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The Witchtower 6/2009 1

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The Witchtower

Downloadable in 194 countries

3 The Psalms – Wonderful Songs to Praise God

11 Questions from Readers

13 How Can You Find the True Religion?

15 The Bible and Mathematics

16 What Will Not Be There In Paradise

This publication is provided as part of a worldwide

mocking work not supported by voluntary donations.

This magazine is downloadable from 194 countries.

Countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, An-

gola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austral-

ia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados,

Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosniaand Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria,

Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,

Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Peo-

ple's Republic of China, Republic of China, Colombia,

Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of

Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus,

Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican

Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equa-

torial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland,

France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Gre-

nada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,

Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq,

Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,

Kenya, Kiribati, Democratic People's Republic of Korea,Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Leb-

anon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,

Luxembourg, Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Ma-

lawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands,

Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Mi-

cronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco,

Mozambique, Myanmar, Nagorno-Karabakh, Namibia,

Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Ni-

ger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Pan-

ama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philip-

pines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia,

Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino,São Tomé and Prí ncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,

Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,

Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands,

Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Su-

riname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Ta

jikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Bahamas, The

Gambia, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuni-

sia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda,

Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom,

United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,

Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen

Zambia, Zimbabwe

Do you want further information? Do

not write to Jehovah’s Witnesses, but

visit:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net

http://svhelden.gmxhome.de

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The Witchtower 6/2009

THE PSALMS – WONDERFUL SONGS TO PRAISE GOD“The big talker – let him not be firmly established in the earth.” (Psalm 140:11)

The psalms are a part of the Holy Scrip-

tures, about which the apostle Paul wrote: “All

Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for

teaching, for reproving, for setting things

straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that

the man of God may be fully competent, com-

pletely equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim.

3:16, 17) Hence, we should examine the psalms

like any other Bible book, to get to know Jeho-

vah‟s righteous principles which we should

apply in our lives.

First, we want to consider what the psalms

say about the congregation, because manyprovisions of Jehovah‟s Witnesses were already

foretold by the psalmists. David prayed to God:

“ You let us rule everything your hands

have made. And you put all of it under our

power – the sheep and the cattle.” (Ps. 8:6,

7, CEV) Whom is he talking about? He refers

to the “faithful and discreet slave” whom he

appointed “over all his belongings” in 1919. –

Mat. 24:45.

Sheep and Cattle

God put everything “under his feet” (NWT ),

including millions of followers called “sheep.”

Asaph confirmed that when he sang: “You

have led your people just like a flock.” (Ps.

77:20) However, Psalm 8 does not only men-

tion sheep. It says that Jehovah also put

“cattle” under the feet of the “faithful and dis-

creet slave.” Who is that? Some think that the

term refers to the elders who show oxenlike

qualities. But another psalm reveals the true

identity of the “cattle”: “The mountainousregion of Bashan is a mountain of God.”

(Ps. 68:15) And there lived at that time the

“cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of

Samaria, who are defrauding the lowly ones,

who are crushing the poor ones, who are saying

to their masters: 'Do bring, and let us drink‟” –

Amos 4:1.

The December 15, 1977 Watchtower says

“These „cows of Bashan‟ were the women o

Samaria who, to continue living in luxury

goaded on their husbands to defraud and op

press the lowly.” (p. 31) This description fit

very well many elders‟ wives. Though many o

them have little education and are, in a man

ner of speaking, “stupid cows,” they manipulat

many of their husbands‟ decisions. Frequently

someone‟s advancement in the congregation

depends on the favor of these women.

But of course, when deciding who gets ap

pointed as elder, Biblical principles are als

considered, like the following: “Happy is thman in fear of Jehovah. … Valuable thing

and riches are in his house.” (Ps. 112:1, 3

Indeed, a man‟s spirituality can be recognized

among others, by his wealth. Financial difficul

ties though would show that someone is lack

ing Jehovah‟s blessing.

Preaching from House to House

“Jehovah‟s Witnesses are known worldwid

for the door-to-door preaching work they do,

according to the November 15, 1996 Watchtower. (p. 32) The sons of Korah wrote about them

“They still keep on praising you. Happy are th

men whose strength is in you, in whose hear

are the highways.” (Ps. 84:4, 5) The publisher

“keep on praising” Jehovah, not only in thei

hometown, but also elsewhere, using “th

highways” – Isaiah 60:16.

God put sheep and cattle under the power

of the “faithful and discreet slave”

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The tenth psalm describes the approach of a

skilled publisher: “He sits in an ambush of

settlements.” (Ps. 10:8) The “settlements” or

field service territories are the center of the

preaching work. Here the publisher “sits in an

ambush,” proceeding like a hunter. Fittingly,

the October 1957 Kingdom Ministry says: “To

find the scattered sheep you must be a capable,efficient huntsman. … Hunting ... calls for a

constant keeping on the track, a diligent search

of the isolated and scattered places, leaving no

section untouched or uninvestigated. Hunters

… seek to let nothing escape. So publishers

must work.”

