This Good News Must Be Preached First

“in all the nations the good news has to be preached first.”​—MARK 13:10.

 1, 2. What is a trademark of the Witnesses, and why?

WHY do Jehovah’s Witnesses preach so persistently? Certainly we are known worldwide for our public ministry, whether it be from house to house, on the streets, or during informal contacts. On every suitable occasion, we identify ourselves as Witnesses and try with tact to communicate the good news we treasure. In fact, we could say that this ministry is our trademark!​—Colossians 4:6.

² Just think about it​—whenever people see in their neighborhood a group of well-dressed men, women, and children with briefcases, what is usually their first thought? Is it, ‘Oh, here come the Catholics (or Orthodox) again!’ or, ‘Here come the Pentecostals (or Baptists) again!’ No. People know that such religions do not have whole families performing a house-to-house ministry. Perhaps some religious groups send some “missionaries” for a two-year stint into certain areas, but their rank-and-file members do not participate in any such ministry. Only Jehovah’s Witnesses are recognized worldwide for their zeal in communicating their message to others on every suitable occasion. And they are known for their magazines, The Watchtower and Awake!​—Isaiah 43:10-12; Acts 1:8.

Contrast With Christendom’s Clergy

 3, 4. How are Christendom’s clergy often depicted in the media?

³ In stark contrast, news reports have time and again revealed many of the clergy in some lands to be pedophiles, immoral swindlers, and frauds. Their works of the flesh and their extravagant life-styles are manifest for all to see. One popular songwriter expressed it well in his song entitled “Would Jesus Wear a Rolex [a very expensive gold watch] on His Television Show?” He asks the question: “Would Jesus be political if He came back to Earth? Have His second home in Palm Springs [a wealthy California community] and try to hide His worth?” How appropriate are the words of James: “You have lived in luxury upon the earth and have gone in for sensual pleasure. You have fattened your hearts on the day of slaughter.”​—James 5:5; Galatians 5:19-21.

⁴ The clergy’s hobnobbing with politicians and even participating in elections as political candidates show them up as modern-day scribes and Pharisees. At the same time, in countries such as the United States and Canada, religion’s coffers are being drained by the high costs of litigation and judgments against clergy, resulting from their licentious conduct with children and adults.​—Matthew 23:1-3.

 5. Why have Christendom’s clergy not proved to be “the faithful and discreet slave”?

⁵ Correctly, Jesus could say to the clergy of his day: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you resemble whitewashed graves, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful but inside are full of dead men’s bones and of every sort of uncleanness. In that way you also, outwardly indeed, appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Thus, God has not given to Christendom’s clergy, whether Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, or nondenominational, the commission to preach the good news. They have not proved to be the foretold “faithful and discreet slave.”​—Matthew 23:27, 28; 24:45-47.

Why Preach the Good News First?

 6. What events are soon to take place?

⁶ In his terse version of Jesus’ command to preach the good news in all the nations, Mark alone uses the word “first.” (Mark 13:10; compare Matthew 24:14.) The version by J. B. Phillips reads: “For before the end comes the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations.” The adverbial use of “first” implies that other events will follow the worldwide evangelizing work. Those events will include the promised great tribulation and Christ’s righteous rulership over the new world.​—Matthew 24:21-31; Revelation 16:14-16; 21:1-4.

 7. Why does God want the good news preached first?

⁷ So why does God want the good news preached first? One reason is that he is a God of love, justice, wisdom, and power. In the fulfillment of Jesus’ statements recorded at Matthew 24:14 and Mark 13:10, we can find an impressive manifestation of these attributes of Jehovah. Let us briefly examine them one by one and see how they relate to the preaching of the good news.

The Good News and Jehovah’s Love

 8. How is the preaching of the good news a manifestation of God’s love? (1 John 4:7-16)

⁸ How does preaching the good news reflect God’s love? First of all, because it is not a message intended exclusively for one race or group. It is the good news for “all the nations.” God loves the human family so much that he sent his only-begotten Son to the earth to be a ransom sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, not just one race. The apostle John wrote: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life. For God sent forth his Son into the world, not for him to judge the world, but for the world to be saved through him.” (John 3:16, 17) Surely the good news, a message promising a new world of peace, harmony, and justice, is an evidence of God’s love.​—2 Peter 3:13.

