain, and our faith is in vain.(1 Corinthians 15:14) Paul did not take thematterlightly. Either the miracle of the resur-rection of Jesus was true or it was not! AndPaul knew that it was true because of thehundreds of eyewitness accounts of peoplewho were still living at that time. In fact,those eyewitnesses were willing to die ratherthan deny what they had seen.1 Corinthi-ans 15:17-19.

OBJECTION 3: Miracles are just natural phe-nomena that are misunderstood by unedu-cated people. Some scholars try to explainthe miracles in the Bible as merely naturalevents that occurred without divine inter-

vention. They feel that this makes the Bibli-cal accounts more believable. While it is true

that natural phenomena may have been as-sociated with some miraclessuch things asearthquakes, plagues, and landslidestheseexplanations have one thing in common.They disregard the timing of the miracle asexplained in the Scriptures.

For example, some have argued that thefirst plague brought upon Egypt, the turningof the Nile River into blood, was actually theresult of red soil that had been washed downthe Nile, along with reddish organisms calledflagellates. However, the Bible account saysthat the river was turned into blood, not redmud. A careful reading of Exodus 7:14-21shows that this miracle occurred at the timethat Aaron, at Moses direction, struck theNile River with his rod. Even if the transfor-

mation of the river were caused by a naturaloccurrence, the timing of Aarons strikingthe river was in itself miraculous!

As another example of the importance ofthe timing of a miracle, consider what hap-pened when the nation of Israel was poisedto enter the Promised Land. Their way wasblocked by the Jordan River at flood stage.The Bible account tells us what happenednext: At the instant that the carriers of the

Ark came as far as the Jordan and the feet ofthe priests carrying the Ark were dipped inthe edge of the waters . . . , then the waters de-scending from above began to stand still.They rose up as one dam very far away at

Adam. (Joshua 3:15, 16) Was this the resultof an earthquake or a landslide? The accountdoes not say. But the timing of this event wasmiraculous. It occurred exactly at the time Je-hovah had said that it would.Joshua 3:7,

8, 13.So, then, are there such things as miracles?The Bible says that there are. According towhat it tells us, these are not just natural phe-nomena. Really, then, is it logical to say thatit is impossible for them to happen just be-cause they do not occur every day?

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IF YOU were told an amazing story, would

not the credibility of the person tellingthe story affect whether you believe that

story or not? Such credibility would involvenot only the way the person told the story

but also his personal record of truthfulness.After all, if over the years he had always toldyou the truth and had never deliberately liedto you, you would have good reason to be-lieve what he now told you.

The same is true of miracles recorded inthe Bible. None of us were alive when those

events occurred. But we can determine if theBibles story is credibleif it has the ring oftruth. How? Here are some factors that addcredibility to Bible accounts of miracles.

Many miracles were performed in publicplaces. At times, they were seen by thou-

sands, if not millions, of observers. (Exodus14:21-31; 19:16-19) They were not performedin secret, away from the eyes of the public.

The miracles were marked by simplicity.There were no special props or flashy dis-plays, and there was notrick lighting. For themost part, the miracles recorded in the Bibleoccurred in response to chance encountersand requests from individuals. (Mark 5:25-29; Luke 7:11-16) In such cases the events

could not have been staged by the one per-forming the miracle.

The motive of those performing the mira-cles was not to gain fame, glory, and richesfor themselves. Rather, it was to bring gloryto God. (John 11:1-4,15, 40) Any effort by in-dividuals to gain wealth from such miracu-lous powers was condemned.2 Kings 5:15,16, 20, 25-27; Acts 8:18-23.

The variety of miracles recorded in the Bibleindicates that they could not be merely theworks of men. For instance, the sea and thewind were calmed, water was changed intowine, rain was stopped and started, sick peo-ple were cured, and sight was restored to theblind. All those miracles and many moreshow that a superhuman power that canexercise influence over all forms of mat-ter must have been behind such miracles.1 Kings 17:1-7; 18:41-45; Matthew 8:24-27;

Luke 17:11-19; John 2:1-11; 9:1-7.

Opposers who observed the miracles didnot question that they had occurred. When

Jesus resurrected his friend Lazarus, Jesus re-ligious enemies did not question that Laza-rus had been dead. How could they? Lazarus

CAN Y OU BE LIE VET HE MIR ACLE S

Recorded inthe Bible?

Jesus opposers did not question thatLazarus had been dead

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IF A surgeon was scheduled to perform a

complicated procedure on you, how

would you feel if you found out thathe had never performed this type ofsurgery? No doubt you would be con-cerned. But what if, on the other hand,

you found out that this doctor was theleading surgeon in his field and that hehad performed hundreds of successfuloperations like the one you were aboutto have? Would you not have muchmore confidence that he could helpyou?

The sick world in which we find our-

selves today needs drastic surgery.Through his Word, the Bible, JehovahGod has promised that he will restoreParadise to this earth. (2 Peter 3:13)

But for that to happen, wickedness willfirst have to be removed, completely cutaway. (Psalm 37:9-11; Proverbs 2:21, 22)

All the woeful conditions that we seearound us must be eradicated before aparadise can be reestablished. It will liter-ally take a miracle for that to happen!

Revelation 21:4, 5.

Jehovahs Witnesses believe that thosemassive changes will soon occur. Why?Because the miracles Jehovah God hasalready performed prove that he has thepower to fulfill his promises. Comparejust six of the miracles recorded in theBible with the promises it makes for

the future.

MiraclesTHAT ARE

About toHappen

had been buried for four days. (John 11:45-48; 12:9-11) Even centuries after Je-sus death, the writers of the JewishTalmud continued to acknowledge that

Jesus had miraculous powers. They sim-ply questioned the source of those pow-

ers. Similarly, when Jesus disciples werebrought before a Jewish court, the ques-tion they were asked was not Did youperform a miracle? But they were asked:By what power or in whose name did

you do this?Acts 4:1-13.

So can you believe what the Bible tellsus about miracles? From what we havejust considered, it is clear that Bible ac-counts about miracles have the earmarks

of credibility. There are other reasons fortrusting these Bible accounts. For exam-ple, when the Bible relates an event, it of-ten gives us the time, the place, and thenames of the people involved. Even crit-ics of the Bible have been amazed by theaccuracy of the historical details found inthe Bible. Hundreds of Bible prophecieshave been fulfilled, even in the smallestof details. In addition, the Bible con-

tains much advice about how to makehuman relationships happyadvice thathas helped people of all ages and walks oflife. When it comes to human relation-ships, the advice found in the Bible hasproved to be without equal.

