The Watchtower, April 1, 1967

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The Watchtower — April 1, 1967

Source: jw.org

Contents

When Others Are Dishonest, What About You?

How We Know We Live in the “Last Days”

Have You Forgotten Your Decision to Serve God?

“Keeping Awake”

The Pattern of Judgment

God’s Judgment Makes Manifest the Truly Rich

A Harlot Executed by Her Lovers

By Teaching, Make Disciples of Christ

Announcements

When Others Are Dishonest, What About You?

“NOBODY is honest,” was the harsh judgment of Lincoln M. Zonn, New York lie-detector specialist. “Diogenes never found an honest man and neither have I,” he said. Do you agree with Zonn? The distressing fact is that there is more and more evidence to support the conclusion that people in general are becoming increasingly dishonest. What about you?

Norman Bell, Toronto (Canada) manager of Pinkerton’s national detective agency, said: “In our investigations we’ve found, as an average, that one out of every three employees is basically dishonest—which means he will seek ways of stealing; that one out of every three employees will be dishonest if given the opportunity and the third employee is the only one who deserves the full trust of his employer.” What about you? Where do you fit among these statistics? Are you basically honest?

It has been found that dishonesty is quite contagious. The immoralities of a single individual can weaken the inner restraints of many, through the deadly rationalization that “everybody is doing it.” Here the Bible principle holds true: “A little leaven ferments the whole lump.” (1 Cor. 5:6) For example, in companies where higher-ups were discovered stealing, researchers found that other employees copied their nefarious behavior right down the line. Private investigator John Jurens stated that in companies where he found company presidents stealing, “everybody was stealing.” Would you permit this to influence your morality? If the president and other officials where you work were dishonest, would you remain honest notwithstanding?

Dishonesty becomes an overwhelming temptation to many persons when others seem to be getting away with it. (Eccl. 8:11) A Chicago electronics firm hired two watchmen on nights and weekends to protect a warehouse, which was stocked with radios and recorders. The two guards turned the place into a Sunday-afternoon bargain center. Customers, with the proper password, flocked to the warehouse and were given free run of the place to select the models of their choice at a flat rate of one for $25 or two for $35. The firm lost $300,000 in nine months before the watchmen were apprehended. The guards were corrupt themselves and they corrupted others. Still some “customers” did not regard what they were doing as dishonest. What about you? Do you think it is right to purchase stolen property?

In Toronto a hotel owner recently discovered that fourteen of his employees had banded together and stolen money, food, liquor, linen, typewriters, furniture and other hotel property, with a total value of $36,000. One person said: “It became a habit.” A supermarket operator in America discovered that “90 percent of his employees were taking home $1 or $2 a week either in cash or merchandise.” “Everybody was doing it, so why not me?” was the reaction of some employees.

People justified their actions by saying to themselves, “The company owes it to me, because they didn’t give me a raise.” Or they would neutralize their dishonesty by saying, “Everybody does it.” They also played down their guilt as embezzlers with attitudes like, “It’s the right of every good employee to take home so many power tools a year.” The impersonality of bigness also loomed as a contributing factor to dishonesty. Some distinguished between a supermarket and a neighborhood delicatessen. Said one undergraduate: “A lot of people steal from supermarkets, but nobody steals from the deli [delicatessen] because you know the guy depends on you not to.” Because of the impersonality of the supermarket, the dishonest person may reason, “After all, I’m not hurting anybody in particular.” Do you feel that way?

Little do dishonest persons realize that they are hurting a lot of people with their dishonesty and, chief of all, themselves. American business is hurt to a total of $5,000,000,000 a year from kickbacks, payoffs and bribes. White-collar employees steal about $4,000,000 every working day. Some 250 firms yearly in America are forced out of business due to fraud and theft alone. Who says dishonesty does not hurt anyone? Supermarkets suffer an estimated annual loss of $100,000,000 due to employee malpractices. This loss cancels every penny of profit that would result from $5,000,000,000 worth of sales. Food industry sources estimate that dollars lost annually either through theft or opened packages no longer salable range from $330,000,000 to $3,000,000,000. Shoppers pay for dishonesty in higher costs. And higher prices hurt!

What about the damage done to one’s own moral fiber? A measure of self-worth, self-respect, is lost every time one is dishonest. There is a loss of goodness and appreciation of what belongs to others. The conscience becomes seared and its real value is lost.

There is also a loss of confidence and trust once others find you dishonest, and not to have the confidence of others hurts. Dishonesty can cut deep into the family relationship and damage it beyond repair. Are you willing to pay that price for dishonesty?

There is also the effect dishonesty may have on the morals of others. One’s stealing from the supermarket may mean a steak on the table, but it also may mean destroying the morals of one’s children, causing them to cheat in school and steal from others, which is a terrible price to pay for a steak.

Think, too, what dishonesty can do to one’s relationship with God. It can wreck it permanently, causing one to lose out on life everlasting. Do you think dishonesty is worth that price?

Where dishonesty and wrongdoing load a person with invisible chains of guilt, the consciousness of right-doing exhilarates and strengthens one. It fills one with self-respect, with moral strength to do the right thing. So when others are dishonest, if you are wise, you will do the right and honest thing.

How We Know We Live in the “Last Days”

An entire system of things is to pass away. How can we be certain it is in our day?

THE “last” of anything means the final part, the finish, the end. For example, the last day of the week means the final twenty-four hours that bring the week to a conclusion.

When the Bible speaks of the “last days,” it has reference, not just to days of a week, but to something far greater. When 2 Timothy 3:1 states that “in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here,” it refers to a period of time marked by catastrophic events world wide. It means that all elements of this system of things, the political, the military, the economic, the social and the religious, would be nearing their cataclysmic finish.

As the last day of a week has a definite beginning and a definite end, so the “last days” of this entire system of things have a definite beginning and a definite end. During that limited span of time world events are to build rapidly toward a climax. That climax will come when God himself brings to an end this wicked system and replaces it with one that is good. The Bible promises: “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.”—2 Pet. 3:8-13.

