Awake 2012, en

!"#2!"#2M A Y 2 0 1 2M A Y 2 0 1 2

THE CRY FOR JUSTICEWill It Be Heard?

!"#2AVERAGE PRINTING 41,042,000PUBLISHED IN 84 LANGUAGES

THE CRY FOR JUSTICEWill It Be Heard?

3 Injustice Hurts!

4 Roots of Injustice

6 Keys to Becoming More Just

8 True Justice Under God’sGovernment

10 The Bible’s Viewpoint“The Truth Will Set You Free”—How?

12 “What a Nose!”

15 The Bible—A Book of AccurateProphecy—Part 1

19 Young People AskWhy Don’t My ParentsUnderstand?

22 Was It Designed?The Hydrophilic Wing Coverof the Namib Beetle

23 A Milestone in Malawi—1,000 Kingdom Halls!

26 Cyberattack!

29 Watching the World

30 For Family Review

32 “The Former Things Will Not . . .Come Up Into the Heart”

Awake! May 2012 3

IN 2010, Michael was released from jail inTexas, U.S.A., after serving 27 years for

rape—a crime he did not commit. He wasfreed when DNA tests—not available at thetime of his conviction—proved his innocence.The authorities later identified those respon-sible for the crime, but prosecution was im-possible, since the statute of limitations onthe crime had expired.

Many felons evade justice. In Britain, forexample, “unsolved murders have doubledover the past decade, raising fears that po-lice and courts are unable to tackle violentcrime,” said a report in The Telegraph.

In August 2011, British police struggledto contain another form of crime—rioting inBirmingham, Liverpool, London, and oth-er areas. Rampaging mobs set fires, smashedstore windows, and looted, thus destroy-

ing not only businesses, homes, and vehi-cles but also livelihoods. The motive? Formany it was sheer greed. For some, though,the acts appeared to be a response to per-ceived injustices. Those rioters, said somecommentators, may have been frustrated,“marginalized” young people growing up indeprived neighborhoods and lacking a fu-ture.

The Bible character Job said: “I keep cry-ing for help, but there is no justice.” (Job19:7) Likewise today, many are crying out forjustice, but all too often, their cries go un-heeded. Really, is it within anyone’s power toeliminate injustice? Or is the hope that therewill be a more just tomorrow simply an idealentertained by the naive? In order to get a sat-isfactory answer, we must examine some ofthe root causes of injustice.

INJUSTICE HURTS!

!"#$ THIS JOURNAL IS PUBLISHED for theenlightenment of the entire family. It

shows how to cope with today’s problems. It reportsthe news, tells about people in many lands, examinesreligion and science. But it does more. It probes beneaththe surface and points to the real meaning behindcurrent events, yet it always stays politically neutral anddoes not exalt one race above another. Most important,this magazine builds confidence in the Creator’s promiseof a peaceful and secure new world that is about toreplace the present wicked, lawless system of things.

This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwide Bible educa-tional work supported by voluntary donations. Unless otherwise indicated, Scrip-ture quotations are from the modern-language New World Translation of the HolyScriptures—With References.Awake! (ISSN 0005-237X) is published monthly by Watchtower Bible and TractSociety of New York, Inc.; L. Weaver, Jr., President; G. F. Simonis, Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483, and by Watch Tow-er Bible and Tract Society of Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4.Periodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Awake!, 1000 Red Mills Road,Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. � 2012 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsyl-vania. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

Vol. 93, No. 5 Monthly ENGLISH

4

NEARLY two thousand years ago, the Bibleset out a remarkably accurate social pro-

file of our time. It stated: “In the last dayscritical times hard to deal with will be here.For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers ofmoney, . . . unthankful, disloyal, having nonatural affection, not open to any agreement,. . . without love of goodness, betrayers, head-strong, puffed up with pride, lovers of plea-sures rather than lovers of God.”—2 Timothy3:1-4.

Few would deny that those negative traitshave become more common in our time.They become manifest in many ways, includ-ing greed, prejudice, antisocial attitudes, cor-ruption, and extreme financial inequality.Consider these individually.GREED. “Greed is healthy” and “Greed isgood” are catchphrases we may sometimeshear. But they are lies. Greed hurts! For exam-ple, greed often underlies accounting fraud,Ponzi schemes, and reckless lending and bor-rowing. The results, such as financial col-lapse, have hurt many people. Granted, someof the victims are greedy themselves. Buttheir number also includes hardworking peo-ple, some of whom have lost homes and pen-sions.

PREJUDICE. Prejudiced people judge othersunfairly and even discriminate against themon the basis of ethnicity, skin color, sex, so-cial status, or religion. For example, a UnitedNations committee found that in one SouthAmerican country, a pregnant woman diedin a hospital because she had been discrim-inated against in another facility on the ba-sis of her ethnicity and socio-economic back-ground. Taken to its extreme, prejudice haseven led to the gross injustices of ethniccleansing and genocide.ANTISOCIAL ATTITUDES. A synopsis of theHandbook of Antisocial Behavior stated: “Eachyear tens of thousands of families are tornapart, hundreds of thousands of lives are ru-ined, and millions of dollars’ worth of proper-ty is destroyed as a result of antisocial behav-ior. So endemic are violence and aggressionto our society that it isn’t hard to imagine fu-ture historians categorizing the late twentiethcentury, not as the ‘Space Age’ or the ‘Infor-mation Age,’ but as the ‘Antisocial Age’—thetime when society went to war against itself.”Since that book was published in 1997, there

Roots ofINJUSTICE

Top

left:

�A

dam

Dean

/Pan

os

Pic

ture

s;to

pcen

ter:

�M

atth

ew

Asle

tt/D

em

otix/

CO

RB

IS;to

prig

ht:

�D

avid

Turn

ley/

CO

RB

IS

A

LANGUAGES: Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Bislama, Bul-garian, Cebuano, Chichewa, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional)� (audioMandarin only), Chitonga, Cibemba, Croatian, Czech,� Danish,� Dutch,�� En-glish,�� Estonian, Ewe, Fijian, Finnish,� French,�� Georgian, German,�� Greek,Gujarati, Hebrew, Hiligaynon, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Iloko, Indonesian,Italian,�� Japanese,�� Kannada, Kinyarwanda, Kirghiz, Kirundi, Korean,�� Latvi-an, Lingala, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malagasy, Malayalam, Maltese, Myan-mar, Norwegian,� Polish,�� Portuguese,�� Punjabi, Rarotongan, Romanian,Russian,�� Samoan, Sepedi, Serbian, Sesotho, Shona, Silozi, Sinhala, Slovak,Slovenian, Spanish,�� Swahili, Swedish,� Tagalog,� Tamil, Thai, Tok Pisin, Tongan,Tsonga, Tswana, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Xhosa, Yoruba, Zulu

� CD also available. � MP3 CD-ROM also available.� Audio recordings also available at www.jw.org.

WOULD YOU WELCOME MORE INFORMATION OR A FREE HOME BIBLE STUDY?Please send your request to Jehovah’s Witnesses, using one of the addresses below. Fora complete list of addresses, see www.watchtower.org/address. America, United States of:25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483. Australia: PO Box 280, Ingleburn, NSW1890. Britain: The Ridgeway, London NW7 1RN. Canada: PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ONL7G 4Y4. Germany: 65617 Selters. Guam: 143 Jehovah St, Barrigada, GU 96913. Jamaica:PO Box 103, Old Harbour, St. Catherine. Japan: 4-7-1 Nakashinden, Ebina City, Kanagawa-Pref, 243-0496. Puerto Rico: PO Box 3980, Guaynabo, PR 00970. South Africa: Private BagX2067, Krugersdorp, 1740. Trinidad and Tobago: Lower Rapsey Street & Laxmi Lane, Curepe.

Awake! May 2012 5

has been no improvement in attitudes and be-havior.CORRUPTION. A report on corruption inSouth Africa mentioned that over a seven-year period, more than 81 percent of the25.2 billion rand (then $4 billion, U.S.) pro-vided to a provincial health departmentwas improperly accounted for. Money that“should have gone towards maintenance ofhospitals, clinics, and health centers in theprovince,” was unspent, said the journal ThePublic Manager.EXTREME FINANCIAL INEQUALITY. In 2005,nearly 30 percent of Britain’s annual income“went to the top 5% of earners,” according toa report inTime magazine. Meanwhile, acrossthe Atlantic, “more than 33% of Americanincome goes to the top 5% of earners,” saidTime. Worldwide, about 1.4 billion peoplelive on $1.25 (U.S) or less a day, and 25,000children die daily because of poverty.

