Watchtower 2012, en

34567JUNE 1, 2012

THE BIBLEWhat Makes It Unique?

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

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

JUNE 1, 2012

FROM OUR COVER

3 Just Another Book?4 Prophecy—A Perfect Record5 History, not Myth6 Accurate Science

7 A Harmonious Library8 Practical Today9 “This Means Everlasting Life”

REGULAR FEATURES14 Draw Close to God

—“Your Soul Will . . . Bow Low Over Me”

15 Our Readers Ask . . .Why Do Jehovah’s WitnessesPreach From House to House?

16 Learn From God’s Word—Why Should We Use God’s Name?

24 A Letter From Ireland

26 Did You Know?

30 Teach Your Children—He Was Stubborn but Finally Obeyed

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE10 Coverdale and the First Complete

Printed English Bible

12 Jehovah Has Opened My Eyes

18 Struggling for the Good News in Thessalonica

22 How to Survive on a Reduced Income

27 “Impossible!”—What Does It Mean?

THE WATCHTOWER ˙ JUNE 1, 2012 3

SOME people hesitate to make such anunqualified statement about the Bible.

What about you? Which of the followingbest describes how you view the Bible?

˙ A work of fine literature˙ One of several equally acceptable

sacred texts˙ A book of legends with underlying

moral lessons˙ The Word of GodA related question is, Does it matter what

you believe? Consider what the Bible saysabout itself: “All the things that were writtenaforetime were written for our instruction,that through our endurance and through thecomfort from the Scriptures we might havehope.” (Romans 15:4) The Bible thus claimsthat it is designed to instruct and comfort usand to give us hope.

However, if the Bible were merely a work ofliterature or just one of many holy books,would you trust it to instruct you and guideyour family, especially if its message differedfrom what you thought to be right? If the Bi-ble were a collection of myths, would you de-rive comfort and hope from its promises?

On the other hand, millions who havestudied the Bible are convinced that it is theunique Word of God. Why? What distin-guishes the Bible from all other books? Weinvite you to consider five unique features ofthe Bible, described in the following articles.

JustAnotherBook?

“All Scripture is inspired ofGod and beneficial . . . ,that the man of Godmay be fully competent,completely equipped forevery good work.”—2 TIMOTHY 3:16, 17.

4

HOW IS THE BIBLE DIFFERENT? Ancient oracles were noto-riously ambiguous and unreliable, and modern horoscopesare no better. Futurology is based on current trends and rare-ly even attempts to predict specific events centuries in ad-vance. In contrast, Bible prophecies are detailed and alwayscome true, even if they tell “from long ago the things thathave not been done.”—Isaiah 46:10.AN EXAMPLE: In the sixth century B.C.E., the prophet Dan-iel saw a vision that foretold the rapid defeat of Medo-Persiaby Greece. It also foretold that as soon as the victorious kingof Greece “became mighty,” his kingship would be “bro-ken.” Whowould replace him? Danielwrote: “There are fourkingdoms from his nation that will stand up, but not withhis power.”—Daniel 8:5-8, 20-22.WHAT HISTORIANS SAY: Over 200 years after Daniel’s time,Alexander the Great became king of Greece. Within tenyears, Alexander defeated the Medo-Persian Empire and ex-tended Grecian rule as far as the Indus River (in modern-dayPakistan). But he died suddenly at the age of 32. Finally, abattle near Ipsus in Asia Minor effectively dissolved his em-pire. The four victors of that battle eventually divided theGrecian Empire among themselves. However, none of themattained Alexander’s degree of power.WHAT DO YOU THINK? Can any other book claim such arecord of fulfilled prophecy? Or is the Bible unique?

PROPHECYA PERFECT RECORD“Not one word out of all the good words thatJehovah your God has spoken to you has failed.”—JOSHUA 23:14.

“Bible prophecies are. . . so numerous

as to make accidentalfulfillment almost

infinitely improbable.”—A LAWYER EXAMINES THE

BIBLE, BY IRWIN H. LINTON

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

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

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

Vol. 133, No. 11 Semimonthly ENGLISH

HOW IS THE BIBLE DIFFERENT? Legends and myths relatefanciful tales that omit specific locations, dates, and namesof historical figures. In contrast, the Bible includes countlesshistorical details that reassure readers that its “sayings are su-premely true.”—Psalm 119:160, The Psalms for Today, byR. K. Harrison.AN EXAMPLE: The Bible reports that “Nebuchadnezzar theking of Babylon . . . took [Judean King] Jehoiachin into exileto Babylon.” Later, “Evil-merodach the king of Babylon, inthe year of his becoming king, raised up the head of Jehoia-chin the king of Judah out of the house of detention.” Fur-thermore, “an allowance was constantly given him [Jehoia-chin] from the king, daily as due, all the days of his life.”—2 Kings 24:11,15; 25:27-30.WHAT ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED: Among theruins of ancient Babylon, archaeologists uncovered adminis-trative documents dated to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II.They list rations given to prisoners and others dependent onthe royal household. The lists include “Yaukin [Jehoia-chin],” who was the “king of the land of Yahud (Judah),”and his household. What about the existence of Nebuchad-nezzar’s successor, Evil-merodach? An inscription on a vasefound near the city of Susa reads: “Palace of Amil-Marduk[Evil-merodach], King of Babylon, son of Nebuchadnezzar,King of Babylon.”WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is any other ancient religious text asspecific and accurate when it touches on history? Or is theBible unique?

HISTORY, NOT MYTH“I have traced all things from the start with accuracy.”

—LUKE 1:3.

“The chronological andgeographical statementsare more accurate andreliable than thoseafforded by any otherancient documents.”—A SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONOF THE OLD TESTAMENT,BY ROBERT D. WILSON

BABYLONIAN DOCUMENTTHAT MENTIONSKING JEHOIACHIN OF JUDAH

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NOW PUBLISHED IN 194 LANGUAGES: Acholi, Af-rikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Armenian(West), Aymara,� Azerbaijani, Azerbaijani (Cyrillic),Baoule, Bengali, Bicol, Bislama, Bulgarian, Cambodi-an, Catalan, Cebuano, Chichewa, Chinese (Simplified),Chinese (Traditional)� (audio Mandarin only), Chiton-ga, Chitumbuka, Chuukese, Cibemba, Croatian, Czech,�Danish,� Dutch,�� Efik, English,�� Estonian, Ewe, Fijian,Finnish,� French,��Ga, Garifuna, Georgian, German,��Greek, Greenlandic, Guarani,�� Gujarati, Gun, HaitianCreole, Hausa, Hebrew, Hiligaynon, Hindi, Hiri Motu,Hungarian,�� Icelandic, Igbo, Iloko, Indonesian, Isoko,Italian,�� Japanese,�� Kannada, Kazakh, Kikaonde, Kikon-

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6 THE WATCHTOWER ˙ JUNE 1, 2012

HOW IS THE BIBLE DIFFERENT? Ancient books often featureunsound anddangerous ideas that have been thoroughly de-bunked by modern science. Even today, authors must up-date textbooks to harmonize with new discoveries. But theBible claims that it was authored by the Creator and that hisWord “endures forever.”—1 Peter 1:25.AN EXAMPLE: The Mosaic Law commanded the Israelites todispose of sewage in a covered hole “outside the camp.”(Deuteronomy 23:12, 13) If they touched a dead animal orhuman, the Israelites had to wash with water. (Leviticus 11:27, 28; Numbers 19:14-16) Lepers back then were quaran-tined until a physical examination confirmed that they wereno longer contagious.—Leviticus 13:1-8.WHAT MODERNMEDICINE REVEALS:Proper sewage dispos-al, hand washing, and quarantine remain effective ways tofight disease. If there are no latrines or other sanitation sys-tems nearby, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Pre-vention (CDC) recommends: “Defecate at least 30 meters[100 feet] away from any body of water and then bury yourfeces.” When communities dispose of excrement safely, theyreduce diarrheal disease by 36 percent, according to theWorld Health Organization. Less than 200 years ago, physi-cians discovered that they infected many patients when theydid not wash their hands after handling corpses. The CDCstill calls hand washing “the single most effective way to pre-vent the transmission of disease.” What about the quaran-tine of lepers or thosewith other diseases? Recently, the Sau-di Medical Journal said: “In the early stages of an epidemic,isolation and quarantine may be the only and last resort toeffectively control infectious diseases.”WHAT DOYOU THINK? Would you expect anyother ancientholy book to harmonize with modern science? Or is the Bi-ble unique?

