are miracles really possible?

34567AUGUST 1, 2012

MIRACLESDO THEY REALLY HAPPEN?

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 195 LANGUAGES

AUGUST 1, 2012

FROM OUR COVER3 Why Be Interested in Miracles?4 Are Miracles Really Possible?

—Three Common Objections7 Can You Believe the Miracles

Recorded in the Bible?8 Miracles That Are About to Happen

REGULAR FEATURES11 The Bible Changes Lives

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

16 Learn From God’s Word—When Did Jesus Become King?

24 My Bible Lessons

26 Did You Know?

27 Draw Close to God—Jehovah Hates Injustice

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE18 Life in Bible Times—The Fisherman

21 A Conversation With a Neighbor—Do All Good People Go to Heaven?

28 Champions of the Truth

“DOYOU believe in miracles?”As shown by the above quo-tations, opinions vary drastically. But how would youanswer that question?

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

On the other hand, you may be convinced that miracles real-ly do happen. You might believe in the miracles recorded inthe Bible, such as Moses’ parting of theRed Sea. You may also believe that mira-cles occur in our time. In fact, a reportrecently issued revealed that “a signif-icant proportion of the population ofthe Western world—for example aroundthree-quarters of those in the UnitedStates and38per cent in Britain—contin-ue to believe in miracles.” (The Cam-bridge Companion to Miracles, edited byGraham H. Twelftree) Moreover, beliefin miracles is not limited just to Chris-tians. According to the Britannica Ency-clopedia of World Religions, belief in miraculous events “is a fea-ture of practically all religions.”

Or you may belong to a third group, who would answer: “Idon’t know, and I don’t care! Miracles don’t happen in mylife!” Really, why should you be interested in miracles?

WHY BE INTERESTED IN

Miracles?“Miracles, by definition, violate the principles of science.”

—RICHARD DAWKINS, FORMER PROFESSOR FOR PUBLIC UNDERSTANDINGOF SCIENCE.

“Belief in miracles is entirely rational. Far from being anembarrassment to religious faith, they are signs of God’slove for, and continuing involvement in, creation.”—ROBERT A. LARMER, PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY.

WHAT IS AMIRACLE?It is an event thatsurpasses all knownhuman and naturalpowers and is usuallyattributed to somesort of supernaturalpower.

THE WATCHTOWER ˙ AUGUST 1, 2012 3

OBJECTION 1: Miracles are impossible be-cause they violate the laws of nature. Ourunderstanding of the laws of nature is basedon what scientists have observed happeningin the natural world around us. However,those laws are similar to the grammar rulesfor a language—there may be some excep-tions to the rule. Our understanding of these“rules” may, in fact, be very limited. (Job38:4) A dedicated scientist may have spent alifetime studying a certain law of nature. Butall it takes is one “exception” for him to haveto reevaluate his understanding of that law.As the saying goes, “Just one black swan un-does the theory that all swans are white.”

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

While describing his country, Holland, tothe king, the ambassador mentioned that attimes it was possible for an elephant to walkon water. The king rejected the idea and feltthat the ambassador was lying to him. How-ever, the ambassador was merely describingsomething that was beyond the king’s per-sonal experience. The king did not realizethat when water freezes and becomes ice, itcan support the weight of an elephant. Thisseemed impossible to the king because hedid not have all the facts.

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

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

Are Miracles Really Possible?THREE COMMON OBJECTIONS

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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. 15 Semimonthly ENGLISH

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

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

However, before we examine what thosepromised miracles are, let us answer threecommon objections concerning miracles.

4

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

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

˘ Surgeons can transplant hearts and otherbody parts.

What logical conclusion can we draw fromsuch facts? This: If humans can accomplishfeats that just a few years ago seemed impos-sible, then surely the God who created theuniverse and all that is in it can performamazing acts that we do not yet fully under-stand or cannot presently replicate.�—Gene-sis 18:14; Matthew 19:26.

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

OBJECTION 2: The Bible relies on miracles tomake people believe. The Bible does not tellus to believe all miracles. In fact, the oppositeis true. The Bible warns us to be very carefulwhen it comes to trusting miracles and pow-erful signs. Notice this clear warning: “Thecoming of the lawless one will be in accor-dance with the work of Satan displayed in allkinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and won-ders, and in every sort of evil that deceives.”—2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10, New InternationalVersion.

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

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

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6 THE WATCHTOWER ˙ AUGUST 1, 2012

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

God does not tell his worshippers to basetheir faith simply on miracles. Rather, theirfaith should be firmly established on facts.—Hebrews 11:1.

Let us consider, for example, one of thewell-known miracles recorded in the Bible,the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Years afterthat event, some Christians in Corinth start-ed to question whether Jesus had been resur-rected. How did the apostle Paul help thoseChristians? Did he simply say, “Have morefaith”? No. Notice how he reminded them ofestablished facts. He stated that Jesus “wasburied, yes, . . . he has been raised up thethird day according to the Scriptures; andthat he appeared to Cephas, then to thetwelve. After that he appeared to upward offive hundred brothers at one time, the mostof whom remain to the present.”—1 Corin-thians 15:4-8.