The Good News and Jehovah’s Power

 9. Why has Jehovah not used Christendom’s powerful religions to preach the good news?

⁹ How is Jehovah’s power manifested by the preaching of the good news? Consider, whom has he used to carry out this commission? Has it been Christendom’s most powerful religious organizations, such as the Roman Catholic Church or prominent Protestant denominations? No, their involvement in politics disqualifies them for the assignment. (John 15:19; 17:14; James 4:4) Their relative wealth and their connections and influence with the elite ruling class have not impressed Jehovah God, nor has their tradition-bound theology. Human power has not been needed to get God’s will done.​—Zechariah 4:6.

10. Whom has God chosen to do the preaching?

¹⁰ It is as the apostle Paul said in his letter to the Corinthian congregation: “You behold his calling of you, brothers, that not many wise in a fleshly way were called, not many powerful, not many of noble birth; but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put the wise men to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put the strong things to shame; and God chose the ignoble things of the world and the things looked down upon, the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are, in order that no flesh might boast in the sight of God.”​—1 Corinthians 1:26-29.

11. What facts about the Witnesses have made them unique?

¹¹ Jehovah’s Witnesses have very few wealthy members in their ranks and certainly no politically powerful ones. Their strict neutrality in political matters means that they can exercise no political influence. On the contrary, they have often been victims of vile persecution instigated by religious and political leaders during this 20th century. Yet, in spite of the fierce opposition raised up against them by the disciples of Nazism, Fascism, Communism, nationalism, and false religion, not only are the Witnesses preaching the good news in all the world but they have also increased amazingly in number.​—Isaiah 60:22.

12. Why have the Witnesses been successful?

¹² To what do the Witnesses attribute their success? Jesus promised his disciples: “You will receive power when the holy spirit arrives upon you, and you will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the most distant part of the earth.” So, what exactly would be the source of their success? Jesus said: “You will receive power when the holy spirit arrives upon you.” Likewise today, power from God, not human ability, has been the key to the Witnesses’ success in their worldwide ministry. Using apparently the weakest of people, God is accomplishing the greatest educational work in history.​—Acts 1:8; Isaiah 54:13.

The Good News and Jehovah’s Wisdom

13. (a) Why do the Witnesses serve voluntarily and without payment? (b) How has Jehovah answered Satan’s taunt?

¹³ The good news is being preached by volunteers. Jesus said: “You received free, give free.” (Matthew 10:8) Therefore, none of Jehovah’s Witnesses receive a salary for serving God, nor do they look for one. In fact, they do not even have collections at their meetings. They are happy, by means of their devoted unselfish service, to give to God an answer to his accuser, Satan the Devil. This spirit opposer of God has in effect said that humans would not serve God with an unselfish motive. In his wisdom Jehovah has produced an overwhelming answer to Satan’s taunt​—millions of loyal Christian Witnesses preaching the good news from house to house, on the streets, and informally.​—Job 1:8-11; 2:3-5; Proverbs 27:11.

14. What is “the hidden wisdom” to which Paul refers?

¹⁴ Another evidence of God’s wisdom in having the good news preached is that the Kingdom promise itself is a manifestation of God’s wisdom. The apostle Paul wrote: “Now we speak wisdom among those who are mature, but not the wisdom of this system of things nor that of the rulers of this system of things, who are to come to nothing. But we speak God’s wisdom in a sacred secret, the hidden wisdom, which God foreordained before the systems of things for our glory.” That “hidden wisdom” refers to God’s wise means for ending the rebellion started in Eden. The wisdom of that sacred secret was revealed in Jesus Christ, who is central to the good news of God’s Kingdom.a​—1 Corinthians 2:6, 7; Colossians 1:26-28.

The Good News and God’s Justice

15. How do we know that Jehovah is a God of justice? (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 33:5)

¹⁵ Particularly in connection with justice do we see the importance of the word “first” at Mark 13:10. Jehovah is a God of justice that is tempered with loving-kindness. He says through his prophet Jeremiah: “‘Let the one bragging about himself brag about himself because of this very thing, the having of insight and the having of knowledge of me, that I am Jehovah, the One exercising loving-kindness, justice and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I do take delight,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.”​—Jeremiah 9:24.

