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WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY

117 Adams Street »   » Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.A.

OFFICERS

J. F. Rutherford, President W. E. Van Amburgh, Secretary “And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” - Isaiah 54:13.

THE SCRIPTURES CLEARLY TEACH

THAT JEHOVAH is the only true God, is from everlasting to everlasting, the Maker of heaven and earth and the Giver of life to his creatures; that the Logos was the beginning of his creation, and his active agent In the creation of all things; that the Logos is now the Lord Jesus Christ in glory, clothed with all power in heaven and earth, and the Chief Executive Officer of Jehovah.

THAT GOD created the earth for man, created perfect man for the earth and placed him upon it; that man willfully disobeyed God’s law and was sentenced to death ; that by reason of Adam’s wrong act all men are born sinners and without the right to life.

THAT JESUS was made human, and the man Jesus suffered death in order to produce the ransom or redemptive price for obedient ones of mankind; that God raised up Jesus divine and exalted him to heaven above every creature and above every name and clothed him with all power and authority.

THAT JEHOVAH’S ORGANIZATION Is a Theocracy called Zion, and that Christ Jesus Is the Chief Officer thereof and is the rightful King of the world ; that the anointed and faithful followers of Christ Jesus are children of Zion, members of Jehovah’s organization, and are his witnesses whose duty and privilege it is to testify to the supremacy of Jehovah, declare his purposes toward mankind as expressed in the Bible, and to bear the fruits of the kingdom before all who will hear.

THAT THE WORLD has ended, and the Lord Jesus Christ has been placed by Jehovah upon his throne of authority, has ousted Satan from heaven and is proceeding to the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth.

THAT THE RELIEF and blessings of the peoples of earth can come only by and through Jehovah’s kingdom under Christ, which has now begun; that the Lord’s next great act is the destruction of Satan’s organization and the establishment of righteousness in the earth, and that under the kingdom the people of good will that survive Armageddon shall carry out the divine mandate to “fill the earth” with a righteous race.

ITS MISSION

HIS journal is published for the purpose of enabling the people to know Jehovah God and his purposes as expressed in the Bible. It publishes Bible Instruction specifically designed to aid Jehovah’s witnesses and all people of good will It arranges systematic Bible study for Its readers and the Society supplies other literature to aid In such studies. It publishes suitable material for radio broadcasting and for other means of public instruction in the Scriptures.

It adheres strictly to the Bible as authority for its utterances. It is entirely free and separate from all religion, parties, sects or other worldly organizations. It Is wholly and without reservation for the kingdom of Jehovah God under Christ his beloved King. It is not dogmatic, but invites careful and critical examination of its contents in the light of the Scriptures. It does not indulge in controversy, and its columns are not open to personalities.

Yearly Subscription Price

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(Translations of this journal appear in several languages.)

All sincere students of the Bible who by reason of Infirmity, poverty or adversity are unable to pay the subscription price may have The Watchtower free upon written application to the publishers, made once each year, stating the reason for so requesting it. We are glad to thus aid the needy, but the written application once each year is required by the postal regulations

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Entered as second-‘class matter at the post office at Brooklyn, N. Y , under the Act of March 3, 1819

“BATTLE SIEGE” TESTIMONY PERIOD

Spring’s opening will be marked by the “Battle Siege” Testimony Period, during the whole month of April. It will be a pressing of the siege against religion by a campaign to increase yet more the subscription list of The Watchtower. The unusual oSer in effect during the campaign will operate greatly to that result, to wit, one year’s subscription for The Watchtower together with the premium of a choice of any bound book and a self-covered booklet on a contribution of but one dollar; foreign countries, $1.50. This Testimony Period, which is world-wide in scope, will be the first of a three-month campaign with The Watchtower, and, due to the instant importance of what this magazine contains, the campaign is actually to be launched on March 23, the date of celebrating the Memorial. Now is none too soon to begin your preparation therefor, as to territory, equipment, time, supplies, distributor’s copies, etc. If unacquainted with an organized company of publishers in your locality, notify this office of your wish to get in touch with such for this Testimony. Those in foreign lands will write the branch office having supervision. The Informant (which is free) goes into greater detail on this.

“REFUGEES”

Millions of refugees of various sorts now abroad in the earth, but this new booklet Refugees, written by the president of the Society, shows definitely how only such thereof as are of good will may and will find the one safe, abiding Refuge and live. By its very front-cover picture Refugees tells a powerful story, but the contents within this 64-page booklet convey a message that God’s refugees will rejoice to get, and that His publishers will have great joy in distributing to them. Release of this booklet for distribution coincides with March 23, the day of the Memorial, and detailed instructions thereon are found in the Informant You may procure a copy of Refugees direct by remitting a contribution of 5c per copy.

“MODEL STUDY” NO. 2

This booklet is a valuable and indispensable complement to the original model study booklet. Model Study No. 2 enables anyone equipped with phonograph and lecture recordings to carry on model studies on the seven latest recorded speeches by the Society’s president, from the speech “Safety” in 1937 down to and including “Government and Peace” in 1939. The booklet also con-(Continued on page 95)

ANNOUNCING JEHOVAH’S KINGDOM

Vol LXI                                     March 15, 1940                                         No. 6

REFUGE

“The Laid also will be a tefuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”—Psalm 9:9.

JEHOVAH foreknew the trouble that would beset those who seive him, and He made provision for their instruction that they might go in the right way and escape the enemy and find the place of complete refuge. He foreknew how the demons would attack his consecrated people and how they are now attacking all those who serve him and his kingdom. Today he is revealing to all such faithful ones his means of protection, refuge and salvation. He foreknew and foretold the time of trouble coming upon the world, and in which all the nations now find themselves. To those who seek him he gives full assurance that if they put their trust fully in him and walk obediently with him they shall have protection and shall not be disappointed. ‘"Thus let them who know thy name put confidence in thee, that thou hast not forsaken the searchers for thee, 0 Jehovah.” (Psalm 9:10, Rotherham) The people now on earth who are of good will toward God, and who are otherwise known as Jonadabs (2 Ki. 10:15-23) and pictured by Jonathan (1 Sam. 18: 1-4), have learned of the Almighty God and have found that His Word is the only safe and true guide. (Ps. 119:105) All the consecrated, both those of the remnant and those who will form the "great multitude” (Rev. 7:9-17), must now be on Ilie alert and diligent at all times to avoid the snares of the enemy and to find safety and refuge, as provided by the Most High.

-'You are fully aware of the fact that at no time within the memory of man have the nations of the earth been in such a deplorable condition as now. Since the close of the World War in 1918 the woes of humankind have increased. Within the borders of all nations there are now many refugees seeking a place where they might abide in security and have some reasonable opportunity to enjoy some of the things which God has provided for man. That the number of the refugees is certain to increase in the very near future must be conceded, and this fact alone increases the burden and distress of many even among those people who now have a measure of peace and prosperity. You are among those who seek the best information obtainable as to why so many sorrows have come upon the people, otherwise you would not be reading even these lines. Desiring to see righteousness prevail amongst men, you will diligently apply yourself to learn the truth and, so doing, you will clearly see why there are so many refugees, and why in the very near future the sorrows upon humankind will increase, and what will be the end of such.

WORLD CRISIS

³ The divers nations are facing the greatest crisis of all time. The ruling factors of all nations appear to have a premonition of approaching disaster. Refusing to give heed to God’s Word, they are in the dark as to what is just ahead. Each nation is like a frightened man walking in the dark. The controlling force that now moves the nations into action, both offensive and defensive, is fear. The visible rulers of the nations are in a state of great perplexity, sensing, as they do, that some unseen power is moving them rapidly to a great climax. They hesitate not to say that the present nations cannot survive unless some sure remedy, is found, and none of them appear to have any knowledge of such sure remedy. Political prognosticators attempt to foretell the future, but no one has any real confidence in any of such political, religious prophecies. They are in a desperate state of mind, and there appears to them a great pall hanging over them which forebodes disaster. The Lord foreknew this time of distress and foretold it in these words: “Upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; . . . men’s hearts failing them for fear.”—Luke 21: 25, 26.

