The Watchtower, March 1, 1970

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The Watchtower — March 1, 1970

Source: jw.org

Contents

Bible Truth About the Dead Gives Hope

Why They Left Their Church

What Are You Doing About What You Have Learned?

Change of Heart

What Is the Future of Today’s Youth?

Youths, Prove Yourselves Christ’s Disciples

Youths, Do You Respect Your Parents?

“Men of Good Will” District Assemblies

Building Other Ministers on a Right Foundation

Announcements

Bible Truth About the Dead Gives Hope

Can you give real comfort to mourning ones?

WHEN a loved one lies between life and death, there is still hope that the body may yet successfully fight off the effects of disease or accident. But when that one is stilled in death, what then? Has hope gone forever? When you visit such a bereaved household, are you able to share with the sorrowing ones some strong hope? Or do you feel somewhat helpless when faced with their tragedy?

Hope lightens the burden of grief. Hope brightens the darkness that descends upon mourners like a pall. But it must be a genuine hope, one that is well-founded. It needs to be a hope that is based on unquestionable authority. It must be the truth. Do you believe that such a comforting hope is available?

It may be that, when faced with such a need for comfort, you offer the same expressions of condolence that you have heard offered by clergymen at funeral services. It is true that many people look to their church for comfort in time of sorrow. But many are plunged into a deeper sense of loss by what they have been taught to believe about death.

VAIN COMFORTERS

Put yourself in the position of parents who are mourning the death of a child. How would you react if a clergyman came and told you not to grieve, because God took your child? This statement is not uncommon. Many clergymen adopt the view expressed by one religious writer, namely: ‘Who knows but that God took your baby home to Heaven in order to turn your heart to Heaven also?’ Would that comfort you? Rather, it has actually embittered some, as they kept wondering why a God of love would inflict such a loss.

And what comfort can be given to the multitudes of persons who look upon death’s approach with terror? They have been taught that death really is not death, but is instead a time of punishment of wrongdoers in terrible torments. Some clergymen have vividly portrayed the flames of hell and harangued their congregations about the endlessness of the miseries that will be suffered by the “damned.” What kind of comfort can you offer to mourners who have been subjected to this kind of religion of terrorism?

Perhaps some feel that they have lived a fairly decent life. They may take comfort in the thought that “all good persons go to heaven.” This is what they have been taught to expect, but they may have their misgivings. Really, how many persons do you know who profess to have such a prospect and who are anxious to die? Most persons feel that the present life is preferable to the uncertainty of the future.

However, what if such one at death does not really go to heaven? Then the bereaved ones are being misled. You would not want to be thus misled, would you? Besides, even if you did get some measure of comfort from the deception, surely it would only be of a temporary nature! Real comfort that is lasting, to which we may cling with assurance, must be in harmony with the truth. If we cling to a lie, to something that is contrary to God’s Word of truth, then all our worship of God will be to no purpose, for Christ declared that “those worshiping [the Father] must worship with spirit and truth.”—John 4:23, 24.

One is truly placed in a very awkward position when he enters the house of mourning and can only say to the bereaved ones: “Oh, your beloved dead one will eventually get to heaven. Just have faith.” Is it not likely that the minds of some Catholic mourners will be distressed at the thought that the deceased may first have to undergo a lengthy period of affliction in purgatory before he qualifies for heaven?

WHY THE DILEMMA?

Has it ever occurred to you why you may be in such a dilemma—wanting to console your sorrowing friends and relatives, yet without any clear message of hope to offer? You may have been taught that man has some kind of invisible soul that leaves the body at death and takes up residence elsewhere as a conscious creature, whether in heaven, purgatory or a “hot hell.” Then, too, you have probably been taught that there is a resurrection of the dead. Jesus Christ gave assurance of resurrection from the dead.—John 11:25.

But pause, now, and consider the matter. If the dead are really not dead, but quite alive in another sphere, why would they need to be resurrected? If the dead soul has been consigned to a “hot hell” forever, how could the person be resurrected? Yet the Bible says that both “the righteous and the unrighteous” will be resurrected. (Acts 24:15) And if the dead soul has gone to heaven, there would be less reason for restoring it in the resurrection. One who is in heaven would surely want to stay there!

Of course, if it is true that man has an “immortal soul,” then we might agree that at death the soul must go somewhere. But even clergymen who have long clung to the idea are now expressing doubts about the matter. One Presbyterian minister in Australia, for example, is reported as saying: “In our theological training it was pointed out fairly clearly, and to me conclusively, that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul was not one which is derived from the New Testament; that it was a concept which originated, it seems, in Greek philosophy, particularly with Plato.” Can any genuine comfort be derived from a pagan philosophy?

THE BIBLE GIVES HOPE

The authoritative source of religious truth is the Bible, God’s written Word. (John 17:17) If your worship is to be acceptable to God, then it must be in harmony with Bible truth. Worship that is tied in with confusing teachings about death and the hope for the dead cannot be pleasing to God. How vital then for those who would gain favor and blessings from God to find out what his Book truly says on such vital matters!

The Bible declares that every ‘soul that is sinning will die.’ (Ezek. 18:4, 20) And in the Bible the word “soul” very often is used in the same sense as the words “being,” “person,” “creature.” God’s Word refers to a “dead soul” or a “living soul” just as we would speak about a dead person or a living one. (See Leviticus 23:30; 21:1, 11; Numbers 5:2 and Genesis 2:7, in which verses in the King James Version the same Hebrew word is variously translated “soul,” “dead” and “body.”) In the same way you yourself may refer to some “poor soul” and really mean the person—not something inside the person.

And why do souls or persons die? The Bible answer, as given at Romans 5:12, is: “Through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” So people die, the young and the old, the wise and the unwise, because of the unavoidable inheritance of sin. And when they die they are really dead, out of existence, conscious of nothing at all. The dead are represented in the Holy Scriptures as being in a deep, dreamless sleep. They know nothing and will be conscious of nothing again until the day they are resurrected.