ACCURATE SCIENCE“Have I not written you heretofore with counselingsand knowledge, to show you the truthfulness of truesayings, so as to return sayings that are the truth?”—PROVERBS 22:20, 21.

“No one can fail to beimpressed by the careful

hygienic precautionsof the Mosaic period.”

—MANUAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE,BY DRS. ALDO CASTELLANIAND ALBERT J. CHALMERS

HOW IS THE BIBLE DIFFERENT? Even contemporaneous rec-ords from ancient times often contradict one another. Bookswritten by different men, in different places, at differenttimes rarely harmonize completely. Yet, the Bible claims thatall of its 66 books have but one Author—presenting a unifiedand harmonious message.—2 Timothy 3:16.AN EXAMPLE: Moses, a shepherd of the 16th century B.C.E.,wrote in the Bible’s first book that a “seed” would come tosave mankind. This book later foretold that the seed wouldbe a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Genesis 3:15;22:17, 18; 26:24; 28:14) About 500 years later, the prophetNathan revealed that the seed would be in the royal line ofDavid. (2 Samuel 7:12) One thousand years after that, theapostle Paul explained that the seed would be made up of Je-sus and a groupof his chosen followers. (Romans 1:1-4; Gala-tians 3:16, 29) Finally, by the endof thefirst centuryC.E., thelast book of the Bible prophesied that members of the seedwould bear witness to Jesus on earth, be raised to heaven,and rule with him for 1,000 years. This composite seed willdestroy the Devil and save mankind.—Revelation 12:17; 20:6-10.WHAT BIBLE COMMENTATORS SAY: After a thorough inves-tigation of the Bible’s 66 books, Louis Gaussenwrote that hewas astonished by “the imposing unity of this book, com-posed during fifteen hundred years by so many authors, . . .who yet pursued one and the same plan, and advanced con-stantly, as if they themselves understood it, towards that onegreat end, the history of the world’s redemption by the Sonof God.”—Theopneusty—The Plenary Inspiration of the HolyScriptures.WHAT DO YOU THINK? Would you expect a book writtenover a span of more than 1,500 years by some 40 differentmen to be totally harmonious? Or is the Bible unique?

A HARMONIOUSLIBRARY

“Prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will,but men spoke from God as they were borne along

by holy spirit.”—2 PETER 1:21.

“When these writingsare put together,they constitute, struc-turally, one book . . .There is nothing exactlyresembling it, or evenapproaching it, in allliterature.”—THE PROBLEM OF THE OLDTESTAMENT, BY JAMES ORR



HOW IS THE BIBLE DIFFERENT? Literary works may be con-sidered classics, but they are hardly guidebooks. And mod-ern instruction manuals need to be revised constantly. TheBible, on the other hand, claims that “the things that werewritten aforetime were written for our instruction.”—Ro-mans 15:4.AN EXAMPLE: Though not a medical guide, the Bible con-tains practical suggestions on good emotional and physicalhealth. For example, it states that “a calm heart is the life ofthe fleshly organism.” (Proverbs 14:30) The Bible also warns:“One isolating himself will seek his own selfish longing;against all practical wisdom he will break forth.” (Proverbs18:1) On the other hand, it states that “there is more happi-ness in giving than there is in receiving.”—Acts 20:35.WHAT RESEARCH REVEALS: Calmness, strong friendships,and generosity can improve your health. The Journal of theAmerican Medical Association reports: “Menwho experienceoutbursts of anger have twice the risk of stroke as men whocontrol their tempers.” A ten-year study in Australia foundthat elderly people who had “better social networks withfriends and confidants” were more likely to live longer. Andin 2008, researchers from Canada and the United Stateslearned that “spending money on others promotes happi-ness more than spending moneyon oneself.”WHAT DOYOU THINK? Would you trust advice on health is-sues fromanyother book completed almost 2,000 years ago?Or is the Bible unique?

PRACTICAL TODAY“Your word is a lamp to my foot, and a light to myroadway.”—PSALM 119:105.

“The Bible appealsto me strongly . . .because it is such

excellent medicine.”—HOWARD KELLY, M.D.,

FOUNDING FACULTYMEMBER OF THE JOHNS

HOPKINS UNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF MEDICINE

KNOWLEDGE can save life. When ten-month-old Nouhou fell sick, his moth-

er—a community health worker in Ni-ger—knew what to do. She prepared an oralrehydration solution for her son by mixingsugar, salt, and clean water. According toUNICEF, because of her “quick response andaccess to community health care, her child’sillness was cut short.”

Knowledge from the Bible can also savelife. The first Bible writer, Moses, stated: “It isno valueless word for you, but it means yourlife, and by this word you may lengthenyourdays.” (Deuteronomy 32:47) Can the Biblereally lengthen our days? Inwhat way does itmean our life?

The preceding five articles in this serieshave shown that the Bible is a book incom-parable in its reliable prophecy, historicaland scientific accuracy, internal harmony,andpractical guidance. This stamps the Bibleas unique. So, when it claims to point the

way to a longer life—everlasting life—does itnot deserve your careful consideration?

We urge you to learn how accurate knowl-edge of the Bible can lead to peace of mindnow and happiness in the future. Jehovah’sWitnesses will be happy to show you how toacquire such knowledge.

“THIS MEANSEVERLASTING LIFE”

“This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God,and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”—JOHN 17:3.

The Bible is also unique in that it alone givessatisfying answers to fundamental questionswe ask:

˙ Why are we here?˙ Why is there so much

suffering?˙ Is there any hope for

my dead loved ones?

You can find the Bible’sanswers to these questionsin this book, published byJehovah’s Witnesses.

WHAT DOESTHE BIBLE

Really TEACH?


THEfirst complete Bible printed in Englishgave no indication of the name of the

one responsible for translating it. The per-son was Miles Coverdale, and his translationappeared in 1535. At the time, his friend Wil-liam Tyndale was in prison for some of thescholarly work he had done in connectionwith translating the Bible. Tyndale was exe-cuted the following year.

A portion of Coverdale’s translation wasbased onTyndale’s work. How did Coverdalesucceed in having his translation printedand avoid execution, whenother Bible trans-lators of the day paid with their lives? Whatdid Coverdale finally accomplish?

Seeds Are SownMiles Coverdale was born in Yorkshire,

England, likely in the year 1488. He studiedat Cambridge University and was ordained aRoman Catholic priest in 1514. His interestin reform was kindled by Robert Barnes, histutor. Barnes fled to continental Europe in1528. Twelve years later this Reformer wasburned at the stake by church leaders.

By 1528, Coverdale had started to preachin church against the unscriptural Catho-lic practices of image worship, confession,and the Mass. Because his life was then indanger, he left England for the Continent,where he spent some sevenyears.

In Hamburg, Germany, Coverdale stayedwith William Tyndale. The two worked to-

gether in their shared desire to produce a Bi-ble that could be read by the people. Duringthis time, Coverdale learned much fromTyndale about the art of Bible translating.

Time for ChangeMeanwhile, the scene in England was

changing. In 1534, King Henry VIII openlydefied the authority of the Catholic pope inRome. He was also open to the idea of mak-ing the Bible available to the people in En-glish. In time,Coverdale undertook the task.Coverdale was a master of English expres-sion but lacked the linguistic skills of hisfriend and mentor, Tyndale, who was fluentboth in Hebrew and in Greek. Coverdale re-vised Tyndale’s translation, working fromLatin and Germanversions.

