The Watchtower, December 15, 1965

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The Watchtower — December 15, 1965

Source: jw.org

Contents

The Other Side of the Coin

Neglecting the House of the Creator of Heaven and Earth

“We Should Not Neglect the House of Our God”

“Why Do Present-Day Youths Not Go to Church?”

Seven Years in Red China’s Prisons—Yet Firm in Faith!

Questions From Readers

Announcements

The Other Side of the Coin

EVERY coin has two sides, a top and a bottom. Fittingly, they are also called a “head” and a “tail,” for they complete each other. In fact, “head” often implies the existence of the “tail,” as when the Bible says, “The aged and highly respected one is the head, and the prophet giving false instruction is the tail.” (Isa. 9:15) Thus also, “top” implies the existence of “bottom”; an “inside,” an “outside”; an “east,” a “west,” and so forth.

A similar principle might be said to hold true in finance. All assets imply liabilities, depending upon how you view them. For example, in its annual statement a bank must have its assets balance its liabilities. Among its assets might be listed deposits amounting to many thousands of dollars; but these at the same time represent liabilities, since the patrons of the bank can ask back their deposits, and the money actually belongs to them, the bank paying interest for the privilege of using it.

This principle of there being the other side of the coin might be said to apply also to ever so many of the commands that we find in the Word of God—and elsewhere too, for that matter—and this especially as regards those that place certain obligations on persons in their relationship with others. Every command placed on one group of persons that benefits another group might be said to represent an asset to the ones benefited. But inherent in such benefits almost invariably lies an implied obligation or liability on the part of the ones so benefited. This is primarily because of the rule that we are to do to others as we would have them do to us.—Luke 6:31.

For example, according to God’s Word the husband is the head of the family, and his wife is likened to his body. Accordingly, wives are told to be in subjection to their husbands in everything. (Eph. 5:23, 24) But let no husband gloat over this. Why not? Because implicit in it is an obligation, a liability, as it were. It obligates him to treat his wife as his own body, to love her as himself, to care for her, cherish her, feed and clothe her, provide a roof over her head and protect her from harm. So the asset that accrues to the husband by reason of his headship and his wife’s subjection to him implies no small obligation, a balancing liability, the other side of the coin. This should serve to make him a modest, humble head!

The same, of course, is true as regards the command to husbands to love their wives as their own bodies, as Jesus “Christ also loved the congregation and delivered up himself for it.” (Eph. 5:25) Does a wife complain that her husband does not love her as he does his own body? Then she might ask herself, Am I giving my husband the cooperation that I should? Am I in subjection to him as is his own body? Certainly his own body does not complain continually or nag him about things. The Bible says: “Better is it to dwell upon a corner of a roof than with a contentious wife, although in a house in common.” (Prov. 21:9) So with the asset or advantage that accrues to the wife by reason of the Biblical command for her husband to love her as his own body, there is implied the obligation of the wife to cooperate as fully as possible with her head. This, of course, will make it all the easier for her husband to love his wife as he does himself!

However, let no one think that negligence on the part of one justifies negligence on the part of the other. It does not! The obligations remain regardless of what the other one may or may not do, but justice and love of neighbor indicate that each should do his part.

The principle of the other side of the coin also applies to the commands that the Bible gives as to the proper conduct between the sexes. The Word of God gives exceedingly wise, sound counsel in such matters, for it was inspired by the One who understands human nature better than anyone else in the universe. For example, it tells men in the Christian congregation to treat the “younger women as sisters with all chasteness.” It also warns that for a man to keep looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her is to commit adultery in his heart.—1 Tim. 5:2; Matt. 5:28.

Such commands as these might be said to represent an asset or advantage for the younger women, all women in fact, as it gives them a sense of security and freedom, especially within the Christian congregation. But with this advantage also comes an obligation, a liability for them. What is it? That they conduct and dress themselves as sisters of the men, not as sirens. As the apostle Paul counseled Christian women: “I desire the women to adorn themselves in well-arranged dress, with modesty and soundness of mind.”—1 Tim. 2:9.

The principle of the other side of the coin might be said to apply in particular to all relations involving authority and subjection. Thus with the direct obligation of students to pay attention goes the implied obligation on the part of the teacher to teach with skill and enthusiasm so as to hold the attention of the students. But regardless of what either does, as has already been observed, each has his obligation: the teacher, to give his best regardless of whether the students pay close attention or not; the students, to pay close attention even though the teacher is lacking in skill and enthusiasm.

So also in the Christian congregation. Its members are commanded to “be obedient to those who are taking the lead among you and be submissive.” But with this command goes the implied obligation to take the lead in such a way as to make obedience not unduly onerous, for those taking the lead have to render an account as to those in their charge.—Heb. 13:17.

Appreciating that there is the other side of the coin, that there is an implied obligation for us in ever so many commandments that seem to be in our individual favor, will help us to show empathy. It will make for better understanding, better cooperation, more harmony and efficiency. It is a way in which we can help the other person to meet his obligations; thus we will be obeying the rule to do to others as we would have them do to us.

Neglecting the House of the Creator of Heaven and Earth

1. With what reality does this “house” have to do?

THIS “house” has to do with the biggest reality in all existence. What is that? The great Creator of all created things, visible and invisible to us. Even the known universe, which has been brought within our range of vision by telescope and microscope, not to speak of radio, is too big for us to leave out of account its Creator.

2. (a) How does a recently discovered “quasar” compare with a star? (b) To astronomers, what does the expansion of the universe suggest as to how it got here?

2 As regards bigness, do you know what a “quasar” is? Recently astronomers have discovered what they have called Quasi-stellar Radio Sources, or, quasars, for short. These are astronomical objects that emit an enormous amount of energy in the form of light and in radio waves. Looking like a star, a quasar “is apparently millions of times larger and billions of times brighter. Some quasars pulse rhythmically.” There are about forty known quasars, the discovery of the most distant one of which was announced on May 17, 1965, and which is known as 3C-9.a It is stated that this celestial object is so far away that it seems to be close to the beginning of universal time. “The light is so far away that the light from it began to journey to earth soon after the postulated birth of the universe.” The life of those quasars probably ended during the billions of years that were required for their light to reach our earth. Says the report: “The observed rate at which the universe is expanding suggests that it was born in a single point some thirteen billion years ago—roughly three times the age of the earth.”—New York Times, May 18, 1965, pages one and two.