In proof of those statements consider these significant Bible texts: “For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they any more have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten.” (Eccl. 9:5) “For David, on the one hand, served the express will of God in his own generation and fell asleep in death and was laid with his forefathers and did see corruption.” (Acts 13:36) “O that in Sheol [Hebrew for “the grave”] you would conceal me, that you would keep me secret until your anger turns back, that you would set a time limit for me and remember me! If an able-bodied man dies can he live again? All the days of my compulsory service I shall wait, until my relief comes. You will call, and I myself shall answer you.”—Job 14:13-15.

Those words of Job are in full agreement with the prophecy uttered by Christ Jesus, namely: “The hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear [my] voice and come out.” (John 5:28, 29) All the human dead whom God through Christ mercifully raises to life on earth again, just as Lazarus was raised to life, will have no recollection of their sleep in death, whether its duration was four days or four thousand years. (John 11:11-17, 43, 44) Those resurrected ones, however, will come back to life under an entirely different state of affairs.

THE DEAD RETURN TO LIFE—IN PARADISE!

Christ’s thousand-year reign will then have commenced, he having crushed all enemies of peace and righteousness. Under his heavenly government marvelous things will be accomplished on earth. For example, earth is to be transformed into a Paradise, a place of beauty, peace and fruitfulness. All the debris resulting from the “war of the great day of God the Almighty” will be cleared away. The soil, with God’s blessing, will become productive. Its fruitage will help mankind to grow to perfect health.—Rev. 16:14; 20:4; 21:1-4; 1 Cor. 15:25.

Now perhaps you can understand why Jesus answered the way he did when an evildoer being executed alongside him requested: “Jesus, remember me when you get into your kingdom.” Note that Jesus did not promise him that he would be in the heavenly kingdom or a part of it—a privilege accorded only to a few select ones from among humankind. No, but Jesus promised that evildoer that he would be in Paradise. He said nothing whatever about a “hot hell” or purgatory. His promise is in full accord with the fact that even unrighteous persons will be resurrected from the grave and offered the opportunity, under paradisaic conditions, to prove their worthiness of everlasting life.—Luke 23:39-43; 12:32; Acts 24:15.

Is not that a wonderful expectation? Imagine your beloved dead restored to life on earth under those grand conditions! A whole new future thus opens up for vast multitudes who have gone into the sleep of death. That there will be a vast crowd of unrighteous ones, as well as righteous ones, resurrected from the grave is also borne out by the words at Revelation 20:13: “And the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades [Greek for “the grave”] gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds.”

Not a mass trial and judgment, it should be noted, but each one “individually.” That will take time. Also, we may be sure that they will not be judged on their past record, for on that basis the evildoer who received Christ’s promise would have little chance. Rather, “he who has died has been acquitted from his sin.” (Rom. 6:7) How they respond to the loving rule of Christ’s heavenly kingdom after their resurrection will be the basis for judging each one. Those who yield themselves willingly to its direction will make marvelous progress toward human perfection and the gift of life unending.

COMFORTING OTHERS

Can you see how comforting to multitudes of bereaved ones this message of Bible truth can be? Yet only those who believe and accept God’s Word can be convinced of these truths. No one who continues in association with church organizations that go on teaching doctrines that hide or deny this wonderful hope can possibly convey this message with conviction to others. Surely you can see that there can be nothing in common with those who accept God’s Word as the basis for truth and those who mix God’s Word with human traditions and theological theories!—2 Tim. 3:2-5.

All the developments of these times show that the day draws near when Jehovah God will bring about the destruction of Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion. Those who want to attain life in a paradise earth must act swiftly to get out of her many religious systems, whether these are labeled “pagan” or “Christian.” These have all misrepresented and dishonored the true God and have failed to give genuine comfort to the mourning ones of earth.—Rev. 18:4-8.

You, too, can flee out of the midst of Babylonish religious associations. How? By associating with Jehovah’s witnesses, a great crowd of Christians who have already separated themselves from the doomed system that has perpetuated Satan’s lies and kept people in ignorance of Bible truth. You, too, can become equipped to ‘comfort those in any sort of tribulation through the comfort with which Jehovah’s worshipers are themselves being comforted by God.’ (2 Cor. 1:4) Jehovah’s witnesses will be happy to conduct a home Bible study with you free of charge. They will also welcome you at Bible-study meetings in their Kingdom Halls. You will be wonderfully encouraged to learn all about the Bible’s thrilling message of hope for the dead.

Why They Left Their Church

TODAY thousands are leaving their respective churches. Many are doing this because they have found that true Christianity is not taught nor practiced in their church. From England and the United States come two experiences that illustrate this:

“For over seventy years I was an active supporter of the Salvation Army in their fight to aid the poor and needy. Many times I joined the preaching and singing on the promenade at Brighton, England, with my tambourine and banner. Though many of the doctrines of the Salvation Army puzzled me, I read my Bible and continued to pray for God’s help.

“About five years ago I had a stroke, which confined me to my home for about a year. It was toward the end of this confinement that I received a letter from the Salvation Army. I had not seen nor heard from them since my stroke. To my surprise, when I opened their letter, I found enclosed a reminder of the accumulated threepence-a-week membership fee, an envelope for ‘self-denial week’ and an envelope for the ‘harvest festival.’ Here after so many years of regular attendance and support I realized that they were more interested in my money than my welfare.