If you have not yet gained full confi-dence in the Bible, why not take the timeto examine it more carefully? The more

you get to know it, the more you willgrow to trust it. (John 17:17) You will re-alize that you can trust what it tells youabout the miracles that occurred in thepast. Once you believe those accounts,

you will have a good basis for trustingwhat the Bible says will happen in thenear future.

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May you continue to learn aboutthe Bibles promises for our future.As your faith grows, so will your hopea hope to live at a time when youwill personally benefit from the mira-cles that Jehovah performs.

MIRACLE:

JESUS CONTROLLED THE ELEMENTS.

MATTHEW 8:23-27; LUKE 8:22-25.

PR O M IS E:

They will certainly build houses and haveoccupancy; and they will certainly plantvineyards and eat their fruitage. They willnot toil for nothing.ISAIAH 65:21, 23.

You will be far away from oppressionfor you will fear noneand from any-thing terrifying, for it will not come near

you.ISAIAH 54:14.

M EA N IN G F O R U S :

NATURAL DISASTERS WILL BE NO MORE.

MIRACLE:

JESUS RAISED THE DEAD.

MATTHEW 9:18-26; LUKE 7:11-17.

PR O M IS E:

All those in the memorial tombs will . . .come out.JOHN 5:28, 29.

The sea gave up those dead in it, anddeath and Hades gave up those deadin them.REVELATION 20:13.

MEANING FOR US:

OUR DEAD LOVED ONES WILL BERESURRECTED.

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MY PAST: My family lived in

the country, some four miles(6 km) from the town of Piquete. My parentshad a small farm, and the land provided ourbasic needs. The school I attended was in Pi-quete, so I eventually bought an old bicycle,which made traveling to town easier. Thepeople in our area were poor, but the townwas clean and had a relatively low crime rate.Most of the men in town worked in a factorythat made weapons for the military.

I was studious and managed to enter theAeronautical Military School in a nearby citywhere, in 1966, I graduated as a sergeant. Ithen went to law school and got my law de-gree. Later, I applied for the position of policechief. In 1976, I passed a government testand was chosen for the job. Sometimes my

work included being an ad-ministrator at the jail. Duringthis time, Jehovahs Witness-es would often come and askpermission to preach to theprisoners. They always shared

a Bible message with me too. Ihad a lot of respect for God. Iwas impressed to learn thatGod has a name, Jehovah, andthat we can develop a friend-ship with him.

Gradually, I worked my wayup the judicial ladder. In 1981,I passed another governmentexam and was made a state

judge. Then, in 2005, I was ap-pointed as a court of appeals judge in thecourt of S

ao Paulo.

HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE:Soon after I graduated from law school, Istarted reading the Biblean act that broughtabout quite a change in my thinking. I was astaunch Catholic. We had priests and a bish-op in the family, and I assisted the priest dur-ing Mass. Before he gave a sermon, I read as-

signed parts of the prayer book. It wasnt thenorm in Catholic households to read the Bi-ble. My mother was terribly upset when shelearned that I was reading the Bible. She triedto discourage me, saying I risked losing mymind. Even so, I went on reading; I could seeno harm in it.

THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

WHY did a man who was raised in a staunch Catholic family and who had

a successful career in law enforcement become one of Jehovahs Witnesses?

What moved a terrorist to give up violence and become a minister of religion?

Read what these people have to say.

I gained a deeperunderstanding ofright and wrong.SEBASTI

AO ALVES JUNQUEIRA

YEAR BORN: 1946

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: BRAZIL

HISTORY: JUDGE


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I suppose that my curiosity spurred me onin my Bible reading. I wanted to know moreabout priests and their role in the church. Ialso started reading about the liberation the-ology movement, but the reasoning and log-ic used by its proponents was so flawed that I

couldnt make any sense of it.At the same time, my dentist, who was a

Buddhist, offered me a book that had beengiven to him. The title of the book was DidMan Get Here by Evolution or by Creation?1 Iaccepted the book, thinking that it would beinteresting to read it along with The Origin ofSpecies, by Charles Darwin. The argumentsin Did Man Get Here by Evolution or by Cre-ation?were forceful, logical, and convincing.There was no doubt in my mindthat the evo-lution theory was unfounded.

Reading the book on the topic of creation

heightened mycuriosity. I wanted to get holdof more books published by Jehovahs Wit-nesses. I was told that a mechanic in theaeronautics school was one of Jehovahs Wit-nesses. I talked to him, and he gave me somebooks to read. At the time, I didnt accept theoffer to study the Bible with the Witnesses. Ithought I could study it on my own.

When I started reading the Bible, I decidedthat since I was now married, it would be wiseto read it with my family too. We had a familystudy every week and read the Bible together.

As Catholics, my familys world revolvedaround the priests and bishops. So what Iread at John 14:6 grabbed my attention: Je-

1 Published by Jehovahs Witnesses but now out ofprint.

sus said to him [the disciple Thomas]: I amthe way and the truth and the life. No onecomes to the Father except through me. Af-terextensively investigating the subject, I wasconvinced that our salvation comes from Je-hovah through Jesus. We had been led to be-

lieve that our salvation came from the priests.Two other Bible passages changed my atti-

tude toward the Catholic Church and itsteachings. One is at Proverbs 1:7, which says:The fear of Jehovah is the beginning ofknowledge. Wisdom and discipline are whatmere fools have despised. And the other is at

James 1:5, which states: If any one of you islacking in wisdom, let him keep on askingGod, for he gives generously to all and with-

out reproaching; and it will be given him. Ihad an unquenchable thirst for knowledgeand wisdom, which was not being satisfiedby going to church. So I stopped attending.

In 1980, my wife started studying the Biblewith the Witnesses. Whenever I was at home,I would sit in on the study. In time, I accepteda Bible study. However, we took a long timebefore we decided to get baptized as Jeho-

vahs Witnesses. My wife was baptized in1994, and I in 1998.

HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: My four chil-dren have benefited by being brought up tolive by Jehovahs standards. (Ephesians 6:4) Ihave two sons, both of whom work hard tocare for the spiritual needs of other Witnessesin the congregation where they attend. Mytwo daughters are very zealous in preachingto others. My wife spends many hours eachmonth helping people learn about the Bible,and I enjoy serving as an elder in the localcongregation.

When I became one of Jehovahs Witness-es, I gained a deeper understanding of rightand wrong. As a judge, I try to put Jehovahsway of dealing with different issues intopractice in courttaking into consideration

My mother was terribly upsetwhen she learned that I wasreading the Bible

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TH E WATC HTO W ER AUGUST 1, 2 012 13

all the circumstances, being reasonable, andbeing compassionate when there are miti-gating circumstances.