Coverdale’s Bible was printed in Con-tinental Europe in 1535, the year beforeTyndale’s execution. It included a gra-cious, somewhat flattering dedication toKing Henry. Coverdale assured Henry thatthe Bible excluded Tyndale’s footnotes,which were considered contentious be-cause, among other things, they drew atten-tion to unscriptural teachings of the Catho-lic Church. So Henry gave his consent forthe publishing of the Bible. The tide had be-gun to turn.

In 1537, Coverdale’s Bible reappeared intwo editions, which were printed in En-gland. In the same year, a version called

Coverdaleand theFirst Complete PrintedEnglish Bible

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Matthew’s Bible, printed in Antwerp, com-bining the work of Tyndale and Coverdale,was approved by King Henry.

The king’s principal adviser, ThomasCromwell, backed by Cranmer, the Arch-bishop of Canterbury, soon saw the need fora revised edition of Matthew’s Bible. So heagain appealed to Coverdale to revise thecomplete manuscript. King Henry licensedthis new version in 1539 and ordered copiesof it—called the Great Bible because of itssize—to be put in churches for all to read.This Bible was received with joyful enthusi-asm countrywide.

Coverdale’s LegacyFollowing the death of Henry VIII and the

accessionof his successor, Edward VI, Cover-dalewas appointed bishop of Exeter in 1551.However, when Catholic Queen Mary suc-ceeded Edward to the throne in 1553, Cover-dale was forced to flee to Denmark. Later hemoved to Switzerland, where he continuedhis work. He also published three Englisheditions of what is commonly called theNew Testament, with Latin text as study aidsfor the clergy.

An unexpected aspect of Coverdale’s Bibleis the omission of the divine name in theform “Jehovah.” Tyndale used the name ofGod over 20 times in his translation of theHebrew Scriptures. In the book Coverdaleand His Bibles, J. F. Mozley observes: “In

1535 Coverdale rejected the word [Jeho-vah] altogether.” Nonetheless, he did subse-quently include God’s name, Jehovah, threetimes in the Great Bible.

Coverdale’s Bible, however, was the earli-est English Bible to feature the Tetragram-maton—the four Hebrew letters that makeup the divine name—at the head of its titlepage. Significantly, this was the first Bible togroup all the Apocryphal books into anappendix rather than have them scatteredamong the books of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Many of Coverdale’s unique expressionsand words have been used by later transla-tors. The phrase “the valleyof the shadowofdeath” at Psalm 23, verse 4, is an exam-ple. The word “loving-kindness” in verse 6,says Professor S. L. Greenslade, is “a spe-cial word to distinguish God’s intrinsic lovefor his people from love in general andfrom mercy.” The New World Translation ofthe Holy Scriptures—With References uses thesame word, adding the footnote: “Or, ‘loyallove.’”

Coverdale’s Great Bible “was the culmina-tion of all the work in English Bible-making. . . from the day that Tyndale set about histranslation of the New Testament,” says TheBibles of England. Essentially, it was Cover-dale’s translation that helped to make it pos-sible for English-speaking people of his dayto read the Bible.

TETRAGRAMMATON, LEFT, FROM THE TITLE PAGE OF A 1537 EDITION

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IWAS born on February 2,1958, in the prov-ince of Kasaı Oriental, in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo. I lost my father whenI was a boy of nine years, and my older broth-er supported me as I grew up.

After I finished school, I got a job on a rub-ber plantation. One morning in 1989, whilepreparing a report in my office, I suddenlyfound myself in a state of complete darkness.At first, I thought that there was a power out-age, but I could hear the generator runningand it was morning! Horrified, I realized thatI could not see anything, not even my notesin front of me!

I immediately called one of the men whoworked under me to take me to the person incharge of the infirmary. That man, in turn,recommended that I be taken to a more expe-rienced physician in the city. Noting that myretinas were torn and my condition was seri-ous, he sent me to the capital city, Kinshasa.

Life in KinshasaIn Kinshasa, I consulted with many

ophthalmologists, but none of them couldhelp me. After I had spent 43 days in the hos-pital, the doctors concluded that I would be

blind for the rest of my life! Members of myfamily then took me to all kinds of churchesin search of miraculous healing, but all theirefforts were in vain.

Finally, I gave up hope of recovering mysight. Everythinghadbecomedark inmy life.I lost my sight, and I lost my job. I also lostmy wife, who left me, taking with her every-thing that we owned in our house. I feltashamed to go out or to associate with otherpeople. I became withdrawn and spent mydays inside the house. I was a recluse and feltutterly useless.

Twice I attempted to end my life. The sec-ond time is described at the beginning of thisstory. I was saved by a small child in the fami-ly. He unintentionally took that cup andpoured the contents out on the ground whileI was taking my bath. Thankfully, he did notdrink from it. But to my great disappoint-ment, I could not find the cup. Then I con-fessed to my family members why I was look-ing for it and what I had intended to do.

I thank God and my family for keeping aneye on me. My plan to commit suicide wasfoiled.

JEHOVAH HAS

OPENED MY EYESAS TOLD BY PATRICE OYEKA

It was late afternoon. Having spent another day in the depths ofdarkness—blind, lonely, listening to the radio droning on—I decidedto put an end to my miserable life. I poured a poisonous powder ina cup of water and put it on the table in front of me. I wanted totake my last bath and then dress myself nicely before drinking thatdeadly concoction, ending it all. Why did I want to commit suicide?And how is it that I am still alive today to relate this story?

Finding Joy in Life AgainOn a Sunday in 1992, while I was sitting at

home smoking, two of Jehovah’s Witnessescalled on me in the course of their house-to-house ministry. Noticing that I was blind,they read Isaiah 35:5 to me: “At that time theeyes of the blind ones will be opened, andthe very ears of the deaf ones will be un-stopped.” My heart was overwhelmed withjoy when I heard those words! Contrary towhat I had heard in the churches I had vis-ited, the Witnesses offered no miraculoushealing. Rather, they explained that I couldrecover my sight in the new world that Godpromises, if I would just get to know God.(John 17:3) Right away, I started to study theBible with the Witnesses, using the book YouCan Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. I alsobegan to attend all the Christian meetings atthe local Kingdom Hall and made changes inmy life. I stopped smoking.

But my blindness was hindering my spiri-tual progress. So I went to an institute for theblind in order to learn to read and writeBraille. This enabled me to take part in theministerial training provided at the KingdomHall. Soon I began to share in the preachingwork in my neighborhood. I started to findjoy in life again. I continued tomake progressand dedicated my life to Jehovah. I was bap-tized on May 7,1994.

As my love for Jehovah and for peoplegrew, I developed a desire to enter the full-time ministry. Since December 1, 1995, Ihave been serving as a regular pioneer, a full-time minister. I have also had theprivilege of serving as an elderin my congregation since Febru-ary 2004. Sometimes I am invitedas a visiting speaker to give Bibletalks to other congregations inmy area. All these blessings bringme great joy and make me appre-

ciate that no disability can prevent us fromrealizing our desire to serve Jehovah God.

Jehovah Has Given Me “Eyes”As mentioned earlier, my wife abandoned

me because of my blindness. But I have re-ceived an extra blessing from Jehovah. In aspecial sense, he gave me eyes to see. AnnyMavambu, who accepted me to be her hus-band despite my disability, has become myeyes. As she too is a full-time preacher, she al-ways accompanies me in the ministry. Shealso reads the source material for my talks tome so that I canwrite my notes in Braille. Sheis a special blessing to me. Because of her, Ihave seen the truthfulness of the words ofProverbs 19:14: “The inheritance from fa-thers is a house and wealth, but a discreetwife is from Jehovah.”

Jehovah has also blessed Anny and mewith two children—a boy and a girl. I amyearning to see their faces in Paradise! An-other blessing is that my older brother, whokindly allows us to live on his property, ac-cepted Bible truth and was baptized! All of usare in the same congregation.

Despite my disability, my heartfelt desire isto do even more to serve God because he hasblessed me so much. (Malachi 3:10) Daily Ipray for his Kingdom to come and to re-move all suffering from the earth. Since get-ting to know Jehovah, I can truthfully say:“Theblessing of Jehovah—that is what makesrich, and he adds no pain with it.”—Proverbs10:22.