3, 4. (a) From this, what do we conclude as to God’s occupying a house on earth? (b) What does Christendom teach as to God’s making himself small, but what did Paul tell the pagan Athenians?

3 From the above discovery, what do we reasonably conclude? This: That God the Creator of such tremendously large things is too big to occupy a house here on earth. To speak of such a God as occupying a man-made house on our tiny earth sounds ridiculous, and rightly so to twentieth-century scientists. How could such a God make himself so small? And yet the clergy of Christendom speak of God as making himself so tiny as to occupy the minute egg cell in the womb of a virgin Jewish girl, Mary. The Holy Bible itself does not teach such a thing. What it does teach is that God the Creator transferred the life of his only-begotten Son from heaven to the womb of this Jewish virgin to become the man Jesus, who later came to be called Christ. According to what the angel Gabriel announced to the virgin Jewess Mary, her firstborn son was, not God himself, but the Son of God. She was, not the Mother of God, but the mother of the Son of God. (See Luke 1:26-33.) But as regards God the Creator himself, the Christian apostle Paul said to pagan Greeks:

4 “Men of Athens, I behold that in all things you seem to be more given to the fear of the deities than others are. . . . The God that made the world and all the things in it, being, as this One is, Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade temples, neither is he attended to by human hands as if he needed anything, because he himself gives to all persons life and breath and all things. And he made out of one man every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth . . . Seeing, therefore, that we are the progeny of God, we ought not to imagine that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, like something sculptured by the art and contrivance of man.”—Acts 17:22-29.

5. (a) Does God occupy a building as an idol occupies a temple? (b) What can God do with a building where his worship is carried on, as in the case of Solomon’s temple?

5 So the God about whom the Holy Bible teaches does not occupy an earthly material building in the way that some gold, silver or stone statue occupies a temple, pagoda or wat of one of the idolatrous religions of this world. However, the true God of heaven and earth can sanctify a tabernacle or temple that has been built in obedience to his commands. He can also put his name on such a building that he has thus sanctified or made holy. Such a temple can therefore be spoken of as “the house of God,” not a home in which he dwells literally in person, but a house where his pure worship can be carried on. This was true of the temple that King Solomon completed in Jerusalem in the year 1027 before our Common Era. In answer to King Solomon’s prayer, God said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your request for favor with which you requested favor before me. I have sanctified this house that you have built by putting my name there to time indefinite; and my eyes and my heart will certainly prove to be there always.”—1 Ki. 9:3.

6. What did Solomon pray for God to do regarding the temple that Solomon had built?

6 When King Solomon, the temple builder, was dedicating this magnificent religious building on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, he plainly said that he did not expect the mighty Creator of heaven and earth to occupy this temple in a literal way. In his prayer of dedication King Solomon said: “But will God truly dwell upon the earth? Look! The heavens, yes, the heaven of the heavens, themselves cannot contain you; how much less, then, this house that I have built! And you must turn toward the prayer of your servant and to his request for favor, O Jehovah my God, to listen to the entreating cry and to the prayer with which your servant is praying before you today; that your eyes may prove to be opened toward this house night and day, toward the place of which you said, ‘My name will prove to be there,’ to listen to the prayer with which your servant prays toward this place.”—1 Ki. 8:27-29.

7, 8. (a) How was God’s presence represented in Solomon’s temple? (b) How does this agree with the Ten Commandments and God’s bigness?

7 King Solomon was reasonable. We too must be reasonable, just as the Holy Bible is, in the way that we think about God’s house. The temple that King Solomon built housed no man-made statue to represent God. The presence of Jehovah God at this temple was symbolized by what has been called the Shekinah light, a light that miraculously illuminated the innermost compartment of the temple, the Most Holy. When the high priest went in there each year on the Atonement Day to sprinkle the sacrificial blood of atonement before the sacred ark of the covenant, the high priest was privileged to behold this miraculous light.—Lev. 16:11-17.

8 Aside from that, there was no statue or image in the temple of Jehovah to represent him. In fact, the first and second of his Ten Commandments absolutely forbade the making and idolizing of handmade images or statues. (Ex. 20:1-6) This agrees with the fact that the living and true God wants worship by his creatures direct and he is too big to be housed by any man-made temple.

9. What did God say in warning to Solomon regarding the temple?

9 After the first temple was dedicated in Jerusalem, God said in warning to King Solomon its builder and to his royal successors: “If you yourselves and your sons should definitely turn back from following me and not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have put before you men, and you actually go and serve other gods and bow down to them, I will also cut Israel off from upon the surface of the ground that I have given to them; and the house that I have sanctified to my name I shall throw away from before me, and Israel will indeed become a proverbial saying and a taunt among all the peoples. And this house itself will become heaps of ruins. Everyone passing by it will stare in amazement and will certainly whistle and say, ‘For what reason did Jehovah do like that to this land and this house?’”—1 Ki. 9:6-8.

10, 11. (a) What shows whether this warning of God was an idle threat? (b) Can we lightly brush this historical fact aside, and what does Paul have to say regarding this?

