Let God Be True (1952)
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"Ttfhat if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of Qod without effect? (god forbid: yea, let (god be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings.”
—Tlomans 3:3, 4.
PUBLISHERS
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Inc. International Bible Students Association Brooklyn, New York, U. S. A.
First Edition 10,524,830 Copies REVISED April 1, 1952 Second Edition 6,787,000 Copies Printed in 50 languages
COPYRIGHT, 1948 by Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society Made in the United States of America
Dedicated to the Most High, “a God of truth,” and in behalf of the “other sheep” of His Right Shepherd.
—Deuteronomy 32:4 John 10:11,14,16, NW.
Abbreviations of Bible versions quoted or cited in this book
48 - American Standard Version, by the American Committee of Revision
AT - An American Translation, by J. M. P. Smith and E. J. Goodspeed
CB - The Holy Bible, translated by the Catholic Biblical Association of America
Dy - Translation of the Latin Vulgate made at Douay and Rheims
ED - The Emphatic Diaglott, by Benjamin Wilson (1864)
Le - The Twenty-four Books of the Holy Scriptures, by Isaac Leeser (1853)
Mo - A New Translation of The Bible, by James Moffatt
NW - New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, 2d edition
Ro - The Emphasised Bible, a New Translation, by J. B. Rotherham
Yg - The Holy Bible, translated by Robert Young
Any quotation not followed by any specific abbreviation should be understood to be made from the Authorized or King James Version.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I “Let God Be Found True”
II “Who Is Jehovah?”
III “What Do You Say Respecting the Messiah?”
IV Transmitting the True Record
V Satan the Devil
VI What Is Man?
VII Why Evolution Cannot Be True
VIII Hell, a Place of Rest in Hope
IX Is There a Trinity?
X “A Ransom in Exchange for Many”
XI “The Congregation of God”
XII “The Kingdom of God”
XIII Use of Images in Worship
XIV The Way to God in Prayer
XV The Sabbath: In Shadow and Reality
XVI “Not Under Law but Under Undeserved Kindness”
XVII Christ’s Return
XVIII Return of Natural Israel to Palestine
XIX Who Are Jehovah’s Witnesses?
XX “Caesar’s Things to Caesar”
XXI The End of the World
XXII “A New Earth”
XXIII Resurrection
XXIV The Judgment Day
XXV Dedication to God—the Way to Life.............
XXVI Life Transformed by Making the Mind Over 304
CHAPTER I
"LET GOD BE FOUND TRUE"
TO WIN the confidence of intelligent living creatures God must be true. He must be faithful to his promise, reliable regarding his prophecies, and harmonious with proved scientific facts. There is such a God of truth. But not only have those who are his outspoken enemies tried to discredit him, but also most of those who claim to be his servants, priests and ministers. These religious hypocrites have gone so far as to pit their word, their wisdom, philosophies, predictions and plans against God’s word, law and purposes. So in this day when all unfounded theories and systems are being shaken from top to bottom, the issue has now become, Who is to be found true, God or man?
2 The vast universe which we see is founded upon truth, and therefore it moves on orderly and undisturbed despite the waywardness of men on earth. Its Creator is the great God of truth. He is the One whom the peoples of Christendom have all claimed to worship in common, but their centuries-old religious differences, quarrels and errors have brought reproach upon both Him and the written Word which he has given mankind. Bewildered seekers for truth have in many cases
1. To win our confidence what must God be, and what has become the issue today?
2. (a) Why could not the Bible be subject to any old interpretation? (b) To what kind of Bible study are readers of this book invited and led?
said in hopelessness: “Oh, the Bible is an old fiddle upon which you can play any old tune.” If true, that would mean that the Bible’s Author was all mixed up and divided against himself. But this could not be so of the God whose visible creation of the universe is marvelously harmonious and at unity with itself. Reasonably, then, his Book, the Bible, could not be all mixed up and allowing any interpretation to be made of it. The mix-up lies with its would-be interpreters, the religious leaders of this so-called “Christendom”, who disagree among themselves, and violently so at times. Hence, as the reader approaches the study of the Bible with this book in hand, he is neither being invited nor being led to study God’s Word according to the perplexing, mysterious religious errors of Christendom. He is asked to study according to what God himself has to say in his own Word. “For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.”*
3 To arrive at truth we must dismiss religious prejudices from heart and mind. We must let God speak for himself. Any other course would lead only to further confusion. What if men, religious and nonreligious, have discredited and belittled the Bible and have placed men’s opinions and traditions above it? What if religious leaders have rejected the Bible’s straight testimony? What if the highly esteemed clergy of Christendom have been found false and misleading? Do these shocking and disappointing facts change the Bible itself or its message of truth? Sound thinking assures us that the true and living God must have given searching
* Quoted from 1 Corinthians 14:33, AS.
3, 4. (a) To arrive at truth, what must we do? (b) In view of the faithlessness of men, what stand should we take?
mankind some inspired written revelation about himself. That being so, then let our stand be that of one of the Bible writers who said: “What, then, is the case? If some did not express faith, will their lack of faith perhaps make the faithfulness of God without effect? Never may that happen! But let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, even as it is written: ‘That you might be vindicated in your words and might win when you are being judged.’ ”f
4 The writer just quoted was an honest man who was courageous enough to confess he was an erring sinner and to justify God as being true in every case. He said to God: “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight. Inasmuch as thou art in the right when thou speakest, and pure when thou givest judgment.”* If we let God be found true, he will instruct us in the truth by his recorded Word.
5 To let God be found true means to let God have the say as to what is the truth that sets men free. It means to accept his Word, the Bible, as the truth. Hence, in this book, our appeal is to the Bible for truth. Our obligation is to back up what is said herein by quotations from the Bible for proof of truthfulness and reliability. That is the course the inspired writers and faithful characters of the Bible took and recommended. Isaiah, a major prophet, asked God’s chosen people: When spiritualists advise you to inquire of mediums and wizards who whisper and mutter mysteriously,
f Quoted from Romans 3:3, 4, NW.