“Soon after this I met one of Jehovah’s witnesses outside my house. Her warm smile and happy outlook for the future moved me to accept her offer to study the Bible with me in my home without cost. I must say that I have learned more about the Bible in just a short time than I did in my more than seventy years in the Salvation Army. So on October 25, 1968, at 82 years of age, I was baptized in Brighton in symbol of my dedication to serve the true God, Jehovah. Now I know what held me in the Salvation Army. It was fear, fear of their false doctrine of eternal torment. How often the Salvation Army captains reminded us that failure to attend the Congress Hall could mean fiery torment after death!

“What a joy to know the Bible truth on such matters! (Eccl. 9:5) Yes, and what a wonderful future God has in store for those who love him and faithfully serve him.”

A California man writes: “In 1964 we joined the True Baptist Church in Paramount, California. The preacher seemed more interested in how much money we put in the collection plate than in teaching us the Bible. A friend and I repeatedly asked him to start a Bible study class, but he kept putting us off. Every Sunday after he preached a sermon, we found ourselves wondering what his sermon was supposed to mean.

“When my wife got sick and had to go to the hospital, the minister told me that I could visit her but that I was to do my duty to the church first. He told me that as the church mechanic, I had to repair the bus and the assistant pastor’s truck. I had to do this right away. Although I did not know too much about God’s truth, I could easily see that he was not setting a good example nor was he teaching God’s Word. I told my wife that I was going to quit the church.

“So on Sunday morning I went to the church early and told the minister that I could not honestly come to church any longer as I did not agree with his teachings and his conduct. I told him that I certainly did not need him to tell me when I could visit my wife in the hospital. I declared that I was resigning from his church. He tried to talk me out of this. When he saw that I would not change my mind, he offered to read from the Bible, saying that I would go to hellfire if I did not come back to his church.

“When I heard this, I said, ‘I have heard you say from your own pulpit that the Devil quotes scriptures to his own advantage.’ At this he accepted my resignation.

“During all this time Jehovah’s witnesses were teaching my wife the Bible. Later when we moved to Romoland, sixty miles away, the Witnesses lovingly made arrangements to continue helping my wife study the Bible and invited me to do so also. I accepted their offer, and what I learned was amazing! I could not help but be impressed by the Witnesses’ sincerity in wanting only to teach the Bible and their going through so much trouble to help us learn it. Now my wife and I are Jehovah’s witnesses too.”

What Are You Doing About What You Have Learned?

AN OFFICE worker was asked whether any letters of appreciation had been received from people who have read the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, released by the Watch Tower Society in June 1968. His response was enthusiastic. The book has been received with extraordinary appreciation.

Interest in it has been so great that it has been difficult to keep the book in stock. More than 23,095,000 bound volumes in thirty-one languages have been printed in just the first year and a half. Already, in number of copies published, it is second only to the Bible in the Western world. And this represents just a beginning!

Readers’ reactions are overwhelmingly favorable. They say: “The Truth book is a gold mine of information”; “an eye-opener”; “the best book I have ever read on the Bible”; it “helps one very quickly to see the difference between true religion and false religion”; “it presents the information so clearly and right to the point that I was just compelled to arrange my life to serve Jehovah”; “this is the truth!”

The Truth book was not designed mainly for sheer pleasure in reading, although much pleasure can be gained by simply reading it. The book is primarily a Bible-study aid. Its purpose is to make plain what true religion is in this world of little faith and many religions. The book sets forth from the Bible the right way to worship God. It is written in a simple, clear and pointed way so that any sincere reader can see whether his own religion or way of worship is right or not.

But, doubtless, the book’s most outstanding feature is the way it lends itself to home Bible study and family Bible study. In fact, when Jehovah’s witnesses offer it to the public, they also invite the contributor to accept a free, six-month systematic course of Bible study with the aid of this book in the householder’s own home. To date, literally hundreds of thousands of people have availed themselves of this provision, with rewarding benefits to themselves.

THE REWARDING EFFECT OF BIBLE STUDY

The blessings of a Bible study can be seen in the changes for good that it makes in people’s lives. (Heb. 4:12) For example, a woman, after only three studies in the Truth book, became aware that God is to be worshiped “with spirit and truth.” (John 4:23, 24) She noted particularly such Scripture texts as “guard yourselves from idols” and “flee from idolatry.” (1 John 5:21; 1 Cor. 10:14) The very next week she removed the religious pictures from her walls, pictures that she and her family had idolized for years. Why did she do this? Her reply: “Only God is to be worshiped.”—Matt. 4:10.

A Catholic woman who was very active in church affairs went to her priest and asked him about the use of God’s name. “He acknowledged God’s name to be Jehovah,” she said, “but he felt it was not necessary to use it. What about images and medals? He said they were all superstitions. He encouraged me to read the Bible, as he said, ‘there is power in it. If it puts the love of Jesus Christ in your heart to become one of Jehovah’s witnesses, then you must do it.’ Two weeks later I dropped completely out of the Roman Catholic Church when I realized I couldn’t worship in a hypocritical way.”

A Sunday-school teacher, after a few studies in the Truth book, went to her minister and informed him of her desire to become one of Jehovah’s witnesses. She resigned as the Sunday-school teacher and asked that her name be removed from the church membership rolls. Her husband also had his name removed.

A drug addict tells about living communally with six other addicts when a minister of Jehovah’s witnesses began to study the Bible with him. “What a wonderful change it made in our lives!” he says. “The so-called drug-induced ‘spiritual experiences’ look hollow when compared to any hour of our present lives. Now eight months have passed and my wife and I are eagerly approaching baptism, and are participating in the Theocratic Ministry School and the field ministry.”

These are but a few of many instances of the marvelous good that results from a Bible study. But before reaping the benefits, there had to be spiritual growth. Each student had to manifest a sincere desire to bring his life into harmony with God’s will, and then the blessings followed.

WHAT PROGRESS HAVE YOU MADE?

