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Where Will You Put Your Trust?The Watchtower—1975 | July 15
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will not be putting your trust in human leaders to solve world problems. Rather, you will place your trust in Jehovah God and his sure promises to wipe out this unrighteous system of things and to establish good conditions earth wide by means of his Kingdom government.
Jehovah’s witnesses will be happy to help you to obtain the Bible information needed to develop a well-founded trust in God’s promises. Contact them locally, or write the publishers of this magazine, and someone will be directed to visit you at no personal expense to you.
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Why Did They Vanish as Peoples?The Watchtower—1975 | July 15
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Why Did They Vanish as Peoples?
PERHAPS you have met Persians, Greeks or Egyptians—all peoples with a very ancient heritage. But have you ever met a Moabite, an Ammonite or a Philistine? “No,” you say. That is not surprising, for they completely vanished as distinct peoples many centuries ago.
At one time, however, the Moabites, Ammonites and Philistines were neighbors of the ancient Israelites. Along the eastern bank of the Dead Sea, the territory of Moab extended from the river Arnon in the north to the torrent valley of Zered in the south. The Ammonites occupied the region extending eastward from the upper reaches of the curving river Jabbok toward the desert. The land of the Mediterranean coast between Gaza and a point near Joppa was the home of the Philistines. During various periods of history the Philistines, Moabites and Ammonites made things very difficult for the Israelites.
In the early part of the reign of King Saul, the Philistines had garrisons in Israelite territory. They were strong enough to prevent the Israelites from having their own smiths, thereby keeping the nation totally disarmed. (1 Sam. 10:5; 13:1-3, 19-22) So great was the foreign oppression that many Israelites selfishly sided with the Philistines against their own countrymen. (1 Sam. 14:21) However, especially after David became king, the power of the Philistines was broken, but they nevertheless continued to exist as a distinct people for many centuries thereafter.
As for the Ammonites and Moabites, they cooperated with the Babylonians in the latter part of the seventh century B.C.E. to bring about the ruin of the land of Judah. (2 Ki. 24:2) Not long thereafter the Ammonites and the Moabites were themselves deprived of their land. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, King Nebuchadnezzar carried on a military campaign against Ammon and Moab in the fifth year after his desolating Jerusalem. Archaeological evidence confirms that the area occupied by Ammon and Moab was largely depopulated before the middle of
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