The Watchtower, September 1, 1973

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The Watchtower — September 1, 1973

Source: jw.org

Contents

How Do You React to Racial Differences?

A Place for All Races

Where Racial Divisions Do Not Exist

Changing from Girlhood to Womanhood

A Language for All Peoples

Equipped to Speak Delightful Words of Truth

Will You Recognize the Truth About God?

Beware of Adulterous Leanings!

Annual Meeting, October 1, 1973

Counselors Displaying “Mildness That Belongs to Wisdom”

Do You Remember?

Questions From Readers

God’s Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached

How Do You React to Racial Differences?

How Do You React to Racial Differences?

RACIAL differences​—how they have plagued mankind! But think for a moment: Is the real problem racial differences? Or is it the way men react to the differences?

Some have used this reaction as a hurtful political tool. For example, Adolf Hitler once remarked to former German politician Hermann Rauschning:

“I know perfectly well . . . that in the scientific sense there is no such thing as race. . . . I as a politician need a conception which enables the [existing] order . . . to be abolished . . . With the conception of race National Socialism [Nazism] will carry its revolution abroad and recast the world.”

In other words, Hitler knew that he had only to channel men’s racial reactions to gain his political ends.

SOME SEARCHING QUESTIONS

How about you? Does prejudicial talk about racial differences sweep you along as it did those people? Could it cause you to stop judging individuals on their own merits? Do you view the high crime rate and the filth in many “ghetto” areas as evidences of racial inferiority?

Or does prejudice take a more subtle form? Might you outwardly appear to have no racial bias, yet inwardly feel yourself indulgent for having been kind to a person of another race? When you hear a report of wrongdoing, do you immediately identify the wrongdoer by his race?

On the other hand, if you believe you are a victim of prejudice, do you retaliate by developing prejudice of your own? Do you believe that the only reason for your oppression is racial? Are there no bad personal habits you may have that could be improved to gain more respect from others?

HOW HUMAN VARIETY CAME TO BE

It is apparent that a better understanding of racial differences is needed to help us to temper our reactions. An examination of how these differences originated will help us to react in a realistic and moral way, rather than to be swayed by extremists.

You might reasonably ask at this point, ‘Where did the races with their clearly defined characteristics, so different from one another, come from? How do you explain the tall Scandinavians with their fair skin and blond hair, or the stocky Eskimo with their thick black hair, flattened noses and slanted eyes, or the black-skinned Negroes with their short, curly hair and full lips?’

In answer, scientific studies have shown that differences among living things are, basically, a matter of genetics (genes are minute particles that determine heredity). The potential for variety is inherent in all living things, including man. Says Zoologist Ernst Mayr: “To speak of ‘pure’ races is sheer nonsense. Variability is inherent in any natural population.”

Now to help understand how the races developed from this variability, let us illustrate: Did you know that horticulturists (plant scientists) have been able to isolate certain variations in plants, such as exceptional size? They can then develop strains of those plants that all have that same feature.

To apply this illustration to man, suppose a group of people were isolated geographically from the rest of the human family, just as the horticulturist isolates a strain of plants with which he is working. Certain characteristics among those people would become stronger, or “dominant,” throughout the group’s descendants. Eventually a new “race” would develop, yet it would remain human.

That this is exactly what happened is documented scientifically and historically. Professor S. A. Barnett, zoologist at the Australian National University, defines race as “a group which shares in common a certain set of genes, and which became distinct from other groups as a result of geographical isolation.”

Scientists can only guess how this “geographical isolation” came about. But there is one historical source that fits all the facts available.

Let us focus our attention back on the time when there were not, as yet, any races. According to the historical report, it could be said of mankind that “they are all a single people with a single language!” (Genesis 11:6 in The Jerusalem Bible) In agreement with this, Professor of Zoology L. C. Dunn says that there “may have been a time when the human race was actually one marriage community, because even today all races have many of their genes in common, as though they had all obtained them from a common source.”

However, an attempt was made to keep mankind in one location for religiopolitical purposes. (See Genesis 11:1-9.) It failed. Had this attempt been successful, men would not have spread rapidly over the earth. But the Creator’s purpose for mankind differed. He expressed it not long before: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth.”​—Gen. 9:1; see also 1:28.

Was this purpose to be realized? Yes, very effectively. The Creator suddenly caused men to speak different languages so they could not understand one another. What better way to make them separate?

Picture what must have taken place: Unable to communicate as one people, little groups, now isolated by the barrier of language, moved off on their own. As they spread farther afield, distance added another barrier to communication. The record of these events says that “Jehovah scattered them from there over all the surface of the earth.” (Gen. 11:8) Isolated by location and by language, the descendants of each group multiplied and developed the distinct features of their “race.”

A question that may come up here is: “Have the races become so different from one another that each one is another ‘species’?” Zoologist Mayr makes this comment in answer:

“All the different kinds of living man on the face of the earth belong to a single species. . . . As a matter of fact, the various races of man are less different from each other than are the subspecies of many . . . animals. Yet a few misguided individuals have . . . divided him into five or six separate species by using such artificial criteria as white, yellow, red, or black skin color. Such a division . . . is completely contrary to the biological species concept.” (Italics ours)

Thus we can see how very accurately the Bible record parallels the known facts. As the apostle Paul plainly stated to the men of Athens in the first century of our Common Era, God “made out of one man every nation of men.” Or, as The New English Bible puts it: “He created every race of men of one stock, to inhabit the whole earth’s surface.”​—Acts 17:22-26.

DO PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND MENTALITY GO TOGETHER?

Some persons argue that there is a direct relation between appearance and mental qualities. Therefore, they say, those that have an appearance that goes with “inferior” mentality should be separated from others. They presume that this will avoid genetic weakening of the “superior” race.

However, Professor Mayr calls it a “fallacy” to claim “an association between a particular color of the eyes or the hair and certain traits of the mind or the character. All available evidence negates the existence of such [correspondence].”