10 The thing here warned of actually happened to the temple built by King Solomon. This was because the kings of Israel, with few exceptions, defiled and profaned Jehovah’s house or temple. In the summer of the year 607 B.C.E. it was laid in ruins by the Babylonian armies under King Nebuchadnezzar. Had Israel treated God’s house with due respect, this would not have taken place. But the Israelites did not respect the house on which God had put his name Jehovah, and so his warning proved to be no mere idle threat. For seventy years, from 607 to 537 B.C.E., it lay in ruins while the deported Israelites were exiles in the distant land of Babylonia. Can we of today lightly brush this historical fact aside as if having no meaning for us now? No; for the analytical commentator on Israelite history, the Christian apostle Paul, warns us:

11 “Now these things became our examples, for us not to be persons desiring injurious things, even as they desired them. Neither become idolaters, as some of them did; . . . Neither let us practice fornication, as some of them committed fornication, . . . Neither let us put Jehovah to the test, as some of them put him to the test, . . . Neither be murmurers, just as some of them murmured, only to perish by the destroyer. Now these things went on befalling them as examples, and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the ends of the systems of things have arrived. Consequently let him that thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall.”—1 Cor. 10:6-12.

NEGLECTING THE REBUILT HOUSE

12. Like what generation of Jews do we not want to be, but why do we want to be like Governor Nehemiah of Judah?

12 Future generations are apt to repeat the mistakes of previous generations, unless they take to heart the lessons taught by past history, especially Bible history. So, like people of the past, they suffer the same or similar bad consequences for the same bad conduct toward God’s house. We of the present generation should desire to be like Nehemiah, a governor of the province of Judah in the fifth century B.C.E. He took vigorous steps to halt the abandoning or neglecting of God’s house among His chosen people. This was not Solomon’s temple, which had been destroyed in the seventh century B.C.E., but was the temple that had been rebuilt in the sixth century B.C.E. after the remnant of worshipful Jews returned from the land of Babylon to Jerusalem. After mighty Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in 539 B.C.E., the land of Judah became a Persian province under Cyrus the Great. In 455 B.C.E. King Artaxerxes of Persia appointed Nehemiah to govern the province of Judah and Jerusalem. Nehemiah did not ignore Jewish history up till then. He did not want the restored Jews of his generation to suffer calamity for mistakes like those of their ancestors. To that end he used the power of his governorship.

13. What happened to God’s temple in 70 C.E., and what shows whether Nehemiah was at fault?

13 It was not Nehemiah’s fault that this rebuilt temple in Jerusalem suffered destruction by the Roman legions under General Titus in the year 70 of our Common Era. The temple of Jehovah that was then destroyed has never been rebuilt, and today we find on its former location a different structure known as the Dome of the Rock, dedicated to the Allah of the Moslems or Mohammedans. An investigation of the causes for this uncovers that it resulted from a misuse or abuse of the rebuilt temple of Jehovah. Truly Nehemiah had been concerned aright and he had not taken matters any too seriously. We do well to examine what measures he took.

14. What building work did Nehemiah first take care of, and on Tishri 24 thereafter how did the Israelite celebrators deport themselves?

14 First, Nehemiah enlisted the efforts of the restored Jews to rebuild the protective walls of Jerusalem, in fifty-two days. Then he turned his attention more to the things of the temple and to the spiritual condition of the people of Judah. (Neh. 6:15 to 7:5; 8:1-9) In the lunar month following the completion of the walls of Jerusalem, namely, on the twenty-fourth day of the month Tishri, the people who had just finished celebrating the festival of booths at Jerusalem gathered together in a more serious mood, “with fasting and with sackcloth and dirt upon themselves.”—Neh. 9:1.

15, 16. (a) On this occasion what was read, and there was a confession of what? (b) The prayer then offered closed with what reference to slavery and to a “trustworthy arrangement”?

15 By that time the writing of all the inspired Hebrew Scriptures (39 books) had been completed, with the exception of the books of Nehemiah and Malachi. However, on this solemn occasion there was a reading from only the “book of the law” (the five books of Moses) for a fourth part of the daylight period (three hours), after which they made confession of the sins of both themselves and their forefathers, and also bowed down in worship before Jehovah their God. Then prayer was offered up for the whole people by some ministerial Levites who stood upon a raised platform. The prayer closed with this statement, as recorded in Nehemiah 9:36-38:

16 “Look! We are today slaves; and as for the land that you gave to our forefathers to eat its fruitage and its good things, look! we are slaves upon it, and its produce is abounding for the kings that you have put over us because of our sins, and over our bodies they are ruling and over our domestic animals, according to their liking, and we are in great distress. So in view of all this we are contracting a trustworthy arrangement, both in writing and attested by the seal of our princes, our Levites and our priests.”

17. Who joined in sealing this written arrangement, and how did the people back up those sealing it?

17 Nehemiah himself was one of the princes or heads of the people to attest by seal to the binding power of this trustworthy arrangement in writing. All the rest of the people, clad as they were in sackcloth and with dirt upon themselves, backed up their princes, their priests and representative Levites, and put themselves under oath and the liability to a curse with regard to this trustworthy arrangement, all being determined to bring themselves into harmony with God’s laws and requirements.—Neh. 10:1-29.

18. What was determined upon with reference to marriage, the sabbaths, financial support of God’s house, and wood for the altar?

18 In this way they acknowledged again that they were obligated to avoid all mixed marriages with the pagan neighbors inside the land and roundabout. They would also insist on observing the weekly sabbath day and the sabbath year every seventh year with its cancellation of all debts owed by their Israelite brothers. And as for the “house of our God,” the sixty-one-year-old rebuilt temple of Jerusalem, they imposed upon themselves a head tax of a third of a shekel (about 20c in silver) each year toward the expenses of the temple, to maintain the services rendered there. Also, much wood needed to be provided for the fire of the altar on which the many sacrifices were offered each day; and the providing of the amounts needed regularly was distributed among the people.

19, 20. (a) What other presentations were to be made according to God’s law in addition to the tithe? (b) All such material support was rendered in payment for what services?

19 Besides that, there were the firstfruits that the law of God commanded to be presented by the Israelites, the firstfruits of their fields and of their orchards, and the firstfruits of their flocks and herds and also of the human womb, their firstborn sons.