Giving a Bible talk; withmy family and my brother


HUMILITY attracts. We usually feel drawn tothose who have a humble spirit. Sadly,

though, genuine humility is hard to find in to-day’s world—especially in those who have pow-er or authority over others. What about JehovahGod, the most powerful Personage in the uni-verse? Is he humble? Let us examine the proph-et Jeremiah’s words found at Lamentations 3:20, 21.—Read.

Jeremiah wrote Lamentations at a low pointin Israel’s history. He had just witnessed some-thing that pained him deeply—the destructionof his beloved Jerusalem by the Babylonians.The anguished prophet knew that the calamitywas a just execution of divine judgment uponthe Israelites because of their sinful ways. Butwas Jeremiah left with no hope? Did he feel thatJehovah was too remote or aloof to notice re-pentant ones and lift them out of despair? Lis-ten as Jeremiah speaks representatively for hispeople.

Amid the sorrow, Jeremiah is filled with hope.He cries out to Jehovah: “Without fail your soul�[Jehovah himself] will remember and bow lowover me.” (Verse 20) Jeremiah has no doubt. Heknows that Jehovah will not forget him—or re-pentant ones among His people. What, though,will the almighty God do?—Revelation 15:3.

Jeremiah is certain that Jehovah will “bowlow” over those who truly repent. Anothertranslation says: “O remember, and stoop down

� Ancient scribes changed this verse to say “my soul,”as if referring to Jeremiah. They evidently believed that itwas irreverent to speak of God as being a soul, a word theBible uses for earthly creatures. But the Bible often de-scribes God in human terms to help us comprehend him.Since the term “soul” can mean “the life that we possess,”the phrase “your soul” means “you.”

to me.” Those words evoke a tender mental pic-ture. Jehovah, “the Most High over all theearth,” will stoop down, so to speak, and lift hisworshippers up out of their debased conditionand restore them to his favor. (Psalm 83:18)Anchored by this hope, Jeremiah finds truecomfort for his wounded heart. The faithfulprophet is determined to wait patiently until Je-hovah’s due time to deliver His repentant peo-ple.—Verse 21.

The words recorded by Jeremiah really teachus two things about Jehovah. First, he is hum-ble. (Psalm 18:35) Although he is “exalted inpower,” Jehovah is willing to come down to our

level, as it were, to help us when we are low.(Job 37:23; Psalm 113:5-7) Is that not a comfort-ing thought? Second, Jehovah is merciful; he is“ready to forgive” repentant sinners and wel-come them back into his favor. (Psalm 86:5)Those two qualities—humility and mercy—gohand in hand.

How thankful we are that Jehovah is not likehuman rulers, whose pride makes them stub-born and insensitive! Are you moved to learnmore about the humble God who is willing to“stoop down” in order to lift his worshippersfrom despair to hope?

DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

“Your Soul Will . . .Bow Low Over Me”

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SUGGESTED BIBLE READING FOR JUNE:˛ Jeremiah 51–Ezekiel 5

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Jehovah is willing to come downto our level, as it were, to help uswhen we are low

ˇ In the Bible, we find this command of Jesus tohis followers: “Go therefore and make disciplesof people of all the nations, . . . teaching them.”(Matthew 28:19, 20) Does this apply to allChristians? Jesus’ earliest disciples understoodthat it does. For example, the apostle Peter stat-ed: “He [Jesus] ordered us to preach to the peo-ple and to give a thorough witness.” (Acts 10:42) And the apostle Paul wrote: “Necessity islaid upon me. Really, woe is me if I did not de-clare the good news!”—1 Corinthians 9:16.

Not only Paul and Peter but also first-centuryChristians in general acted on Jesus’ command.They made preaching the hallmark of their ac-tivity. (Acts 5:28-32, 41, 42) Jehovah’s Witnessestoday endeavor to do so as well. They preachthe same message as Jesus did, namely, “thekingdom of the heavens.”—Matthew 10:7.

To whom should the Kingdom message bepreached? Jesus indicated that it should bepreached to all people everywhere. He told hisdisciples: “You will be witnesses of me . . . to themost distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Heeven foretold that before the end of this systemarrives, “this good news of the kingdom willbe preached in all the inhabited earth for awitness.” (Matthew 24:14) Accordingly, first-century Christians strove to speak with all peo-ple, not just personal acquaintances or indi-viduals without a religion. (Colossians 1:23;1 Timothy 2:3, 4) Likewise, Jehovah’s Witnessestoday try to reach everyone.�

What is the most effective way to spread theKingdom message? Jesus, who knew how to

� Jehovah’s Witnesses are currently preaching in 236lands. Last year, they spent 1.7 billion hours in the preach-ing work and conducted 8.5 million home Bible studiesworldwide.

reach as many as possible,sent his disciples to cities,villages, and homes of thepeople. (Matthew 10:7, 11,12) After Jesus’ death andresurrection, his disciplescontinued to preach “fromhouse to house.” (Acts 5:42) As Jesus did, they toopreached in informal set-tings and in public places.(John 4:7-26; 18:20; Acts 17:17) Today, Jehovah’s Wit-nesses use those same methods to preach to allpeople.

Jesus indicated that not everyone would lis-ten. (Matthew 10:14; 24:37-39) Should that de-ter Christians from preaching? Consider thiscomparison: If you were part of a rescue teamfollowing a severe earthquake, would you stopsearching simply because after a while only afew survivors were being found? No, you wouldpersist as long as there was hope of saving oneperson. Jesus instructed his disciples to perse-vere as long as there is hope of finding somewho will respond to the good news aboutGod’s Kingdom. (Matthew 10:23; 1 Timothy 4:16) By searching out such ones from house tohouse, Jehovah’s Witnesses show love for Godand for their neighbors, whose lives dependon hearing and responding to the Kingdommessage.—Matthew 22:37-39; 2 Thessalonians1:8.

The magazine you are reading conveys thatBible message. For more information, pleasespeak with Jehovah’s Witnesses the next timethey call, or write to the publisher of this maga-zine.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses preachfrom house to house?


1. Why has God given himself a name?Undoubtedly, you like to be called by your per-

sonal name rather than by a title, such as “man,”“mister,” “madam,” or “woman.” A name helps todistinguish you as an individual. God is called bysuch titles as “Sovereign Lord,” “God Almighty,”and “Grand Creator.” (Genesis 15:2; 17:1; Eccle-siastes 12:1) But he has also given himself a name tohelp us to establish a personal relationship withhim. In English, God’s personal name is Jehovah.—Read Isaiah 42:8.

Although many Bible translators have replacedGod’s name with such terms as “God” and “Lord,”that name is found nearly 7,000 times in ancientHebrew manuscripts of the Bible. Clearly, Godwants his name to be known.—Read Isaiah 12:4.

2. Why is knowing God’s name vital?Knowing God’s name means more than merely

knowing how to say it. To know God by namemeans to have a close relationship with him. Thename Jehovah means “He Causes to Become.”It is an assurance that God will become what-ever is needed to fulfill his purpose. So, knowingGod’s name implies believing that God will fulfillhis promises. (Psalm 9:10) The faith of people whoknow and use God’s name moves them to trust inhim and to put him first in their life. Jehovah Godwill protect such people.—Read Psalm 91:14.

LEARN FROM GOD’S WORD

Why Should We UseGod’s Name?

This article considers questions youmay have raised and shows where youcan read the answers in your Bible.Jehovah’s Witnesses would be pleasedto discuss these answers with you.

God’s name in an earlyHebrew manuscript

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3. Why does God want his nameto be known?

God wants people to know him by name becauseit benefits them. It enables them to become a friendof God, with the hope of living forever. No wonderJehovah wants us to make his name known!—ReadJohn 17:3; Romans 10:13,14.

Jesus made God’s name known by teaching peo-ple about God’s ways, His laws, and His promises.Today, Jesus’ followers continue the work of makingGod’s name known in all the nations. They do so asa united “people for [God’s] name.”—Read Acts 15:14; John 17:26.