HOW WOULD WE KNOW?

But how can we know when the world has reached its “last days”? Apart from Bible chronology, is there any way to determine for a certainty which period of time will see the end of this present system of things?

In the first century the disciples of Jesus wanted to know that too, so they pointedly asked him what would be the sign “of the conclusion of the system of things.” (Matt. 24:3) In answer, Jesus enumerated many of the momentous events that would take place. These events would come together within one generation to identify the “last days” clearly. They would be like the different lines that make up a person’s fingerprint, a print that cannot belong to any other person. The “last days” contain their own unique grouping of marks, or events, forming a positive “fingerprint” that cannot belong to any other time period.

When the many factors are put together, we find that our generation, our day is the one that is identified in the Bible as the “last days.” In fact, in this year 1967 we are actually living in the final part of that time! This can be compared to, not just the last day of a week, but, rather, the last part of that last day.

1914 BEGINS THE “LAST DAYS”

Before describing the “last days,” Jesus cautioned: “You are going to hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not terrified. For these things must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matt. 24:6) True to his words, there were many disturbances among nations during the centuries that followed, and the simple fact is that the “last days” did not come during that time.

Then Jesus related some of the events that would mark the “last days.” He stated: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Following this “there will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another pestilences and food shortages.” (Luke 21:10, 11) What was Jesus telling his future followers? To look for a disastrous war the dimensions of which were unheard of in history, one that would be accompanied quickly by other disasters, such as disease, food shortages and earthquakes.

Which war was Jesus speaking about? World War I! It was the first war to fill the description he gave, for it included, not just nations, but entire kingdoms, indeed, the entire world. Speaking of World War I, Life magazine stated: “It killed more men than any previous war, and it was the first war to suck in whole nations, including civilians.”1

No previous war in history compared with it. It was so different that historians of that time called it The Great War. Of it, an encyclopedia states: “World War I took the lives of twice as many men as all major wars from 1790 to 1913 put together.” It noted that total military casualties were over 37,000,000, and added: “The number of civilian deaths in areas of actual war totaled about 5,000,000. Starvation, disease, and exposure accounted for about 80 of every 100 of these civilian deaths. Spanish influenza, which some persons blamed on the war, caused tens of millions of other deaths.”2 World War! Pestilences! Food shortages! Just as Jesus foretold!

Yes, 1914 marked the “beginning of pangs of distress,” as Jesus declared. (Matt. 24:8) It was the dividing line, the start of the “last days,” as can be noted from the statements of many authorities. On the anniversary of World War I the London Evening Star commented that the conflict “tore the whole world’s political setup apart. Nothing could ever be the same again. If we all get the nuclear madness out of our systems and the human race survives, some historian in the next century may well conclude that the day the world went mad was August 4, 1914.”3

Former chancellor of West Germany Konrad Adenauer spoke of the time “before 1914 when there was real peace, quiet and security on this earth—a time when we didn’t know fear. . . . Security and quiet have disappeared from the lives of men since 1914. And peace? Since 1914, the Germans have not known real peace nor has much of mankind.”4 Similarly, former president of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower said: “A deterioration has been going on since the first World War.”5

Also, as Jesus foretold, after 1914 a series of earthquakes rocked the globe, causing more damage and casualties than ever before. In 1915, at Avezzano, Italy, 30,000 were killed. In 1920, 180,000 died in Kansu, China. In 1923, 143,000 perished in Japan. And earthquakes have continued to occur with frightening intensity, taking a toll of lives greater than in any other period of human history. Now almost every year sees a major tragedy due to earthquakes. Just since 1960 there have been devastating earthquakes in Morocco, Chile, Iran, Yugoslavia, Alaska, Turkey and other areas. Clearly it makes up another mark of the “fingerprint” of these “last days.”

MORE TO COME

However, the events that took place in connection with World War I were, as Jesus said, only the “beginning” of the “last days.” Much more was to come. And it did.

Note what one history source says: “World War I and its aftermath led to the greatest economic depression an history during the early 1930’s. The consequences of the war and the problems of adjustment to peace led to unrest in almost every nation.” All of this led directly to World War II. How costly was it? “World War II killed more persons, cost more money, damaged more property, affected more people, and probably caused more far-reaching changes than any other war in history. . . . It has been estimated that the number of war dead, civilian and military, totaled more than 22,000,000. The number of wounded has been estimated as more than 34,000,000.”6

That is a total of 56,000,000 casualties, almost 20,000,000 more than in World War I! Truly, the “pangs of distress” were becoming more acute as the “last days” moved toward their end.

This is also true of other catastrophes, such as food shortages. During and after World War II “more died of starvation” than in World War I, says the same source. It adds: “The war left millions in Europe and Asia without adequate food, shelter, or clothing. They lacked fuel, machinery, raw materials, and money. Their farms lay devastated. Infant mortality and disease were high.”7

Nor have such conditions eased. In India today, says U.S. News & World Report of December 27, 1965, “a natural calamity almost unprecedented in modern times is facing this nation. Widespread famine, of a kind not seen in the world in this generation, is expected as the inevitable consequence unless outside aid can come.”

VIOLENCE, IMMORALITY, DEGENERACY

Jesus also said there would be an “increasing of lawlessness.” (Matt. 24:12) The apostle Paul foretold juvenile delinquency, violence, corruption and selfishness gone to seed: “In the last days . . . men will be lovers of themselves, . . . disobedient to parents, . . . without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, . . . lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, . . . wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse.”—2 Tim. 3:1-5, 13.