Is There a Solution to Injustice?

In 1987, the then prime minister of Aus-tralia set the goal that by 1990 no Australian

child would be living in poverty. That neverhappened. In fact, the prime minister later re-gretted having fixed that objective.

Yes, no matter how powerful, rich, or in-fluential a person may be, he is still a humanand cannot eliminate injustice. Indeed, eventhe powerful suffer injustices, grow old, anddie. Those realities call to mind the followingtwo passages from the Bible:

“It does not belong to man who is walkingeven to direct his step.”—Jeremiah 10:23.

“Do not put your trust in nobles, . . . to whomno salvation belongs.”—Psalm 146:3.

If we take that wisdom to heart, we will notbe disillusioned when human efforts fail toget results. So, should we just give up? No!As we shall see in the final article of this se-ries, a truly just world is on the horizon. Inthe meantime, though, we can do something.We can look at ourselves. Ask yourself: ‘CanI be more just in my dealings with others? Arethere certain areas in which I can improve?’Those questions are addressed in the follow-ing article.

B

C

A. Police in China arresting a man for taking part in ethnic violence

B. Looting and destruction of property in London, England

C. Abject poverty in a Rwandan refugee camp

6 Awake! May 2012

OUR Creator wants us to be happy, to en-joy inner peace, and to contribute to the

happiness of others. Hence, he asks us “toexercise justice and to love kindness.” (Micah6:8) How can we do so? We need to cultivatequalities that will dispel the traits that fosterinjustice. Consider how the Bible can help usdo that.OVERCOMING GREED. The most powerfulweapon against greed is love—not mere senti-ment or romantic attraction—but self-sacrificing love for others. Such “love is . . .kind,” and it “does not look for its own inter-ests,” says 1 Corinthians 13:4, 5. Moreover,this love does not limit itself to family andfriends. “If you love those loving you, what re-ward do you have?” asked Jesus, adding thateven the ungodly love those who love them.—Matthew 5:46.OVERCOMING PREJUDICE. Acts 10:34, 35reads: “God is not partial, but in every na-tion the man that fears him and works righ-teousness is acceptable to him.” God doesnot provide salvation on the basis of race, so-cial status, or gender. In his eyes, “there is nei-ther Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave norfreeman, there is neither male nor female.”(Galatians 3:28) When we imitate God, weovercome prejudice. Consider the example ofDorothy, who lived in the United States.

Dorothy became so disturbed by racialprejudice that she wanted to take part inan armed insurrection to relieve the suffer-ing of oppressed black people. During thattime, however, she attended a Christian meet-

ing of Jehovah’s Witnesses and was deeplyimpressed by the warm welcome she receivedfrom both blacks and whites. Before long, shecame to realize that only God can changepeople on the inside. When she experiencedthe genuine love of white Witnesses—peopleshe said that she “would have killed withouthesitation to further the cause of a revolu-tion”—her heart “was warmed” to the pointthat she cried uncontrollably.

Keys to BecomingMORE JUST

Prejudice is conquered when weimitate God’s love

Firuddin with his wife, Zahra

OVERCOMING ANTISOCIAL ATTITUDES. Beforebecoming Christians, some of Jesus’ early fol-lowers had been drunkards, extortioners, rev-elers, and revilers. Yet, with God’s help theyreplaced those negative traits with love, kind-ness, and goodness. (1 Corinthians 5:11; 6:9-11; Galatians 5:22) Likewise today, millionsof people have made wholesome changes intheir lives by turning to God. An example isFiruddin, who lives in Azerbaijan.

Firuddin was raised in an orphanage,where he often fought other boys. As an adult,he became an instructor in hand-to-handcombat. “I was rude, cruel, and violent,” hesays. “If during mealtime my wife, Zahra, for-got anything—even a toothpick—I would beather. And if anyone looked at her as we walkedtogether, I would do the same to him!”

One day, Firuddin’s heart was touchedwhen he learned that Jesus asked God to for-give the soldiers who impaled him. (Luke 23:34) ‘Only the Son of God could act that way,’he thought. Thereafter, he began to searchfor God. When Jehovah’s Witnesses offeredto help him, he readily accepted a free Bi-ble study. Before long, his personality be-gan to improve. Indeed, he became so kind toZahra that she too began to study the Bible.Today both are peacefully united in true wor-ship.

Of course, changes that we may personallymake will not revolutionize the entire world!What, though, if God purposes to bring abouta new, truly just world? After all, he surely hasthe power! And consider this: At 2 Timothy3:1-4, quoted at the start of the preceding ar-ticle, we saw that the Bible clearly foretoldwhat people in general would be like duringour time. That prediction has been fulfilledto the letter—as have many other Bible proph-ecies. We are not casting good sense aside,therefore, when we take seriously God’spromise to end all injustice. Indeed, God willachieve that purpose. How?

“I was upset with racism, wars,poverty, and other injustices, and I waslooking for a solution,” recalls Heide,who lives in the United States. “I triedto work with the civil rights movementand eventually joined a political party,but these seemed unable to effectmeaningful change.

“I felt that a more radical changewas needed, and the hippie movementseemed promising. Yet, that too proveddisappointing. I observed that manyhippies were more interested in sex,drugs, and rock and roll than in chang-ing the system—a realization thatthrew me into a deep depression. ThenI met one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Sheshowed me from the Bible the chang-es that God purposes. For example,she pointed to such scriptures as Reve-lation 21:3, 4, which says that God willwipe the tears from all faces and elimi-nate mourning, outcry, and pain—oftenthe results of injustice. ‘Could thosepromises really be true?’ I askedmyself.

“My doubts cleared up when I readwhat the Scriptures say about God’spower and love and when I experiencedthe love among Jehovah’s Witnesses.I now eagerly await the fulfillment ofGod’s promises.”

HEIDE’S QUESTFOR JUSTICE

8 Awake! May 2012

BIBLE prophecy reveals that the presentworld is about to be replaced by a new

one of God’s making. Moreover, that newworld will have just one government—God’sKingdom, of which Jesus Christ is King.(Revelation 11:15) How will God’s Kingdomeradicate injustice? It will act on two levels.1. God’s Kingdom will eliminate unjust, inepthuman rulership. Daniel 2:44 states: “In thedays of those kings [governments] the God ofheaven will set up a kingdom . . . It will crushand put an end to all these [man-made] king-doms, and it itself will stand to times indef-inite.”2. God’s Kingdom will destroy the wicked andpreserve the just. Says Psalm 37:10: “Just a lit-tle while longer, and the wicked one will be nomore.” Verse 28 reads: “Jehovah is a lover ofjustice, and he will not leave his loyal ones. Totime indefinite they will certainly be guard-ed.”

Those “loyal ones” will experience the ful-fillment of a statement Jesus made in hismodel prayer. He said: “Let your kingdomcome. Let your will take place, as in heav-en, also upon earth.” (Matthew 6:10) What isGod’s will for the earth?

When God’s KingdomRules the Earth . . .

Corruption and oppression will cease. Con-cerning Jesus Christ, Hebrews 1:9 says: “Youloved righteousness, and you hated lawless-

ness.” As a truly just Ruler, Jesus “will deliv-er the poor one crying for help, also the af-flicted one and whoever has no helper. . . .From oppression and from violence he willredeem their soul, and their blood will be pre-cious in his eyes.”—Psalm 72:12-14.All will have an abundance. “The earth itselfwill certainly give its produce; God, our God,will bless us.” (Psalm 67:6) “There will cometo be plenty of grain on the earth; on the topof the mountains there will be an overflow.”(Psalm 72:16) Jesus miraculously fed thou-sands at a time—a foregleam of what he willaccomplish through God’s Kingdom.—Mat-thew 14:15-21; 15:32-38.Justice will not be hampered by human limita-tions. “There is not a creation that is not man-ifest to [God’s] sight, but all things are nakedand openly exposed to the eyes of him withwhom we have an accounting.” (Hebrews 4:13) Concerning Christ, we read: “He will notjudge by any mere appearance to his eyes, norreprove simply according to the thing heardby his ears. And with righteousness he mustjudge the lowly ones, and with uprightness hemust give reproof in behalf of the meek onesof the earth.”—Isaiah 11:3, 4.

TRUE JUSTICEUnder God’s Government

Kingdom Rule Is Near!

