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Questions From ReadersThe Watchtower—1952 | March 15
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her husband should fall asleep in death, she is free to be married to whom she wants, ONLY IN THE LORD.”—1 Cor. 7:39, NW.
The restriction here given concerning Christian widows desiring to remarry applies with equal force to any servant of God seeking a husband or wife, namely, to marry “only in the Lord”. That means to marry only a person dedicated to Jehovah, like oneself. For a Christian to unequally yoke himself up with an unbeliever is not conducive to Christian welfare and is controlled more by passion. Such deliberate and willful endangerment of one’s Christian welfare and spiritual interests is not pleasing to God or Christ, is a flouting of Jehovah’s counsel and command.
● Isaiah 7:14 foretells that Messiah was to be called “Immanuel”, yet Jesus was not so called. Why not?—J.W., California.
That this prophecy was adequately fulfilled by Christ Jesus is made clear in Matthew’s Gospel. If it had not had its proper fulfillment then Matthew would not have had the grounds to call specific notice to it, as he did in Mt chapter 1 verses 22, 23 (NW): “All this actually came about for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet, saying, ‘Look! the virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name “Immanuel”,’ which means, when translated, ‘With us is God.’” The important thing is that this name had meaning, and Jesus fulfilled that meaning. He was Jehovah’s Representative, Jehovah’s Anointed One, the Christ or Messiah. In sending the Messiah to the Jews God showed that he was with them, not against them. He continued with the faithful Jewish remnant that accepted Jesus the Messiah, and he is with those who accept Christ the enthroned King at this time.
Other names were foretold for the Messiah. For example, Isaiah 9:6 states concerning him: “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Yet all of these names were not used toward Jesus as personal names by which to call him. He lived up to the meaning of these names, and that is the sense in which they were prophetically given, to show his qualities and the good offices he would perform for the obedient ones. So with the name Immanuel. He measured up to its meaning and thus fulfilled the prophecy assigning it to the Messiah, even though Jesus and not Immanuel was used as his personal name, which also was very meaningful.—Matt. 1:21.
● What do Jesus’ words at Matthew 12:43-45 mean?—R. D., California.
“When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through parched places in search of refreshment, and finds none. Then it says: ‘I will go back to my house out of which I moved’; and on arriving it finds it unoccupied but swept clean and adorned. Then it goes its way and takes along with it seven different spirits more wicked than itself, and, after getting inside, they dwell there; and the final circumstances of that man become worse than the first. That is how it will be also with this wicked generation.”—Matt. 12:43-45; Luke 11:24-26, NW.
A man who has been possessed with a demon and gets rid of it has a vacuum left. This vacuum or emptiness left by the evacuation of the demon is to be filled with the Lord’s spirit, with a faith backed up by works in harmony with God’s Word. Then when the demon returns he would not find the person, likened unto the demon’s house, “unoccupied but swept clean and adorned.” Instead, he would find the place he had vacated filled with a stronger spirit, Jehovah’s active force, and the demon spirit would not be able to reoccupy this person. Apparently in the case Jesus was discussing the person freed of a demon left the vacuum unfilled, not taking up Jehovah’s service and making room for Jehovah’s spirit in his life, but merely cleaning himself up and adorning himself in a visible show of piety. Such a person will not be able to prevent the return of the demon spirit, and in his relapse his plight worsens, more demon spirits than before occupying him.
Applying the principle in a general way, a person may be a part of the world under condemnation, alienated from God. Then he gets a knowledge of the truth, ousts from his life the evil spirit of this world and of Satan, but then he fails to continue in God’s way. He does not receive God’s spirit and make room for it in his life, allowing it to direct him in good works and fill his life. He quenches the spirit of God in his life, leaving his existence empty, nothing but a shell of outward piety cleansed of some of his former worldly filth. His lack of appreciation and service and good works inspired by God’s spirit leaves him open for reoccupation by Satan’s defiling influences, and demon spirits control his life more completely, if more subtly, than ever before.—Heb. 6:4-8; 10:26, 27; 2 Pet. 2:20-22, NW.