What does the evidence really show as to racial variety? Is any race “superior” to another? Theodosius Dobzhansky of Rockefeller University in New York says:

“The striking fact​—which not even the racists can conceal—​is that the race differences in the averages are much smaller than the variations within any race. In other words, large brains and high I.Q.’s of persons of every race are much larger and higher than the averages for their own or any other race.”

What can we conclude from the foregoing? This: If some persons argue for the segregation of people because of claimed “inferior” mentality or culture, would it not be far more consistent to segregate all people, regardless of race, who fall below set “standards,” rather than to separate them by their color? Thus they would be compelled to segregate many of their own race, and for exactly the same reasons that they wish to segregate others! Is that really what they want?

The issue that we must all face is whether we are willing to conform to God’s viewpoint on this matter. It is nicely stated by the apostle Peter: “‘The truth I have now come to realise,’ he said, ‘is that God does not have favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.’” (Acts 10:34, 35, Jerusalem Bible) Will you accept ‘anybody of any nationality, or race, who does what is right’? That is the real point at issue, is it not?

APPRECIATING RACIAL VARIETY

Everything around us bespeaks abundant variety. What if this were not the case? Would you like to eat the same food every day? What if there were just one kind of animal, or bird, or tree in the forest? Suppose all flowers were the same color. Would you like that kind of world?

We do not live in such a world because our Creator lovingly gave living things the potential for variety. This variety provides never-ending stimulation to delight our senses. It brings fullness to life. Should it be different when it comes to variety among men? Can you imagine how offensive a lack of appreciation for variety is to the One who created it?

As Professor Dobzhansky points out: “Genetic diversity is a blessing, not a curse. Any society . . . has a multitude of diverse vocations and callings to be filled.”

Interestingly, there is a society of people who really appreciate the variety among men. They are known as Jehovah’s witnesses. They find it stimulating and beneficial. Within this society, all persons, without regard for their race, find fulfillment and opportunity to use their abilities to the full. They rejoice in the magnificent variety of personalities, culture, language, clothing, homes and food among people of all races.

When they travel abroad to attend international assemblies of Jehovah’s witnesses, they know they will be fully accepted by their Christian brothers in any land. They will be on an equal footing of mutual love and respect. Religious writer G. Norman Eddy noted this about the Witnesses:

“I am struck with their genuine high regard for the people of all races. Unlike some who pay lip service to the doctrine of racial brotherhood, the Witnesses welcome all to their society​—even to places of outstanding leadership—​without reference to color or feature.”

Jehovah’s witnesses realize that improvements need to be made in one’s life, no matter what one’s race is. So they work on improvements individually, on the basis of Christian principles. If a person is sloppy or uses bad language, if he has little respect for others or the law, if he drinks heavily or does not take care of his family responsibilities, he must make the necessary changes to conform to Christian standards. He ‘puts on a new personality,’ which anyone of any race can master if he wants to.​—Col. 3:9, 10; Rom. 13:1; 2 Thess. 3:10.

The world that Adolf Hitler planned to “recast” with his “conception of race” would have been sterile and bleak governed by the whims of only his one “master race.” In contrast, God in his wisdom uses all of mankind’s qualities to make a balanced, loving and useful organization. Why not share the pleasure of reacting with appreciation to racial variety?

[Picture on page 517]

‘All humans descended from Adam and Eve,’ says the Bible. “All the people of the earth are a single family and have a common origin,” scientists acknowledge

A Place for All Races

A Place for All Races

That God’s kingdom will include, both in its administration and among its subjects, people of all races is made very clear in the Bible. Revelation 5:9, 10 says that with his own blood Christ bought “persons for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,” and, under his direction, “they are to rule as kings.” Over whom will they rule? Revelation 7:9 answers: “a great crowd . . . out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues,” all of them worshipers of the true God.

Where Racial Divisions Do Not Exist

Where Racial Divisions Do Not Exist

TODAY racial and national feelings often run high. Time and again these feelings have contributed to injustice, ill will and even acts of violence. Many sincere people would like to see an end to such things. They are yearning to find people who have genuine love for fellow humans. But are there people today who manifest true love for fellowmen regardless of race, nationality or station in life? You, like others, may find the answer to this question by going to a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

✔ A woman from the state of Virginia resisted her brother’s efforts to tell her about the Bible truths he was learning from Jehovah’s witnesses. Later, this woman and her husband moved to a new location, and were called on by Witnesses there. She relates: “I usually took their magazines, but I always threw them away. So I was very surprised to find that my husband had taken some publications and was actually reading them. I felt that he must be losing his mind and teased him about it a lot. Finally we sat down to talk about what he had read. When he brought up the facts that point to an intelligent Creator, I couldn’t argue against this. I promised to attend a meeting with him, and at that meeting my viewpoint was changed. The people in this integrated congregation were genuinely friendly to me and were interested in me and my family.”

This was quite different from what she had experienced in the past. As she put it: “We had had a colored woman in our church when I was young. But she always sat in a separate section.”

When one of the Witnesses offered to study with her and her husband, they agreed. “Even though I wasn’t convinced then that we had found the truth,” she observes, “it was so wonderful just to be with such loving people.”

✔ A young Jewish man from the state of Massachusetts relates:

“My experience began while I was attending college. A fellow student, a girl [who was studying the Bible with Jehovah’s witnesses], began asking me questions that I hadn’t considered before, like, ‘If God created this planet, why doesn’t he do something to improve its condition?’

“Having been an Orthodox Jew and having seen the hypocrisy in so many religions, I wasn’t interested in becoming involved with any religious organization, but I couldn’t ignore her questions. She told me that these and many more questions could be answered for me by Jehovah’s witnesses and, if I would go to one of their meetings, I would see something very unusual. So I attended one of them, and found out just what she meant.

“Having attended school in a ghetto area, I had seen much racial hatred. But here, right in the middle of the ghetto, was a group of people who knew there was only one race, the human race. They were considerate, kind and loving to one another and to me, despite my appearance [long hair and sideburns, mustache, blue jeans and sandals]. Soon a friend and I began studying with Jehovah’s witnesses.”