* The ruling elements of the nations of the earth ignore these prophetic words of the Lord and the other prophecies, which make known to the diligent student of God’s Word what unseen forces are moving the nations to the greatest climax of all time. Concerning such unseen powers the Lord say<,: 'They go forth to the kings [ruling powers] of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the great battle of God Almighty [that is, to Armageddon].’ And what is that invisible force or power? The Lord answers that it is the power of wickedness, the Devil, “the prince of demons/’ and his associated demons, who, themselves being blinded to God’s purpose, lead the credulous ones into the ditch of destruction. (Rev. 16:13-16) All nations of the earth today are under the influence and control of the demons. Fear has led these ruling powers into the snare of the demons and caused them blindly to hunt a place of refuge, which they fail to find.—Prov. 29: 25.

FACING DEATH

• ⁵ All the nations are facing death, and at the universal war of Armageddon, that is, “the battle of that great day of God Almighty,” all nations shall die. That will not be “death” of the nations at the hands of other nations, but death administered by the Almighty power of heaven: “The Higher Powers” (Rom. 13:1); Jehovah God and Christ Jesus constituting the Higher Powers. The battle of the great day of God Almighty will be fought by Jehovah and Christ Jesus, supported by all the holy angels of heaven, pitted against the Devil and other demons and their supporters on earth who continue on the side of the wicked ones. All the nations suffer the same fate or come to the same end, because all nations of earth are on the wrong side, that is, on the losing side. All of such nations are against the Theocratic Government, that is, the government or kingdom of the Almighty God. At the battle of Armageddon all such nations shall cease for ever; as it is written: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Ps. 9:17) “The wicked shall be turned back unto Sheol, even all the nations that forget God.”—A.R.F.

• ⁶ In that battle of the great day of God Almighty democracies will not survive over Communistic governments, Nazism, monarchies or imperialism. All forms of human government shall perish for ever. Only the THEOCRACY will survive. The indisputable facts now disclose that all nations have forgotten God, the Almighty, “whose name alone is Jehovah.” (Ps. 83:18) All of these nations are visibly ruled by political, commercial and ultrareligious elements, and all are under the control of the invisible host of demons, and the Almighty God says that the end of such is “hell”. His judgment concerning the nations of earth announced in the foregoing text is, in brief, “To hell with them.”

THE PEOPLE

’ The people of the various nations under the control of the ruling powers are in great distress and are in fear and trepidation. There is upon them an ever-increasing fear of death, which deadly enemy approaches them from every side: death at sea, from submarines, torpedoes, deadly mines, seaplanes and warships; death on land, from bombs falling from the air, and death from many other instruments of war; death from starvation resulting from blockades and the restriction concerning food. The theory and practice of the nations is that the men who fight must have the food while those who remain at home have little or none. The people fear death from natural and accidental causes. They are in constant fear of political, religious and other gangsters. They find themselves driven like dumb beasts from their native lands and the homes that they have built. Cruel dictators order them to depart, and they must obey. As refugees they flee before the cruel rulers. Millions of them become exiles, without a place to lay their head and with no means of obtaining food and shelter, and they proceed, knowing not where, and they face the future in utter despair. Fear of death holds them in grasp. The condition of the people, a> now seen, was long ago described by the Lord Jesus in these words: “There shall be great distress in the land.”—Luke 21: 23.

' These words of the Lord Jesus describe a condition that today exists in every nation on earth Even in the nation of the United States there are millions on relief, and fear that even this little relief shall be taken away, and they shall be left to starvation. The people see no way out because they have been kept in ignorance and are yet in ignorance oi God’s gracious provision made for those who trust wholly in him. Their ignorance is due to the Devil and his religious representatives on earth who have deliberately withheld from the people a knowledge of God’s Word. Jehovah God foretold this present time in these words: ‘Darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people.’ (Isa. 60:2) By reason of much morbid fear the Devil has ensnared mankind in his trap of religion. The people being ignorant ol God’s provision, they follow the blind religious and political guides.

SEEKING REFUGE

⁷ Numerous persons are seeking a means of escape, but, being blind, fail to find the way of escape. A notable example is that of a late American columnist, Heywood Broun. The New York Times of December 21, 1939, reporting on the funeral of Mr. Broun, says: “Turning to the reasons why he wanted to become a Catholic, Mr. Broun gave four [reasons], . . . The third was fear of death. . . . The fourth reason, in the words of Mr. Broun, . . . ‘There is nothing more ridiculous than individualism ... I cannot even see why Almighty God would be interested in my individual prayer, or even my individual sacrifice, . . . That spiritual corporation I believe to be the Catholic Church.’ ” That man because of fear sought a place of security, and the Devil led him into the Catholic religious system. In this connection have in mind the words of the Almighty God, that “religion is a snare”, because religion is of the Devil. (Deut. 7:16) From time immemorial the Devil has used religion and religious practices to ensnare men. Men teach religion and falsely hold before the people religion as a means of escape from the Devil and death; and fearing to go contrary to the teaching of religious men, such fearful ones fall into the snare of the Devil, even as the Lord foretold. —Prov. 29: 25.

• ¹⁰ Religion has never been a safeguard against death. Even the so-called “Christian religion” has long been the chief means used by the Devil to entrap men in his snare that leads to destruction. The beginning of the practice of religion was a desire on the part of man to escape death and to become wise like demons. The Almighty God plainly stated to the first human pair that the penalty of death would be inflicted upon those who willfully disobeyed his law. (Gen. 2:17) That great deceiver, the old Serpent and Devil, who is the chief of the demons, offered his religion to Adam and Eve as a means of escaping death. He said to them: “Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof [in violation of His law], then your eyes shall be opened; and ye shall be as gods [the demons associated with Satan].” (Gen. 3:4,5) That is to say, if man would adopt Satan’s religion and practice the same he would escape death and be as wise as the Devil’s wicked associates, which in the Scriptures are designated “demons”. But religion furnished no protection to Adam and Eve, and has never been any protection to any man. Fear and the ambitious desire to be wise as the demons led Adam and Eve into the snare, and they died, and by reason of their sin all their offspring inherited death.—Rom. 5:12.

• ¹¹ The dominating nations of earth now practice the so-called “Christian religion”, and the leaders among men urge upon the people “more religion” as a means of protection and salvation. Religion, however, will furnish no protection or means of escape at the battle of the great day of God Almighty, which is now rapidly approaching. In that great fight at Armageddon no nation will find protection because of religion, neither will God spare individual persons of any nation because of their religion, whether they be sincere religious practitioners or bad religionists. Religion has never at any time safeguarded any man against death. A great religionist, backed by the religious system of the Roman Catholic organization, prosecuted the war in Spain from 1936 to 1939, in which great multitudes of persons died. Almost all the people of Spain were then the practitioners of the Roman Catholic religion. That religion did not spare any of them or protect any of them. Religion furnished no protection for the people of Poland or Czechoslovakia, and which people held steadfastly to the Catholic religious system and the practice thereof. God’s Word plainly declares that the practitioners of religion, and religion itself, shall be destroyed at the battle of Armageddon.

AFTER DEATH

• ¹² All persons can now see that religion does not safeguard men against death. To further deceive the fearful peoples the Devil by means of religion, which his representatives teach, imposes upon mankind a further fraud, inducing them to believe that religion is a safeguard after death and that religion opens to them future protection and endless happiness. Is religion a passport to unending bliss * Is religion a safeguard and means of escape from torments of the Catholic “inferno” of hell or “purgatory ' taught by that religious system? Where can the correct answer be found to these questions? No man has ever returned from “purgatory” or hell to give testimony⁷ concerning the matter. The doctrine of “torment in purgatory or hell” is taught only by iinpei-fect men. The doctrine is not found in the Bible Cardinal Gibbons, a noted Catholic authority, in hi-book The Faith of Our Fathers, pages 205 to 208. says: “The Catholic Church teaches that, besides a place of eternal torments for the wicked and of evei-lasting rest for the righteous, there exists in the next life a middle state of temporary punishment, allotted for those who have died in venial sin, or who have not satisfied the justice of God for sins already forgiven. She also teaches us that, although the soul?, consigned to this intermediate state, commonly called purgatory, cannot help themselves, they may be aided by the [prayers] of the faithful on earth The existence of purgatory naturally implies the correlative dogma—the utility of praying for the dead. ' “His soul will be ultimately saved, but he shall xiffei. for a temporary duration, in the purifying flames of Purgatory. This interpretation is not mine. It is the unanimous voice of the Fathers of Christendom."

