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——Chapter 1: Introduction—— —Samuel F. Herd— As we saw in Part 1, it took great faith for the Bible Students to break free from the darkness brought on by centuries of false religious practices. Yet their challenges were far from over. Jesus directed his followers to “make disciples of people of all the nations.” Thus a huge work lay ahead of the Bible Students, and the time in which to do it would be limited. There would be many opposers. Their understanding of the Scriptures would continue to grow. And their faith would be refined. As we will see in Part 2, the Bible Students were about to experience what it would really mean to let the light shine. —Narrator— By 1922, the Bible Students were making remarkable progress. This small group had voiced their determination to advertise the King and his Kingdom to the very ends of the earth. To spread this good news, the Bible Students adopted the principal method found in God’s Word—from house to house. —John E. Barr— I remember my mother and father talking about how the witness work was so emphasized then, about the need to visit the people in their homes. And that was the very best way of contacting people. That was understood by some before but not by the rank and file of the brothers. —Narrator— House-to-house preaching quickly became their trademark. [Sister: Good morning, we have an important message we’d like to share with you.] But the Bible Students used a variety of methods to get their message out. [Brother: “shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony…”] For instance, within two years of the start of commercial broadcasting, J. F. Rutherford delivered his first of many radio discourses. [radio playing: which says, ‘the love of money is the root of all evil.’ The evil is not in the material wealth itself…] In 1922, the Bible Students broke ground on their own radio station, WBBR, New York City’s first noncommercial radio station. —Vernon C. Wisegarver— It was one excellent way of reaching a lot of people. We have brothers who are in the truth today, some old timers, that their first contact with the Kingdom message was on WBBR. —Narrator—

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By the 1930s, the Bible Students were using over 400 stations to broadcast their message on six continents. Another tool for broadcasting was the sound car. —Richard E. Abrahamson— It was a paneled truck and we had in there a transcription machine powered by an extra car battery. And we would usually drive the sound car outside of a village and then play a musical record; and then with a microphone, make an announcement that we were going to play a Bible talk on this or that subject. —George M. Couch— The first time I ever heard the truth was from a sound car. And one Sunday afternoon, after dinner, my father-in-law and I went for a walk up the side of one of the hills, and all at once I heard someone preaching. Finally, I located it on the opposite side of the town, and I thought to myself, “My that’s clever.” They could preach to the whole town. —Narrator— This led to yet another method of advertising—use of the portable phonograph. —John Wischuk— You’d open the lid, push the lever, put down the needle, and Brother Rutherford would start to speak! [phonograph playing: It is often said that religion is a snare and a racket. And why? Religion had its origin with Satan who employed religion to reproach Jehovah, the almighty God.] Well, if they didn’t kick you off the porch, they’d get quite a message—four and a half minutes. [Brother: Ma’am, I have something that I would really like for you to hear.] —Narrator— Later years would see the development of still more methods of advertising the Kingdom—placards and information marches. —John E. Barr— Of all the different phases of the work, I think that was a highlight in my life. I loved it! You felt that you were in a big army. Lots behind you and in front of you. It was great! I always enjoyed those information marches. —Narrator— Regardless of the methods used, these Christians were determined to declare God’s name and purpose to as many people as possible. For 50 years this group of evangelizers referred to themselves simply as Bible Students. But as their understanding of the Scriptures increased, it seemed a different name would be more appropriate.