This friend then adds his own comments: “One day I was talking with a good friend of mine [the young Jew] about the Woodstock rock festival that I had attended. I told him how impressed I was that over 300,000 people were gathered there and yet there was so much love among the people. After I had finished telling him about it, he said, ‘If you want to find out what love really is, come to a meeting of Jehovah’s witnesses.’ So I went, skeptical of how they were going to react to my unkempt appearance.

“I did not understand what was taking place on the platform, but I did observe the people. They were warm and sincere, and showed genuine love for one another regardless of color or age difference. I was overwhelmed by this. I couldn’t even put into words what I felt.”

Today both of these young men are baptized witnesses of Jehovah. Regarding them an elder in their congregation notes: “Both make a fine Christian and gentlemanly appearance. Indeed, the change in these two men shows the truth’s transforming power, and the whole congregation enjoys their association very much.”

If you are interested in associating with people who are not divided by racial barriers but who strive to cultivate love as commanded in the Bible, we encourage you to study the Holy Scriptures with Jehovah’s witnesses. We are confident that what you learn will be a real source of spiritual uplift to you.

Changing from Girlhood to Womanhood

Changing from Girlhood to Womanhood

Helpful facts that young people want to know

SPRINGTIME eventually passes into summer; flowering trees in time become fruit-bearing trees. So, also, do young girls naturally become young women. It is as big a transition as from babyhood to childhood.

As when a bud opens up, revealing what the flower is like, so, too, when this period is over, the woman you are going to be becomes more clearly evident. Though curiosity may overwhelm you, you will have to wait to see. Yet there is much you can do to contribute toward happy results in this development.

Adolescence, as this period of transition is known, generally begins around the age of eleven for girls and may continue until about the age of seventeen or eighteen. It is a time that has its own joys and problems. The share you get of each can depend much on you. Knowing and understanding certain helpful points can aid you greatly.

BODILY CHANGES AND THE REASON FOR THEM

One is the way your body changes and the reason for this. During your adolescent years, you not only grow taller, adding perhaps five or six inches to your height, but also become heavier, gaining about thirty-five pounds. As a rule, there will be a couple of years when you experience a “growth spurt,” a time when your rate of growth in height and weight speeds up remarkably. Now, you may see other girls your same age suddenly outpacing you, or you may find yourself swiftly outpacing them. Either way, there is no need to become concerned about this. Each individual’s time for this rapid growth period comes at its own point. Girls generally enter this “growth spurt” a year or two earlier than boys. There is, in fact, a time when girls may tend to be taller than boys of the same age. But the boys catch up and, since their growth continues longer than that of girls, generally the boys wind up taller​—and stronger.

Sometimes this growth spurt is initially more prominent in one part of the body than in another. Your feet or hands may seem to become distressingly long in proportion to the rest of your body. But, in time, the rest of the body gets into the swing of growth and things equalize, usually the lengthening of the torso and the deepening of the chest developing last. Facial contours change, generally becoming more angular, the chin more pointed and the nose longer. At the same time other parts of the body begin to develop fatty deposits that give the characteristic rounded form of the feminine figure.

PREPARATION FOR A MAJOR ROLE IN LIFE

But another development takes place during feminine adolescence. It is the start of what Jacob’s wife Rachel called “the customary thing with women,” menstruation. (Gen. 31:34, 35) In a sense, it is a thrilling moment​—it shows that you have reached the threshold of womanhood. Hormone secretions have begun to work in your body. They stimulate the ovaries to begin releasing egg cells, quite irregularly at first, but then about once every four weeks. The egg cell when released passes down into the womb or uterus, which has been stimulated to develop a special lining for receiving the egg if it should become fertilized. When the egg remains infertile, this lining in time is discarded. This is what produces menstruation, the periodic discharge of blood, fluid and some tissue debris. So, while some accompanying pain or discomfort may be experienced, it is a normal process and should cause no undue concern.

When does this process begin? Its start varies from person to person. While in many lands the average is around thirteen, one girl may begin as early as ten years of age (some even earlier), while another may not begin until sixteen or even later. Similarly, the length of the menstrual flow may vary from three to five days.

Along with this there is a broadening of the hips, and the breasts begin to develop. These many developments, some visible, some invisible, are all preparations for the dual role in life that mankind’s Creator has reserved for women​—that of being a wife and a mother. The broader hips that girls develop not only aid in making childbirth easier but also facilitate the carrying of small children. During pregnancy the fatty deposits on the woman’s body are a reserve supply that can be drawn on as she nourishes unborn or newly born children, and with birth the breasts begin producing milk.

ADDED RESPONSIBILITY RESULTS

The privileges granted to women by mankind’s Creator, Jehovah God, carry with them responsibility to respect and act in harmony with the Creator’s purpose. The mutual attraction that God has caused to exist between the sexes is largely related to procreation. As a girl’s body develops so that she is capable of bearing children, she exerts a stronger attraction toward males who have reached the stage of being able to father children. But this attraction can be misused or abused. What, then, needs to be kept in mind so that you can take the right course, one that will assure God’s blessing and favor and contribute to your lasting future happiness?

In the Bible book The Song of Solomon we find an interesting expression evidently made by the older brothers of a maiden from Shulem. First, one is quoted as saying: “We have a little sister that does not have any breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day she will be spoken for?” That is, what would they do for their sister when she had ceased to be flat-chested, had grown up and someone now asked to arrange her marriage? Another brother answered, saying: “If she should be a wall, we shall build upon her a battlement of silver; but if she should be a door, we shall block her up with a cedar plank.” (Song of Sol. 8:8, 9) What does this mean?

