in the spirit of undivided and exclusive worship, the importance of keeping clear from any course of action that would identify them as serving at the “table of demons,” and the importance of keeping in close unity with the New World society of Jehovah’s dedicated witnesses, for this is the time when Jehovah has gathered all the sheep “in unity . . . like a flock in the pen.”—Mic. 2:12; John 10:16.

28. What fulfillment did Psalm 116 have with respect to Jesus, and how does it apply to all in the new covenant?

²⁸ Those, however, who know that the heavenly hope is theirs and who have the witness of the spirit as just mentioned, should partake of the emblems, but being careful to do so worthily, “after scrutiny.” These spiritual sons must keep well in mind all that is involved in order to maintain their precious and close unity with one another, with their Lord and Head and, above all, with Jehovah. Appreciating all that they have received at his hands, their prayer should be the same as Jesus prayed, as we know from a certain prophetic psalm: “What shall I repay to Jehovah for all his benefits to me?” Their steadfast determination must likewise be the same as was his, as expressed in that same psalm: “To you [Jehovah] I shall offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and on the name of Jehovah I shall call. My vows I shall pay to Jehovah.” Faithfully fulfilling their sacrificial course, ‘proving themselves faithful even to death,’ they are sustained by Jesus’ glorious promise: “I will give you the crown of life.” What comfort and what strong assurance it must have given to Jesus in his hour of need, likewise to those following the same sacrificial course, to read the word that Jehovah caused to be recorded so long ago for their benefit: “Precious in the eyes of Jehovah is the death of his loyal ones”!—1 Cor. 11:28; Rev. 2:10; Ps. 116:12-19.

The Bible’s Enduring Quality

● Professor Oscar Paret, in his book The Bible, Its Preservation in Print and in Writing, attributes the preservation of the Bible to the fulfillment of God’s own promise: “The saying of Jehovah endures forever.”—1 Pet. 1:25.

“Briefly, the results of our consideration are these: The Bible is the best preserved book of ancient times. It is true that the Bible Scriptures were written by men and transmitted by them and therefore have been affected by human mistakes and imperfections. But, as Christians, we perceive God’s governing hand behind the human destinies of the Bible, for despite all of men’s attacks, it has preserved the Bible for two thousand years through a period of the most severe kinds of persecution. Numberless worthwhile creations of human minds have been lost and forgotten. The Bible, however, which today is still riding the crest of a worldwide victory march, still printed and distributed in the millions of copies annually, translated either fully or in part in eleven hundred languages, will neither be lost nor forgotten, since, as a witness to God’s revelation, it stands under the promise: The Word of the Lord endures forever. Because this Word of God houses, as it were, delightful treasures within earthen vessels, thereby explaining the much greater influence it has had upon human civilization far and wide than any other book in world literature, expressing itself in the realms of poetry (songs by Luther and Paul Gerhardt, language of the classics), or pictorial art (Grünewald, Dürer, Riemenschneider) and of music (Johann Sebastian Bach), too, the Bible has and always will endure as THE BOOK OF BOOKS!”