The record of our time, verified in the daily news headlines, shouts out that these things are happening right now! Note this report: “Fighting that sometimes resembled guerrilla warfare raged in the streets of American cities . . . A wave of crime and rioting is sweeping across the United States . . . In many cities, women are afraid to go out after dark. And they have good reason. Rapes, assaults, sadistic outbursts of senseless violence are on the rise. Crimes often seem to be committed out of sheer savagery . . . Respect for law and order is declining.”8

This is not confined to one country. Reports from all over the world are the same. From the Philippines: “No Filipino is safe in the streets today. . . . thrill killing, vandalism, and general mayhem is steadily increasing.”9 South Korea: “We can’t have even one day of peaceful life in Seoul because in the evenings the streets become streets of terror.”10 Sweden: “These critical situations that are a worry to all are expected to become even more severe.”11 England: “General lawlessness is greater—a breakdown of the sense of duty and of obligation and truthfulness.”12 And the Communist countries? “Almost everywhere, including Soviet Russia, there appears to be an increase in crime, and particularly, alas, in juvenile crime.”13

What is happening all over the world is just as the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States said of his land: “Citizens of this country ought to be able to walk all the streets of our cities without being mugged, raped, or robbed. But we can’t do that today. All through the country, almost without exception, this condition prevails.”14

And immorality is sweeping the world like a forest fire. In the United States the number of children born out of wedlock has more than doubled since 1945. In Latin America the rates are many times higher. “For every 1,000 live births, 716 are illegitimate in Guatemala, 613 in El Salvador, 739 in Panama and 240 in Argentina.”15 “Uruguay produced a figure of three abortions for every live birth.”16

In Great Britain editor and author Malcolm Muggeridge said: “The position of this country . . . in my opinion, is absolutely ghastly.” When asked about the rebellion of British youth against the old values, he replied: “I think it’s sheer degeneracy. . . . They’re just degenerate . . . the antics of an exhausted stock.”17 Another source reported: “The collapse of private morality in Britain is becoming the talk of a wondering world.”18

ANGUISH OF NATIONS

A dean of American education told a meeting of teachers that the human race today is “just about lost.” He added: “All the things that happened since 1914 are things that ‘just couldn’t happen’ and we will see a lot more of them.”19

Hence, what has happened since the “last days” began in 1914 is just as Jesus foretold: “On the earth anguish of nations, not knowing the way out . . . men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.” (Luke 21:25, 26) Of this very fear, columnist David Lawrence states: “The fact is that today the biggest single emotion which dominates our lives is fear.”20

And little wonder, for aside from skyrocketing violence, crime, hunger, disease and immorality, mankind has another dread. The New York Times reported the United States Secretary of Defense as saying that “more than 120 million Americans would die in the event of a Soviet missile attack . . . If it were to include urban centers, . . . the death toll would be 149 million.”21

There is no escaping it. All the lines of the “fingerprint” are there to show conclusively that we have been in the “last days” since 1914, over fifty-two years now! And calling attention to this is not calamity howling. The near end of this system of things and the establishment of God’s kingdom are facts that God himself is having proclaimed throughout the world today, thus fulfilling another mark of the “last days,” for Jesus said that this message “will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.”—Matt. 24:14.

Hence, do not be deceived by this world’s propaganda that promises a bright tomorrow for this system. God promises its end. Whom are you going to believe? For your everlasting happiness listen, learn and then do what God requires of you, for “the world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”—1 John 2:17.

REFERENCES

1 Life, March 13, 1964, p. 45.

2 The World Book Encyclopedia, 1966, Vol. 20, p. 377.

3 London Evening Star, quoted in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, August 5, 1960.

4 Cleveland West Parker, January 20, 1966, p. 1.

5 U.S. News & World Report, September 13, 1965, p. 20.

6 The World Book Encyclopedia, 1966, Vol. 20, pp. 379, 380, 410.

7 Ibid., pp. 410, 411.

8 U.S. News & World Report, August 1, 1966, pp. 5, 46, 47.

9 Philippine Islands Weekly Graphic, May 13, 1964.

10 South Korea Chosun Daily, April 14, 1964.

11 Stockholm Becko-Journalen, May 14, 1964.

12 Look, September 24, 1963.

13 U.S. News & World Report, November 1, 1965, p. 80.

14 Ibid., September 19, 1966, p. 43.

15 Science News Letter, May 18, 1963, p. 309.

16 Look, July 14, 1964.

17 U.S. News & World Report, July 25, 1966, pp. 67, 69.

18 Intelligence Digest, September 1966, p. 4.

19 St. Paul Dispatch, January 19, 1963, p. 2.

20 U.S. News & World Report, October 11, 1965, p. 144.

21 The New York Times, February 19, 1965, p. 1.

Have You Forgotten Your Decision to Serve God?

WERE you not thrilled when you investigated and first began to understand the truth of God’s Word? Did your heart not rejoice at God’s provision for everlasting life in a new system of things? An understanding of God’s purposes can truly move the heart, resulting in a personal decision or dedication to serve God. Have you made such a decision, and symbolized it by water baptism? While hundreds of thousands of Christians have, unfortunately many of these have failed to remember their solemn dedication. We are deeply concerned about them.

The apostle Paul wrote about some of such persons during his second imprisonment in Rome, saying: “All the men in the district of Asia have turned away from me. Phygelus and Hermogenes are of that number.” (2 Tim. 1:15) For one reason or another these Asian Christians left Paul and ceased their Christian activity. Circumstances arose that caused them to forget their decision to serve God.

Today there are even greater pressures to turn a Christian from his dedication to God. Within this very generation Satan the Devil has been cast out of heaven, and he is now waging war against those “who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus.” (Rev. 12:7-12, 17) Has his war strategy succeeded against you? Has he gotten a hold on you and stifled your public praise? Have you forgotten your decision to serve God? If so, it is vital that you quickly avail yourself of God’s help to free yourself from Satan’s grip.

As a first step, recall to mind the initial joy and happiness that you realized when learning the truth. Where, now, is that happiness you had? The apostle Paul asked this very question of certain Christians in his day, and added: “You were running well. Who hindered you from keeping on obeying the truth? This sort of persuasion is not from the One calling you.” (Gal. 5:7, 8; 4:15) No, it is from the Devil and his agents! And that persuasion is designed to cause you to forget God and to lead you into destruction. So bestir yourself before it is too late! Satan knows his end is near; do not let him cause your end too.