16. How may it be illustrated that justice requires giving a warning first?

¹⁶ How is Jehovah’s justice shown with regard to preaching the good news? Let us illustrate it with a mother who has made a delicious chocolate cake that is to be eaten when visitors come later in the day. If she leaves it on the kitchen table without saying a word to her children about when it is to be eaten, what will be the natural inclination of the children? All of us were children at one time! Some little finger will want to test that cake! Now if mother has failed to give due warning, she will have a weak case for discipline. On the other hand, if she clearly states that the cake will be eaten later when the visitors come and therefore it is not to be touched, then she has clearly given a warning. If there is disobedience, she is entitled to take firm and just action.​—Proverbs 29:15.

17. How has Jehovah manifested justice in a special way since 1919?

¹⁷ Jehovah, in his justice, will not bring judicial action against this wicked system of things without first giving due warning. Therefore, especially since 1919, after the first world war had brought on “pangs of distress,” Jehovah has had his Witnesses go throughout the earth zealously proclaiming the good news. (Matthew 24:7, 8, 14) The nations cannot rightly profess ignorance of this unique warning.

How Widely Has the World Been Covered?

18. (a) What evidence is there of the Witnesses’ activity in remote areas? (b) What other examples do you know of?

¹⁸ An indication of the effectiveness of this worldwide educational work can be seen from the book Last Places​—A Journey in the North. Its author relates that when he checked the sea charts for the isolated island of Foula, one of the Shetland Islands north of Scotland, the charts indicated “all around the island WKS (wrecks), RKS (rocks), LDGS (ledges), and OBS (obstructions).” These “warned the prospective mariner to stay away. Foula’s waters were a dazzling minefield, which made the island inhospitable to yachtsmen, day-trippers, and even Her Majesty’s public works brigade, though not​—I learned in a few days—​Jehovah’s Witnesses.” He continued: “Just as they ransacked big city slums and the Third World for converts, so too they proselytized for their faith on remote Foula.” He acknowledged that a local inhabitant, Andrew, had a copy of The Watchtower left on his doorstep some months before. Then he added: “One week later I would see a copy of [Awake! in Danish] in the Faeroes [North Sea islands] and two months later a copy of [The Watchtower in Danish] in Nuuq, Greenland.” What eloquent testimony to the zealous activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses in those northern latitudes!

What Keeps the Witnesses Going?

19, 20. (a) What impels Jehovah’s Witnesses to keep preaching? (b) What questions will next be answered?

¹⁹ Of course, preaching from house to house to strangers is no easy matter, regardless of how many years one may have been a Witness. Then what keeps these Christians going? Their Christian dedication and a sense of responsibility. Paul wrote: “If, now, I am declaring the good news, it is no reason for me to boast, for necessity is laid upon me. Really, woe is me if I did not declare the good news!” True Christians have a message that means life, so how could they possibly keep it to themselves? The very principle of bloodguilt for failing to give a warning in time of danger is an impelling reason to preach the good news.​—1 Corinthians 9:16; Ezekiel 3:17-21.

²⁰ How, then, is the good news being preached? What is the key to the Witnesses’ success? What features of their ministry and organization help to identify them as the true religion? Our following article will answer those questions.

[Footnotes]

Bearing Witness to “All the Nations”

“This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.”​—MATTHEW 24:14.

 1. Why must Jesus’ words recorded at Matthew 24:14 have been a surprise to his followers?

WHAT a surprise the above words of Jesus must have been to his Jewish disciples! The very idea of sanctified Jews going to talk to “unclean” Gentiles, “people of the nations,” was foreign to a Jew, even repugnant.a Why, a conscientious Jew would not think of entering a Gentile home! Those Jewish disciples still had so much to learn about Jesus, his love, and his commission. And they still had much to learn about Jehovah’s impartiality.​—Acts 10:28, 34, 35, 45.

 2. (a) How extensive has been the Witnesses’ ministry? (b) What three basic factors have contributed to the Witnesses’ progress?