What about you? What have you done with the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life since you received it? If you have read the book, you have done fine and, no doubt, you have enjoyed it. But the book has infinitely more to offer. It holds out the Bible’s promise of the grand rewards for a life lived in harmony with God’s will and purpose. This can mean rich happiness to you now and eventually everlasting life.—John 17:3.

If you are having a study in the Truth book, what has been your progress? Are you satisfied with what you are learning? Has it made a change in your life? The Christian apostle Paul encouraged the young man Timothy to ponder over the things he learned: “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.” (1 Tim. 4:15, 16) Are you following this inspired advice? Are you pondering over the things you have learned and are learning? Are you absorbed with their meaning to you and your way of life? These are important questions, because they reveal to what extent one is allowing the truth of God’s Word to activate his life.—2 Cor. 13:5.

If one is dissatisfied with the progress he is making spiritually by means of his Bible study, what, then, might be the problem? Quite often the difficulty lies in the matter of personal interest and preparation. If anyone does not prepare his lessons beforehand, underlining the answers and thinking of ways to express in his own words the thoughts learned, then progress will be slow. Says a minister concerning a young couple with whom he began a home Bible study: “Each week they studied their lesson carefully and discussed the information with each other in preparation for our study.” This couple made rapid progress spiritually, and you can see why.

Ministers of Jehovah’s witnesses who offer their time and services freely to conduct Bible studies in the homes of people, do so because they believe that people who request such studies sincerely desire to worship and serve the true God, Jehovah. But if the student does not prepare his lessons in advance, what is a minister to think? Can he believe that such one is sincere? Does such a student fully appreciate the effort and sacrifice that the minister is making in his behalf? One might even doubt the student’s awareness of what a unique and precious privilege it is to learn about the Creator of the universe. If one’s progress is slow, reflect on these thoughts. Be absorbed in them.

When persons respond wholeheartedly to a Bible study, few things in life are more enjoyable to a minister than that. He literally thrills in the privilege of helping others grow in spiritual understanding. When the student prepares in advance and freely comments in his own words, what joy is generated! For this reflects interest, advancement and spiritual growth.—1 Thess. 1:6, 9, 10.

ARE YOU APPLYING WHAT YOU LEARN?

Often progress is hindered, not because of a failure to learn, but because some lack the will to apply to their lives what they learn. They fail to realize that there must be a close relationship between God’s Word and the way they live. Are you applying in your life the things learned from God’s Word? Remember, there will be little or no progress unless this is done. “Indeed, as the body without breath is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”—Jas. 2:26.

What are some of the things you should find yourself doing? Having learned who God is and that it is possible to approach him in prayer, are you really taking advantage of this marvelous provision? Are you praying to Jehovah?

Having learned what the Bible says about the use of images and idolatry, what have you done to bring your life into harmony with these requirements for pure worship?

Chapter seven in the Truth book is entitled “Are There Wicked Spirits?” Are you applying what you have learned by avoiding those practices that the demons use to mislead mankind?

And, too, if you as a result of your study of the Bible have found that the church with which you have associated has not been teaching you the truth of God’s Word, are you still attending church or allowing your membership to stand? If so, why? Can remaining a part of such an organization be pleasing to God? (Jas. 1:6-8) In the examples cited earlier, in each instance those persons applied to their lives the truth learned from their Bible study. They made the necessary changes. Then advancement was made manifest.

ARE YOU ATTENDING MEETINGS?

A minister writes about a young woman he had met in the door-to-door ministry and with whom he began studying the Truth book: “The very first study was just amazing! It was very evident this person was going to make rapid spiritual progress! On the second study we covered two chapters. By the time the third study was conducted she was attending all the Thursday and Sunday meetings. This was the truth, she knew it and she wanted it.”

Those who make fast spiritual progress invariably are those who attend congregation meetings. They take pleasure in the association of God’s people and look forward to being with them at their local Kingdom Halls. This is a fine thing, because it is in fulfillment of the Scriptural injunction that says: ‘Do not forsake the gathering of yourselves together, as some have the custom, but encourage one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near.’ (Heb. 10:24, 25) Those who follow this advice unquestionably have God’s blessing.

Have you attended a meeting of Jehovah’s witnesses yet? If not, why? Has it been inconvenient for you to do so? Do you think you might feel out of place? Are you perhaps concerned about what others in the community might think? Really, there is no valid reason to hold back. If Jehovah’s witnesses are truly God’s people, then it is vital that you associate with them. And certainly there could be no better way to find out precisely what kind of people they are than by going to their meetings where it is possible to come in direct contact with a cross section of them.—Mark 8:38; Matt. 25:40.

ARE YOU SHARING THE GOOD NEWS WITH OTHERS?

Jesus Christ said: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.” (Acts 20:35) Now, what have you learned that you could freely share with others? The truth of God’s Word. And what could be more pleasant and precious to give to relatives, friends and neighbors than words that can mean everlasting life to them?

If you have enjoyed what you have learned, have you tried as yet to share it with anyone? Why not do so? “For with the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration for salvation.” (Rom 10:10) Sharing the good news of God’s kingdom is that vital.

THE PRINCIPAL POINTS TO REMEMBER

There are primarily four things to keep in mind: the first has to do with your preparation for your home Bible study. How much of it are you doing? The Bible principle applies here: “He that sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and he that sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Cor. 9:6) If one does not put forth much effort, then he should not expect much in return. The greater the effort, the greater the spiritual blessing received.

The second point is that things learned from God’s Word must also be applied in one’s daily life. As the disciple James says: “If one knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him.” (Jas. 4:17) So applying the things learned plays a great part in Christian growth and living.

Thirdly, there should exist a desire to associate with God’s people. One should want to attend the meetings provided by the local congregation. Such association shows that one desires to identify oneself with the people of God.—Ps. 22:22.

And lastly, if what is learned leads to everlasting life and is available to all, the unselfish Christian thing would be to share it. And the most logical persons with whom to start sharing it would be one’s loved ones, relatives and neighbors.—John 1:35-42.