” Set over against the traditions or teachings of men, consider now the commandments of Jehovah God and the words of Christ Jesus, who spoke with full and complete authority from Almighty God. Addressing religious teachers, who were teaching the traditions of men, Jesus said: ‘Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? . . . Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites! well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honour-eth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”—Matt. 15 : 1-9.

• ¹⁴ Do you care to believe and follow the traditional teaching of imperfect men who practice religion for hire, or do you prefer to follow the authoritative words of the Lord Jesus Christ? Remember, then, the words of the scripture: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”—John 17: 3.

DESTINY

• ¹⁵ Some religionists insist that Almighty God has predestinated the end of all human creatures and that therefore some of them must go to “purgatory”, some to heaven, and some to “hell”, which they interpret as “eternal torment”. Those doctrines, however, are entirely false. God has not predetermined the end of any individual. God has predestinated or predetermined that a fixed and limited number taken from among human creatures, who maintain their integrity toward God, shall be forever with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven as spirit creatures; and he has provided for another company of individuals, but without a fixed number, who receive God's approval for their faithfulness under the test applied, and which faithful persons shall live forever on the earth. What shall be the end or destiny of individuals, God does not predetermine. God sets before men his fixed rules, and those who obey him enter into everlasting life, and those who disobey him die and remain dead. God is no respecter of individuals. (Acts 10:34) Man, therefore, has much to do with fixing his own destiny or end. To those who agree to serve Almighty God he says: “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” (Deut. 30:15,19) “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36) “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”— John 17: 3.

• ¹⁰ God permits men to choose either life or death; hence man fixes his own destiny by the course he takes. “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.” (Ps. 34:15,16) Almighty God is the fountain of life. (Ps. 36:9) ‘Salvation belongs to God,’ by and through Christ Jesus. (Ps. 3:8; Rom. 6: 23) There is no other means of salvation to life.—Acts 4:12.

” will you take a chance by following the traditional teachings of religious men, or will you be guided by the Word of Almighty God? Religion is the product of the demons, used by them to ensnare men and turn them away from God and into destruction. Those who embrace and follow the traditional and religious teachings of men will find that they will end in destruction, because religion is contrary to and in defiance of the Word of Almighty God. Choose for yourselves whom you will serve, whether the Lord or the demons. That same proposition was put up to the Israelites, who had covenanted to do God’s will; and that is the fixed rule of God concerning all persons who will live. Joshua, who was devoted to Jehovah God and had God’s approval, under inspiration from Jehovah said to the Israelites: “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods [ the gods or demons who by means of religion debauched the people and from which demon-controlled land God brought his faithful servant Abraham] which your fathers served on the other side of the flood [that is to say, the other side of the river Euphrates (vss. 2, 3)], and in Egypt; and serve ye die Lord."—Josh. 24:14.

• ¹⁸ What, then, is the safe and sure guide for man i The answer is, The Word of God, which is the truth. (John 17 :17) “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Ps. 119:105) The time is here, therefore, because the greatest crisis is at hand, that all men must choose whom they will serve, whether religion taught by the Devil, or Almighty God and his King Christ Jesus.

“PURGATORY" AND HELL

• ¹⁸ Religionists teach the doctrine of “purgatory" and “eternal torment”. That such religious teachings originated with the Devil, mark the Scriptuial proof that follows. The wily foe of God well knew that it must be made to appear before men that religion is consistent, that it must appear to men that no one could be conscious in “purgatory” or in hell-torment unless that person continues to live and is conscious. It was the Devil who announced the doctrine to man, ‘There is no death.’ (Gen. 3:4) Following that lead, the religious teachers informed the people that every man has an immortal soul. “Immortality” means that such soul cannot die; that therefore the soul must continue to exist some place after what is called “death”. But the Bible shows that every man is a soul, because a soul is a living creature. God made the organism or body of man of the dust of the earth and then breathed into that body the breath that living creatures breathe and which breath animated the body, and man “became” a living soul: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”—Gen. 2: 7.

• ²⁰ All animals are souls, that is, all are living creatures. (Num. 31: 28) It was man, the soul, to whom God said: ‘In the day you sin you shall die.’ (Gen. 2: 17) The man or soul sinned, and death resulted. As Jehovah plainly declares, ‘The soul that sinneth shall surely die.’ (Ezek. 18:4, 20) “What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.”—Ps. 89:48.

• ²¹ The religious doctrine of “immortality of all &ouls” was introduced by Satan, and which doctrine is a lie; and concerning him, the Devil, the Lord Jesus says: ‘He is a liar, and the father of lies, and there is no truth in him.’ (John 8: 44) It follows that the doctrine of “inherent immortality of man” is still a lie, regardless of who teaches that lie; and since religious men teach such doctrine of “inherent immortality”, that doctrine is absolutely false. The reason it was introduced was to support the Devil’s original lie, that there is no death, and the “immortality” doctrine has been the means of deceiving numerous persons. That doctrine cannot be safely followed by anyone.

THE DEAD

• ²² Are the dead conscious after death? The Word of God answers as follows: “For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not any thing, nor either have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” (Eccl. 9:5,10) “For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in the grave who shall give thee thanks?” (Ps. 6: 5) “The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.” -Ps. 115:17.

• ²³ The fact that religious traditions taught by all religious leaders flatly contradict the Word of God, as set forth in the Bible, is proof conclusive that such religionists teach the lie of the Devil. There is not one scripture in the Bible supporting the doctrine of consciousness of man after he is dead. “Man is of the earth” and is the highest of the animal creation. (1 Cor. 15:47; Gen. 1:26) Men die because of sin committed by Adam, and which death, by inheritance, comes upon all men. Men die like other animal creation : “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast; for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all tmen to dust again.” (Eccl. 3:19,20) This statement is in exact harmony with the judgment of Almighty God pronounced against Adam: “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou retmen.”—Gen. 3 :19.

TORMENT

“ Religionists teach that hell is a place of eternal torture or torment and that in the “fires of hell” souls suffer torment without any possibility of escape. Exactly contrary to and in contradiction of that religious, traditional doctrine, the Bible says that hell is a condition of darkness, nonexistence, where mon know nothing, and where they all go at death. The Hebrew word sheol is translated in the English “hell” and is also many times translated “grave”. Also the Greek word hades is translated into the English “hell” and “grave”. “Hell” and “the grave” mean the condition or state of death where there is no consciousness or life whatsoever. Some Scriptural examples follow: Job, a servant of God, and who had God's approval, was suffering bodily pain and mental anguish from which he desired to be relieved, and he prayed to Almighty God in these words: “0 that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou would-est keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!” (Job 14:13) “If I wait, the grave is mine house; I have made my bed in the darkness.” (Job 17 : 13) In these and many other Scriptural texts the words “grave” and “hell” are translated from the same original word sheol.

• ²⁸ As to the Greek word hades, which is also translated “hell” and “the grave”, note the following: The Lord Jesus was put to death and was buried in the grave, tomb or sepulcher. (Matt. 27 : 60) Jesus was therefore dead and was in “hell”, sheol, hades, the grave. The apostle Peter, after having received the holy spirit, spoke authoritatively under inspiration from Almighty God. He quoted from the prophecy written at God’s commandment (Ps. 16: 10). applying the same to Christ Jesus. “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” “Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.” (Acts 2:27,30.31) Furthermore it is written: “This Jesus hath God raised up [out of death], whereof we all are witnesses.”— Acts 2:32.

