34567OCTOBER 2019

STUDY ARTICLES FOR:DECEMBER 2-29, 2019

The treaty also established a new organi-zation called the League of Nations. Its aimwas “to promote international co-operationand to achieve international peace and se-curity.” Many of Christendom’s religions sup-ported the League. The Federal Council ofthe Churches of Christ in America hailed itas “the political expression of the Kingdomof God on earth.” This council endorsed theLeague by sending delegates to the ParisPeace Conference. One of those delegatesstated that the conference “ushered in anew era in the history of the world.”

A new era was beginning, but it wouldnot be ushered in by the men involved inthat peace conference. In 1919 a new era

in the preaching work began when Jehovahenergized his people to preach as never be-fore. But first, the Bible Students needed adramatic change in their situation.

A DIFFICULT DECISIONThe annual election of directors of the

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society wasscheduled for Saturday, January 4, 1919. Atthe time, Joseph F. Rutherford, who wastaking the lead among Jehovah’s people,had been unjustly imprisoned in Atlanta,Georgia, U.S.A., along with seven others.The question was, Should the imprisonedbrothers who were officers be reelected? Orshould they be replaced?

In his prison cell, Brother Rutherford wor-ried about the future of the organization. Heknew that some brothers felt that it wouldbe best to elect someone else to be presi-dent. Acknowledging this, he had written aletter to those assembled, recommendingEvander J. Coward for president. Rutherforddescribed Coward as “calm,” “discreet,” and“consecrated to the Lord.” However, manybrothers favored a different solution, that ofpostponing the election for six months. Thelegal team who had defended the impris-oned brothers agreed. Emotions ran high asthe discussion progressed.

1919 ONEHUNDRED

YEARS AGO

BY 1919 the Great War (later knownas World War I), which dragged onfor over four years, had ended. Latein the preceding year, the nationsstopped fighting, and on January 18,1919, the Paris Peace Conferencebegan. One of the achievements ofthat conference was the Treaty ofVersailles, which brought a formalend to the Allies’ war with Germany.It was signed on June 28, 1919.

2 THE WATCHTOWER

Then something happened that RichardH. Barber later described as ‘pouring oil onthe troubled waters.’ One of the brothersin attendance spoke up and said: “I amnot a lawyer, but when it comes to the legal-ity of the situation, I know something aboutthe law of the loyal. Loyalty is what God de-mands. I cannot imagine any greater confi-dence we could manifest than to have anelection and reelect Brother Rutherford aspresident.”—Ps. 18:25.

Fellow prisoner A. H. Macmillan later re-called that the next day Brother Rutherfordknocked on his cell wall and said, “Poke yourhand out.” Brother Rutherford then hand-ed him a telegram. Macmillan saw the tersemessage and knew immediately what itmeant. The message read: “RUTHERFORDWISE VAN BARBER ANDERSON BULLY AND

SPILL DIRECTOR FIRST THREE OFFICERSLOVE TO ALL.” This meant that all thedirectors had been reelected and that Jo-seph Rutherford and William Van Amburghhad been retained as officers. Thus, Broth-er Rutherford would continue as president.

RELEASED!While the eight brothers were impris-

oned, faithful Bible Students circulated apetition calling for their release. Thesebrave brothers and sisters gathered morethan 700,000 signatures. On Wednesday,March 26, 1919, before the petition wassubmitted, Brother Rutherford and the oth-er responsible brothers were released.

In a speech to those who welcomed himhome, Brother Rutherford said: “I am con-vinced that this experience we have all gonethrough is merely to prepare us for morestrenuous times. . . . Your fight has notbeen to get your brethren out of prison.That was merely a side issue. . . . The fightyou have been making has been for the pur-pose of witnessing for the Truth, and thosewho have done it have received a wonderfulblessing.”

The circumstances surrounding the trialof our brothers may give indication of Jeho-vah’s direction. On May 14, 1919, the ap-peals court ruled: “The defendants in thiscase did not have the . . . impartial trial towhich they were entitled, and for that rea-son the judgment is reversed.” The brothershad been convicted of serious crimes, andthese judgments would have remained ontheir records if they had only been par-doned or if their sentences had merely beencommuted. No further charges were laid. Asa result, Judge Rutherford retained his le-gal qualifications to defend Jehovah’s peo-ple before the Supreme Court of the UnitedStates, something he did many times afterhis release.Brother Rutherford speaking at the

Cedar Point, Ohio, convention, 1919OCTOBER 2019 3

4 THE WATCHTOWER

DETERMINED TO PREACH“We were not going to sit around idle and

twiddle our thumbs waiting for the Lord totake us to heaven,” recalled Brother Macmil-lan. “We realized we would have to do some-thing to determine what the Lord’s will real-ly was.”

But the brothers at headquarters couldnot just resume the work that they had beendoing for years. Why not? Because duringtheir imprisonment, all the printing platesthat were used to print literature had beendestroyed. This was discouraging, and somebrothers wondered if the preaching workwas finished.

Was anyone still interested in the King-dom message preached by the BibleStudents? To answer that question, Broth-er Rutherford decided to give a lecture.The public would be invited. “If nobody

came to that meeting,” Brother Macmillansaid, “we were done.”

So it was that on Sunday, May 4, 1919, inspite of a serious illness, Brother Ruther-ford delivered the lecture “The Hope for Dis-tressed Humanity” in Los Angeles, Califor-nia. About 3,500 attended the lecture, andhundreds were turned away. The next day,another 1,500 attended. The brothers hadtheir answer—people were interested!

What the brothers did next set the coursefor the preaching work of Jehovah’s Wit-nesses down to this day.

POISED FOR FUTURE GROWTHThe Watch Tower of August 1, 1919, an-

nounced that in early September, a gener-al convention would be held at Cedar Point,Ohio. “Everyone just felt they had to getthere,” recalled Clarence B. Beaty, a youngBible Student from Missouri. More than

A B

C D

E

A. Joseph F. RutherfordB. Evander J. CowardC. Richard H. BarberD. Alexander H. Macmillan

E. Newspaper advertisementfor Brother Rutherford’s lecture“The Hope for Distressed Humanity”in Los Angeles, California, 1919

OCTOBER 2019 5

6,000 brothers and sisters attended thatgathering, far more than were anticipated.Adding to the excitement of the occasion,more than 200 got baptized in nearbyLake Erie.

On September 5, 1919, the fifth day of theconvention, in his “Address to Co-laborers,”Brother Rutherford announced the publica-tion of a new magazine, entitled The Gold-en Age.� It would “carry the current news ofimportance, giving a Scriptural explanationas to why these great events [were] tran-spiring.”

All the Bible Students were encouragedto preach boldly with this new publication.A letter outlining how the work was to beorganized stated: “Let each consecrated[baptized] one remember that it is a great

� The Golden Age was renamed Consolation in 1937 andAwake! in 1946.

privilege to serve, and grasp the opportuni-ty now and have a part in giving this greatwitness to the world.” The response was tre-mendous! By December, zealous Kingdompublishers had obtained more than 50,000subscriptions to the new magazine.

By the end of 1919, Jehovah’s peoplewere reorganized and energized. Addition-ally, several important prophecies involvingthe last days had been fulfilled. The testingand refinement of God’s people, foretold atMalachi 3:1-4, was complete. Jehovah’speople had been released from their sym-bolic captivity to “Babylon the Great,” andJesus had appointed “the faithful and dis-creet slave.”� (Rev. 18:2, 4; Matt. 24:45)Now the Bible Students were ready for thework that Jehovah had in store for them.

� See The Watchtower, July 15, 2013, pp. 10-12, 21-23;March 2016, pp. 29-31.

F. Brothers in Brooklyn, New York,with a truckload of The Golden Age

G. Cover of the first issue of TheGolden Age, dated October 1, 1919F

G

THE weather forecaster examines a de-veloping radar image. He sees a dangerousstorm bearing down on an area with a largepopulation. Because he is concerned for thepeople’s safety, he tirelessly warns them be-fore it is too late.

In a similar way, Jehovah is now alertingearth’s inhabitants to a “storm” that is moreominous than anything they might hearabout in a weather report. How is he doingso? And why can we be sure that he is giv-ing people enough time to respond? For theanswers, let us first consider some warningsthat Jehovah issued in the past.