The deteriorating state of the world testi-fies to its imminent end. “When the wickedones sprout as the vegetation and all the prac-ticers of what is hurtful blossom forth, it isthat they may be annihilated forever,” saysPsalm 92:7. How can you avoid deservingGod’s disapproval and be among those whomhe preserves? Jesus Christ said: “This means

everlasting life, their taking in knowledge ofyou, the only true God, and of the one whomyou sent forth, Jesus Christ.”—John 17:3.

Do you desire that precious knowledge? Ifso, like Heide, Dorothy, and Firuddin,mentioned earlier, why not discuss the mat-ter with Jehovah’s Witnesses? They will bepleased to answer your questions withoutcharge or obligation.

Under God’s Kingdom, all mankind will enjoy an abundance of food,as well as true justice and life without prejudice

Emily, who lives in the United States, wasdiagnosed with leukemia when she was sevenyears old. While her friends have dealt with theoccasional cold or flu, Emily has endured years

of intense medical treatment, includingchemotherapy. “Leukemia is scary!” she says.

Even though life has dealt her a hardblow, Emily has not withdrawn into despair.Rather, she awaits the time when, under God’sKingdom, “no resident will say: ‘I am sick.’ ”(Isaiah 33:24) “My favorite scripture,” saysEmily, “is Mark 12:30: ‘You must love Jeho-vah your God with your whole heart and withyour whole soul and with your whole mind andwith your whole strength.’ When I pray to Jeho-vah, he makes me strong. I thank Jehovah forgiving me my family, my congregation, and thehope of everlasting life in the Paradise newworld. This hope has helped me very much.”

WHEN LIFE ITSELFSEEMS UNFAIR

10 Awake! May 2012

MILLIONS of people feel that they arefree when, in fact, they are not. Many,

for example, are enslaved to superstitions.Others fear the dead, whom they may try toappease with expensive offerings. Still oth-ers, unsure of what happens when a persondies, have an inordinate fear of death itself.Can such ones be set free from these mental,emotional, and even financial burdens? Yes!As the words of Jesus Christ quoted aboveshow, the key to freedom is the truth. Butwhat truth? Truth in general or truth of a spe-cific kind?

Jesus did not leave us in doubt. “If you re-main in my word,” he said, “you will know thetruth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31, 32) Jesus’ “word,” his teachings, are foundin the Bible.

When Jesus said “the truth will set youfree,” he was primarily referring to being setfree from sin and death. Nevertheless, know-ing the truth about God’s Word also sets usfree from such things as superstition, fear ofthe dead, and the inordinate fear of dying.How?

1. Freedom from superstition. Many believethat certain objects or certain numbers willbring bad luck. Others refrain from makingimportant decisions unless they first look fora good omen or consult a horoscope or spiritmedium.

How Bible truth sets free: In Bible times,some of God’s own people became supersti-tious, even to the point of worshipping “thegod of Good Luck” and “the god of Destiny”!

How did Jehovah God view this? “You keptdoing what was bad in my eyes,” he said. (Isa-iah 65:11, 12) God felt the same way aboutpeople consulting spirit mediums for guid-ance in life: “Anyone who consults a spirit me-dium . . . is something detestable to Jehovah.”—Deuteronomy 18:11, 12.

Superstitions and spirit mediums areharmful because they are “machinations ofthe Devil,” the one whom Jesus called “the fa-ther of the lie.” (Ephesians 6:11; John 8:44) Ifyou wanted guidance on an important matter,would you consult a liar? Of course not! Youare wise, therefore, to avoid anything connect-ed with “the father of the lie.”

The key to making sound decisions in lifeis wisdom based on an accurate knowledge ofBible principles and God’s purpose for man-kind. “Jehovah himself gives wisdom; out ofhis mouth there are knowledge and discern-ment,” says Proverbs 2:6.

2. Freedom from fear of the dead. Manypeople believe that the “spirits” of dead an-cestors can influence the living. These “spir-its,” they feel, must be appeased with varioussacrifices, lest they become angry. As a result,some people go deeply into debt to pay forsacrifices and lavish ceremonies.

How Bible truth sets free: The Bible tells usthe truth about the state of the dead. Jesus,for instance, said that the dead are ‘asleep.’(John 11:11, 14) What did he mean? The an-swer is found at Ecclesiastes 9:5: “The livingare conscious that they will die; but as for thedead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” Yes,

THEBIBLE’SVIEWPOINT

“The Truth Will SetYou Free”—How?

Awake! May 2012 11

the dead are as if in a deep sleep, fully uncon-scious. In fact, they have ceased to exist andtherefore can neither do us good nor cause usharm.

Some people, though, claim to have hadcontact with the dead. How could this be?Again, the Bible answers. It tells us that earlyin human history, a number of angels rebelledagainst God. (2 Peter 2:4) Called demons,these wicked spirits try to deceive mankind.(1 Timothy 4:1) One way they do that is bymasquerading as the dead, thus fostering thelie that the dead are alive in another form orrealm.

3. Freedom from inordinate fear of death.

Death truly is an enemy, just as the Bible says.(1 Corinthians 15:26) Hence, we rightly fear

death and try to put it off. Still, we need nothave undue fear of death.

How Bible truth sets free: Besides revealingthe truth about the state of the dead, the Biblealso shows that God has purposed to restorethe dead to life by means of a resurrection.“The hour is coming,” said Jesus, “in whichall those in the memorial tombs will hear his[Christ’s] voice and come out.”—John 5:28,29; Acts 24:15.

In what form will they “come out”? Jesusgave us a preview when he resurrected a num-ber of people from the dead. In each case,the person returned in human form—as his orher previous self. (Mark 5:35-42; Luke 7:11-17; John 11:43, 44) This fact harmonizes withthe word “resurrection,” which means “stand-ing up.” When speaking to his aged servantDaniel, God said: “You will rest [or sleepin death], but you will stand up for your lotat the end of the days.” (Daniel 12:13) Howthose words must have comforted Daniel, en-abling him to face death with courage anddignity!

Jesus’ commission, in part, was “to preacha release to the captives”—those in bondage tofalse beliefs. (Luke 4:18) Because his teach-ings are found in the Bible, they continue toliberate people every day. We sincerely hopethat Bible truth will bring you lasting free-dom.

HAVE YOU WONDERED?

How does Bible truth set us free from

˘ superstition?—Isaiah 8:19, 20;

65:11, 12.

˘ fear of the dead?—Ecclesiastes 9:5;

John 11:11, 14.

˘ fear of death?—John 5:28, 29;

Acts 24:15.

Bible truth sets people freefrom superstition, fear ofthe dead, and the inordinatefear of dying

12 Awake! May 2012

THAT reaction is common when peoplefirst see a male proboscis monkey with

his pendulous, fleshy nose.� In some males,this appendage can grow to be almost seveninches (18 cm) long—about one quarter theanimal’s body length. Because the proboscisdroops over the male’s mouth and chin, hehas to push it aside when he eats! If your nosewere similarly proportioned, it would hang al-most halfway down your chest.

Of what benefit is this nose to the male pro-boscis monkey?� Theories vary. Perhaps hisnose radiates excess body heat or adds reso-nance to his voice. Or it may serve as a visu-al warning to other males. Indeed, the domi-nant male’s nose swells and turns red whenhe becomes angry or gets excited. Anotherpossibility is that the nose has a role in sex-ual attraction, setting the female heart aflut-ter! Most likely, though, the proboscis fulfillsmore than one function, perhaps includingsome we know little or nothing about.

Bulging Bellies

Proboscis monkeys—male and female—alsohave a distinct potbelly. In fact, their stom-ach contents may amount to a quarter of theirbody weight. As a result, both males and fe-males tend to look permanently pregnant!Why the bulging belly?

The proboscis monkey’s stomach, like thatof a cow, is filled with a soupy mixture ofvegetation and bacteria. The bacteria fermentthe food and break down cellulose, as well as� The island of Borneo is home to the proboscis monkey.

Local people call the animal orang belanda, or “Dutchman.”� Females also have an enlarged nose, although it is not as

big as that of the male.

“What a

Nose!”

Proboscis monkeys havea distinct nose and potbelly

�P

ete

rLilja

/age

foto

sto

ck

Awake! May 2012 13

certain plant toxins that would kill other ani-mals. Thanks to their amazing digestive sys-tem, proboscis monkeys are able to thrive onleaves and the nonsweet fruits and seeds oflegumes, palms, and other plants—foodson which primates with different stomachscould not survive.