20 These offerings were in addition to the tenth part or tithe of their increase each year, to support the priests and the ministerial Levites who regularly served at the “house of our God.” Even the Levites who served at the temple were under law to offer up a tithe or tenth part of what they received, this to go to the priests, so that thus the temple Levites shared in the tithing arrangement and made their proper contribution in support of God’s house. (Num. 18:26-32) At the temple was where the “utensils of the sanctuary” were and also the priests to use such, besides the gatekeepers and the singers. All these needed material support, in payment for their spiritual services.

21. What would a neglect in rendering all those things mean, and why would the Israelites not want to be guilty of such neglect now?

21 A neglect in rendering all these necessary things to support the temple servants and to maintain the temple operations would be a neglecting of the house or temple of Jehovah God. Especially now, in the face of the attested “trustworthy arrangement” in writing and the oath and the liability to a curse from God as now undertaken by the Israelites, they should not again become guilty of such neglect. Nehemiah the governor of Judah included himself under the obligation when he said: “We [not, you] should not neglect the house of our God.”—Neh. 10:30-39.

WORTH REMEMBERING AND OBSERVING

22. What interest did Nehemiah’s revisit to Jerusalem show, but what proneness of fallen flesh did he find on the part of the Jews?

22 What a powerful statement worth remembering and observing is Nehemiah’s statement to Jews who were dedicated as a nation to Jehovah God and who were professing to be his worshipers! How prone the fallen human flesh is to give in to materialism and to overlook the spiritual interests and benefits and thus to fall into a neglecting of God’s house! Governor Nehemiah found that out. After serving as governor for twelve years he returned to the royal palace of the Persian king, namely, “in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king of [conquered] Babylon.” (Neh. 13:6) Then after an absence from Jerusalem, the length of which he does not tell, he returned to Judah and Jerusalem with permission of the Persian king. He himself had not lost interest in God’s house, but sadly he found out that the people in Judah had lost interest.

23. Whom had high priest Eliashib admitted to occupancy in the temple, and what did Nehemiah do about this?

23 Eliashib the high priest had admitted an enemy Ammonite, Tobiah, who had opposed the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, into the temple. He had also become a relative of Tobiah and had assigned to his personal use one of the dining halls in the temple courtyard, where formerly supplies for the support of the temple servants used to be stored. This was contrary to God’s command in Deuteronomy 23:3-6. What seemed all right to the temple high priest was tolerated by the people. But not by Nehemiah! He tells us: “It seemed very bad to me. So I threw all the furniture of Tobiah’s house outside the dining hall. After that I said the word and they cleansed the dining halls; and I proceeded to put back there the utensils of the house of the true God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.”—Neh. 13:4-9.

24. What had high priest Eliashib failed to do in behalf of the temple Levites, and with what results?

24 Not only had high priest Eliashib admitted to the temple dining hall an undesirable enemy Ammonite, but he took no steps to keep the legitimate Levites at their God-given posts of duty at the temple. He let the contributions of the tenth parts or tithes of the Israelites drop off, so that the ministerial Levites did not receive the necessary material support. Many of these felt obliged to leave the temple work and go home to their Levite cities and work their garden lands roundabout for food supplies for themselves and their families. So what did Nehemiah do?

25. What did Nehemiah report doing about this?

25 He reports: “I got to find out that the very portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers doing the work went running off, each one to his own field. And I began to find fault with the deputy rulers and say: ‘Why has the house of the true God been neglected?’ Consequently I collected them together and stationed them at their standing place.” He did not wait any longer for action by the deputy rulers but arranged that all the inhabitants of Judah bring in the tenth parts to the temple storehouses.—Neh. 13:10-12; Num. 35:1-8.

26. In this connection what appointments to service did Nehemiah make in behalf of the temple servants?

26 Besides this, Nehemiah did not wait upon the delinquent high priest Eliashib, but, as he says: “I put Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the copyist and Pedaiah of the Levites in charge of the stores; and under their control there was Hanan the son of Zaccur the son of Mattaniah, for they were considered faithful; and upon them it devolved to do the distributing to their brothers.” (Neh. 13:13) So now the ministerial Levites had no reason to run home!

27, 28. (a) On the basis of what deeds did Nehemiah pray to be remembered for good? (b) Why did he take action against a grandson of the high priest, and how?

27 Afterward, when Nehemiah prayed to Jehovah God to remember him for good, to what did Nehemiah refer as a basis for such a plea? Did he mention that he had left his position as cupbearer of the king of Persia and had made the long journey to Jerusalem and had rebuilt its wall in fifty-two days despite enemy threats? No! But he spoke of what he had done in behalf of the house of God. He prayed: “Do remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my acts of loving-kindness that I have performed in connection with the house of my God and the guardianship of it.” He insisted on clean servants ministering at God’s house; but not so the high priest Eliashib, for he had let a grandson of his enter a mixed marriage and marry the daughter of the Samaritan enemy, Sanballat the Horonite. As regards this, Nehemiah says:

28 “And one of the sons of Joiada the son of Eliashib the high priest was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. So I chased him away from me.”—Neh. 13:14, 28.

29. According to his concluding words, what did Nehemiah do with regard to the defilement of the priesthood and the covenant of the temple servants?

29 The report of this action for the benefit of God’s house Nehemiah follows up by saying at the close of the book that bears his name: “Do remember them, O my God, on account of the defilement of the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites. And I purified them from everything foreign and proceeded to assign duties to the priests and to the Levites, each one in his own work, even for the supply of the wood at appointed times and for the first ripe fruits. Do remember me, O my God, for good.”—Neh. 13:29-31.

REMEMBERED FOR NOT NEGLECTING

30, 31. (a) Will God answer Nehemiah’s prayer, and what rule as given in Hebrews 6:10 applies in this respect? (b) What appropriate words did the prophet Malachi write regarding fearers of Jehovah?