WHEN GOD GAVEADVANCE WARNINGS

In Bible times, Jehovah warned of various“storms,” or acts of judgment, that hewould bring against those who deliberatelydisobeyed his commands. (Prov. 10:25;Jer. 30:23) In each case, he informed theaffected people well in advance and in-structed them to make changes that werein harmony with his will. (2 Ki. 17:12-15; Neh.9:29, 30) To encourage the right response,he often used his loyal servants on earth toannounce his judgments and to conveya sense of urgency.—Amos 3:7.

Noah proved to be one such faithful ser-vant. For many years, he fearlessly warnedthe immoral and violent people of his dayabout a coming global Flood. (Gen. 6:9-13,17) He also told them what they needed todo to be spared—so much so that he waslater called “a preacher of righteousness.”—2 Pet. 2:5.

Despite Noah’s efforts, the people of thatpre-Flood world ignored his God-given mes-

sage. They showed a gross lack of faith. Asa result, they died when the Deluge “cameand swept them all away.” (Matt. 24:39;Heb. 11:7) As their end approached, theycould not properly claim that God had failedto warn them.

At other times, Jehovah warned individu-als shortly before the “storm” of his judg-ment began. Even so, he made sure thatthose affected were given enough time torespond. For instance, he provided ad-vance warnings during the Ten Plagues thatbeset ancient Egypt. As one example, Jeho-vah sent Moses and Aaron to warn Pharaohand his servants about the seventh plague,a devastating hailstorm. Since the hailwould start the next day, did God give themenough time to find shelter and escape thestorm? The Bible reports: “Anyone amongPharaoh’s servants who feared Jehovah’sword quickly brought his own servants andhis livestock into the houses, but whoeverdid not take Jehovah’s word to heart left hisservants and his livestock in the field.” (Ex.9:18-21) Clearly, Jehovah gave ample warn-ing, so that those who quickly respondedwere spared the worst effects of thatplague.

Pharaoh and his servants were likewisealerted prior to the tenth plague. However,they foolishly rejected the warning. (Ex. 4:22, 23) As a result, they saw their firstbornsons die. How tragic! (Ex. 11:4-10; 12:29)Could they have heeded the warning intime? Yes! Moses promptly alerted the Isra-elites to the impending tenth plague and in-structed them on how to save their families.(Ex. 12:21-28) How many people respondedto the warning? According to some esti-

GOD’S JUDGMENTSDoes He Always Give Enough Warning?

6 THE WATCHTOWER

mates, three million people, includingIsraelites and “a vast mixed company” ofnon-Israelites and Egyptians, were sparedGod’s judgment and left Egypt.—Ex. 12:38;ftn.

As these examples show, Jehovah alwaysmade certain that people had sufficient op-portunity to heed his warnings. (Deut. 32:4)What was God’s motive for doing that?The apostle Peter explained that Jehovah“does not desire anyone to be destroyedbut desires all to attain to repentance.”(2 Pet. 3:9) Yes, God cared about the peo-ple. He wanted them to repent and to acton his counsel before his judgment arrived.—Isa. 48:17, 18; Rom. 2:4.

RESPONDING TOGOD’S WARNING TODAY

Today, too, all people must respond toan urgent appeal that is now being an-nounced earth wide. While he was on earth,Jesus warned that the present system ofthings would eventually be destroyed duringa “great tribulation.” (Matt. 24:21) Regard-ing that future judgment, he provided a de-tailed prophecy in which he described whathis followers could expect to see and experi-ence as that time approached. Jesus thus

outlined major global events that we seehappening today.—Matt. 24:3-12; Luke21:10-13.

In harmony with that prophecy, Jehovahis now urging everyone to submit to His lov-ing rulership. He desires that obedient peo-ple enjoy a better life now as well as thefuture blessings in his righteous new world.(2 Pet. 3:13) To encourage faith in hispromises, Jehovah has provided a lifesavingmessage—the “good news of the Kingdom,”which Jesus foretold would be “preachedin all the inhabited earth for a witness to allthe nations.” (Matt. 24:14) God has orga-nized his true worshippers to give this “wit-ness,” or preach this divine message, insome 240 lands. Jehovah wants as manypeople as possible to heed the warning andescape the coming “storm” of his righteousjudgment.—Zeph. 1:14, 15; 2:2, 3.

The vital question, then, is not whetherJehovah gives people enough time to re-spond to his warnings. The evidence showsthat he always does. Instead, the key ques-tion remains: Will people heed God’s warn-ing while there is still time? May we asGod’s messengers continue to help as manypeople as possible to survive the end of thissystem of things.

People need tohear the warningas God’s “storm”approaches!

8

WERE you born after the year 1914? If so, you have livedyour entire life during “the last days” of the present sys-tem of things. (2 Tim. 3:1) All of us have heard about theevents that Jesus foretold for this time. These includewars, food shortages, earthquakes, pestilences, an in-creasing of lawlessness, and the persecution of Jehovah’speople. (Matt. 24:3, 7-9, 12; Luke 21:10-12) We have alsoseen people behave in the way foretold by the apostlePaul. (See the box “The Way People Are Now.”) As wor-shippers of Jehovah, we are convinced that we are livingduring “the final part of the days.”—Mic. 4:1.

2 Because so much time has passed since 1914, we mustnow be living in the last of “the last days.” Since the endis so near, we need to know the answers to some impor-tant questions: What events will occur at the end of “thelast days”? And what does Jehovah expect us to do whilewe wait for those events?

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE ENDOF “THE LAST DAYS”?

3 Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3. Paul mentions “Jeho-vah’s day.” As used in this context, this refers to thetime period that begins with the attack on “Babylon the

1. What convinces us that we are living in “the last days”?2. What questions do we need answered?3. According to the prophecy at 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, what proclama-tion will the nations make?

STUDYARTICLE 40

Keep BusyDuring the Lastof “the Last Days”“Be steadfast, immovable, always having plenty to do inthe work of the Lord.”—1 COR. 15:58.

SONG 58Searching forFriends of Peace

PREVIEW

Soon we expect to hearthe nations claim thatthey have achieved“peace and security!”That will be the signalthat the great tribulationis about to begin. Whatdoes Jehovah expect usto do between now andthen? This article will helpus find the answer.

Great,” the world empire of false reli-gion, and ends with Armageddon. (Rev.16:14, 16; 17:5) Just before that “day”begins, the nations will be proclaim-ing “Peace and security!” (Some trans-lations say: “Peace and safety.”) Worldleaders sometimes use similar expres-sionswhen they talk about stabilizing re-lationships between nations.� However,the announcement of “peace and securi-ty” that the Bible describes will be differ-ent. Why? When this happens, peoplemay think that world leaders have suc-ceeded in making the world a safer, moresecure place. But in reality, “sudden de-struction” will follow as the “great tribu-lation” unfolds.—Matt. 24:21.

4 We know some things about the dec-laration of “peace and security.” How-ever, other things we do not know. Wedo not know what will lead up to it orhow the declaration will be made. Andwe do not know whether it will involvejust one proclamation or a series of an-nouncements. Whatever happens, we doknow this: We should not be fooled intothinking that world leaders can actuallyachieve world peace. Rather, it is thatdeclaration that we have been told towatch for. It is the signal that “Jehovah’sday” is about to begin!

5 Read 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6. Paul’sexhortation tells us how we can makesure that we are ready for “Jehovah’s

� For example, on its website the United Nations claimsto “maintain international peace and security.”

4. (a) What must we wait to see about the decla-ration of “peace and security”? (b) What do we al-ready know about it?5. How does 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 help us to beready for “Jehovah’s day”?

day.” We should “not sleep on as the restdo.” We must “stay awake” and remainalert. For example, we need to be alert tothe danger of compromising our neutral-ity by getting drawn into the world’s po-litical issues. If we were to get involved,we could become “part of the world.”(John 15:19) We know that God’s King-dom is the only hope for world peace.

6 Besides staying awake ourselves, wealso want to help others wake up to whatthe Bible foretold would happen in theworld. Let us remember that once thegreat tribulation begins, it will be toolate for people to turn to Jehovah. Thatis why our preaching work is so urgent!�

KEEP BUSY PREACHING7 In the short time remaining before

his “day” begins, Jehovah expects us to

� See the article “God’s Judgments—Does He AlwaysGive Enough Warning?” in this issue.