4. How will God glorify his name?Jehovah God wants to glorify his name because it

has been slandered. For example, some people saythat he did not create life and that we do not needto obey him. Others say that he does not care aboutus and that he is responsible for suffering. Suchpeople defame God’s name. But they will not do soforever. God will act against those who dishonor hisname.—Read Psalm 83:17,18.

Jehovah will glorify his name when his Kingdombrings an end to all human rulership and restorespeace and security to mankind. (Daniel 2:44) Soon,everyone will have to know that Jehovah is the trueGod.—Read Ezekiel 36:23; Matthew 6:9.

What should you do? Draw close to God bystudying his Word and associating with peoplewho love him. When Jehovah glorifies his name, hewill remember his faithful servants.—Malachi 3:16.

For more information, see chapter 1 of this book,published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

WHAT DOESTHE BIBLE

Really TEACH?


IN ABOUT the year 50C.E., Paul andhis trav-eling companion Silas came toThessaloni-

ca. They were on Paul’s second missionaryjourney, their first opportunity to bring thegood news about the Christ into what is to-day Europe.

As they arrived inThessalonica, the memo-ryof the beating and imprisonment they hadsuffered in Philippi, the principal cityof Mac-edonia, was no doubt still fresh in theirminds. In fact, Paul later told the Thessa-lonians that when visiting them, he hadpreached “the good news of God with a greatdeal of struggling.” (1 Thessalonians 2:1, 2)Would the situation inThessalonica be morefavorable? How would the ministry fare inthis city? Would it be fruitful? First, let ustake a look at that ancient city itself.

A City With a Turbulent PastEven the name Thessalonica, derived from

two Greek words meaning “Thessalians” and“victory,” implies struggle and fighting. It iscommonly believed that in 352 B.C.E., Mace-donian King Philip II, father of Alexander theGreat, defeated a tribe from central Greece in

Thessaly. It is said that in memoryof that vic-tory, he gave the name Thessalonice to oneof his daughters, who later married Cassan-der, a successor of her brother Alexander.About 315 B.C.E., Cassander built a city onthe west side of the Chalcidice Peninsula andnamed it after his wife. Thessalonicawas buf-feted by conflict throughout its troubled his-tory.

Thessalonica was also a prosperous city. Ithad one of the best natural harbors in the Ae-gean Sea. In Roman times, it was also locatedon the famous highway Via Egnatia. Favoredwith such a strategic location on sea and landroutes, Thessalonica was one of the RomanEmpire’s trade gateways. Over the ages, thecity’s prosperity made it the coveted prize ofGoths, Slavs, Franks, Venetians, and Turks.Some of them conquered the place by forceand bloodshed. But let us now focus onPaul’s visit, when the struggle for the goodnews began.

Paul’s Arrival at ThessalonicaWhen coming to a new city, Paul usually

approached the Jews first because their famil-

STRUGGLING FOR THE GOOD NEWS IN

ThessalonicaThessalonica, known today as Thessalonıki or Salonika, is a thriving seaport city innortheastern Greece. As a city, it played a prominent role in the history of the first-centuryChristians, especially in the ministry of Paul, the Christian apostle to the nations.—ACTS 9:15; ROMANS 11:13.

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iarity with the Scriptures provided a basis fordiscussion and could help them understandthe goodnews.One scholar suggests that per-haps this custom was an indication of Paul’sconcern for his countrymen or an effort touse the Jews and the God-fearers as a spring-board for his work among the Gentiles.—Acts17:2-4.

So, arriving in Thessalonica, Paul first en-tered the synagogue, where “he reasonedwith [the Jews] from the Scriptures, explain-ing and proving by references that it was nec-essary for the Christ to suffer and to rise fromthe dead, and saying: ‘This is the Christ, thisJesus whom I am publishing to you.’”—Acts17:2, 3, 10.

What Paul highlighted—the Messiah’s roleand identity—was a controversial issue. Thenotion of a suffering Messiah was contraryto the Jews’ ideal of a conquering warrior-Messiah. To persuade the Jews, Paul “rea-soned,” ‘explained,’ and ‘proved by refer-ences’ to the Scriptures—the true marks of aneffective teacher.� But what was the reactionof Paul’s audience as he imparted such awealth of information to them?

A Fruitful but Eventful MinistrySome Jews and many Greek proselytes, as

well as “not a few of the principal wom-en,” accepted Paul’s message. The expression“principal women” is especially fitting, for inMacedonia females enjoyed an elevated so-cial status. They held public office, ownedproperty, enjoyed certain civic rights, and en-gaged in business. Even monuments wereerected in their honor. Just as the Philippianbusinesswoman Lydia had accepted the goodnews, there was now also a notable responseby Thessalonian women of high rank, likelyladies of good families or wives of prominentcitizens.—Acts 16:14,15; 17:4.

� Paul might have referred to what are now Psalm 22:7;69:21; Isaiah 50:6; 53:2-7; and Daniel 9:26.

The Jews, however, became full of envy.They enlisted “wicked men of the market-place idlers and formed amobandproceededto throw the city into an uproar.” (Acts 17:5)What kind of people were these? One Biblescholar described them as “the dissipatedand the worthless.” He added: “It does notappear that they felt any particular interest inthe subject; but they were, like other mobs,easily excited, andurged on to any acts of vio-lence.”

That mixed mob “assaulted the house ofJason [Paul’s host] and went seeking to havethem brought forth to the rabble.” Not find-ing Paul, they turned to the city’s highest lev-el of administration. So “they dragged Jasonand certain brothers to the city rulers, cryingout: ‘These men that have overturned the in-habited earth are present here also.’”—Acts17:5, 6.

As capital of Macedonia, Thessalonicaenjoyed some autonomy. Part of its self-government was a people’s assembly, or


citizens’ council, that handled local public is-sues. The “city rulers,” or politarchs,� werehigh officials, duty-bound to keep order anddefuse situations that could lead to Romanintervention and loss of the city’s privileges.So they would be disturbed to hear that pub-lic peace was threatened by these “trouble-makers.”

Then came a most serious charge: “Thesemen act in opposition to the decrees of Cae-sar, saying there is another king, Jesus.” (Acts17:7) This, says a commentary, implied “sedi-tion and rebellion” against the emperors,who “would not permit the name of [anoth-er] king to be mentioned in any of the van-quished provinces except by their permis-sion.” Also, the fact that Jesus, whom Paulproclaimed as King, had been executed byRoman authorities on the very charge of se-dition added to the plausibility of the accusa-tion.—Luke 23:2.

The city rulers were agitated. But sincethere was no solid evidence and the accusedcould not be found, “after taking sufficientsecurity from Jason and the others they letthem go.” (Acts 17:8, 9) This arrangementcould refer to a kind of bail by means ofwhich Jason andother Christians guaranteedthat Paul would leave the city and would notreturn to cause disturbance again. PerhapsPaul was alluding to this event when he men-tioned that “Satan cut across [his] path” andprevented him from returning to the city.—1 Thessalonians 2:18.

In viewof the situation, Paul and Silas weredispatched by night to Beroea. Paul’s minis-try proved fruitful there as well, but this suc-cess so enraged his Jewish opponents inThessalonica that they made the 50-mile(80 km) trip to Beroea to stir up the crowds

� This term was not found in Greek literature. Yet, in-scriptions bearing it were uncovered in the Thessalonicaarea, some dating to the first century B.C.E., confirmingthe Acts account.

and fan the flames of opposition. Paul wassoon on the road again, heading for Athens,but the struggle for the good news was tocontinue.—Acts 17:10-14.

The Struggles of aFledgling Congregation

Happily, a congregation was established inThessalonica, but opposition was not theonly challenge that Christians there faced.They lived in a pagan, immoral environ-ment, and thismade Paul apprehensive.Howwould his brothers fare?—1 Thessalonians 2:17; 3:1, 2, 5.

The Christians in Thessalonica knew thatwhen they stopped taking part in the socialand religious activities of the city, they wouldhave to contend with the resentment and an-ger of their former friends. (John 17:14) Inaddition, Thessalonica abounded with sanc-tuaries of such Greek deities as Zeus, Artemis,and Apollo, as well as certain Egyptian gods.The imperial cult was also prominent, andall citizens had to observe its rites. Refusal

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to participate could be viewed as rebellionagainst Rome.