The proboscis monkey’s strong digestivesystem, however, has a downside. The animalhas to abstain from sugary fruits, which fer-ment rapidly. Such sweet fruits would makethe monkey’s belly bloat, perhaps even to thepoint of causing a painful death.

Because of their cellulose-rich diet andcomplex stomach, proboscis monkeys needlots of time to digest their meals. So, aftera hearty breakfast, they take a siesta—some-times for many hours—before eating again.

A Social Animal

Whether eating or resting, proboscis mon-keys are rarely alone. Dominant males pre-side over harems of up to eight females andtheir offspring. Males born into the groupare evicted when they are old enough to carefor themselves. These juveniles team up withother young males, forming groups that alsohave one or two larger males. To the un-trained eye, such groups may appear to be aharem.

Proboscis monkeys have an unusual socialtrait—harems often intermingle, especially

in the evenings when they gather at rivers.At such times, a male will put on a show ofstrength if he feels that another male is takingan interest in his females. Usually the protec-tive male—who may weigh about 45 pounds(20 kg)—will lean forward on all fours withhis mouth wide open and stare at his rival.“If that does not have the desired effect,” saysthe book Proboscis Monkeys of Borneo, “themale then suddenly and unpredictably leapsthrough the trees, often with a loud roar, andfrequently landing on dead branches whichbreak with a sharp crack, adding to the gener-al uproar.” Fights do occur, but they appearto be rare.

“Not only are proboscis monkeys unusualto look at; they also make the most bizarrerange of noises,” says the book quoted above.The animals grunt, honk, roar, and squeal, es-pecially in the evening, when they gather nearrivers. In the midst of this cacophony, moth-ers may be quietly preoccupied with feed-ing and grooming their bluish-faced infants.Finally, by the time dusk envelops the for-est, the animals will have found comfort-able spots in trees—usually tall trees by a riv-er—where they settle down to sleep.

Monkeys With Webbed Feet!

Besides their nose, proboscis monkeyshave another oddity—partially webbed feet.The webbing enables the animals not only to

The male’s nose droopsover his mouth. He hasto push it aside whenhe eats

�Ju

nio

rsB

ild

arc

hiv

/A

lam

y

14 Awake! May 2012

swim well but also towalk safely on mangrovemud. Of course, thinking of tropical man-groves, you would likely also think of croco-diles. Crocodiles abound in the proboscismonkey’s domain. How do these aquaticmonkeys avoid getting eaten?

One strategy they employ is to slip silent-ly into a river and dog-paddle across singlefile, barely raising a ripple. When the riveris narrow, however, they have been seen touse a different strategy. They climb high upin a tree, take a running leap from a branch,perhaps 30 feet (9 m) above the water, bel-ly flop into the river, and then swim as fastas they can across the remaining stretch ofwater. Even mothers carrying infants use thistactic. Sometimes an entire troop will plungeinto the water and make a mad dash for theother side! Their greatest enemy, however, isnot the crocodile.

An Endangered Species

Officially listed as endangered, proboscismonkeys may number just a few thousand intheir native habitat, and their numbers con-tinue to decline—largely because of humans.The man-made causes include fire, logging,

unmanaged tourism, and the clearing of for-ests for oil-palm plantations. Another factoris hunting. Some people kill proboscis mon-keys simply for sport. Others kill them forfood or for use in traditional medicine. Be-cause the animals often sleep conspicuous-ly in trees next to rivers, they are especiallyvulnerable. Indeed, in one area frequented byhunters in speedboats, the number of mon-keys fell by 50 percent in five years!

Conservationists are trying to raise aware-ness of the animals’ plight, and proboscismonkeys are protected by law in Borneo. Butwill these measures suffice? Time will tell. Ifthis creature were to disappear from the wild,what a tragedy that would be, for the probos-cis monkey is a study in oddities! What ismore, the animal tends to fare badly in cap-tivity.

The proboscis monkey is, of course, justone of many creatures whose future looksgrim. Countless other species have alreadyvanished. On the positive side, God has pur-posed to take full control of the earth, removethe wicked, and teach his people the right wayto manage their terrestrial home. (Proverbs 2:21, 22) “They will not do any harm or causeany ruin in all my holy mountain,” JehovahGod promises, “because the earth will cer-tainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovahas the waters are covering the very sea.”—Isa-iah 11:9.

Whether eating or resting,proboscis monkeys arerarely alone

�P

ete

rLilja

/age

foto

sto

ck

1.TentcoveringtheArk.2.Harp.3.Trumpet.4.91,000.5.C.

ANSWERSTOPAGES30AND31

Awake! May 2012 15

DOUBT and skepticism—these attitudesmark our times and reflect the view that

some people have of the Bible. Sadly, manyhave never taken the time to make an hon-est examination of it. They base their opinionlargely on hearsay. We hope you feel differ-ently. If so, please join us on a journey backthrough time that will help to shed light onfacts that testify to the Bible’s authenticity.

Our journey begins with a man who is stillhonored by Christians, Jews, and Muslims.He was a Hebrew and lived from 2018 to1843 B.C.E.� His name was Abraham.�

Abraham was the focus of some of the ear-liest prophecies recorded in the Bible—proph-ecies that even involve us today. (See thebox “A Blessing for ‘All Nations.’ ”) Accord-ing to the Bible book of Genesis, these pre-dictions include the following: (1) Abraham’s� “B.C.E.” means “Before the Common Era.”� Abraham was first named Abram.

offspring would become a mighty nation.(2) In the process of becoming such, theywould be enslaved in a foreign land. (3) Theywould be delivered and would take possessionof the land of Canaan. Let us now considerthese statements in more detail.

Three Outstanding Prophecies��

Prophecy 1: “I shall make a great nationout of you [Abraham].”—Genesis 12:2.��

Fulfillment: Abraham’s descendantsthrough Isaac and Jacob (also called Israel)became the ancient nation of Israel—a sover-eign state with its own kings.

What history reveals:

˘ The Bible sets out in some detail Abra-ham’s family tree, including his descen-dants through Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s12 sons. The genealogy also includes the

THE BIBLEA BOOK OF ACCURATE PROPHECYP

ART

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

“I Shall Make a GreatNation Out of You”In this eight-part series, “Awake!” willdiscuss an outstanding feature of the Bible—its prophecies, or predictions. The articleswill help you to answer these questions:Are Bible prophecies merely the work ofclever humans? Do these predictions bearthe hallmark of divine inspiration? We inviteyou to weigh the evidence.

16 Awake! May 2012

many kings who ruled in Israel or Judah. Ofthose rulers, 17 are mentioned in indepen-dent, non-Biblical sources, harmonizing withthe Bible record of how Abraham’s descen-dants through Isaac and Jacob became a na-tion.��

Prophecy 2: “Your [Abraham’s] seed willbecome an alien resident in a land not theirs,and they will have to serve them . . . But inthe fourth generation they will return here.”—Genesis 15:13, 16.��

Fulfillment: Because of a famine in Canaan,four generations of Abraham’s descendantslived in Egypt, first as aliens but later asslaves assigned to make bricks out of clay and� See 1 Chronicles 1:27-34; 2:1-15; 3:1-24. During the reign

of Rehoboam, son of King Solomon, the nation of Israel splitinto a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom. There-after, two kings ruled in Israel simultaneously.—1 Kings 12:1-24.

straw. Taking into account just one family line—that of Abraham’s great-grandson Levi, whomoved to Egypt with his aged father—the fourgenerations are (1) Levi, (2) his son Kohath,(3) his grandson Amram, and (4) his great-grandson Moses. (Exodus 6:16, 18, 20) In theyear 1513 B.C.E., Moses led the Israelites outof Egypt.—See the time line below and the box“Precise Timekeeping.”


˘ According to James K. Hoffmeier, pro-fessor of Old Testament and Near EasternArchaeology, both Egyptian writings and ar-chaeological evidence indicate that Sem-ites (such as the ancient Hebrews) were al-lowed to enter Egypt with their herds duringtimes of famine. But did the Israelites becomeslaves there, assigned to make bricks?

˘ Although Egyptian records do not spe-cifically mention the Israelites, Egyptian

T I M E L I N E O F A B R A H A M ’ S S E E D

1843

1728

1711

1657

1593

1513

1473

(B.C.E.)