² Jehovah’s Witnesses have preached the good news among the nations, including modern-day Israel, and are proclaiming it now in more nations than ever before. In 1994 over four and a half million Witnesses are preaching in some 230 lands. They are conducting about four and a half million home Bible studies with interested people. This is being done in the face of worldwide prejudice, often based on ignorance of the teachings and motives of the Witnesses. As was said of the early Christians, so it can be said of them: “Truly as regards this sect it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against.” (Acts 28:22) Then to what can we attribute their successful ministry? There are at least three factors that contribute to their progress​—following the leadings of Jehovah’s spirit, imitating Christ’s practical methods, and using the right instruments for effective communication.

Jehovah’s Spirit and the Good News

 3. Why can we not boast of what has been accomplished?

³ Do Jehovah’s Witnesses boast of their success, as if it were due to any special abilities they might have? No, for Jesus’ words apply: “When you have done all the things assigned to you, say, ‘We are good-for-nothing slaves. What we have done is what we ought to have done.’” As dedicated, baptized Christians, Jehovah’s Witnesses have voluntarily accepted the responsibility to serve God, no matter what their personal circumstances. For some, that means full-time service as missionaries or as volunteers in branch offices and facilities for printing Christian publications. For others such Christian willingness leads them to construction work on religious buildings, to full-time preaching as pioneer ministers, or to part-time preaching as publishers of the good news in local congregations. None of us can rightly brag about doing our duty, “what we ought to have done.”​—Luke 17:10; 1 Corinthians 9:16.

 4. How has worldwide opposition to the Christian ministry been overcome?

⁴ Any success we have can be attributed to Jehovah’s spirit, or active force. It is as valid to say today as it was in the days of the prophet Zechariah: “This is the word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by a military force, nor by power, but by my spirit,’ Jehovah of armies has said.” Thus, worldwide opposition to the Witnesses’ preaching work has been overcome, not by human effort, but by Jehovah’s direction and protection.​—Zechariah 4:6.

 5. What role does Jehovah play in having the Kingdom message spread?

⁵ As to those who respond to the Kingdom message, Jesus said: “It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by Jehovah.’ Everyone that has heard from the Father and has learned comes to me. . . . No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” (John 6:45, 65) Jehovah can read hearts and minds, and he knows those who will likely respond to his love even though they may not yet know him. He also uses his angels to direct this unique ministry. That is why in vision John saw angelic participation and wrote: “I saw another angel flying in midheaven, and he had everlasting good news to declare as glad tidings to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.”​—Revelation 14:6.

Conscious of a Spiritual Need

 6. What basic attitude is needed for a person to respond to the good news?

⁶ Another factor in Jehovah’s granting a person opportunity to accept the good news is that expressed by Jesus: “Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them.” (Matthew 5:3) A self-satisfied person or one who is not seeking truth will not be conscious of a spiritual need. He or she thinks only in material, fleshly terms. Complacency becomes a barrier. Therefore, when many we meet as we go from house to house reject the message, we have to take into account all the different reasons people may have for their reaction.

 7. Why do many not respond to the truth?

⁷ Many decline to listen because they stubbornly adhere to the religion they inherited and are not open to discussion. Others have gravitated to a religion that fits their personality​—some want mysticism, others respond to emotionalism, still others seek a social club at their church. Many today have chosen a life-style that is in conflict with God’s standards. Perhaps they live an immoral life, which is their reason for saying, “I’m not interested.” Yet others, who may claim to be educated and scientific, reject the Bible as being too simplistic.​—1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4.

 8. Why should rejection not diminish our zeal? (John 15:18-20)

⁸ Should rejection by the majority diminish our faith and zeal in the lifesaving ministry? We can draw comfort from Paul’s words to the Romans: “What, then, is the case? If some did not express faith, will their lack of faith perhaps make the faithfulness of God without effect? Never may that happen! But let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, even as it is written: ‘That you might be proved righteous in your words and might win when you are being judged.’”​—Romans 3:3, 4.

 9, 10. What evidence is there that opposition has been overcome in many lands?