I have dealt with many cases of violence,crime, and child abuse, as well as other seri-ous criminal offenses. Even so, I havent be-

come desensitized. As I watch the news, I amdisgusted with the rampant moral decay anddepravity in this world. Im grateful to Jeho-

vah that Ive come to understand the reasonbehind the increase in crime, as well as thehope that we have of better days.

MY PAST: I was born in 1961in Portadown, a busy town inNorthern Ireland. I came froma Protestant background, and I

grew up in a housing estate with a mixtureof Catholic and Protestant neighbors. Mostfamilies were relatively poor. There wasnt alot of money about, and we all lived in andout of one anothers houses.

I had a lifestyle that Im not proud of. In1974, I got involved in the Troubles thatthen existed in Northern Ireland. About thattime, things got worse in our communities.For example, one night my father, who was amanager of the Ulster Carpet Factory, was atwork training two young Catholic lads wholived next door to us in our housing estate.

Meanwhile, someone hurleda bomb through the livingroom window of the homewhere the Catholic boys lived,killing their father, mother,

and brother.Problems escalated, and

open war broke out. Protes-tants were burned out of Cath-olic areas, and Catholics wereharassed in Protestant com-munities. Our estate becamemainly Protestant. It wasntlong before I was arrested andsentenced to three years in

prison for my involvement inbombing activity.

While in jail, I became goodfriends with a prisoner who

was a well-known figure in the loyalist com-munity. We were like brothers, and later I washis best man at his wedding. Prison didnt re-habilitate me or him. When wewere released,we went straight back to our political activi-ties, only this time in a bigger way. As a result,my friend again found himself in prison.While there, he was murdered.

I also became a target, and on one occa-sion my car was blown up. But those eventsonly made my determination to be active inthe campaign for God and Ulster morefirm.

Prison didntrehabilitate me.KEITH WOODS

YEAR BORN: 1961

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:NORTHERN IRELAND

HISTORY: TERRORIST

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During this time, I was involved in a doc-umentary regarding the Troubles, whichaired on British TV. The documentary createdadditional problems for me. For instance,one night I went home and discovered thatmy wife had left me. Shortly afterward, as a

result of the TV program, my son was tak-en from me. I recall looking into a mirrorand saying, If there is a God out there, helpme.

The following Saturday, I met an acquain-tance of mine named Paul, who had becomeone of Jehovahs Witnesses. He started talk-ing to me about the Bible. Two days later,Paul sent me a copy of The Watchtower. Anarticle in that magazine quoted Jesus words

recorded at John 18:36. He said: My king-dom is no part of this world. If my kingdomwere part of this world, my attendants wouldhave fought that I should not be delivered upto the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is notfrom this source. Those words made a bigimpression on me. That was the day my lifebegan to change.

HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE: Paulstarted to study the Bible with me. Later on,

Bill, another Witness, continued the study. Iknow that I was a difficult student; I had somany questions! I also brought many reli-gious ministers to my home to prove Billwrong. But the truth of Gods Word shonethrough.

I recall on one occasion telling Bill not tocome to my house for the study becausethere were roadblocks around the estate andhis car would surely be confiscated andburned. However, Bill came for the study asusual. He left his car at home and rode his bi-cycle. Who would want to confiscate that?On another occasion, Bill and I were sittingin my home having a Bible study when thepolice and the army came to arrest me. Asthey carted me away, Bill called out and told

me to trust in Jehovah. Those occasionsmade a big impression on me.

The first time that I attended a meeting ofJehovahs Witnesses at the Kingdom Hallmust have been a shock for some of them. Ihad long hair and an earring, and I wore a

trademark leather jacket. However, I couldntbelieve how well the Witnesses treated me.Their kindness really impressed me.

Even though I was studying the Bible, I wasstill involved with my old associates. Eventu-ally, however, the truths I learned from theBible began to sink deeper into my heart. I re-alized that if I wanted to serve Jehovah, I hadto change my political viewpoints and as-sociations. That wasnt easy to do. But asI learned more about the Bible and drew

strength from Jehovah, I was able to makechanges. I cut my hair, removed my earring,and bought a suit. What I was learning alsostarted to improve my attitude toward otherpeople.

HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: I had lived a lifeof crime and terrorism. My face was well-known by the law-enforcement groups in thecommunity. Now things are different. For ex-ample, when I attended my first convention

of Jehovahs Witnesses, which was held inthe town of Navan, the law-enforcement au-thorities escorted me all the way through Ire-land and Northern Ireland. Now, though, Itravel to conventions without an escort. I alsonow share freely with my fellow WitnessesPaul and Bill and the rest of the congregationin the preaching work.

As my life changed for the better, I settledinto the congregation. There I met a Witness

named Louise, and we were married. In addi-tion, my son and I were reunited.

When I look back on my life, I regret hav-ing caused hurt and harm to others. But I canconfirm that the Bible really does enable peo-ple like me to change from a life of misguidedactions to one of purpose and hope.

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A sincere person may ask that question, sinceno law in the Bible mentions tobacco products.Does that fact mean that Gods thinking on thematter is difficult to discern? No, not at all.

The Bible says that all Scripture is inspired ofGod. (2 Timothy 3:16) The Scriptures containclear principles and statements that reveal howGod wants us to care for our health. First, let usreview what researchers have discovered aboutthe impact that tobacco use has on humanhealth. Then we will consider how Bible princi-ples relate to those findings.

Tobacco damages a users health and is aleading cause of preventable death. In theUnited States, tobacco use is to blame for 1 outof every 5 deaths. In that country, it kills morepeople each year than alcohol, illegal druguse, homicide, suicide, car accidents, and AIDScombined, states a report from the NationalInstitute on Drug Abuse.

Those who smoke tobacco harm others.

There is no safe amount of exposure to cig-arette smoke. Nonsmokers who inhale sec-ondhand smoke increase the risk of develop-ing lung cancer and heart disease by up to30 percent. In recent years, doctors have identi-fied another danger that they call third-handsmoke. This term refers to the chemical resi-dues left on clothes, carpets, and other surfacesthat linger long after the visible smoke dissi-pates. Those poisonous chemicals especially

harm the health of children and can retardtheir ability to learn.

Tobacco is addictive. It makes the user aslave to the damaging habit. In fact, research-ers believe that addiction to nicotine, a keychemical in tobacco, is one of the most difficultaddictions to break.

How do Bible principles relate to those facts?Note the following:

God wants us to respect life. In the Law,which God gave to the nation of Israel, he indi-cated that those who want to please him mustrespect human life. (Deuteronomy 5:17) Israel-ites had to build a parapet, or low wall, aroundthe edge of the roof of their houses. Why? Theroofs were flat and were used as a living space.