Did it matter whether those Christians be-lieved in that miracle? Paul goes on to say: “IfChrist has not been raised up, our preachingis certainly in vain, and our faith is in vain.”(1 Corinthians 15:14) Paul did not take thematter lightly. Either the miracle of the resur-rection of Jesus was true or it was not! AndPaul knew that it was true because of thehundreds of eyewitness accounts of peoplewho were still living at that time. In fact,those eyewitnesses were willing to die ratherthan deny what they had seen.—1 Corinthi-ans 15:17-19.OBJECTION 3: Miracles are just natural phe-nomena that are misunderstood by unedu-cated people. Some scholars try to explainthe miracles in the Bible as merely naturalevents that occurred without divine inter-vention. They feel that this makes the Bibli-cal accounts more believable. While it is true

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

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

As another example of the importance ofthe timing of a miracle, consider what hap-pened when the nation of Israel was poisedto enter the Promised Land. Their way wasblocked by the Jordan River at flood stage.The Bible account tells us what happenednext: “At the instant that the carriers of theArk came as far as the Jordan and the feet ofthe priests carrying the Ark were dipped inthe edge of thewaters . . . , then thewaters de-scending from above began to stand still.They rose up as one dam very far away atAdam.” (Joshua 3:15, 16) Was this the resultof an earthquake or a landslide? The accountdoes not say. But the timing of this event wasmiraculous. It occurred exactly at the time Je-hovah had said that it would.—Joshua 3:7,8, 13.

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

IF YOU were told an amazing story, wouldnot the credibility of the person tellingthe story affect whether you believe that

story or not? Such credibility would involvenot only the way the person told the storybut also his personal record of truthfulness.After all, if over the years he had always toldyou the truth and had never deliberately liedto you, you would have good reason to be-lieve what he now told you.

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

events occurred. But we can determine if theBible’s story is credible—if it has the ring oftruth. How? Here are some factors that addcredibility to Bible accounts of miracles.Many miracles were performed in publicplaces. At times, they were seen by thou-sands, if not millions, of observers. (Exodus14:21-31; 19:16-19) They were not performedin secret, away from the eyes of the public.The miracles were marked by simplicity.There were no special props or flashy dis-plays, and therewasno trick lighting. For themost part, the miracles recorded in the Bibleoccurred in response to chance encountersand requests from individuals. (Mark 5:25-29; Luke 7:11-16) In such cases the eventscould not have been staged by the one per-forming the miracle.The motive of those performing the mira-cles was not to gain fame, glory, and richesfor themselves. Rather, it was to bring glorytoGod. (John11:1-4,15, 40) Any effort by in-dividuals to gain wealth from such miracu-lous powers was condemned.—2 Kings 5:15,16, 20, 25-27; Acts 8:18-23.The variety of miracles recorded in the Bibleindicates that they could not be merely theworks of men. For instance, the sea and thewind were calmed, water was changed intowine, rain was stopped and started, sick peo-ple were cured, and sight was restored to theblind. All those miracles and many moreshow that a superhuman power that canexercise influence over all forms of mat-ter must have been behind such miracles.—1 Kings 17:1-7; 18:41-45; Matthew 8:24-27;Luke 17:11-19; John 2:1-11; 9:1-7.Opposers who observed the miracles didnot question that they had occurred. WhenJesus resurrected his friend Lazarus, Jesus’ re-ligious enemies did not question that Laza-rus had been dead. How could they? Lazarus

CAN YOU BELIEVETHE MIRACLES

Recorded inthe Bible?

Jesus’ opposers did not question thatLazarus had been dead


IFA surgeonwas scheduled to perform acomplicated procedure on you, howwould you feel if you found out that

he had never performed this type ofsurgery? No doubt you would be con-cerned. But what if, on the other hand,you found out that this doctor was theleading surgeon in his field and that hehad performed hundreds of successfuloperations like the one you were aboutto have? Would you not have muchmore confidence that he could help you?

The sick world in which we find our-selves today needs drastic “surgery.”Through his Word, the Bible, JehovahGod has promised that he will restoreParadise to this earth. (2 Peter 3:13)But for that to happen, wickedness willfirst have to be removed, completely cutaway. (Psalm 37:9-11; Proverbs 2:21, 22)All the woeful conditions that we seearound us must be eradicated before aparadise canbe reestablished. It will liter-ally take a miracle for that to happen!—Revelation 21:4, 5.

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

MiraclesTHAT ARE

About toHappen

had been buried for four days. (John 11:45-48; 12:9-11) Even centuries after Je-sus’ death, the writers of the JewishTalmud continued to acknowledge thatJesus had miraculous powers. They sim-ply questioned the source of those pow-ers. Similarly, when Jesus’ disciples werebrought before a Jewish court, the ques-tion they were asked was not “Did youperforma miracle?” But they were asked:“By what power or in whose name didyou do this?”—Acts 4:1-13.

So can you believe what the Bible tellsus about miracles? From what we havejust considered, it is clear that Bible ac-counts about miracles have the earmarksof credibility. There are other reasons fortrusting these Bible accounts. For exam-ple, when the Bible relates an event, it of-ten gives us the time, the place, and thenames of the people involved. Even crit-ics of the Bible have been amazed by theaccuracyof the historical details found inthe Bible. Hundreds of Bible prophecieshave been fulfilled, even in the smallestof details. In addition, the Bible con-tains much advice about how to makehuman relationships happy—advice thathas helped people of all ages and walks oflife. When it comes to human relation-ships, the advice found in the Bible hasproved to be without equal.

If you have not yet gained full confi-dence in the Bible, why not take the timeto examine it more carefully? The moreyou get to know it, the more you willgrow to trust it. (John 17:17) You will re-alize that you can trust what it tells youabout the miracles that occurred in thepast. Once you believe those accounts,you will have a good basis for trustingwhat the Bible says will happen in thenear future.

MIRACLE:JESUS FED THOUSANDS WITH A FEW LOAVES AND FISHES.