⁹ We can derive encouragement from the many examples around the world of countries that have seemed to be very unresponsive and yet, in time, have proved to be just the opposite. Jehovah and the angels have known that there were goodhearted ones to be found​—but Jehovah’s Witnesses had to be persistent and endure in their ministry. Take, for example, some countries where Catholicism seemed to present an insurmountable obstacle 50 years ago​—Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain. The Witnesses were few back in 1943, only 126,000 worldwide, with 72,000 of these in the United States. The ignorance and prejudice confronting the Witnesses seemed like a brick wall that could not be broken through. Yet, today some of the most successful preaching results have been in these countries. The same is true of many formerly Communist countries. In 1993 the baptism of 7,402 at a convention in Kiev, Ukraine, gives evidence of this.

¹⁰ What methods have the Witnesses used in order to communicate the good news to their neighbors? Have they used material inducements to get converts, which is what some have alleged? Have they visited only the poor and uneducated, as others have claimed?

Successful Methods for Transmitting the Good News

11. What fine example did Jesus set in his ministry? (See John 4:6-26.)

¹¹ Jesus and his disciples established the pattern that the Witnesses follow to this day in their disciple-making work. Jesus went wherever there were people, rich or poor​—to homes, to public places, to lakesides, to mountainsides, even to synagogues.​—Matthew 5:1, 2; 8:14; Mark 1:16; Luke 4:15.

12, 13. (a) How did Paul provide a pattern for Christians? (b) How have Jehovah’s Witnesses followed Paul’s example?

¹² Regarding his own ministry, the apostle Paul could rightly say: “You well know how from the first day that I stepped into the district of Asia I was with you the whole time, slaving for the Lord . . . , while I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.”​—Acts 20:18-20.

¹³ Jehovah’s Witnesses are known all over the world for their following the apostolic pattern, the house-to-house ministry. Rather than concentrate on an expensive, shallow, and impersonal TV ministry, the Witnesses go to the people, rich and poor, and meet them face-to-face. They seek to converse about God and his Word.b They do not try to make rice Christians, using material handouts. To those willing to reason, they point out that the only true solution to mankind’s problems is rulership by God’s Kingdom, which will change conditions on our earth for the better.​—Isaiah 65:17, 21-25; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-4.

14. (a) How have many missionaries and pioneers laid a solid foundation? (b) What do we learn from the experience of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Japan?

¹⁴ To get the work accomplished in as many lands as possible, missionaries and pioneers have established a bridgehead in many nations. They have laid a foundation, and then the local Witnesses have taken the lead. Thus, it has not required large numbers of foreign Witnesses to keep the preaching going and to keep it well organized. One outstanding example is that of Japan. Back in the late 1940’s, mainly Australasian and British missionaries went there, studied the language, adapted to the somewhat primitive conditions of that postwar era, and set about witnessing from house to house. During World War II, the Witnesses had been banned and persecuted in Japan. So the missionaries arrived to find only a handful of active Japanese Witnesses. But today they have grown to over 187,000 in more than 3,000 congregations! What was the secret of their early success? One missionary with over 25 years of service there said: “It was most important to learn to converse with the people. By knowing their language, we were able to identify with them, to understand and appreciate their way of life. We had to show that we loved the Japanese. We humbly tried to become a part of the local community without, of course, compromising our Christian values.”

Christian Conduct Also a Witness

15. How have the Witnesses demonstrated Christian conduct?

¹⁵ However, people have not responded to a Bible message only. They have also seen Christianity in action. They have observed the love, harmony, and unity of the Witnesses even under the most trying situations, such as civil wars, tribal strife, and ethnic enmity. The Witnesses have maintained a clear stand of Christian neutrality in all conflicts and have fulfilled Jesus’ words: “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”​—John 13:34, 35.

16. What experience illustrates practical Christian love?

¹⁶ Neighborly love was illustrated in the case of an elderly man who wrote to a local paper about “Mr. and Mrs. Nice Guy.” He explained that his neighbors had been kind to him when his wife was dying. “Since she passed away . . . they have been super,” he wrote. “Since then they have ‘adopted’ me . . . , doing all kinds of chores and helping to solve the problems of a 74-year-old retiree. What makes all this even more unusual is that they’re black, I’m white. They’re Jehovah’s Witnesses, I’m a drop-out Catholic.”