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——Chapter 2: “You Are My Witnesses”—— —John E. Barr— We were always just called the Bible Students and Brother Russell kind of encouraged that. He said we didn’t want to be known by any distinctive name but just Bible Students, and I appreciated his viewpoint on that. The trouble was that people began to call us Russellites and Rutherfordites. Not only that but the term Christian itself became a misnomer. Many people said they were Christians and they didn’t have any idea as to what a Christian meant. —Narrator— Their identity would be considered at a seven-day convention held in Columbus, Ohio, in 1931. Attendees received programs with the puzzling letters “JW” on the cover. Speaking on Isaiah 43:10, J. F. Rutherford presented a resolution. —Rutherford (reenactment)— We have great love for Brother Charles T. Russell, and we gladly acknowledge that the Lord used him and greatly blessed his work. Yet we cannot consent to be called by the name “Russellites.” The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society and the International Bible Students Association are merely names of corporations. We are servants of Jehovah God commissioned to do a work in his name. Henceforth, may it be known that we are Jehovah’s Witnesses! —Narrator— Early editions of “Zion’s Watch Tower” reveal that the Bible Students had already known God’s name. But now, their new designation would remind these Christians that knowledge brings responsibility to bear witness. —Anthony Morris III— It just identified us. And it was far more than a label, though. You represent the Most High God, Jehovah. So you have to get out in this preaching work and you also have to have conduct that supports the fact that you do worship this true God. —Geoffrey W. Jackson— So at that particular time we went from being a vague group of persons who were joined together by a common interest in studying the Scriptures to being a Scriptural identity that we could stand up and be proud of. —Narrator—

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Most of those associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses prior to the 1930s felt yearnings for heavenly life. Yet the “Photo-Drama of Creation” had also drawn attention to Bible teachings of a paradise earth. What was the significance of such teachings? At a landmark convention in 1935, Rutherford would explain that the “great multitude,” of Revelation chapter 7 is an earthly class with earthly hopes. This understanding gave fresh significance to the preaching work. —Geoffrey W. Jackson— Understanding that there would be a great crowd from all sorts of nations and languages put a tremendous responsibility on the brothers. Instead of focusing just on gathering the remaining ones of the anointed, now all of a sudden there’s this massive task of getting the message out to others who would then join us and help us with the preaching work. —Narrator— Jehovah’s Witnesses would continue to find new ways to let their light shine. But one aspect of their message would not always be well received.

——Chapter 3: “No Part of the World”—— —Narrator— Jehovah’s Witnesses were proclaiming that the solution to the world’s problems rests with God’s government. On the other hand, the churches repeatedly voiced support for human governments. Jehovah’s Witnesses felt a responsibility to make people aware of the position being taken by their religious leaders. In 1938, more than 10,000 people jammed into London’s Royal Albert Hall to hear a pointed lecture by Joseph Rutherford, while millions more heard this stinging message by radio. Always outspoken, Rutherford invited his listeners to “Face the Facts.” —Rutherford (reenactment)— The dictator of the totalitarian rule of Germany has entered into an alliance with the pope. The indisputable facts are that the Roman Catholic hierarchy has stooped wholly to political methods to gain control of the world. —Narrator— Rutherford pointed to the church’s role in the rise of Adolph Hitler, its alliances with Fascist regimes, and its push in many nations to make Catholicism the state religion. When World War II erupted in 1939, nearly every organized religion sent its members into the battle. French and American Catholics killed German and Italian Catholics. British and American Protestants killed German Protestants. Jehovah’s Witnesses wanted to make it clear that they were no part of this controversy. The Watchtower of

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November 1, 1939, reasoned, “How could a person who is devoted to God’s Kingdom favour one side or the other in a conflict between factions of the world?” —Theodore Jaracz— It defined what neutrality meant. We’re not pacifists. Jehovah is not a pacifist, neither is his Son, Jesus Christ. And when it comes to being in support of some cause, we were 100% in support of the Kingdom. And so we could not engage in any of the world’s controversies or share in their war efforts. —Narrator— This stand would lead to their persecution by dictatorships and democracies around the world. —John E. Barr— This is something that is so fundamental to Jehovah’s people. They are absolutely no part of the world. They are absolutely no part of the world. They must be strictly neutral when it comes to any conflict between the nations. There’s no other people that are entirely neutral with regard to the world, but Jehovah’s people are. —Narrator— Professed Christians who were not neutral—some who even gave voice to the teachings of Adolph Hitler—were exposed by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Their magazine, “Consolation,” drew attention to side-by-side comparisons of speeches aired in the United States by Catholic “radio priest” Charles Coughlin and those written by Hitler’s chief propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels. The wording was practically identical. Coughlin’s Nazi loyalties were repeatedly uncovered in the pages of “Consolation.” But Coughlin didn’t appreciate that sort of publicity. His supporters stormed New York’s Madison Square Garden and ranted during a speech delivered by Rutherford entitled “Government and Peace.” —Joseph Rutherford (reenactment)— The Puritans fled from religious persecution in Europe and settled in New England with the hope that they might worship God, free from religious and political interference. —John Wischuk— Rutherford is speaking and the Coughlinites start saying, “Heil, Hitler! Viva Franco! Kill that damn Rutherford!” Then they started throwing things down on stage. Well, Brother Rutherford realized what was happening and he said: “Note today the Nazis and Catholics who’d like to break up this meeting, but by God’s grace cannot do it!” [actual recording]