—MATTHEW 14:13-21; MARK 8:1-9; JOHN 6:1-14.PROMISE:“The earth itself will certainly give its produce;God, our God, will bless us.”—PSALM 67:6.

MEANING FOR US:NO ONE WILL EVER AGAIN SUFFER FROM HUNGER.

MIRACLE:JESUS RESTORED SIGHT TO THE BLIND.

—MATTHEW 9:27-31; MARK 8:22-26.PROMISE:“The eyes of the blind ones will be opened.”—ISAIAH 35:5.

MEANING FOR US:ALL BLIND PEOPLE WILL RECEIVE SIGHT.

MIRACLE:JESUS CURED THE DISABLED.

—MATTHEW 11:5, 6; JOHN 5:3-9.PROMISE:“The lame one will climb up just as a stag does.”—ISAIAH 35:6.

MEANING FOR US:ALL PHYSICAL DISABILITIES WILL BE CURED.

MIRACLE:JESUS CURED A VARIETY OF SICKNESSES.

—MARK 1:32-34; LUKE 4:40.PROMISE:“No resident will say: ‘I am sick.’ ”—ISAIAH 33:24.

MEANING FOR US:ALL DEBILITATING SICKNESSES WILL BE REMOVED.WE WILL ENJOY PERFECT HEALTH.

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

MIRACLE:JESUS CONTROLLED THE ELEMENTS.

—MATTHEW 8:23-27; LUKE 8:22-25.PROMISE:“They will certainly build houses and haveoccupancy; and they will certainly plantvineyards and eat their fruitage. They willnot toil for nothing.”—ISAIAH 65:21, 23.“You will be far away from oppression—for you will fear none—and from any-thing terrifying, for it will not come nearyou.”—ISAIAH 54:14.

MEANING FOR US:NATURAL DISASTERS WILL BE NO MORE.

MIRACLE:JESUS RAISED THE DEAD.

—MATTHEW 9:18-26; LUKE 7:11-17.PROMISE:“All those in the memorial tombs will . . .come out.”—JOHN 5:28, 29.“The sea gave up those dead in it, anddeath and Hades gave up those deadin them.”—REVELATION 20:13.

MEANING FOR US:OUR DEAD LOVED ONES WILL BERESURRECTED.

10

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

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

work included being an ad-ministrator at the jail. Duringthis time, Jehovah’s Witness-es would often come and askpermission to preach to theprisoners. They always shareda Bible message with me too. Ihad a lot of respect for God. Iwas impressed to learn thatGod has a name, Jehovah, andthat we can develop a friend-ship with him.

Gradually, I worked my wayup the judicial ladder. In 1981,I passed another governmentexam and was made a statejudge. Then, in 2005, I was ap-

pointed as a court of appeals judge in thecourt of Sao Paulo.HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE:Soon after I graduated from law school, Istarted reading theBible—an act that broughtabout quite a change in my thinking. I was astaunch Catholic. We had priests and a bish-op in the family, and I assisted the priest dur-ing Mass. Before he gave a sermon, I read as-signed parts of the prayer book. It wasn’t thenorm in Catholic households to read the Bi-ble. My mother was terribly upset when shelearned that I was reading the Bible. She triedto discourage me, saying I risked losing mymind. Even so, I went on reading; I could seeno harm in it.

THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

WHY did a man who was raised in a staunch Catholic family and who hada successful career in law enforcement become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses?What moved a terrorist to give up violence and become a minister of religion?Read what these people have to say.

“I gained a deeperunderstanding ofright and wrong.”—SEBASTI

˜AO ALVES JUNQUEIRA

YEAR BORN: 1946

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: BRAZILHISTORY: JUDGE



I suppose that my curiosity spurred me onin my Bible reading. I wanted to know moreabout priests and their role in the church. Ialso started reading about the liberation the-ology movement, but the reasoning and log-ic used by its proponents was so flawed that Icouldn’t make any sense of it.

At the same time, my dentist, who was aBuddhist, offered me a book that had beengiven to him. The title of the book was DidMan Get Here by Evolution or by Creation?� Iaccepted the book, thinking that it would beinteresting to read it along with The Origin ofSpecies, by Charles Darwin. The argumentsin Did Man Get Here by Evolution or by Cre-ation? were forceful, logical, and convincing.Therewasnodoubt inmymind that the evo-lution theory was unfounded.

Reading the book on the topic of creationheightenedmycuriosity. I wanted to get holdof more books published by Jehovah’s Wit-nesses. I was told that a mechanic in theaeronautics school was one of Jehovah’s Wit-nesses. I talked to him, and he gave me somebooks to read. At the time, I didn’t accept theoffer to study the Bible with the Witnesses. Ithought I could study it on myown.

When I started reading the Bible, I decidedthat since Iwasnowmarried, itwouldbewiseto read itwithmy family too.Wehad a familystudy every week and read the Bible together.As Catholics, my family’s world revolvedaround the priests and bishops. So what Iread at John 14:6 grabbed my attention: “Je-

� Published by Jehovah’s Witnesses but now out ofprint.

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

Two other Bible passages changed my atti-tude toward the Catholic Church and itsteachings. One is at Proverbs 1:7, which says:“The fear of Jehovah is the beginning ofknowledge. Wisdom and discipline are whatmere fools have despised.”And the other is atJames 1:5, which states: “If any one of you islacking in wisdom, let him keep on askingGod, for he gives generously to all and with-out reproaching; and it will be given him.” Ihad an unquenchable thirst for knowledgeand wisdom, which was not being satisfiedby going to church. So I stopped attending.