MISPLACED LOVE

Just as love for God and his provisions prompted your decision to serve Him, so love for something else can cause you to forget that decision. It has happened many times before. During Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome one of his close associates and fellow ministers was Demas, whose greetings Paul passed along in his Christian letters. (Col. 4:14; Philem. 24) However, during Paul’s second imprisonment Demas turned away from Paul. Why? Paul told Timothy: “Because he loved the present system of things.”—2 Tim. 4:10.

Has a similar love developed in you? Is this what has taken you away from Christian meetings and association with the brothers? It can so easily happen, and for this reason the apostle John recorded the divine warning: “Do not be loving either the world or the things in the world. . . . because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. Furthermore, the world is passing away.”—1 John 2:15-17.

What is the evidence that one is succumbing to “the desire of the eyes” and is attaching importance to “the showy display of one’s means of life”? It usually begins almost imperceptibly. At first, perhaps, only a few extra expenses are unnecessarily incurred, and this results in only occasionally missing congregation meetings. Then further debts are assumed, requiring more time to pay for them, and leaving less time for study and meetings. Finally, serving God is completely thrown out to make room for other interests. Like thorns, Jesus said, “the deceptive power of riches and the desires for the rest of the things make inroads and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”—Mark 4:18, 19.

Did you notice what Jesus said can make you unfruitful as a Christian? Not only possessing riches, or enjoying “the pleasure of being wealthy” (Matt. 13:22, NW footnote, 1950 Edition); but, much more often, “the DESIRES for the rest of the things” cause unfruitfulness. Desires for new clothes, new TV’s, new cars, new houses, new appliances—an endless number of such things. Has satisfying these desires so absorbed your time and energies that you have not attended a meeting in several months or more? It is indeed a serious matter to make a vow to do Jehovah’s will, and then forget it.—Eccl. 5:4-6.

If the “thorns” of materialistic desires have hindered you from obeying the truth, it would be wise to examine yourself, asking: ‘Am I more contented and satisfied since leaving the Christian congregation and slipping into inactivity? Is my family life more wholesome, are relations pleasanter and is everyone happier? Or could the apostle Paul’s question appropriately be directed at me, “Where, then, is that happiness you had?”’ (Gal. 4:15) Do we truly rejoice at the fulfillment of the Bible prophecies, which show the closeness of the end of this wicked system of things? (Luke 21:28) Very likely genuine happiness and contentment have diminished. What, then, is the wise course to take?

OVERCOMING MATERIALISTIC DESIRES

It is evident. It is the course that initially acquainted you with God’s purposes and thrilled your heart. Yes, you can rekindle your joy in the same way that it was first realized: By means of a regular Bible study in your home and through association with your Christian brothers. Accept the invitation for such a study. Attend the congregation meetings. It is what you need to regain the happiness and contentment you once realized.

Perhaps you feel somewhat like the family who had been in the truth for twenty-two years but then, as they admitted, “were drawn into the world by materialism.” They wrote: “We often felt we wanted to attend the meetings but it just seemed as if we couldn’t make it. We didn’t really fit into Satan’s system, so we were completely disconnected, isolated between the new and the old systems of things. Although wanting and needing our brothers, we always felt we had to dodge them, and this left us frustrated and depressed. We needed words of encouragement.”

Do you, too, at times, feel the need of encouraging words? If so, will you be humble enough to accept them when they are offered? This family was, and they write: “We gladly accepted the provision of a Bible study in our home. Now we are all back in Jehovah’s secure organization. I cannot express the happiness I feel. Our entire home is governed according to Bible principles. We have learned from our experience how necessary it is to apply all instructions from the Society, have a family Bible study and do our Bible reading daily.”

Do not deprive yourself of the happiness and contentment enjoyed among God’s people. You also can realize it again. One person, who had left off association with the congregation years before, recently attended a Bible study, and reported: “My mind went back to the time when I studied, and really, I had not known true contentment or inward joy since then.” Next he went to the Kingdom Hall, and he could not get over “the cordial atmosphere and the love and kindness of the brothers.”

You, too, will receive this same warm welcome at the congregation meetings. The brothers will be genuinely happy to see you again. So do not wait; go to a meeting this very week! Do not allow the thorns of materialistic desire to continue to choke off Christian fruitage from your life.

OPPOSITION FROM FRIENDS OR RELATIVES

On the other hand, is it opposition from friends or relatives that has caused you to forget your decision to serve God? Think, now. Did you agree to serve God only if you had no opposition? Are you going to allow what others say to cause you to cease attending Christian meetings and to stop following Jesus’ example of ministering to others?

It would be wise to give careful attention to what Christ said in this connection: “Whoever disowns me before men, I will also disown him before my Father who is in the heavens. Do not think I came to put peace upon the earth; I came to put, not peace, but a sword. For I came to cause division, with a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a young wife against her mother-in-law. Indeed, a man’s enemies will be persons of his own household. He that has greater affection for father or mother than for me is not worthy of me; and he that has greater affection for son or daughter than for me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not accept his torture stake and follow after me is not worthy of me.”—Matt. 10:33-38.

From what Jesus said, it is evident that true Christians must expect family opposition, is it not? Yes, indeed! So, really, if your friends or relatives oppose true worship, the sincerity of your decision to walk in Jesus’ footsteps is put to the test.

You may somehow reason that keeping peaceful relations with these persons is a demonstration of love and, therefore, justifies quitting true worship. But is abandoning God’s service really showing love for the ones closest to you? If you quit when opposition arises, how will friends and loved ones be helped to appreciate that accurate knowledge of the Bible is of life-or-death importance? Actually, genuine love for them is shown by enduring their opposition and resolutely living up to your decision to serve God. You will thus afford your friends and relatives the best possible opportunity to learn the truths from God’s Word and to come in line for the everlasting blessings that Jehovah holds out to those who serve him.

True, this may be difficult. But do not fail to appreciate that it is Satan the Devil who is inspiring the persecution. So be courageous! As the apostle Peter said: “Take your stand against him, solid in the faith, knowing that the same things in the way of sufferings are being accomplished in the entire association of your brothers in the world.” (1 Pet. 5:9) Yes, Satan is using the same tactics on your brothers elsewhere, and they are standing faithfully! You can too. Prove it by getting back in the Christian race. Go to the congregation meetings! Do not put it off!