How does the publisher accomplish his

hunting work? “ His eyes are on the lookout

for someone unfortunate. … He carries off

the afflicted one by force when he draws

his net shut.” (Ps. 10:8, 9) In the settlements,he is “on the lookout for someone unfortunate”

as he knows that fortunate people are usually

not receptive to his message. But someone who

is hopeless, desperate or weighed down may

listen. Finally, the publisher – a „fisher of men‟

commissioned by Jesus – “carries off the af-

flicted one by force when he draws his net

shut.” (Mat. 4:19) God will praise him with the

words: “You have carried away captives” –

Ps. 68:18.

Return visits

Some homeowners are difficult to reach by

day. That‟s why David advised publishers: “Let

them return at evening time; let them bark

like a dog and go all around the city.”

(Ps. 59:14) Many of Jehovah‟s Witnesses make

use of the “evening time” to make return visits

and call on people who were not at home dur-

ing the day. At that time, they do not go from

door to door but “all around the city.”

Like huntsmen, Jehovah’s Witnesses

keep searching for prey

Not all publishers are good speakers: “The

hold themselves down to bad speech.

(Ps. 64:5) Not only because of that, all thos

looking upon them will shake their head.

(Ps. 64:8) But they will not withhold themselve

from the preaching work, rather “they will tel

of the activity of God.” (Ps. 64:9) That doe

not go down well all people, especially when thpublishers ring early in the morning: “ Witness

es rise up [early]; what I have not known

they ask me” – Ps. 35:11.

But some homeowners fall for Jehovah‟

Witnesses and start attending their meetings

Sooner or later they become unbaptized publish

ers. One of them says about the other Witnesses

“At my limping they rejoiced and gathered

together; they gathered together.” (Ps. 35:15

The other publishers – especially those wh

“studied the Bible” with him – rejoice „at hi

limping‟ from house to house. And only now, h

notices how often Jehovah‟s Witnesses have t

gather together.

The “limping” can also imply that many Jeho

vah‟s Witnesses neglect their bodily health. The

outspend themselves for the preaching wor

because they think that Armageddon is at han

anyway. Many think that there is no need t

consult a doctor, since “God … is testing ou

heart and kidneys.” (Ps. 7:9) And some year

ago, Jehovah‟s Witnesses attributed a specia

meaning to the literal heart. The March 1, 197Watchtower dealt with “the heart in our thora

with its power of motivation” and said:

“With but few exceptions, the use of the word „hear

in the Bible is limited to the operations of the heart o

man as the powerhouse of one‟s desires, emotions an

affections, the place that comes to include the capacitie

for motivation. The Bible does not speak of a symbolic o

spiritual heart in contradistinction to the fleshly o

literal heart, just as it does not speak of a symboli

mind, and thus we do not want to make the mistake o

viewing the literal heart as merely a fleshly pump a

does orthodox physiology today. … There is a closinterrelationship between the heart and the mind, bu

they are two different faculties, centering in differen

locations. The heart is a marvelously designed muscula

pump, but, more significantly, our emotional and mot

vating capacities are built within it. Love, hate, desir

(good and bad), preference for one thing over anothe

ambition, fear – in effect, all that serves to motivate u

in relationship to our affections and desires springs from

the heart.” – p. 5-7.

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The Organization

Some criticize Jehovah‟s Witnesses because

their teachings are changed from time to time.

They claim that if the doctrine came from God

there would be no need for changes. But

in actual fact, the opposite is true. David

mentions “those with whom there are no

changings and who have not feared God.” (Ps. 55:19) Hence, the steady changes with

Jehovah‟s Witnesses are an impressive proof of

their godliness.

The psalms say about the king: “To him

let some of the gold of Sheba be given.”

(Ps. 72:15) But today, the financial support

that the publishers give is not directed to a

literal king. Rather, “other sheep serve closely

with anointed ones, who are destined to „rule

as kings over the earth‟” – The Watchtower,

April 15, 1992, p. 17.

However, the willingness to donate has

ceased over the recent years, as did the contri-

bution to the preaching work. The Governing

Body says with the words of David: “I have

been forgotten; I have become like a dam-

aged vessel; for I have heard the bad re-

port by many.” (Ps. 31:12, 13) Thus, they put

more and more emphasis on their authority:

“They brag to the sky. They say that they

own the earth” – Ps. 73:9, NCV .

ApostasyBut more and more Jehovah‟s Witnesses re-

fuse to go out preaching. They refer to David

who wrote: “Toward God is my soul waiting

in silence.” (Ps. 62:1) They claim that they

can praise God by keeping silent rather than

bothering their neighbors. But sooner or later,

such an attitude will bring them before a judi-

cial committee: “Those sitting in the gate

began concerning themselves about me.”

(Ps. 69:12) If they arrogate to put more trust

in the clear statements of the Bible than in the

speculative interpretations of the “faithful and

discreet slave,” they can expect to be disfellow-

shipped.

But the pointless door-to-door ministry is

not the only thing that motivates some to turn

their back on Jehovah‟s Witnesses. Others say

like David: “A young man I used to be, I

have also grown old, and yet I have not

seen” Armageddon, nor the resurrection o

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Ps. 37:25) Mayb

some of them heeded the counsel given in th

May 22, 1969 Awake! issue and refrained from

reasonable education: “If you are a young per

son, you also need to face the fact that you wil

never grow old in this present system o

things.” (p. 15) But after all, they have growold and noticed that they wasted their lives.