In 1980, my wife started studying the Biblewith theWitnesses.Whenever Iwas at home,I would sit in on the study. In time, I accepteda Bible study. However, we took a long timebefore we decided to get baptized as Jeho-vah’s Witnesses. My wife was baptized in1994, and I in 1998.HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: My four chil-dren have benefited by being brought up tolive by Jehovah’s standards. (Ephesians 6:4) Ihave two sons, both of whom work hard tocare for the spiritual needs ofotherWitnessesin the congregation where they attend. Mytwo daughters are very zealous in preachingto others. My wife spends many hours eachmonth helping people learn about the Bible,and I enjoy serving as an elder in the localcongregation.

When I became one of Jehovah’s Witness-es, I gained a deeper understanding of rightand wrong. As a judge, I try to put Jehovah’sway of dealing with different issues intopractice in court—taking into consideration

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


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

I have dealt with many cases of violence,crime, and child abuse, as well as other seri-ous criminal offenses. Even so, I haven’t be-

come desensitized. As I watch the news, I amdisgusted with the rampant moral decay anddepravity in this world. I’m grateful to Jeho-vah that I’ve come to understand the reasonbehind the increase in crime, as well as thehope that we have of better days.

MY PAST: I was born in 1961in Portadown, a busy town inNorthern Ireland. I came froma Protestant background, and Igrew up in a housing estate with a mixtureof Catholic and Protestant neighbors. Mostfamilies were relatively poor. There wasn’t alot of money about, and we all lived in andout of one another’s houses.

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

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

Problems escalated, andopen war broke out. Protes-tantswereburnedoutofCath-olic areas, and Catholics wereharassed in Protestant com-munities. Our estate becamemainly Protestant. It wasn’tlong before I was arrested andsentenced to three years inprison for my involvement inbombing activity.

While in jail, I became goodfriends with a prisoner who

was a well-known figure in the loyalist com-munity.Wewere like brothers, and later I washis best man at his wedding. Prison didn’t re-habilitatemeorhim.Whenwewere released,we went straight back to our political activi-ties, only this time in a bigger way. As a result,my friend again found himself in prison.While there, he was murdered.

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

“Prison didn’trehabilitate me.”—KEITH WOODS

YEAR BORN: 1961

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:NORTHERN IRELANDHISTORY: TERRORIST


During this time, I was involved in a doc-umentary regarding the “Troubles,” whichairedonBritishTV.Thedocumentarycreatedadditional problems for me. For instance,one night I went home and discovered thatmy wife had left me. Shortly afterward, as aresult of the TV program, my son was tak-en from me. I recall looking into a mirrorand saying, “If there is a God out there, helpme.”

The following Saturday, I met an acquain-tance of mine named Paul, who had becomeone of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He started talk-ing to me about the Bible. Two days later,Paul sent me a copy of The Watchtower. Anarticle in that magazine quoted Jesus’ wordsrecorded at John 18:36. He said: “My king-dom is no part of this world. If my kingdomwere part of this world, my attendants wouldhave fought that I should not be delivered upto the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is notfrom this source.” Those words made a bigimpression on me. That was the day my lifebegan to change.HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE: Paulstarted to study the Bible with me. Later on,Bill, another Witness, continued the study. Iknow that I was a difficult student; I had somany questions! I also brought many reli-gious ministers to my home to prove Billwrong. But the truth of God’s Word shonethrough.

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

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

The first time that I attended a meeting ofJehovah’s Witnesses at the Kingdom Hallmust have been a shock for some of them. Ihad long hair and an earring, and I wore atrademark leather jacket. However, I couldn’tbelieve how well the Witnesses treated me.Their kindness really impressed me.

Even though I was studying the Bible, I wasstill involved with my old associates. Eventu-ally, however, the truths I learned from theBible began to sink deeper intomy heart. I re-alized that if I wanted to serve Jehovah, I hadto change my political viewpoints and as-sociations. That wasn’t easy to do. But asI learned more about the Bible and drewstrength from Jehovah, I was able to makechanges. I cut my hair, removed my earring,and bought a suit. What I was learning alsostarted to improve my attitude toward otherpeople.HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: I had lived a lifeof crime and terrorism. My face was well-known by the law-enforcement groups in thecommunity. Now things are different. For ex-ample, when I attended my first conventionof Jehovah’s Witnesses, which was held inthe town of Navan, the law-enforcement au-thorities escorted me all the way through Ire-land and Northern Ireland. Now, though, Itravel to conventionswithout anescort. I alsonow share freely with my fellow WitnessesPaul and Bill and the rest of the congregationin the preaching work.

As my life changed for the better, I settledinto the congregation. There I met a Witnessnamed Louise, and we were married. In addi-tion, my son and I were reunited.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God wants us to respect life. In the Law,which God gave to the nation of Israel, he indi-cated that those who want to please him mustrespect human life. (Deuteronomy 5:17) Israel-ites had to build a parapet, or low wall, aroundthe edge of the roof of their houses. Why? Theroofs were flat and were used as a living space.The wall prevented the family and others fromfalling and being injured or killed. (Deuterono-my 22:8) In addition, the Israelites had to en-sure that the animals they owned did not causeinjury to others. (Exodus 21:28, 29) A personwho uses tobacco violates the principles thatunderpin those laws. He willingly damages hisown health. In addition, his smoking endan-gers the health of those around him.

God expects us to love him and to love ourneighbor. Jesus Christ stated that his followersshould obey the two greatest commandments.They must love God with their whole heart,soul, mind, and strength and love their neigh-bor as themselves. (Mark 12:28-31) Since life isa gift from God, a person who uses tobaccoshows a gross lack of respect for that gift andthus a lack of love for God. (Acts 17:26-28) Thatperson’s habit can cause serious harm to oth-ers, so he belies any claim he makes to love hisneighbor.

