• Peace with Others Essential for Happiness
    The Watchtower—1976 | January 1

    • prayer and service to Jehovah. The important things in Jehovah’s eyes are justice, mercy and faithfulness, not mere lip service or outward show of righteousness. How can a person have peace with God if he is mistreating one of God’s servants? and how can he approach God with peace of mind and conscience? But if he has a guilty conscience, let him do what he can to right the wrong and to reestablish peace with his brother. Then God will love him and will hear his prayer. Moreover, ‘Jehovah will command the blessing’ to be on the unity of the congregation, with spiritual prosperity and the prospect of “life to time indefinite.”​—Ps. 133:3.

  • Do You Remember?
    The Watchtower—1976 | January 1

    • Do You Remember?

      Have you read the recent issues of The Watchtower carefully? If so, you will doubtless recall these points:

      ● At Isaiah 28:24-29, what is being illustrated by a farmer’s plowing, harrowing, sowing and threshing?

      Such activities of a farmer are likened to God’s purposeful dealings. Plowing and harrowing operations are carried on only until such time as the ground has been prepared to receive seed. Likewise Jehovah did not forever discipline his disobedient people. Disciplining served a purpose, namely, to make his people more receptive to counsel and guidance. Also, as the type of grain determines what implements will be used for threshing, so God’s treatment of persons varied according to what was best for them in bringing about their cleansing.​—P. 517.a

      ● In fulfillment of Zechariah 11:8, what “three shepherds” did Jesus Christ efface?

      These “three shepherds” proved to be three classes of men that exercised governmental and religious power in Israel. These were (1) the Pharisees, (2) the Sadducees and (3) the Herodians or party followers of Herod. As shown at Matthew 22:15-46, Jesus Christ silenced these three groups, exposing them publicly as worthless shepherds.​—Pp. 554, 555.

      ● Why do we not know when God’s “rest day” began and when it will end?

      Although the time of Adam’s creation can be determined, the beginning of God’s “rest day” cannot. This is so because there was a time lapse of unspecified length between Adam’s creation and the creation of Eve. Not until after the creation of Eve did God’s “rest day” begin. The start of that day being unknown, its end is likewise unknown.​—P. 579.

      ● Why do the Scriptures refer to God as being “light” and the “Father of the celestial lights”?​—1 John 1:5; Jas. 1:17.

      Jehovah God is light in the sense that he is all that is clean, bright, clear and enlightening. Because he created light-bearing bodies or luminaries​—the sun, moon and stars—​he is the “Father of the celestial lights.”​—P. 657.

      ● Why is Jesus Christ rightly called the “Amen”?​—Rev. 3:14.

      His flawless life course on earth, including his sacrificial death, confirmed and made possible the fulfillment of all the promises of Jehovah God. Thus Jesus Christ lived up to the name “Amen,” which means, literally, “sure,” “truly,” “so be it,” “truth.”​—P. 701.

      ● When might a man in the Christian congregation say that he has been ordained?

      At such time as he is appointed as an elder or a ministerial servant in the congregation.​—P. 734.

      ● What is Christendom’s “holy place”?

      It is her field of operation and her claimed religious rights.​—Pp. 742, 743.

      [Footnotes]

      a All references are to The Watchtower for 1975.