Now ask yourself, “What am I doing about what I have learned from my study of God’s Word the Bible?” Are you pleased with the progress you have made? If Yes, happy are you! If adjustments need to be made, then make them. “Exert yourselves vigorously to get in through the narrow door,” said Jesus, “because many, I tell you, will seek to get in but will not be able.” (Luke 13:24) That narrow door leads to everlasting life. Do all in your power to realize the promised hope of eternal life.

Change of Heart

Referring to the effect of the Watchtower magazine upon him, an African man wrote to the Watch Tower Society’s branch in South Africa, saying: ‘The Bible is the book in the world I hated most, but since I read your magazine it is the book I like best.”

What Is the Future of Today’s Youth?

“Remember, now, your grand Creator in the days of your young manhood.”—Eccl. 12:1.

1, 2. What has marked the period since 1914?

TODAY’S youth were born into the most violent period of human history. It began with man’s first world war in 1914, a holocaust that snuffed out the lives of more than 13 million persons, military and civilian. The frightful bloodshed and raw violence of that war seemed to open a door to even more shocking acts of man’s inhumanity to man.

2 In less than twenty years after World War I ended fiendish concentration camps had been established in Nazi Germany where millions of prisoners were systematically murdered. Then World War II erupted with even greater violence and ruthlessness than World War I, taking the lives of 22 million persons. This has been followed by smaller wars that have been breaking out periodically like erupting volcanoes.

3. What seems to have been the moral effect of the world wars upon the people?

3 The inhumanity that men have shown to fellow humans seems to have had a lasting and detrimental effect upon adults and the youth that have been born into this violent period. Respect for human life, law and order and good morals has plummeted. It is not unusual now for delinquent youths to engage in senseless acts of destruction and lawlessness. It is not unusual to see among them, year by year, a steady increase of murders, muggings, rapes, thefts, and other crimes. Increasing, too, are the riots that are turning cities in many countries into virtual battlefields. We are seeing what was long ago foretold in the Bible: “Wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse.”—2 Tim. 3:13.

4. Why are the hearts of many people fearful?

4 In view of this trend the hearts of many people are fearful for the future. They can see no letup in the growing violence and lawlessness. They are also keenly aware of the constant threat of a catastrophic nuclear world war. As foretold, they are becoming “faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.”—Luke 21:26.

5. What are some questions that young people might have about their future?

5 So what will be the future of today’s youth? Will it be a violent death or physical mangling in one of the many wars that keep breaking out? Will it be an uncertain and fearful existence in a violent system of things where law and order have broken down completely? Will it be annihilation in an earth-encompassing nuclear war that some persons estimate will take the lives of hundreds of millions of persons? Or will it be a peaceful and secure future in a worldwide system of things that is better than what we have today?

6. Why is it well for young people to pay close attention to what their Creator says?

6 It is not possible for man to foresee the future, but his Creator can. By paying close attention to what he says, young people can learn how it is possible for them to have a secure and peaceful future, a future that will be beyond their fondest dreams. But before we go into that, let us see what our Creator, Jehovah God, has purposed for the present, violent world of sinful mankind. Its future will also be the future of a great many of today’s youths.

AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH

7. With what time can the period since 1914 be compared, and how are the two similar?

7 The period since 1914 can be compared with another period in human history that became noted for its violence and lawlessness. It too was a time when people abandoned good moral standards and did whatever their selfish desires moved them to do without regard for the interests or the welfare of others. Turn to the Bible book of Genesis and read the Ge fifth verse in chapter six. It states that the thoughts of the people were “bad all the time.” Now notice what Ge 6 verse eleven says: “The earth came to be ruined in the sight of the true God and the earth became filled with violence.” That is precisely the situation we have earth wide today. Thus the age immediately before the great flood of Noah’s day compares well with the one since 1914.

8. How did Jehovah react to the badness of the world of that time?

8 Take note now how Jehovah God reacted to the widespread badness of that world. “After that God said to Noah: ‘The end of all flesh has come before me, because the earth is full of violence as a result of them; and here I am bringing them to ruin together with the earth. And as for me, here I am bringing the deluge of waters upon the earth to bring to ruin all flesh in which the force of life is active from under the heavens. Everything that is in the earth will expire.”’ (Gen. 6:13, 17) And that is precisely what happened. All humans and other air-breathing creatures on the land surfaces that were not in the safety of the great waterproof craft that Noah had built were drowned in the deluge of waters. (Gen. 7:17-23) But Noah and the seven other persons with him were preserved and began repopulating the earth after the waters subsided.

9. What is the significance to us of what happened in the days of Noah?

9 What does this history of events that happened more than four thousand years ago mean to us? It is an example of how our Creator reacted to a world that gave itself over to violence and everything he regarded as being bad. Is not the present world of sinful mankind just as bad, if not worse? Is it not reasonable to expect him to show his indignation toward it too? As his patience ran out for that world, so it will soon run out for the present one.

10. What has Jehovah promised to do to the present violent system of things?

10 Forewarning what he will do, Jehovah God promised that he will “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Rev. 11:18) When he acted against the world of Noah’s day, the people were taken by surprise because of the suddenness of it. Although Noah had warned them, they did not believe him. So will be the experience of this present world of sinful mankind. Notice what God’s Word foretells: “For you yourselves know quite well that Jehovah’s day is coming exactly as a thief in the night. Whenever it is that they are saying: ‘Peace and security!’ then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape.” (1 Thess. 5:2, 3) As a thief strikes when his victim is not expecting it, catching him by surprise, so will the destruction God has purposed for the present system of things catch the people by surprise.

11. Why can the destruction of the world before the Flood be regarded as a forewarning of what is coming upon the present system of things?