Their figurative language apparently meant that if their sister proved to be firm as a “wall” they would handsomely reward and honor her. How could she do that? By showing firm determination to remain chaste, showing strength in resisting any attempts to involve her in immoral conduct. When suitable for marriage, she would show herself steady and constant in holding to right principles. On the other hand, if she was like a “door” that swings open to anyone exerting a little strength toward it, even to someone unwholesome, then they would have to take steps to restrict her, in effect, to ‘bar her shut’ as someone not to be trusted as regards the opposite sex. She could also be like a door in swinging back and forth in her affections, becoming infatuated first with this person and then with that one.

The Shulammite maiden, now a matured woman with breasts, successfully passed this test and was able to say to her brothers: “I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. In this case I have become in his eyes [that is, the eyes of her prospective husband] like her that is finding peace.”​—Song of Sol. 8:10.

You, too, face a similar test as you approach womanhood. If you want to enjoy true peace of mind, heart and conscience and protect yourself against experiencing peace-wrecking problems, you need to exercise self-control and show strength for what is right. (Ps. 119:165) Should you deliberately draw attention to those parts of your body that relate to motherhood by wearing short, snug-fitting skirts, low-cut blouses or tight sweaters? That would have a sexually stimulating effect on those of the opposite sex. Then what?

Well, will you have the firmness and strength to resist any advances that such emphasis on those body parts might induce? And, even though you show physical development, do you have the mental and emotional development you would need for marriage and possible motherhood? A cat is ready to have kittens at twelve months of age and instinctively can do a good job of caring for her offspring. But humans are not creatures of instinct like animals. Humans learn far more than they inherit, and learning takes time. To try to rush the process would be like trying to force the petals of a rosebud open before their time. That would only ruin the flower and damage any future beauty it might have. Remember, too, marriage is not just being a bride. It also means being a housekeeper, cook and clothes washer, while being a mother requires great patience and endurance in tireless attention toward children​—all this in good times and bad, in sickness and in health.

Besides this, even though a young woman might feel she is prepared for marriage and the work and problems that go with it, what kind of husband does she want to try to attract? If a young man is attracted simply by what a girl appears to be able to give in the way of sexual satisfaction, is he likely to make a good husband? (Compare 2 Samuel 13:1-9.) Rather than try to attract on that basis, would you not do far better to seek enduring friendships on the basis of what you are as a person​—in your mind and heart? You can do that by developing disposition and personality traits that are attractive to others. Also by such things as your conversation, by showing a wholesome, cheerful outlook on life, by showing that you appreciate such things as honesty, modesty, decency, kindness, unselfishness.

You can prove you are genuine in this by refusing to barter away these fine qualities for a few moments of pleasure that would only cheapen and lower you in your own estimation and in that of others whom you respect, admire and cherish. Especially by showing that you have truly worthwhile goals in life, that you want to ‘remember your Creator in the days of your young womanhood,’ can you gain as friends persons whose friendship you will always treasure inasmuch as it brings you real happiness.​—Eccl. 12:1; 1 Tim. 2:9, 10.

STRIVING FOR EMOTIONAL BALANCE

The physical changes of adolescence have emotional repercussions. Even as a young girl may feel full of energy one minute and exhausted the next, so too her emotions may tend to fluctuate widely and often unexplainedly. Periods of brightness and joy may be quickly followed by periods of gloom and depression. You may find yourself wondering if you are really normal or just what kind of person you are turning out to be. Especially in modern industrial societies, with their shifting sets of values, are adolescent girls subject to tension and uncertainty.

It would be easy to give in to this instability, become withdrawn, introverted, or become very independent and assertive. Some girls do give in to displays of rudeness, flashes of bad temper or coarse speech; others begin to make a pretense of being something they are not, becoming superficial. But this does not help; it only worsens matters. Now that you are coming out of childhood, it is a time to make serious personal effort to cultivate the fruits of God’s spirit​—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.​—Gal. 5:22, 23.

Cultivate, too, habits that contribute toward stability. Instead of letting your room become messy, keep it orderly and neat. Strive for regularity in sleeping and eating habits; your developing body needs all the help you can give it. The more you can do along these lines, the more calm and stable you will feel, and this will help to moderate your emotional experiences.

By all means do not let this period of transition cause you to pull away from your parents. They can provide the solid help and reliable firmness you need to lean on so as to keep your balance during this period of change. While you are subject to much “peer pressure”​—pressure from others your age to be like them—​realize that they themselves are changing. That is why what pleases them today may not please them at all tomorrow. To be overly concerned about what they think about you will only aggravate your problems. That is why, too, when you have personal, intimate questions, your parents are by far the better source of information. They can give you a much fuller, more balanced answer than another adolescent could ever give.​—Prov. 6:20-23; 19:20, 21.

Just as early showers are followed by pretty flowers, so, too, if you learn to weather the storm and take things in your stride, you will find the way to stability and confidence. While you should be concerned about keeping yourself physically well and clean (by good diet and regular hygiene), you need to concentrate​—not so much on what you are on the outside—​but on what you are on the inside. The adornment of a “quiet and mild spirit” produced by the ‘secret person of your heart’ is what will make you truly attractive​—in the eyes of God and of men.​—1 Pet. 3:3, 4.

Do not be anxious or dissatisfied, then, with your physical form or face, as if your whole future depended on this. Look at the grown-ups around you​—people you like and admire. Are not many, perhaps most of them, of rather ordinary appearance? Physical attractiveness is not the real key to future happiness.

And this is just as true of the girl who does have physical beauty. She should realize that many beautiful women wind up leading very empty, and often immoral, lives. (Compare Proverbs 6:24, 25; Ezekiel 16:15.) And how true that, “As a gold nose ring in the snout of a pig, so is a woman that is pretty but that is turning away from sensibleness.” (Prov. 11:22) Yes, “charm may be false, and prettiness may be vain; but the woman that fears Jehovah is the one that procures praise for herself.”​—Prov. 31:30.

May you, then, turn out to be beautiful in the enduring qualities that really count. For these lead, not only to true enjoyment of life now, but to life everlasting in a new order of unending beauty and perfection.