Luckily, some of Jehovah‟s Witnesses rea

ize the truth about this organization at an

early age. The say with David‟s words: “Th

waters have come clear to the soul. I hav

sunk down in deep mire, where there is n

standing ground. I have come into pro

found waters, and a flowing stream itsel

has washed me away. I have become tired

by my calling out; my throat has becom

hoarse. My eyes have failed while waiting

for my God” – Ps. 69:1-3 .

The December 15, 2004 Watchtower stated

“We are associated with an organization tha

brings the pure waters of truth right to us.

(p. 24) Indeed, Jehovah‟s Witnesses refer t

their publications as “water.” But in fact, the

do not contain “truth” at all. When an interes t

ed person allowed their misleading content t

“come clear to the soul” and took it to heart, h

got into “deep mire” in a spiritual sense

A “flowing stream” – the abundance of book

and booklets with which he got bombarded „washed him away,‟ ripped him out of the nor

mal life and made him a remotely controlle

servant of the “faithful and discreet slave.” H

was forced to go from house to house; hi

“throat has become hoarse” from preaching.

„While waiting for his God‟ and noticin

that all Watchtower prophecies did not fulfil

he became discouraged. He resigned from hi

office of ministerial servant and declared“What I had not taken by robbery I then

proceeded to give back. O God, you yoursel

have come to know my foolishness.

(Ps. 69:4, 5) But after some time, he realize

the whole truth about the “truth” and left th

organization. The psalmist describes the con

sequences: “Those hating me without a

cause have become even more than th

hairs of my head. Those bringing me t

silence, being my enemies for no reason

have become numerous” – Ps. 69:4.

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The elders try to „bring him to silence‟ by

forbidding their followers to talk to him, and

they say about “apostates” like him: “They are

speaking lies. The venom of theirs is like

the venom of the serpent.” (Ps. 58:3, 4) But

he blames himself for having been a Jehovah‟s

Witness and prays to God: “O may those seek-

ing you not be humiliated because of me.” (Ps. 69:6) He hopes that no one joined Jeho-

vah‟s Witnesses because of his preaching.

If he happens to meet one of the elders who

disfellowshipped him on the street, he says to

him: “I have become one estranged to my

brothers. … You have put my acquaintanc-

es far away from me; you have set

me as something very detestable to them”

– Ps. 88:8.

Former Jehovah’s Witnesses Many apostates gather together later, shar-

ing their experiences. Some of them praise God

saying: “You have brought us into a hunt-

ing net; you have put pressure on our hips.

… We have come through fire and through

water, and you proceeded to bring us forth

to relief.” (Ps. 66:11, 12) They had been

caught with “a hunting net” by “fishers of

men.” (Mark 1:17) The Watchtower organiza-

tion had “put pressure” on them in form of field

ministry, meetings and many commands of

men. They have „come through water‟ when

they got baptized. But finally, they were

„brought forth to relief.‟ They ask God with

regard to the Watchtower Society: “The big

talker – let him not be firmly established

in the earth” – Ps. 140:11.

King David “hated the congregation”

To no avail it is for Jehovah’s Witnesses

that they are rising up early

Someone who has freed himself from th

slavery of the “faithful and discreet slave” ca

proudly say: “More insight than all my

teachers I have come to have. … With mor

understanding than older men I behave.

(Ps. 119:99, 100) Indeed, while their teach

ers” who made them Jehovah‟s Witnesses stil

have not recognized the truth about th

“truth,” these apostates have gained “mor

understanding” in a short space of time. The

have taken an unequivocal stand and aban

doned the false religion – something that “olde

men” (the elders of their former congregation

have not yet accomplished.

Most apostates will no longer fall for sectar

ians like Jehovah‟s Witnesses. They say: “Th

wicked will fall into their own nets al

together, while I, for my part, pass by.

(Ps. 141:10) “Fishers of men” don‟t stand

chance to fish them anymore. They have recog

nized how pointless the Jehovah‟s Witnesses

preaching work is and tell them: “To no avai

it is for you men that you are rising up

early” and going into field service – Ps. 127:2 .

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“Encouraging” Visits

Some of the disfellowshipped persons are

visited by elders from time to time and asked if

they want to return to slavery. But anyone

with a little sanity tells them: “Get away from

me, all you practicers of what is hurtful! …

Get away from me, you evildoers!” (Ps. 6:8;

119:115) When they ask why, you can answer:

“With those who hide what they are I do

not come in. I have hated the congregation

... and with the wicked ones I do not sit”

– Ps. 26:4, 5 .

Jehovah‟s Witnesses “hide what they are”

by appearing outwardly in a way that does not

reflect the facts. As the July 15h, 2008 Study

Edition of the Watchtower shows, they believe

that “Jehovah‟s heavenly executional forces”

will soon “destroy those who do not have the

symbolic mark” and “that people will be judgedon the basis of their response to the good news”

which is declared by Jehovah‟s Witnesses.

(p. 6) But they “hide” this cruel teaching in

public and say instead that God will “rid the

earth of wickedness” or “destroy the wicked.”

(The Watchtower, June 1, 2008, p. 3; April 1,

2008, p. 5) They show the same dishonesty

regarding their doctrines about blood or deal-

ing with disfellowshipped relatives.