6. What do we want to help others do, and why?7. What does Jehovah expect us to do now?

“Lovers of themselves, lovers of mon-ey, boastful, haughty, blasphemers,disobedient to parents, unthankful,disloyal, having no natural affection,not open to any agreement, slander-ers, without self-control, fierce,without love of goodness, betrayers,headstrong, puffed up with pride, lov-ers of pleasures rather than lovers ofGod, having an appearance of godli-ness but proving false to its power.”—2 Tim. 3:1-5.

The Way PeopleAre Now

keep busy in the preaching work. Weneed to make sure that we are “havingplenty to do in the work of the Lord.”(1 Cor. 15:58) Jesus foretold what wewould do. When he spoke about all thesignificant things that would happenduring the last days, he added: “Also, inall the nations, the good news has to bepreached first.” (Mark 13:4, 8, 10; Matt.24:14) Just think: Every time you go inthe ministry, you are having a share infulfilling that Bible prophecy!

8 What can we say about the progressof the Kingdom-preaching work? Year byyear, this work is moving ahead. For ex-ample, think about the increase in thenumber of Kingdom proclaimers world-wide during the last days. In 1914, therewere 5,155 publishers in 43 lands. Today,there are some 8.5 million publishers in240 lands! Even so, our work is not yetover. We must keep proclaiming God’sKingdom as the only solution to all man-kind’s problems.—Ps. 145:11-13.

8. How is the Kingdom-preaching work continuingto progress?

9 Our Kingdom-preaching work willnot be finished until Jehovah says it isover. How much time is left for peopleto come to know Jehovah God and Je-sus Christ? (John 17:3) We cannot say.We do know that until the great tribula-tion begins, any who are “rightly dis-posed for everlasting life” can still re-spond to the good news. (Acts 13:48)How can we help these people before itis too late?

10 Through his organization, Jehovahis giving us all that we need to teachpeople the truth. For example, we re-ceive training each week at the midweekmeeting. This meeting helps us knowwhat to say on initial calls and returnvisits. And it teaches us how to con-duct Bible studies. Jehovah’s organiza-tion has also provided the items in ourTeaching Toolbox. These items help usto . . .

9. Why must we keep preaching the Kingdom mes-sage?10. What help is Jehovah giving us to teach peoplethe truth?

Do not be fooled bythe nations’ falseclaim of “peace andsecurity”(See paragraphs 3-6)

PEACE ANDSECURITYPROCLAIMED!

10 THE WATCHTOWER

OCTOBER 2019 11

˙ start conversations,˙ stimulate interest,˙ motivate people to want to learn more,˙ teach the truth on Bible studies, and˙ invite interested ones to visit our website

and our Kingdom Halls.Of course, it is not enough simply tohave these tools. We must use them.�For example, if after a refreshing con-versation with an interested person, youleave him a tract or magazine, he will beable to do further reading until you areable to contact him again. It is our per-sonal responsibility to keep busy everymonth in the Kingdom-preaching work.

11 As another example of how Jeho-vah is helping people learn the truth,consider the Online Bible Study Lessonson jw.org˙. (Look under BIBLE TEACH-INGS ˛ ONLINE LESSONS.) Why werethese lessons created? Each month, tensof thousands of people around the worldsearch the Internet for Bible lessons. Thelessons on our website can introducethese people to the truth of God’s Word.Some of the people you talk to may behesitant to accept a personal Bible study.If so, show them this feature on our web-site or send them a link to the lessons.�

12 Our Online Bible Study Lessons cov-er these subjects: “The Bible and Its Au-thor,” “The Bible’s Main Characters,”

� For details on how to use the items in the TeachingToolbox, see the article “Teaching theTruth” in the Octo-ber 2018 issue of The Watchtower.� The lessons are currently available in English and Por-tuguese, with more languages to come.

11. Why were Online Bible Study Lessons created?12. What can a person learn from the Online BibleStudy Lessons?

and “The Bible’s Message of Hope.”Within those subjects, they teach:˙ How the Bible can help a person˙ Who Jehovah, Jesus, and the angels are˙ Why God created humans˙ Why suffering and evil existThe lessons also discuss how Jehovahwill . . .˙ end suffering and death,˙ bring the dead back to life, and˙ replace failed human governments with

God’s Kingdom.13 The online lessons do not replace the

Bible studyarrangement. Jesus has givenus the privilege of making disciples. Wehope that interested ones will go throughthe online lessons, appreciate what theylearn, and want to learn more. If so, per-haps they will accept a Bible study. At theend of each lesson, the reader is invit-ed to submit a request for a personalinstructor to study the Bible with him.Through our website, on average world-wide, we are receiving over 230 Biblestudy requests each day! That personalone-on-one instruction is vital!

KEEP TRYING TO MAKE DISCIPLES14 Read Matthew 28:19, 20. As we

conduct Bible studies, we have to try ourbest to “make disciples . . . , teachingthem to observe all the things [Jesushas] commanded.” We need to help peo-ple understand how important it is forthem to take their stand for Jehovah

13. Do the online lessons replace the Bible studyarrangement? Explain.14. According to Jesus’ instructions recorded atMatthew 28:19, 20, what do we try our best to do,and why?

12 THE WATCHTOWER

and his Kingdom. This means trying tomotivate people to make the truth theirown by applying what they learn, dedi-cating their life to Jehovah, and gettingbaptized. Only then will they survive Je-hovah’s day.—1 Pet. 3:21.

15 As mentioned earlier, there is verylittle time between now and the end ofthis system of things. For this reason, wecannot afford to keep studying the Biblewith people who have no clear intentionof becoming Christ’s disciples. (1 Cor. 9:26) Our work is urgent! There are manypeople who have yet to hear the King-dom message before it is too late.

KEEP CLEAR OF ALL FALSE RELIGION16 ReadRevelation 18:2, 4, 5, 8.These

verses identify something else that Jeho-

15. What can we not afford to do, and why?16. According to Revelation 18:2, 4, 5, 8, whatmust we all do? (See also footnote.)

vah expects of his worshippers. All trueChristians must maintain a clear distinc-tion between themselves and BabylontheGreat. Before learning the truth, a Bi-ble student may have been a member ofa false religion. He may have attendedits religious services and shared in itsactivities. Or he may have contributedmoney to such an organization. Before aBible student can be approved as an un-baptized publisher, he must break all tieswith false religion. He should submit aletter of resignation or otherwise com-pletely sever his membership in his for-mer church and in any other organiza-tion that has ties to Babylon the Great.�

17 A true Christian must make sure thathis secular employment has nothing todo with Babylon the Great. (2 Cor. 6:14-17) For example, he would not be anemployee of a church. Furthermore, aChristianwho is employed by some otherbusiness would not want to do exten-sive work at a facility that promotes falseworship. And if he owns a business, hewould certainly not bid on a job or docontract work for any part of Babylonthe Great. Why do we take such a firmstand? Because we do not want to sharein the works and sins of religious organi-

� We also need to avoid such organizations as youthcamps or recreational facilities that have ties to false re-ligion. For example, regarding membership in theYMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association), see “Ques-tions From Readers” in the January 1, 1979, issue ofThe Watchtower. The same stand must be taken towardthe YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association). Eventhough some local affiliates try to downplay the religiousaspects of their activities, these are, in fact, organiza-tions with religious roots and objectives.

17. What sort of secular employment must a Chris-tian avoid, and why?

As we preach today, we show that only God’s Kingdomcan make the world truly safe and secure(See paragraphs 7-9)

zations that are unclean in God’s eyes.—Isa. 52:11.�

18 Years ago, a self-employed elder wasasked by a contractor to accept a smallcarpentry job at a church in the townwhere the brother lived. The contrac-tor knew that the brother had alwayssaid he would not work on churches. Butthis time the contractor was desperateto find someone for the job. Even so, thebrother stuck to Bible principles and de-clined the work.The next week, the localnewspaper showed a photograph of an-other carpenter attaching a cross to thechurch. If our brother had compromisedhis stand, it could have been his pic-ture in the paper. Think of how damag-ing that would have been to his reputa-tion among his fellow Christians! Think,too, of how Jehovah would have felt.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?19 According to Bible prophecy, the

� For a more thorough discussion of the Scriptural viewof employment involving religious organizations, see“Questions From Readers” in the April 15, 1999, issue ofThe Watchtower.