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—Narrator— If Coughlin’s goal was to discourage Jehovah’s Witnesses, then he failed utterly! The Witnesses continued to denounce religious meddling in political affairs, and they took no sides in World War II. And soon, they would boldly proclaim a Bible prophecy that pointed to the outcome of that war.

——Chapter 4: “Taught By Jehovah”—— —Narrator— The year was 1941. Having taken the lead for 25 momentous years, J. F. Rutherford had become seriously ill and was about to make his final public appearance. On January 8, 1942, Joseph Rutherford died. At that time, 51 nations had restricted Jehovah’s Witnesses. The second World War was raging. Some felt that these events could lead directly into Armageddon. In spite of this, in 1942, Nathan H. Knorr—the one next appointed to take the lead among Jehovah’s Witnesses—spoke at a convention about a Bible prophecy that indicated that significant events had to occur first. —Knorr (reenactment)— This international war is not ‘the battle of the great day of God Almighty.’ Before Armageddon comes, the Scriptures show, a peace must come. —John Wischuk— There was no peace on the horizon, and yet we said, “Peace—Can It Last?” —Narrator— Knorr centered attention on Revelation 17:8, which indicates that a figurative wild beast would come into existence, would cease to exist, but then would come back to life. Knorr then drew his listeners’ attention to the defunct League of Nations. —Knorr (reenactment)— The League is in effect in a state of suspended animation and needs to be revived if it is ever to live again. It has gone into the abyss of inaction and ineffectiveness. It “is not.” Will the League remain in the pit? Again the Word of God gives answer: The association of worldly nations will rise again. That association did rise again three years later as the United Nations. —Anthony Morris III—

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They didn’t know it was going to be called the United Nations, and we don’t make that claim. But they knew it was coming out. —Geoffrey W. Jackson— So that would indicate that there would be a time of peace after World War II. —George M. Couch— When we went back as pioneers after that convention, we saw that we need to go down and study with the people, educate them in the Scriptures, and introduce them to the organization. —Narrator— And based largely upon their understanding of that Bible prophecy, in that very year, 1942, Jehovah’s Witnesses made plans to expand their preaching work. —Theodore Jaracz— Rather than thinking, ‘Well, we’re going to stop this work,’ no, there was a field opening up, and there was a window of opportunity for us to give a tremendous witness. How long it would last? None of us knew. [Knorr: 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 15 says…] —Narrator— To prepare Jehovah’s Witnesses for this new field of activity, Knorr and his staff designed The Watchtower Bible College of Gilead, which would train full-time ministers for missionary service. [brother: …that is in you, yet with meekness and fear.] They also conceived the Course in Theocratic Ministry, which would equip individual ministers to share their beliefs. [Instructor: Thank you, Brother Robinson. That was an excellent example.] —M. Stephen Lett— They could speak from the heart. They could go to their Bibles, share these scriptures. So they would have that kind of training now to represent Jehovah in a much more powerful way. —Narrator— This education did more than help Witnesses to overcome fear of public speaking. It strengthened their congregations and it prepared them to give a bold witness in an even greater setting.