11 Comparing this period with the days of Noah, Jesus Christ said: “Moreover, just as it occurred in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of man.” (Luke 17:26, 27, 30) There is a striking similarity in conduct of the people, their faithlessness, their immorality, their violence and their indifference to divine warnings. Jesus would not have made that comparison if he had not intended his listeners to conclude that the destruction of the world before the Flood was a forewarning of what the present world of disobedient people faces at God’s hands. The apostle Peter shows this to be so by pointedly comparing what happened to that world with what will happen to this one. He then said that the present “heavens” and “earth” are “reserved to the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.”—2 Pet. 3:5-7.

“LAST DAYS”

12. (a) What can this period since 1914 rightly be called? (b) What does this mean for young people who ignore God’s purposes and his commands?

12 These and other prophecies definitely mark this exceptionally violent period since 1914 as the “time of the end,” the “last days” of the present system of things. This means that the young people of today who ignore God’s purposes and commands will have a very short future. How can they expect to survive the end of this system of things while clinging to it and ignoring God’s arrangement for survival? They can be compared with the people who cling to a sinking ship despite warnings of disaster and perish with it.

13-15. (a) What is the course to survival today, and what does it involve for many young people? (b) Why must there be a change?

13 During these “last days” is the time to flee from the course of the present world of wicked mankind, separating yourself from it. (2 Cor. 6:14-17) Its violence, its lawlessness, its immorality, its political and commercial corruption and its disrespect for the will of God must be left behind for the clean, Christian course of obedience and faithfulness to Jehovah God. This is the course to survival today as it was for Noah and his companions.

14 This involves a change in thinking and a change in personality for many of today’s youths. No longer can they be past all moral sense and expect to survive. Why should God preserve young people who think his laws against fornication and other forms of moral uncleanness are out-of-date? He did not preserve those who loved the badness of the world before the Flood, and it is not reasonable to expect him to preserve people who love the badness of this present world. Such persons, the Bible says, have “come to be past all moral sense” and have given “themselves over to loose conduct to work uncleanness of every sort with greediness.” (Eph. 4:19) So a change in personality is necessary.

15 How can a young person who practices moral uncleanness, shows disrespect for parents, rebels against lawful authorities, greedily pursues sensual pleasures that may include the use of mind-warping drugs and embraces ungodly views of atheistic adults expect to survive the end of this world of sinful mankind? Is he not like the people of Noah’s day who were destroyed in the Flood? His whole way of thinking and way of life manifests contempt for God’s righteous laws. He will have to allow God’s Word to transform him if he wants to survive. God cannot be expected to preserve anyone who loves what is unrighteous. (Eph. 4:23, 24) The life of such a young person will be cut short at the foretold “war of the great day of God the Almighty,” which will soon come upon the present system of things.—Rev. 16:14.

16. Are all young people indifferent to God’s laws and purposes?

16 But not all young people today are indifferent to the purposes of God and his fine laws. Not all of them are involved in the distorted thinking of worldly youths or in their lawless acts. There are some who are remembering their “Creator in the days of [their] young manhood” and young womanhood. (Eccl. 12:1) They have a different future.

YOUNG PEOPLE WITH A FINE FUTURE

17. How are some young people today different?

17 There were eight persons living before the great Deluge who did not follow the majority but who chose to live lives in harmony with the will of God. None were participants in the violence and immoral acts of that period. So today there are people who are not going along with the godlessness and lawlessness of the majority. These include fine, young boys and girls who think more of being acceptable to God than of being acceptable to the other young people in their age-groups. Notwithstanding what other young people may think or say, they guide their actions by the righteous laws of God.

18. What good counsel does Jehovah give young people, and as a result of it what are they able to do?

18 Respecting his wisdom these young people listen to his wise counsel as he recommends in his written Word. Notice what he says to them: “My son, if you will receive my sayings and treasure up my own commandments with yourself, so as to pay attention to wisdom with your ear, that you may incline your heart to discernment; in that case you will understand the fear of Jehovah, and you will find the very knowledge of God.” They will also understand “righteousness and judgment and uprightness, the entire course of what is good.”—Prov. 2:1, 2, 5, 9.

19. (a) Why are they not confused by world events or disillusioned by the actions of world leaders? (b) What do they have the courage to do?

19 By paying attention to the wisdom of God’s written Word these young people are not confused by the course of world events or disillusioned by the failure of world leaders to do what is just. They are able to recognize in these events the evidence that marks this period as the “last days.” Knowing what the unpleasant future will be for those who cling to this violent world of sinful men, they have the courage to strike out on a different path, one that is in harmony with the laws and purposes of God. This is not easy. It means they must act differently from what is popular, and for doing this others may speak abusively of them.—1 Pet. 4:4.

20. Why should it be obvious that going along with the world of mankind that is alienated from God is not the wise thing to do?

20 It would be much easier to go along with the crowd and have its approval. But what if Noah’s three sons had done that instead of standing firm for what was right in God’s eyes? Their future would have ended with that old system of things at the Deluge. Is it not obvious when we look back to that time that they did the right thing by refusing to do what was pleasing in the eyes of the majority?

21. (a) What will many young people be able to do in the future? (b) What is more important than being concerned about what others say about you for obeying God?

21 The time is not far away when many young people of today will be able to look back and rejoice that they stood firm for what is right in the eyes of God despite what others said and did. That certainly must have been the feeling of Noah’s sons after the Deluge destroyed the generation of their time, but they were still alive. Is not being alive more important than the unpleasant things other people might think and say about you or even what they might do to you? Is it not better to do what is right in God’s eyes, despite what they say, and be alive long after they have ceased to be? Although they may now regard you as if a lowly dog, it is well to remember that “a live dog is better off than a dead lion.”—Eccl. 9:4.