Jehovah’s Witnesses “hide what they are”

The elders may also mention “the wonderfu

resurrection hope” that apostates supposedl

pass up. ( Awake! August 8, 1993, p. 27) Bu

apostates know: “All of you are sons of th

Most High. Surely you will die just as men

do.” (Ps. 82:6, 7) And Jesus said to his disci

ples: “You will be sons of the Most High, be

cause he is kind toward the unthankful anwicked.” (Luke 6:35) So, the “sons of the Mos

High” are “the unthankful and wicked” wh

join Jehovah‟s Witnesses or another Christia

sect. They “will die just as men do.”

And “humans and animals come to th

same end – humans die, animals die. … S

there's really no advantage in being hu

man. None … We all end up in the sam

place.” (Eccl. 3:19, MSG) So why should w

struggle? Granted, David wrote: “God is caus

ing the solitary ones to dwell in a house.

(Ps. 68:6) But that is the house which Kin

Solomon referred to when he wrote that “man

is walking to his long-lasting house

– Eccl. 12:5.

“The other sheep today look forward to liv

ing right on into an earthly paradise,” says th

April 15, 1995 Watchtower. (p. 31) But thi

hope is illusionary. The sons of Korah wrote in

regard to these Christians: “Like sheep the

have been appointed to Sheol itself; death

itself will shepherd them. … Their form

are due to wear away; Sheol rather than alofty abode is for each one” – Ps. 49:14.

Many of Jehovah‟s Witnesses also believ

that apostates would sorely miss the “life

giving spiritual food” in the Watchtower publi

cations. (2005 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

p. 201) But Asaph wrote: “They kept offend

ing him with their high places, and with

their graven images they kept inciting him

to jealousy.” (Ps. 78:58) In ancient times

“high places” were usually used to buil

Watchtowers, and the Watchtower does containot “graven” but printed images. The absur

ideas regularly presented in the Watchtower a

messages from God really must „keep offending

him. Whoever realized this will say about Je

hovah‟s Witnesses: “For [spiritual] food they

gave me a poisonous plant.” (Ps. 69:21

Indeed, the Watchtower publications are spir

itually poisonous.

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Hanger-Ons

Not all Jehovah‟s Witnesses who disagree

with Watchtower teachings are disfellowshipped

or disassociate themselves. For various reasons,

some of them decide to remain Jehovah‟s Wit-

nesses, often because of their relatives. But

some of them say when entering the kingdom

hall: “My very heart is in severe pain withinme, and the frights of death itself have fall-

en upon me. Fear, yes, trembling itself en-

ters into me, and shuddering covers me.

And I keep saying: „O that I had wings as a

dove has! I would fly away‟” – Ps. 55:4-6 .

As a matter of fact, many Jehovah‟s Wit-

nesses have to cope with negative self-image.

And in their meetings, the elders talk them even

further into feelings of guilt. They fan fear of

Armageddon among those who do not put them-

selves out for the preaching work. No wonderthat “frights of death,” “fear” and “trembling” is

ubiquitous within kingdom halls. Surely it is by

divine providence that Jehovah‟s Witnesses

regularly sing a song based on this psalm in

their kingdom halls: “Had I wings just as a dove

has, I‟d fly far off to reside in a place safe from

the wicked, whose bad tongues, O God, divide” –

Sing Praises to Jehovah, Song 103.

Feelings of Inferiority

Like no other book of the Bible, the psalms

promote feelings of inferiority among God‟s

servants. Everyone must be sensible of the fact:

“With error I was brought forth with birth

pains, and in sin my mother conceived

me.” (Ps. 51:5) So, even from his very birth,

every man is an umimportant sinner. Later,

David added: “The sons of earthling man

are an exhalation, the sons of mankind

are a lie. When laid upon the scales they

are all together lighter than an exhala-

tion” – Ps. 62:9.

He deepened this idea on a later occasion:“Cause me, O Jehovah, to know my end …

that I may know how transient I am. … My

life‟s duration is as nothing in front of you.

Surely every earthling man, though stand-

ing firm, is nothing but an exhalation.”

(Ps. 39:4, 5) In another psalm he wrote “that

we are dust.” (Ps. 103:14) And dust is wiped

away; no one would strike on the idea that a

single grain of dust could be important. How

should a single human feel significant an

acquire self-esteem when whole mankind i

“dust” and “all together lighter than an exhala

tion” in Jehovah‟s eyes?

Indeed, Jehovah views men as useless

“ Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And

die.” (Ps. 49:20, MSG) Wise king Solomoconfirmed this fact: “Like animals we breath

and die, and we are no better off than they are

It just doesn't make sense.” (Eccl. 3:19, CEV

No wonder that David said of himself: “I am

worm, and not a man, a re proach … and

des picable” – Ps. 22:6 .

Even David asked: “Who is the man tha

is delighting in life?” (Ps. 34:12) In fact

even in ancient times it was difficult to fin

such a person among God‟s people. Rather, hi

worshippers were “broken at heart ,” “a f flicted and aching,” “afflicted and poor ,

“greatly impoverished ,” “emaciated” an

“afflicted to a great extent.” (Ps. 34:18

69:29; 70:5; 79:8; 102:7; 119:107) Further

more, many of them had “a heart broken and

crushed.” – Ps. 51:17 .

