"I, JEHOVAH YOUR GOD, AM GRASPING YOUR RIGHT HAND"

(Psalm 83:18: That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.)

 

“HOLD my hand,” says a father to his young son as they get ready to cross a busy street. With his father’s strong hand wrapped around his tiny fingers, the boy feels safe, unafraid. Have you ever wished that someone could take your hand and safely lead you through life’s uncertainties? If so, you may find comfort in the words recorded by Isaiah.—Read Isaiah 41:10, 13.

Isaiah directed his words to Israel. Though God viewed that nation as his “special property,” it was surrounded by enemies. (Exodus 19:5) Did Israel need to fear? Jehovah used Isaiah to convey a reassuring message. As we examine those words, let us keep in mind that they also apply to God’s worshippers today.—Romans 15:4.

“Do not be afraid,” urges Jehovah. (Verse 10) These are not empty words. Jehovah explains why his people do not need to fear: “For I am with you.” He is not a distant source of aid, promising only to arrive in time to help in moments of need. He wants his people to know that he is with them—as if by their side—ever ready to support them. Is that not a comforting thought?

Jehovah further assures his worshippers, saying: “Do not gaze about.” (Verse 10) The Hebrew verb used here can refer to those who “look about in all directions to see whether there is anything that can harm them.” Jehovah explains why his people do not need to look over their shoulder in fear: “For I am your God.” What could be more reassuring than that? Jehovah is “the Most High,” “the Almighty One.” (Psalm 91:1) With the all-powerful Jehovah as their God, why should they fear?

What, then, can Jehovah’s worshippers expect from him? He promises: “I will really keep fast hold of you with my right hand of righteousness.” (Verse 10) He also says: “I, Jehovah your God, am grasping your right hand.” (Verse 13) What do you think of when you hear those words? “Taken together, these two verses present a powerful picture of parent and child,” explains one reference work. “[The father] does not merely stand by to defend, but he is also physically with the child; he will not allow the child to be separated from him.” Just imagine—Jehovah will not allow his people to be separated from him, even during what may seem to be the darkest moments in their life.—Hebrews 13:5, 6.

Jehovah’s worshippers today can find much comfort in the words Isaiah recorded. In these “critical times hard to deal with,” we may at times feel overwhelmed by the pressures of life. (2 Timothy 3:1) But we do not have to face such challenges alone. Jehovah is willing to reach out and grasp our hand. Like trusting children, we can hold on to his mighty hand, confident that he will lead us in the right direction and help us in our time of need.—Psalm 63:7, 8.

For more informative articles please go to www.jw.org

 

 

BEWARE OF SUPERTITIOUS USE OF THE BIBLE

 

 “THE word of God is alive and exerts power.” (Heb. 4:12) With those words the apostle Paul highlighted the power of God’s word to touch hearts and to transform lives.

That view of the power of the Bible’s message became muddled, however, when the foretold apostasy took root after the death of the apostles. (2 Pet. 2:1-3) In time, church leaders started to attribute magical powers to God’s Word. Professor Harry Y. Gamble wrote about “the magical use of Christian texts.” He noted that in the third century, Church Father Origen suggested that “the very sound of sacred words in the ear is somehow beneficial: if words have power in pagan magic, how much more powerful must be the truly divine words of scripture.” John Chrysostom of the late fourth century wrote that “the devil will not dare to approach a house where a Gospel is lying.” He also reported that some hung excerpts from the Gospels from their necks as a powerful amulet. Professor Gamble further noted that the Catholic theologian Augustine “considered it permissible in case of a headache to sleep with a copy of the Gospel of John under one’s pillow”! Thus Bible texts were employed for magical purposes. Would you consider the Bible to be an amulet, or a good-luck charm, that could protect you from evil?

Perhaps a more common misuse of the Bible is the practice of bibliomancy. What is that? It refers to opening at random a book, often the Bible, and reading the text that first meets the eye in the belief that those words will provide needed guidance. For example, according to Professor Gamble, when Augustine on one occasion heard the voice of a child in a neighboring house saying: “Take and read, take and read,” Augustine took that to be a divine command to open the Bible and read the first text that he saw.

Have you heard of people who when facing a difficult situation prayed to God and then opened the Bible at random, believing that the first verse they saw would help them cope with the problem? Although they may have had good intentions, that is not the way Christians should seek guidance from the Scriptures.

Jesus assured his disciples that he would send them “the helper, the holy spirit.” He continued: “That one will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you.” (John 14:26) In contrast, bibliomancy requires no knowledge of the Scriptures.

The practice of bibliomancy and other superstitious uses of the Bible are common. God’s Word, however, condemns looking for omens. (Lev. 19:26; Deut. 18:9-12; Acts 19:19) “The word of God is alive and exerts power,” but we must be skilled in the use of it. Accurate Bible knowledge, not using the book superstitiously, improves people’s lives. Obtaining such knowledge has helped many to develop sound morals, to abandon ruinous lifestyles, to strengthen family life, and to nurture a personal relationship with the Bible’s Author.

For more informative articles please go to www.jw.org

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF ALL

 “COULD there be a more important question in all of human existence than ‘Is there a God?’” asked geneticist Francis S. Collins. He makes a powerful point. If there is no God, then there is no life beyond the present one, no higher authority on moral issues.

The reason some people doubt that God exists is because many scientists do not believe in him. However, popular views can sometimes be very wrong.

Regrettably, many of the world’s religions have added to the confusion by teaching things that contradict well-established scientific knowledge. A notable example is the unbiblical notion that God created the world in six 24-hour days a few thousand years ago.

Faced with conflicting theories and philosophies, many give up their search for the truth about God’s existence. But what could be more worthwhile—and of greater consequence—than finding a trustworthy answer to such a fundamental question? Of course, none of us have seen God, nor were we present when the universe and life came into existence. So whether we believe in God or not, our views involve a degree of faith. But what kind of faith?

