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Questions From ReadersThe Watchtower—1953 | September 15
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BE.” And by his mighty works and deliverances Jehovah did prove to be the Deliverer and causing the accomplishment of his purposes toward his people Israel.—Ex. 3:14, NW; 2 Sam. 7:23, AS.
Just as the Hebrews in Egypt came to know Jehovah in a way he was never known to their forefathers, so Pharaoh and the Egyptians came to know him. Surely they must have known the literal name of the God of the Hebrews that had been in their midst two hundred and fifteen years. Yet Pharaoh stormed: “Who is Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice to send Israel away? I do not know Jehovah at all and, what is more, I am not going to send Israel away.” (Ex. 5:2, NW) Later God said: “The Egyptians will certainly know that I am Jehovah when I stretch out my hand against Egypt.” (Ex. 7:5, NW) Though knowing his name, Pharaoh and the Egyptians did not know Jehovah as a God of action, and did not acknowledge him as of any practical force or consequence to be taken into account. But when he acted against them they knew him in a way heretofore unknown to them, just as the Hebrews came to know him in a way unknown or unexperienced by their forefathers Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
Today haughty rulers of this world know the literal name Jehovah, but like Pharaoh and the Egyptians of old they deny knowing him as being of any consequence. At Armageddon they will know he is Jehovah, however. More than sixty times Ezekiel told backsliding Israel and other nations that they would know Jehovah. They certainly knew the literal name. Ezekiel’s warning back there applies to Christendom and other nations now. When Jesus was on earth he said to Jehovah: “I have made your name manifest to the men you gave me out of the world.” This was like the mission of Moses when he went to make God’s name Jehovah known to the oppressed Hebrews in Egypt. When Christ strikes at Armageddon he will again make manifest Jehovah’s name, in a way that will convince all that Jehovah is a God that “causes to be” in accord with his purposes.—Ezek. 6:7, 10, 13, 14, AS; John 17:6, NW.
In conclusion, consider a human illustration. A man may be known as a fighter. He may even be called a fighter. Yet he may seem very peaceful to you. You have not seen him fight. Then years later you see him angered by an evil deed and he bursts into action, fighting for right. Like others around you, you may have called him a fighter before, but now for the first time you really know him in a forceful way as a fighter. You see him make application of this name to himself, demonstrate it, live up to it. Now you know him in a way you had never known him before. So Jehovah God has many qualities as expressed by titles, and these qualities had been demonstrated to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. They also knew the name Jehovah, but they never saw its inward meaning demonstrated as their descendants did when he delivered Israel from Egypt in fulfillment of the promised purpose concerning their offspring. The delivered nation really knew Jehovah as a God who “causes to be.”
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Misrepresentation MisfiresThe Watchtower—1953 | September 15
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Misrepresentation Misfires
● During a period of agitation on the proposed federation of the Central African territories of Nyasaland and Northern and Southern Rhodesia a two-day work stoppage was called by certain African political leaders. On a large farm where Jehovah’s witnesses have been holding meetings for many years, they were misrepresented to the new farm manager as being responsible for the work stoppage. In anger the farm manager ordered the witnesses to quit holding meetings on the farm because “you Watch Tower people are Communists and engage in politics”. The overseer of the local congregation called on the manager and with the help of the Watchtower publications was able to prove that Jehovah’s witnesses kept separate from all politics. As a result the farm manager placed a large building at their disposal for the holding of their meetings (they having previously met in the open) and said, “This is your church. I want you to come and teach the other people on the farm how to read and write as well as the truth from the Bible.”
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