Today, the situation is the same. As write

Gerd Borchers-Schreiber mentions, Jehovah‟

Witnesses said at an elder training 1991 in

Switzerland “that there were many peopl

suffering from depression among Jehovah‟Witnesses” and that “in psychosomatic hospi

tals there are always patients who confess t

Jehovah‟s Witnesses.” And while Asaph said o

people who did not worship God: “They wen

eating and satisfying themselves ver

much,” true Christians say: “My very flesh

has grown lean.” – Ps. 78:29; 109:24.

“Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.”

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Jehovah – God of Revenge

Another cause for depression among Jeho-

vah‟s Witnesses is that their prayers concern-

ing apostates have not yet been answered.

They know that “God himself will break the

head of his enemies in pieces.” (Ps. 68:21)

Indeed, “the true God is the Giver of acts of

vengeance.” (Ps. 18:47) Psalm 49 even calls

Jehovah the “God of acts of vengeance.” (Ps.

94:1) “His anger flares up easily” – Ps. 2:12 .

Again and again, Jehovah‟s Witnesses beg

him with the words of David: “Do arise,

O Jehovah! … You will have to strike all

my enemies on the jaw. The teeth of wicked

ones you will have to break. … O God,

knock out their teeth in their mouth!”

(Ps. 3:7; 58:6) But to this day there is no evi-

dence that apostates consult their dentist moreoften than Jehovah‟s Witnesses.

Faithful king David also prayed: “O that

you, O God, would slay the wicked one! …

Do I not feel a loathing for those revolting

against you? With a complete hatred I do

hate them.” (Ps. 139:19, 21, 22) Accordingly

says the October 1, 1952 Watchtower:

“We must hate in the truest sense, which is to re-

gard with extreme and active aversion, to consider as

loathsome, odious, filthy, to detest. ... We cannot love

those hateful enemies, for they are fit only for de-struction. ... We pray with intensity and cry out this

prayer for Jehovah to delay no longer, and plead that

his anger be made manifest. Bring forth your arm

and let the enemies see it, and use it for their hurt

and destruction. ... These are the true sentiments,

desires and prayers of the righteous ones today”

– p. 599, 600.

Alcohol Abuse in Heaven

Asaph became boisterous even when think-

ing of God: “I will remember God and be

boisterous; I will show concern.” (Ps. 77:3) Why is God so irascible and moody? Asaph

reveals one of the reasons: “There is a cup in

the hand of Jehovah, and the wine is

foaming , it is full of mixture.” (Ps. 75:8)

Obviously, God is among “those staying a long

time with the wine, those coming in to search

out mixed wine” – Pr. 23:30.

“Alcohol contributes to acts of violence

says Awake! magazine. (October 8, 2005, p. 3

Once “Jehovah began to awake as from

sleeping, like a mighty one sobering up

from wine. And he went striking down hi

adversaries from behind.” (Ps. 78:65, 66

As God is almighty, he could also strike dow

his adversaries head-on, or simply let them fal

dead. But under the influence of alcohol, h

stroke them down “from behind.”

A study of the universities of Northumbri

and Keele showed that alcohol may cause forget

fulness. That may explain why Ethan

the Ezrahite had to say to Jehovah: “You your

self have crushed Rahab, even as someon

slain.” (Ps. 89:10) Maybe Jehovah had simpl

forgotten that he had declared Rahab “righteou

by works” and that she actually should “keep on

living” – James 2:25; Joshua 6:17.

His alcohol intake may have caused God t

forget “day and hour” when he wanted to brin

his judgment over the earth. Unfortunately

“nobody [else] knows” it, “neither the angels o

the heavens nor the Son.” (Mat. 24:36) Bu

since Jehovah has to stick to his own princi

ples, he can bring Armageddon only “precisel

at his appointed time.” (The Watchtower, Jul

15, 1977, p. 435) But no one knows it anymore

so his only hope is that he remembers it timely

Now and again, God causes “a copious downpour” to fal

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Natural Disasters

The prophet Amos explained: “If a calamity

occurs in the city, is it not also Jehovah who

has acted?” (Amos 3:6) The so-called “natural

laws” were actually created by God, and the

same can be said of so-called “natural disas-

ters.” (compare Awake! , February 8, 1999, p. 3)

David said: “The earth itself rocked. … A

copious downpour you began causing to

fall, O God.” (Ps. 68:8, 9) Hence, earthquakes

and floods are caused by God.

Spiegel Online reported on June 5, 2005

that “every year, thousands die in China by

floods and landslides.” Similarly, hundreds die

in India every year through floods. But not only

earthquakes and floods are caused by God:

“Our God will come and cannot possibly

keep silent. Before him there devours a

fire, and all around him it has becomeexceedingly stormy weather.” (Ps. 50:3)

Storms are also a part of his works. 1970 and

1991, each time a single tornado caused about

300,000 fatalities only in Bangladesh.

However, the victims in China, India and

Bangladesh had one thing in common: They did

not worship Jehovah. They had to be annihi-

lated anyway sooner or later. Hence, God‟s

servants can wholeheartedly join the praise:

“Praise Jehovah from the earth, you sea

monsters and all you watery deeps, you fireand hail, snow and thick smoke, you tem-

pestuous wind, accomplishing his word.”