18. How did one brother stick to Bible principlesregarding his secular work?19-20. (a) What have we learned so far? (b) Whatmore do we need to learn?

next major event that will soon takeplace on the world scene is the nations’proclamation of “peace and security.”Thanks to what Jehovah has taughtus, we know that the nations will notachieve real and lasting peace. Whatshould we do before that event occursand sudden destruction follows? Jeho-vah expects us to keep busy preach-ing the Kingdom message and trying tomake more disciples. At the same time,we need to keep separate from all falsereligion. That includes withdrawingfrom any memberships and avoidingemployment associated with Babylonthe Great.

20 There are other events to followduring the last of “the last days.” Thereare also other things that Jehovah ex-pects us to do. What are these, and howcan we prepare ourselves for everythingthat is coming in the near future?Wewillsee in the next article.

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PICTURE DESCRIPTION Page 10: Patrons at acoffee shop react to “Breaking News” on televisionabout a proclamation of “peace and security.” AWitness couple, taking a break from field service,are not fooled by this report.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT . . .

˛ the proclamation of“peace and security”?

˛ the urgency of theKingdom-preaching anddisciple-making work?

˛ how to stay clear of falsereligious organizations?

SONG 71We Are Jehovah’s Army!

14

IMAGINE that the nations have just made their long-awaited proclamation of “peace and security.” They mayboast that the world has never been so safe. The nationswill want us to think that they have the world situationunder control. But they have absolutely no control overwhat will follow! Why not? According to Bible prophecy,“sudden destruction is to be instantly on them, . . . andthey will by no means escape.”—1 Thess. 5:3.

2 There are important questions that need answers:What will happen during the “great tribulation”? Whatwill Jehovah expect us to do during that time? And howcan we prepare ourselves now to stay faithful throughthe great tribulation?—Matt. 24:21.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN DURINGTHE “GREAT TRIBULATION”?

3 Read Revelation 17:5, 15-18. “Babylon the Great”will be destroyed! As mentioned earlier, the nationswill have no control over what happens at this point.Why not? Because “God [will] put it into their hearts tocarry out his thought.” What is that thought? To de-

1-2. (a) What will the nations proclaim one day soon? (b) What ques-tions need to be answered?3. According to Revelation 17:5, 15-18, how will God destroy “Babylonthe Great”?

STUDYARTICLE 41

Stay FaithfulThrough the“Great Tribulation”“Love Jehovah, all you who are loyal to him! Jehovahprotects the faithful.”—PS. 31:23.

SONG 129We Will Keep Enduring

PREVIEW

We know that a “greattribulation” will sooncome upon mankind.What will that mean forus? What will Jehovahexpect us to do then?What qualities do weneed to strengthennow in order to stayfaithful? We will findout in this article.

stroy the world empire of false reli-gion, including Christendom.� God willput his thought into the hearts of “theten horns” of the “scarlet-colored wildbeast.” The ten horns represent all thepolitical powers that support “the wildbeast”—the United Nations. (Rev. 17:3,11-13; 18:8) When those political powersturn on false religion, that will mark thebeginning of the great tribulation. It willbe a truly catastrophic world event.

4 We do not know what reasons the na-tions might give to justify their attackon Babylon the Great. They might saythat the world’s religions are an obsta-cle to peace and that they constantlymeddle in politics. Or they might saythat those religious organizations have

� EXPRESSION EXPLAINED: Christendom is made up ofreligions that claim to be Christian but that do not teachpeople to worship Jehovah according to his standards.

4. (a) What might the nations say to justify theirattack on false religion? (b) What will the formermembers of those religions likely do?

accumulated too much wealth and prop-erty. (Rev. 18:3, 7) It seems reasonablethat this attack will not mean that all themembers of those religions will be de-stroyed. Rather, it seems that the na-tions will get rid of the religious orga-nizations. Once those organizations aregone, the former members will realizethat their religious leaders failed themand will likely try to distance themselvesfrom those religions.

5 The Bible does not indicate how longthe destruction of Babylon the Greatwill take, but we do know that it will takeplace within a relatively brief time. (Rev.18:10, 21) Jehovah has promised thathe will “cut short the days” of the trib-ulation so that his “chosen ones” andtrue religion will survive. (Mark 13:19,20) But what will Jehovah expect us todo between the start of the great tribula-tion and the war of Armageddon?

5. What has Jehovah promised about the greattribulation, and why?

May we never forsake ourmeeting together, evenduring difficult times(See paragraph 7)

KEEP UPHOLDINGJEHOVAH’S PURE WORSHIP

6 As discussed in the preceding arti-cle, Jehovah expects his worshippers toseparate themselves from Babylon theGreat. However, this requires more thanour cutting ties with false religion. Wemust be determined to uphold truereligion—the pure worship of Jehovah.Consider two ways that we can do that.

7 First, we must remain firm for Jeho-vah’s righteous moral standards.We can-not accept the world’s values and stan-dards. For example, we do not approveof sexual immorality of any kind, in-cluding marriage between people of thesame sex and other homosexual life-styles. (Matt. 19:4, 5; Rom. 1:26, 27)Second, we must continue worshippingwith our fellow Christians. We do thiswherever we can, whether in our King-dom Halls or, when necessary, in privatehomes or even in secret. No matter whathappens, we cannot let up in our routineof meeting together for worship. In fact,we need to meet together “all the moreso as [we] see the day drawing near.”—Read Hebrews 10:24, 25.

8 During the great tribulation, the mes-sage that we proclaim will likely change.Currently, we are preaching the goodnews of the Kingdom and we are en-deavoring to make disciples. But at that

6. Why is it not enough simply to cut ties with falsereligion?7. (a) How can we remain firm for Jehovah’s righ-teous moral standards? (b) How does Hebrews 10:24, 25 emphasize the importance of our meetingtogether, especially now?8. How will our message likely change in the fu-ture?

time, we may well deliver a message ashard-hitting as hailstones. (Rev. 16:21)We may proclaim the impending doomof Satan’s world. In time, we will find outexactly what our message will be andhow we will deliver it. Will we use thesame methods we have used for over ahundred years to accomplish our minis-try? Or will we use some other methods?We will have to wait and see. In any case,it seems that we will have the privilege ofboldly proclaiming Jehovah’s judgmentmessage!—Ezek. 2:3-5.

9 Quite likely, our message will pro-voke the nations into trying to silence usonce and for all. Just as we rely on Jeho-vah for support in our ministry now, wewill need his support then. We can besure that our God will fill us with powerto accomplish his will.—Mic. 3:8.

KEEP READY FORTHE ATTACK ON GOD’S PEOPLE

10 Read Luke 21:25-28. During thegreat tribulation, people will be shockedas they see everything that they oncethought to be so stable in the world be-gin to fail. They will be in “anguish,”fearing for their very lives as they enterthe darkest period of human existence.(Zeph. 1:14, 15) At that time, life willlikely get more difficult even for Jeho-vah’s people. Because we remain no partof the world, we may suffer some hard-ships.We mayhave to go without certainnecessities.

9. How may the nations react to our message, butof what can we be sure?10. As foretold at Luke 21:25-28, how will most ofmankind react to what happens during the greattribulation?

16 THE WATCHTOWER

OCTOBER 2019 17

11 At some point, the people whose re-ligions were destroyed may resent thefact that Jehovah’s Witnesses keep prac-ticing their religion. We can only imag-ine the uproar that this might create, in-cluding on social media. The nations andtheir ruler, Satan, will hate us for havingthe only surviving religion. They will nothave attained their goal to eliminate allreligion from the face of the earth. So wewill become the center of their attention.At this point, the nations will take on therole of Gog of Magog.� They will bandtogether to make a vicious, all-out attackon Jehovah’s people. (Ezek. 38:2, 14-16)It can be somewhat unsettling to thinkabout those possibilities when we cannotbe certain of the exact details. However,one thing is sure: We do not need to fearthe great tribulation. Jehovah will giveus lifesaving instructions. (Ps. 34:19) Wewill be able to “stand up straight and liftup [our] heads” because we will knowthat our “deliverance is getting near.”�

12 “The faithful and discreet slave”has been preparing us to stay faithfulthrough the great tribulation. (Matt. 24:45) This has been done in many ways,

� EXPRESSION EXPLAINED: The term Gog of Magog(and its shortened form, Gog) refers to a coalition ofnations that will fight against pure worship during thegreat tribulation.� For a more extensive discussion of all the events lead-ing up to the war of Armageddon, see chapter 21 of thebook God’s Kingdom Rules! For more details about theattack of Gog of Magog and how Jehovah will defend hispeople during Armageddon, see chapters 17 and 18 ofthe book Pure Worship of Jehovah—Restored At Last!