Idol worship fostered a climate of flagrantpromiscuity. Cabirus, a patron god of Thes-salonica; Dionysus and Aphrodite; and Isisfrom Egypt all had something in common: ahighly sexualized worship full of orgiasticrites and revelries. Concubinage and prosti-tution flourished. Fornication was no sin tothe people. Theirs was a society influencedby Roman culture, in which, according to asource, “citizens could draw upon the ser-vices of a whole population of men andwomen whose purpose was to satisfy theirevery desire—and physicians counseled thatsuch desires ought not to be repressed.” Un-derstandably, Paul admonished Christiansthere to “abstain from fornication” and toavoid “covetous sexual appetite” and “un-cleanness.”—1 Thessalonians 4:3-8.

A Victorious StruggleChristians in Thessalonica had to put up a

hard struggle for the faith. Yet, in spite of op-

position, hardship, and a pagan and immoralenvironment, they were commendedby Paulfor their ‘faithful work, loving labor, and en-durance,’ as well as their contribution to thespreading of the good news far and wide.—1 Thessalonians 1:3, 8.

In 303 C.E., vicious persecution broke outin the Roman Empire against those profess-ing Christianity. A chief instigator was CaesarGalerius, who resided in Thessalonica andadorned it with magnificent buildings. Ruinsof some are still standing for tourists to see.

Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Thessalo-nıki preach to their neighbors, often right infront of structures built by that cruel enemyof Christianity. Though there were periodsin the 20th century when they carried outtheir preaching work under harsh opposi-tion, there are now about 60 zealous congre-gations of the Witnesses in the city. Their ef-forts show that the struggle to spread thegoodnews that started somanycenturies agois still ongoing and still successful.

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THE ROTUNDA NEAR GALERIUS’ ARCH; A RELIEF OF CAESAR GALERIUS; PREACHING NEAR GALERIUS’ ARCH


OBED is the father of two. For tenyears heworked for a five-star hotel in a large Af-

rican city and had little problem meetingthe needs of his household. Periodically, hecould squeeze in a good family vacation atgame preserves in his country. All of thiscame to an end when he lost his job becauseof reduced clientele at the hotel.

In a career that spanned more than 22years, Stephen rose through the ranks to be-come an executive in a large bank. Amongthe many benefits that came with his jobwere a big house, a car, house servants, andprestigious schools for his children. Whenthe bank began a restructuring process, hefound himself out of work. “My family andI were devastated,” says Stephen. “I wasgripped by feelings of despair, bitterness,and apprehension.”

These are by no means isolated cases. Theongoing global economic slump has seenmillions who had stable incomes lose theirjobs. Many who have managed to find a jobhavehad to accept low paywhile contendingwith skyrocketing prices. Developed or not,no nation on earth is immune to the ravagesof a recession.

Need for Practical WisdomFaced with decreased or lost income, we

can easily be overwhelmed by negativethoughts. Granted, a person cannot totallyavoid some measure of apprehension. How-ever, awisemanonce said: “Have you shown

yourself discouraged in the day of distress?Your power will be scanty.” (Proverbs 24:10)Rather than panicking in the face of eco-nomic downturns, we need to do as God’sWord urges us: “Treasure up practical wis-dom.”—Proverbs 2:7.

Though the Bible is not a financial guide-book, its practical counsel on handlingsuch matters has proved helpful to millionsworldwide. Let us examine some basic prin-ciples that the Bible offers.

Count the cost. Consider Jesus’ wordsfound at Luke 14:28: “Whoof you that wantsto build a tower does not first sit downand calculate the expense, to see if he hasenough to complete it?” Applying that prin-ciple would mean making a budget andsticking to it. But as Obed acknowledges, thiscan be challenging. “Before losing my job,”he says, “we were used to pushing cartloadsof mostly nonessential goods out of the su-permarket. We never had a budget becausemoney seemed to be there for whatever wefancied.” Advance planning will ensure thatthe reduced funds available are spent on es-sential family needs.

Adjust your lifestyle. To accept a lowerstandard of living is undoubtedly a chal-lenge, but it is necessary. A Bible proverbstates: “A shrewd man sees trouble comingand lies low.” (Proverbs 22:3, The New En-

How to Survive on aREDUCED INCOME


glish Bible) “To save money, my family hadto move to our own house, smaller and withan unfinished interior,” says Stephen. “Thechildren had to transfer to less expensiveschools that still provided quality educa-tion.”

Open communicationwithin the family isessential if adapting to a new lifestyle is tosucceed. Austin, who worked for a financialinstitution for nine years before losing hisjob, says: “My wife and I sat down and item-ized the things we really needed. We had tocut down on costly food items, expensive va-cations, and unnecessary purchases of newclothes. I am glad that my family cooperatedthroughout these adjustments.” Of course,young children may not fully comprehendwhy such adjustments are necessary, but asparents, you can help them to understand.

Beopen to new types of work. If youhave grown accustomed to a white-collarjob, doing physical work may appear daunt-ing. “It was psychologically difficult for meto accept menial jobs, having been used tomanagerial positions in a large firm,” saysAustin. This is hardly surprising in view ofwhat the Bible says at Proverbs 29:25: “Trem-bling at men is what lays a snare.” Fillingyour mind with what others may think willhardly put bread on the table.What can helpyou overcome such negative thinking?

Humility is a key. After losing his job in thehotel industry, Obed was invited to join aformer workmate who owns a vehicle repairshop. This job involved walking long dis-tances ondusty streets to procure auto paintsand accessories. Obed says: “All the oddsseemed to be stacked very high against me.Humility helped me adjust to a job that paysless than a quarter of my former salary but isadequate for my family’s needs.” Could youbenefit from a similar outlook?

Becontent.One dictionary defines a con-tented person as one who is “reasonablyhappy and satisfied with theway things are.”Such a description may seem unrealistic tosomeone who is financially strapped. How-ever, consider the words of the apostle Paul,a missionary who knew what it meant to beinwant: “I have learned, inwhatever circum-stances I am, to be self-sufficient. I know in-deed how to be low on provisions, I knowindeed how to have an abundance.”—Philip-pians 4:11,12.

Our lot could perhaps be better, but inthese changing times, it could also be muchworse.We can truly benefit if we take to heartPaul’s inspired counsel: “To be sure, it is ameans of great gain, this godly devotionalong with self-sufficiency. So, having suste-nance and covering, we shall be content withthese things.” Without encouraging laziness,Paul was showing how to put physical needsin their proper place.—1 Timothy 6:6, 8.

Source of True HappinessTrue happiness does not come from

amassing everything that we might want orfrom living a life of ease and affluence. It wasJesus himself who said: “There is more hap-piness in giving than there is in receiving.”Yes, happiness and satisfaction come fromexpending what we have to help others andto be a source of encouragement to them.—Acts 20:35.

Our Creator, Jehovah God, is very muchaware of all our needs. Through his Word,the Bible, he has provided practical counselthat has helped many to improve their lifeand relieve unnecessary anxiety. Of course,the result will not be a sudden or dramaticimprovement in a person’s financial situa-tion. But Jesus did assure those who keep on“seeking first the kingdom and [God’s] righ-teousness” that all their daily necessities willbe given them.—Matthew 6:33.

“YOU need a challenge to take your mindoff your exams,” said my parents. “Let’s

go and visit your cousins in Ireland and sharein preaching to people who rarely hear thegood news of the Kingdom.”

I didn’t think it was a good idea. Besidesstudying for my exams, I felt nervous aboutthe journey, as I had never been out of En-gland or traveled on a plane. How would anactive 17-year-old girl who lives in a busyLondon suburb cope with the slower pace oflife in a small town at the southwest tip of Ire-land?

I need not have worried. From the mo-ment our plane landed, I was captivated.However, because of our very early morningstart, I fell asleep soon after our journey bycar began. Every now and then, I woke up tosee flashes of rugged yet beautiful country-side appearing beyond the stone-walled nar-row lanes.