The wall prevented the family and others fromfalling and being injured or killed. (Deuterono-my 22:8) In addition, the Israelites had to en-sure that the animals they owned did not causeinjury to others. (Exodus 21:28, 29) A personwho uses tobacco violates the principles thatunderpin those laws. He willingly damages hisown health. In addition, his smoking endan-gers the health of those around him.

God expects us to love him and to love ourneighbor. Jesus Christ stated that his followersshould obey the two greatest commandments.

They must love God with their whole heart,soul, mind, and strength and love their neigh-bor as themselves. (Mark 12:28-31) Since life isa gift from God, a person who uses tobaccoshows a gross lack of respect for that gift andthus a lack of love for God. (Acts 17:26-28) Thatpersons habit can cause serious harm to oth-ers, so he belies any claim he makes to love hisneighbor.

God requires that we avoid unclean habits.

The Bible instructs Christians to cleanse them-selves of every defilement of flesh and spirit.(2 Corinthians 7:1) Tobacco use obviously de-files a person. Those who want to quit smokingto please God face a difficult challenge. Butwith Gods help, they can break free from thisdefiling addiction.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Does it really matter to God whether I use tobacco?

TH E WATC HTO WER AUGUST 1, 2012 15

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1. What kingdom was Jesus promised?

God promised that a descendant of King Davidwould sit upon His throne to time indefinite. Thatforetold descendant is Jesus, and in heaven he is nowreigning as King of Gods Kingdom.Read Psalm

89:4; Luke 1:32, 33.When David was still a boy, God chose him to be

king over Jehovahs people, Israel. When David died,Solomon, whom Jehovah had chosen, sat upon Je-hovahs throne. (1 Chronicles 28:4, 5; 29:23) AfterSolomon died, many kings ruled in Jerusalem, butmost were unfaithful. Finally, Jehovah allowed thearmies of Babylon to destroy Jerusalem and to re-move its reigning king. That happened in the year607 B.C.E. Since that time, no king in Davids familyline has ruled from the literal city of Jerusalem.ReadEzekiel 21:27.

2. For how long did the rulership that David and Jerusalemrepresented lie dormant?

Shortly after Jerusalems destruction, Jeho-vah told his prophet Daniel that God wouldchoose a king who would rule from heaven.

When would his rule begin?Read Daniel 7:13, 14.

Daniel interpreted a vision in which God or-dered that an immense tree be cut down, justas God had ordered that the kingdom in Je-rusalem be cut down and destroyed. Butthe trees root was to be left in the ground

so that after seven times it would growagain. The Bible indicates that three and a halftimes equals 1,260 days, so seven times

equals 2,520 days. (Revelation 12:6, 14) InBible prophecy, days often represent years.(Numbers 14:34) So, Gods Kingdom wouldlie dormant for 2,520 years.Read Daniel 4:10-17.

LEARN FROM GODS WORD

When Did JesusBecome King?

This ar ticle considers questions youmay have raised and shows where youcan read the answers in your Bible.

Jehovahs Witnesses would be pleasedto discuss these answers with you.

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3. When did Jesus become King?

God enthroned Jesus as King in heaven in 1914,exactly 2,520 years after Jerusalems destruction. Je-sus first act as King was to expel Satan and his de-mons from heaven. (Revelation 12:7-10) That eventwas invisible to human eyes, but it resulted in a visi-ble crisis for mankind. (Revelation 12:12) Eventssince 1914 confirm that Jesus became King in that

year.Read Matthew 24:14; Luke 21: 10,11, 31.

4. What does Jesus kingshipmean for you?

The fulfillment of prophecies about Jesus king-ship proves that you can rely on Gods Word. Soon,Jesus will use his kingly power to relieve mankind ofall suffering.Read Psalm 72:8,12,13; Daniel 2:44.

For more information, see pages 215-218 of thisbook, published by Jehovahs Witnesses.

WHAT DOES

THE BIBLE

ReallyTEACH?

Use your calculator:606.25

1,913.75

2,520

606.25 years 1,913.75 years

2,520 yearsOctober607 B.C.E.

The kingdom

in Jerusalem isdestroyed

1000 B.C.E. 1 B.C.E. 1 C.E. 1000 C.E.

October1914 C.E.

2000 C

God makes Jesus

a King with powerover the nations

17

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FISH, fishing, and fishermen are mentioned often in theGospel accounts. In fact, Jesus used a number of illustra-tions about fishing. And no wonder! He spent much of histime teaching near or on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.(Matthew 4:13; 13:1, 2; Mark 3:7, 8) This beautiful freshwaterlake is some 13 miles (20.92 km) long and 7 miles (11.27 km)wide. As many as seven of Jesus apostlesPeter, Andrew,

James, John, Philip, Thomas, and Nathanaelmay have beenfishermen.John 21:2, 3.

What was it like to be a fisherman in Jesus day? Why notlearn a little about these men and their trade? You will deep-en your appreciation for the apostles and enhance your un-derstanding of Jesus actions and illustrations. First, considerwhat it was like to work on the Sea of Galilee.

A Great Agitation Arose in the Sea

The Sea of Galilee is cupped in a rift valley, its surface be-ing some 690 feet (210 m) below sea level. Rocky slopes

LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES

The FishermanWalking alongside the sea of Galilee he [Jesus] saw two brothers, Simon who is

called Peter and Andrew his brother, letting down a fishing net into the sea, for they

were fishers. And he said to them: Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.

MATTHEW 4:18, 19.

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flank its shores, and to the north, majesticMount Hermon juts into the sky. In winter,frigid winds may at times whip up choppywaves. In summer, hot air blankets the sur-face waters. With little notice, violent stormstumble down from the surrounding moun-

tains and release their fury on sailors travers-ing the sea. Jesus and his disciples werecaught in just such a storm.Matthew 8:23-27.

Fishermen sailed wooden boats that wereapproximately 27 feet (8.27 m) long withabout a 7.5-foot (2.3 m) beam. Many of theirboats had a mast and a cabinlike shelter un-der the stern deck. (Mark 4:35-41) These slowbut sturdy craft bore the stress of winds thatpushed the sail and mast in one direction

while the weight of a net tugged in the other.Men maneuvered the boat using oars

mounted on both sides. A crew might consistof six or more fishermen. (Mark 1:20) In ad-dition, the boats likely carried gear and sup-plies, such as a linen sail (1), rope (2),oars (3), a stone anchor (4), warm, dryclothes (5), food provisions (Mark 8:14) (6),baskets (7), a pillow (Mark 4:38) (8), and anet (9). They may also have carried extra

floats (10), as well as sinkers (11), repairtools (12), and torches (13).