11. (a) Why will Jehovah’s Witnesses become thecenter of attention? (b) Why do we not need to fearthe great tribulation?12. How has “the faithful and discreet slave” beenpreparing us for what is coming in the future?

but consider one example: our timelyconvention programs for the years 2016-2018. Through those programs, we havebeen encouraged to strengthen the qual-ities that we need as we near Jehovah’sday. Let us briefly review those qualities.

KEEP STRENGTHENING YOUR LOYALTY,ENDURANCE, AND COURAGE

13 Loyalty: The theme of the 2016 con-vention program was “Remain Loyal toJehovah!” This program taught us thatif we have a strong personal relationshipwith Jehovah, wewill be loyal to him.Wewere reminded that we can draw closeto Jehovah through meaningful prayerand diligent study of his Word. Doing sogives us the strength to overcome eventhe most challenging obstacles. As Sa-tan’s system nears its end, we can expectto face ever more difficult tests of loy-alty to God and his Kingdom. We willlikely continue to be the target of ridi-cule. (2 Pet. 3:3, 4) This may especiallyhappen as our neutrality is tested moreand more.We must strengthen our loyal-ty now so that we will remain loyal dur-ing the great tribulation.

14 During the great tribulation, achange will take place regarding thebrothers who take the lead on earth. Atsome point, all anointed ones who arestill on earth will be gathered to heav-en to share in the war of Armageddon.(Matt. 24:31; Rev. 2:26, 27) This meansthat the Governing Body will no longer

13. How can we strengthen our loyalty to Jehovah,and why must we do so now?14. (a) What change will take place regarding thebrothers who take the lead on earth? (b) Why willwe need to be loyal at that time?

18 THE WATCHTOWER

be with us on earth. However, the greatcrowd will remain organized. Capablebrothers from among the other sheepwill take the lead. We will need to showour loyalty by supporting these brothersand by following their God-given direc-tion. Our survival will depend on it!

15 Endurance: The theme of the 2017convention program was “Don’t GiveUp!” This program helped us to strength-

15. How can we strengthen our endurance, andwhy is it important to do so now?

en our ability to withstand trials. Welearned that our endurance does not de-pend on favorable circumstances. Wecan strengthen our endurance by relyingon Jehovah. (Rom. 12:12) May we neverforget what Jesus promised: “The onewho endures to the end will be saved.”(Matt. 24:13, ftn.) This promise meansthat we must remain faithful despite anychallenges we face. By enduring eachtrial now,we can become stronger beforethe outbreak of the great tribulation.

16 Courage: The theme of the 2018 con-vention program was “Be Courageous!”This program reminded us that our per-sonal abilities do not determine wheth-er we are courageous. As with endur-ance, true courage comes from relyingon Jehovah. How can we strengthen ourreliance on him? By reading his Wordevery day and meditating on how Jeho-vah saved his people in the past. (Ps. 68:20; 2 Pet. 2:9) When the nations attackus during the great tribulation, we willneed to be courageous and to trust inJehovah as never before. (Ps. 112:7, 8;Heb. 13:6) If we relyon Jehovah now, wewill have the courage we need to faceGog’s attack.�

LOOK FORWARDTO YOUR DELIVERANCE

17 As mentioned in the preceding arti-cle, most of us have lived our entire life

� The 2019 convention program with the theme “LoveNever Fails!” convinces us that we can remain ever safeunder Jehovah’s loving protection.—1 Cor. 13:8.

16. What determines whether we are courageous,and how can we strengthen our courage now?17. Why do we not have to fear Armageddon? (Seecover picture.)

Prepare now to survive the“great tribulation”

(See paragraphs 13-16)

Lovers of others, lovers of spiritual trea-sures, modest, humble, praisers of God,obedient to parents, thankful, loyal, havinggreat affection for their families, open toagreement, always speaking well of others,self-controlled, mild, lovers of goodness,trustworthy, yielding, lowly in mind, lovers ofGod rather than lovers of pleasures,motivated by genuine godliness.

The Way PeopleWill Be Then

during the last days. But we also havethe prospect of living through the greattribulation. The war of Armageddon willbe the grand finale to the conclusionof this system of things. However, wehave nothing to fear. Why? Because thiswill be God’s fight. (Prov. 1:33; Ezek.38:18-20; Zech. 14:3) At Jehovah’s sig-nal, Jesus Christ will lead the charge. Hewill have alongside him the resurrectedanointed ones and myriads of angels.To-gether, they will war against Satan, hisdemons, and their earthly forces.—Dan.12:1; Rev. 6:2; 17:14.

18 Jehovah has guaranteed: “No weap-on formed against you will have any suc-cess.” (Isa. 54:17) “A great crowd” of Je-hovah’s faithful worshippers will “comeout of the great tribulation” alive! Thenthey will continue to render him sacredservice. (Read Revelation 7:9, 13-17.)How the Bible fills us with confidenceabout the future! We know that “Jeho-vah protects the faithful.” (Ps. 31:23) Allwho love and praise Jehovah will de-

18. (a) What has Jehovah guaranteed? (b) Howdoes Revelation 7:9, 13-17 fill you with confidenceabout the future?

light to see him vindicate his holy name.—Ezek. 38:23.

19 Think of how 2 Timothy 3:2-5 mightbe worded if it were describing people inthe new world free of Satan’s influence.(See the box “The Way People Will BeThen.”) Brother George Gangas,� whoserved as a member of the GoverningBody, described it this way: “What kindof world will that be when everybodywill be a brother or a sister! Soon youwill have the privilege of living in thenew system of things. You will live aslong as Jehovah lives. We are going tolive forever.” What awonderful prospectthat is!

� See the article “His Deeds Follow Him” in the Decem-ber 1, 1994, issue of The Watchtower.

19. What wonderful prospect awaits us in the nearfuture?

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PICTURE DESCRIPTIONS Page 15: During thegreat tribulation, a small group of Witnessescourageously meets in a forest to hold a con-gregation meeting. Page 18: A great crowd ofJehovah’s faithful worshippers will come out ofthe great tribulation, alive and happy!

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT . . .

˛ the destruction of“Babylon the Great”?

˛ the need to keep uphold-ing true worship?

˛ the need to strengthenour loyalty, endurance,and courage?

SONG 122Be Steadfast, Immovable!

20

JEHOVAH can become whatever is necessary in order toaccomplish his purpose. For instance, Jehovah has be-come a Teacher, a Comforter, and an Evangelizer, just toname a few of his many roles. (Isa. 48:17; 2 Cor. 7:6; Gal.3:8) Still, he often uses humans to carry out his purposes.(Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20; 2 Cor. 1:3, 4) Jehovah can alsogive any of us the wisdom and strength we need in orderto become whatever is necessary to fulfill his will. This isall part of the meaning of Jehovah’s name, as it is suggest-ed by a number of scholars.

2 All of us want to be useful to Jehovah, but some maydoubt that Jehovah is using them.Why? Because they feellimited by their age, circumstances, or abilities. On theother hand, others may be quite satisfied with what theyare already doing and fail to see the need to make furtherprogress. In this article, we will discuss how Jehovah canequip any one of us to fulfill his purpose.Then, we will ex-amine Bible accounts of how Jehovah gave his servants—both men and women—the desire and the power to act.Finally, we will consider how we can allow Jehovah touse us.

1. What can Jehovah do in order to accomplish his purpose?2. (a) Why may we at times doubt that Jehovah is using us? (b) Whatwill we consider in this article?

STUDYARTICLE 42

What Will JehovahCause You to Become?

“God . . . energizes you, giving you both the desire andthe power to act.”—PHIL. 2:13.

SONG 104God’s Gift of Holy Spirit

PREVIEW

Do you feel limited inyour service to Jehovah?Do you wonder if you arestill useful to him? Or doyou fail to see the need tomake yourself availableto serve Jehovah howeverhe wants? This article willconsider various waysthat Jehovah can giveyou the desire and thepower to become what-ever is necessary to fulfillhis purpose.