A Language for All Peoples

A Language for All Peoples

“For then I shall give to peoples the change to a pure language, in order for them all to call upon the name of Jehovah, in order to serve him shoulder to shoulder.”​—Zeph. 3:9.

1. What questions arise concerning language?

DID language in fact have its origins in the distant past as men learned to communicate by imitating the grunts, groans and barks of the animal world? If early language was really this primitive, how is it possible that the earliest known languages had complicated grammars? And where did all the languages come from anyway? How did so many languages develop that today there are 2,796 or more spoken languages, with even the most primitive jungle tribe speaking a language? Is it possible that the world of mankind will ever be united by a common language, a language for all peoples, rather than being a world characterized and divided by language barriers?

2. How did language originate, and is its use confined to the earth?

2 The Holy Scriptures, the earliest part of which writings dates back in present form as far as 1513 B.C.E., throws much light on the growth and spread of languages. It reveals that language originated with God. Even before man was created, there was language. Jehovah God is reported in the creation account as speaking to his firstborn Son in the heavenly realms and saying, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.” Appropriately, this Son of God came to be called the “Word” and served as spokesman for his Father, in communicating not only with other heavenly spirit creations but also with man.​—Gen. 1:26; John 1:1-3.

3. On what occasions did the angels communicate with men?

3 Centuries later the apostle Paul recognized the ability of those in the spirit realms to communicate, as shown by his reference to “tongues of men and of angels.” (1 Cor. 13:1; compare Job 1:7-12; 2:2-6.) The Scriptural record verifies the fact that angels did communicate with men on various occasions. It was an angel who relayed Jehovah’s words of blessing and promise to Abraham that through his seed all families of the earth would be blessed, while on another occasion Jehovah’s angel announced the good news of Jesus’ birth to shepherds near Bethlehem.​—Gen. 22:15-18; Luke 2:8-11.

4. What ability was given to Adam, and how do we know this?

4 Just as Jehovah endowed his spirit sons with this gift of expression, so he did for his human son Adam. Jehovah gave him the ability, not only to speak and understand speech, but also to form new words, thus adding to the language, as he did in naming the animals. (Gen. 2:19) The very fact that Jehovah instructed Adam in the work he should do in filling the earth, cultivating it and having dominion over the animals, as well as warning him against disobedience to His law, showed that God had provided Adam with the necessary vocabulary and knowledge of language to permit him to comprehend these instructions.

5. Why is the knowledge of a language so important to us?

5 However, this gift of language was not shared by the animals. While they may be able to express by sounds feelings of fear, anger, desire and satisfaction, still as lexicographer Koehler wrote: “They lack concept and thought, the essential domain of human language.” So spoken language is a gift man shares with the angels, but not with lower forms of creation. Language is truly a key to knowledge and human cooperation, and forms the basis for the vast majority of all communications. As one encyclopedia states: “Thinking and words go together.” Without words a person would be very limited in the instructions and thoughts he could share with someone else, as any traveler in a foreign land has found. Without words, it appears, we would be limited even in our thinking ability.

6. How and why did the great variety of languages come to be?

6 For over eighteen centuries after the creation of the first man Adam, all mankind spoke the language originally given him by God. (Gen. 11:1) Yet now we find close to 3,000 languages spoken throughout the world, not including numerous regional dialects. How did this occur? The Scripture record reports that it was on a plain in Shinar, after the Flood, that men decided to make a name for themselves by building a city with a tower reaching toward the heavens. Apparently it was to be a center of false worship, as their efforts were contrary to Jehovah’s previous instructions to Noah and his three married sons to spread out and fill the earth. As a result, Jehovah said: “‘Look! They are one people and there is one language for them all, and this is what they start to do. . . . Let us go down and there confuse their language that they may not listen to one another’s language.’ That is why its name was called Babel, because there Jehovah had confused the language of all the earth, and Jehovah had scattered them from there over all the surface of the earth.”​—Gen. 11:6, 7, 9.

7. (a) What is meant by “families of languages”? (b) How many national and language groups spread out from Babel?

7 How did God confuse their understanding of the original Hebrew, causing mankind to divide up into different language groups? Apparently it was by blotting out the memory of their previous language and substituting in its place new vocabularies and grammars. As students of language recognize, there are various families of languages. There is no evidence that they all go back to the original language of Adam or that they are all variations of Hebrew, but, rather, they stem from the variety of languages that originated at the time of Babel. Each has its own vocabulary and way of forming thoughts, so that people actually think in different language patterns, depending on the grammar and word endings, for example. Thus Genesis chapter ten speaks of the seventy national groups that came from Noah and the languages that God gave at Babel, saying: “From these the population of the isles of the nations was spread about in their lands, each according to its tongue, according to their families, by their nations.”​—Gen. 10:5, 20, 31.

8. What have scholars learned about languages?

8 As time passed, dialects, even new languages related to these original languages, began to develop due to a variety of factors, such as geographical barriers, distance, association with other peoples and conquests. But, aside from Hebrew, all these language groups or families can be traced back to the cradle of the new languages of the world in the plains of Shinar. Thus language scholar Sir Henry Rawlinson noted: “If we were to be guided by the mere intersection of linguistic paths, and independently of all reference to the Scriptural record, we should still be led to fix on the plains of Shinar, as the focus from which the various lines had radiated.” Another interesting factor about these divinely given languages is that, rather than being very simple and primitive, Science News Letter reports, they were often much more complex than modern European languages. How could this be if languages evolved from the grunt-and-groan stage?

9. What do the Scriptures show as to man’s ability with languages?

9 The dialects and variations within the language families that we have today can be attributed to the ability that Jehovah gave man in connection with language. Just as Adam had the ability to add words to his vocabulary, so man has been able to add to his own vocabulary and even learn new languages. Abraham, for example, apparently had no difficulty conversing with the Hamitic people of Canaan, and no use of interpreters is mentioned. (Gen. 23:7-15) Possibly he knew Akkadian, which was widely used in the area to which he moved. Later, the Biblical account indicates, Joseph learned Egyptian while in Egypt, very likely while a slave for Potiphar, and so he was able to converse freely with Pharaoh. But to avoid prematurely betraying his identity when first talking to his Hebrew brothers he resorted to an interpreter.​—Gen. 42:23.