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

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Does it really matter to God whether I use tobacco?


1. What kingdom was Jesus promised?God promised that a descendant of King David

would sit upon His throne to time indefinite. Thatforetold descendant is Jesus, and in heaven he is nowreigning as King of God’s Kingdom.—Read Psalm89:4; Luke 1:32, 33.

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

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

Shortly after Jerusalem’s destruction, Jeho-vah told his prophet Daniel that God wouldchoose a king who would rule from heaven.When would his rule begin?—Read Daniel 7:13,14.

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

so that after “seven times” it would growagain. The Bible indicates that three and a half“times” equals 1,260 days, so “seven times”equals 2,520 days. (Revelation 12:6, 14) InBible prophecy, days often represent years.(Numbers 14:34) So, God’s Kingdom wouldlie dormant for 2,520 years.—Read Daniel 4:10-17.

LEARN FROM GOD’S WORD

When Did JesusBecome King?

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.

3. When did Jesus become King?God enthroned Jesus as King in heaven in 1914,

exactly 2,520 years after Jerusalem’s destruction. Je-sus’ first act as King was to expel Satan and his de-mons from heaven. (Revelation 12:7-10) That eventwas invisible to human eyes, but it resulted in a visi-ble crisis for mankind. (Revelation 12:12) Eventssince 1914 confirm that Jesus became King in thatyear.—Read Matthew 24:14; Luke 21: 10,11, 31.

4. What does Jesus’ kingshipmean for you?

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

For more information, see pages 215-218 of thisbook, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

WHAT DOESTHE BIBLE

Really TEACH?

Use your calculator:606.25

� 1,913.75˙ 2,520

606.25 years 1,913.75 years

2,520 yearsOctober607 B.C.E.

The kingdomin Jerusalem isdestroyed

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

October1914 C.E.

2000 C.E.

God makes Jesusa King with power

over the nations

17

FISH, fishing, and fishermen are mentioned often in theGospel accounts. In fact, Jesus used a number of illustra-

tions about fishing. And no wonder! He spent much of histime teaching near or on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.(Matthew 4:13; 13:1, 2; Mark 3:7, 8) This beautiful freshwaterlake is some 13 miles (20.92 km) long and 7 miles (11.27 km)wide. As many as seven of Jesus’ apostles—Peter, Andrew,James, John, Philip, Thomas, and Nathanael—may have beenfishermen.—John 21:2, 3.

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

“A Great Agitation Arose in the Sea”The Sea of Galilee is cupped in a rift valley, its surface be-

ing some 690 feet (210 m) below sea level. Rocky slopes

LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES

The Fisherman“Walking alongside the sea of Galilee he [Jesus] saw two brothers, Simon who iscalled Peter and Andrew his brother, letting down a fishing net into the sea, for theywere fishers. And he said to them: ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”—MATTHEW 4:18, 19.

18

flank its shores, and to the north, majesticMount Hermon juts into the sky. In winter,frigid winds may at times whip up choppywaves. In summer, hot air blankets the sur-face waters. With little notice, violent stormstumble down from the surrounding moun-tains and release their fury on sailors travers-ing the sea. Jesus and his disciples werecaught in just such a storm.—Matthew 8:23-27.

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

Men maneuvered the boat using oarsmounted on both sides. A crew might consistof six or more fishermen. (Mark 1:20) In ad-dition, the boats likely carried gear and sup-plies, such as a linen sail (1), rope (2),oars (3), a stone anchor (4), warm, dryclothes (5), food provisions (Mark 8:14) (6),baskets (7), a pillow (Mark 4:38) (8), and anet (9). They may also have carried extrafloats (10), as well as sinkers (11), repairtools (12), and torches (13).

“They Enclosed a GreatMultitude of Fish”

Today, as in the first century, the most pro-ductive fishing grounds in the Sea of Galileeare located near the mouths of the manysprings and rivers that feed the sea. At theselocations, vegetable matter enters the sea anddraws the fish. To catch their quarry, fisher-men in Jesus’ day often worked at night, us-ing torches. On one occasion, some of Jesus’disciples fished all night without success. Butthe next day, at Jesus’ direction, they letdown their nets again and caught so manyfish that they almost sank their boats.—Luke5:6, 7.

Sometimes the fishermen sailed to deepwaters. At the fishing grounds, two boatsworked as a team. The men stretched a netbetween the boats; then the crews rowedstrenuously in opposite directions, lettingout the net as they encircled the fish. Theboats completed the circle, and the trapclosed. The fishermen then heaved on theropes attached to the corners of thenet, haul-ing the catch into the boat. The net mighthave been more than 100 feet (30 m)long and about 8 feet (2.44 m) deep,large enough to trap an entire shoal offish. The upper edge was buoyed by

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

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

A lone fisherman might use a line withbaited bronze hooks. Or he could use a smallcasting net. To cast the net, he would wadeinto the water, position the net on his arm,and then toss it up and away from his body.The dome-shaped net would spread out, landon the water, and then sink. If the fishermanwas fortunate, the net enclosed a few fish ashe drew it back by its center rope.

Nets were expensive and required hard

work to maintain, so the men used themwith care. Much of a fisherman’s time wasspent mending, washing, and drying nets—chores he performed at the completion ofevery fishing trip. (Luke 5:2) The apostlesJames and his brother John were sitting intheir boat mending their nets when Jesus in-vited them to follow him.—Mark 1:19.