HOW JEHOVAHEQUIPS US

3 Read Philippians 2:13.� Jehovahcan give us the desire to act. How may hedo this? Perhaps we learn of a particularneed in the congregation. Or the eldersread a letter from the branch office tell-ing us of a need outside our congregationterritory. In response, we might ask our-selves, ‘How can I help to fill this need?’Or maybe we have been invited to accepta challenging assignment, but we wonderif we can do it justice. Or after reading aportion of God’s Word, we may wonder,‘How can I apply this Bible passage tohelp others?’ Jehovah will not force usto do anything. But when he sees thatwe are willing to examine ourselves, Je-hovah can give us the desire to followthrough and act.

4 Jehovah can also give us the powerto act. (Isa. 40:29) He can enhance ournatural abilities with his holy spirit. (Ex.35:30-35) Through his organization, Je-hovah may teach us how to perform cer-tain tasks. If you are ever unsure abouthow to carry out an assignment, ask forhelp. Also, feel free to ask our generousheavenly Father for “power beyond whatis normal.” (2 Cor. 4:7; Luke 11:13) TheBible contains many examples of how Je-hovah equipped men and women by giv-ing them the desire and the power to act.As we consider some of these accounts,

� Although Paul wrote his letter to Christians living in thefirst century, in principle, his words apply to all servantsof Jehovah.

3. In view of what is stated at Philippians 2:13,how may Jehovah give us the desire to act?4. How may Jehovah give us the power to act?

try to think of ways that Jehovah can useyou in a similar manner.

WHAT MEN BECAME5 Jehovah caused Moses to become a

deliverer of the Israelites. But when didJehovah use him? Was it when Moses feltqualified after being “instructed in all thewisdom of the Egyptians”? (Acts 7:22-25) No, Jehovah used Moses only afterHe had shaped him into a humble, mild-tempered man. (Acts 7:30, 34-36) Jeho-vah gave Moses the courage to stand be-fore the most powerful ruler in Egypt.(Ex. 9:13-19) What do we learn from howand when Jehovah used Moses? Jehovahuses those who display godly qualitiesand who rely on him for strength.—Phil.4:13.

6 Centuries later, Jehovah used Barzil-lai to provide for King David. David andthe people were “hungry and tired andthirsty” while fleeing from David’s son,Absalom. Along with others, Barzillai, anold man at this point, risked his life toprovide for David and those with him.Barzillai did not conclude that becauseof his advanced age, he was no longeruseful to Jehovah. Rather, he generous-ly used what he had to help God’s ser-vants in need. (2 Sam. 17:27-29) Whatis the lesson for us? Regardless of ourage, Jehovah can use us to fill the needsof fellow believers, either locally or inanother land, who lack basic provisions.(Prov. 3:27, 28; 19:17) Even if we cannotcare for them directly, we may be able to

5. What do we learn from how and when Jehovahused Moses to deliver His people?6. What do we learn from the way Jehovah usedBarzillai to help King David?

OCTOBER 2019 21

22 THE WATCHTOWER

contribute to the worldwide work so thatfunds are available to offer relief whenand where it is needed.—2 Cor. 8:14, 15;9:11.

7 Jehovah promised Simeon, a loyalolder man in Jerusalem, that he wouldnot see death before he laid eyes onthe Messiah. That promise must have en-couraged Simeon greatly, since he hadbeenwaiting many years for the Messiah.His faith and endurance were rewarded.One day, “under the power of the spirit,”he came into the temple. There he sawthe infant Jesus, and Jehovah used Sim-eon to deliver a prophecy about this childwho would become the Christ. (Luke 2:25-35) Although Simeon likely did notlive long enough to see Jesus carry outhis earthly ministry, Simeon was gratefulfor the privilege he had, and the best isyet to come for him! In the new world,that faithful man will see how Jesus’ rul-ership will be a blessing to all the familiesof the earth. (Gen. 22:18) We too can begrateful for any privilege Jehovah givesus in his service.

8 In the first century C.E., a generousman named Joseph made himself avail-able to be used by Jehovah. (Acts 4:36, 37) Likely because Joseph excelledat comforting others, the apostles calledhim Barnabas, meaning “Son of Com-fort.” For example, after Saul becamea believer, many of the brothers wereafraid to approach him because of hisreputation as a persecutor of the congre-gations. However, warmhearted Barna-bas came to Saul’s aid, and Saul must

7. How did Jehovah use Simeon, and how mightknowing that encourage us?8. How may Jehovah use us as he did Barnabas?

have greatly appreciated his kindness.(Acts 9:21, 26-28) Later, the elders inJerusalem saw the need to provide en-couragement to the brothers as far as An-tioch of Syria.Whom did they send? Bar-nabas! They chose well. We are told thatBarnabas “began to encourage them allto continue in the Lord with heartfelt re-solve.” (Acts 11:22-24) Likewise today,Jehovah can help us to become a “son ofcomfort” to fellow Christians. For exam-ple, he might use us to comfort thosewho have lost loved ones in death. Or hemaymove us to visit or make a phone callto someone who is sick or depressed toshare a few kind words. Will you allowJehovah to use you as he did Barnabas?—1 Thess. 5:14.

9 Jehovah helped a brother named Vas-ily to become a capable spiritual shep-herd. When Vasily was appointed toserve as an elder at age 26, he was afraidthat he was not qualified to help thecongregation spiritually, especially thosewho were going through hard times.However, he received valuable trainingfrom experienced elders and by attend-ing the Kingdom Ministry School. Vasilyworked hard to improve. For instance,he made a list of small goals. As hereached each one, he gradually overcamehis fears. He now says: “What scaredme back then now brings me much joy.When Jehovah helps me to find the rightscripture to comfort a brother or a sisterin the congregation, it brings me greatsatisfaction.” Brothers, if like Vasily youmake yourself available to be used by

9. What do we learn from the way Jehovah helpeda brother named Vasily to become a capable spir-itual shepherd?

OCTOBER 2019 23

Jehovah, he can give you the ability tocare for greater responsibility in the con-gregation.

WHAT WOMEN BECAME10 David and those loyal to himwere be-

ing chased by King Saul, and they need-ed help. David’s men asked a wealthyIsraelite named Nabal for a little food,whatever the man had on hand. They feltfree to ask because they had been pro-tecting Nabal’s flocks in the wilderness.But selfish Nabal refused to give themanything. David became furious and in-tended to wipe out Nabal and every maleof his household. (1 Sam. 25:3-13, 22)However, Nabal’s wife, Abigail, was asdiscerning as she was beautiful. Show-ing great courage, she fell at David’sfeet and urged him not to incur blood-guilt by taking revenge. She tactfully ad-vised him to leave matters in Jehovah’shands. Abigail’s humble words and dis-creet actions touched David’s heart. Herightly concluded that Jehovah had senther. (1 Sam. 25:23-28, 32-34) Abigail hadcultivated qualities that made her usefulto Jehovah. Similarly, Christian sisterswho develop tact and discernment canbe used by Jehovah to build up theirfamilies and others in the congregation.—Prov. 24:3; Titus 2:3-5.

11 Many centuries later, the daughtersof Shallum were among those whom Je-hovah used to share in repairing thewalls of Jerusalem. (Neh. 2:20; 3:12) Al-though their father was a prince, Shal-

10. What did Abigail do, and what lesson do youlearn from her example?11. What did the daughters of Shallum do, andwho today are imitating them?

lum’s daughters were willing to do thatdifficult and dangerous work. (Neh. 4:15-18) What a contrast to the promi-nent men of the Tekoites, who “wouldnot lower themselves to share” in thework! (Neh. 3:5) Just imagine the joythat Shallum’s daughters felt when theproject was completed in just 52 days!(Neh. 6:15) In our day, willing sisters arehappy to help perform a special formof sacred service—the construction andmaintenance of buildings that are dedi-cated to Jehovah. Their skill, enthusi-asm, and loyalty are vital to the successof this work.

12 Jehovah motivated Tabitha toabound in “good deeds and gifts of mer-cy,” particularly in behalf of widows.(Acts 9:36) Because of her outstandinggenerosity and kindness, many mournedwhen she died. But they were overjoyedwhen the apostle Peter resurrected her.(Acts 9:39-41) What do we learn fromTabitha? Whether young or old, male orfemale, we can all do practical thingsto help our brothers and sisters.—Heb.13:16.