• ²⁸ Without a doubt Jesus was in “hell”, that is, the grave, the condition of death, and remained there until God raised him out of death. Thus “hell” has been wholly misrepresented to the people by the teachers of religion.

• ^2T Torment or torture originated with Satan the Devil, and the Devil then caused men to charge Almighty God with tormenting men in the fire. Yet such a thought never entered the heart of the Almighty God, as stated in the Scriptures. (Jer. 7: 30, 31) The doctrine of eternal torment or torture is the doctrine of demons, that is, of the Devil, or chief of demons, and his associated demons, and taught by those men who practice religion on the earth. The first instance of torment set forth in the Scriptures is directly charged to Satan, the prince of demons. (Job 1 :ll-22; 2:1-13) Also the Scriptures show that the purpose of torment was and is to induce men to curse Jehovah God. That was the reason that the Devil and his religious representatives tormented Job. Because the religionists have for a long while taught the doctrine of eternal torment, many persons who are ignorant of God and his Word have cursed God, thus carrying out the Devil’s purpose. Seeing that the Scriptures conclusively prove that none of the dead are conscious in hell or “purgatory” or anywhere else, it is impossible therefore for the soul or creature to suffer in unquenchable flames. The religious doctrine of “purgatory” and “hell” as taught by religionists being false, it is clearly seen that these religious doctrines constitute a snare of the Devil to those men who fear and who flee to religion as a place of protection or safety. Furthermore, it is seen that religion is a racket, particularly with reference to “purgatory”, because men teach the people that they must pay over their money to religious priests in order to have prayers said for “those who are in purgatory”, and the fearful people yield to such inducement and part with their money to the religious teachers to have prayers said for their friends who are dead. Thus the religious teachers collect money from the people by means of false representations. Obtaining money by false pretense is a crime under the law of the land; therefore the religious teachers of “purgatory” are guilty of a great crime. The greatest crime committed by teaching “purgatory” and “torment” is that of defaming the name of Almighty God. Are you willing to risk your eternal existence by accepting and following false doctrines taught by men? Y^Tou can properly decide that matter by gaining a knowledge of God and Christ Jesus, as set forth in the Word of God. (John 17: 3) It is the purpose of the demons to keep the people in darkness or ignorance concerning God’s means of salvation. The religious teachers have long been the instruments of demons, and they ensnare the people and keep them in darkness. For that reason in this very day the prophecy is fulfilled, to wit, 'Darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people.’—Isa. 60: 2.

HOPE OF LIFE

²⁸ AH the dead would perish for ever if God had made no provision for them to have life. All human creatures are born imperfect because of Adam’s sin resulting in death, and which all of Adam’s offspring have inherited. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:12) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” —Rom. 6: 23.

²⁸ God’s provision for the giving of life to man is by and through Christ Jesus. The lifeblood of the perfect man Jesus was poured out in death and constitutes the ransom price or purchase price for the human race, and therefore Christ Jesus by purchase becomes the owner of the human race. All men who believe on and obey the Lord may have the benefit of that ransom price; as it is written: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16.

⁸⁰ The sum of the three scripture texts last above mentioned is this: All men by inheritance are born sinners; all sinners must perish unless God provides for their salvation; God made such provision by sending Christ Jesus into the world to save those who believe on Jesus, who, as God’s representative, gives life to those who do believe and obey the commandments of Almighty God. It follows that man must hear of and learn of God’s provision for salvation, and thus the way is opened for man to determine his own end or destiny. Those who do hear and obey receive life, while those who refuse to believe and obey remain under condemnation and perish forever. (John 3:36) Belief on and obedience to Christ Jesus are therefore conditions precedent to receiving life as a free gift. Before a gift can become effective the receiver must be walling to accept that gift. The free gift of life is offered to man, and only those persons who accept it can receive it. “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the r ighteousness of one [Jesus] the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”—Rom. 5:18.

³¹ Because Jesus was fully obedient to God’s commandment even unto death God raised him out of death and made Jesus “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him”.—Heb. 5: 9.

RESURRECTION

¹² As God raised up Jesus out of death, even so he has given his promise to raise up out of death those who were of good will toward him at the time of death. From Abel to the coming of the man Jesus there were some men on earth who were entirely faithful to God, and which men will have “a better resurrection”. (Heb. 11:35) Such men will be made princes in the earth and act as representatives of The Theocratic Government. Some of those men are named specifically in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Also, these are, at Psalm 45:16, called “princes”, who shall rule in righteousness under the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Isa. 32:1) The faithful Christians who follow in the footsteps of Christ Jesus, such as the apostles and other faithful spirit-begotten ones, have part in “the first resurrection”. (Rev. 20:4,6) Others who have died without an opportunity of learning of God’s purpose to give life to man will be awakened out of death and afforded an opportunity to prove their integrity toward God and, proving the same, will live. (John 5: 28. 29) As to the willfully wicked, they have no hope of resurrection. (Pss. 145: 20; 9:17) If any of the persons above described were in “purgatory” or “eternal torment”, and were there conscious and alive, they could not be resurrected, because resurrection is for “the dead”. (1 Cor. 15:4,12-24) The Scriptures, therefore, conclusively prove that the religious doctrines of “human immortality”, consciousness in “purgatory”, and “everlasting torment in hell”, are absolutely false. Religion holds out no hope of life before or after death. To follow religion and willfully practice the same, after learning of the truth, means everlasting death from which there is no awakening or resurrection. The Scriptural proof of the ransom and resurrection are fully considered in the book Salvation, which you will read with real p rotit.

REFUGE FOR REFUGEES

• ³³ The record in the Bible concerning the Israelites and God’s dealing with them constituted types or prophecies foretelling of greater and more important things to come to pass at the second coming of Christ Jesus and his kingdom. (1 Cor. 10:11; 2 Tim. 4:1) God led the people of Israel by the hand of Mot.es, and by Moses he gave command that “cities of refuge” must be set up by Israel, which place provided a refuge of safety for all persons who unwittingly, unawares or without malice, killed a human creature. Such slayer must flee to the city of refuge and remain there, and, so doing in obedience to God’s command, was safe: “Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.” (Num. 35:9-12) The cities of refuge pictured or foreshadowed God’s organization under Christ Jesus, made available for human creatures living on the earth at the second coming of Christ Jesus, and which organization of Jehovah fmenishes refuge or a place of safety for those who seek safety therein. The subject matter of “cities of refuge” is treated in detail in the books Jehovah and Riches, which you should read. The members of “the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12,27) are those whom the Lord finds faithful at his second coming and judgment, and who are made part of Zion, that is, the capital organization of God, and over which organization Christ Jesus is the Head. (Ps. 2:6) At the time of his coming and kingdom there are others on the earth who are of good will toward God, but who cannot be made members of the heavenly class, that is. Zion, and which heavenly class is known as God’s “little flock" of sheep and to which the following promise is made : “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”—Luke 12: 32

• ³⁴ Jesus then said that he had another class of persons called “sheep” that he would call, and to whom he would give salvation: “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”—John 10:16.

• ³⁵ These “other sheep” of the Lord are the persons of good will toward God, and who are symbolically designated in the Scriptures as Jonadabs or Jonathans, that is, those who are represented by Jonadab and Jonathan, and which persons, proving faithful under the test, will form the “great multitude” and proclaim the name of God and Christ (Rev. 7:9,10); and such persons have the promise that they shall live forever on the earth and fill the earth with a righteous people.

• ³ " The Scriptural proof is that Christ Jesus was enthroned as King in 1914. (Pss. 2:6; 110:1. 2) In 1918, three and one-half years after his enthronement, and corresponding with the three and one-half years of the ministry of the man Jesus on earth, the capital organization of God called “Zion” is set up, of which capital organization Christ Jesus is the Head. The organization of God thus constitutes the place of refuge pictured by the “cities of refuge"; and those persons of good will toward God, and who desire protection and salvation at Armageddon, nun flee to the organization under Christ and there find protection and refuge until God's wrath at the battle of Armageddon is past.