17. What course should we avoid?

¹⁷ This experience illustrates that we can give a witness in many ways, including our daily conduct. In fact, unless our conduct is Christlike, our ministry would be Pharisaical, without effect. We do not want to be like those that Jesus described: “All the things they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds, for they say but do not perform.”​—Matthew 22:37-39; 23:3.

The Slave Class Supplies the Right Instruments

18. How does Bible literature equip us to help honesthearted people?

¹⁸ Another vital factor in preaching the good news to all the nations has been the availability of Bible literature produced by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. We have books, brochures, tracts, and magazines that can satisfy almost every sincere questioner. If we meet a Muslim, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Taoist, or a Jew, we can use the book Mankind’s Search for God or a variety of tracts and booklets to start a conversation and possibly a Bible study. If an evolutionist asks about creation, we can use the book Life​—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? If a young person asks, ‘What is the purpose of life?’ we can refer him to the book Questions Young People Ask​—Answers That Work. If someone is deeply affected by personal problems​—depression, fatigue, rape, divorce—​we have magazines that have dealt in a practical way with such subjects. Truly, the faithful slave class that Jesus prophesied would be supplying “food at the proper time” is fulfilling its role.​—Matthew 24:45-47.

19, 20. How has the Kingdom work gained speed in Albania?

¹⁹ But to reach the nations, it has been necessary to produce this literature in many tongues. How has it been possible to translate the Bible and Scriptural literature into over 200 languages? A brief consideration of one example, Albania, illustrates how the faithful and discreet slave class has been able to promote the good news in spite of great difficulties and without a modern Pentecost to give instant access to languages.​—Acts 2:1-11.

²⁰ Only a few years ago, Albania was still looked upon as the only truly atheist Communist country. The National Geographic magazine stated in 1980: “Albania forbids [religion], proclaiming itself in 1967 ‘the first atheist state in the world.’ . . . Albania’s new generation knows only atheism.” Now that Communism has declined, Albanians who recognize their spiritual need are responding to the preaching being done by Jehovah’s Witnesses. A small translation team consisting of young Witnesses with a knowledge of Italian and English was formed in Tiranë in 1992. Qualified brothers visiting from other lands taught them to use laptop computers to enter text in Albanian. They started off translating tracts and the Watchtower magazine. As they gain experience, they work on translating other valuable Bible publications. Presently there are some 200 active Witnesses in that tiny country (population 3,262,000), and 1,984 attended the Memorial in 1994.

All of Us Have a Responsibility

21. In what kind of period are we living?

²¹ World events are reaching a climax. With the increase in crime and violence, the slaughter and rape in local wars, the prevailing lax morality and its fruitage of sexually transmitted diseases, the disrespect for legitimate authority, the world appears to be becoming anarchic, ungovernable. We are in a period parallel to pre-Flood times described in Genesis: “Jehovah saw that the badness of man was abundant in the earth and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only bad all the time. And Jehovah felt regrets that he had made men in the earth, and he felt hurt at his heart.”​—Genesis 6:5, 6; Matthew 24:37-39.

22. What Christian responsibility do all of Jehovah’s Witnesses have?

²² Just as in Noah’s day, Jehovah will take action. But in his justice and love, he wants the good news and the warning message to be preached first to all the nations. (Mark 13:10) In this respect Jehovah’s Witnesses have a responsibility​—to find those who are worthy of God’s peace and to teach them his ways of peace. Soon, in God’s due time, the preaching commission will be successfully completed. “Then the end will come.”​—Matthew 10:12, 13; 24:14; 28:19, 20.

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 19]

COUNTRY WITNESSES ACTIVE IN 1943 IN 1993

Argentina 374 102,043

Brazil 430 366,297

Chile 72 44,668

Colombia  ?? 60,854

France World War II​—no record 122,254

Ireland 150? 4,224

Italy World War II​—no record 201,440

Mexico 1,565 380,201

Peru No record of activity 45,363

Philippines World War II​—no record 116,576

Poland World War II​—no record 113,551

Portugal No record of activity 41,842

Spain No record of activity 97,595

Uruguay 22 9,144

Venezuela No record of activity 64,081

[Picture on page 17]

Jehovah’s Witnesses are increasing in many Catholic countries, such as Spain

[Pictures on page 18]

Jehovah’s Witnesses are active in nations around the globe