Abrahamdies

Jacobmovesfamily toEgypt

Jacobdies

Josephdies

Mosesborn

MosesleadsIsraelout ofEgypt

Moses dies.Joshualeads theIsraelitesinto theland ofCanaan

Four generations of Abraham’s descendants

Levi

Kohath

Amram

Moses

tomb paintings and scrolls confirm that theEgyptians used foreigners to make bricks outof mud and straw. In harmony with the Bible,Egyptian records also show that taskmasterskept written quotas for brick production. (Ex-odus 5:14, 19) “Egyptian sources,” says Hoff-meier, “confirm that forced labor was im-posed on foreigners . . . during the generalperiod when the oppression of the Israelitesoccurred. In sum, the entry of the ancientHebrews into Egypt . . . during famine andtheir subsequent enslavement seems authen-tic.”��

Prophecy 3: “I will give to . . . your seed . . .the entire land of Canaan.”—Genesis 17:8.��

Fulfillment: Although Moses led the fledg-ling nation of Israel out of Egypt, Joshua, theson of Nun, led the people into the land ofCanaan in 1473 B.C.E.

A N D I S R A E L ’ S E X O D U S

Time ofJudges

1117

1107

1070

1034

Samuel anointsSaul as Israel’sfirst king

Davidborn

David becomesking of Israel

Solomon beginstemple construction

This victory stela, with the inscription“House of David,” is one of the sourcesthat mention kings who descended fromAbraham and ruled in Israel or Judah

�Is

raelM

useu

m,Je

rusale

m/Th

eB

rid

gem

an

Art

Lib

rary

Inte

rnati

on

al

God promised that people of “all na-tions” would bless themselves by meansof Abraham’s seed. (Genesis 22:18) Theprimary reason God formed Abraham’soffspring into a nation was to producethe Messiah, who would give his life forall mankind.� Therefore, God’s promiseto Abraham involves you! John 3:16 says:“God loved the world so much that hegave his only-begotten Son, in order thateveryone exercising faith in him mightnot be destroyed but have everlastinglife.”

A BLESSING FOR“ALL NATIONS”

� Prophecies specifically relating to the identity of theMessiah will be considered in Parts 3 and 4 of this series.

An example of the value of the Bible’s pre-cise timekeeping is demonstrated at 1 Kings6:1, which points to the time when King Solo-mon commenced work on the temple in Jeru-salem. We read: “It came about in the four hun-dred and eightieth year [479 full years] afterthe sons of Israel came out from the land of

Egypt, in the fourth year [of Solomon’s reign],in the month of Ziv, that is, the second month,after Solomon became king over Israel, that heproceeded to build the house to Jehovah.”

Bible chronology places the fourth yearof Solomon’s reign at 1034 B.C.E. Countingback from that date 479 full years brings usto 1513 B.C.E. as the year of Israel’s Exodus.

PRECISE TIMEKEEPING


˘ While archaeologists may differ ondates, “we should speak of an Israelite en-try into Canaan, and settlement,” writesK. A. Kitchen, professor emeritus of Egyptol-ogy.

˘ The Bible states that Joshua “burned[the Canaanite city of] Hazor in the fire.”(Joshua 11:10, 11) In the ruins of the city, ar-chaeologists excavated three Canaanite tem-ples that had been completely destroyed.They also found evidence that the city wasburned in the 1400’s B.C.E. These facts har-monize with the Bible.

˘ Another Canaanite city of interest isGibeon, located about six miles (9.6 km)from Jerusalem. Archaeologists identified thecity when they discovered about 30 jar han-dles engraved with the city’s name. The an-cient Gibeonites, unlike the inhabitants ofHazor, made peace with Joshua. He, in turn,put them towork as “drawers of water.” (Josh-ua 9:3-7, 23) Why this assignment? The de-scriptions found at 2 Samuel 2:13 and Jer-

emiah 41:12 show that Gibeon was blessedwith plenty of water. Thus, in harmony withthe Bible account, Archaeological Study Bible,New International Version states: “The mostconspicuous feature of Gibeon is in fact itsabundant water supply: one major and sevenminor springs.”

˘ Literally dozens of people mentioned inthe Bible have been corroborated by indepen-dent sources. This list, as stated earlier, in-cludes the names of 17 kings who descendedfrom Abraham and ruled in Israel or Judah.Among them are Ahab, Ahaz, David, Hezeki-ah, Manasseh, and Uzziah. Clearly, the pres-ence of royal dynasties argues powerfully thata nation called Israel both entered the land ofCanaan and occupied it.

˘ In 1896, researchers found the Merne-ptah Stele in Thebes, Egypt. This relief boastsof Pharaoh Merneptah’s military campaigninto Canaan about 1210 B.C.E. The relief pro-vides the first known non-Biblical reference toIsrael, further supporting the existence of thisnation.

The Advantage of Specifics

As we have seen, the Bible is rich in spe-cific details about people, places, and events.Those specifics enable us to cross-check theBible against non-Biblical sources, thus help-ing us to confirm the fulfillment of Bibleprophecies. In regard to Abraham and hisseed, the facts show us that God’s promiseswere fulfilled—Abraham’s seed did become anation, they were enslaved in Egypt, and theylater occupied the land of Canaan. All thiscalls to mind the words of the Bible writerPeter, who humbly acknowledged: “Prophecywas at no time brought by man’s will, but menspoke from God as they were borne along byholy spirit.”—2 Peter 1:21.

In the centuries that followed Israel’s occu-pation of Canaan, the nation’s history took adrastic turn, leading to tragic consequences.These consequences too were foretold byBible writers, as our next issue will show.

˘ Clay tablets from the early secondmillennium B.C.E. list cities that match thenames of Abraham’s relatives. These citiesinclude Peleg, Serug, Nahor, Terah, andHaran.—Genesis 11:17-32.

˘ At Genesis 11:31, we read that Abra-ham and his family emigrated from “Ur ofthe Chaldeans.” The ruins of this city werediscovered in southeastern Iraq. The Biblealso states that Abraham’s father, Terah,died in the city of Haran, which probablynow lies in Turkey, and that Abraham’swife, Sarah, died in Hebron, one of theoldest still-inhabited cities of the MiddleEast.—Genesis 11:32; 23:2.

ABRAHAM—AHISTORICAL PERSON

Awake! May 2012 19

PERHAPS you’ve been in a similar plight. Whether the issuewas your curfew, your music, your friends, or your clothes,

your parents laid down the law, and they just wouldn’t budge. Forexample:

“After he married my mom, my stepdad cracked down on everykind of music I enjoyed. I ended up having to throw out all my CDs!”—Brandon.�� Some names in this article have been changed.

YOUNGPEOPLEASK

Why don’t myparents understand?

CONSIDER THIS IMAGINARY SITUATION.

It’s six o’clock on a Friday night, and17-year-old Jim is dashing toward the frontdoor. “See you later!” he calls out to hisparents, hoping they’ll forget to ask theinevitable question.

He should have known better.

“What time will you be back, Jimmy?”his mom asks.

Jim stops in his tracks. “Um . . . uh . . . ,”he stammers, “no need to wait up for me,OK?” Jim swings open the door and nearlymakes his escape. But then his dad callsout, “Hold it, James!”Again, Jim freezes, and then he hears hisdad’s stern voice: “You know the rule. Teno’clock sharp—and no exceptions!”“Aw, Dad,” Jim groans as he turns towardhis father, “do you know how embarrass-ing it is to tell my friends that I have tobe home so early?”Dad shows no mercy. “Ten o’clock sharp,”he repeats, “and no exceptions!”

“My mom criticizes me for not having friends. Butthen when I ask her if I can hang out with someone, shesays no because she doesn’t know that person. It’s sofrustrating!”—Carol.

“My dad and stepmom won’t let me wear a T-shirt un-less it’s a size too big. And my dad insists that shorts aretoo short if they’re above the knee!”—Serena.

What can you do if you and your parents don’tsee eye to eye? Could you discuss the issue withthem? “My parents usually don’t want to listen,”says Joanne, 17. Amy, 15, says, “When I feel that myparents don’t understand me, I just keep my mouthshut.”

But don’t give up so quickly! Your parents may bemore willing to listen than you think.

Consider: Even God listens when humans presenttheir case to him. For example, Jehovah listened toMoses when he spoke in behalf of the wayward Isra-elites.—Exodus 32:7-14; Deuteronomy 9:14, 19.

You may feel that your parents aren’t as reasonableas God. And admittedly there’s a big difference be-tween Moses’ talking to Jehovah about the fate of anentire nation and your talking to Dad or Mom aboutstaying out a little late. Still, there’s a principle incommon:

If you have a legitimate point to make, people inauthority—in this case, your parents—might be will-ing to hear you out.