* Quoted from Psalm 51:4, AT.
5. (a) What does it mean to let God be found true? (b) Why is the study course of this book in harmony with Isaiah 8:20?
ought you not as God’s people inquire rather of him? Should you try to inquire of the dead in behalf of the living? Then Isaiah gave the safe advice: “(Hold) to the law and to the testimony: if they are not to speak according to this word, in which there is no light.” (Isaiah 8:19, 20, Le) “To the law rather, and to the testimony. And if they speak not according to this word, they shall not have the morning light.” (Isaias 8:20, Dy) There is no light of truth in the teachings of worldly men who are under the influence of superhuman invisible demons, wicked spirits who are primarily responsible for the darkness of this world. Unless we seek direct to the law and testimony of God’s written Word, we shall never attain to the light the beams of which show that the morning of a new world of righteousness is at hand.
6 Malachi, the very last of the old Hebrew prophets, pointed in the same direction that Isaiah did, to God’s written Word. As an inspired spokesman for God Malachi said: “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, whom I commanded on Horeb for all Israel, statutes and ordinances.” (Malachi 3:22, Le) The writings of the prophet Moses make up the first five books of the present-day Bible; and thus the last of the old Hebrew prophets declares himself in agreement with the very first Bible writer, although Moses preceded him by more than a thousand years. All Bible writers in between Moses and Malachi take the same position; and in his record Moses himself preserved the inspired utterances of prophets of God who preceded him.
6. How do the first and the last of the writers of the old Hebrew Scriptures, as well as the writers in between, stand as to teaching?
7 None of the Bible writers, from Malachi back to Moses, make any mention of an oral law or traditional law as existing alongside the written Word of God. Nowhere do they declare that the oral traditions of religious men are on an equality with the recorded Word of God or that the written Word is incomplete without such oral traditions. The prophet Moses earnestly declared against adding the oral traditions of uninspired men to God’s given law and testimony. Moses said: “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, nor shall ye diminish aught from it; that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2, Le) God’s written Word is pure without such man-made traditions; and those who teach and hold to such traditions and who value them as equal to the written Word or even higher than it make liars of themselves. “Every saying of God is purified: he is a shield unto those that put their trust in him. Do not add aught unto his words: lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”—Proverbs 30:5, 6, Le.
8 God inspired his prophet Isaiah to speak out in strong words against those who claim to be God’s people but who practice hypocrisy by following the precepts and traditions of men rather than the inspired Scriptures. “And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is but the acquired precept of men: therefore, behold, I will do yet farther a marvel-
7. What do Moses and the Proverbs show as to the so-called ‘‘oral law” or traditional law?
8. With what strong words did Isaiah speak against those following human traditions and precepts? lous work with this people, doing wonder on wonder; so that the wisdom of their wise men shall be lost, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”—Isaiah 29:13,14, Le.
WRITTEN WORD VERSUS TRADITION
9 Because of this very controversy over the traditions and precepts of religious leaders the great Teacher from Nazareth came into conflict with the rabbis of the first century of the Christian era. About this we read the following record: “Then Scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to him, saying, ‘Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the ancients? For they do not wash their hands when they take food.’ But he answered and said to them, ‘Why do you too transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God said, “Honor thy father and thy mother”; and, “Let him who curses father or mother be put to death.” But you say, “Whoever shall say to his father or mother, ‘Any support thou mightest have had from me is dedicated to God,’ does not have to honor his father or his mother.” So you have made void the commandment of God by your tradition. Hypocrites, well did Isaias prophesy of you, saying, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; but in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines precepts of men.” ’ ” (Matthew 15:1-9, CB) Thus the religious traditionalists were proved to be liars and breakers of God’s written law; whereas the honest Teacher from Nazareth was letting God be found true because he appealed to God’s written Word and followed it.
9. What controversy over tradition is recorded at Matthew 15:1-9, and who were proved true and who liars?
10 This is certain: The old Hebrew Scriptures do not teach us to put faith in the oral traditions of religionists. Such traditions men have since recorded and published as being equal to the inspired Scriptures or even superior to the Scriptures where there is a conflict between the two. During our first century the inspired Christian Scriptures were written in Greek, but neither do these teach us to accept and rely upon the traditions and moral precepts of men who claim to be Christian clergy. Hundreds of times those Christian Greek Scriptures quote and refer to God’s written Word contained in the Hebrew Scriptures. Those Scriptures were the only ones Jesus of Nazareth had in those days, and referring to them in prayer to God for his disciples he said: “Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17, NW) When he was tempted by the great adversary during his forty days of isolation in the wilderness, he resisted the enemy’s attacks by using the written Word of God. He used it to show the adversary to be a liar. In meeting the first temptation he said: “It is written, ‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s
mouth.’” In foiling the second temptation he
io. (a) What is certain concerning the position of all the Holy Scriptures toward human traditions? (b) How did Jesus, in prayer and in temptation, show regard for the written Word? said: “Again it is written, ‘You must not put Jehovah your God to the test.’ ” In turning back the third temptation he said: “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’ ” In each case Jesus quoted God’s Word as written down by the prophet Moses.—Matthew 4:4, 7,10, NW; Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:13.
11 In declaring his mission on earth Jesus, while at the synagogue in Nazareth, called for the Scripture roll of the prophecy of Isaiah and read from its sixty-first chapter, verses one and two. (Luke 4:16-21) He later said: “Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I came, not to destroy, but to fulfill; for truly I say to you that sooner would heaven and earth pass away than for the smallest letter or one particle of a letter to pass away from the Law by any means and not all things take place.” To the religionists who did not believe in him he gave the advice to believe God’s written Word: “You are searching the Scriptures, because you think that by means of them you will have everlasting life; and these are the very ones that bear witness about me. In fact, if you believed Moses you would believe me, for that one wrote about me. But if you do not believe the writings of that one, how will you believe my sayings?”—Matthew 5:17,18 and John 5:39,46,47, NW.