They Enclosed a GreatMultitude of Fish

Today, as in the first century, the most pro-ductive fishing grounds in the Sea of Galileeare located near the mouths of the manysprings and rivers that feed the sea. At these

locations, vegetable matter enters the sea anddraws the fish. To catch their quarry, fisher-men in Jesus day often worked at night, us-ing torches. On one occasion, some of Jesusdisciples fished all night without success. Butthe next day, at Jesus direction, they letdown their nets again and caught so manyfish that they almost sank their boats.Luke5:6, 7.

Sometimes the fishermen sailed to deepwaters. At the fishing grounds, two boats

worked as a team. The men stretched a netbetween the boats; then the crews rowedstrenuously in opposite directions, lettingout the net as they encircled the fish. Theboats completed the circle, and the trapclosed. The fishermen then heaved on theropes attached tothe corners of the net, haul-ing the catch into the boat. The net mighthave been more than 100 feet (30 m)long and about 8 feet (2.44 m) deep,

large enough to trap an entire shoal offish. The upper edge was buoyed by

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2

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4

5

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floats, and the lower fixed with weights. Thefishermen set their net, and then hauled it inagain and again, hour after hour.

In shallower waters, a team of fishermenwould use a different technique. A boat tookone end of the dragnet from the beach out to

sea and circled back to shore, enclosing thefish. Men on shore then hauled in the net,dumped the catch onto the beach, and sortedthe fish there. They placed the acceptableones in vessels. Some were sold fresh locally.Most were dried and salted or pickled, storedin clay amphoras, and exported to Jerusalemor foreign lands. Creatures without scales orfins, such as eels, were considered uncleanand were discarded. (Leviticus 11:9-12) Jesusreferred to this method of fishing when helikened the kingdom of the heavens to adragnet and the different types of fish togood and bad people.Matthew 13:47-50.

A lone fisherman might use a line withbaited bronze hooks. Or he could use a smallcasting net. To cast the net, he would wadeinto the water, position the net on his arm,and then toss it up and away from his body.The dome-shaped net would spread out, landon the water, and then sink. If the fisherman

was fortunate, the net enclosed a few fish ashe drew it back by its center rope.

Nets were expensive and required hard

work to maintain, so the men used themwith care. Much of a fishermans time wasspent mending, washing, and drying netschores he performed at the completion ofevery fishing trip. (Luke 5:2) The apostles

James and his brother John were sitting in

their boat mending their nets when Jesus in-vited them to follow him.Mark 1:19.

Among the species of fish sought by first-century fishermen was the abundant tilapia.This species was a regular part of the diet formost people in Galilee, and Jesus likely atethis good-tasting fish. It could have beendried-and-salted tilapia that Jesus used whenperforming the miracle of feeding the thou-sands with two fish. (Matthew 14:16, 17; Luke24:41-43) This same species of fish oftenswims with its young in its mouth. However,when not carrying its young, it may carry apebble in its mouth, or it might even gatherup a shiny coin lying on the bottom of thesea.Matthew 17:27.

In the first century, successful fishermenwere patient, hardworking, and willing to en-dure hardship in the pursuit of a worthwhilereward. Those who accepted Jesus invitationto join him in the disciple-making work like-

wise needed such qualities if they were tobe effective fishers of men.Matthew 28:19, 20.

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THE WAT CH TO WER AUGUST 1, 2012 21

The following is a typical conversationthat one of Jehovahs Witnesses might havewith a neighbor. Let us imagine that a Wit-ness named Marcus has come to the homeof a man named Robert.

What Will Those Who Goto Heaven Do There?

Marcus: When you consider the future, doyou think that things are likely to improve,become worse, or stay the same?

Robert: I feel that things will improve. Ilook forward to going to heaven to be withthe Lord.

Marcus: Thats a wonderful hope. The Bi-ble talks a lot about what heaven is like andthe privilege of going there. Have you givenmuch thought to what those who go to heav-en will do there?

Robert: We will be with God and praisehim forever.

Marcus: Thats certainly an appealing pros-pect. Interestingly, the Bible talks not onlyabout the privileges that those who go toheaven will receive but also about an impor-tant responsibilitytheyll have.

Robert: Whats that?

Marcus: Its the responsibility mentionedhere in Revelation 5:10. That verse says: You[Jesus] made them to be a kingdom andpriests to our God, and they are to rule askings over the earth. Did you notice, Robert,what responsibility those who go to heavenwill shoulder?

Robert: The verse says that theyll rule askings over the earth.

Marcus: Thats an interesting thought,

isnt it?Over Whom Will They Rule?

Marcus: Now, would you not agree that ifthose who go to heaven will rule as kings,

there must be people over whom theyllrule? After all, whats the point of a govern-ment without any subjects?

Robert: I see your point.

Marcus: So a logical question to ask is,Whom will they rule over?

Robert: I suppose well rule over the peo-ple on earth who havent died and gone toheaven yet.

Marcus: That would seem reasonableifallgood people go to heaven. But heres an-other possibility to consider. Could it be that

A Conversation With a Neighbor

Do All Good People Go to Heaven?

JEHOVAHS WITNESSES enjoy discussing the Bible with

their neighbors. Do you have a particular Bible question

that you have wondered about? Are you curious about

any of the beliefs or religious practices of Jehovahs

Witnesses? If so, do not hesitate to bring up the subject

the next time you come in contact with a Witness. Heor she will be pleased to discuss such matters with you.

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some peoplesome good peoplewill not goto heaven?

Robert: Ive never heard of any Christianswho believe that.

Marcus: I raise the question because ofwhat we read at Psalm 37:29. Would you

please read this verse?Robert: OK. It says: The righteous them-

selves will possess the earth, and they will re-side forever upon it.

Marcus: Thank you. Did you notice wheremany good people will live?

Robert: The verse says theyll reside on theearth.

Marcus: Preciselyand not just for a shorttime. Notice that the verse says: They will re-

side foreverupon it.Robert: Maybe that just means that there

will always be good people on earth. Whenwe die and go to heaven, were replaced byother good people who have been born.

Marcus: Many would probably interpretthe verse that way. But is it possible thatthe verse means something else altogether?Could it be saying that good people them-selves will live forever on earth?

Robert: Im not sure I follow you.

A Future Earthly Paradise

Marcus: Well, consider what another por-tion of the Bible says about life on earth inthe future. Lets read Revelation 21:4. Con-cerning people who will live at that futuretime, the verse says: He [God] will wipe outevery tear from their eyes, and death will beno more, neither will mourning nor outcrynor pain be anymore. The former thingshave passed away. Isnt that an appealingprospect?

Robert: Yes. But I think thats talking aboutwhat life will be like in heaven.

Marcus: Well, its true that those who go toheaven will experience similar blessings. But

look at the verse again. What does it say willhappen to death?