30 Will Jehovah God answer that prayer of Nehemiah’s of twenty-four centuries ago? Yes; for Nehemiah’s everlasting good. Jehovah God is not unrighteous so that he has forgot and will leave unrewarded all the good that Governor Nehemiah did for the house of God in Jerusalem. He has kept Nehemiah’s prayer for remembrance on permanent record by having it made a part of the inspired Holy Scriptures. To the Hebrew followers of Jesus Christ, who has done even greater service in behalf of the true “house of our God,” it is written: “God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name, in that you have ministered to the holy ones and continue ministering.” (Heb. 6:10) So too with Nehemiah. He truly feared Jehovah God; and in the writings of Malachi, who was evidently a contemporary of Nehemiah in the rebuilt city of Jerusalem, we find these appropriate words included:

31 “At that time those in fear of Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name.”—Mal. 3:16.

32. (a) How will Nehemiah be rewarded, and what will he then learn? (b) Of what will he be an outstanding example?

32 Nehemiah yet sleeps in death in Sheol or Haʹdes, the common grave of dead mankind. But during the thousand-year reign of “Messiah the Leader,” Nehemiah will be rewarded with a resurrection from the dead. (Dan. 9:24-27) He will then find no longer a material temple of Jehovah God standing on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. He will learn what happened to the last one of the Jewish temples there in the year 70 of our Common Era, as foretold by Jesus Christ the Son of God. (Matt. 23:37 to 24:2; Luke 19:36-44; 21:5, 6) He will learn about the spiritual temple of God, the one that was prefigured by that material temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. He will learn how the spiritual temple was kept from being neglected by the followers of the great High Priest of this temple. Nehemiah himself will join other faithful ones on earth in worshiping Jehovah God through this exalted spiritual temple. He will be an outstanding example of how persons who do not neglect God’s house are fully rewarded without fail.

[Footnotes]

The symbol 3C-9 refers to radio source No. 9 in the third Cambridge University Catalogue of Radio Sources.

[Picture on page 745]

Bringing material support for the temple servants

“We Should Not Neglect the House of Our God”

1. What was the attitude of Jesus Christ toward the temple in Jerusalem, and how was this shown?

JUST as foretold by the prophet Daniel (9:24-27), “Messiah the Leader” appeared in the year 29 of our Common Era, for then Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth, was baptized in the Jordan River and was then anointed with God’s holy spirit. (Matt. 3:13-17) As the Messiah or Christ he foretold the destruction of Jerusalem’s temple that occurred in the year 70 C.E. He did not try to preserve that typical “house of our God,” which was made up of “fine stones” and other costly materials. (Luke 21:5, 6) Yet, as long as God permitted this temple to stand in Jerusalem, Jesus Christ respected it and worshiped at it. On two occasions he cleansed it of commercialism.—John 2:13-22; Matt. 21:10-14.

2. However, in what building was Jesus more interested?

2 However, Jesus Christ was more interested in the real, everlasting temple of his heavenly Father, Jehovah God. So, before he made his final trip to Jerusalem to foretell the destruction of that city and its temple, he said, in the hearing of his twelve apostles: “On this rock-mass I will build my congregation, and the gates of Haʹdes will not overpower it.”—Matt. 16:18.

3, 4. (a) In Matthew 16:18 Jesus was speaking of his congregation as what? (b) When writing to the Christians in Ephesus, to what did Paul liken the congregation, and how?

3 By speaking of building his congregation (or church) and building it on a rock, this former carpenter was likening his congregation to a temple. He was speaking of it as a living “house of God.” When Jesus first cleansed the temple in the spring of 30 C.E., he used the term “temple” to refer to something different from that material temple in Jerusalem. (John 2:13-22) So now, in Matthew 16:18, he likens his congregation of faithful followers to a temple built upon himself as the Foundation Stone. In harmony with this fact the Christian apostle Paul, when writing to the congregation in Ephesus, Asia Minor, where the world-famous temple of the goddess Artemis (Diana) was still standing, spoke of the entire Christian congregation as a living temple. Paul said:

4 “Through him [Jesus Christ] we, both peoples [Jews and Gentiles], have the approach to the Father by one spirit. Certainly, therefore, you are no longer strangers and alien residents, but you are fellow citizens of the holy ones and are members of the household of God, and you have been built up upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone. In union with him the whole building, being harmoniously joined together, is growing into a holy temple for Jehovah. In union with him you, too, are being built up together into a place for God to inhabit by spirit.”—Eph. 2:18-22.

5. What is the true “house of our God” according to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17?

5 Again pointing out that the true “house of our God” is now a temple made up of living persons, the apostle Paul wrote to the Christian congregation in ancient Corinth, Greece: “Do you not know that you people are God’s temple, and that the spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you people are.”—1 Cor. 3:16, 17.

6. The members of the symbolic temple are comparable with what, and how does Peter make this comparison?

6 The members of this symbolic temple are therefore comparable with the stones of a material temple. That is why the Christian apostle Peter calls them “living stones,” when he writes to the Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, saying: “Coming to him [Jesus Christ] as to a living stone, rejected, it is true, by men, but chosen, precious, with God, you yourselves also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house for the purpose of a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it is contained in Scripture: ‘Look! I am laying in Zion a stone, chosen, a foundation cornerstone, precious; and no one exercising faith in it will by any means come to disappointment.’”—1 Pet. 2:4-6; Eph. 2:20.

7. How does God dwell in his living temple?

7 Making very clear that God’s dwelling in his living temple is by means of his spirit, and not by any carved statue or idol image, the apostle Paul again writes to the Christian congregation in idolatrous Corinth: “What agreement does God’s temple have with idols? For we are a temple of a living God; just as God said: ‘I shall reside among them and walk among them, and I shall be their God, and they will be my people.’”—2 Cor. 6:16.

8. Those words of Paul and Peter indicate what regarding the temple then standing in Jerusalem?

8 All those things were written by the apostles Paul and Peter not later than five years before the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman legions in the year 70 C.E. It is thus very plain that by that time Jehovah God had rejected the material temple in Jerusalem, where his Son Jesus Christ had been condemned to death; just as Jesus had said, on Nisan 11, three days before the religious leaders had him put to death: “You people did not want it. Look! Your house is abandoned to you.”—Matt. 23:37, 38.