——Chapter 5: “They Will Deliver You Up to Local Courts”—— —Geoffrey W. Jackson—

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Jehovah’s Witnesses try to obey the government and the laws of the land in every aspect of life. But the one aspect of life that they realize that the governments cannot control is our worship of God. If the government says you cannot preach the message, it doesn’t take much research in the Bible to see that the apostles had the same command given to them, and they gave very clear answers when they say, ‘we obey God as ruler rather than men.’ —Narrator— Jesus had forewarned his disciples: “Men… will deliver you up to local courts.” While preaching from house to house, Newton Cantwell and his sons were arrested for conducting their ministry without the approval of the state. The Witnesses challenged the conviction. —Philip Brumley— Not defiant, but simply peacefully saying, ‘No, Jehovah has commanded us to do this, and we’re not going to ask a human for permission to do that which Jehovah has commanded us to do.’ —Narrator— After a two-year battle, the court decided in favor of Jehovah’s Witnesses. But just two weeks after the Cantwell decision, the United States Supreme Court would decide another case involving Jehovah’s Witnesses and the national flag. —Geoffrey W. Jackson— Although we respect totally the nation and what the flag represents, to make an act of devotion or worship to a flag is in the same category to us as worshipping an idol. —Narrator— Thousands of Witness school children were expelled because they would not salute—among them William and Lillian Gobitas. The Witnesses challenged the expulsion in court. —Lillian Gobitas Klose— Then when the time came for the trial, that was very frightening. [bailiff: “Raise your right hand; put your left hand on the Bible. Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” boy: “I do.”] Bill was the first one to go on stand. They asked him, ‘Why don’t you salute the flag?’ And he brought out Exodus 20. [boy: Thou shalt not make…] Then when it was my turn, they asked the same, and I said, “The Bible is clear at 1 John 5:21 where it says, Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

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—Narrator— Although the lower courts decided in favor of Jehovah’s Witnesses, [judge: Court’s adjourned!] the school board fought back and appealed to the Supreme Court. On June 3, 1940, the Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 against Jehovah’s Witnesses—a ruling that would rock the country. Within days of the Gobitis decision, the Kingdom Hall in Kennebunk, Maine, was torched. In Illinois, a mob attacked Witnesses as they were preaching, turning over their cars and destroying their literature. In Winnsboro, Texas, Witness Oscar Pillars was attacked by a mob that was determined to make him salute the flag. —Oscar L. Pillars— They brought me to, and by now they had the flag there and they wanted me to salute that. They would hold up my hand in this fashion, and I’d let my hand drop and, of course, that made them very angry. —Narrator— The mob threw the rope over a pipe and then pulled Pillars up. He woke up in jail and near death. —Oscar L. Pillars— The next thing I knew was a doctor was bringing me to. The marshal said, and this put great courage back into me, the marshal said, ‘He is the most stubborn devil I’ve ever seen in my life.’ So I knew then that I had not compromised. —Philip Brumley— Some were tarred and feathered, others were run out of town, several were castrated. And this was not just from one or two communities, but literally from Maine to California, from Washington to Georgia. —Narrator— In Opelika, Alabama, Witness Thelma Jones and later her husband, Rosco, were arrested and unjustly convicted of selling books without a license. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld their conviction 5 to 4. —Philip Brumley— The Supreme Court ruled that the state, in this case the city of Opelika, had the right to impose a fee and a permit for the so-called “privilege” of talking to one’s neighbor. —Narrator— Yet, in the defeat, there lay a glimmer of hope. [brother: Don’t worry, Rosco, to Jehovah belongs the battle.] Dissenting Justices Douglas, Murphy, and Black stated