13 A shy sister named Ruth wanted tobecome a missionary. As a young girl,she rushed from house to house, dis-tributing printed tracts. “I really enjoyedthis work,” she stated. Yet, talking at thedoors and personally telling others aboutGod’s Kingdom was a challenge for her.Despite being shy, Ruth became a regu-lar pioneer at age 18. In 1946, she at-tended the Watchtower Bible School ofGilead and later served in Hawaii and

12. How might Jehovah use us as he did Tabitha?13. How was a shy sister named Ruth used by Je-hovah, and what did she conclude?

If you make yourself available, Jehovahcan cause you to become a zealous evangelizer,an effective teacher, a capable comforter, askilled worker, a supportive friend, or whateverelse he needs to accomplish his will(See paragraphs 14-16)

JEHOVAH WILL GIVE YOU

“THE DESIRE ANDTHE POWER TO ACT”PHILIPPIANS 2:13

24

Japan. Jehovah used her in a powerfulway to spread the good news in thoselands. After nearly 80 years of sharing inthe ministry, Ruth concluded: “Jehovahhas been a strengthening aid to me. Hehas helped me to overcome my shyness. Ifirmly believe that Jehovah can use any-one who puts trust in him.”

ALLOW JEHOVAH TO USE YOU14 Throughout history, Jehovah has

caused his servants to fulfill many differ-ent roles. What will he cause you to be-come? Much depends on how willing youare to exert yourself. (Read Colossians1:29.) If you make yourself available, Je-hovah can cause you to become a zealousevangelizer, an effective teacher, a capa-ble comforter, a skilled worker, a sup-portive friend, or whatever else he needsto accomplish his will.

15 What about you young brothers whoare approaching adulthood? There is agreat need for energetic men to take on

14. According to Colossians 1:29, what must wedo if we are to be used by Jehovah?15. Just as instructed at 1 Timothy 4:12, 15, whatshould young brothers today beg Jehovah to helpthem to do?

added responsibility as ministerial ser-vants. In many congregations the el-ders outnumber the ministerial servants.Could some of you young brothers cul-tivate the desire to shoulder additionalresponsibilities in the congregation? Attimes some brothers say, “I am happyjust to serve as a regular publisher.” Ifthat is the way you feel, beg Jehovah tohelp you to cultivate the desire to qualifyas a ministerial servant and to give youthe power to do all you can in loving ser-vice to him. (Eccl. 12:1) We need yourhelp!—Read 1 Timothy 4:12, 15.

16 Jehovah can cause you to becomewhatever he needs to accomplish his will.So ask him for the desire to do his work,and then ask him to give you the pow-er you need. Whether young or old, useyour time, energy, and assets to honorJehovah now. (Eccl. 9:10) Never allowfear or feelings of inadequacy to makeyou pass up precious opportunities to doall you can in Jehovah’s service. What aprivilege we all have in playing even asmall part in bringing our loving Fatherthe honor he deserves!

16. What should we ask Jehovah for, and why?

HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER?

˛ How does Jehovah equipus to serve him?

˛ Which person’s exampledescribed in this articleespecially appeals to you,and why?

˛ What desire are youngbrothers encouraged todevelop?

SONG 127The Sort of Person I Should Be

26

JEHOVAH deserves our exclusive devotion because he isour Creator and Life-Giver. (Rev. 4:11) However, we facea challenge. Even though we love and respect Jehovah,we might be lured away from giving him the exclusive de-votion he deserves. We need to understand how that canhappen. First, though, let us consider some aspects ofwhat exclusive devotion involves.

2 In the Bible, being devoted to God implies having adeep love for him.Whenwe are exclusivelydevoted to Je-hovah, we will worship only him. We will not allow any-one or anything to take his place in our heart.—Read Ex-odus 34:14.

3 Our devotion to Jehovah is not blind. Why not? Be-cause it is based on the facts we have learned about him.We have come to admire his beautiful qualities.We knowand agree with his likes and dislikes. We understand andsupport his purpose for us. We feel honored that he al-lows us the opportunity to be his friend. (Ps. 25:14)Every detail we learn about our Creator draws us closerto him.—Jas. 4:8.

1. Why does Jehovah deserve our exclusive devotion?2. According to Exodus 34:14, what will we do if we are exclusively de-voted to Jehovah?3. Why is our devotion to Jehovah not blind?

STUDYARTICLE 43

Give JehovahExclusive Devotion“Jehovah is a God who requires exclusive devotion.”—NAH. 1:2.

SONG 51To God We AreDedicated!

PREVIEW

We are devoted to serv-ing Jehovah. But arewe exclusively devotedto him? The answer isrevealed by the decisionswe make. Let us considertwo specific areas ofour life that can help usmeasure the extent of ourdevotion to Jehovah.

4 The Devil controls this system ofthings, and he uses it to appeal to ournatural human desires and fleshly weak-nesses. (Eph. 2:1-3; 1 John 5:19) His goalis to divide our affections so that weare not exclusively devoted to Jehovah.Let us consider two ways in which hemight have a measure of success. First,he tempts us to pursue riches, and sec-ond, he tries to influence us to makepoor choices of entertainment.

GUARD AGAINSTLOVING MONEY

5 We naturally want to have enoughto eat, suitable clothes to wear, and adecent place to live. However, we must

4. (a) What does the Devil use to weaken our de-votion to Jehovah? (b) What will we consider inthis article?5. Why must we guard against developing a loveof money?

guard against developing a love of mon-ey. Many who are part of Satan’s worldare “lovers of money” and of the thingsthat money can buy. (2 Tim. 3:2) Jesusknew that his followers might be tempt-ed to develop this love. “No one canslave for two masters,” Jesus said, “foreither he will hate the one and love theother, or he will stick to the one and de-spise the other.You cannot slave for Godand for Riches.” (Matt. 6:24) A personwho worships Jehovah while also spend-ing excessive time and effort trying togain this world’s richeswould, in a sense,be trying to serve two masters. Hewouldnot be giving Jehovah exclusive devo-tion.

6 Near the end of the first century C.E.,members of the congregation in the city

6. What lesson can we learn from Jesus’ words tothe congregation in Laodicea?

HOW SOME LAODICEANSSAW THEMSELVES . . .

. . . AND HOWJEHOVAH ANDJESUS SAW THEM

(See paragraph 6)

28 THE WATCHTOWER

of Laodicea boasted: “I am rich andhave acquired riches and do not needanything at all.” But in the eyes of Jeho-vah and Jesus, they were “miserable andpitiful and poor and blind and naked.”Jesus counseled them, not because theywere wealthy, but because their love ofriches was damaging their relationshipwith Jehovah. (Rev. 3:14-17) If we detectthat a desire to pursue riches is growingin our heart, we must act quickly to cor-rect our thinking. (1 Tim. 6:7, 8) If we donot, our heart will be divided and Jeho-vah will not accept our worship. He “re-quires exclusive devotion.” (Deut. 4:24)How might we lose our balance regard-ing our view of money?

7 Consider the example of David, a

7-9. What do you learn from the experience of anelder named David?

hardworking elder who lives in the Unit-ed States. He describes himself as havingbeen a dedicated employee. He was pro-moted within the company he workedfor and even received national recogni-tion in his field of work. “At the time,I thought that these rewards were ev-idence of Jehovah’s blessing,” Davidsaid. But were they?

8 David began to see warning signsthat his work was having a negative ef-fect on his friendship with Jehovah. “Atcongregation meetings and even in theministry, I found myself thinking aboutproblems at work,” he says. “I was mak-ing a lot of money, but I became increas-ingly stressed, and my marriage was suf-fering.”

9 David realized that he needed to re-view his priorities. “I made a firm deci-

OCTOBER 2019 29

sion to correct my situation,” he says.David wanted to reorganize his workschedule, and he presented his plan tohis employer. The result? David lost hisjob! How did he respond? “The verynext day, I applied to serve as a con-tinuous auxiliary pioneer,” he said. Tosupport themselves, David and his wifestarted doing janitorial work. After awhile, he began regular pioneering, andhis wife eventually joined him in the pio-neer work.This couple chose to do secu-lar work that is looked down on by many,but the type of work they are doing isnot the most important thing for them.Even though their income has droppedto a tenth of what they were earning be-fore, each month they have just whatthey need to cover their expenses. Theywant to give Jehovah priority, and they

have learned firsthand that he cares forthose who put Kingdom interests first.—Matt. 6:31-33.