OTHER ATTEMPTS TO CAUSE YOU TO FORGET

There are many other ways in which Satan the Devil endeavors to stumble Christians and make them forget their decision to serve God. For example, someone in the congregation may say or do something that causes one to take personal offense. And instead of straightening out the trouble in the Scripturally prescribed way, the offended one allows the matter to become such a big issue in his mind that he leaves the Christian congregation.

But think: Is it pleasing to Jehovah God to permit anyone or anything to interfere with your service to him or your relationship with his organization? Most definitely not! So do not allow such attempts of Satan to cause you to forget God and his service. You have nothing to gain and everything to lose by staying away from congregation meetings and the association with your brothers.

A Christian cannot afford to be ignorant of Satan’s designs, and one of his most successful tactics is to cause discouragement. (2 Cor. 2:11) For example, one minister recently quit the ministry, explaining that the reason was that there simply was no response to the Kingdom message. Although this may be true, and even if people become increasingly cold toward God, is this reason to quit? Consider the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah to his unresponsive, stiff-necked countrymen, of whom Jehovah said: “You must speak to them all these words, but they will not listen to you; and you must call to them, but they will not answer you.”—Jer. 7:27.

Although those Israelites were extremely cold toward God, Jeremiah faithfully continued preaching to them for some forty years. He got discouraged, true, and he thought about quitting, but his love of God’s truth impelled him to continue serving. He did not forget his decision to serve God. (Jer. 20:9) Copy that example, and if, for any reason, you have slowed down or abandoned God’s service, bestir yourself quickly and continue running the race for life. Do not allow Satan to have the satisfaction of causing you to go down into destruction. Take your stand against him! Assemble regularly with your brothers at congregation meetings! There you will find warm encouragement and the needed protection.

“Keeping Awake”

◆ The Hebrew name for the almond tree (shaqéd) literally means “the waker.” This is quite fitting since the almond is one of the earliest trees to bloom following the winter rest, blossoming as early as late January or early February in Palestine. In the Bible, at Jeremiah 1:11, 12, there is a play on words where the word “almond” (shaqéd) is followed by the expression “keeping awake” (shoqed): “The word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: ‘What are you seeing, Jeremiah?’ So I said: ‘An offshoot of an almond tree is what I am seeing.’ And Jehovah went on to say to me: ‘You have seen well, for I am keeping awake concerning my word in order to carry it out.’”

The Pattern of Judgment

“This is a proof of the righteous judgment of God, leading to your being counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are indeed suffering.”—2 Thess. 1:5.

1. What contrasts marked John the Baptist’s ministry?

JOHN THE BAPTIST began his ministry by preaching: “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” He lost no time in gathering disciples around him who shared in the blessings of his ministry, preparing them to be “counted worthy of the kingdom of God.” At the same time he told the unworthy religious leaders that a time of judgment was impending, that “already the ax is lying at the root of the trees,” and that the coming one “will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with fire that cannot be put out.”—Matt. 3:1, 2, 7-12; 2 Thess. 1:5.

2. What is meant by a pattern, and how did Jesus commence such in his ministry?

2 The coming one, Jesus, as soon as he heard that John had been arrested, began preaching the same message: “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” (Matt. 4:12, 17) He there began weaving the pattern of judgment, working out a harmonious design governed by a set purpose, for that is what a pattern is. The first strand, the all-important time element, was marked by the preaching of the Kingdom message. As Jesus said when leading up to the illustration of the rich man and Lazarus: “The Law and the Prophets were until John. From then on the kingdom of God is being declared as good news.”—Luke 16:16.

3. As recorded at Luke 16:17, 18, what two strands did Jesus then take up?

3 Jesus then proceeded to take two more strands, saying first: “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one particle of a letter of the Law to go unfulfilled.” He then added: “Everyone that divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he that marries a woman divorced from a husband commits adultery.” (Luke 16:17, 18) It is unlikely that his hearers saw any connection between those statements. In fact, not until after the Christian congregation had the inspired writings of the apostle Paul did the situation become clear. In the light of those writings we can today examine those two strands and appreciate their designed purpose.

4. In what way did Jesus fulfill the Law, leading to what realities and final outcome?

4 Jesus not only kept the Law by perfect obedience to its requirements, he also fulfilled it. As he once said: “I came, not to destroy, but to fulfill,” also saying that down to the last “particle of a letter . . . all things [must] take place.” (Matt. 5:17, 18) Paul wrote that the Law was a “shadow [or, “typical representation”] of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.” (Col. 2:17; Heb. 8:5; 10:1) In his life and sacrificial death, Jesus caused the big realities to take place. One of the main provisions of the Law was that of sacrifice for sins, especially those on the day of atonement. However, those animal sacrifices were “at no time able to take sins away completely. But this man [Jesus] offered one sacrifice for sins perpetually” by laying down his perfect human life in death. (Heb. 10:11, 12) His death laid the foundation for tremendous changes, with great benefits to those exercising faith therein, beginning with the Jewish members of the “Lazarus” class. Having fulfilled its provisions, then, says Paul, that former Law covenant was taken out of the way and nailed to the torture stake on which Jesus was impaled. (Col. 2:14) But what connection did that have with the next strand, with Jesus’ remark about divorce and adultery?

5. With what illustration does Paul show that some were “discharged” from the Law?

5 Having acceptably “offered himself without blemish to God,” Jesus was made “a mediator of a new covenant.” (Heb. 9:14, 15) Paul explains that prior thereto the Jews were bound under their Law covenant as “a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is alive . . . But if her husband dies, she is free from his law, so that she is not an adulteress if she becomes another man’s. So, my brothers, you also were made dead to the Law through the body of the Christ, that you might become another’s, the one’s who was raised up from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.” Paul was addressing his brothers of the “Lazarus” class, and it was only such who were “discharged from the Law.”—Rom. 7:1-6.