12 Finally, by the aid of a traitor, his religious enemies were able to take him under illegal arrest.
11. How did Jesus further show regard for the Scriptures in preaching and in advising the unbelieving religionists?
12. Why did he not resist when his enemies arrested him? and how some days later did he magnify God’s Word to his disciples?
Why did he refuse to resist them? Because he gave the truth to God’s Word. He said to his disciples in support of God’s Word: “I tell you that this which is written must be accomplished in me, namely, ‘And he was reckoned with lawless ones.’ For that which concerns me is having an accomplishment.” (Luke 22:37, NW) Some days later, when explaining his strange experiences to his astonished followers, he again magnified God’s written Word as true by pointing out how it had been fulfilled in him. Of his conversation with two of his disciples we read: “Commencing at Moses and all the Prophets he interpreted to them things pertaining to himself in all the Scriptures.” Later, in conversation with a larger group of disciples, he said: “These are my words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all the things written in the law of Moses and in the Prophets and Psalms about me must be fulfilled.” “Then he opened up their minds fully to grasp the meaning of the Scriptures, and he said to them: ‘In this way it is written.’ ” (Luke 24:27, 44-46, NW) In no case did he appeal to the rabbinic schools of teaching with their traditions and precepts of men. He faithfully referred his disciples to God’s Word, thereby to glorify God as true, though at the same time it proved the publicly respected religious leaders liars.
13 The case of Jesus of Nazareth is an example. It makes certain that men who follow the interpretations of religionists and who put human traditions before the sacred written Word will surely oppose and persecute his faithful followers who
13. What does Jesus’ case make certain as to followers of traditions? and how does his disciple Paul use himself as an example?
proclaim God’s pure Word. One of Jesus’ own followers uses himself as an illustration to show how a blind adherence to religious traditions and systems leads a person into opposition to those who hold to God’s Word as true. Paul, a follower of Jesus, makes this confession: “You, of course, heard about my conduct formerly in Judaism, that to the point of excess I kept on persecuting the congregation of God and devastating it, and I was making greater progress in Judaism than many of my own age in my race, as I was far more zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”—Galatians 1:13, 14, NW.
14 Paul knew how the religious traditions had for a time blinded him to the truth in the writings of Moses and of the other prophets and the Psalms. He also foreknew that men pretending to be Christian clergymen would develop a system of religious traditions and precepts and would thereby hide the truth from the members of the religious organizations. So he wrote: “Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy and vain deceit; according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ.” (Colos-sians 2:8, Dy) Paul knew that such traditions would be lies and would offer a way of salvation different from what is contained in the inspired written Word of God. The people of today whom religious traditions have misled away from the good news as recorded in the sacred Bible do well to consider Paul’s counsel, namely: “There are some who trouble you, and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel to you other than
14. What warnings did Paul write concerning the setting up of a system of religious traditions? that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone preach a gospel to you other than that which you have received, let him be anathema!”—Galatians 1:7-9, CB.
15 Therefore Paul stuck close to God’s written Word when he taught and preached. He also allowed his hearers to check up on him with their copies of the Scriptures. In fact, Paul’s personal physician, Luke, pronounced those persons noble who did so, rather than denouncing them for reading the Bible to test the truthfulness of an apostle. Luke writes: “The brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea. Who, when they were come thither, went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness, daily searching the scriptures, whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:10,11, Dy) Hence, when a religious organization forbids its members to read the Bible and requires its members to accept what its clergymen teach without comparing their teachings with the Holy Scriptures, such religious organization belies its claim that it is apostolic.
PETER’S POSITION TOWARD THE WORD
16 Paul’s fellow apostle, Peter, was of the same mind on the matter of giving first place to the Holy Scriptures. Peter quoted again and again from the Hebrew Scriptures and wrote: “But the
15. Therefore what course did Paul pursue toward God’s Word? and what is the noble course toward those who preach?
16. How did Peter show the same mind as Paul on the matter?
word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel hath been preached unto you.”—1 Peter 1:25, Dy.
17 Nowhere in Peter’s writings or in his recorded utterances does he claim infallibility or assume any high-sounding religious titles or ask for worshipful honors to be rendered him. Always he turns his hearers or readers to the changeless Word of God as their shining guide until the day of God’s kingdom dawns. Peter writes: “We have the word of prophecy, surer still, to which you do well to attend, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. This, then, you must understand first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is made by private interpretation. For not by will of man was prophecy brought at any time; but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. But there were false prophets also among the people, just as among you there will be lying teachers who will bring in destructive sects. They even disown the Lord who bought them, thus bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ... be mindful of what I formerly preached of the words of the holy prophets and of your apostles, which are the precepts of the Lord and Savior.”—2 Peter 1:19 to 2:1; 3:2, CB.
18 Therefore in this book in the hands of the reader we choose to follow the apostolic course. We shall let God be found true by turning our readers to his imperishable written Word. Knowing that God by his holy spirit inspired the Holy Scriptures, thus making them reliable, we choose
17. Does Peter seek to exalt himself? and why does he urge Christians to take heed to God’s written Word?
18. How does this book follow the apostolic course? to let him do the interpreting. How? By his records of fulfilled prophecy and by the things he has caused to occur in modern history to fulfill prophecies due to come to pass in our day. “Doth not interpretation belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8, Dy) Yes, and his interpretation is the true one. Accordingly this book will be found filled with Scripture quotations and references, and we suggest that our readers look up in their Bibles all the unquoted references and read them therefrom.