9. When was Jesus Christ laid as the “foundation cornerstone” in Zion, and when was building on him begun?

9 On the third day after Jesus’ death, Almighty God raised him from the dead and had him return to heaven, to the heavenly Mount Zion. There God laid Jesus Christ as the symbolic “foundation cornerstone,” on which a new, living temple was to be built. (1 Pet. 2:6; Isa. 28:16; Matt. 16:18) Since this living temple is a “spiritual house” in which God resides by his holy spirit, it began to be built on the day of Pentecost, 33 C.E., when God’s holy spirit was poured out upon the believing Jews who exercised faith in the heavenly “foundation cornerstone.”—Acts 2:1-42.

NEGLECT POSSIBLE, AND HOW

10, 11. (a) Why is liability to neglect of God’s true house still with us? (b) With what words did Paul warn Timothy against such a thing?

10 As the true “house of our God” is a living temple made up of the faithful congregation of Christ’s followers, it is easy for us to see how this symbolic house could be neglected by those who are “living stones” in it. And let us remember that “living stones” of that kind are being selected and prepared for this spiritual temple down till this day, so that the liability of such a neglect is still with us. The apostle Paul warned the Christian overseer Timothy against just such a thing, saying:

11 “I am writing you these things, . . . that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in God’s household, which is the congregation of the living God, a pillar and support of the truth. Indeed, the sacred secret of this godly devotion is admittedly great: ‘He was made manifest in flesh, was declared righteous in spirit, appeared to angels, was preached about among nations, was believed upon in the world, was received up in glory.’ However, the inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons.”—1 Tim. 3:14 to 4:1.

12, 13. (a) What would Timothy, therefore, be alert not to do? (b) What would Timothy do, as told in 1 Timothy 4:14-16; 6:2, 20, 21?

12 Certainly, after he received Paul’s first letter, supplemented by Paul’s second letter to him, the first-century Christian overseer Timothy understood more fully, as Paul wrote, “how you ought to conduct yourself in God’s household.” He would be alert not to neglect any of his responsibilities toward God’s house or congregation. He would do just as the apostolic member of God’s house had told him to do, saying, in 1 Timothy 4:14-16; 6:2, 20, 21:

13 “Do not be neglecting the gift in you that was given you through a prediction and when the body of older men laid their hands upon you. Ponder over these things; be absorbed in them, that your advancement may be manifest to all persons. Pay constant attention to yourself and to your teaching. Stay by these things, for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.” “Keep on teaching these things and giving these exhortations. . . . O Timothy, guard what is laid up in trust with you, turning away from the empty speeches that violate what is holy and from the contradictions of the falsely called ‘knowledge.’ For making a show of such knowledge some have deviated from the faith.”

A NEGLECT WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES

14. (a) What would Timothy regularly attend, and why would he not do otherwise? (b) For persons in what age brackets is such attendance?

14 Being an overseer of the congregation, Timothy would attend the meetings of the congregation regularly, either to direct what was going on there or to perform his part in the meeting, just as Paul told him, writing: “Continue applying yourself to public reading, to exhortation, to teaching.” (1 Tim. 4:13) He would not miss meetings. His missing would be cutting himself off from “God’s household, which is the congregation of the living God, a pillar and support of the truth.” By missing meetings he could not discharge his responsibilities. Attending meetings is not a thing for just old folks who are approaching death, but is a thing for young folks, for persons in the prime of life as well as for those nearing the end of life’s present span. Timothy was young. That was why Paul told him: “Let no man ever look down on your youth. . . . Do not severely criticize an older man. To the contrary, entreat him as a father, younger men as brothers.”—1 Tim. 4:12; 5:1.

15, 16. (a) By willfully failing to attend, what is a member virtually doing, and in what direction does this lead? (b) How is this indicated in Hebrews 10:23-31?

15 Not attending the meetings of the congregation is one of the most obvious ways of forsaking and neglecting the “house of our God.” If a member of God’s dedicated, baptized household willfully fails to attend, he is virtually disfellowshiping the congregation from himself. Disfellowshiping means the casting of a member out of God’s household; and if one should remain in this disfellowshiped condition till he died, it would mean his everlasting destruction as a person who is rejected by God. Staying away from meetings leads in that very direction. So Hebrews 10:23-31 says:

16 “Let us hold fast the public declaration of our hope without wavering, for he is faithful that promised. And let us consider one another [not avoid one another] to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near. For if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment and there is a fiery jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition. . . . For we know him that said: ‘Vengeance is mine; I will recompense’; and again: ‘Jehovah will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”—See Deuteronomy 32:35, 36.

17. In Christendom, what is quite a barrier to attending meetings regularly, but how about God’s true house?

17 To attend meetings in the churches of Christendom costs money, either because of having the collection plate, bag or bucket passed before an attender one or more times during a religious meeting, or because of having to pay for admission into the religious building. Many persons find themselves too poor materially to make these forced contributions. But with the true household of God there is no such financial barrier to bar them from coming to congregation meetings regularly. At all meetings of Jehovah’s Christian witnesses the rule is applied: “Seats free, no collection.” One needs only to make the effort to attend meetings.

18. How can necessary expenses of a congregation be met, and how do Jehovah’s Christian witnesses take care of this?

18 Of course, where meetings are not held in private homes as in Bible times in our first century, there are expenses that a congregation will have to bear in order to meet together regularly in a meeting hall. (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2) In that case free-will contributions can be made by members of the congregation as they are able to contribute. From this purpose a contribution box can be placed at a convenient spot for persons to drop in money contributions without showy display. We do not care to be like the religious hypocrites of our first century who did charitable works or alms-giving “in order to be observed by [men]; . . . that they may be glorified by men.” (Matt. 6:1-4) So, today, in the meeting places of Jehovah’s Christian witnesses there are contribution boxes in which to drop contributions as one chooses.

