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“The Sun Will Be Darkened”The Watchtower—1958 | September 15
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“The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.” But “the way of the wicked ones is like the darkness; they have not known at what they keep stumbling.” Thus also the prophet Isaiah, after telling of the darkness upon the world, goes on to say: “But Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And nations shall come to thy light.” And Jesus foretold that at the very time of the sun’s being darkened “this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations,” indicating a time of enlightenment for some in spite of the spiritual darkness. In fact, this was foreshadowed when the darkness enveloped the Egyptians for three days just before the Exodus. At that time, as we have already noted, there was light in all the dwellings of the Israelites.—Prov. 4:18, 19; Isa. 60:2, 3, AS; Matt. 24:14.
Proof of the spiritually darkened condition of the world and especially of Christendom is to be seen on every hand. It is clearly evident in its increasing immorality, delinquency and crime and in the greedy worship of materialism. As a result thereof we see the fulfillment of Jesus’ words: “On the earth anguish of nations, not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and its agitation, while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.”—Luke 21:25, 26.
Since in practically every reference to the sun’s being darkened the moon also is mentioned, the question might well be asked: Is there any particular significance to be attached to the moon’s also being darkened or ‘turned to blood,’ as one prophecy describes it? In times past Bible students have endeavored to distinguish between the symbolic darkening of the sun and of the moon; however, it seems both more reasonable and in keeping with the facts to conclude that they both refer to the same thing. Without the sun the moon could not shine, for the moon merely reflects the light of the sun. And as the sun lights up the day, so the moon lights up the night.
Therefore the darkening of both the sun and the moon would emphasize the complete and continuous spiritual darkness prevailing at the present time. And even so we find it to be.
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Beverages in Bible TimesThe Watchtower—1958 | September 15
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Beverages in Bible Times
Writing in Everyday Life in Old Testament Times, E. W. Heaton tells about beverages used by the Israelites: “Since water was scarce and not very palatable, a good deal of milk was drunk. It came from goats and sheep. Hebrew has a word for fresh milk, but in the climate of Palestine it cannot have been used as much as another term meaning sour milk or curds. As soon as the fresh milk was put into the goat-skin bottle, it thickened slightly and went sour. All the better, it was thought, for quenching the thirst. . . .
“The drinking of wine was universal. Taking it with water or luxuriously iced with snow from the mountains were later customs and even then the latter can hardly have been a part of everyday life. The ordinary Israelite in our period took his wine in its natural state or (like the Assyrians) mingled with spices and drugs to increase its ‘headiness.’ It is not surprising that the Old Testament contains so many warnings about drinking to excess. The men of Israel also drank pomegranate wine. . . . They do not appear, however, to have been great beer-drinkers. In this respect, they differed from their neighbours, the Philistines, whose beer mugs with strainer spouts have been found by the hundred.”
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