19 Our readers will quickly observe in this book that quotations are made from various editions of the Bible, Jewish, Roman Catholic and others, according as each best makes clear the sense of the original Hebrew and Greek text. Turn back and see the list of the Bible versions quoted or cited, on page 5 of this book. The questions at the bottom of the pages are for the reader’s self-examination on what he has read in the paragraphs, or for use in Bible study classes with others. The chapters following this one are devoted to a progressive investigation of the primary or essential teachings of the divine Word.
19. How about the quotations, printed questions, and chapter contents of this book?
CHAPTER H
’’WHO IS JEHOVAH?”
((T'XTT'HO is Jehovah?” That is an old ques-tion. When it was first asked in that ’ ’ tone, by Pharaoh of Egypt in the sixteenth century B.C., it was asked defiantly and with contempt, and the questioner added: “that I should hearken unto his voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not let Israel go.” This challenge called forth the following words of comfort to the prophet Moses: “Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”—Exodus 5:2 and 7:4,5, AS.
2 In the Bible Egypt is used as a small-scale pattern of this entire world of today. Hence in those words concerning Egypt a prophetic notice is served that shortly all the world will learn and know that the only living and true God is He who is named Jehovah, but in a manner that they will not enjoy. It is therefore well to learn now who and what he is, that we may act now with benefit to ourselves.
1,2. When was "Who is Jehovah?” first asked, and with what importance?
3 When Moses stood before Egypt’s Pharaoh and made God’s demands upon him, Moses uttered the name of the God who sent him. Moses did not say, ‘The Lord says so and so’; because Pharaoh and the Egyptians worshiped and acknowledged their own false gods as lords. Even when addressing his own people in Egypt to explain his return to them, Moses spoke the name of God to identify the particular One sending him back to Egypt. We read: “God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM [Hebrew: Ehyeh] hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” (Exodus 3:14,15, AS) After Moses and his brother Aaron had appeared before Pharaoh for the first time, we read, “God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am Jehovah: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Jehovah I was not known to them.” —Exodus 6:2, 3, AS.
4 We cannot escape it. If we read his written Word, we are faced with the name of God. Nothing is gained by arguing that the name is not correctly pronounced as Jehovah. The Scriptures written before the Christian era were written practically all in Hebrew, a portion in Aramaic; and
3. By what term did Moses refer to God before Pharaoh and Israel?
4. How does God’s name appear in the Hebrew Scriptures, and did his name appear in the Greek Septua-gint Version?
in those Scriptures the alphabetic letters for God’s name occur, namely, Yod He Waw He (nin\ or YHWH), from the first book to the last. The name, symbolized by these four Hebrew consonants, occurs, all together, 6,823 times* in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Hebrew Scriptures began to be translated into Greek about 280 B.C. But some time before that superstitious Hebrews began to leave off pronouncing the name, out of a fear of taking it in vain. So whenever they read and came to the name, they pronounced instead the word Adonay (Lord) or Elohim (God). However, in making that first translation into Greek known as the Septuagint Version (LXX) the translators did not follow this custom but put the four Hebrew letters (mm) for God’s name into their Greek version.
5 The writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures used that Septuagint Version and they quoted its Greek text which contained the literal name of Almighty God. But later copyists of the Septuagint began to omit the divine name in Hebrew letters and to substitute for it the Greek words meaning “Lord” or “God”. Then Bible translators began to follow this rabbinic custom, which partly explains why the name does not occur by itself in most translations of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Jerome, in making the Latin Vulgate translation, followed the same practice, and at Exodus 6:3 he used the title Adonai instead of Jehovah, all of which explains why the name does not occur in the English Roman Catholic Douay Version. In the
* Page 39 J 2 of The Biblical Text in the Making, by Robt. Gordis. Also Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libras, by Koehler-Baumgartner.
5. Why does the name “Jehovah” not occur in most translations of the Christian Greek Scriptures? But why is use of the name helpful?
Authorized or King James Version we find the name “Jehovah” by itself at Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; and Isaiah 12:2 and 26:4. The Emphasised Bible by J. B. Rotherham renders the name in its 6,823 occurrences as “Yahweh”; but the American Standard Version renders it every time as “Jehovah”. Even if neither of these pronunciations may be just as God pronounced his name to Moses, yet it helps us to identify instantly who is meant by that name. In like manner the name “Jesus” is not the original way this one’s name was pronounced in the Hebrew or Aramaic; nevertheless this near pronunciation helps us to identify at once who is meant and it does not do any dishonor or blasphemy to him.
6 To illustrate: The Catholic Douay Version reads, at Psalm 109:1,2: “The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand: until I make thy enemies thy footstool. The Lord will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: rule thou in the midst of thy enemies.” But the American Standard Version, at this same psalm of King David (Psalm 110:1,2), reads: “Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Jehovah will send forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion: Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.” Thus this latter translation, by honestly giving due value to God’s name, does away with all confusion of mind; it shows that the one whom David called “My Lord” is the Messiah, whom Jehovah makes a King and Priest after the likeness of Melchize-dek. When the Authorized or King James Version translates God’s name by the title “Lord” or
6. What is a good illustration of the helpfulness of this name?
“God”, it always puts this title in all capital letters, as “Lord”, “God,” to distinguish it from the common words “Lord” and “God”.—Note this at Psalm 110:1.
WHO he is
7 By looking up the verses where the name occurs in the Hebrew Bible we are enabled to find the answer to the question, Who is Jehovah? At Psalm 90 the prophet Moses writes: “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Return, O Jehovah; how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.” (Psalm 90:1, 2, 13, AS) Who, then, is Jehovah? He is God and, as such, never had a beginning. His eternalness is declared also at Isaiah 57:15: “Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place.” In view of his eternity, it is outright blasphemy to speak of any woman as “the mother of God”, for woman is merely a lowly creature whom God created for man as man’s helper.