Robert: It says that death will be nomore.

Marcus: Exactly. Now, Im sure you wouldagree that for something to be no more, it

had to exist in the first place.Robert: Of course.

Marcus: But there has never been death inheaven, has there? Its only here on earththat people die.

Robert: Hmm. Ill have tothink about that.

Marcus: You see, Robert, the Bible teachesthat some good people will go to heaven butthat many others will live forever here onearth. In fact, Im sure youve heard the

famous words: Blessed are the meek: forthey shall inherit the earth.Matthew 5:5,King James Version.

Robert: Yes, Ive heard that passage read atchurch many times.

Marcus: If the meek inherit the earth,doesnt that imply that people will be livingon the earth? Those who live on the earthwill enjoy the benefits foretold here in Reve-lation. They will see our world completely

change because God will do away with every-thing badeven death.

Robert: I see what youre getting at, but Imnot sure that just one or two Bible versesprove your point.

Marcus: Of course not. Actually, there are anumber of scriptures that talk about what lifehere on earth will be like in the future. Per-haps I can show you one of my favorite pas-sages, if you have a moment?

Robert: Yes, I have a few minutes.

The Wicked One Will Be No More

Marcus: Earlier we read verse 29 ofPsalm 37. Lets go back to that psalm. Thistime, well read verses 10 and 11. Would youplease read those verses?

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Robert: Sure. And just a little while longer,and the wicked one will be no more; and youwill certainly give attention to his place, and

he will not be. But the meek ones themselveswill possess the earth, and they will indeedfind their exquisite delight in the abundanceof peace.

Marcus: Thank you. Looking at verse 11,where will the meek ones, or good people,live?

Robert: It says they will possess theearth. However, I feel that this verse appliesright now; after all, good people live on earth

today.Marcus: Thats true. However, notice thatthe verse also says that good people will en-joy an abundance of peace. We dont seemuch peace in the world today, do we?

Robert: No, we dont.

Marcus: So how will the promise be ful-filled? Maybe I could use this comparison:Imagine you own an apartment building.Some of the tenants are good peoplethey

take care of their apartment and try to begood neighbors. Youre glad to rent an apart-ment to them. But others are bad tenants;they damage the property and make lifemiserable for their neighbors around them.Now, if those bad tenants refused to clean uptheir act, what would you do?

Robert: Id evict them.

Marcus: Thats exactly what God is

going to do to the bad people aroundus today. Look again at verse 10.

It says: The wicked one will beno more. In other words, God will

evict the people who make troublefor others. Then good people willbe able to enjoy life on earth in

peace. I realize that this idea of goodpeople living forever on earth maybe somewhat different from what

youve been taught in the past.

Robert: Yes, Ive never heard that idea atmy church.

Marcus: And as you mentioned before, its

not enough to consider just one or two verseson the subject. Really, we need to examinewhat the Bible as a whole says about the fu-ture of good people. But based on the scrip-tures weve read today, do you think itspossible that some good people will go to

heaven, while many other good people willlive forever here on earth?

Robert: Im not sure. But I have to admitthat it does appear that way from the scrip-

tures you just read. Ill have to think about itsome more.

Marcus: As you consider the subject fur-

ther, there may be other questions that cometo mind. For example, what about good peo-ple who have lived before us? Did they all goto heaven? If not, where are they now?

Robert: Interesting questions.

Marcus: Perhaps I can do two things foryou. First, let me jot down a few scriptures

that have a bearing on the topic.1 Second, Idlike to come back and discuss those scripturesafter youve had a chance to read them andthink about them. Would that be OK?

Robert: Yes, that sounds good. Thank you.

1 See Job 14:13-15; John 3:13; and Acts 2:34.

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After the Israelites left Egypt and en-tered the wilderness, God gave themorders to make this breastpiece. (Exo-dus 28:15-21) The breastpiece hadstones of ruby, topaz, emerald, tur-quoise, sapphire, jasper, leshem,agate, amethyst, chrysolite, onyx, andjade.1 Did the Israelites really have ac-cess to those types of gems?

In Bible times, people prized pre-cious stones and traded them. The an-

cient Egyptians, for example, obtainedgemstones from as far away as whatis now modern-day Iran, Afghani-stan, and possibly even India. Egyptianmines produced a number of different

1 It is difficult to identify all these stones accord-ing to modern terminology.

precious stones. The Egyptian mon-archs had a monopoly on mineral ex-traction in the territories they con-trolled. The patriarch Job describedhow his contemporaries used shaftsand underground galleries to searchfor treasures. Among other items dugfrom the ground, sapphire and topazare specifically mentioned by Job.Job28:1-11, 19.

The Exodus account states that the

Israelites stripped the Egyptians oftheir valuables when leaving the land.(Exodus 12:35, 36) So it is possible thatthe Israelites obtained from Egypt thestones used on the high priests breast-piece.

DID YOU KNOW?

Where did the precious stones on the breastpieceof Israels high priest come from?

In one of his parables, Jesus spoke ofa man who had been beaten by rob-bers. Jesus said that the man washelped by a Samaritan who bound uphis wounds and poured oil and wineupon them. (Luke 10:30-34) Whenwriting to his friend Timothy, the apos-tle Paul advised him: Do not drink wa-ter any longer, but use a little wine forthe sake of your stomach and your fre-

quent cases of sickness. (1 Timothy 5:23) Were both the practice Jesus de-scribed and the advice Paul gave med-ically sound?

The book Ancient Wine describeswine as an analgesic, disinfectant, andgeneral remedy all rolled into one. In

ancient times wine had a central role inEgyptian, Mesopotamian, and Syrianhealth treatment. The Oxford Compan-ion to Wine describes it as mansoldest documented medicine. As forPauls advice to Timothy, the book TheOrigins and Ancient History of Winesays: It has been shown experimental-ly that living typhoid and other danger-ous microbes rapidly die when mixed

with wine. Modern research confirmsthat some of the more than 500 com-pounds found in wine have those anda number of other medicinal benefits.

Why was wine used as medicine duringBible times?

PEASANTS TREADINGGRAPES, FROM THE

TOMB OF NAKHT,THEBES, EGYPT

Gianni Dagli Orti/The Art Archiveat Art Resource, NY

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THE WAT CH TO WER AUGUST 1, 2 012 27

MAN has dominated man to his injury.(Ecclesiastes 8:9) Those words, recordedsome 3,000 years ago, accurately describe theworld in which we live. Humans tend to abusepower, no matter who they are or where theylive. All too often they victimize the vulnerableand the disadvantaged. How does Jehovah feelabout such injustices? We find the answer atEzekiel 22:6, 7, 31.Read.

