Questions From Readers
● Genesis 2:1, 2 says: “The heavens and the earth and all their army came to their completion. And by the seventh day God came to the completion of his work that he had made, and he proceeded to rest on the seventh day from all his work that he had made.” Does this mean that Jehovah stopped his creative work also in the heavens, since the end of the sixth creative day? And if so, then how can this be harmonized with Jesus’ words: “My Father has kept working until now, and I keep working”? (John 5:17)—G. G., U.S.A.
There is no discrepancy between Genesis 2:1, 2 and Jesus’ words in John 5:17. Jehovah God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, was working long before he ever created our heavens and earth, which had to do with mankind. He occupied himself directly for six long creative days in producing that which pertains to man. At the close of the sixth creative day he ceased from such material creative activity in behalf of mankind. However, all his heavenly activity that has to do with all his invisible angelic realm continued as well as any other activity far removed from the realm of mankind.
During this seventh creative day God has been working even with respect to mankind; not in a material work, but in a spiritual way. This has been by his bringing forth a “new creation.” “Consequently if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away, look! new things have come into existence.” (2 Cor. 5:17) Here the apostle Paul speaks of “a new creation,” viewing the 144,000 “called and chosen and faithful” from among mankind who rule with Jesus Christ, not collectively, but as individuals. The crowning work of Jehovah’s creative art, “a new creation,” is really a spiritual creation, the final realm of which is invisible to human eyes. Moreover, the purpose for which “a new creation” is brought forth to the total number of 144,001 is also for the doing of a merciful work demanding immediate action with regard to dying mankind, who need to be “set free from enslavement to corruption.” Such an uplifting work is lawful, as indicated by Jesus Christ when he asked the question to those versed in the Law and to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful on the sabbath to cure or not?” and then answered it positively by performing a healing miracle and raising another question: “Who of you, if his son or bull falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” So God’s work in behalf of a spiritual “new creation” is not in violation of his seventh day of cessation from the material works in behalf of mankind.—Rev. 17:14; Rom. 8:21; Luke 14:3-5.
● Would the tossing of a flower bouquet to the bridesmaids be proper at a Christian wedding, or is it a practice handed down from pagan customs?—F. G., U.S.A.
The bride’s tossing her flower bouquet to the bridesmaids is nothing but a pagan practice. It smacks of superstition, as, for instance, that the particular one of the bridesmaids who catches the bride’s flower bouquet is thereby said to be marked for being the next one of the girls to be married. Since such a practice takes place at worldly weddings and is merely a traditional custom of paganism, it could not be considered holy conduct and thus ought to be eliminated from Christian weddings. (1 Pet. 1:14-16) Such a practice definitely should not take place inside the local Kingdom Hall if the marriage is performed there.
If anyone wants to indulge in such a practice at a wedding ceremony or reception outside the Kingdom Hall, that is his own responsibility; but it is certainly setting a bad and unchristian example, disclosing evidence of considerable immaturity. So traditional pagan customs such as this must be banned from the Kingdom Hall inasmuch as such things not only do not have a Biblical foundation, but they result in a division of opinion on the part of members of the congregation. Many would be shocked by such a performance inside a building that has been dedicated to the pure worship of Jehovah God. It could prove to be a cause of stumbling for others; and in this regard the apostle Paul wrote the following inspired words to the Philippians: “Make sure of the more important things, so that you may be flawless and not be stumbling others up to the day of Christ, and may be filled with righteous fruit, which is through Jesus Christ, to God’s glory and praise.”—Phil. 1:10, 11.