8 Jehovah eternally reigns over all the universal space. He is worthy of all honor and glory, and one of his inspired writers well says: “Now to the king of eternity, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.” (1 Timothy 1:17, NW) He being eternal and incorruptible, he is the Source of all life. There are those who think his name Jehovah means “selfexisting or eternal”; and the Bible translation by
7. Who is Jehovah, and for how long?
8. Why must he be the Source of all life? the Jewish scholar I. Leeser and that also by J. Moffatt render the Hebrew name in English as “The Eternal” instead of Jehovah.
9 There was, therefore, a time when Jehovah was all alone in universal space. All life and energy and thought were contained in him alone. Yet he could not have been lonesome, for he is self-contained, which means he is complete in himself and lacks nothing. Then the time came when Jehovah began to create. First at that time he came to be God to all his creation. Hence in opening up the account of creation the very first verse of the Bible speaks of him as God. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) Because Jehovah is God the Creator, the expression “Jehovah God” is fitting and is used. This expression occurs immediately after the account of creation. We read: “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven.” (Genesis 2:4, 5, 7-9,15,18,19, 21, 22, AS) His first creatures were spirit creatures, spirits like himself. Jesus said: “God is a Spirit and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.” (John 4:24, NW) Because he is a spirit, Jehovah is and will ever be invisible to human eyes. He said to Moses: “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” (Exodus 33:20) He is so glorious that no human creature could endure to see him.
10 Although he is the Great Spirit, the great in-
9. (a) Was he ever alone, and why is the expression “Jehovah God” appropriate? (b) Why will man never see God?
10. How did he make himself discernible to mankind? and what did he make his angels? telligent active Personage invisible to man, yet he has made himself discernible to man by his wondrous works of creation. Hence those who deny his divinity or his being God the Creator are subject to condemnation. “For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are understood by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable.” (Romans 1:20, NW) Speaking of His glory as the Creator, the inspired psalmist sang out in faith: “Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire.”—Psalm 104:1-4; Hebrews 1:7,14.
11 As the Creator, Jehovah is the Source of all existence and power and of every good quality, and his works are perfect. To him Moses sang this song: “I will proclaim the name of Jehovah: Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. The Rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are justice: a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he.” He is therefore the One of whom it is written: “Every good gift and every perfect present is from above, for it comes down from the Father of the celestial lights, and with him there is not a variation of the turning of the shadow.” (Deuteronomy 32:3, 4, AS; James 1:17, NW) So God never gave the universe a devil, for he 11. How are his works? and to whom is our salvation due?
never created such a wicked creature. Instead, he is the Author of all the provisions for saving humankind from the sin, bondage, sorrow and death which that wicked adversary has brought upon our race. For this reason it is said: “Salvation be-longeth unto Jehovah: thy blessing be upon thy people.”—Psalm 3:8, AS.
HIS UNIVERSAL ORGANIZATION
12 Jehovah God arranged all his holy, intelligent creatures in the heavens into an orderly, harmonious, peaceful organization under himself to accomplish his will. All such angelic spirit creatures, being thus arranged, made up his universal organization which is above. All were sons of God, all having received life from him, the Fountain of life. When perfect man and woman were created on the earth and set to fulfilling God’s mandate to them in the garden of Eden, they were made the visible part of His universal organization. They were his earthly children; for which reason Adam was then called “the son of God”. (Luke 3:38) Adam and Eve lost their relationship as God’s children in his universal organization when they joined in the rebellion against Jehovah’s universal sovereignty.
13 As the Creator and Head over his universal organization of holy faithful creatures, Jehovah rightfully exercises the universal domination. Yet today the great issue before all heaven and earth is, Who is supreme? Who in fact and in right exercises the sovereignty over all the universe? Jehovah’s primary purpose is to settle this issue. To
12. How did he set up a universal organization?
13. What is the great issue today, and how will it be settled?
do so means the vindication of his universal sovereignty or domination. At Psalm 83:17,18 a prayer is expressed for him to vindicate his supreme position and rulership against all his combined opposers, in these words: “Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: that men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” His supremacy will be proved beyond all future denial.
14 When Jehovah thus vindicates his universal sovereignty by destroying all his foes in heaven and in earth, then he will be again the great Theo-crat or theocratic Ruler over all creatures that live. His theocratic government will govern all inhabited parts of the universe. His theocratic law will be obeyed everywhere. Then no long-time rebellion such as has existed during man’s six thousand years of history will again be permitted, for Jehovah God will once and for all time have vindicated his universal sovereignty and his holy name against all false charges, reproaches and challenges of his malicious enemies, demon and human. He is the Almighty and Supreme One. He and his heavenly Son, whom he makes theocratic King under Him in the theocratic government, constitute together “the Higher Powers”, to whom all souls worthy of living must be subject. Jehovah God has ordained it to be so.—Romans 13:1, 2.
15 That heavenly Son taught his followers to pray: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will come to pass, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matthew 6:9,10, NW) He was there referring to
14. How will his Theocracy again rule all the universe? 15. Whose name must be sanctified, and how? the sacred name and kingdom of Jehovah God. God’s name must eventually be sanctified by Jehovah’s own stupendous act of vindicating himself at the universal war of Armageddon. The means by which his name will be proved to be holy and deserving to be held sacred is his kingdom by his Messiah, which will shortly fight this war of Armageddon to a successful finish against all enemies. No rebel or idolatrous thing or organization will take the glory from him. Says he: “I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images.”—Isaiah 42:8, AS.
16 The name “Jehovah” is a Hebrew verb and is understood to mean “He causes to be”, that is, for a purpose. When making known his name in a special way to his prophet Moses, he did so in connection with declaring his purpose regarding his chosen people, then in bondage to Egypt. Thus, aside from its literal meaning, his name “Jehovah” implies his purpose respecting his creatures. (Exodus 3:15-21; 6:2-8, AS) Many times throughout the Bible he declares his purpose to cause all the nations as well as his own favored people to know that he is Jehovah. In the prophetic book of Ezekiel alone this declaration of his purpose to have all such to know that he is Jehovah occurs more than sixty times. (Exodus 6:7; Ezekiel 6:7, 10,13,14, AS) Hence an important part of his great purpose is the vindication of his reproached and misrepresented name. His vindication is more important than the salvation of men.