• ³⁷ Referring now again to “cities of refuge" : What is meant by the words in the scripture, to wit, “the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares”? In brief, the answer as set forth in the Scriptures is this: The everlasting covenant of God given to the people through Noah forbids the slaying of men or animals except as authorized by the Word of the Lord. (Gen. 9: 5, 6) The nations of earth or the wicked world are made up of religious, political and commercial elements, of which Satan is the head (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 5:19) All the nations of the world have broken God’s everlasting covenant by wrongfully shedding human blood. (Isa. 24 : 5, 6) Ail the nations have wrongfully indulged in cruel wars causing the suffering and death of many human creatures. All these nations have willfully persecuted the true and faithful followers of Christ Jesus. Apt examples are such as the Hitler government, and the Russian government under Stalin, and other governments, such as the present one of Spain. In fact, all the nations are guilty of unjustly killing human creatures. When war is declared the clergy or religious teachers urge men to go to war and kill, and many persons who are directly or indirectly supporters of religious organizations are in fear of men and they are forced into war and engage in killing other human creatures, but without malice toward their fellow creatures. During the World War many men were forced to thus engage in killing, and also many have been blindly induced to persecute God’s faithful witnesses. Those persons who are later enlightened, and who have good will toward God and who desire to serve God and Christ Jesus, tmen to the Lord and seek protection and safety.

• ³⁸ Where will they find refuge and safety? Such persons of good will are known in the Scriptures as the Jonadabs. They must flee to the antitypical “cities of refuge”, that is, to the organization of Jehovah God under Christ Jesus; they must thereafter obey the Lord’s commandment and seek righteousness and meekness; they must be diligent to do what is right and diligent to seek meekness by studying and learning from God’s Word what is his will concerning them. They must serve God and Christ and therefore devote themselves wholly and entirely to the support of The Theocratic Government. They must refuse to indulge in religion and must stand firmly on the side of God and his King, Christ Jesus. They associate themselves with God’s anointed in the service, announcing The Theocratic Government. These are the ones who constitute the “other sheep”, which the Lord declares he is now gathering unto himself. (John 10: 16) They are the sheep class mentioned by the Lord in Matthew 25: 31-46. If they remain faithful and true to God’s organization they shall be ultimately saved.

• ³⁸ Armageddon is now drawing near. Everyone who thinks can see that the great time of trouble is just ahead. Those persons of good will toward God are hated by the demons, and are hated by those rulers who are supporters of and under the influence and control of the demons. How may these persons of good will find a place of refuge and safety? God’s Word answers: “Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, 0 nation not desired [not desired by the rulers of this world because they have taken their stand on the side of God].” (Zeph. 2:1) These flee to the antitypical city of refuge, that is, God’s organization, gathering themselves together with those of the “little flock” on earth who are fully devoted to God and his kingdom, and together with them they serve God.

• ⁴⁰ Such gathering or fleeing to the antitypical citv of refuge, that is, God’s organization, must take place before the battle of the great day of God Almighty, the expression of God's wrath. Then the Lord says to such: “Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid, in the day of the Lord's anger."—Zeph. 2: 2, 3

• ⁴¹ To “seek righteousness” means to ascertain what is right before Jehovah. To “seek meekness'' means to desire to learn God’s will and then to diligently applv yourself to the study of the Bible and Bible help-that you may ascertain the will of God and serve him with approval. ‘Study to show yourself approved unto God [not unto men], a workman [for God’s kingdom] that is not ashamed.’ (2 Tun 2. 13) Such Jonadabs must remain absolutely neutral concerning wars between the nations and must be w hollx devoted to God and to His government. The organization of the Lord is the place of refuge and safety for the refugees. There is none other.

• ⁴² Religion has never fmenished protection or safe ty for human creatures at any time, because religion is the product of demons Religion will end in the destruction of all who knowingly and willfully follow religion and the teachers thereof. Religion will provide no protection or safeguard at Armageddon Religion offers no safety whatsoever aftei death Protection and salvation are given by the Lord, because salvation belongs to God alone. (Psalm 3:8) Men of good will toward God are diligent to study the Bible and endeavor to understand the same. It: this day of great world distress God has provided the Bible and Bible helps explaining the same, that tlm-i of good will may study and understand it, and to those of good will who would find salvation the Lord says : “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”—John 17 : 3.

• ⁴³ All persons of good will, therefore, must now shun religion. They are not to feai men, but to make God their fear and their refuge and sanctuary (Isa. 8: 8-16) They are to trust in the Lord, and not lean to their own understanding or the opinions of men “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”— Prov. 3: 5, 6.

• ⁴⁴ They must have always in mind the admonition of the Scriptures that 'he that trusieth in the Lord shall be safe. (Prov. 29: 25) The religious organization, ruled by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, possesses great material wealth. The exceedingly earthly rich support that religious organization and pay to the priests serving therein fabulous sums of money as protection or a kind of insurance against the wrath of Almighty God now and to “save them from torment or torture in purgatory or hell”. That religious institution and the principal of its flocks say: ‘The gates of hell shall not prevail against us. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come nigh unto us.’ (Isa. 28:15) Those who ate rich in political influence and power, and those who hold great material wealth, trust in their wealth and rely upon religion and their wealth, and in this time of distress they cry out in their fear: "What we need is more religion.” They will soon find, however, that neither wealth nor power, influence or religion will fmenish them any protection in the day of Armageddon. Concerning such Jehovah says: “All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads. They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels; because it is the stumbling-block of their iniquity [(marginal reading) because their iniquity is their stumbling block).” (Ezek. 7 : 17-19) Their “iniquity” or lawlessness is their fear of man and their seeking protection and refuge in religion, and thus they stumble into Satan’s pit oi snare and are destroyed.

• ⁴⁵ The Catholic religious system, ruled by the Hierarchy, has acquired untold material wealth and in consideration of which money, paid them by the poor, they have promised and guaranteed safety to the gullible people who have for fear fallen into the religious trap. But at Armageddon none of such will escape God's wrath: “Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. And the shepherds [priests] shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.” (Jer. 25:34,35) The saying of masses will accomplish no good for them and no protection against God’s vengeance. None of them shall escape. —1 Thess. 5: 3.

⁴⁶ The nations of the earth are ruled by the elements religion, politics and commerce. These rulers, sensing a great crisis rapidly approaching, and being in the dark concerning God’s purpose, blindly cry out to each other, “Give us more religion.” Thus they further prove that all the nations are against The Theocracy, which shall rule the world in righteousness. (Isa. 9: 6, 7) The indisputable proof is that all the nations have forgotten God and have yielded entirely to wicked demons, and therefore the nations are wicked. Concerning their end the Lord says, "The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.” All such have determined their own destiny by choosing the course of religion or demonism. “The wicked shall be tmened into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Ps. 9:15-17) All such will perish at Armageddon.

• ⁴⁷ The people are now browbeaten, regimented and oppressed by the harsh rulers, but the end of wicked dictators is near. The day of deliverance for those refugees who are of good will toward Jehovah is also near. Jehovah God has set his throne of judgment, and Christ Jesus, the great Judge, is proceeding with his work of judgment. To those persons of good will toward God and whose devotion is to God and his organization, and who continue faithful, God has promised refuge and safety in the time of trouble^-"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee ; for thou. Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” (Ps. 9: 9, 10) The refugees must now flee to the Lord and serve him.

• ⁴⁸ These faithful ones of good will now have a work to do, and the commandment concerning them is “Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth m Zion ; declare among the people his doings.” (Ps. 9:11) Fully trusting in the Lord and knowing that he i--their hope and salvation, they are abiding under hi" organization, and continue to sing: "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall 1 be saved from mine enemies.”—Ps. 18:1-3.

• ⁴⁹ Refuge is provided for the refugees, for those who trust in the Lord, and who serve him faithfully. If they learn the truth and obey the Lord the refugees will find protection and shall live.

