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Unity of All Men of Good Will PromisedThe Watchtower—1960 | December 15
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Jehovah’s witnesses have all been so well taught in the Bible faith and so well trained in preaching its message that they would all continue to carry on their theocratic worship and activities even though they were separated from brothers in other lands. They would not listen to the voice of any would-be leader but would recognize and listen to the voice of only their One Shepherd. He is above all earthly nations and will yet “shepherd all the nations with an iron rod” and dash them to pieces in the coming battle of Armageddon, “the war of the great day of God the Almighty.”—Rev. 12:5; 16:14, 16; John 10:4, 5; Ps 2:8, 9
UNITY OF SPEECH AND ACTION
29, 30. (a) What effective binder do Jehovah’s witnesses have for holding the theocratic organization together? (b) Of what does God disapprove in his organization, and hence against what men does he warn us by Paul?
29 Except as regards opposition to God’s kingdom, the spirit of this world is pulling it apart. Its divisive spirit, though, will not infect the flock of Jehovah’s sheep under his Right Shepherd Jesus Christ. Besides having the one supranational leadership from heaven, Jehovah’s witnesses have the only effective binder for holding their theocratic organization together amid this world. That binder is the spirit of Jehovah God; and “the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.” (Gal. 5:22, 23) Nothing is superior to Christlike love for holding together God’s flock of sheep, for which his Son lovingly shed his blood. In an appeal for unity of God’s flock the apostle Paul wrote to them: “Clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union. Also let the peace of the Christ control in your hearts, for you were, in fact, called to it in one body.” (Col. 3:14, 15) As they cultivate that fruitage of the spirit, love, the perfect bond of union will get stronger in its unbreakableness. And where there is union or unity, there are peace, order and harmony. God calls his dedicated people to be one body, one organization. He disapproves of all disunity, disorder and divisiveness. Through the apostle Paul he has commanded us:
30 “Keep your eye on those who create divisions and causes for stumbling contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and avoid them. For men of that kind are slaves, not of our Lord Christ, but of their own bellies, and by smooth talk and complimentary speech they seduce the hearts of guileless ones.”—Rom. 16:17, 18.
31. (a) As what kind of warning should the intertribal warfare of ancient Israel serve, and to whom today? (b) How should Jehovah’s visible organization be like Jerusalem of David’s day, and so what makes all intertribal warfare out of place?
31 In some lands that have newly gained independence as a nation and where imperialistic colonial powers are no longer in control, the native government has met with great difficulty because of intertribal feuds and warfare, with danger to the stableness of the government. The intertribal warfare of the ancient nation of Israel serves as a Biblical warning to the little flock of spiritual Israel and all its companions, the great flock of “other sheep.” Jesus warned: “Every kingdom divided against itself comes to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (Matt. 12:25) The visible organization of Jehovah’s Kingdom witnesses must be like the city of Jerusalem in the days of faithful King David, solidly built together and with those meeting together in it unitedly loyal to the anointed king sitting upon Jehovah’s throne. King David described this Jerusalem to which Israel’s twelve tribes faithfully came up to worship at Jehovah’s house there, saying: “Jerusalem is one that is built like a city that has been joined together in oneness, to which the tribes have gone up, the tribes of Jah, as a reminder to Israel to laud the name of Jehovah.” (Ps. 122:3, 4) The worship of the one living and true God Jehovah was what bound those twelve tribes together, and with this was joined a fervent loyalty to Jehovah’s anointed king. This made all intertribal warfare out of place. It made for peace.
32. What do efforts of the enemy forces betray regarding the “god of this system of things,” and how should Jehovah’s witnesses meet Gog’s attack?
32 The efforts of communistic powers and of other enemy forces betray that Satan the Devil, “the god of this system of things,” is specially bent now on cracking and destroying the exemplary unity of the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses. Ezekiel’s prophecy (Eze chapters 38, 39) forewarns us that Satan will play the role of Gog of Magog. As such, he will gather together all his coconspirators on earth and unite them in one final, total attack on the spiritual “Israel of God” and all its loyal companions, the “other sheep.” Since it is to be with a combined, united host that Gog attacks us, then let it be with an unsagging united front that we confront Gog and his host, all over the earth. We must do so, even though we may be cut off, physically speaking, from our brothers in other lands and none of the visible governing body of God’s congregation may be present with us and directly watching us.