16. What does his name mean and stand for? and what is his purpose concerning it?
1T Why has this Almighty God permitted his chief adversary and all that wicked one’s servants to live and carry on their wickedness down till the final battle of Armageddon? In brief explanation Jehovah said to hardhearted Pharaoh of Egypt: “To teach you that there is no one like me in all the world. Otherwise, I would have exerted my force and struck you and your people with pestilence, till you were swept off the earth; but this is why I have kept you alive, to let you see my power and to publish my fame all over the world.” (Exodus 9:14-16, Mo; also AT; Le) Here Jehovah discloses his purpose to raise up his witnesses to declare and publish his fame or name throughout all the earth before all the enemies are destroyed. His Chief Witness is the One whom he makes his Messiah or the Anointed King in his theocratic government. But more as to this Chief Witness and his fellow witnesses, concerning whom the Bible has much to say, we leave succeeding chapters herein to tell.
17. Why has Almighty God permitted the great adversary and his wicked agents to operate down till Armageddon?
CHAPTER III
’’WHAT DO YOU SAY RESPECTING THE MESSIAH?”
THE Aramaic-speaking Jews of the first century of the Christian era called him “Ye shu' Mshi'hha”. The Greek-speaking Jews and Gentiles called him “Jesus Messias” or “Jesus Christ”. In either language it means “Jesus the Anointed”; and the name Jesus or Jeshua is just the shortened form of the Hebrew name Jehoshua, meaning Jehovah is the Savior. That a Jew bearing that name and title walked and taught in Palestine in the first half of the first century is so fully established by history that it needs no further proof here. Now we take the authentic records written by his personal companions and their friends to learn some details about him.
2 This Jew’s life and teachings have affected the course of all human history and are destined to affect it still further in the next thousand years. Before he appeared on earth he had already had a wonderful past. To get facts about this we turn to the words of a man formerly his bitter enemy but who became a faithful friend and who said as regards himself: “Circumcised the eighth day, out of the family stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born from Hebrews; as respects law, a Pharisee; as respects zeal, persecuting the
i. What does the full name “Jesus Christ” mean?
2. What does a former enemy write as to Jesus’ prehuman existence?
congregation.” (Philippians 3:5, 6, NW) In this same letter to the Philippian believers this Hebrew writer tells something about the prehuman past of Jesus, saying: “Keep this mental attitude in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although he was existing in God’s form, gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God. No, but he emptied himself and took a slave’s form and came to be in the likeness of men. More than that, when he found himself in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient as far as death, yes, death on a torture stake. For this very reason also God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” -2:5-11, NW.
3 This One was not Jehovah God, but was “existing in God’s form”. How so? He was a spirit person, just as “God is a Spirit”; he was a mighty one, although not almighty as Jehovah God is; also he was before all others of God’s creatures, for he was the first son that Jehovah God brought forth. Hence he is called “the only begotten Son” of God, for God had no partner in bringing forth his first-begotten Son. He was the first of Jehovah God’s creations. He speaks so of himself, at Revelation (or Apocalypse) 3:14: “These are the things the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God.” (NW) Also at Colossians 1:15 he is spoken of as “the image of
3. How was he “existing in God’s form”?
“WHAT DO YOU SAY RESPECTING THE MESSIAH ?” 33 the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation”. Thus he is ranked with God’s creation, being first among them and also most beloved and most favored among them. He is not the author of the creation of God; but, after God had created him as his firstborn Son, then God used him as his working Partner in the creating of all the rest of creation. It is so stated at Colossians 1:16-18 and at John 1:1-3, NW.
4 In John, chapter 1, he is spoken of as being the Word of God, that is to say, the mouthpiece or representative speaker for God. In the Greek Bible text the Word is Logos. Hence he may be called “the Word or Logos”. Being a mighty one and holding this high official capacity as Logos and being before all other creatures, he was a God, but not the Almighty God, who is Jehovah. This distinction is shown in the Emphatic Diaglott translation of John 1:1-3, as follows: “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. This was in the beginning with God. Through it every thing was done; and without it not even one thing was done, which has been done.” Here in our quotation the typographical difference between God and God is just as found in the Diaglott. The Diaglott’s interlinear translation of the Greek, word for word, makes the distinction between Jehovah as “God” and the Logos as “God” still clearer, reading as follows: “In a beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and a god was the Word. This was in a beginning with the God.” Happily the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures (published in 1950) renders John 1:1, 2:
4. What prehuman office did he exercise?
“Originally the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. This one was originally with God.” Thus the Word or Logos came into existence long before one of God’s later creatures made a devil out of himself and became, as he is called at 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NW), “the god of this system of things.”
5 That Jesus Christ had a prehuman existence he himself testifies, saying: “What, therefore, if you behold the Son of man ascending to where he was before?” (John 6:62, NW) “You are from the realms below; I am from the realms above. . . . Before Abraham came into existence, I have been.” (John 8:23, 58, NW; Mo; AT) In his last prayer with his disciples Jesus said to God: “I have glorified you on the earth, having finished the work you have given me to do. So now you, Father, glorify me alongside yourself with the glory which I had alongside you before the world was. ... I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world and I am coming to you.” (John 17:4-11, NW) Less than two months later his faithful disciples, as his witnesses, saw him ascend heavenward and then disappear from their sight. Ten days later they had the evidence by means of the outpouring of God’s spirit through Jesus that he had reached the heavenly presence of his Father above.—Acts, chapters 1 and 2.