(Ps. 147:7, 8) God likely knows that the dis-

posal of all “those slain by Jehovah” after Ar-

mageddon would overcharge the few survivors,

so he annihilates many of them in advance by

disasters.

“Exceedingly stormy weather” glorifies Jehovah

“To the beasts he is giving their food.”

Hunger

Jesus foretold that there would be foo

shortages.” (Luke 21:11) Thus, he cannot simp

ly provide food to all people because the proph

ecy would not fulfill then. Rather, “he cause

the hungry ones to dwell … and he blesse

them so that they become very many.” (Ps

107:36, 38) By means of disasters and othe

provisions, he causes the hungry to “becom

very many.” A lot of them finally starve, an

“again they become few and crouch down

owing to restraint, calamity and grief

– Ps. 107:39.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, Jehovah

said about his own people: “By famine they wil

come to an end.” (Jer. 16:4) Jesus knew that hi

father would proceed like that, that‟s why h

explained: “Happy are you who hunger.” (Luk

6:21) Whoever goes hungry can feel blesse

that he can play a role in God‟s purpose.

But Jehovah does only starve humans

“To the beasts he is giving their food.

(Ps. 147:9) God does not only nourish “th

birds of heaven.” (Mat. 6:26) The psalms show

“As for this sea so great and wide, ther

are moving things without number, living

creatures, small as well as great. … As fo

Leviathan, him you have formed to play

about in it. All of them – for you they keep

waiting to give them their food in its sea

son” – Ps. 104:25-27 .

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Indeed, there are many creatures in the

sea, like sharks or stingrays. “Leviathan”

– likely the Nile crocodile – can also be found

there, at least near the coast. God does give

them all “their food in its season,” sometimes

including humans.

Human needs

“Regular washing” is important for us, as

the November 15, 1981 Watchtower explained.

(p. 6) Since we are „created in God‟s image,‟ it is

reasonable to believe that God does also be-

come dirty over time and has to wash. (Gen.

1:27) But the psalms are the only Bible book

that refers directly to his body hygiene: “Moab

is my washing pot.” (Ps. 60:8; 108:9) As

there were no bigger waters in Moab, God

could only use it as a “washing pot,” not as a

bathtub. But “Jehovah our God is righteous.”(Dan. 9:14) And the righteous one … will

bathe in the blood of the wicked one,” not

in water. – Ps. 58:10.

An even more important basic need of hu-

mans is eating. When Jehovah was Abraham‟s

guest, he ate “a tender and good young bull.”

(Gen. 18:1, 3, 8) So, Jehovah eats meat, and he

commanded his worshippers to do the same:

“You must eat meat.” (Deut. 12:15) That means

that vegetarians cannot please Jehovah. But

even eating too little meat would displease him

for he commanded: “All the fat ones of th

earth shall eat” – Ps. 22:29.

Is God always honest? He said: “Once

have sworn in my holiness, to David I wil

not tell lies.” (Ps. 89:35) Why should Jehova

particularly swear not to tell lies to David i

would never tell lies anyway?

The study of the psalms reveals many de

tails about God‟s personality. The futility of th

Watchtower religion can be clearly seen in ful

harmony with the prophetic psalms. Let us no

hold back from speaking about the wonderfu

psalms on every occasion!

Moab was God’s “washing pot”

QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Should Christians witness to the devil?

As true Christians, we keep looking for persons with

“sheeplike qualities” (compare Our Kingdom Ministry, 6/84,

p. 3) The preeminent features of sheep include two horns and

a tail – things which are also attributed to the devil.

Hence, the devil is one of the sheeplike persons who have

“everlasting life” in prospect. (Mat. 25:46) That‟s why Jesus“went his way and preached to the spirits in prison, who had

once been disobedient.” (1. Pet. 3:19, 20) The demons, “who

had once been disobedient,” can abandon their sinful life and

become worshippers of Jehovah too – Ezek. 33:16.

How can we reach the devil and his demons in field ser-

vice? When we call at someone who already has contact with

them, we can ask him for help. Such a person could forward

the Watchtower to the devil and the demons or read it to them. Satan must get a witness

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QUESTIONS FROM READERS

What hope is there for dead loved ones?

The Bible clearly shows that there is no resur-

rection. Job asked: “Will we humans live again? Iwould gladly suffer and wait for my time. My Crea-

tor, you would want me; you would call out, and I

would answer.” (Job 14:14, 15, CEV ) If there would

be a resurrection, God would call the dead.

But Job knew: “When a tree is chopped down,

there is always the hope that it will sprout again. …

Humans are different – we die, and that's the end.

… We fall into the sleep of death, never to rise

again.” (Job 14:7, 10, 12, CEV ) So, whoever died will

“never” wake up.

Wise king Solomon similarly noted: “The living

at least know something, even if it's only that

they're going to die. But the dead know nothing and

get nothing. They're a minus that no one remem-

bers. Their loves, their hates, yes, even their

dreams, are long gone. There's not a trace of them

left.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, MSG) Indeed, “no one

remembers” them, not even God. “Their dreams” of

life after death “are long gone,” they “get nothing.”

Solomon continued: “All that your hand finds todo, do with your very power, for there is no work nor

devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, the

place to which you are going.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

Elsewhere he stated: “There is no man righteous in

the earth that keeps doing good and does not sin,”

and Ezekiel pointed out: “The soul who sins is the

one who will die” – Ecclesiastes 7:20; Ezekiel 18:4,

NIV .