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that the Jones case and the earlier Gobitis flag-salute case were “wrongly decided.” Jehovah’s Witnesses saw their opportunity. They forged ahead with a new flag-salute case. [brother: Well, Brother Covington, it looks like we’re ready to go to trial.] West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette. In the Barnette case, the Court reversed itself, overturning the decision in Gobitis. The Court ruled that the school board has no right to deny education to children of Jehovah’s Witnesses who refuse to salute the flag. In that one year, 1943, the United States Supreme Court rendered 21 decisions favorable to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Meanwhile, Witnesses in the province of Quebec, Canada, were being arrested regularly, sometimes twice a day. Quebec’s head of State, Premier Maurice Duplessis, made it his personal ambition to silence Jehovah’s Witnesses. But his efforts backfired. After a 12-year battle, the Canadian Supreme Court convicted Duplessis for his harassment of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The condemnation of the premier of a province, was unprecedented in Canadian history, and it was hailed as a landmark for individual freedom. Legal battles were not limited to North America. In Greece, some 20,000 arrests were carried out against Jehovah’s Witnesses. Over a period of 48 years, Minos Kokkinakis was arrested more than 60 times for preaching. He spent years in prison and in exile. —Minos Kokkinakis— (translated) If I was keeping a book, how could I write it, one, two, three, five, ten, many times I was in prison and exile. That was a whole life—50 years! They sentenced us deliberately and premeditated. —Narrator— Finally in 1993, the European Court of Human Rights upheld the right of a Greek citizen to teach his religious beliefs to others and ruled that Greece had violated the freedom of Minos Kokkinakis. To date, Jehovah’s Witnesses have won over 200 favorable decisions in the highest courts on earth. —Philip Brumley— Burning deep within the hearts of Jehovah’s Witnesses is the desire to show Jehovah how much we love him. As secular authorities attempt to impede our effort, then with that same degree of zeal we work to protect our witnessing activities. —Lillian Gobitas Klose— To know that if you put your trust in Jehovah he will help you through it no matter what. —Oscar L. Pillars— The wonderful thing about persecution, if I can call it that, is that it demands—it DEMANDS a firm decision. —Minos Kokkinakis— (translated)

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Jehovah is a powerful fighter. Who can fight with him? —Theodore Jaracz— No matter how much opposition we may face or what form or shape it may take, our trust in Jehovah will never let us down. He’s backing us up.

——Chapter 6: “Making the Truth Manifest”—— Throughout the legal battles and persecution, Jehovah’s Witnesses were experiencing amazing growth. The School of Gilead was making an impact. In the first ten years of its operation, over 2,000 missionaries had been trained and dispatched. And the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses quadrupled. In Africa, in just 11 years after the start of the Gilead School, the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses increased by 800%. The message took hold in the Orient as well. When Gilead missionaries arrived in Japan in 1949, there were fewer than ten native Witnesses. But in less than 50 years, that number would multiply to over 200,000. —M. Stephen Lett— Most definitely it’s not the result of human efforts but it’s the result of Jehovah’s spirit. It’s true he uses humans, he blesses their efforts, but it’s God who makes it grow. —Narrator— Worldwide, Jehovah’s Witnesses were preaching in 143 countries. The work was expanding on every continent. The Witnesses were growing, not just in number, but in understanding. Since the days of C. T. Russell, Jehovah’s Witnesses had been using Bible translations accepted in the various lands in which they preached. [sister: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of…”] But there were a number of problems: antiquated language, the presence of spurious texts, [brother preaching: The LORD said to my Lord…] and the fact that most translators had replaced the name of God, Jehovah, with titles such as Lord or God. [brother preaching: The Lord will send forth the scepter of thy power…] —Geoffrey W. Jackson— It’s just as if you’re reading a letter about a personal friend, someone you love, and their name’s not in there. It just talks about “the man” or “the person.” —Gerrit Lösch— And so the need was seen to have a translation where the name Jehovah is mentioned everywhere where it used to be in the original writing. —Narrator—

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In 1946 Jehovah’s Witnesses began work on a new translation of the Bible. The Egyptian papyri, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other recent archeological findings, helped make possible the full restoration of God’s name. The results of years of painstaking labor began to be revealed in 1950. —Knorr (reenactment)— By Jehovah’s undeserved kindness, I have the extreme pleasure of releasing to the international Theocracy’s Increase Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses the “New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures.” The New World Translation is the first to render the divine name consistently from Matthew to Revelation 237 times. —Narrator— Restoring God’s name to places where it had been removed didn’t always set well with the critics. —Knorr (reenactment)— ‘But you can’t do that!’ said one of the critics. The committee, in its foreword of 29 pages, shows how it can be done on valid grounds, and it does it! —Anthony Morris III— This was a group of spirit-begotten men under the influence, now not inspired, but under the influence of holy spirit, love, respect, and reverence for the Author And they gave us this translation. So when you study this you feed on the mind of God. —Narrator— After World War II, nations were beginning to recover economically, but not spiritually or morally. Jehovah’s Witnesses took steps to make sure their conduct was in harmony with the standard set forth in the Bible. Since 1945, Jehovah’s Witnesses have upheld the Bible’s command to “abstain… from blood.” In the 1950s, though many were adopting a more tolerant view of sex outside of marriage, Jehovah’s Witnesses held that such conduct should be shunned. And it was pointed out about that time that one could not be qualified to have a responsibility in the congregation if they hadn’t a clean standing before God. Well, I remember some brothers were saying, ‘Oh, that’ll never work. We’ll never have enough congregation overseers to do the job.’ But Brother Knorr and the other responsible brothers determined that we were going to maintain Bible standards regardless of the consequences. —Narrator— Since 1952, Jehovah’s Witnesses have adhered to the Bible teaching that those who practice conduct condemned by God should be disfellowshipped. Then in 1973, although many considered the use of tobacco to be a personal choice, Jehovah’s