10. How and why did Jehovah demonstrate his ability with languages at Pentecost?

10 It was at Pentecost of the year 33 C.E. that Jehovah again demonstrated his awesome ability in connection with language as the early Christians in Jerusalem were suddenly gifted by the holy spirit with the ability to speak in many languages previously unknown to them. But this time Jehovah added to the knowledge of language that these disciples of Jesus already had, rather than blotting out of memory their native language, as he had done at Babel. The purpose of this gift of additional languages was different also​—not to turn men aside from a wrong purpose, but to promote the spread of true worship and a knowledge of the Creator among people of many languages. (Acts 2:1-11) After the time of Pentecost, although those taking up pure worship did not all speak the same tongue, they were united by the common bond of their knowledge of God’s purposes.

UNITING FORCE OF TRUTH

11. In what two ways did the sprit of God act upon the disciples at Pentecost?

11 Jesus had told the apostles in advance that the “helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, that one will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you.” (John 14:26) It was under the direction of this spirit that Peter gave the powerful witness to the purposes of Jehovah that he did at Pentecost, resulting in the baptism of about three thousand new adherents to the Christian faith. Reverent Jews from at least fifteen different lands who had gathered at Jerusalem were astonished to hear the one hundred and twenty disciples speaking in the many languages of their countries. As they said: “See here, all these who are speaking are Galileans, are they not? And yet how is it we are hearing, each one of us, his own language in which we were born? . . . we hear them speaking in our tongues about the magnificent things of God.”​—Acts 2:7, 8, 11, 41.

12. To what did Peter bear witness, and with what result?

12 Peter proceeded in Hebrew to explain this astonishing event by quoting Joel’s prophecy concerning the outpouring of God’s spirit. He emphasized that Jehovah was the one providing the way to salvation, as he highlighted the prophet’s reference to the “last days,” at which time “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” While calling attention to the powerful works Jesus had performed leading up to his death and miraculous resurrection, Peter highlighted the preeminent position of Jehovah as the Supreme Sovereign. He applied to Jesus the words of David, “I had Jehovah constantly before my eyes; because he is at my right hand that I may never be shaken.” This powerful message moved thousands to embrace heartily the Scriptural hope that was presented to them and their children, even though in time it brought opposition and persecution upon them.​—Acts 2:17, 21, 25; Joel 2:32.

13. How was Christianity shown to be a uniting force?

13 The uniting effect of the message there proclaimed was remarkable. People of many lands were brought together as one in faith. As Paul later explained: “You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ Jesus. There is neither Jew nor Greek . . . for you are all one person in union with Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:26, 28) Though they spoke many languages, their message was the same. As Paul stressed to the Greek brothers at Corinth, all should “speak in agreement” and be “fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.”​—1 Cor. 1:10.

14. How should our gift of speech be used, according to David and Paul?

14 The important thing in the minds of Jesus and his early disciples was to use their tongue to praise their Creator. They felt as David had when he prayed, “O Jehovah, may you open these lips of mine, that my own mouth may tell forth your praise.” (Ps. 51:15) Even though told by the rulers to desist from their ministry, they declared: “We cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20) However, it was not just by speaking of things pertaining to God’s purposes that they showed their desire for right speech, but also by their manner of speech in everything. As Paul counseled the Ephesian congregation: “Let a rotten saying not proceed out of your mouth, but whatever saying is good for building up as the need may be, that it may impart what is favorable to the hearers.”​—Eph. 4:29.

15. What promise is given in Zephaniah 3:9, and why is it important to us?

15 Can we use the gift of language from Jehovah in a similar way today? Certainly we can, and the prophecy of Zephaniah foretold that it would be done. The context shows that Jehovah has determined to gather the nations to pour out upon them his burning anger, which results from his judicial decision against them. Will some escape this judicial decision and Jehovah’s anger? That we can enjoy his favor is seen by his prophetic assurance: “For then [or during the “last days”] I [Jehovah] shall give to peoples the change to a pure language, in order for them all to call upon the name of Jehovah, in order to serve him shoulder to shoulder.” Indeed, if it were not for speaking the pure language and calling on Jehovah’s name, as Peter had explained, there would be no way to escape Jehovah’s denunciation upon the nations. Yet Joel assures us: “There will prove to be the escaped ones, just as Jehovah has said, and in among the survivors, whom Jehovah is calling.”​—Zeph. 3:8, 9; Joel 2:32.

16. (a) How can we learn the “pure language”? (b) What indicates that Christendom has not mastered it?

16 Have you been learning the “pure language” necessary for survival? Just as each language has a distinct pattern of words and grammar, so the truth, as it comes in God’s word the Bible and as he has revealed its understanding to us in these “last days,” has a pattern that we can come to learn, an inner harmony. It is based on the theme of God’s kingdom of righteousness. Once a person learns this “pattern of healthful words,” as Paul described it, by coming to an accurate knowledge of the Scriptures, then he can speak it without hesitation to others, not accenting or coloring it with unsound doctrinal twistings. (2 Tim. 1:13; 2 Pet. 3:16) That Christendom has not learned this “pure language” is clear from the confusing mixture of Scriptural and philosophical “dialects” she speaks. And far from calling on “the name of Jehovah,” orthodox religionists of Christendom prefer to reject that name for the ambiguous term “the Lord.”​—2 Pet. 2:1; Matt. 7:15-23.