33. How did Paul call for a united front of Christians, and what will happen before our united front against Gog?
33 The apostle Paul called for a united front against the combined enemy when he expressed the desire that, “whether I come and see you or be absent, I may hear about the things which concern you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul fighting side by side for the faith of the good news, and in no respect being frightened by your opponents. This very thing is a proof of destruction for them, but of salvation for you; and this indication is from God, because to you the privilege was given in behalf of Christ, not only to put your faith in him, but also to suffer in his behalf.” (Phil. 1:27-29) Christ will not forsake us if we suffer in his behalf. Christ has promised us as his obedient followers: “Look! I am with you all the days until the consummation of the system of things.” (Matt. 28:20) Having him with us on all fronts, we are bound to come off victorious. The united attack of Gog’s host will collapse before our united front as Almighty God rises up in our defense, throws Gog’s forces into disunity, disorder, confusion and panic, and causes their utter destruction.
34. How are we to keep our ranks unbroken, and what does the work now to be done call for?
34 We must never let personal jealousies and envies, selfish ambitions, rivalries, competitions, contentions, pride of nation, color, education or social culture, and resentment enter in among us and divide us. In a world split up in everything except in hostility to God’s kingdom and its preaching witnesses, we must keep our ranks unbroken, our faces to the foe. Despite the present worsening world conditions we have a work to do, and it needs united effort on the part of all of us around the earth to do it with effect, to God’s glory. Our expectation of his rising up to take care of our enemies and persecutors will not be disappointed.
35. In Zephaniah 3:8, 9, what does Jehovah say regarding his rising up, what change has he given us, and why?
35 In Zephaniah 3:8, 9 he says to us: “‘Therefore keep yourselves in expectation of me,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘till the day of my rising up to the booty, for my judicial decision is to gather nations, for me to collect together kingdoms, in order to pour out upon them my denunciation, all my burning anger; for by the fire of my zeal all the earth will be devoured. For then I shall give to peoples the change to a pure language, in order for them all to call upon the name of Jehovah, in order to serve him shoulder to shoulder [literally, with one shoulder].’” Regardless of the many different peoples from which we Witnesses all came in dedication to Jehovah, he has now given us a change to a “pure language” for a certain purpose. That purpose is to serve Jehovah shoulder to shoulder, in solid service formation. The oneness of our “pure language” concerning God’s kingdom and his new world does away with divisive misunderstanding. It strongly unites us in speech and action.
36. How does Psalm 102:18-22 show that the liberty that God gives to the prisoners doomed to death should be used, and in whom does this prophecy find fulfillment?
36 The “God who gives peace” has freed us from Babylonish captivity. He has brought us to his holy city, the modern counterpart of ancient Zion or Jerusalem, his established kingdom under Christ. To us former prisoners he has given religious freedom with a view to our using our liberty aright, in harmony with his expressed will. Ancient Israel, in being freed from ancient Babylon, was a historical illustration of this; and the prophecy that once applied to that ancient illustration now applies to the modern thing that was illustrated. “This is written for the future generation; and the people that is to be created will praise Jah. For he has looked down from his holy height, from the very heavens Jehovah himself has looked even at the earth, to hear the sighing of the prisoner, to loosen those appointed to death [by the enemy Babylon], for the name of Jehovah to be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem, when the peoples are collected all together, and the kingdoms, to serve Jehovah.” (Ps. 102:18-22) Political Zionism as expressed in the Republic of Israel is not fulfilling this prophecy, for it does not bear Jehovah’s name; it does not declare his name in either the old or the modern city of Jerusalem, nor does it praise and serve him. Measured by facts of today the prophecy finds its fulfillment in Jehovah’s Kingdom witnesses, who have been collected together out of many peoples and from many political kingdoms on earth.
37. According to Isaiah 52:8-10, what should those watching and discerning God’s work of deliverance and restoration do?
37 Because of such deliverance and restoration of his witnesses, it is now the order of the day for all who watch and discern this work of God to publicize this salvation by him. “Listen! your own watchmen have raised their voice. In unison they keep crying out joyfully, for it will be face to face that they will see when Jehovah comes back to Zion. Become cheerful, cry out joyfully in unison, you devastated places of Jerusalem, for Jehovah has comforted his people; he has repurchased Jerusalem. Jehovah has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth must see the salvation of our God.”—Isa. 52:8-10.