True, the Bible clearly shows that there is no

hope at all for the dead. They are not going to existanymore forever and ever.

The Bible clearly shows tha

there will be a resurrection. Joasked: “If an able-bodied man die

can he live again?” and provides th

answer: “All the days of my compu

sory service I shall wait, until m

relief comes. You will call, and

myself shall answer you.” (Job 14:14

15) God will “call” the dead to resur

rection.

Job knew: “There exists hope fo

even a tree. If it gets cut down, it wileven sprout again. … [It] will no

cease to be.” (Job 14:7) Trees “wil

not cease to be,” and Jehovah prom

ised: “People will be as long-lived a

trees.” (Isaiah 65:22, MSG) Whoeve

died will “sprout again” and liv

forever. Jesus too said: “He tha

believes has everlasting life” – Joh

6:47.

The apostle Paul explained “tha

there is going to be a resurrection o

both the righteous and the unright

eous.” (Acts 24:15) And Jehovah

promised: “Your dead ones will live

... They will rise up” – Isaiah 26:19.

True, the Bible clearly shows tha

there is hope for the dead. They ar

not going to remain dead but wil

rise up and then live forever anever.

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H OW C AN Y OU F IND THE T RUE R ELIGION ?“Windows in his roof chamber being open … even three times in a day he was kneeling

on his knees and praying and offering praise before his God.” (Daniel 6:10)

There can be no doubt as to who were prac-ticing true religion in the first century. What

about today? How can those practicing true

religion be identified?

Explaining how we can do this, Jesus said:

“By their fruits you will recognize them. ...

Every good tree produces fine fruit, but every

rotten tree produces worthless fruit; … really,

then, by their fruits you will recognize those

men.” (Matthew 7:16-20) What fine fruits

would you expect true worshipers of God toproduce?

God‟s true worshippers must have peace

among themselves, even though the world

around them shattered by war. Where can we

find such peace among men and women from

various nations and races? Stephan, a network

engineer from Germany, explained: “The first

time I went to a Microsoft workshop, I saw a

well-dressed lady sitting and conversing with a

Turk. I had never seen that before. In that

moment, I knew that these must be God‟s peo-ple.”

People from all nations listen

in unity at a Microsoft convention

Neither employees nor software fromMicrosoft were involved in World War I

Indeed, around 90,000 employees out o

[nearly] all nations and tribes and peoples an

tongues” work together at Microsoft in peace

pursuing a common goal. Such unity is onl

possible because all employees work closel

with God‟s channel of communication, the Mi

crosoft executive board in Seattle. They sepa

rate from the world‟s conflicts, and histor

proves that Microsoft was not involved in th

two World Wars of the 20th century.

Worldwide Activity

God‟s true servants must also be acting “t

the most distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8

That too is applicable to Microsoft, since th

company has employees in 105 countrie

around the globe.* A special department take

care of translating the products in more than

70 languages.

* Jehovah‟s Witnesses have 113 branch offices worldwide.

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God‟s true worshippers must also travel

“through the land declaring the good news of …

word.” (Acts 8:4) Indeed, Microsoft has scores

of “Technical Evangelists” who carry the good

news of Word, Excel and especially of new

products into the world.

The Bible says that God would give his rev-

elation not all at once, but progressively. (Pr.

4:18) Accordingly, Microsoft does not publish

final products, but does time and again provide

“brighter light” in form of service packs, hotfix-

es and other updates. Granted, Microsoft has

not opened “a large door” but rather a large

window “that leads to activity.” – 1. Cor. 16:9.

Persecution

The Bible also foretold that true servants of

God would be persecuted. In fact, Microsoft is

one of the most assaulted organizations on

earth. In the recent 6 years, at least 14 sub-

stantial lawsuits have been carried on against

Microsoft, where all the hate of Satan‟s eco-

nomic system turned up. So-called “guardians

of competition” recommended multiple times to

break up the company.

But to Microsoft the prophecy of Isaiah ap-

plies: “Any weapon whatever that will be

formed against you will have no success, and

any tongue at all that will rise up against you

in the judgment you will condemn. This is the

hereditary possession of the servants of Jeho-

vah.” (Isaiah 54:17) That the company still

exists despite many hostilities is an impressive

proof of God‟s blessing and protection.

The identifying mark of true religion

William H. Gates, the first president of the Microsoft

Corporation, faced intense persecution

In the past 20 years, Microsoft‟s employe

count increased on average by 19 percent pe

year – remarkable evidence of God‟s support

And “the blessing of Jehovah – that is wha

makes rich.” (Proverbs 10:22) That‟s why Wil

liam H. Gates, the first president of the Mi

crosoft Corporation, has been the richest person on earth for years. Despite the worldwid

financial crisis, his personal wealth is stil

around $40 billion, an impressive fulfillment o

Bible‟s promise.

Who, then, is the body of true worshiper

today? On the basis of the evidence, which i

known or available to persons in all parts o

the earth, we do not hesitate to say that it i

Microsoft. It will be worthwhile to work clos

with this organization, since God assures uthat practicing true religion brings great con

tentment now. – Deuteronomy 30:19, 20.