JEHOVAH is righteous in all His ways, and gracious in all his works Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. Jehovah preserveth all them that love him; but all the wicked will he destroy.

—Psalm 145:17,18,20, A.R.V.

PARADISE: DESTROYED AND RESTORED

THE earth was created and made fit to be inhabited.

Upon it were placed the plants and the herbs, the beast and the fowl, the fruits and the flowers. But there was no man to till the ground nor to enjoy the produce thereof, as stated at Genesis 2:4-6. God must have spoken to someone of his purpose to create man, and it is reasonable that God's only begotten Son would have been the one to whom he spoke; as recorded: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living tiling that moveth upon the earth.’'—Gen. 1:26-28

God did not create the first man and then give him an immortal soul, as religion has induced many to believe As used with reference to humankind, the words “soul”, “creature,” and “man” apply to the same thing. Every man is a soul, but no man can possess a soul as a thing separate and distinct from his body. The statement or method of God’s creation of the human soul is plainly set forth in the Scriptures, to wit: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.”—Gen. 2 7.

Thus man was the handiwork of Jehovah God and was perfect therefore. “Ascribe ye greatness unto our God He is the Rock, his work is perfect.” (Deut. 32.3, 4) God then caused all the beasts and the fowl to pass before Adam, and he gave each one its name. Each beast and each fowl found its mate or kind. “But for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.” “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him an help meet for him.” (Gen. 2:18-20) Then the woman was made and brought unto man.

That part of the earth where man first saw the light must have been surpassingly beautiful. The name of the locality is called “Eden”, and “Eden” means “delight”, "pleasantness.” It was on the eastern side of Eden that God planted a garden, and there he put man, whom he had formed, to dress and to keep it. This was the home of Adam and his wife. The inspired Record of this, according to the Catholic Douay Version Bible, reads: “And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning ■ wherein he placed man whom he had formed. And the Lord God brought forth of the ground all manner of trees, fair to behold, and pleasant to eat of: the tree of life also in the midst of paradise: and the tree of knowledge of good and evil And a river went out of the place of pleasure to water paradise, which from thence is divided into four heads . . . And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it. And he commanded him, saying: Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat: but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death.”—Gen. 2: 8-17.

On the earth now was the perfect man. wrong, virtuous and handsome; with eyes so keen that they knew no dimness, and with the agility and swiftness of the hind And with him was his wife, possessing grace and surpassing beauty such as no man now on this earth has ever beheld for she was perfect The man and the woman were given a mandate from God, therefore a “divine mandate”, to "be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it”, and hence they' were endowed with power and authontv to bring forth children and to fill the entire earth with their descendants. There is no evidence that any of the heavenly creatures were endowed with power to produce any offspring. The propagation of the race on earth was then new and novel, and all the heavenly hosts must have wa led and watched with deepest concern for the time to come when man would “fill the earth” with a joyful race of people, all of whom would worship and praise the great Jehovah God Happiness reigned in heaven and happiness reigned on earth The environment was beautiful, pleasing to the eye, a joy to the heart, and all to the praise of the Eternal God. the Creator

The glory and beauty of the heavenly creatures, the perfection of the human pair in their paradise home m Edtn and the power and authority of man to fill the earth with his kind, furnished the opportunity for exercising either selfishness or love. The test came, and some of the miuhty creatures of heaven fell under the test. The joy of heaven and earth was turned into great woe The tragedy of Eden has never known a parallel. In fact, all other crimes and tragedies may be traced to the one there committed To the mighty’ spirit creature who is now Satan the Devil, and whom Jesus called “the prince of this world" and who then fore was the invisible ruler of the worldly city of Tvie. Jehovah God directs these words: “Thou wast the seal of resemblance, full of wisdom, and perfect m beauty Thou wast in the pleasures of the paradise of God Thou a eherub stretched out, and protecting, and 1 set thee in the holy mountain of God, thou hast walked in the midst of the stones of fire Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day of thy creation, until iniquity was found m thn (Ezek. 28:12-15, Douay) This “anointed cherub that covereth”        I'cr.) is named "Shining One", or "Momnig

Star,’, or “Liivifer”, at Isaiah 14-12 Selfish meditation in his heart led to the terrible crime of treason against God and all the baneful effects thereof since

Lucifer employed the serpent to carry out his scheme, because the serpent was more subtle than any other beast of the field which the Lord God had made Lucilu therefore spoke through the serpent and said "Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree ol paradise?” “And the woman answered him saying- Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat - but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst oi paradise God hath commanded us that we should nut eat, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die And the serpent said to the woman No, you shall not die the death For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tiee was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold ■ and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat.’’—Gen. 3:1-6, Douay,

God had given his word that this tree produced a fruit that would increase the knowledge of those that ate it The result was that when Adam and Eve did eat this forbidden fruit their knowledge was increased in harmony with God’s announced law. They were now conscious of the fact that they had done wrong, because they hid themselves amongst the trees in the garden from the presence of the Lord. He brought them before him. They entered a plea of guilty, confessing that they had done wrong, and thereupon God entered against them his just and righteous judgment.

The Scriptures mention, at Genesis 2 : 9, three classes of fruit-bearing trees in the garden of Eden, to wit: (a) every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; (b) the tree of life in the midst of the garden; and (c) the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God told Adam that he might eat of all the trees that were good for him. (Gen. 2: 15-17) There is no evidence that Adam knew anything about the tree of life that was in the midst of Eden. On the contrary, he must have been ignorant of it, because there was no specific command given to Adam concerning it. Lucifer, the “covering cherub”, as the officer in charge, being clothed v, ith the "power of death” and entrusted with the high office of overlord of man, would, of course, know all about the tree of life The fact that God gave Adam command about other trees in the garden and said nothing about the tree of life is evidence that man knew nothing about this tree. The eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil doubtless would open the way so that Adam would shortly know about the tree of life. But now comes the proof showing conclusively that Adam had had no opportunity to eat ut the tree of life and that therefore he must have been m ignorance of it until immediately before his expulsion from Eden.

God summoned the guilty parties before him, and, upon a full hearing of the facts of the case, he pronounced judgment against the woman and against the man and against the serpent which Satan had employed to deceive Eve. The final judgment against the rebellious Lucifer or Satan is set forth at Ezekiel 28:16-19. and it provides that in due lime Satan the Devil is to be destroyed and never shall be again Immediately following the pronouncement of the judgment against man Jehovah God addressed someone else, then and there present, and it seems almost certain that he was speaking to his true and trusted Son, "his only begotten Son.” “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever." (Gen. 3: 22) Knowing the situation was critical, God seemingly acted immediately, before man had an opportunity to get to the “tree of life” and cat of it, and even before rebeliious Lucifer had time to Liiform man of the location of the tree. Jehovah God’s words addressed to his only begotten Son were cut short; the sentence seemingly stops in the middle, without being finished, as God says: “And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:—” God did not speak another word, but, according to the Record, acted immediately; and his action is recorded in the next verse, which reads: “And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken. And he cast out Adan., and placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubims, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”—Gen. 3: 23, 24, Donay.

It was doubtless God’s purpose at some time to permit man to partake of the tree of life and live forever, and, had he proved faithful under the test and maintained his integrity toward God, that would have been his reward The traitorous “covering cherub”, Lucifer, therefore caused Adam to fail in the test, caused him to fail to retain life, and caused him to bring upon himself and all his progeny the great sorrow and distress that have afflicted humankind down through the centuries.