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

In the first century, successful fishermenwere patient, hardworking, and willing to en-dure hardship in the pursuit of a worthwhilereward. Those who accepted Jesus’ invitationto join him in the disciple-making work like-wise needed such qualities if they were tobe effective “fishers of men.”—Matthew 28:19, 20.

20


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

What Will Those Who Goto Heaven Do There?

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

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

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

Robert: We will be with God and praisehim forever.

Marcus: That’s certainly an appealing pros-pect. Interestingly, the Bible talks not onlyabout the privileges that those who go toheaven will receive but also about an impor-tant responsibility they’ll have.

Robert: What’s that?

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

Robert: The verse says that they’ll rule askings over the earth.

Marcus: That’s an interesting thought,isn’t it?

Over Whom Will They Rule?Marcus: Now, would you not agree that if

those who go to heaven will rule as kings,there must be people over whom they’llrule? After all, what’s the point of a govern-ment without any subjects?

Robert: I see your point.Marcus: So a logical question to ask is,

Whomwill they rule over?Robert: I suppose we’ll rule over the peo-

ple on earth who haven’t died and gone toheaven yet.

Marcus: That would seem reasonable—ifall good people go to heaven. But here’s an-other possibility to consider. Could it be that

A Conversation With a Neighbor

Do All Good People Go to Heaven?

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES enjoy discussing the Bible withtheir neighbors. Do you have a particular Bible questionthat you have wondered about? Are you curious aboutany of the beliefs or religious practices of Jehovah’sWitnesses? If so, do not hesitate to bring up the subjectthe next time you come in contact with a Witness. Heor she will be pleased to discuss such matters with you.


some people—some good people—will not goto heaven?

Robert: I’ve never heard of any Christianswho believe that.

Marcus: I raise the question because ofwhat we read at Psalm 37:29. Would youplease read this verse?

Robert: OK. It says: “The righteous them-selves will possess the earth, and they will re-side forever upon it.”

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

Robert: The verse says they’ll reside on theearth.

Marcus: Precisely—and not just for a shorttime.Notice that the verse says: “Theywill re-side forever upon it.”

Robert: Maybe that just means that therewill always be good people on earth. Whenwe die and go to heaven, we’re replaced byother good people who have been born.

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

Robert: I’m not sure I follow you.

A Future Earthly ParadiseMarcus: Well, consider what another por-

tion of the Bible says about life on earth inthe future. Let’s read Revelation 21:4. Con-cerning people who will live at that futuretime, the verse says: “He [God] will wipe outevery tear from their eyes, and death will beno more, neither will mourning nor outcrynor pain be anymore. The former thingshave passed away.” Isn’t that an appealingprospect?

Robert: Yes. But I think that’s talking aboutwhat life will be like in heaven.

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

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

Robert: It says that “death will be nomore.”

Marcus: Exactly. Now, I’m sure you wouldagree that for something to be no more, ithad to exist in the first place.

Robert: Of course.Marcus: But there has never been death in

heaven, has there? It’s only here on earththat people die.

Robert: Hmm. I’ll have to think about that.Marcus: You see, Robert, the Bible teaches

that some good people will go to heaven butthat many others will live forever here onearth. In fact, I’m sure you’ve heard thefamous words: “Blessed are the meek: forthey shall inherit the earth.”—Matthew 5:5,King James Version.

Robert: Yes, I’ve heard that passage read atchurch many times.

Marcus: If the meek inherit the earth,doesn’t that imply that people will be livingon the earth? Those who live on the earthwill enjoy the benefits foretold here in Reve-lation. They will see our world completelychange because God will do away with every-thing bad—even death.

Robert: I seewhat you’re getting at, but I’mnot sure that just one or two Bible versesprove your point.

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

Robert: Yes, I have a few minutes.

“The Wicked One Will Be No More”Marcus: Earlier we read verse 29 of

Psalm 37. Let’s go back to that psalm. Thistime, we’ll read verses 10 and 11. Would youplease read those verses?


Robert: Sure. “And just a littlewhile longer,and the wicked one will be no more; and youwill certainly give attention to his place, andhe will not be. But the meekones themselveswill possess the earth, and they will indeedfind their exquisite delight in the abundanceof peace.”

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

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

Marcus: That’s true. However, notice thatthe verse also says that good people will en-joy an “abundance of peace.” We don’t seemuch peace in the world today, dowe?

Robert: No, we don’t.Marcus: So how will the promise be ful-

filled? Maybe I could use this comparison:Imagine you own an apartment building.Some of the tenants are good people—theytake care of their apartment and try to begood neighbors. You’re glad to rent an apart-ment to them. But others are bad tenants;they damage the property and make lifemiserable for their neighbors around them.Now, if those bad tenants refused to clean uptheir act, what would you do?

Robert: I’d evict them.Marcus: That’s exactly what God is

going to do to the bad people aroundus today. Look again at verse 10.It says: “The wicked one will beno more.” In other words, God will“evict” the people who make troublefor others. Then good people willbe able to enjoy life on earth inpeace. I realize that this idea of goodpeople living forever on earth maybe somewhat different from whatyou’ve been taught in the past.

Robert: Yes, I’ve never heard that idea atmychurch.

Marcus: And as you mentioned before, it’snot enough to consider just one or twoverseson the subject. Really, we need to examinewhat the Bible as a whole says about the fu-ture of good people. But based on the scrip-tures we’ve read today, do you think it’spossible that some good people will go toheaven, while many other good people willlive foreverhere on earth?

Robert: I’m not sure. But I have to admitthat it does appear that way from the scrip-tures you just read. I’ll have to think about itsome more.