* Within the same timeframe, Jehovah‟s Witnesses had onl

an average increase of 3.4 % per year.

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Critics accuse Jehovah‟s Witnesses that they

would have miscalculated and their prophecies

had not fulfilled. But is this reproach justified?

Are there calculations really wrong?

After all, the basis for their belief is the Bi-

ble. What does the Bible say about math? We

find a fine example in Ezra 1:9-11:

These are the numbers of them: thirty basket-

shaped vessels of gold, a thousand basket-shaped

vessels of silver, twenty-nine replacement vessels,

tthirty small bowls of gold, four hundred and ten

small secondary bowls of silver, a thousand other

utensils. All the utensils of gold and of silver were

five thousand four hundred.

According to our mathematical understand-

ing, there seems to be an error in calculation:

30 + 1000 + 29 + 30 + 410 + 1000 = 2499. But

the Bible – God‟s infallible word – says that

there were 5400 utensils in total. Since “a

thousand other utensils” are explicitly men-

tioned, it is not possible that the 2901 appar-

ently missing utensils were simply omitted.

Rather, we must accept that our mathemat-

ics has been invented by men and therefore is

not perfect. God says: “A s the heavens arehigher than the earth, so my ways are higher

than your ways, and my thoughts than your

thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) And he defined: 30 +

1000 + 29 + 30 + 410 + 1000 = 5400.

Another verse that reveals a flaw of human

mathematics is Joshua 15:21-36:

And the cities at the extremity of the tribe of

the sons of Judah toward the boundary of Edom in

the south came to be [1] Kabzeel and [2] Eder

and [3] Jagur, and [4] Kinah and [5] Dimonah

and [6] Adadah, and [7] Kedesh and [8] Hazor

and [9] Ithnan, [10] Ziph and [11] Telem

and [12] Bealoth, and [13] Hazor-hadattah and

[14] Kerioth-hezron, that is to say, Hazor,

[15] Amam and [16] Shema and [17] Moladah,

and [18] Hazar-gaddah and [19] Heshmon

and [20] Beth-pelet, and [21] Hazar-shual and

[22] Beer-sheba and [23] Biziothiah, [24] Baalah

and [25] Iim and [26] Ezem, and [27] Eltolad an

[28] Chesil and [29] Hormah, and [30] Ziklag an

[31] Madmannah and [32] Sansannah, an

[33] Lebaoth and [34] Shilhim and [35] Ain an[36] Rimmon; all the cities being twenty-nine, to

gether with their settlements.

In the Shephelah there were [1] Eshtao

and [2] Zorah and [3] Ashnah, and [4] Zanoa

and [5] En-gannim, [6] Tappuah an

[7] Enam, [8] Jarmuth and [9] Adullam

[10] Socoh and [11] Azekah, and [12] Shaaraim

and [13] Adithaim and [14] Gederah an

[15] Gederothaim; fourteen cities and their settle

ments.

Though we would count 36 resp. 15 citie

with our imperfect math, the Bible unmistaka

bly says that it were 29 resp. 14 cities. Tha

may seem impossible to us, but “all things ar

possible with God.” (Mark 10:27) Should we pu

more trust in imperfect mathematicians – wh

not even believe in the Bible or practice fals

religion – than in the word of Jehovah, th

creator of the universe?

Jesus thanked Jehovah for hiding the truth

about math “from those who think themselve

wise and clever, and for revealing them to thchildlike.” (Mat. 11:25, NLT ) Among the “child

like” who are seemingly unable to calculate i

the “faithful and discreet slave” of Jehovah‟

Witnesses. Jehovah showed them how to calcu

late seasons, but in the past they allowe

worldly math to mislead them. They though

that the year 607 BCE would have been 7

years before 537 BCE, or that there would hav

been 2520 years between 607 BCE and 191

CE. They correctly noticed that Armageddon

would come 6000 years after 4026 BCE, bu

they wrongly assumed this would be in 197

CE.

A diligent study of Bible math will enabl

us to understand godly calculations more accu

rately and to determine correct dates for futur

events which were correctly foretold by Jeho

vah‟s Witnesses.

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WHAT WILL NOT BE THERE IN PARADISE

Women:

“The Scriptures do not reveal what the relationship of men and women will be after the

resurrection is completed. … Whether the identity of the sexes, as such, will be preserved,

we do not know. There have been some well authenticated instances in which women have

been transformed into men, and it is possible that this transformation may become general

and we shall all be brothers together.” – The Golden Age, April 2, 1930, p. 446.

Children:

“The most that we know is that there will be no children born during the last 100 years of

the Millennium (Isa. 65:20), nor any born after that, because men and women do not have

children after they reach the age of 100 years.” – The Golden Age, April 2, 1930, p. 446.

Black people:

“How could all men be brought to perfection and which color of skin was the original? …

God can change the Ethiopian's skin in his own due time. Prof. H. A. Edwards … has written

for the public press an elaborate description of how Julius Jackson, … a negro boy of nine

years, began to grow white in September, 1901, and is now fully nine-tenths white. – Watch

Tower , February 15, 1904

“A little while, and the Millennial kingdom will be inaugurated, which will bring restitution to

all mankind – restitution to the perfection of mind and body, feature and color, to the

grand original standard.” – Watch Tower , April 1, 1914.

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