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Witnesses rejected it outright as a form of drug abuse. They were willing to uphold these Scriptural standards, even if it didn’t win them any popularity. —M. Stephen Lett— Sure you could relax the standard and you could perhaps attract a lot more people. But Jehovah’s never been primarily interested in numbers. But he’s interested in quality of his worshippers. Only eight survived the flood; shows you Jehovah’s thinking on numbers. —Anthony Morris III— We will stick with the Scriptures, we’ll never water it down. A little leaven ferments the whole lump. This is clean. And when people come to the Kingdom Hall we want them to feel confident that this is clean, not just physically, but most importantly spiritually clean.

——Chapter 7: “I Myself, Jehovah, Shall Speed It Up”—— —Narrator— For years, organizational matters were largely in the hands of the president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. But in the 1970s, a concerted effort was made to align the organization more closely with the pattern in the Bible. —Gerrit Lösch— And so if there was no number one in the first century among the apostles, why should there be a number one today? But the pattern of the first century is a collective direction of the organization. —Narrator— This collective direction is given by a group of men who serve as the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. —Anthony Morris III— There’s a wisdom in a multitude of counselors. When we all see it, in agreement, we’re very convinced this is the direction Jehovah wants us to go. You can’t do that if you’re alone. —Narrator— This adjustment has enabled Jehovah’s Witnesses to do their work more effectively. They are building houses of worship faster than ever before. They are publishing Bible literature in more than 500 languages in either printed or electronic form. Jehovah’s

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Witnesses are convinced that this system of things is deep into its last days. And the Governing Body is intent on reaching as many people as possible with the knowledge of God. —M. Stephen Lett— We want to continue to oversee and give impetus to the preaching work because this has to be done before the end comes, Mark 13:10, “in all the nations the good news has to be preached first.” —Anthony Morris III— We just need all the help that you can possibly muster up to get out there and preach and teach the good news of the Kingdom and have that urgency about it because it is so urgent. —Guy H. Pierce— Jesus said that we can have more confidence in the fulfillment of the Bible than the sun coming up. So with that kind of faith, we can do the work that’s involved. We just pour ourselves into that. —Theodore Jaracz— It would be impossible for humans to do what Jehovah accomplished. We have to give him full credit for things that have transpired. And we also realize that we’ve got a work to complete. —Geoffrey W. Jackson— So keeping our brothers and sisters focused on what Jehovah wants us to do at this particular time, seeing how close the end is, that is our main focus. And giving full support to the brotherhood as they continue to show their love for Jehovah to preach that good news in all the inhabited earth. —David H. Splane— What I see in the modern history of Jehovah’s Witnesses: Here is a people who were hungry for the truth, who were humble and who wanted to do Jehovah’s will. They have deep love for God and a desire to see Jehovah’s name sanctified to the ends of the earth. —Narrator— What started as a small group of sincere Bible Students has grown into millions of preachers throughout the earth. What began with little international or ethnic diversity has grown into a worldwide brotherhood united in the worship of the one true God, Jehovah! Bible education is still the means by which they receive the light. They understand that what they learn from the Bible today will strengthen their faith for the

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days ahead. Those who accept the light become disciples. As true disciples, Jehovah’s Witnesses have had to accept hardship. But no hardship can diminish their joy. Their perseverance through all manner of tribulations is evidence that their faith is not misplaced and that the God they worship is real! Thus with living faith and joyful hearts Jehovah’s Witnesses will continue to “let the light shine.”