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

Robert: Interesting questions.Marcus: Perhaps I can do two things for

you. First, let me jot down a few scripturesthat have a bearing on the topic.� Second, I’dlike to comeback anddiscuss those scripturesafter you’ve had a chance to read them andthink about them. Would that be OK?

Robert: Yes, that sounds good. Thank you.

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

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25


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

In Bible times, people prized pre-cious stones and traded them. The an-cient Egyptians, for example, obtainedgemstones from as far away as whatis now modern-day Iran, Afghani-stan, and possibly even India. Egyptianmines produced a number of different

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

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

The Exodus account states that theIsraelites “stripped the Egyptians” oftheir valuables when leaving the land.(Exodus 12:35, 36) So it is possible thatthe Israelites obtained from Egypt thestones used on the high priest’s breast-piece.

DID YOU KNOW?

Where did the precious stones on the breastpieceof Israel’s high priest come from?

ˇ In one of his parables, Jesus spoke ofa man who had been beaten by rob-bers. Jesus said that the man washelped by a Samaritan who bound uphis wounds and poured “oil and wineupon them.” (Luke 10:30-34) Whenwriting to his friend Timothy, the apos-tle Paul advised him: “Do not drink wa-ter any longer, but use a little wine forthe sake of your stomach and your fre-quent cases of sickness.” (1 Timothy 5:23) Were both the practice Jesus de-scribed and the advice Paul gave med-ically sound?

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

ancient times wine had a central role inEgyptian, Mesopotamian, and Syrianhealth treatment. The Oxford Compan-ion to Wine describes it as “man’soldest documented medicine.” As forPaul’s advice to Timothy, the book TheOrigins and Ancient History of Winesays: “It has been shown experimental-ly that living typhoid and other danger-ous microbes rapidly die when mixedwith wine.” Modern research confirmsthat some of the more than 500 com-pounds found in wine have those anda number of other medicinal benefits.

Why was wine used as medicine duringBible times?

PEASANTS TREADINGGRAPES, FROM THE

TOMB OF NAKHT,THEBES, EGYPT

Gianni Dagli Orti/The Art Archiveat Art Resource, NY


“MAN has dominated man to his injury.”(Ecclesiastes 8:9) Those words, recorded

some 3,000 years ago, accurately describe theworld in which we live. Humans tend to abusepower, no matter who they are or where theylive. All too often they victimize the vulnerableand the disadvantaged. How does Jehovah feelabout such injustices? We find the answer atEzekiel 22:6, 7, 31.—Read.

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

The chieftains were using their “arm for thepurpose of shedding blood.” (Verse 6) The term“arm” represents power or authority. Anothertranslation thus says: “The princes of Israel . . .have used their power to shed blood.” How canthere be justice when leaders who should pre-serve and promote lawfulness abuse their pow-er and snuff out innocent lives?

Following this, Ezekiel evidently indicts notjust the leaders but also those who followedthem in disobeying Jehovah’s Law. “Father andmother they have treated with contempt,” saysEzekiel. (Verse 7) By disregarding the rightfulplace of parents, the people tore apart the basicfabric of the nation—the family.—Exodus 20:12.

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

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

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

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

In these and other ways, the Israelites in Eze-kiel’s day broke God’s Law and trampled on theloving spirit embodied in it. What would Jeho-vah do? “I shall pour out my denunciationupon them,” he promised. (Verse 31) True tohis word, he allowed the Babylonians to de-stroy Jerusalem and take her people captive in607 B.C.E.

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

DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

Jehovah Hates Injustice

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SUGGESTED BIBLE READING FOR AUGUST:˛ Ezekiel 21-38

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Jehovah made it clear thatthose in positions of authoritymust never misuse their power


MARCH 10, 2012, was a special day at theeducational center of Jehovah’s Wit-

nesses in Patterson, New York. Thousands ofwell-dressed people, including visitors fromforeign lands, were coming together to at-tend the graduationof the 132nd class of theWatchtower Bible School of Gilead. Manyfiled into the auditorium at Patterson; othersgathered to watch the program on videomonitors at satellite locations. In all, 9,042attended.

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

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

“How do we know we have the truth?”askedBrother Losch.Henoted that the proofis not found in the numbers of people whoaccept it. Though there are millions todaywho have accepted pure worship, there wereonly a few at Pentecost 33 C.E. He listed five

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

“Follow Through and Obey Direction”Those in the audience wondered what was

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

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

The third slave was called “wicked andsluggish” and “good-for-nothing.”Whatwashis problem? He buried his talent. A talentwas, not a coin, but a unit of weight theequivalent of 6,000 denarii, which wouldweigh 45 pounds (20 kg). That is about theweight a person is allowed in a suitcasewhentraveling internationally. It would have tak-

132ND GILEAD GRADUATION

Champions of the Truth


en effort to bury anything the size of a suit-case. So the slave did something—he buriedthe talent—but that was not what he was di-rected to do. Similarly, a missionary may bebusy—but busy doing what? Writing news-letters, surfing the Internet, socializing, orengaging in business? Such a person couldbe totally exhausted at the end of the day af-ter engaging in such activities, but he did notdo what he was directed to do. Brother Jack-son concluded: “Always follow direction!”