6 Prior to coming to earth, this only-begotten Son of God did not think himself to be co-equal with Jehovah God; he did not view himself as “equal in power and glory” with Almighty God; he did not follow the course of the Devil and plot
5. How did Jesus testify of his prehuman existence?
6. Regarding Jesus, what do the Scriptures show as to aspiring to be like God?
“WHAT DO YOU SAY RESPECTING THE MESSIAH?” 35 and scheme to make himself like or equal to the Most High God and to rob God or usurp God’s place. On the contrary, he showed his subjection to God as his Superior by humbling himself under God’s almighty hand, even to the most extreme degree, which means to a most disgraceful death on a torture stake. To quote the Emphatic Diaglott translation, at Philippians 2:5-8: “Christ Jesus, who, though being in God’s form, yet did not meditate a usurpation to be like God, but divested himself, taking a bondman’s form, having been made in the likeness of men; and being in condition as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
7 Jesus asked the Jews concerning the Messiah’s descent, saying: “What do you say respecting the Messiah? whose son is he?” His foes admitted from whose ancestral line the Messiah should come, saying: “David’s son.” (Matthew 22:41, 42, Delitzsch’s translation) Just so, the Son of God on coming to earth was born in David’s line, for his virgin mother Mary was descended from David. Joseph, to whom the young woman was betrothed, was also a descendant of David, but before Mary was united to him, the angel from God announced her coming motherhood, saying: “You will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you are to call his name Jesus. . . . Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason also what is born will be called holy, God’s Son.”—Luke 1:30-35, NW.
8 The angel said Mary’s child should be called
7. How did Jesus meet the requirement as to Messiah’s line of descent?
8. Why is it improper to call Mary the “mother of God”?
“God’s Son”. So it is blasphemously improper to call her “the mother of God”. That title was borrowed by the Roman Catholic clergy from pagan Babylon, where Rhe'a (Semiramis) or Venus was worshiped as the “mother of the gods”. Jesus did not address Mary as “Blessed Mother”. In every case on Bible record he addressed her as “woman”. (John 2:4; 19:26; Matthew 12:46-50) Also, his apostle Paul writes: “When the full limit of the time arrived, God sent forth his Son, who was produced out of a woman.” (Galatians 4:4, NW) At the time that the young woman conceived by the miracle-working power of Almighty God then the life of the Son of God was transferred from his glorious position with God his Father in heaven to the embryo of a human.
9 Mary conceived at the city of Nazareth in Galilee, but, due to Caesar’s registration decree, she transferred to Bethlehem in Judea, where King David had been born about eleven centuries previous. There Jesus was born, about October 1, B.C. 2. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy at Micah 5:2. To the Jewish shepherds out in the fields that fall night the angel announced: “There was born to you today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in David’s city.” Then a multitude of the heavenly army appeared also and said: “Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men of good-will.” (Luke 2:8-14, NW; Dy) On the eighth day he was circumcised like any normal Jewish boy, and then after the fortieth day Mary was permitted to enter the temple at Jerusalem and present him. Later the child was carried down into Egypt to escape King Herod’s
9. Where was Jesus conceived, born, and brought up?
“WHAT DO YOU SAY RESPECTING THE MESSIAH?” 37 murderous soldiers, but was brought back after Herod’s death and was taken up to Nazareth to live and grow up. This fulfilled another prophecy, at Hosea 11:1: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” —Matthew 2:13-23, NW.
10 The cousin of Jesus’ mother married a priest, Zechariah, to whom she bore a son, Jesus’ cousin John. Six months before Jesus became thirty years old, John began to preach as a forerunner of Jesus and he also baptized in water in connection with his preaching. To the Jews exclusively he preached, saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” After this announcement of the Kingdom Jesus went to John, showing the primary purpose for which he came to earth, namely, to bear witness to God’s kingdom which will vindicate the sovereignty and holy name of Jehovah God. When Jesus stood on trial before Governor Pontius Pilate three and a half years later, he said: “My kingdom is no part of this world. . . . my kingdom is not from this source.” “Therefore Pilate said to him: ‘Well, then, are you a king?’ Jesus answered: ‘It is for you to say that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born and for this purpose I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone that is on the side of the truth listens to my voice.’ ” (John 18:36, 37, NW) It was to this kingdom of God that Jesus was anointed to be the Messianic King. When?
11 Jesus at thirty years of age went to John the Baptist to be immersed in water. After John had
io. How did Jesus show forth the primary purpose for which he came to earth?
11. What marked events took place at Jesus’ baptism?
dipped him in the Jordan river and Jesus came out of the water, then “the heaven was opened up and the holy spirit in bodily shape like a dove came down upon him, and a voice came out of heaven: ‘You are my Son, the beloved; I have approved you.’ ” (Luke 3:21-23, NW) By his water baptism Jesus showed his submitting of himself to do God’s will; and now God consecrated him by his holy spirit. By acknowledging him as his beloved Son, God begot Jesus to be his spiritual Son once more instead of a human Son. By pouring out his holy spirit upon the baptized Jesus, God anointed him with the spirit to be the long-promised King in God’s kingdom. By being thus anointed with the spirit Jesus became the Messiah, or Mashiahh or Christ, which words all mean “Anointed”. Thus he became in fact Jesus Christ, or Jesus the Anointed. His Jewish disciple Peter declared: “Jesus who was from Nazareth, how God anointed him with holy spirit and power.”-Acts 10:38, NW.