19. Is the money contribution the main thing here, or what is?

19 The money contribution is not the main thing, although a congregation as a whole would not want to neglect the “house of our God” by failing to provide a general meeting place even at such financial expense as the congregation can afford. The main thing is to get to the meetings, and that with regularity.

20. At meetings, in what ways can we make contributions other than in a financial way?

20 At such meetings, by being present, one can always make contributions in other ways than in a financial way. One can join one’s voice in with the congregation in singing songs of praise to God. If a general Bible study is being held, one can take part by offering a Biblical comment in answer to the questions asked; and to this end one can go over the study material beforehand. One can encourage the public speaker of the occasion by being present and showing good attention, interest and appreciation. Also, before and after meetings one can mix in with the congregation members and encourage, exhort and upbuild those whom one meets. This is a way in which one can “hold fast the public declaration of our hope without wavering” and also “consider one another to incite to love and fine works.”—Heb. 10:23-25.

SELF-PREPARATION AND PRAYER

21. (a) By self-preparation in advance, what does an attender reveal? (b) One can thus help to keep the congregation in what condition?

21 By self-preparation in advance of such meetings, one can make it very evident that one does not desire to neglect the “house of our God.” One thus reveals that one goes to meetings, not just as a matter of routine, indifferently, but with a purpose, the purpose of being spiritually built up oneself and of building up the other members of God’s household. One can thus aid in keeping the congregation strong in faith, hope and courage, yes, aid in growing stronger in these vital things. One can watch to keep the purity of the congregation, not alone the purity of the faith as it was “once for all time delivered to the holy ones,” but also the purity of the personal life in a moral sense. This calls for a person to put up a hard fight in a spiritual way, making full use of the “complete suit of armor from God” and “fighting side by side for the faith of the good news.” (Jude 3; Eph. 6:11-17; Phil. 1:27) This helps to keep God’s house in good repair spiritually.

22. In what other way would one not neglect the “house of our God,” as requested by Paul in Ephesians 6:18, 19?

22 Besides this, a faithful member of God’s household would not neglect God’s spiritual house by neglecting to pray for it, praying for it regularly at home and praying with the congregation when he is at meetings. Paul was part of the apostolic foundation of the “holy temple for Jehovah,” and yet in his letter to the congregation in Ephesus he asked them to make supplication not only “in behalf of all the holy ones” but “also for me, that ability to speak may be given me with the opening of my mouth, with all freeness of speech to make known the sacred secret of the good news.” (Eph. 2:20-22; 6:18, 19) By sincere prayer one shows that one is really concerned about the welfare and prosperity of God’s house.

23. Why is prayer really powerful, and how can we be like Daniel in prayer?

23 Prayer is really powerful, as it is heard and answered by God when in accord with his will and purpose. “A righteous man’s supplication, when it is at work, has much force.” (Jas. 5:16) The prophet Daniel prayed for God’s temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem; but we today can pray for God’s house of “living stones” to be kept in good spiritual condition and be preserved.—Dan. 9:1-19.

24. According to Psalm 122:1, 2, 8, 9, in what way was King David a good example for us?

24 David, who as king of Jerusalem desired to build a glorious temple to Jehovah God, said in grateful song: “I rejoiced when they were saying to me: ‘To the house of Jehovah let us go.’ Our feet proved to be standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. For the sake of my brothers and my companions I will now speak: ‘May there be peace within you.’ For the sake of the house of Jehovah our God I will keep seeking good for you.” (Ps. 122:1, 2, 8, 9) King David was a good example for us in appreciating God’s house and in rejoicing at the invitation to go with others to God’s house.

A HOUSE OF ACTIVITY

25. In what other way do we not want to neglect God’s house, as is indicated for us in 1 Peter 2:5, 9?

25 However, let us not forget that God’s true house is a living one. It is therefore an organization of activity. Divine worship is carried on by and through God’s spiritual house not just by our going to meetings of the congregation. The apostle Peter makes it very clear that the purpose of God’s “spiritual house” is the offering up of “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”; and that the “holy nation,” the “people for special possession,” should “‘declare abroad the excellencies’ of the One that called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Pet. 2:5, 9) All this calls for activity; and if we do not want to neglect God’s house, we will not fail to share in its activity.

26, 27. (a) What kind of sacrifices are these “spiritual sacrifices” as offered by worshipers at God’s house? (b) Why must such sacrificial expressions be done also outside the congregation, in harmony with Paul’s reasoning in Romans 10:13-15?

26 These “spiritual sacrifices” at God’s house by his worshipers are not animal victims. Hebrews 13:15, 16 says: “Through him [Jesus Christ] let us always offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which make public declaration to his name. Moreover, do not forget the doing of good and the sharing of things with others, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Public declaration to God’s name must be given and the doing of good must be done outside the congregation as well as within it. God’s name and his excellencies must be declared throughout all the earth, among all nations, that people of all the nations may call upon His name and be saved. This is only reasonable, for the apostle Paul quotes Joel 2:32 and bases questions on it, saying:

27 “‘Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.’ However, how will they call on him in whom they have not put faith? How, in turn, will they put faith in him of whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach? How, in turn, will they preach unless they have been sent forth?”—Rom. 10:13-15.

28. How do members of the household show they take seriously their being sent forth to preach?

28 The members of God’s household take seriously their being sent forth to preach, to make known God’s name and his Messianic kingdom for the blessing of all mankind. Little wonder, then, that they zealously take part in the activities of God’s house. Loyally and unselfishly they support all the appointed members of God’s house who take the lead in all these activities. They are like the first-century Philippian congregation in its generous support of the missionary activities of the apostle Paul. (Phil. 4:14-16) They are very careful not to neglect the “house of our God” in this important respect by neglecting to share in its activities.

29, 30. What has resulted from the expanding activities of the “holy priesthood,” as foretold in Revelation chapter seven?