“Rid Your Mind of Doubts”That was the theme of the talk given by

Anthony Morris of the Governing Body.“The Bible never links faith and doubt asbelonging together,” he said. “Faith repelsdoubt.” Satan succeeded in planting doubtsin the mind of a perfect woman, Eve, so hecan plant doubts in our mind. “Feed yourfaith, anddoubtswill starve todeath,” Broth-er Morris said. He drew attention to the ac-countof Peter, who “walked over thewaters”but then, on“looking at thewindstorm,” gotafraid and started to sink. After catchingholdof him, Jesus asked him: “Why did you giveway to doubt?” (Matthew 14:29-31) “As busyas you missionaries will be in full-time ser-vice, others may be impressed at all that youdo, as thoughyouwerewalkingonwater, butwhen storms hit, do not give way to doubt.”

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

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

Other Talks of Encouragement“Will You Love Enough Days?” was the ti-

tle of the talk given by Robert Luccioni, ofthe Purchasing Department. The theme wasdrawn from King David’s words recorded atPsalm 34:12. Brother Luccioni’s talk consid-ered how to handle difficult times and stillmaintain a good relationship with Jehovah.Much may be learned from the account at1 Samuel chapter 30. While David, his men,and their families were on the run fromKing Saul, they lived in exile in Ziklag.Whentheir families were taken captive by Amale-kite raiders, the men blamed David andwanted to stone him. David’s reaction? Hedid not give in to discouragement but “tookto strengthening himself by Jehovah hisGod.” (1 Samuel 30:6) He inquired of Jeho-vah, acted in harmony with God’s direction,and rescued the captives. The speaker as-sured the students that if they show similartrust in Jehovah and obey his direction, theywill love enough days to see good. They willhave adelightful life in theprecious privilegethey have been given.

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


not drift off to sleep. (Psalm 119:148) “Youwill need to be watchful,” Brother Burnetttold the students. “You will have some darkdiscouraging days and will see the effects ofthe cold, loveless world. You need a plan ofaction.” He then reminded them that theyshould tackle challenging study projects inorder to keep themselves spiritually watch-ful. Brother Burnett illustrated his point:“Each day, you pray to Jehovah because youwant him to be your friend. So, let Jehovah,as your friend, talk to you every day throughthe pages of the Bible. The night is wellalong, so plan how you will use your daysahead, and in that way you will keep youreyes ahead of the night watches.”

“Trained for the Work Ahead,” based on1 Peter 5:10, was the theme chosen byMarkNoumair, another Gilead instructor. Heposed this question to the students: “Sinceyou are experienced ministers, why were youinvited to the Watchtower Educational Cen-ter?” The answer: “Because you are profes-sionals in your field. Many professionals taketime off from work to attend classes to sharp-en their skills. During the past five months,Jehovah has been making you ‘firm’ and‘strong’ by a thorough study of his Wordand organization so that you can carry theweighty responsibilities that come your way.Timbers that are firm do not warp, twist, orpull apart under pressure. The results of yourtraining will be revealed as you work withyour fellow brothers and sisters. Will thepressure cause you to pull away from godlyprinciples, or will you hold firm, straightin line with what you learned from God’sWord? Something that is strong can carry aload. The strength of timbers lies in a tightlywoven grain. Your strength is determined bythe innermost fibers of whoyou are. Jehovahbrought you here to make you strong, reli-able, and trustworthy for the work ahead.

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

Experiences and InterviewsIt is always refreshing at Gilead gradua-

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

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

After diplomas were handed out to thegraduates, a student representing the classread a letter of appreciation for the instruc-tion they had received. Then, Brother Losch,in his concluding remarks, employed somebeautiful figures of speech, saying that truthis like a rainbow for beauty, like an oasis inthe desert, and like an anchor in a stormysea. “What a blessing it is to know the truth,”he said. “Be a champion of the truth, andhelp others to be champions as well.”

In the list below, rows are numbered from front to back, and names are listed from left to right in each row.(1) Iap, R.; Iap, J.; Ng, T.; Ng, P.; Laurino, F.; Laurino, B.; Won, S.; Won, S.(2) Morales, N.; Morales, M.; Zanutto, J.; Zanutto, M.; Rumph, I.; Rumph, J.; Germain, D.; Germain, N.(3) Atchade, Y.; Atchade, Y.; Thomas, C.; Thomas, E.; Estigene, C.; Estigene, P.(4) Ehrman, D.; Ehrman, A.; Bray, J.; Bray, A.; Amorim, M.; Amorim, D.; Seo, Y.; Seo, Y.(5) Simon, J.; Simon, C.; Seale, C.; Seale, D.; Erickson, J.; Erickson, R.(6) McCluskey, D.; McCluskey, T.; Brown, A.; Brown, V.; Mariano, D.; Mariano, C.; Loyola, Y.; Loyola, C.(7) Rutgers, P.; Rutgers, N.; Foucault, P.; Foucault, C.; Wunjah, J.; Wunjah, E.

132nd Graduating Class of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead

CLASS STATISTICS12 countries represented36 average age20 average years baptized15 average years in

full-time service

Class assigned to the countries shown below:

S˜

AO TOM´

EAND PR

´INCIPE

Cˆ

OTE D’IVOIRE

SAMOA

LIBERIA

BELIZE

PERU

GABON

BENIN

MALAWI EAST TIMOR

GUINEA

GEORGIA

CAPE VERDE

ZIMBABWE

DOMINICANREPUBLIC

ECUADOR

CAMBODIA

HONG KONG

MADAGASCAR

CAMEROON

UNITED STATESOF AMERICA

CLASS ASSIGNMENTS

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

Is it reasonable to believe in miracles?SEE PAGES 4-8.

Does it really matter to God whether a personuses tobacco? SEE PAGE 15.

When did Jesus become King?SEE PAGES 16-17.

Do all good people go to heaven?SEE PAGES 21-23.

How can you help your child to show kindness?SEE PAGES 24-25.

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