12 After spending forty days in the wilderness, where he beat back the Devil’s temptations, Jesus returned to John’s locality, to get in touch with his first disciples. On seeing Jesus approaching, John said to his hearers: “See, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29,36, NW) Thus John showed the secondary purpose for which the Son of God came to earth, namely, to die as a holy sacrifice to Jehovah God in order to cancel the sins of believing men and to free them from death’s condemnation, that they might gain eternal life in the righteous new world which God has promised to create. Jesus was suit-
12. As shown by John the Baptist, what secondary purpose did Jesus fulfill on coming to earth? able to be such a ransom sacrifice. By having his perfect, sinless life transferred from heaven to the womb of a Jewish virgin, Jesus was born a perfect human and grew up to be a perfect man, absolutely sinless, guileless, undefiled. (Hebrews 7:26, NW) So, when he presented himself in full dedication to God’s will, Jehovah God accepted him for sacrifice as mankind’s Redeemer. Because Jesus was bound by this to lay aside his humanity forever as a sacrifice, God begot him by his spirit to become again a spirit Son of God. Hence Jesus said: “The Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.” (Matthew 20:28, NW) So he laid down his human life forever.
13 On his return visit to Nazareth the anointed Jesus spoke in its synagogue. There he applied to himself the prophecy of Isaiah 61: 1,2. He confessed he had been anointed with God’s spirit in order to preach the good news or gospel to meek persons seeking release from bondage to sin and religious error. (Luke 4:16-21) After that he preached “The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” up and down the land of Judea and Galilee and Trans-Jordan. He gathered about him twelve apostles and other disciples, whom he trained to preach the heavenly kingdom to which he had been anointed. He exposed religious traditions and errors and preached the truth to set men free. This brought him in conflict with the rabbis, priests and sectarian leaders, who sought his death. At passover time A.D. 33, with the aid of the traitorous apostle Judas Iscariot, they seized
13. How did Jesus on earth fulfill his anointing? and with what outcome to him as a man?
Jesus, gave him a mock trial, handed him over to the Gentiles for trial by Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas, and then blocked his release by stirring up the misguided Jewish people to cry for Jesus to be hanged on a torture stake like a seditious lawbreaker and blasphemer. He died obedient to God, without renouncing God’s kingdom.
14 On the third day of his being dead in the grave his immortal Father Jehovah God raised him from the dead, not as a human Son, but as a mighty immortal spirit Son, with all power in heaven and earth under the Most High God. Says the Jewish witness Peter: “He being put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18, NW; Dy) For forty days after that he materialized, as angels before him had done, to show himself alive to his disciples as witnesses. He then ascended to heaven and appeared in God’s presence with the value of his human sacrifice as God’s High Priest, and this he applied in behalf of all those who should believe in him.—Hebrews 9:11, 23,24; 10:12,13.
15 God exalted his Son Jesus to be higher than he was before he lived and died as a man. If Jesus had been “equal in power and glory” with the Supreme One, then Jehovah God could not have elevated his Son any higher than he was in his prehuman state. But now Jesus is made the Head under Jehovah of God’s capital organization over the entire universe. Says the apostle Peter: “Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is at God’s right hand, for he went his way to heaven, and angels and authorities and powers were made
14. What took place on the third day of his death and during the forty days after that?
15. In what way has the resurrected Jesus been exalted? subject to him.” (1 Peter 3:21,22, NW) This proves Jesus did not take his human body to heaven to be forever a man in heaven. Had he done so, that would have left him ever lower than the angels. By his becoming a man, “we behold Jesus, who has been made a little lower than angels, crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death.” (Hebrews 2:6-9, NW) God did not purpose for Jesus to be humiliated thus forever by being a fleshly man forever. No, but after he had sacrificed his perfect manhood, God raised him to deathless life as a glorious spirit creature. He exalted him above all angels and other parts of God’s universal organization, to be next-highest to himself, the Most High God. What Jesus does in this exalted capacity, we leave to succeeding chapters to tell.
CHAPTER IV
TRANSMITTING
THE TRUE RECORD
CC"TEHOVAH said unto Moses, Write this for a I memorial in a book.” That was in 1513 B.C.
J It is the first divine command to write, and it indicates Jehovah’s purpose to have important matters recorded. Memorial of them was not to be entrusted to oral transmission subject to corruption by fallible human memory. The finished product of this divine purpose is God’s Word, the Bible. Its sixty-six books have a common origin, being inspired by God; yet they were written by more than thirty-five men over a period of more than sixteen centuries. Moses started its writing no later than 1513 B.C., and the apostle John penned its last book around A.D. 98. These historical dates give rise to two questions. Since Moses in the Bible’s first book, Genesis, wrote of creative works and historical events that happened thousands of years before his lifetime, how did he get reliable information? And since nearly nineteen centuries have passed since the last Bible book was written, how do we know all of this has reached us in accurate and reliable form?
2 Jehovah could have revealed the information in Genesis to Moses. God’s spirit or active force could
1. When did Bible writing begin and end? and what questions are raised?
2. How might Jehovah have revealed the information in Genesis to Moses?
have accomplished that His spirit did work in the Bible’s production, as the writers themselves are quick to acknowledge. David said: “The spirit of the Lord spake by me.” Luke declared: “He, through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, has spoken.” Peter added to the testimony: “No prophecy of Scripture springs from any private release. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.” Paul left no room for further doubt or exceptions when he sweepingly said: “All Scripture is inspired of God.” (2 Samuel 23:2; Luke 1:70; Acts 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; 1 Peter 1:10,11; 2 Peter 1:20, 21, NW) So Moses, one of God’s “holy prophets from of old”, could have received the Genesis record word for word in direct revelation; but there is nothing to indicate that such was the case. Or he could have received the information by oral tradition, handed down by word of mouth. Only five human links were needed to connect Moses with Adam (Methuselah, Shem, Isaac, Levi and Amram). But the Bible does not indicate this either.
3 Modern archaeological discoveries in Bible lands indicate that the art of writing existed before the Flood, and lead us to conclude that Moses compiled Genesis from earlier written records. At Ur of the Chaldees Sir Leonard Woolley found seals belonging to men that lived before the Flood, and often included the owner’s name in the cuneiform writing of that time. Thousands of clay tablets with cuneiform writing have been found that existed in Noah’s time. Statements made by
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