29 As a result of the expanding activities of the “holy priesthood” at God’s house since the close of World War I in 1918, a great crowd of people, the final number of which is not now known, have flocked to God’s spiritual house from all parts of the earth. Revelation 7:9-15 prophetically describes them, saying:

30 “Look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. And they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying: ‘Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ . . . ‘These are the ones that come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are before the throne of God; and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple; and the one seated on the throne will spread his tent over them.’”

31. (a) During what period has this “great crowd’ come out? (b) How do they acknowledge Jehovah God, and what standards of life do they no longer accept?

31 Do you, our reader, see yourself in that “great crowd”? If so, then you know that the “great tribulation” mentioned above began with the “beginning of pangs of distress” during the years 1914-1918, as foretold by Jesus Christ, the “Lamb” who shed his blood in sacrifice to God for cleansing away the “sin of the world.” (Matt. 24:8; John 1:29) The end of the “pangs of distress” upon the nations has not yet come, for that end means the total annihilation of this system of things. But this “great crowd” has not waited for the end of the “great tribulation” to come before they think of taking up the service of God. They have come out since the “beginning of pangs of distress,” seeking salvation from the enthroned God of heaven and earth and through the once-sacrificed “Lamb,” Jesus Christ. They acknowledge Jehovah God as the rightful Ruler of heavenly angels and earthly men. They do not accept any longer the moral and religious standards of this worldly system of things. Instead, as pictured in Revelation 7:9-15, they confess that they are sinners, and they seek to get rid of their dirty appearance.

32. How do they wash their robes white in the “Lamb’s” blood?

32 So they wash their robes in the shed blood of the “Lamb,” to take away the unsightly stain of sin. This they do by accepting Jesus Christ as God’s High Priest and exercising faith in the sacrifice for sins that this High Priest offered, and then by making a full dedication of themselves to God, as no longer belonging to themselves or to the world or to Satan the Devil, but as belonging to Jehovah God by reason of his purchase of them.

33. Why do they flock to God’s spiritual house, and what is their attitude toward service at night?

33 No wonder that they now have an accepted standing before God, whom they joyfully hail as with palm branches. No wonder that they flock to God’s spiritual house, of which Jesus Christ is the “foundation cornerstone,” in order that there they may render sacred service to Jehovah God day and night. They say to the “spiritual priesthood” at God’s house: “O bless Jehovah, all you servants of Jehovah, you who are standing in the house of Jehovah during the nights. Raise your hands in holiness and bless Jehovah.” And the spiritual priesthood respond to them and say: “May Jehovah bless you out of Zion, he the Maker of heaven and earth.”—Ps. 134:1-3.

34. What do they keep vigilant to do at God’s temple, and at what time of the twenty-four-hour day?

34 So the “great crowd” that keeps flocking to God’s house does more than just go to meetings at His temple. They also take an active part in service that is sacred to God. By night as well as by day they cooperate with the remaining number of “living stones” of God’s spiritual temple who are still on this earth. They do not want to be like the Jews in the days of Governor Nehemiah who neglected the “house of our God” by failing to make contributions to God’s worship and thus obliging Levite temple servants to leave the temple and go back home in order to work their gardens for something to live on. (Neh. 13:10, 11) So, realizing that they are everlastingly indebted to God for salvation through his “Lamb” Jesus, they keep vigilant to serve God at his temple night and day.

35. (a) How do we see that the prophetic picture of Revelation 7:9-15 was not recorded in vain? (b) What resolve do the “great crowd” and remnant of the spiritual priesthood carry out, with what result?

35 Not in vain was the prophetic picture recorded in Revelation 7:9-15. The reality of this prophetic picture is before us today. It sets the pattern for the present “great crowd” of earthly saved ones to follow today. They do follow it now before the end of the “pangs of distress” of the “great tribulation” brings destruction to all false religions and their man-made temples. Together the “great crowd” and the remnant of the spiritual priesthood render sacred service to the one living and true God at his spiritual temple. Day and night they carry out their unchangeable resolve that “we should not neglect the house of our God.” The happy result is that the worship of Jehovah God remains vigorous and keeps on surviving, with increasing praise to Him who is the source of everlasting life and blessing to all obedient men.

“Why Do Present-Day Youths Not Go to Church?”

✔ Exploring this question, the Athens, Greece, daily morning newspaper To Vima of January 13, 1965, said: “We found out at the end of a search made among the students of four colleges in Athens.” The replies from more than 200 students are no doubt typical of young persons in many countries. The newspaper classified the replies into four categories. One group (15 percent) said that they did not go to church for personal reasons, such as “I am too young yet to seek to save my life” and “I don’t agree to worship God in temples with luxurious chandeliers and carpets, which are commercial houses for me.” Another group (20 percent) said they did not go to church because of the bad example set by adults. For instance: “I was attending church mass just because it was imposed on me as an indispensable requisite for letting me go to movies in the evening.”

A larger number (30 percent) gave as their reason for not going to church answers that were classified under “prevailing conditions of living”: “My friends are modern-minded and will mock at me if they see me go to church. I can no longer listen to preachings from people not practicing themselves what they say. The church has become a place of worldly movement. We read and see many things which have shaken our faith.”

The largest number (35 percent) gave replies classified as “ecclesiastical reasons,” such as, “I do not understand the language of the church; I lose my time listening to unintelligible things.” “I dislike preaching; it is done in a way as though insulting us.” “I acquire much more instruction through the movies.” “On getting out of the church I feel a larger gap within me. I resent many clergymen’s scandalous living.”

In its conclusion, the newspaper said of the survey: “This is the answer to the question. It is a miniature of a big matter. No comments are necessary.”

Seven Years in Red China’s Prisons—Yet Firm in Faith!

SEVEN years is a long time to spend in solitary confinement. Is there anything in life that you believe in deeply enough that you would be willing to face such an ordeal for it, when, by compromise, you might be set free? Surely a man who would be willing to face years in prison rather than to renounce his religion is one who is strong in faith. But what could he do to occupy his mind and to keep firm in faith during those long and lonely years of confinement in his concrete cell?

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The Watchtower, December 15, 1965