In his Law to Israel, Jehovah made it clear thatthose in positions of authority must never mis-use their power. He would bless the nation onlyif the leaders treated thelowly and thepoor withkindness and consideration. (Deuteronomy 27:19; 28:15, 45) In Ezekiels day, however, chief-tains in Jerusalem and Judah were abusing theirpower in heinous ways. What was happening?

The chieftains were using their arm for thepurpose of shedding blood. (Verse 6) The termarm represents power or authority. Anothertranslation thus says: The princes of Israel . . .

have used their power to shed blood. How canthere be justice when leaders who should pre-serve and promote lawfulness abuse their pow-er and snuff out innocent lives?

Following this, Ezekiel evidently indicts notjust the leaders but also those who followedthem in disobeying Jehovahs Law. Father andmother they have treated with contempt, saysEzekiel. (Verse 7) By disregarding the rightfulplace of parents, the people tore apart the basic

fabric of the nationthe family.Exodus 20:12.The corrupt people exploited the vulnerableamong them. Each unlawful act showed a dis-regard for the loving spirit behind Gods Law toIsrael. For example, Gods Law directed the Isra-elites to show special consideration for the non-Israelites dwelling among them. (Exodus 22:21;

23:9; Leviticus 19:33, 34) But the people actedwith defrauding toward the alien resident.Verse 7.

The people also maltreated those who weredefenselessthe fatherless boy and widow.(Verse 7) Jehovah is especially sensitive to theneeds of those who lose a parent or a spouse in

death. God promised that he himself would ex-ecute judgment on those who afflicted a help-less child or widow.Exodus 22:22-24.

In these and other ways, the Israelites in Eze-kiels day broke Gods Law and trampled on theloving spirit embodied in it. What would Jeho-vah do? I shall pour out my denunciation

upon them, he promised. (Verse 31) True tohis word, he allowed the Babylonians to de-stroy Jerusalem and take her people captive in607 B.C.E.

Ezekiels words teach us these two lessonsabout Jehovah and injustice: First, he hates it;second, he has compassion for its innocent vic-tims. God has not changed. (Malachi 3:6) Hepromises that soon he will remove injustice andthose who foment it. (Proverbs 2:21, 22) Whynot learn more about the God who is a lover ofjustice and how you can draw closer to him?Psalm 37:28.

DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

Jehovah Hates Injustice

SUGGESTED BIBLE READING FOR AUGUST: Ezekiel 21-38

Jehovah made it clear thatthose in positions of authority

must never misuse their power

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MARCH 10, 2012, was a special day at theeducational center of Jehovahs Wit-nesses in Patterson, New York. Thousands ofwell-dressed people, including visitors fromforeign lands, were coming together to at-tend the graduation of the 132nd class of theWatchtower Bible School of Gilead. Manyfiled into the auditorium at Patterson; othersgathered to watch the program on videomonitors at satellite locations. In all, 9,042

attended.Anticipation was high. Unlike those whoattended previous classes of the missionaryschool, all of the graduating students had al-ready been in some form of special full-timeservicehaving served as Bethelites, specialpioneers, traveling overseers, or missionar-iesalthough not having previously attend-ed Gilead. What would be said to these expe-rienced students?

The audience did not have to wait long tofind out. Gerrit L osch, a member of the Gov-erning Body of Jehovahs Witnesses, waschairman for the program and delivered theopening talk. He asked a thought-provokingquestion, Are You a Champion? He ex-plained that Christians are champions of thetruth, defending the entire body of Christianteachings. Upholding the truth involves notonly teaching people the truth but also help-ing people to love the truth.

How do we know we have the truth?asked Brother L

osch. He noted that the proof

is not found in the numbers of people whoaccept it. Though there are millions todaywho have accepted pure worship, there wereonly a few at Pentecost 33 C.E. He listed five

ways by which we know we have the truth:(1) We remain in Jesus teaching, (2) we loveone another, (3) we adhere to Gods highmoral standards, (4) we remain neutral inthe controversies of this world, and (5) weare Gods name people.

Follow Through and Obey Direction

Those in the audience wondered what wascoming next when Geoffrey Jackson of theGoverning Body strolled to the lectern carry-ing a suitcase! The title of his talk was Fol-low Through and Obey Direction, based onIsaiah 50:5. Speaking prophetically of JesusChrist, that verse says: I, for my part, wasnot rebellious. I did not turn in the oppositedirection.

Brother Jackson urged the students tobe sensitive to the direction Jehovah givesthrough his holy spirit, the Bible, and his or-ganization. In the parable of the talents, re-corded at Matthew 25:14-30, each slave gotthe same amount, in a sense, because whatthe slaves received was according to theirability. They were expected to do their best.Two slaves were commended and were calledgood and faithfulslaves. Faithfulness doesnot necessarily depend on results but on fol-lowing through and obeying direction.

The third slave was called wicked andsluggish and good-for-nothing. What washis problem? He buried his talent. A talentwas, not a coin, but a unit of weight theequivalent of 6,000 denarii, which wouldweigh 45 pounds (20 kg). That is about theweight a person is allowed in a suitcase when

traveling internationally. It would have tak-

132ND GILEAD GRADUATION

Champions of the Truth

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en effort to bury anything the size of a suit-case. So the slave did somethinghe buriedthe talentbut that was not what he was di-rected to do. Similarly, a missionary may bebusybut busy doing what? Writing news-letters, surfing the Internet, socializing, or

engaging in business? Such a person couldbe totally exhausted at the end of the day af-ter engaging in such activities, but he did notdo what he was directed to do. Brother Jack-son concluded: Always follow direction!

Rid Your Mind of Doubts

That was the theme of the talk given byAnthony Morris of the Governing Body.The Bible never links faith and doubt as

belonging together, he said. Faith repelsdoubt. Satan succeeded in planting doubts

in the mind of a perfect woman, Eve, so hecan plant doubts in our mind. Feed yourfaith, and doubts will starve to death, Broth-er Morris said. He drew attention to the ac-count of Peter, who walked over the watersbut then, on looking at the windstorm, gotafraidand started to sink. After catching holdof him, Jesus asked him: Why did you giveway to doubt? (Matthew 14:29-31) As busyas you missionaries will be in full-time ser-

vice, others may be impressed at all that youdo, as thoughyou were walking onwater, butwhen storms hit, do not give way to doubt.

Brother Morris continued, observing thatwhile going through stormy times can bedifficult, eventually the winds die down. Asto hard times, he exhorted the students toconsider what Paul and Silas did when jailedin Philippi. Acts 16:25 relates: About themiddle of the night Paul and Silas were pray-ing and praising God with song; yes, the pris-oners were hearing them. Note this detail:They did not just pray, they sang. Their sing-ing was loud enough for other prisoners to

hear. Most of us, Brother Morris comment-

ed, do not have trained voices, but we shouldnot shy away from singing, especially whengoing through a crisis. Brother Morris con-cluded by reading the words of Enduring tothe End, Song number 135 in the songbookSing to Jehovah.