6. What standard did Jesus set respecting divorce, and how would this affect the Pharisees?

6 In contrast, Jesus’ words on divorce and adultery were addressed primarily to the Pharisees, members of the “rich man” class. They were not free from the Law. True, the Law did embody a divorce provision whereby a man could have more than one living wife, but Jesus went back to God’s original pattern for all who would have God’s favor in, or under, the new covenant. There was no divorce provision for Adam and Eve. So for a Christian to divorce his or her mate, except on the ground of sexual unfaithfulness, and then remarry while the divorced partner is still alive, it means that such a one commits adultery. Hence Jesus’ remarks to the Pharisees, who relied on tradition and the teaching of the then unwritten Talmud on this subject, would only irritate them. It was part of their torment.—Deut. 24:1-4; Matt. 19:3-9.

7. How did Jesus anticipate the benefits of his death?

7 Thus we see the pattern of judgment taking shape. Keep in mind, however, that the changes guaranteed by Jesus’ death began to go into effect before his death actually occurred. The message and work of both John the Baptist and Jesus were based in strong faith on the certainty of Jesus’ carrying out all that was foretold and foreshadowed in the Law and the Prophets. In proof of this, when Jesus instituted the memorial of his death the night before he was impaled, he passed the cup to his disciples, saying: “This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in your behalf . . . and I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom.”—Luke 22:20, 29.

8. What resulted from Jesus’ declaration of the Kingdom message?

8 No, those changes did not have to wait. The declaration of the good news of the kingdom began to bring about a complete reversal of conditions to both the classes we are considering. From then on both classes died to their former condition and experience, shown in Jesus’ illustration by the death of Lazarus and the rich man. At Jesus’ death in fulfillment of the Mosaic Law the “Lazarus” class died to that Law; and at the following Pentecost they were certified by the outpoured holy spirit as being in the Greater Abraham’s bosom. What happened next, as described by Jesus, and what was signified thereby, we will follow with interest.

ABRAHAM, THE IMPORTANT FIGURE

9, 10. (a) What important character did Jesus introduce in his illustration? (b) How did the Pharisees view their relationship with Abraham? (c) In what way were they correct, and in what way incorrect, in their conclusions?

9 Imagine the scene. In torment in Hades the rich man lifts his eyes, and what does he see? Why, afar off there is that one-time beggar now enjoying the bosom position with Abraham, that is, the favored place, as when one reclines in front of another on the same couch at a meal! (Luke 16:23; see also John 13:23.) Bringing Abraham into the picture was very significant, adding the most important strand to the whole pattern of judgment. Whom does he picture? Remember, Jesus was speaking directly to the Pharisees. They reckoned that they as the religious rulers were the only ones entitled to the bosom position of Abraham. In their eyes the common people did not come into the picture at all. Those rulers said to Jesus in an earlier encounter with him: “We are Abraham’s offspring,” and again: “Our father is Abraham,” and yet again: “We have one Father, God.”—John 8:33, 39, 41.

10 From this it is evident that the Pharisees considered that Abraham represented God. In this they were right. Where they were wrong was in claiming sonship with either Abraham or God. In God’s eyes this relationship is determined, not by fleshly descent, but by one’s disposition and works. As Jesus said to them on that same occasion: “If you are Abraham’s children, do the works of Abraham,” and Jesus also said: “You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a manslayer when he began.”—John 8:39, 44.

11. Why was faith essential in order to accept Jesus as the Messiah?

11 While that explains why Jesus pictured that the once rich man was far removed from Abraham, we might wonder why Lazarus, after his death, was pictured as carried straight to the bosom position of Abraham. (Luke 16:22) The emphasis is on faith. Jesus came, not as King, as expected, but in the “likeness of sinful flesh,” “brought just like a sheep to the slaughtering.” (Rom. 8:3; Isa. 53:7) It required real faith to accept him as the Messiah. Some, not the haughty, but the humble, did exercise such faith. They stepped out in faith, just as Abraham did when he “went out [of his own country], although not knowing where he was going.” (Heb. 11:8) They became disciples of Jesus and later, at Pentecost when they received the holy spirit, they became Christians. Of these, Paul wrote: “For all who are led by God’s spirit, these are God’s sons. . . . The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.”—Rom. 8:14-16.

12. How were those who adhered to faith further blessed?

12 Paul also said respecting these: “Those who adhere to faith are the ones who are sons of Abraham . . . [and] are being blessed together with faithful Abraham.” How so? To Abraham the grand promise was made that through his seed “all nations of the earth will certainly bless themselves.” That seed is primarily Christ Jesus. But in the riches of God’s undeserved kindness others are privileged to share with Christ as part of that seed. As Paul again said: “You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ Jesus. . . . Moreover, if you belong to Christ, you are really Abraham’s seed, heirs with reference to a promise.”—Gal. 3:7-9, 16, 26-29; Gen. 22:18.

13. (a) Who comprised the “Lazarus” class in the first instance? (b) How did John and Jesus act as angels toward such?

13 In summary, then, we see that the members of the Christian congregation, led by God’s spirit, are God’s sons. They are also spoken of as sons of Abraham because of their faith like that of his and because, with Christ Jesus, they constitute Abraham’s seed, God’s instrument for fulfilling his purpose centered in his kingdom. They comprise the “Lazarus” class, commencing with those Jews who were conscious of their spiritual need and who exercised faith when they heard God’s messengers, John the Baptist and Jesus. In fact, John and Jesus acted as angels, or messengers, in bringing those Jews into line for those grand blessings tied in with God’s promise given under oath to Abraham and his seed. No wonder, then, that Jesus pictured Lazarus as at once “carried off by the angels to the bosom position of Abraham.”—Luke 16:22.