The secret to success is how you present your case!The following steps will help you to do so more effec-tively:

1. Identify the problem. Below, write the issue thatyou and your parents can’t seem to agree on.˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

COMMUNICATIONTIPS

“Listening will get you alot further than yelling. If youlisten to your parents and tryto understand their viewpoint,they’ll likely do the same foryou.”—Rianne.Read Philippians 2:3, 4.

“Don’t talk back! I did thatrepeatedly until I finally real-ized that an argument (andpunishment) could have beenavoided if I had just con-trolled my tongue!”—Danielle.Read Proverbs 17:27; 21:23.

“Wait until things are calm,when you know that your par-ents will be willing to listen.”—Collette.Read Proverbs 25:11.

“Your parents need to knowthat you respect them andthat you’re really listening towhat they’re saying. So beforeyou tell them how you feel,assure them that you heardwhat they said and that youunderstand it.”—Emily.Read Proverbs 23:22;James 1:19.

FACT OFLIFE

Not all disagreements need to be discussed. In some cases, youcan “have your say in your heart . . . and keep silent.” (Psalm 4:4)A young girl named Beatrice says: “Sometimes if I think about howlittle the problem will matter tomorrow, it doesn’t seem like a bigdeal anymore. I can just let it go.”

Awake! May 2012 21

2. Identify the feeling. Below, write a word that de-scribes how your parents’ stand on the issue makesyou feel—whether hurt, sad, embarrassed, distrusted,or other. (Example: In the scenario that opened thisarticle, Jim indicates that his parents’ strict curfewleaves him feeling embarrassed in front of his friends.)˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

3. Think like a parent. Imagine that you have ateenager who is facing the same issue that you namedin Step 1. Assuming the role of a parent, what wouldbe your biggest concern, and why? (Example: In theopening scenario, Jim’s parents might feel fear forJim’s safety.)˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝4. Reassess the issue. Answer the following ques-

tions:What merit can you see in your parents’ point of

view?˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

What can you do to address their concerns?˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

5. Discuss the matter with your parents and brain-storm solutions. By applying the steps outlined above—and considering the suggestions in the box “Com-munication Tips”—you might find that you can com-municate with your parents on a more mature lev-el. Kellie enjoys that kind of relationship with herdad and mom. “Arguing gets you nowhere, plus you’reguaranteed to lose,” she says. “My secret is to talk itout with my parents. We almost always meet each oth-er in the middle so that all of us are satisfied.”

WHY NOT ASK YOUR PARENTS?

How did you resolve conflicts with your par-ents? If you could go back in time, would youdo anything different? If so, what?

More articles from the “Young People Ask” series can befound at the Web site www.watchtower.org/ype

WHAT YOURPEERS SAY

Wyndia—I try to thinkbefore I speak. I con-sider my parents’viewpoint, and I praybefore I say anything.If I know that what I’mabout to say will starta fight, I keep quietuntil I can express my-self without arguing.

Ross—When I feel thepressure building, I tryto tell myself that Icould ruin the rest ofmy day over an argu-ment that didn’t reallyneed to happen. As aresult, I find that I’mless likely to get an-gry now compared towhen I was younger.

Ramona—I find thatit’s always smart tolisten to my parents’viewpoint. Perhapstheir opinion isn’t asfar away from mineafter all, and thedisagreement mightnot be as big as I ex-pected.

˘ Some 900 million people worldwide haveno access to safe drinking water. In manyareas, it is women and children who trek longdistances to find water and then carry it backto their homes. “I think it’s terrible that thepoor have to spend hours a day walking justto obtain a basic necessity,” says ShreerangChhatre, an engineer at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology. To provide relief,Chhatre and his colleagues are exploring thescience of fog harvesting, and for inspirationthey are looking to the Namib beetle.

Consider: Each morning, a fog driftsthrough Africa’s Namib desert. The Namibbeetle takes advantage of this brief opportu-nity and faces the wind at just the right angle.�

� Other species of beetles have been observed collecting waterin a similar fashion.

Bumps on the wing covers are composed ofa hydrophilic substance that attracts moisture.The moisture builds up, forming ever largerdroplets. Gravity then takes over, and aidedby water-repellent troughs between the bumps,the droplets run down the wing covers and intothe beetle’s mouth.

Chhatre and his associates want to usea similar principle to harvest drinking waterfor humans. Of course, humans need morewater to survive than does the Namib beetle.And financing such an endeavor is a dauntingchallenge. For now, fog harvesting for hu-mans remains “a work in progress,” Chhatresays.

What do you think? Did the hydrophilicwing cover of the Namib beetle come about byevolution? Or was it designed?

WAS IT DESIGNED?

The Hydrophilic Wing Cover of the

Namib Beetle

Water droplets form andrun into the beetle’s mouth

Photo: Chris MattisonPhotography/photographersdirect.com

Awake! May 2012 23

“INEVER thought it would be possible in Ma-lawi,” exclaimed Augustine. He was refer-

ring to the construction of large numbers ofKingdom Halls, as Jehovah’s Witnesses calltheir places of worship. In 1993, the then 30,-000 Witnesses in Malawi, a small country insoutheastern Africa, had no suitable places inwhich to worship and study the Bible.

Now, however, the situation is very differ-ent. In Blantyre in September 2010, the Wit-nesses in Malawi completed their thousandthKingdom Hall!�Why did the Witnesses growto 30,000 before they started to build placesfor worship? And once they started, how werethey able to erect 1,000 halls in a relativelyshort period in a land with limited resources?Finally, what effect has this amazing con-struction program had on the Witnesses andtheir neighbors?

Testing Times

In the early 1900’s, Jehovah’s Witnesses,then known as Bible Students, began teachingBible truth in Malawi. By 1967, the number ofWitnesses had grown to about 17,000. Likefirst-century Christians, they were known forbeing law-abiding and respectful of govern-ment officials. Also like the early Christians,they remained resolutely neutral with regardto political affairs.—John 18:36; Acts 5:29.

Sadly, by the mid-1960’s, their Bible-based� The number of Kingdom Halls has now exceeded 1,030.

stand had brought the Witnesses into con-flict with the government, and in 1967, theywere banned. Before long, many were arbi-trarily dismissed from their places of employ-ment, and lawless elements confiscated or de-stroyed their properties. Because of intensepersecution and the fear of possible genocide,thousands of Witnesses fled to neighboringMozambique and Zambia.

Eventually, though, things began to im-prove for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Malawi,most of whom were repatriated by the early1990’s. How they rejoiced when on August 12,1993, the 26-year-long ban on their activitywas lifted! However, they faced a new dilem-ma. Numbering more than 30,000 in 583 con-gregations, they had no suitable places tomeet for worship! What should they do?

Love in Action!

For the first six years after the ban, localWitnesses did commendable work buildingKingdom Halls with their limited finances.But it was not an easy task because the annualincrease in Witnesses outpaced the growth inthe number of halls. The solution? The appli-cation of the Bible principle found at 2 Co-rinthians 8:14. “By means of an equalizing,”the financial surplus in other countries “offset[the] deficiency” in lands such as Malawi. Tothat end, in 1999 the Governing Body of Je-hovah’s Witnesses introduced a special pro-gram to help build places of worship in lands

1,000 A M I L E S TO N E I N M A L AW I

1,000 Kingdom Halls!

24 Awake! May 2012

with limited resources. With this loving assis-tance, the Witnesses in Malawi greatly accel-erated their Kingdom Hall construction pro-gram.�

Previously, congregations in Malawi heldChristian meetings in school classrooms, intemporary shelters, or even under trees. Now,the 1,230 congregations are able to meet forworship and Bible instruction in dignifiedbuildings dedicated to the advancement oftrue worship. As you can imagine, the morethan 75,000 Witnesses in Malawi deeply ap-preciate the support of their spiritual brothersand sisters around the world.

Another factor that helped the Witnessesto build so many places of worship in such ashort time was their desire for modest, func-tional halls. They did not want ostentatiousstructures. Rather, they wanted simple, digni-fied buildings that bring honor to God andprovide a comfortable environment for Biblediscussion and study.

Local Communities Benefit

Previously, Jehovah’s Witnesses were ridi-culed in Malawi as the religion without placesof worship. As a result, some Witnesses were� Since 1999, worldwide, Jehovah’s Witnesses have built 23,-

786 Kingdom Halls in 151 lands that have limited resources.

at times embarrassed to invite interested onesto the meetings. So, imagine how they feltwhen they had their own attractive KingdomHall. Now they were delighted to invite neigh-bors and interested people to Christian meet-ings. Indeed, in one area, the local congrega-tion was thrilled to see 698 people attend ameeting at a newly built Kingdom Hall!

