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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.