17. In what way is this language “pure,” and how extensively is it spoken?

17 How happy we can be to realize that Jehovah does have faithful witnesses throughout the earth who have learned this “pure language”​—over one million six hundred thousand of them in more than two hundred lands—​who are pleased to call upon his name and to serve him “shoulder to shoulder,” though they come from a great variety of national, racial and language groups. They are united as the early Christians were in a pure worship to Jehovah’s praise. Regardless of their using any of the various translations of the Bible in the 1,500 languages into which it is translated, at least in part, they still speak with agreement on its basic teachings. Thus their language is “pure,” not just in being acceptable to God-fearing people, but also in being unadulterated or uncorrupted in its presentation of Jehovah’s purposes.​—John 8:42-47; Jas. 3:10, 11.

18. How did Zechariah foretell an addition to the work referred to at Acts 15:14 for our day?

18 The result of speaking the truth freely to others was well foretold in the words of Zechariah: “It will be in those days that ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold, yes, they will actually take hold of the skirt of a man who is a Jew, saying: ‘We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people.’” (Zech. 8:23) Have you, too, joined yourself with those whom Jehovah has been gathering out of all nations as his name people? It is urgent to do so now.​—Acts 15:14.

19. How is the “pure language” made understandable to us?

19 Speaking any language, including the “pure language” of truth, does not come without effort. Before we can speak what is pleasing to our Creator we have to learn what it is. As in learning a new language, we find many previously strange expressions in the “pure language.” We learn what the kingdom of God really is, about the “great crowd” who serve Jehovah in the “last days,” about the impending destruction of “Babylon the Great” just before the rest of this worldly “system of things” goes down at “Armageddon.” We are forewarned, too, about the coming attack of “Gog of Magog.” We need not be discouraged if at first it is difficult to learn some deep spiritual truths. It was only due to the outpouring of Jehovah’s spirit that the clearer understanding of Jehovah’s purpose was opened up to the early followers of Jesus at Pentecost, and today it is due to Jehovah’s spirit upon the “faithful and discreet slave” class that we have the understanding of Jehovah’s purposes, which we can share with others.​—Matt. 24:45-47.

20. What is included in speaking the “pure language”?

20 This heightened appreciation for Jehovah’s Word and our relationship to him motivates us to “take refuge in the name of Jehovah.” It brings about a change in our hope for the future, so that we put our trust now in Jehovah’s kingdom of righteousness rather than in the things of this world. It moves us to share this wonderful prospect with others. We learn that those speaking the “pure language” must also live up to it. Such ones “will do no unrighteousness, nor speak a lie, nor will there be found in their mouths a tricky tongue.” (Zeph. 3:12, 13) What a joy to be able to share with over one million six hundred thousand who have already learned this “pure language” in teaching it to others! Only this accurate knowledge of the truth as Jehovah is revealing it through his organization today can unite men of all nationalities and languages to work shoulder to shoulder “for the faith of the good news.”​—Phil. 1:27, 28.

OPPOSITION TO THE PURE LANGUAGE

21. How did the disciples of Jesus react to efforts to stop their ministry?

21 Since Jesus encountered opposition from opposers of the truth, the same can be expected by those following his course now. (John 15:20) What will be our reaction? Remember that even though Peter and John were put in prison for declaring the good news of coming “seasons of refreshing” from Jehovah, they were not frightened into quitting, but continued the very next day giving a bold witness to the religious rulers of the people. Even after being strictly instructed not to say anything more, they declared: “We cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard.” In fact, they prayed that Jehovah would give them strength ‘to keep speaking his word with all boldness.’​—Acts 3:11, 19; 4:20, 29.

22, 23. How have efforts to stop the preaching of the good news been overcome in Gabon and Cameroon?

22 Efforts have been made in modern times also to stop the preaching of the good news. A report from Gabon in West Africa says: “Though conditions are still very difficult, the brothers are not discouraged. They are just learning to live with the new circumstances. One overseer explains: ‘Jehovah’s power is manifest and he strengthens us during our persecutions. The fear we had at the beginning of the ban is transformed into courage, and rashness into prudence. From a weakened state we have become strong and our unproductive state has changed to one of fruitfulness. In our congregation already we have seen the addition of ten new publishers in six months, and in less than a year we have baptized fourteen persons. Obedience to Jehovah has brought his blessing.’”

23 In neighboring Cameroon, eleven brothers were rounded up in their homes by the police and taken to jail. They had not even been holding a meeting or witnessing to others when arrested! For three weeks they were held in a little cell where the heat was almost unbearable. But they realized that this was an untouched field for preaching. So all day long they witnessed; as prisoners left and others replaced them, they just kept preaching to different persons, much the same as when they were free to go from house to house. At last report one brother still had not been released simply because Bible literature had been found in his home. But the ten who were released came out of prison rejoicing over the privilege of having been entrusted with the good news about God’s kingdom and having had opportunity to speak about it to others.​—1 Thess. 2:1-4.

24. What effect has the “pure language” had on Jehovah’s people, and to what do they look forward?

24 Whether under opposition or not, the important thing for each of us is to use our gift of language to please our Creator. Having learned of Jehovah’s wonderful purposes, we have the privilege to bring this message of hope and life to others. Whether we are well educated or not, Jehovah can strengthen us to share his purposes with those who love what is right. Despite the many languages spoken by Jehovah’s servants throughout the world, still all are united by the “pure language” of Scriptural truth. If we are truly thankful for this gift of language, then we will want to use it to Jehovah’s praise. If we do this now, then we can look forward to seeing the time during Christ’s Kingdom rule when ‘every tongue will openly acknowledge that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:11) It seems reasonable to conclude that at that time all faithful mankind will be united not only by the bonds of pure worship but also by the further blessing of a single language for all peoples, understood by all, and made possible by the heavenly Kingdom rule of the grand Creator of language, Jehovah.

[Map on page 525]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

(Lake Van)

Garden of Eden​—THE FIRST LANGUAGE WAS HEBREW

Tigris River

Euphrates River

Babel​—ALL OTHER LANGUAGES STARTED AT BABEL

Plains of Shinar

(Persian Gulf)

Equipped to Speak Delightful Words of Truth

Equipped to Speak Delightful Words of Truth

1, 2. (a) After his resurrection, what command did Jesus give his disciples when he met them in Galilee? (b) Why did they have reason to be amazed, but what assurance did Jesus give?