Many Witnesses and others commentedthat they never thought they would have sucha beautiful and sturdy hall in their area. Au-gustine, mentioned at the outset, can remem-ber one congregation that held its meetingsunder a tree. “It was very pleasant in the dryseason,” says Augustine. “But in the wet sea-son—problems!” If you have ever been caughtin a tropical downpour, you know what prob-lems Augustine is referring to.

Augustine recalls one of his visits to theChimwanje Congregation. “We held themeeting in a small shelter made of woodenpoles with a grass roof,” he explains. “We didnot realize, though, that the grass roof hadbecome the home of a large, poisonous spi-der. Suddenly, in the middle of my talk, thecreature dropped down and landed next tomy foot! I heard a startled member of the au-dience shout, ‘Crush it, Augustine, crush it!’Needless to say, I did. As you can see, I am

Before the Kingdom Hall constructionprogram began, meeting places wereoften no more than grass-coveredshelters

Now congregationsmeet in Kingdom Hallssuch as this one

(

Awake! May 2012 25

still alive.” Now that the congregation has anew Kingdom Hall, they no longer have suchdisturbances.

“A Jewel in the Community”

The exciting Kingdom Hall constructionprogram has won Jehovah’s Witnesses the ad-miration and respect of many communitiesand local chiefs, as the following commentsshow:

O “The construction of a new place ofworship, along with the love and unity shownby Jehovah’s Witnesses, is a jewel in the com-munity, worthy of imitation by other church-es.”—The local chief in Chabwenzi.

O “What I admire most about the Wit-nesses is their unity. We started building ourchurch ten years ago, but it is still under con-struction—and its completion is nowhere insight. I would like to thank you for erectingsuch a beautiful facility in our area.”—The vil-lage headman in Chigwenembe.

O “It’s amazing to see the way you work.You are so quick and yet so neat! You mustbe very united.”—The local chief in Chiuzira.

The Kingdom Hall construction programhas been so noteworthy that it has evencome to the attention of the editors of theChichewa/Chinyanja—English Dictionary,which states regarding the Witnesses: “Jeho-vah’s Witnesses have built many [KingdomHalls].”

“This Kingdom Hall is a Miracle”

On January 30, 2011, the Manyowe Con-gregation in Blantyre, mentioned earlier, ded-icated their new Kingdom Hall—the thou-sandth to be built in Malawi. “To have thisKingdom Hall is a miracle,” said one memberof the congregation. “It is like a dream cometrue.”

“I did not miss a single day of the con-struction project,” recounts a young girl inthe Manyowe Congregation. “I am very hap-py I could have a share in building a suitableplace of worship in our territory.”

“We had difficulty getting approval from lo-cal authorities to build our Kingdom Hall,”explained one of the congregation elders.“Several times, city officials refused to signthe needed permits. However, Mrs. LinessChikaoneka, the local headwoman, workedvery hard to convince officials to sign the per-mits.”

One day, Mrs. Chikaoneka accompaniedan elder to get a permit signed. “I want theWitnesses to build their Kingdom Hall in myvillage,” she told the official. “They are goodpeople. I have never had to solve any difficul-ties involving them in my traditional court.”The official duly signed the papers.

Mrs. Chikaoneka was elated when theKingdom Hall was dedicated. “I am very hap-py and proud,” she said, “to have this beauti-ful building in my village!”

Throughout Malawi, Jehovah’s Witnessesand their neighbors continue to express ap-preciation for the Kingdom Hall construc-tion program. As a result of their exem-plary spirit of self-sacrifice and hard work, inthis country Jehovah’s Witnesses no longerhave a huge backlog of places where King-dom Halls are needed, as they did in 1993.True, they will have an ongoing need formore Kingdom Halls as people respond tothe “good news of [God’s] kingdom” andas new congregations are formed. (Matthew24:14) Hence, the Witnesses deeply appre-ciate the kind support and generous dona-tions of their fellow Witnesses throughout theworld.�

But, most of all, the Witnesses express grat-itude to their God, Jehovah. Their sentimentsare similar to those of the psalmist, who said:“All the nations whom you have made willthemselves come, and they will bow down be-fore you, O Jehovah, and will give glory toyour name. For you are great and are doingwondrous things.”—Psalm 86:9, 10.� Worldwide, the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses is supported

entirely by voluntary contributions.

26 Awake! May 2012

IMAGINE a platoon of expert computercriminals using the Internet to oper-

ate networks of hijacked computers. Thisarmy of computers, known as botnets (ro-bot networks), unleashes a barrage of mali-cious computer code targeting a specific na-tion. Within minutes, that nation’s military,financial, and commercial Web sites crash.ATMs and phone networks fail. Airplanesare grounded, and computer and safety sys-tems at a nuclear power plant are disrupted.How would people react? What would theydo? What would you do?

Perhaps the above scenario seems far-fetched. But according to Richard A.Clarke, the former U.S. National Coordinatorfor Security, Infrastructure Protection, andCounterterrorism, something similar couldhappen in real life. In fact, there have alreadybeen cyberattacks.� Perhaps you have evenbeen a victim.

Why would anyone want to launch acyberattack? How are cyberattacks carried� Cyberattacks are deliberate attempts to alter, disrupt, or

destroy computer systems or networks or the information orprograms that they store or transmit.—U.S. National ResearchCouncil.

out? And since cybercrime against individu-als is common, how can you protect yourselfonline?

The Digital Battlefield

People launch cyberattacks for various rea-sons. Terrorists or governments, for instance,may try to infiltrate the computer networksof their enemies to steal secrets or to sabo-tage the equipment that those computer net-works control. In 2010, U.S. Deputy Secre-tary of Defense William J. Lynn III admittedthat foreign “adversaries” had repeatedly at-tacked and penetrated classified U.S. com-puter networks and stolen “thousands of files. . . including weapons blueprints, operation-al plans, and surveillance data.”—See the box“Some Recent Cyberattacks.”

Computer criminals use similar methodsto steal intellectual property or financial in-formation from corporate networks and per-sonal computers. Criminals reportedly rakein billions of dollars each year by means offraudulent network transactions.

Criminal hackers have assembled vast ar-mies of hijacked computers to carry out theironline attacks. In 2009, an Internet security

CYBERATTACK!

Criminal hackers haveassembled vast armiesof hijacked computers

Awake! May 2012 27

firm uncovered a criminal gang that remotelycontrolled a global network of nearly two mil-lion computers, many of them owned by pri-vate citizens. The Organization for EconomicCooperation and Development (OECD) re-cently estimated that 1 in 3 online computersis remotely controlled by an intruder. Whatabout your computer? Could someone com-mandeer it without your knowledge?

Silent Stalkers

Picture the following scenario. A criminaltransmits a malicious program over the Inter-net. When the program finds your computer,it silently probes its online defenses. Whenit finds an unguarded door, it burrows deepinto your computer and rummages aroundfor useful information.� The malicious pro-gram may then change or delete your com-puter files, e-mail itself to other computers,

or send passwords, financial details, or otherconfidential information back to the intruder.

Computer criminals could even trick youinto infecting your computer yourself! How?You may infect your own computer by open-ing an innocent-looking e-mail attachment,clicking on a Web page link, downloading andinstalling a free computer program, pluggingan infected memory device into your comput-er, or simply visiting a questionable Web site.Each of these actions can install malicioussoftware on your computer and bring it underthe control of a remote intruder.

How can you know if your computer hasbeen infected? It can be very difficult to de-� In 2011, hackers could reportedly target over 45,000 known

computer weaknesses. Exploiting those weaknesses, they usual-ly try to install malicious software (malware) on people’s com-puters without their knowledge.

tect. Your computer or Internet connectionmay seem very slow, your applications maynot run, pop-up boxes may prompt you to in-stall certain programs, or your computer mayoperate in an unusual way. If you note any ofthese symptoms, have a reputable techniciancheck your computer.

‘Consider Your Steps’

As nations and individuals become morereliant on computer technology, cyber-attacks will likely become more common.

According to the OECD, 1 in 3online computers is remotelycontrolled by an intruder

2003: The Slammer computer wormspread rapidly through the Internet, in-fecting approximately 75,000 computersin ten minutes.� Regular Internet trafficslowed to a crawl, Web sites crashed,ATMs failed, airline flights were grounded,and computer and safety systems at anuclear power plant were disrupted.