14. What indication was given that many non-Jews would come into divine favor?

14 Though the “Lazarus” class, to begin with, was limited to the faithful Jews, it did not stay that way. To a certain Gentile army officer who showed unusual faith, Jesus said: “I tell you that many from eastern parts and western parts will come and recline at the table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens; whereas the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the darkness outside. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be.” (Matt. 8:5-12) This indicated that many non-Jews, hitherto alienated from God and in a beggarly condition, would come from all parts and be brought right into the bosom of divine favor. As Paul said: “Now the Scripture, seeing in advance that God would declare people of the nations righteous due to faith, declared the good news beforehand to Abraham, namely: ‘By means of you all the nations will be blessed.’” (Gal. 3:8) But as for those who thought that as the natural sons of Abraham they were the undisputed heirs to all the key positions in God’s kingdom, they would find themselves rejected and in torment.

15. What fine picture of the Theocracy did Jesus give at Matthew 8:11?

15 The inclusion of Isaac and Jacob together with Abraham in this instance makes a fine picture of the Kingdom, the Theocracy, in its complete setup. Abraham, the father of those who adhere to faith, pictures the heavenly Father, Jehovah, the real source of all the blessings to the nations. Isaac, Abraham’s son, pictures God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Thus when Abraham offered his son Isaac in sacrifice on Mount Moriah, or went to the point of doing so, he foreshadowed how Jehovah offered up his only-begotten Son in actual sacrifice. In turn, Isaac’s son Jacob pictures the Christian congregation. As Jacob received life from Abraham through Isaac, so likewise the Christian congregation receives spiritual life from Jehovah through Jesus Christ. This congregation started off with a remnant of faithful Jews, but about three and a half years after Pentecost the Kingdom good news began to be preached to the Gentiles, starting with Cornelius. Since then the people of the nations have come in from all parts, making up the full number. All of such constitute the “Lazarus” class.

GOD’S “JUDICIAL DECISION” A “GREAT CHASM”

16. How did the requests made by the rich man show his real intention regarding Lazarus, and revealing what disposition?

16 Turning our attention now to the latter part of Jesus’ illustration, taken up with the argument between the rich man and Abraham, we find further expressions of God’s judgment. Note the two pleas made by the rich man. First, he asks that Lazarus be sent to cool his tongue with a drop of water because of the fire. Failing that, he then asks that Lazarus be sent to warn his five brothers about this place of torment. (Luke 16:24-28) Anything to get Lazarus away from Abraham’s bosom, and keep him away! Why did he not ask that the angels be sent on these errands of mercy, seeing how speedily they acted when carrying Lazarus off to Abraham? But, no, it must be Lazarus who must do the running about and act as messenger. From Jesus’ portrayal of the rich man we can only imagine that, if Lazarus had actually visited him and put his finger in his mouth to cool his tongue with a drop of water, the rich man would have got a grip on his finger and kept him there! We know for a fact, as Jesus said, that the scribes and Pharisees strained every nerve to “make one proselyte,” and, having once got him, they made him a ‘subject for Gehenna twice as much so as themselves.’—Matt. 23:15.

17. How and why did the religious rulers seek to get relief from the “Lazarus” class?

17 How ridiculous to think of this taking place literally, but how appropriate to the facts, since we know the classes Jesus had in mind! So we ask, How did the religious rulers seek to get relief, if by only a drop of water, from the “Lazarus” class? Those men would not have been so tormented if the despised followers of Jesus had just followed him and kept quiet. Instead, they were trained and sent forth, first the twelve and then the seventy. They, and not the rulers, were now acting as Abraham’s seed, conveying heaven-sent blessings, curing the sick and preaching the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:1, 2; 10:1, 9) Come Pentecost, and about 120 were empowered by the holy spirit to speak with tongues, and before the day closed a further 3,000 were added to their number. And their boldness! Both publicly and before the Sanhedrin, the apostle Peter and others, such as Stephen, never hesitated to declare the responsibility and bloodguilt of those rulers. (Acts 2:23; 3:14, 17; 4:10; 5:30; 7:52) As Abraham’s natural descendants, the “rich man” class figuratively called out: “Father Abraham, have mercy on me” and make this “Lazarus” class speak instead in our favor, if only a word! How did Abraham reply?

18. How did Abraham’s replay fittingly portray both sides of the pattern of judgment?

18 Abraham’s first words merely stated the facts: “Child, remember that you received in full your good things in your lifetime, but Lazarus correspondingly the injurious things. Now, however, he is having comfort here but you are in anguish.” (Luke 16:25) No words were wasted on the rich man. Why not? Because Jesus knew that he was acting as God’s servant in a time of inspection. He was in truth Abraham’s seed and any who called down evil on such seed were cursed by God. (Gen. 12:3) As a class, the “rich man” had had his day, his “lifetime,” when he had ‘received in full the good things’ that he could so easily have dispensed to those in need. But that class showed that they never had any intention of doing so, and now God’s adverse judgment was manifest upon them. God’s favorable judgment was equally manifest on the “Lazarus” class. This was the pattern of judgment, like a design in drawing where one side balances and offsets the other. A strong straight line is drawn right down the middle for emphasis, and this is where the “great chasm” comes in. Note Abraham’s next words to the rich man.

19. What was the effect and significance of the “great chasm”?

19 “And besides all these things, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you people, so that those wanting to go over from here to you people cannot, neither may people cross over from there to us.” (Luke 16:26) No fraternizing! The “Lazarus” class could not compromise and speak peace to the “rich man” class. Jesus appreciated that this was a vital strand in the pattern of judgment, and that God’s “judicial decision is a vast watery deep.” (Ps. 36:6) Mark you, it was only as classes that the judgment was final. Neither class, nor any supporting classes, could cross over to the other, but individuals could and did during their lifetime. The apostle Paul was a notable example who, when “formerly in Judaism,” bitterly persecuted the “Lazarus” class. (Gal. 1:13-17) John the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees “offspring of vipers,” and then said: “Produce fruit that befits repentance.” Some of them later did so.—Matt. 3:7, 8; Acts 6:7.