WHEN Jesus was resurrected from the dead and thereafter appeared to his eleven disciples at a mountain in Galilee, as he had promised, it showed he was indeed Jehovah’s spokesman of the truth. What words of encouragement and instruction would he have? He declared to them: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth.” This authority on earth would include something very dear to his heart, the continuation of the preaching activity he had instituted. He proceeded to instruct the disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”​—Matt. 28:16-20; John 2:19-21.

2 What a staggering command! Imagine telling a little group of eleven disciples to go and preach to people of all the nations, teaching and baptizing them! Just to illustrate it: today there are 149 languages each spoken by a million or more persons, 16 languages each of which is spoken by 50 million or more. What a task it would be for this little group just to learn that many languages or accurately to teach the way of life to the millions then living! They must have been amazed at the scope of these instructions. True, Jesus said he would be with them, but how could such a vast work be accomplished?

3. How did the outpouring of the holy spirit at Pentecost aid in the spread of the truth?

3 It was just ten days after Jesus’ ascension to heaven that about one hundred and twenty disciples were together in Jerusalem at the time of the festival of Pentecost. Suddenly, they heard a sound like that of a rushing stiff breeze and tongues as if of fire became visible over the heads of each of them. The meaning became clear as they were filled by God’s holy spirit and began to speak in different languages. Just on that occasion about three thousand more embraced the message heartily and were baptized. This action not only confirmed that Jehovah’s spirit and direction were now with this little group of faithful Christians; but also the door was opened for the message Jesus had been proclaiming to be spread rapidly to faithful Jews scattered throughout many nations.​—Acts 2:1-4, 41.

4. What opened up with the conversion of Cornelius?

4 However, the message was not to be confined to persons of Jewish descent. Jesus had told his followers to “make disciples of people of all the nations.” Thus, about three years and four months later, the holy spirit guided Peter to accept an invitation extended to him by the Italian centurion Cornelius. The conversion of this Gentile and his relatives and intimate friends marked the beginning of an extensive effort to spread the Kingdom message among people of all nations. Later, Paul and his companions pushed ahead on preaching tours throughout Asia Minor, Greece, Italy and perhaps as far as Spain. (Acts 10:1-35; 11:18; Rom. 15:24) The early disciples clearly felt the seriousness and importance of their evangelizing work. As Paul and Barnabas declared: “Jehovah has laid commandment upon us in these words, ‘I have appointed you as a light of nations, for you to be a salvation to the extremity of the earth.’”​—Acts 13:47; 1 Cor. 9:16.

5, 6. What examples are encouraging for us to consider even though we may not feel that we are well qualified to preach the truth to others?

5 Do you share that feeling? Do you appreciate that Jesus is with his followers in our time, exercising authority in heaven and earth even during the conclusion of this system of things, in which time we now live? This means that Christians still have the assignment to carry on a disciple-making work! You may protest that you are no speaker or teacher, that you could not possibly do what the apostles did. But how did they feel about it? Remember that they were spoken of as “men unlettered and ordinary.” Yet they learned to speak boldly so that even the rulers and elders of the Jews “began to recognize about them that they used to be with Jesus.”​—Acts 4:13.

6 Even outstanding spokesmen and servants of Jehovah from times past such as Moses and Jeremiah felt their own inadequacy to carry out Jehovah’s commands. When Jehovah directed Moses to speak to Pharaoh, he protested that he was “not a fluent speaker,” being “slow of mouth and slow of tongue.” (Ex. 4:10) In time, however, Moses was able to address hundreds of thousands under Jehovah’s direction as he led the people of Israel to the Promised Land. Similarly, Jeremiah said: “Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Here I actually do not know how to speak, for I am but a boy.” Yet Jehovah responded: “Do not say, ‘I am but a boy.’ But to all those to whom I shall send you, you should go; and everything that I shall command you, you should speak.”​—Jer. 1:6, 7.

7. What question is important consider, and what shows that Jehovah’s backing is sufficient?

7 Even if we do feel we are unlettered like the apostles, or slow to speak like Moses, or too young like Jeremiah, the question really is, Do we have the desire to share in Jehovah’s service? If so, then we can be assured that Jehovah will provide the training, strength and backing so we can share in the teaching and discipling work that Jesus commanded must be done and that is yet being done in this time of the end on a now-unprecedented scale. Young and old, over one million six hundred thousand strong, are now having a share in this ministerial activity in 208 countries and island groups of the world. But the conclusion of this work is rapidly approaching and more workers are needed. Will you have a share? (Matt. 9:37; 10:23) If you would like to enhance your ability as a speaker and teacher of the good news, you will enjoy considering how Jehovah provides the way.​—2 Cor. 3:5.

HOME TRAINING

8. Is there Scriptural support for training youths to praise Jehovah?

8 Training for Jehovah’s service from youth starts in the home, beginning even in infancy. (2 Tim. 3:14, 15) Jesus reminded the chief priests and the scribes: “Did you never read this, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have furnished praise’?” (Matt. 21:15, 16) This requires much help and encouragement from the parents. Jesus must have received excellent home training, giving him familiarity with the Scriptures and faith in them, so that by the time he was just twelve years of age even the teachers in the temple were amazed at his understanding and answers. (Luke 2:47) Similarly today Christian families are encouraged to study and read together with a view to instructing their children in the ways of Jehovah.

9. Why is Bible reading important?

9 Jehovah’s Word contains his guide for living, and so we do well to give it a prominent place in our family discussions. Since Jehovah himself directed the recording of the thoughts it contains, it gives us his viewpoint on vain and worthwhile works and provides a fine guide in upbuilding and meaningful speech. Many of Jehovah’s witnesses enjoy regular family Bible reading together. They find that it not only improves their reading and speaking ability, but, even more important, strengthens their faith and their understanding of Jehovah’s purposes and helps their children to get started “on the right foot” in life, with the desire to share the truth with others.

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