2007: A series of cyberattacks targetedEstonia, affecting the government, themedia, and banks. Most of the attacksstemmed from hijacked computer net-works (botnets), which caused more thanone million computers in 75 countries toswamp their targets with bogus requestsfor information.

2010: The highly sophisticated Stuxnetcomputer worm infected industrial-controlsystems at a nuclear plant in Iran.

� Computer worms are malicious programs thatautomatically copy themselves from computer to com-puter via the Internet. Like other types of malicious soft-ware, computer worms are usually assigned individualnames, such as Slammer.

SOME RECENTCYBERATTACKS

28 Awake! May 2012

Accordingly, many nations are scrambling tobeef up their digital defenses, and some areconducting large-scale exercises to test theresilience of their computer networks to at-tack. Still, “given enough time, motivationand funding,” admits Steven Chabinsky, asenior U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigationcomputer security expert, “a determined ad-versary will always—always—be able to pene-trate a targeted system.”

What can you do to protect yourself on-line? While complete online security may notbe possible, you can take practical steps tomake your computer more secure. (See thebox “Protect Yourself!”) The Bible states:“The shrewd one considers his steps.” (Prov-erbs 14:15) Surely wise advice when you goonline!

Do what you can to protectyour online security

1. Install antivirus, spyware-detection,and firewall software on your computer.Keep that software and your operatingsystem updated with all security updates.

2. Think before you click on links oropen attachments in e-mails or instantmessages—even from friends. Be espe-cially cautious if the mail is unsolicitedand asks for personal information orpasswords.

3. Never copy or run software fromunknown sources.

4. Use passwords that have at leasteight characters and include numbersand symbols, and change them regularly.Use different passwords for different ac-counts.

5. Do business online only withreputable companies that use secure con-nections.�

6. Do not give out confidential infor-mation about yourself or your accountswhen using unsecured Wi-Fi connections,such as in public places.

7. Switch your computer off when itis not in use.

8. Regularly back up your files, andstore copies securely.

� Secure Web pages on Web browsers display a locksymbol and “https://” in the address bar. The “s” means se-cure.

PROTECT YOURSELF!

Ready for Apocalypse?“A Legal Manual for an Apocalyptic New York” is

the title of a New York Times article. It reports thepublication of an official manual to help judges andlawyers deal with thorny legal questions that couldpotentially be raised by “another terrorist attack, amajor radiological or chemical contamination or awidespread epidemic.” The manual, published by theNew York State court system and the state bar as-sociation, sets out for ready reference how existinglaw regulates such matters as quarantine, mass evac-uation, search without warrant, slaughter of infectedanimals, and suspension of law.

Inside Old PillowsClean pillow cases may be “wrapping up something

really nasty,” says Art Tucker, principal clinical scien-tist at St. Barts Hospital, London. The Times of Lon-don, which reported on his research, states that af-ter two years’ use, more than one third of a pillow’sweight is “made up of living and dead dust mites,dust mite faeces, dead skin and bacteria.” Pillows aregood incubators for allergens, germs, and mites. A so-lution? “Mites . . . dry out and die when exposed tosunlight,” says The Times, “meaning the old fashionedpractice of airing bedding helps control mites.” Soapsdo not kill mites, but washing pillows at more than60 degrees Celsius [140 degrees Fahrenheit] will doso, and will rinse most of them out.

WATCHING THE WORLD

New York City enactedlegislation that prohibitssmoking on beaches, inparks, and in pedestrian plazas.Offenders will be subject toa fine of $50 per violation.Officials hope that the ban willbe “self-enforcing.”—THE WALL

STREET JOURNAL, U.S.A.

“Selective abortion ofgirls [girl babies], espe-cially for pregnanciesafter a firstborn girl,has increased substan-tially in India.” In familiesthat already had a firstborngirl, the number of girls bornper 1,000 boys fell from 906in 1990 to 836 in 2005.—THE LANCET, BRITAIN.

The World Health Organizationhas classified radio-frequencyelectromagnetic fields, “suchas those emitted by wirelesscommunication devices,” as“possibly carcinogenicto humans.”—INTERNATIONAL

AGENCY FOR RESEARCH ON CANCER,

FRANCE.

The United Nations hascelebrated the defeatof rinderpest, or cattleplague. This is “the firstanimal disease to be eliminat-ed from its natural settingthanks to human efforts . . .and only the second diseaseof any kind to be eradicated,after smallpox in humans.”—FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZA-

TION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, ITALY.

FOR FAMILY REVIEW

What Is MissingFrom This Picture?Read 1 Chronicles 16:1, 2, 4-10. Now look atthe picture. What features are missing? Writeyour answers on the lines below. Connect thedots to complete the picture, then color in thedrawing.

1 ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

2 ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

3 ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

˘ “FOR FAMILY REVIEW” answers on page 14

FOR DISCUSSION: Does Jehovah God appre-ciate it when music and singing are part of ourworship? Why do you so answer? CLUE: Read2 Chronicles 5:13, 14; Ephesians 5:19. Can youname other accounts in the Bible where singingwas used in true worship? CLUE: Read Exodus15:1-20; Mark 14:26; Acts 16:25. What attitudecan help you sing to Jehovah even if you are shyor feel that others sing better than you do?CLUE: Read Psalm 33:1-3.

FAMILY ACTIVITY: Have each family memberchoose a favorite song of praise to Jehovah. Asa family, practice singing those songs until youbecome familiar with them.

To print out additional copiesof “For Family Review,” go towww.jw.org

START12

34

56

78

9 10

1112

13 14

1516

17 18

1920

2122

23

24

25

26

2728

2930

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

4546

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54 55

56

57

58

59

60

6162

63

64

FINISH

Collect and Learn Cut out, fold in half, and saveJO

NA

HB

IBL

EC

AR

D

17

J O N A H

PROFILE A prophet of Jehovah whoserved during the reign of King Jer-oboam II. (2 Kings 14:23-25) Jehovahtaught Jonah not to focus on himselfbut to care about the needs of others.(Jonah 4:6-11) Jonah’s experiencesteach us that Jehovah is extremelypatient, merciful, and kind to sinfulhumans.

QUESTIONS

A. Jonah was sent to preach to ��,where over �� men lived.

B. Although Jonah at first ran from hisassignment, what brave thing did he doto save others?

C. Complete the Bible’s statement:“Jonah came to be in the inward . . . ”

ANSWERS

A. Nineveh, 120,000.—Jonah 1:1, 2;4:11.

B. He told the sailors to throw himoverboard to calm the sea.—Jonah 1:3,9-16.

C. “ . . . parts of the fish three daysand three nights.”—Jonah 1:17.

Peoples and Lands4. Our names are Melissa, aged 9, and Edilo, aged 7.We live in Cuba. About how many of Jehovah’sWitnesses live in Cuba? Is it 51,000, 91,000, or131,000?

5. Which dot shows where we live? Circle it, drawa dot where you live, and see how close you are toCuba.

Children’sPicture SearchCan you find these pictures inthis issue? In your own words,describe what is happening ineach picture.

40

26

B.C

.E.

Adam

create

dLiv

ed

about

84

0B

.C.E

.

1C

.E.

98

C.E

.

Last

Bib

lebook

writt

en

TARSHISH

Nineveh

Gath-hepher

Fled from Gath-hepherto Tarshish

A B

C

D

Awake! May 2012 31

www.watchtower.org g12 05-E

Our Creator has revealed what he will do in the near future.He states:

“Here I am creating new heavens and a newearth; and the former things will not be calledto mind, neither will they come up into theheart.”—ISAIAH 65:17.

What are “the former things” that will not “come up intothe heart”? The context shows that they are the injustice,sickness, suffering, and many other woes that plaguehumankind. How will those woes cease? The secret liesin the foretold “new heavens” and “new earth.”

“The former thingswill not . . . come up

into the heart”

Those intriguing terms and their significance will beexplained in the public talk “The Former Things WillNot . . . Come Up Into the Heart.” The discourse willbe delivered at the “Safeguard Your Heart!” DistrictConventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses, beginning inMay in the United States and continuing around theworld.

You are cordially invited to attend the conventionnearest you. For specific details, please contactJehovah’s Witnesses in your area or write to thepublishers of this magazine. The Web sitewww.jw.org lists the convention locations inCanada and the United States.

Awake 2012, en

Documents

Transcript of Awake 2012, en