King is pressing on to further triumphs over the false gods of Babylon as he goes ahead “conquering and to complete his conquest”. (Rev. 6:2, NW) Under him we must push the offensive still further against the gods and false worship of this world till they are exposed to all sheeplike persons of good will in all nations and until these turn to the worship of the God of gods, Jehovah, and gain deliverance from this doomed world.—Ps. 135:5; 136:2.

19. What makes continued testimony urgent? and what miracle brings pure worship an all-time victory?

¹⁹ There are yet other lands and territories to be entered, there are yet other multitudes of good-will persons to be enlightened and delivered. It is most urgent that we now reach them. The “time of the end” of this world draws nearer to its close. The false religion, the worship of false gods, leads to death and to destruction at the battle of Armageddon now ahead. Our adopting and abiding in the clean, undefiled religion, the worship of the true God Jehovah through his High Priest Christ Jesus, leads to eternal life in the new world. In the decisive contest of the gods at Armageddon, all the false gods of this world, visible and invisible, will topple from their pedestals in defeat and be destroyed, and their unclean false worship and religion will perish with them. That means their worshipers will perish with them, to the everlasting reproach of the false gods and false worship. But the Most High God Jehovah, by his royal High Priest Christ Jesus, will preserve the true worshipers through that mighty, destructive, world conflict. By this stupendous miracle the clean, undefiled religion will survive with them into the endless new world of righteousness, and the pure worship will enjoy an all-time victory, won for it by its adorable God Jehovah and his High Priest Christ Jesus.

Questions From Readers

● Mark 15:25 fixes the time of Jesus’ impalement at the third hour, and John 19:14 says it was the sixth hour. How is this discrepancy explained?—S. S., New Hampshire.

Many ingenious explanations have been offered by Bible commentators and translators. Several say it is a scribal error in John’s Gospel, the correct reading being “third hour”. There is no evidence of such an error, however. Some contend that John figured time as we do today, and that by “sixth hour” John meant 6 a.m., and not 12 noon, as would ordinarily be indicated by “sixth hour” in Palestine at that time. But if John meant 6 a.m. by “sixth hour”, why would Jesus have been resting at Jacob’s fountain, tired out from a journey, at that early hour? (John 4:6) Noon would be a reasonable time for that, and was doubtless the time meant by John when he used the expression “sixth hour”. One source even went so far as to say that by “sixth hour” John meant the sixth hour of the night, or midnight. But this does not allow time for the many events to take place, some of which did not even start till daylight. Consider all that did happen and the time it would take, and you will see that even the view that it was 6 a.m. fails to allow the necessary time.

During Jesus’ last night on earth as a human creature he celebrated the Passover and then instituted the Memorial. This was followed by an extended discussion, then his betrayal and arrest and trials before Annas, Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. At these trials fruitless searches were made for false witnesses, Jesus was questioned, slapped and maltreated, all of which must have consumed considerable time. When taken to the Sanhedrin for final examination and decision, the time