22. What is the future before the young people who gain God’s approval?

22 When this old system of things passes away, the young people who gain God’s approval will have the prospect of continuing to live on this earth forever. What a marvelous future that is! This is what the Bible assures them: “Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”—1 John 2:17.

23. Why should a future of eternal life not be regarded as unrealistic?

23 Perhaps it seems unrealistic to you to talk of an indefinite future, one of eternal life. Because you have not seen anyone who did not grow old and die, does that mean it is impossible for a human to have eternal youth and life? Remember, it is Jehovah God, who created mankind in the beginning, who promises this for those who obey and serve him and his royal Son, Jesus Christ. (John 3:16; Heb. 5:9) Look how long a tree is able to live. Some of the giant sequoias are more than 3,000 years old and still have many more years ahead of them. Since he can give a tree such long life, is it not reasonable for him to give eternal life to intelligent creatures who love, worship, obey and serve him?

SERVING THE CREATOR WHILE YOUNG

24, 25. (a) What is better for a young person to pursue than material things? (b) Explain the folly of living for material things.

24 There are many pursuits in the commercial world to which these young people could devote their youthful strength and keen minds for selfish benefits. But what lasting good would that do them? The material things that the people of Noah’s day hungrily pursued were of no help to them when the Deluge came upon them. Would it not be wiser to put the preservation of your life ahead of the pursuit of money and material possessions? In these “last days” in which we are now living, young people can do this by putting the service of their Creator before their desire for material things.—Luke 12:15, 22, 23.

25 Material possessions deteriorate with time and wear out with use, and so their benefit to a person is of limited duration. Consider, for example, the person who expends his youthful strength and vigor in a business that eventually brings him a fine income. He has a large account in the bank and holds many securities, but how safe is it all? An economic crisis can cause the value of his securities to tumble, and the bank can close its doors, leaving him with nothing. This is possible in a severe monetary crisis even in countries where savings accounts are government insured. On the other hand runaway inflation can eat away the value of his savings. Even if neither of these eventualities happened to him, he can still die suddenly, leaving behind all that he had worked for and saved. What benefit could all his money and other material possessions do him then?—Luke 12:16-21.

26. Why is serving God better than pursuing material things?

26 A young person can devote his energies to a much more beneficial purpose by serving his Creator. He will then be following a course of action that brings God’s favor, which is essential for preservation through the end of the present system of things. This would be like storing up “treasures in heaven” that do not deteriorate with time, wear out or cease to be of benefit upon the person’s death. Noah and his sons obeyed God and served him and thus laid up treasures that preserved their lives through the Deluge. Those treasures were God’s approval, blessing and protection. Since we are in the last days of the present world of disobedient mankind, would that not be the wise thing for young people to do?—Matt. 6:19, 20.

27, 28. How are the youth among Jehovah’s witnesses serving their Creator, and why is their future much superior to that of young people who are not serving him?

27 The young people among Jehovah’s witnesses are doing this by engaging in the Christian ministry. In obedience to Scriptural commands they are preaching and teaching the liberating truths of God’s Word “publicly and from house to house.” (Acts 20:20; Matt. 28:19, 20; Heb. 13:15) It is a fine work that turns the hearts of people to their Creator and puts them on a course that leads to the preservation of their lives.

28 Although these young people are receiving no material benefits from their ministry, they are receiving spiritual benefits that last indefinitely. They are storing up for themselves “treasures in heaven.” Certainly the future that God has purposed for these young people who serve and obey him is much better than the short future ahead of the young people who are ignoring him. Is not eternal life much better than selfishly living for only a short time pursuing sensual pleasures, material riches and personal fame? They think so.

29, 30. In what kind of system of things can God-fearing young people expect to live?

29 Do not conclude that the young people who choose to be different from the majority of young people by serving their Creator will be living indefinitely in a violent, selfish and insecure system of things as we have today. That will not be the case. When God brings the present violent system to an end and all who persistently cling to it, a new system of things will replace it. Surviving mankind will be under the righteous rule of God’s kingdom.

30 As its King, Jesus Christ will rule in justice and righteousness. Then men toward whom Jehovah God has goodwill are going to have on earth eternal peace and security. (Luke 2:14; Isa. 9:6, 7) This is what our Creator has purposed, and whatever he purposes never fails to become reality.—Isa. 55:11.

GRAND PRIVILEGES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

31. What do the privileges of service in God’s organization enable young people to do, and what is one of those privileges?

31 Within Jehovah’s earthly organization today there are grand privileges of service for dedicated young people. These privileges enable them to do meaningful work that benefits their fellowman. But, more important than that, it honors their Creator. One of the privileges is that of spending a large portion of their time in proclaiming God’s purposes and teaching people the liberating truths of his written Word. This is called the pioneer service. It might be compared with the ministerial work that Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, did. Most of his time was devoted to this fine way of serving his Creator.

32. How do pioneers support themselves, and how are they accumulating “letters of recommendation”?

32 As Paul worked part time at a secular occupation so as to pay for his own expenses, so do pioneers today. (Acts 18:3; 20:34) These full-time servants of Jehovah take on part-time secular jobs so they can devote at least 100 hours a month actually to preaching and teaching God’s purposes in the homes of the people. This unselfish work by young pioneers is helping a great number of fine people to start following the way that has Jehovah’s approval and that leads to a marvelous future for them after the end of the present system of things. In this manner these young people are accumulating “letters of recommendation,” living letters that are evidence of their good works.—2 Cor. 3:1-3.

33. What fine prospect for additional service privileges do young pioneers have?

33 For young people who have entered the pioneer service there is the grand prospect of attending the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, where they will be prepared to do missionary work in foreign lands. This is a privilege of service by which young people can be of real service to people who have not heard of God’s purposes. They will learn the language of those people so they can teach them the liberating truths of God’s written Word right in their own homes, whether those homes be mud huts or palaces. Some of the young people who receive this special training will eventually be used in a special capacity as traveling representatives of the Watch Tower Society or they might be given the responsibility of supervising this ministerial work for a whole country.