So it was also with the Israelite nation. It had been cleansed and set apart from heathendom and Satan’s rulership, but it soon left undone the weighty matters of Jehovah’s law and covenant, and rather than occupying and filling its national history with service directed by Jehovah’s spirit it fussed with minor matters and human traditions and an outward show of piety and ceremonial purity. By the time Jesus came the wicked generation of religious Jews were under Satan’s control to such a complete degree that they rejected the Messiah. The end of this nation made responsible with divine knowledge was worse than its beginning.
Incidentally, King Saul’s case shows that if one’s life is not filled with Jehovah’s spirit it is likely to be taken over by a demon spirit. David had been anointed king in wicked King Saul’s stead, and the spirit of Jehovah came upon David; but note what occurred in Saul’s case: “Now the spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah troubled him.” (1 Sam. 16:13, 14, AS) Not that Jehovah actually sent an evil spirit to trouble Saul, but by Jehovah’s removing his spirit it left a vacancy, and that vacancy was now filled by a demon spirit. Since Jehovah made this demon possession possible by removing his spirit, Jehovah is referred to as the source of the evil spirit.
It is comparable to the statement that Jehovah hardened Pharaoh’s heart; Jehovah did not do so, but the message from Jehovah caused Pharaoh to harden his own heart. Jehovah’s message and Jehovah’s dealings with the Egyptians caused Pharaoh to react in hard stubbornness and anger; and since the message and dealings were from Jehovah he may be said to have indirectly hardened Pharaoh’s heart. (Ex. 7:3; 8:15, 32) Another illustration of this principle is where Jehovah told Isaiah to “make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes”; he, Isaiah, was not to do this literally, but the message he declared made these rebellious ones unreceptive because it did not please them. (Isa. 6:10) So when Jehovah’s spirit was removed from Saul, a demon spirit entered Saul, for Saul was like an unoccupied house.
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AnnouncementsThe Watchtower—1952 | March 15
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Announcements
“JUBILEE TRUMPET” WITNESSING PERIOD—Leviticus 25:9, 10
The time is here for sounding liberty among all of earth’s inhabitants, to all races and nations. As conditions worsen and grow more unbearable, why should not people want to be free from such? The great Liberator has decreed that evil will not always prevail. No, his Word of promise offers freedom even now. This good news of liberation must be sounded out as though by trumpet blasts. This is being done by God’s faithful servants world-wide through the distribution of the Watchtower magazine. The “Jubilee Trumpet” Witnessing Period during April affords opportunity for many to take part in this fourth and last month of the Watchtower campaign. The Watchtower magazine is offered at $1 for a year’s subscription. New subscribers receive three Scriptural booklets free. To those already subscribers for The Watchtower, the Awake! magazine may be offered on the same basis. Single copies may be left with those who do not subscribe. Regular house-to-house distribution of the magazine will aid many. So make April a magazine month.
RELIGION’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
For the past six thousand years religion has played a prominent part in the affairs of men and nations. Many and various have been the things done in the name of religion, both good and bad, and arousing strong sentiment for and against. Just how clear is your concept of religion’s value? Can you, if called upon, give an intelligent and correct answer to the question: What has religion done for mankind? You will find a wealth of informative material on the subject in the book What Has Religion Done for Mankind? enabling you to have an authentic answer. It furnishes reliable proof for all the interesting and absorbing information supplied. Learn the facts and be equipped to give a satisfactory answer to any and all with whom you come in contact. A copy of the handsomely and durably bound 352-page book will be mailed postpaid for 50c.
“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES
Week of April 20: Are You Choosing Life or Death? Also, Choosing Now to Live Then, ¶ 1-3.
Week of April 27: Choosing Now to Live Then, ¶ 4-21.
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