Lucifer had manifested his unfaithfulness and treachery and doubtless intended to act as quickly as possible and lead man to the tree of life and let him eat of that fruit He knew that God had given his word that the fiuit oi that tree was a fruit of life, and that if man should eat oi it he would live and not die Lucifer therefore ie.i-.uned that he would be able to prove to Adam and Eve that God was purposely deceiving them and keeping them in ignorance and keeping them away from the opportunity for life, and that he, Lucifer, was telling them the truth and was bringing them a great blessing, and tha* hence he was entitled to be worshiped by them and by ail their offspring

Had Adam eaten of that fruit of the tree of life immediately he eould not have been put to death, by Jehovah himself, because God cannot be inconsistent God I'.ad given his word that this was a “tree of life” , and for him to permit man to eat of it and then put him to death would make void God’s word, which is impossible for God to do Ps. 138:2; Isa 46:11; 55.11) Therefore, in order ttiat God might keep his word inviolate and enforce his judgment against Adam he immediately expelled him from Eden and set a powerful officer on guard with a flaming sword turning in every direction, to keep man out of Eden and aw.a from the tree of life

Sixteen hundred years thereafter, when man had multi plied upon the earth. "'God looked upon the cat tn. ,.i.d behold, it was corrupt; for ah flesh had corrupted his w.n upon the earth And God said unto Noah, The end of .dl flesh is come before me; for the eaith is filled wit.a viokn- e through them, and. behold, I will dcstiov them with tin earth And, behold, I, even I, do bring a Hood ot wateis upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breatn oi life, from under heaven, and every thing that is in the earth shall die But with thee will I establish my covenant " (Gen. 6.12,13, 17,18) In the flood “every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl oi the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark”. (Gen. 7.23) After the flood no mention is made of paradise existing upon the earth, but references back to the glory of the one-time paradise of Eden are found at Genesis 13 .10 and Ezekiel 31.8, 9 (Douay Version)

Then, four thousand years after Adam’s expulsion from the paradise in Eden the definite promise is given of the restoration of paradise on the earth For more than three years before his crucifixion Jesus had been pre..clung to the Jews concerning the kingdom of God. He had told them tb.at God had sent him to tell this message and that in due time Jehovah God would establish the long-promised kingdom. Practically everybody in Palestine knew that Jesus claimed to be the King. The men that accused him and persecuted him and were responsible for his mock trial and his wicked conviction were the religious elergy of that day, and they knew he was the King. (Klatt. 21: 37-45) Pilate offered to release Jesus, but the clergy insisted that instead he should release Barabbas, a notorious criminal, and that Jesus should be crucified. Then they hanged Jesus between two thieves, and a sign was written and put over the tree, in these words: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” One of the thieves concluded that Jesus was an unusual man, that lie was entirely innocent, and that he was m fact the promised King. Therefore this thief said to him: “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom ” Quoting now from Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible concerning Jesus’ reply: “And he said unto him—Veiily T say unto thee this day: With me shalt thou be in Paradise.” (Luke 23 32-43) Or, according to the original Greek text of the Bible, which is without any modern punctuation marks, such as commas, etc.: “I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Jesus did not say, You shall go to heaven this very day, nor even to paradise this day. Jesus made the statement that day, at that time, while he was on the tree

“Paradise” here has reference to the restored caith The work of making this earth a glorious place will be dene by Christ Jesus during his reign. All obedient ones of re deemed humankind will then have an opportunity to maintain their integrity toward God and live in paradise on the earth The promise of Jesus to the thief was. T say to thee this day shalt thou be with me in paradise? You are exercising real faith to be with me or on my side this day, when the clergymen and all others arc against me Shall you be with me and for me and on my side wb.cn I come into my kingdom and establish paradise on earth¹! if so, you will have a splendid opportunity.’

On the day that the thief died he went wheie Jesus wen! to hell, or the grave, and the thief is still there When tl.i kingdom of Jehovah God by Christ Jesus has destroyed Satan’s organization at the battle of Armageddon, then in God’s due time, the general resurrection of “all that are in the graves” will take place, including the thief (John 5:28, 29) He will be given an opportunity to prove his integrity. Jesus’ words to the thief suggest that paradise on earth will be in existence before the thief is awakened out of death, who will then have opportunity to prove whether he is on the side of Christ Jesus, the King, or r<>‘ God planted the garden of Eden, making it a paradise. and then created man and put him in Eden That appears to fix the order of action concerning men and paradise Thai being so, it seems that the filling of the earth with a inrl.i eous race by the earthly survivors of the battle o^f Anna geddon will have progressed and paradise will have been established in the earth before the general resai i et tion of the redeemed dead

HOW OFTEN AND WHEN TO CELEBRATE

NOT his birthday! Jesus gave no command to celebrate his birthday, but he did command his followers to celebrate his death, which death occurred on the fourteenth day of the month Abib, or Nisan. Fifteen centuries previously God made that the first month of the year “This month shall be unto you the beginning of monthsit shall be the first month of the year to you Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying. In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every’ man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts, and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall cat it ... it is the Lord’s passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread . . . And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.”—Ex. 12: 1-3, C-12, 18, 24,25.

The natural Isiaclites must observe their passover in the spring, in the month of Abib, or Nisan, each year, according to the commandment of Jehovah That was a tv pe or prophetic pattern, using a literal lamb In God’s dm time John the Baptist appeared. “John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, winch taketl. away the sin of the world ” (John 1 29) When Christ Jesus was put to death on a tree on Calvary he fulfilled the type and became the real passover of those who exercise faith in him and in Ins sacrifice Therefore the apostle wioli “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast, .   . with the unleavened bread of simeritv

and truth.”—1 Cor. 5-7,8

During the three and one-half years following In-, anointing with the spirit of Jehovah Christ Jesus faithfully observed Israel’s passover each fourteenth of Nisan, because it was incumbent upon him to obey Jehovah’s law giver, to the Jews. By his human birth Jesus was a Jew, or Israebte and must keep the law perfectly ; which he did. Jesus knew that he was the antitype of the lamb slam, but he must continue to observe the type until God’s due time tor him to die and thereby fulfill the type. When he was put to death on the tree, there he completely’ fulfilled the picture or typ< . and for that reason never thereafter would it be proper foi anyone to observe the typical ceremony of Israel’s passover “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, Cui-sed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Gal 3: 13) By his death Christ Jesus put an end to the ordinances relating to Israel's pass-over, nailing them to his tree.—Col. 2: 14.

Before the complete fulfillment of the type, Jesus instituted a new thing, to wit, the memorial of his own death. This he must do, if at all, before he actually died upon the tree Religionists commonly call that memorial “communion” or “the Lord’s supper”. The religious catechism in-stiucts the “Catholic population”: “To make a good Communion it is necessary to be in a state of sanctifying grace and to be fasting from midnight Midnight—that is, twelve o'clock at night; but you should not take anything, especially solid food, for a little while before twelve, so as to be sure of the time, and also not to have little particles of food in your mouth after twelve. If you find some little pieces of food m your mouth in the morning, when you are going to holy Communion, spit them out, and your fast will not be broken. One drop of anything taken even in necessity or by mistake after twelve will prevent you from going to holy Communion.” Did Jesus ordain such a fast upon his disciples immediately before partaking of the bread and wine’ No. According to the Bible the day began at six o’clock in the evening; and after that hour, on the fourteenth day of Nisan, he together with his disciples ate the passover. The apostle Matthew writes:

“And they made ready the passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me The Son of man goeth as it is written of him : but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ¹ it had been good for that man if he had not been born Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I ? He said unto him, Thou hast said. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom ’’—Matt. 26 ■ 19-29.

(Continued from page 82)

•.aiis a Reference Index very convenient in locating the desired lectuie record on any particular subject of vital interest today. There are 64 pages of material, enclosed in a sturdy cover, and Ilie booklet wi.l be supplied on your contribution of 5c a copy. Those in organized companies should send in their orders in combination through the local company servant.

MEMORIAL

Saturday, March 23, after six p.m., is the date for 1940 for the yearly feast in celebration of Jehovah's name and to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus, his Theocratic King. Each company, therefore, should assemble after six p.m. of March 23, and the anointed ones thereof celebrate the Memorial, their companions the Jonadabs being present as observers. If there is no competent person present to deliver a brief discourse immediately pieceding the partaking of the emblems, that short article ap-

The Jewish passover was eaten once each year, on tl < fourteenth day of the month Nisan, regardless of what da_? of the week the fourteenth fell on. At the death of Jesus that type ended and was fulfilled. As the death of Jesus took place once, therefore once during the cyci.e of each yevr the memorial of his death as the antitypical passover Lamb must be observed by those who exercise faith m his shed blood. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of main “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God ; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” (Heb. 9:28, 10:12-14) Following the divine rule, it is proper that the followers of Christ Jesus who .ire members of His body celebrate the Memorial once each v ear, and not oftener.