The first night, we arrived at the town ofSkibbereen and spent a delightful, spirituallyupbuilding evening with a family who hadmoved to Ireland to help with the Kingdom-preaching work. We played Bible charades.Each one of us picked the name of a Biblecharacter out of a bag and then mimed an ex-

perience related to the character. The othershad to guess who it was.

The next day, my parents, my youngerbrother, our cousins, another family, and Itook the ferry to tiny Heir Island, home tofewer than 30 people. Jesus did say that thegood news must be preached in all the in-habited earth. So we spent the day sharingencouraging Scriptural thoughts with thesefriendly and hospitable people and admiringthe wonderful unspoiled landscape.

The sun shone in the clear blue sky. The airwas filled with a soft, sweet fragrance, waft-ing from a mass of bright-yellow, coconut-scented gorse bushes. Spring flowers carpet-ed the island’s marshy center. Sandy bays ledup to rocky cliffs, where cormorants and gan-nets nestedwith their young. As far as the eyecould see were scores of little islands, manyuninhabited, all in the quaintly named Roar-ingwater Bay. How we appreciated the perfectharmonyof Jehovah’s creation!

Back in Skibbereen, I enjoyed makingmany good friends in the local congregationof Jehovah’s Witnesses and tried to do thingsI had never done before. My favorite new ex-perience was kayaking. There’s nothing likeseeing the coast of Ireland from a kayak! We

A LETTER FROMIRELAND

My Best Vacation Ever!My Best Vacation Ever!


went fishing for our supper, but the seals thatjoined us got to the fish first. We inventedour own beach games, and I even tried Irishdancing.

We took time to learn a little about Skib-bereen too. When the Irish potato crop failedin the 1840’s, the town and its surroundingswere among the worst-affected areas. Thou-sands starved to death, and about 9,000 ofthe victims were buried in a mass grave. Wefelt comforted to know that soon underGod’s Kingdom rule, there will never againbe famine, and multitudes who died so tragi-cally will be restored to life on a paradiseearth.

We joined the local Witnesses in visitingpeople who are seldom reached in the con-gregation’s large territory. We drove down anarrow, steep road to houses perched on theedge of a cliff overlooking the Irish Sea. Onceagain, the people we met were friendly andwelcoming. As we had done on Heir Island,we began by mentioning that we were on va-cation and were spending some of that timesharing aheartwarmingmessage from theBi-ble.

My mother talked to a woman who readi-ly accepted our magazines, The Watchtowerand Awake! When we met her again a few

days later, she said that she had enjoyed read-ing the magazines.

“Please come back with some more maga-zines and talk to me,” she urged. We men-tioned that we were just about to go homebut would send someone to visit her.

“Well,” she replied, “when you come back,please come and see me. The Irish never for-get a face!”

Our last vacation day was spent on thebeach with the brothers and sisters from thelocal congregation. We made our own barbe-cue out of driftwood and stones and cookedsome mussels that we had gathered fromamong the rocks swept by the crystal-clearsea. This city girl loved every minute of it!

So, what did I think of my week in Ireland?It was the best vacation I’ve ever had! Notonly was it great fun but it was especially sat-isfying to know that I was doing somethingpleasing to Jehovah and was bringing praiseto him. I love serving our God, and whenyouhave great friends and family who feel thesame way and work along with you, it be-comes even more of a joy. When I got home,I thanked Jehovah for givingme somany lov-ing, spiritually-minded friends and for thebeautiful memories that I shall treasure for-ever.

AnPost,Ireland

)


ˇ Genealogical records were essentialin establishing tribal and family rela-tionships. They were also needed indetermining land division and inheri-tances. Of particular importance wasthe lineage of the promised Messiah.The Jews werewell-aware that this Onemust come from the line of David ofthe tribe of Judah.—John 7:42.

Additionally, “since the offices ofpriest and Levite were hereditary . . . itwas of the greatest importance thatthe purity of line remain unblem-ished,” states scholar Joachim Jere-mias. Israelite women who marriedinto priestly families were required toproduce their genealogies so that thepriesthood would remain “unadulter-

ated and pure.” In Nehemiah’s day,whole families of Levites were disqual-ified when they “looked for their regis-ter, to establish their genealogy public-ly, and it was not found.”—Nehemiah7:61-65.

Furthermore, the Mosaic Law stipu-lated that “no illegitimate son” nor any“Ammonite or Moabite may come intothe congregation of Jehovah.” (Deu-teronomy 23:2, 3) For this reason, addsJeremias, “pure ancestry had to beproved for a man to exercise any civicrights, and this fact confirms our con-clusion that . . . even the simple Israel-ite knew his immediate ancestors andcould point to which of the twelvetribes he belonged.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Why were the Jews so interested in their genealogies?

ˇ The Gospel writers Matthew andLuke produced detailed genealogiesof Jesus’ forebears. (Matthew 1:1-16;Luke 3:23-38) Other genealogical rec-ords have also been preserved. For ex-ample, a Jewish midrash, or commen-tary, states concerning Hillel, a rabbi inJesus’ time: “A genealogical scroll wasfound in Jerusalem, in which it waswritten that Hillel was descended fromDavid.” First-century Jewish historianFlavius Josephus, in his work The Life,claimed that his ancestors were priestsand that on his mother’s side, he was“of royal blood.” He stated that hefound this information “recorded inthe public registers.”

As to custody of the records ofpriestly families, Josephus, in his workAgainst Apion, stated that his nationgave the task to “men of the high-est character.” The Jewish Encyclopediastates: “A special officer seems to havebeen entrusted with these records,and a court of inquiry is mentionedas having been instituted in Jerusa-lem.” Nonpriestly Jews would registerin their fathers’ cities. (Luke 2:1-5) Theresulting public archives were evident-ly consulted by the Gospel writers. Pri-vate records also seem to have beenpreserved by individual families.

How did the Jews compile and preserve their genealogies?


THE Titanic, launched in 1912, was the largest and mostluxurious ocean liner of its time. Because of its advanced

scientific design, the vessel was considered “unsinkable.”What happened, of course, is history.On its maidenvoyage, itstruck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank, taking downwith it some 1,500 of its passengers. The ship that was said tobe impossible to sink vanished in the depths of the ocean injust a few hours.

The word “impossible” can mean a number of things. Wemay describe something as impossible in the sense that wefeel it is beyond our ability to cope with, to accomplish, or tounderstand. Many of today’s technological accomplishmentswere at one time viewed as impossible because at the time,those things were beyond the ability of man to do or even toforesee. Putting a man on the moon, sending a vehicle toMars and controlling it from Earth, mapping the human ge-netic code, and seeing a news event as it happens across townor across the globe—these are realities now that may havebeen described as impossible even just 50 years ago. The mat-ter was well summarized by formerU.S. President Ronald Rea-gan in an address to a groupof leadingfigures invarious fieldsof science: “You, on the cutting edge of technology, have al-readymade yesterday’s impossibilities the commonplace real-ities of today.”

In view of the many astounding developments takingplace, Professor John Brobeck observed: “A scientist is no lon-ger able to say honestly something is impossible. He can onlysay it is improbable. But he may be able to say something isimpossible to explain in terms of our present knowledge.” Ifsomething appears impossible to us, the professor went on tosay, “one thing that needs to be added is a source of energyunknown to us in our biological and physiological sciences.In our Scriptures this source of energy is identified as the pow-er of God.”

“Impossible!”WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

“Yesterday’simpossibilities

[have become] thecommonplace

realities of today.”—RONALD REAGAN

NASA

photo


All Things Are Possible With GodLong before this observation was made by

Professor Brobeck, Jesus of Nazareth, whohas been described as the greatest man whoever lived, said: “The things impossible withmen are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)God’s holy spirit is the most powerful forcein the universe. It cannot be measured in anytechnological way. Holy spirit can enable usto do things that are impossible in our ownstrength.

As humans, we often find ourselves in situ-ations that we feel are impossible to dealwith. For example, we may lose a loved onein death or our family life may become sostressful thatwe feelwe cannot continue. Per-haps our way of life has taken us to thedepths of despair and we feel there is no wayout. We feel helpless and desperate. Whatcanwe do?