38. In fulfillment of that prophecy, what does the world of mankind actually see today?
38 That is why the world of mankind sees Jehovah’s witnesses going even to the ends of the earth with the message about God’s kingdom and its blessings for all men of good will. The very presence and activity of these witnesses in all the earth is a living testimony to the deliverance that Almighty God has given them from this Babylonish world under Satan the Devil. Wherever they go they raise their voice, joyfully crying out the good news in unison. No longer are they like the devastated places of ancient Jerusalem, spiritually speaking, but they are abounding with the fruitage of God’s kingdom. Everywhere they are cheerfully crying out in unison, for they are all in agreement and are keeping unity.
39. (a) In what way is it good and pleasant for brothers to dwell together in unity? (b) Why should it be together that we magnify Jehovah and exalt his name? (c) How has he vindicated himself in his promise concerning unity?
39 For those who love God and who study this modern miracle in Jehovah’s dealing with his dedicated people, how wondrous it is and how heart-warming! “Look! how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1) It is not merely pleasant to behold. This dwelling together in unity is something of the utmost good for these spiritual brothers, and it makes things pleasant for them among themselves. Together we can do the present-day work of God, strengthening one another and upholding one another, thus insuring success. The spirit of the psalmist David surges through our very being and makes us cry out: “O magnify Jehovah with me, and let us exalt his name together.” (Ps. 34:3) Yes, together let us magnify him and exalt his worthy name, because he has broken the enemy’s hold and has collected us together and has set us as his witnesses together in unity, as his flock in his pen of security under Christ. He has promised the unity of all men of good will in this split-up world, and in his own vindication he has made it a blessed reality and will preserve it into his glorious new world.
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“Favorable Testimony from People on the Outside”The Watchtower—1960 | December 15
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“Favorable Testimony from People on the Outside”
Although Jehovah’s witnesses do not enjoy great popularity, the work they do and the way they do it, with zeal and enthusiasm, have been highlighted by the press of Brazil, especially when they hold conventions. Since it is fruits and not appearances that count with God, Jehovah’s witnesses recognize as truth the words of the apostle Paul at 1 Timothy 3:7 when he says that one must have a “favorable testimony from people on the outside.” In this way they have shown that they are mature Christians.
The newspaper O Tempo, January 7, 1959, published in the city of São Paulo, wrote: “Although there are many imposing religions with their propaganda in all parts of the globe, there does not exist a single one on the face of the earth today that shows the same love and unity as the theocratic organization of Jehovah’s witnesses in their New World society.”
There is a reason why Jehovah’s witnesses are like that. Answering the question, “What is the reason for their zeal and enthusiasm?” the São Paulo newspaper Diário de Comércio e Indústria, of January 8, 1959, wrote: “The counsel given by the apostle Paul to his young helper Timothy, to ‘study to show yourself approved by God’, is constantly emphasized to the Witnesses, and to that end they attend five meetings every week. . . . This, besides personal study of the Bible and kindred subjects, is the reason why they conduct themselves like people with a definite purpose in life.”
Emphasizing the Christian’s purpose, to read and teach the Bible, the Diario de Mogi, January 17, 1959, published under the title “Jehovah’s Witnesses Wage War Against Illiteracy”: “A qualified instructor sets about, week after week, to patiently teach others to read and write, insisting that the pupils make the greatest possible effort, for their own benefit.” “The pupils, because of the very circumstances impelling them as ministers of God, must develop their knowledge of the language in order to give discourses.”
Due to the activity of Jehovah’s witnesses in this most important work of evangelization, their progress has been noted. Luta Democratica, of Rio de Janeiro, January 22, 1959, said: “The religion of Jehovah’s witnesses is one that has grown in importance from year to year in the opinion of the Brazilian people.” On the same subject, the Correio de Manhã, of Rio, February 8, said: “With the moral and spiritual upbuilding of the Brazilian people as a goal, the activity of Jehovah’s witnesses has
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