From Pentecost of A.D. 33 forward such followers have annually observed the Memorial after sundown on the fourteenth day of Nisan, regardless of what day of the week this occurs, and they have done so propeily They have not done this as a type or prophetic pattern of things to come, but have done it as a memorial of the death of Christ Jesus. It has enabled them to ever keep in mind that his death is God’s provided way for the reconciliation of man to Jehovah and to the granting of everlasting lite, .nul it further reminds them that all who will shaie with Christ Jesus in his kingdom must likewise share with him in lus reproaches and death. The apostle emphasized This f.i 't when he wrote: “The Lord Jesus, the same night 1:1 which he was betrayed, took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood this du ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come”—1 Cor. 11 23-26.

The death of Christ Jesus was not typical His death was the great fact upon which all mankind must rely who ever receive life everlasting. When a type is fulfilled the type ends. For this reason it has never been piopcr to observe the passover of Israel since Jesus’ death The value of the death of Christ Jesus never ends; therefore it will be for ever proper to have in mind the sacrificial deith or the Lord Jesus Christ in vindication of the name of bis Father, Jehovah.

pearing in the March 15, 1939, issue of The Watchtower should be read before those assembled before partaking. Since the breaking of the bread and drinking of the wine both picture the death of Jesus, it follows that both emblems should be served together at partaking, and not separately The emblems should be unleavened bread and real red wine. Jesus and his apostles usi-d real red wine in symbol of his blood, and the anointed remnant should follow their lead. A report of the celebration should be made to the Society as instructed in the Informant In preparation therefor the article “Memorial” suggested above will be studied with profit.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES

Week of April 21: “Refuge,”

1-23 inclusive, The Watchtower March 15, 1940

Week of April 28 : “Refuge,”

24-49 inclusive, The Watchtower March 15, 1910

OVERHEARD BETWEEN LAWYERS

“One lawyer telling another ‘what a wonderful address he had read; written by some fellow called Judge Rutherford, guess he had been on the bench at some time’. He vent ahead to explain: ‘He backed up every statement with Bible references. I tell you it was good.’ The other lawyer: ‘Does he cite any prophecy that is being fulfilled?’ The first lawyer (with emphasis): ‘Oh, yes’ Yes, I’ll say he does!’ As lawyer No. 2 disappeared out of the door No. 1 turned to me and remarked that he liked to read good addresses like that. I inquired where he obtained the booklet, its name, and if he had read the book Salvation. I told how lie could obtain a copy for a small contribution of 25c that would be a part of a ’revolving fund’ to help print more and put them in the hands of the people of good will toward the Lord and His kingdom; it didn't cost anybody very much, but when the revolving fund got to turning nicely every time it turned os er it brought good news, the glorious gospel, the Truth, to some honest heart. Well, he just exclaimed: ‘Wonderful! I want to read more.’”

DEFENDING THE RIGHTS OF THE "LAZARUS” CLASS

“Some ex-Catholic relatives agreed for me to come play some records for them. Later another relative, once a Protestant minister, whom I had not seen for twenty years, came in. We greeted each other. He turned and noticed my open phonograph and records on the table. He blurted out. ‘If sou play that I’ll go out of this room I know enough about it. I’ve heard the phonograph and I have some of the books too!’ I told him: ‘You’re ujt only embarrassing me, but also the people in this house, by the svay you’re acting. I came here, on their invitation to play these records. If you insist you’ll leave the room if I play these, they may, in order not to let you leave, stop me from playing, not to displease or offend you. But if you do that, you’ll be spoiling it for them. Do you want that? Besides, this is not your house, that you can tell other people what to do’’ lie appeared quite taken aback by this. ’The best thing for you is to stay in the room and sit quiet. . . . Don’t spoil it for the others who would like to hear, and don’t stop them from hearing.'' He replied quite meekly, ‘All right” While I was talking a bit m between records (on 'Government and Peace’) he once spoke up, this time to say : "Put on another record.’ 'How do you like Judge Rutherford?’ to which he replied: 'He is a good speaker.’ The record playing over, I pulled out two Watchtou-ers from my pocket and made pointed references. He eagerly accepted them and put them in his pocket. A Consolation, then Safety, and Uncovered, they too went the way of the rest, into his pocket. I mentioned Salvation; he said: ‘Send me one by mail.’ Finally I slung my last shot: ‘How would you like a study meeting in your house?’ Right off the bat: ‘Sure! . . . Any night except Thursday night.’ There is now a model study at his house, his wife and twelve-year-old son participating also. I made this remark to him: ‘Now you will know and maybe be one of the great multitude who will live on this earth in perfection.’ He answered with a big smile: ‘I hope I will be one of them.’ Incidentally, the people in whose home we met the first night are also now attending a model study in another home near them.”

PHONOGRAPH SAVED HIS JOB

“I am an employee of a mill in this town Some representatives of Satan hurled accusations at me, branding me as a Communist, that way trying to have me fired After some confusion I decided to go to the superintendent’s home, which I did, taking my phonograph ammunition, consisting of many records. The one that he enjoyed most was ‘Snare and Racket’. At first he said: ‘You all have Communistic ideas.’ After hearing the lectures, I spoke to him and cleared the fact of our being far different from Communists, and exactly the work we do. He offered me a seat and asked questions. The result was that he took Salvation, Enemies and several booklets, also subscribed for Consolation I also explained the series we have, and he said he would like tc hear them provided we leave them a week at his home that he might hear the lecture regularly I think the ‘Victori' series is the best thing to start with, which I am going to take tomorrow. He also told me that my job was safe.’’

RELIGIONIST SNAPS UP “A BARGAIN”

“Sunday he played the phonograph for the superintendent of a United Brethren church’ and his family, then presented literature. They said Salvation was a icry nice book, and asked if the publisher carried Bibles too. So he presented a Bible: ‘You get the book and the Bible for onh $1.00 contribution. You see, I am not a Bible agent, but one of Jehovah’s witnesses. Judge Rutherford is the writer oi the books and speaker on the records, and the Watchtow it is doing the publishing.’ ‘That’s O.K., and you say if I take twelve or thirteen Bibles I can have a book with each Bible?' ‘That’s right.’ ‘I’ll let jou know in the morning ’ Early next morning an order came for thirteen Bibles and thirteen books. The publisher delivered them and played more records. Next Sunday, while serving in the same territory, he played the phonograph for a family, presented the literature, and immediately they said: 'Why, we haie that book and got a Bible too, over at the church ’ "

BEATING "PAPA” ON THE DRAW

"She warned me: 'I am Catholic.’ I returned at 4 p m The room was filled: all Catholics. Six records of ‘Government and Peace’, when the door opened and papa, collar in reverse, appeared: 'What's going on here?’ I said - 'Please be quiet, sit down and listen.’ All the people present sort of cringed, showing fear, and remained quiet. He listened to two records, then began to make trouble, telling me to get out. I said: ‘I was invited here. I am going to play the full series, and if you don’t like it, you can step out.’ None of the people present dared say anything. Finally he wanted to ask me one question. He remarked that after I had answered it I wouldn’t want to remain 'How long have there been any of Jehovah’s witnesses?’ I knew he wanted me to say ten, twenty years, and then he would have pointed out, with his chest out, how old the Catholic church was I replied : ‘About 5,800 years” He roared ‘What’’ I replied ‘Don’t you read your Bible? Hebrews 11 points out that Abel, long ago, was a witness to Jehovah, and that was win he was killed. You see, Mr. Priest, the Catholic church is onh a baby compared with the long line of Jehovah’s witnesses ' He ups and rushes madly out of the room The people had seen their priest on the run. I had to tell them about the long line of witnesses, and they were very much impressed, each taking a book to study ”

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