20. How did the rich man make a further appeal, and how did this have an application in Jesus’ day?

20 Knowing the mental attitude of the “rich man” class, Jesus added to his illustration a further argument prompted by the rich man. Trying to ignore or get around that chasm, he pleaded: “In that event I ask you, father, to send him [Lazarus] to the house of my father, for I have five brothers, in order that he may give them a thorough witness, that they also should not get into this place of torment.” (Luke 16:27, 28) Observe that, while addressing Abraham as father, he speaks of a more closely related father, in whose house there are five brothers of his. Jesus knew of the religious house of Judaism, built on human tradition, to which the religious rulers belonged. It was that house that prompted the spirit of bitter persecution, even of murder. Its father was the Devil, who “was a manslayer.” (John 8:44) The five brothers (with the rich man making six, a symbol of the Devil’s organization) represented all the admirers and supporters of the religious rulers, and manifesting the same spirit. The rulers sought relief from being exposed, not only in their own eyes, but also in the eyes of their supporters. If these, their brothers, were figuratively to die and land in the same place, that would but add to their torment. So, in effect, those rulers wanted the “Lazarus” class to quit the position of divine favor and give a “thorough witness,” not of the judgment message, but one that would give the appearance of things being restored to what they were prior to the inspection period, when neither the rulers nor their supporters were exposed to torment.

21. What was the import of Abraham’s response?

21 Could that be done? What was Abraham’s response? “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to these.’” (Luke 16:29) Nothing else and nothing less than God’s word of truth! It was on that authority alone that Jesus spoke to the people and their rulers, including the judgment message then due. The “Lazarus” class spoke likewise. For example, Peter’s strong, stirring message on the day of Pentecost was based entirely on quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures, from Moses (the Law) and the Prophets and the Psalms. The fact that three thousand immediately responded and were baptized proved that the Hebrew Scriptures in themselves were a sufficient warning and guide to those willing to listen, many of whom were formerly adherents of Judaism.—Acts 2:41.

22. (a) What was the rich man’s final plea? (b) What prompted this, and how did Jesus respond to the demand for a sign?

22 But the rich man had not finished. Showing now his true colors and bluntly disagreeing with Abraham, he said: “No, indeed, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them they will repent.” (Luke 16:30) In other words, he called for a climactic sign, for someone to rise from the dead, as being the one thing necessary. This would avoid the need either to preach from the Scriptures or to expose the traditions of Judaism. More than once the Pharisees and others asked Jesus to “display to them a sign from heaven.” He answered: “A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jonah was a sufficient sign to the Ninevites who, Jesus said, “repented at what Jonah preached, but, look! something more than Jonah is here.” (Matt. 16:1-4; 12:38-41) Jesus preached with far more authority and supporting evidence than Jonah ever did. But the result was as Jesus said: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”—John 4:48.

23. How was Abraham’s final word appropriate and true to the facts?

23 In agreement with this, Abraham replied to the rich man: “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:31) This was the final word of judgment against the class represented by the rich man and his brothers. If they turn a deaf ear to God’s message in the Scriptures, they will turn a blind eye to God’s messenger, whether it be Jesus or the “Lazarus” class. As Jesus told them: “You are searching the Scriptures . . . that bear witness about me,” and he added that, “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?”—John 5:39, 46, 47.

24. What warning and encouragement can be gained from the final word spoken in this illustration?

24 Jesus’ illustration ended on a note of strong judgment, as clear cut as that “great chasm.” It showed God’s righteous “judicial decision” both for and against. It was against the whole household of those who only “heard with annoyance,” and who “shut their eyes; that they might never see . . . and get the sense of it with their hearts and turn back.” (Matt. 13:15) But, thank God, that final word was wholly in favor of the “Lazarus” class. There would never be any need or justification for their leaving or forsaking the place of divine favor with all its comforting provisions and opportunity for feasting at Jehovah’s banquet table.

25. What questions does this prompt respecting our own day?

25 Can we draw parallel lines and extend the pattern of judgment in all its salient features to our own day? Does Jesus’ illustration have a pointed message for us? Can we trace two classes in contrast and see how a great change, a reversal of conditions, has taken place under our very eyes? And are we, as individuals, thereby helped to see what we must do to find true riches under God’s favorable judgment?

God’s Judgment Makes Manifest the Truly Rich

1. Why is the Kingdom message today so forceful?

IN HIS prophecy concerning the time of the end, Jesus said: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.” This compares with the message at the first advent, namely, that the “kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” Today’s message is more forceful. It tells of God’s kingdom actually established, for in the autumn of 1914 C.E. Jehovah installed his King, Christ Jesus, not on an earthly throne, but at the heavenly Mount Zion.—Matt. 24:14; 4:17; Ps. 2:6; Heb. 12:22.

2. What procedure will help us in applying the illustration at Luke 16:19-31 to our own day?

2 The Kingdom message at the first advent marked the beginning of an inspection and judgment period. It was the first strand in the pattern of judgment. As a result, changes began to take place involving two classes, as portrayed in Jesus’ illustration of the rich man and Lazarus. The same is true today. The principles on which the inspection and judgment are based remain the same, but it is worked out on a larger scale. By examining the context of the illustration and other related scriptures we were able to identify the two main characters at the time of the first advent in its first fulfillment. The same procedure will help us to get a clear picture of the present situation. It will also aid us individually to see where we stand in relation to that judgment pattern and its designed purpose.

3. How can we identify the modern “rich man” class?

3 We do not have to look far to find the modern “rich man” class. The religious clergy and leaders of Christendom bear a marked resemblance to the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day. Today, as then, these men are in a class to themselves, sacrosanct, reckoned as superior in standing and education, marked by their dress and their many titles. They are rich in positions of influence and prominence, often in good standing with the political rulers, and in some cases exercising a real power behind the throne, or the dictator. These men are also rich religiously in their claims to be exclusively God’s spokesmen in national affairs, also in social and personal problems. In their congregations they are usually the only ones ordained to preach and conduct the services. In some churches these men claim the right to hear confession and grant absolution. Certain ones even claim the right to canonize one as a saint, declaring such a one to be holy and righteous. In very truth the modern “rich man” class seeks to deck himself with purple and linen, enjoying himself from day to day with magnificence.—Luke 16:19.

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The Watchtower, April 1, 1967