34. What privileges await those young people who desire to serve their Creator in one of the branches of the Watch Tower Society?

34 For other young people there is the excellent privilege of doing special work in one of the more than ninety branches of the Watch Tower Society. Some of these branches have printing facilities for producing publications useful in teaching people the life-giving truths of God’s Word. These branches in particular can make good use of dedicated young men and women who want to devote their youthful energies to God’s service. At the headquarters of the Watchtower Society in Brooklyn, New York, and at its farms there are about 1,400 dedicated witnesses of Jehovah, of which there are about 900 young persons under the age of thirty who are devoting all their time in manufacturing Bibles and Bible-study aids or working at one of the many other tasks that keep this huge establishment functioning. They also spend evenings and weekends in engaging in the Christian ministry. What a fine way for young people to serve their Creator in the few remaining years of this present violent system of things!

35. What are young people encouraged to do?

35 If you are a young person, why waste your life in pursuing sensual pleasures or trying to gain riches and a position in the present system of things that will soon pass away? Why be like the young people of Noah’s day who pursued the wrong things and had their lives cut short in the Deluge? Consider the evidence that marks this period since 1914 as the “last days.” Pay attention to the wise counsel God has put in his written Word for you and trust him to do what he has said he will do. Serve your Creator and enjoy the marvelous future he has purposed for obedient mankind.

[Picture on page 145]

Youths who look to the future lay up “treasures in heaven” by engaging in the Christian ministry

Youths, Prove Yourselves Christ’s Disciples

“Keep proving what you yourselves are.”—2 Cor. 13:5.

1. Why is it often difficult for young persons to serve their Creator?

YOUNG people who have chosen to serve their Creator are not finding it easy to do in this turbulent age. They are under constant pressure to conform to the world of sinful mankind. In their contacts with other young people at school and in their neighborhood they see the spirit of rebellion that is taking hold of worldly youth. They see other young people turning to outlandish clothing and hairstyles, and they feel conspicuous because they are different. They hear speech that is without good taste. They see disrespect for good moral standards. They see young people abusing themselves with narcotics and hallucinogenic drugs. They feel constant pressure to walk in step with these other young people. Certainly they would not prove themselves as Christ’s disciples if they did.

2. What does it mean to be one of Christ’s disciples, and why must a young person who is one be different?

2 To be one of Christ’s disciples means to accept his teachings and to assist in spreading them. Young persons who do this must necessarily be different from the young people who are part of the world, because the thinking and actions of the latter are out of harmony with Christ’s teachings. Pointing out how a person can show that he has accepted Christ’s teachings and has permitted them to mold his way of life, the Scriptures state that he needs to deaden his body to immoral actions, hurtful desires and other bad actions that mark this world of men alienated from God. “But now really put them all away from you, wrath, anger, injuriousness, abusive speech, and obscene talk out of your mouth. Do not be lying to one another. Strip off the old personality with its practices, and clothe yourselves with the new personality, which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it.”—Col. 3:5-10.

TWO ROADS

3, 4. Describe the road before Christian young people and the one before worldly youths.

3 There are two roads stretching out in front of today’s youths. The one Christian young people have chosen to follow is a narrow and difficult one. Its boundaries are set by the laws and principles of God’s written Word. That is why its width is limited. As Jesus Christ stayed within those boundaries so they strive to do.

4 The other road is a broad one without boundaries because the young people who walk it have no respect for the laws of God. They imagine themselves to be free to do whatever they please, and they think they can decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. Actually God reserves to himself the right to decide that for mankind. Consequently they have a mental state that God disapproves. Many of them are “haters of God, insolent, haughty, self-assuming, inventors of injurious things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, false to agreements, having no natural affection, merciless.” (Rom. 1:28-31) The future of the young people who walk this road is eternal death, but the future of those walking the narrow road as Christ’s disciples is just the opposite—eternal life.—Matt. 7:13, 14.

5. Why must those on the narrow road be watchful?

5 Watchfulness is necessary on the part of the young people walking that narrow road. All that separates them from the descending, broad road are the protective boundaries of God’s laws and principles. It is possible for the bad influence of worldly young people to cause a young person on this road to violate those boundaries and fall to the broad road. Getting back on the narrow one can be very difficult. Once off it he can be swept along with the crowd that is alienated from God, being drawn farther and farther from the narrow road to life until it is lost from sight. Would it not be better for him to exercise foresight and not permit the bad influence of worldly young people to cause him to take a wrong step?

6. How might a Christian youth unwisely begin acting like worldly youths, and what is God’s counsel to him?

6 He will want to watch how he walks so he does not unintentionally begin acting like worldly youths. He might do this by repeatedly showing disrespect for his parents and refusing to obey them. This would be contrary to God’s counsel to young people. At Colossians 3:20, Jehovah’s Word says: “You children, be obedient to your parents in everything, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord.” Notice that it says to be “obedient to your parents in everything.” It is understood here that such parents are “in union with the Lord,” as is stated in Ephesians 6:1-4. Otherwise “everything” would include things that might displease the Lord.

7. How should he react to restrictions placed on him by his Christian parents? Why?

7 If Christian parents place unpleasant restrictions on a child of minor age, such as the time he is to be home at night, the way he grooms himself, his manner of dress, his associations, and so forth, he will prove that he is a Christian by obeying his parents “in union with the Lord.” He will recognize God’s arrangement that gives parents authority over their offspring, and he will accept the fact that his parents have the legal right to make decisions for him until he reaches the age when he is free to make them for himself. To rebel against their authority would be going against God’s specific instructions to be obedient. That would hardly be the conduct one would expect to find in a youthful follower of Jesus Christ.

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The Watchtower, March 1, 1970