10 Whether we have little or much ma-terially, we need to guard our heart.How? Do not develop a love for riches.And do not allow your secular work totake priority over your service to Jeho-vah. How can you know if that is happen-ing to you? Some questions you couldask yourself are: ‘Do I often think aboutmy secular work when I am at meetingsor in the ministry? Do I constantly wor-ry about being financially secure in thefuture? Are money and material posses-sions causing problems for me and mymate? Would I be willing to do secularwork that others look down on if it al-lowed me to spend more time serving Je-hovah?’ (1 Tim. 6:9-12) When consider-ing those questions, let us remember thatJehovah loves us and makes this promiseto those who are devoted to him: “I willnever leave you, and I will never abandonyou.” That is why the apostle Paul wrote:“Let your way of life be free of the love ofmoney.”—Heb. 13:5, 6.

CHOOSE YOUR ENTERTAINMENTCAREFULLY

11 Jehovah wants us to enjoy life, andentertainment can help us to do that.In fact, God’s Word says that “there isnothing better for a man than to eatand drink and find enjoyment in his

10. How can we guard our heart?11. What can entertainment do to a person?

Who is preparing your entertainment?(See paragraphs 11-14)

hard work.” (Eccl. 2:24) However, muchof the entertainment in the world canhave a bad effect on us. It degrades peo-ple’s moral standards, encouraging themto tolerate—or even to love—things thatGod’s Word condemns.

12 We want to give Jehovah exclusivedevotion, so we cannot eat from “thetable of Jehovah” and “the table of de-mons.” (Read 1 Corinthians 10:21, 22.)Eating a meal with someone is often asign of friendship. If we choose enter-tainment that promotes violence, spirit-ism, immorality, or other fleshly desiresand attitudes, we are, in effect, sharing ameal prepared by enemies of God. As aresult, we not only harm ourselves butalso damage our friendship with Jeho-vah.

13 Consider some specific ways inwhich entertainment is like literal food.When we eat, we can control what weput in our mouth. But once we swallowthe food, automatic processes take overand the nutrients in the food eventuallybecome part of our bodies. A good dietcan make us healthier; a poor diet willmake us unhealthy. The results may notbecome evident overnight, but they willbecome evident in time.

14 Similarly, when we choose our en-tertainment, we have control over whatwe put into our mind. After that, auto-matic processes take over and our mindand heart are affected. Good entertain-ment can refresh us; unwholesome en-tertainment will harm us. (Read James

12. According to 1 Corinthians 10:21, 22, whyshould we choose our entertainment carefully?13-14. Based on James 1:14, 15, why must we beconcerned about feeding wrong desires? Illustrate.

1:14, 15.) The effects of bad entertain-ment may not be immediately evident,but they will eventually become obvious.That is why the Bible warns us: “Do notbe misled: God is not one to be mocked.For whatever a person is sowing, this hewill also reap; because the one sowingwith a view to his flesh will reap corrup-tion from his flesh.” (Gal. 6:7, 8) Howimportant it is for us to reject all enter-tainment that promotes things that Je-hovah hates!—Ps. 97:10.

15 Many of Jehovah’s people enjoywatching JW Broadcasting˙, our whole-some Internet television station. A sisternamed Marilyn said: “JW Broadcastinghas helped me to be more positive, and Idon’t have to filter the content. When Iget lonely or discouraged, I find an en-couraging talk or Morning Worship pro-gram to watch. That makes me feel clos-er to Jehovah and to his organization.The provision of JW Broadcasting hascompletely changed my life.” Are youbenefiting from Jehovah’s gift? In addi-tion to a new program each month, JWBroadcasting features numerous audioand video programs as well as upliftingsongs that are available on demand.

16 We must carefully control not onlythe type of entertainment we enjoy butalso the amount of time we spend enjoy-ing it. If we do not, we may spend moretime on entertaining ourselves than wedo on serving Jehovah. Many find ita challenge to control the amount of

15. What gift has Jehovah provided for us to en-joy?16-17. Why must we carefully control the amountof time we spend on entertainment, and how canwe do so?

30 THE WATCHTOWER

time they spend on entertainment. An18-year-old sister named Abigail says:“Watching TV helps me to unwind at theend of a busy day. But if I’m not careful,I can spend hours in front of the screen.”A young brother named Samuel says: “Ihave found myself watching an endlessamount of short videos on the Internet.I start out watching just one, and beforeI know it, three or four hours have goneby.”

17 How can you control the amount oftime you spend on entertainment? Thefirst step is to find out how much timeyou are actually spending on it. Why notkeep a record for one week? Write ona calendar how many hours you spendwatching television, surfing the Inter-net, and playing games on your mobiledevice. If you feel that you are spendingan excessive amount of time, try makinga schedule. Assign time to the more im-portant things first, and then allot timefor entertainment. Next, ask Jehovah tohelp you stick to your schedule. Thatway you will have the time and energyyou need for personal Bible study, fami-ly worship, congregation meetings, andserving Jehovah in the preaching andteaching work. You may also be less like-

ly to feel guilty about the time you spendon entertainment.

REMAIN EXCLUSIVELY DEVOTEDTO JEHOVAH

18 After writing about the end of Sa-tan’s world and the new world to come,the apostle Peter stated: “Beloved ones,since you are awaiting these things, doyour utmost to be found finally by himspotless and unblemished and in peace.”(2 Pet. 3:14) When we obey that counseland do our best to remain morally andspiritually clean, we prove that we areexclusively devoted to Jehovah.

19 Satan and his systemwill continue totempt us to change our priorities. (Luke4:13) But despite any challenges we face,we will not allow anyone or anything totake Jehovah’s place in our heart. Weare determined to give Jehovah what healone deserves—our exclusive devotion!

18-19. How can we prove that we are exclusivelydevoted to Jehovah?

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PICTURE DESCRIPTIONS Pages 28-29: Wewould not want to eat food contaminated in anunsanitary kitchen. Why would we want to watchentertainment contaminated with violence, spirit-ism, or immorality?

HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER?

˛ What does it meanto give Jehovahexclusive devotion?

˛ How is our devotionto God affected by ourattitude toward riches?

˛ How is our devotionto God affected by ourchoice of entertainment?

SONG 30My Father, My God and Friend

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The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) October 2019 is published by Watch-

tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.; Harold L. Corkern, Pres-

ident; Mark L. Questell, Secretary-Treasurer; 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill,

NY 12589-3299, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada,

PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. ˘ 2019 WatchTower Bible and Tract

Society of Pennsylvania. Printed in Canada.

34567˙

October 2019 � Vol. 140, No. 13 ENGLISH

This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwideBible educational work supported by voluntary donations. To makea donation, please visit donate.jw.org.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from themodern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

COVER PICTURE:Jesus and his heavenly army will soon rideinto the war of Armageddon to destroy God’senemies! (See study article 41, paragraph 17)

FEATURED CONTENTIN JW LIBRARY AND ON JW.ORG

YOUNG PEOPLE ASKWhy Do I Always Saythe Wrong Thing?What advice can help you to thinkbefore you speak?

In JW Library, go to PUBLICATIONS˛ARTICLE SERIES˛ YOUNG PEOPLE ASK.

On jw.org, go to BIBLE TEACHINGS˛TEENAGERS˛ YOUNG PEOPLE ASK.

HELP FOR THE FAMILYWhat if My ChildIs Being Bullied?Four steps that can help you teachyour child how to respond to a bully.

In JW Library, go to PUBLICATIONS˛ARTICLE SERIES˛ HELP FORTHE FAMILY.

On jw.org, go to BIBLE TEACHINGS˛MARRIAGE & FAMILY ˛ RAISINGCHILDREN.

Visit the jw.org˙ website, or scan code

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IN THIS ISSUE�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

1919—One Hundred Years Ago 2�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

God’s Judgments—Does He AlwaysGive Enough Warning? 6�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Study Article 40: December 2-8 8Keep Busy During the Last of “the Last Days”�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Study Article 41: December 9-15 14Stay Faithful Through the “Great Tribulation”�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Study Article 42: December 16-22 20What Will Jehovah Cause You to Become?�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Study Article 43: December 23-29 26Give Jehovah Exclusive Devotion