Other Talks of Encouragement

Will You Love Enough Days? was the ti-tle of the talk given by Robert Luccioni, ofthe Purchasing Department. The theme wasdrawn from King Davids words recorded atPsalm 34:12. Brother Luccionis talk consid-ered how to handle difficult times and stillmaintain a good relationship with Jehovah.Much may be learned from the account at

1 Samuel chapter 30. While David, his men,and their families were on the run from

King Saul, they lived in exile in Ziklag. Whentheir families were taken captive by Amale-kite raiders, the men blamed David andwanted to stone him. Davids reaction? Hedid not give in to discouragement but tookto strengthening himself by Jehovah hisGod. (1 Samuel 30:6) He inquired of Jeho-

vah, acted in harmony with Gods direction,and rescued the captives. The speaker as-sured the students that if they show similartrust in Jehovah and obey his direction, theywill love enough days to see good. They willhave a delightful life in the precious privilegethey have been given.

Keep Your Eyes Ahead of the NightWatches was the theme of the talk deliv-ered by Michael Burnett, one of the GileadSchool instructors. The Israelites divided thenight from sundown to sunrise into threewatches of four hours each. The final one,from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., was the darkestand coldest and was the time it was most dif-ficult to stay awake. The psalmist occupiedhis mind with Jehovahs sayings so that dur-

ing the final watch of the night, he would

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not drift off to sleep. (Psalm 119:148) Youwill need to be watchful, Brother Burnetttold the students. You will have some darkdiscouraging days and will see the effects ofthe cold, loveless world. You need a plan ofaction. He then reminded them that they

should tackle challenging study projects inorder to keep themselves spiritually watch-ful. Brother Burnett illustrated his point:Each day, you pray to Jehovah because youwant him to be your friend. So, let Jehovah,as your friend, talk to you every day throughthe pages of the Bible. The night is wellalong, so plan how you will use your daysahead, and in that way you will keep youreyes ahead of the night watches.

Trained for the Work Ahead, based on1 Peter 5:10, was the theme chosen byMark Noumair, another Gilead instructor. Heposed this question to the students: Since

you are experienced ministers, why were you

invited to the Watchtower Educational Cen-ter? The answer: Because you are profes-sionals in your field. Many professionals taketime off from work to attend classes to sharp-en their skills. During the past five months,

Jehovah has been making you firm andstrong by a thorough study of his Word

and organization so that you can carry theweighty responsibilities that come your way.Timbers that are firm do not warp, twist, orpull apart under pressure. The results of yourtraining will be revealed as you work with

your fellow brothers and sisters. Will thepressure cause you to pull away from godlyprinciples, or will you hold firm, straightin line with what you learned from GodsWord? Something that is strong can carry aload. The strength of timbers lies in a tightlywoven grain. Your strength is determined bythe innermost fibers of who you are. Jehovahbrought you here to make you strong, reli-able, and trustworthy for the work ahead.

God has done his part, so our prayer is thatyou do your part and allow your Grand In-structor to finish your training.

Experiences and Interviews

It is always refreshing at Gilead gradua-

tions to hear from the students themselves,and this time was no exception. During oneportion of the program, the students re-enacted some of their recent witnessing ac-tivity. One French couple, for example, had asix-hour wait at an airport on their way toGilead School. At the airport restaurant, theystruck up a conversation with two men whowere also waiting for flights. When one ofthe men said that he was from Malawi, theyspoke to him in Chichewa. Surprised, heasked them how they knew his language.They explained that they were missionariesin Malawi. When the other man said he wasfrom Cameroon, they switched to French, tohis surprise. Both men thought highly of Je-hovahs Witnesses, and the missionaries wit-nessed to them.

Two student couples were interviewed byNicholas Ahladis, of Translation Services.One couple had moved from Australia totake up a missionary assignment in war-tornEast Timor. The other couple had left Koreato serve in Hong Kong. Both couples were ea-ger to return to their foreign assignments toapply what they learned at the school.

After diplomas were handed out to thegraduates, a student representing the classread a letter of appreciation for the instruc-tion they had received. Then, Brother L

osch,

in his concluding remarks, employed somebeautiful figures of speech, saying that truthis like a rainbow for beauty, like an oasis inthe desert, and like an anchor in a stormysea. What a blessing it is to know the truth,he said. Be a champion of the truth, andhelp others to be champions as well.

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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) Iap, R.; Iap, J.; Ng, T.; Ng, P.; Laurino, F.; Laurino, B.; Won, S.; Won, S.(2) Morales, N.; Morales, M.; Zanutto, J.; Zanutto, M.; Rumph, I.; Rumph, J.; Germain, D.; Germain, N.(3) Atchad

e, Y.; Atchad

e, Y.; Thomas, C.; Thomas, E.; Estig

`ene, C.; Estig

`ene, P.

(4) Ehrman, D.; Ehrman, A.; Bray, J.; Bray, A.; Amorim, M.; Amorim, D.; Seo, Y.; Seo, Y.

(5) Simon, J.; Simon, C.; Seale, C.; Seale, D.; Erickson, J.; Erickson, R.(6) McCluskey, D.; McCluskey, T.; Brown, A.; Brown, V.; Mariano, D.; Mariano, C.; Loyola, Y.; Loyola, C.(7) Rutgers, P.; Rutgers, N.; Foucault, P.; Foucault, C.; Wunjah, J.; Wunjah, E.

132nd Graduating Class of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead

CLASS STATISTICS

12 countries represented36 average age20 average years baptized15 average years in

full-time service

Class assigned to the countries shown below:

SAOTOM

E

AND PRINCIPE

COTE DIVOIRE

SAMOA

LIBERIA

BELIZE

PERU

GABON

BENIN

MALAWI EAST TIMOR

GUINEA

GEORGIA

CAPE VERDE

ZIMBABWE

DOMINICANREPUBLIC

ECUADOR

CAMBODIA

HON

MADAGASCAR

CAMEROON

UNITED STATESOF AMERICA

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 Jehovahs Witnesses at the appropriateaddress listed on page 4

Is it reasonable to believe in miracles?

SEE PAGES 4-8.

Does it really matter to God whether a person

uses tobacco? SEE PAGE 15.

When did Jesus become King?

SEE PAGES 16-17.

Do all good people go to heaven?

SEE PAGES 21-23.

How can you help your child to show kindness?

SEE PAGES 24-25.

Would you welcome a visit?

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