The Bible tells us that a person who hasfaith in the Almighty and prays for Hisholy spirit while doingeverything possible toplease Him can receive help to overcomeseemingly insurmountable obstacles. NoteJesus’ reassuring words: “Truly I say to youthat whoever tells this mountain, ‘Be liftedup and thrown into the sea,’ and does notdoubt in his heart but has faith that what hesays is going to occur, he will have it so.”(Mark 11:23) There is no situation that is im-possible to bear or cope with if we allow thepower of God’s Word and his spirit to influ-ence our life.

Consider, for example, a man who hadbeen married for 38 years and lost his wife tocancer. He was shattered. He felt that his situ-ation was impossible to live with. There weretimes when he wanted to die rather thancontinue without her. He said that he feltthat he was going through a valley of deepshadow. Looking back, he believes that histearful prayers and daily Bible reading, aswell as his earnestly seeking the direction of

God’s spirit, helped him to cope with whathe had thought was impossible.

The marriage of one couple was headed fordisaster. The husband was violent and hadmany bad habits. Life seemed impossible forhis wife. She attempted suicide. Then thehusband began to study the Bible with Jeho-vah’s Witnesses. What he learned helped

him conquer his bad habits and violent tem-per. His wife was amazed at the “impossible”changes.

Another man describes his life of drugsand immorality as the pit of despair. “I lost alldignity,” he says. He earnestly prayed to God:“Lord, I know that you exist. Please helpme!” His prayer led to a study of the Biblewith Jehovah’s Witnesses and, in turn, to un-believable changes in his life. “I have oftenbeenplagued by feelings of guilt and a lackofself-worth,” he says. “At times I have been ex-tremely low in spirits. Yet, God’s Word hashelped me to fight these disturbing feelings.During sleepless nights, I would recite to my-self Scriptural passages that I had learned.Thismental housecleaning is especially help-ful.” He is now a happily married man.He and his wife are very active in helpingothers to have confidence in the power ofGod’s Word. As a troubled young man, hewould have considered his present life im-possible.

These experiences demonstrate that God’sWord is indeed powerful and that his holyspirit can accomplish “impossible” things inour lives. But you may say, “That takes faith!”Yes, that is true. In fact, the Bible says that“without faith it is impossible to please [God]well.” (Hebrews 11:6) But think of it thisway: A good friend, perhaps a bank manager

When life seems impossible,to whom do you turn?


or someone in authority, tells you: “Youmust not worry. If you are ever in needof anything, just come to me.” No doubtyou would be comforted by such a promise.But, sadly, humans often fail us. Perhapsyour friend comes into circumstances thatmake it impossible for him to fulfill his well-intentioned promise. Should your friend die,then all his good will and ability to helpwould come to an abrupt end. On the otherhand, none of the things that can happen tohumans can have any effect on God. The Bi-ble assures us: “Nothing is impossible to God.”—Luke 1:37, The Jerusalem Bible.

“Do You Believe This?”Numerous events that attest to the truth-

fulness of that last statement are recorded inthe Bible. Consider some examples.

A 90-year-old woman named Sarahlaughed when she was told that she wouldgive birth to a son, but the existence of the Is-raelite people is proof that she did. A manwas swallowed by a large fish, survived thethree-day experience, and lived to write hisown story. His name was Jonah. Luke, a doc-tor who knew the difference between a state

of unconsciousness and death, records howEutychus, a young man, fell from the win-dow of an upper room and died but wasbrought back to life. These are not fables. Acareful examination of each of these ac-counts will verify their authenticity.—Gene-sis 18:10-14; 21:1, 2; Jonah 1:17; 2:1, 10; Acts20:9-12.

To his friend Martha, Jesus made this as-tonishing statement: “Everyone that is livingand exercises faith inmewill never die at all.”To this seemingly impossible promise, Jesusadded this soul-searching question: “Do youbelieve this?” That question is still validtoday for our careful consideration.—John11:26.

Live Forever on Earth—Impossible?In a paper on the legal implications of lon-

gevity, the writers make this observation:“The time may not be far away where we maybe able to live much longer than we do now—potentially forever.” The New EncyclopædiaBritannica explains that rather than cellularbreakdown, wear and tear, or other processes,the cause of death seems to be some undeter-mined factor that makes the bodily processesmalfunction or shut down.� It states: “It ispossible that aging in an individual is actual-ly due to a breakdown in the control mecha-nisms that are required in a complex perfor-mance.”

While all of this is interesting, the Biblegives us a far stronger reason for believing inliving forever than anything that logic andscience might offer. Our Creator, JehovahGod, the Source of life, promises that “hewillactually swallow up death forever.” (Psalm36:9; Isaiah 25:8) Do you believe this? Thatpromise comes from Jehovah, and it is im-possible forhim to lie.—Titus 1:2.

� For an in-depth discussion of aging and life span,see the cover series “How Long Can You Live?” in theMay 2006 issue of Awake! published by Jehovah’s Wit-nesses.

HAVE you ever been stubborn and refusedto obey?—� Perhaps you watched a TV pro-gram that your mother or father said youshouldn’t watch. You may have thoughtabout it later and were sorry you disobeyed.The name of one person who at first refusedto obey is Naaman. Let’s see how he washelped not to be stubborn anymore.

Imagine we are living over 3,000 yearsago. Naaman is an important Syrian mili-tary commander. He is used to telling hissoldiers what to do, and they obey him. ButNaaman gets a terrible skin disease calledleprosy. It makes him look awful, and itprobably hurts a lot too.

Naaman’s wife has a little servant girlfrom Israel. One day the girl tells her mis-tress about a man named Elisha back in herhome country. She says that he can heal Na-aman. When Naaman hears of this, rightaway he wants to go to Elisha. He takesmany gifts and travels with his soldiers to Is-rael. He goes to the king of Israel to let himknow why he has come.

Elisha hears about this and sends a mes-sage for the king to send Naaman to him.When Naaman arrives at Elisha’s house, Eli-sha simply sends a messenger out to tellNaaman to bathe seven times in the Jor-dan River. Elisha says doing this will make� If you are reading with a child, the dash provides a remind-

er to pause and encourage the child to express himself.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN

He Was Stubbornbut Finally Obeyed

Naaman well. How do you think Naamanfeels about this?—

He is angry. So he gets stubborn and re-fuses to obey God’s prophet. He tells his sol-diers: ‘There are better rivers back home tobathe in.’ Naaman starts to leave. But doyou know what his soldiers ask?— ‘Had itbeen a hard thing the prophet asked you todo, wouldn’t you have done it? So why notobey when he asks you to do such a simplething?’

Naaman listens and does what his soldierssay. Six times he jumps in the river and outagain. On coming out of the water the sev-enth time, Naaman is amazed—his skin dis-ease has disappeared! He is well again!Right away he travels back to Elisha’s homesome 30 miles (48 km) away to thank him.He wants to give Elisha expensive presents,but the prophet will not take anything.

So Naaman asks Elisha for something. Doyou know what?— ‘Let me have two mule-loads of soil to take home.’ Do you knowwhy he wants that?— Naaman says that hewants to offer gifts of sacrifice to God on soilfrom the land of God’s people, Israel. Naa-man then promises never again to worshipany god except Jehovah! He is stubborn nomore but is willing to obey the true God.

Can you see how you can be like Naa-man?— If you are ever stubborn like he was,you can change. You can accept help andnot be stubborn anymore.

READ IN YOUR BIBLE2 Kings 5:1-19Luke 4:27

31

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

www.jw.org wp12 06/01-E

What are some factors that make the Bible differentfrom all other books? SEE THE SERIES ON PAGES 4-9.

For a glimpse of the ancient city of Thessalonica andthe apostle Paul’s ministry there, SEE PAGES 18-21.

How can you make ends meet when your income is reduced?SEE PAGES 22-23.

Are there some things that are said to be impossiblebut are really possible? SEE PAGES 27-29.

NASA photo

Would you welcome a visit?

Watchtower 2012, en

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