True Faith Rests on Solid Evidence

Faith—at least in some measure—is an important part of our lives. We accept employment, expecting that we will get paid. We plant crops with the assurance that the seeds will sprout. We trust our friends. And we have confidence in the laws that govern the universe. This is an informed faith, for it is based on evidence. Likewise, faith that God exists rests on evidence.

At Hebrews 11:1, the Bible says: “Faith is . . . the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.” Another version says: “Faith . . . makes us certain of realities we do not see.” (The New English Bible) To illustrate: You are walking along a beach when, suddenly, you feel the ground quake. Then you see the water rush out to sea. You recognize the significance of these phenomena and that they warn of a tsunami. In this case, the quake and the vanishing water together form an “evident demonstration” of the yet unseen reality, the approaching waves. Your informed faith, in turn, moves you to flee to high ground and safety.

Faith in God too should be an informed faith, a response to convincing evidence. Only then can God become an ‘unseen reality’ to you. Must you be a scientist to examine and weigh such evidence? Nobel laureate Vladimir Prelog acknowledged that even “winners of the Nobel Prize are not more competent about God, religion, and life after death than other people.”

An honest heart and a thirst for truth should move you to examine the evidence fairly and let that evidence lead you in the right direction. What evidence is available for examination?

 

Consider the Evidence

YOU are on a remote, uninhabited island. While walking along the beach, you see “John 1800” engraved on a boulder. Do you assume that because the island is isolated and uninhabited, the marks must be the result of wind or water erosion? Of course not! You rightly conclude that someone made that inscription. Why? For one thing, a string of well-defined letters and numbers—even if they are in a foreign language—does not occur naturally. Second, the statement contains meaningful information, indicating an intelligent source.

In everyday life, we encounter information encoded in many forms—such as Braille or letters of the alphabet, as well as diagrams, musical notes, spoken words, hand signs, radio signals, and computer programs involving the binary code, using zeros and ones. The information-conveying medium can be virtually anything, from light to radio waves to paper and ink. Whatever the case, people always associate meaningful information with an intelligent mind—unless such information is contained in a living cell. That information, say evolutionists, just happened or wrote itself somehow. But did it? Consider the evidence.

Can Complex Information Write Itself?

Safely stored in the nucleus of nearly every living cell in your body is an amazing code called deoxyribonucleic acid, abbreviated DNA. It is carried by a long, double-stranded molecule that looks like a twisted ladder. Your DNA is like a recipe, or program, that directs the formation, growth, maintenance, and reproduction of the trillions of cells that make up your body. The basic units that make up DNA are called nucleotides. These units are called A, C, G, and T, depending on which chemical base they contain. Like letters of the alphabet, these four characters can be combined in many ways to form “sentences”—instructions that direct replication and other processes within the cell.

The entire package of information stored in your DNA is called your genome. Some sequences of letters in your DNA are unique to you, for DNA contains your hereditary information—your eye color, skin color, the shape of your nose, and so on. Simply put, your genome can be compared to a vast library of recipes for every part of your body, and the end product is you.

How large is this “library”? It is about three billion “letters,” or nucleotides (bases), long. If it were transcribed onto paper, the book would fill 200 volumes the size of a 1,000-page telephone book, according to the Human Genome Project.

These facts call to mind an amazing prayer recorded some 3,000 years ago. Found in the Bible at Psalm 139:16, it reads: “Your eyes saw even the embryo of me, and in your book all its parts were down in writing.” Of course, the writer did not have science in mind, but in simple language he conveyed an amazingly accurate concept to illustrate God’s awesome wisdom and power. How unlike other ancient religious writings, which were filled with mythology and superstition!

Who Assembled the “Library”?

If reason tells us that “John 1800” engraved into a rock must have an intelligent mind as its source, should not also the infinitely more complex and meaningful information found in DNA? After all, information is information no matter where it is found or what the medium may be. Computer and information scientist Donald E. Johnson said that the laws of chemistry and physics are unable to create complex information or systems that process that information. And it stands to reason that the more complex a package of information, the greater the intelligence needed to write it. A child could write “John 1800.” But only a superhuman mind could write the code of life. What is more, “the complexity of biology has seemed to grow by orders of magnitude” with every new discovery, says the journal Nature.

To attribute the complex library of information in DNA to blind, unguided processes conflicts with both reason and human experience. Such belief also stretches faith to the breaking point.

In their efforts to remove God from the picture, evolutionists have, at times, drawn conclusions that were later found to be wrong. Consider, for example, the view that some 98 percent of our genome is “junk”—a library of recipes with billions of useless words.

Is It Really “Junk”?

Biologists have long held that DNA is a recipe for the manufacture of proteins and nothing else. However, in time, it became evident that only about 2 percent of the genome consists of code for proteins. What is the purpose of the other 98 percent of DNA? This mystery DNA was “immediately assumed to be evolutionary junk,” observed John S. Mattick, professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.

The scientist who is credited with coining the term “‘junk’ DNA” was evolutionist Susumu Ohno. In his paper “So Much ‘Junk’ DNA in Our Genome,” he wrote that the remaining sequences of DNA “are the remains of nature’s experiments which failed. The earth is strewn with fossil remains of extinct species; is it a wonder that our genome too is filled with the remains of extinct genes?”

How did the concept of “junk” DNA affect the study of genetics? Molecular biologist Wojciech Makalowski says that such thinking “repelled mainstream researchers from studying noncoding [junk] DNA,” with the exception of a small number of scientists, who, “at the risk of being ridiculed, explore unpopular territories. Because of them, the view of junk DNA . . . began to change in the early 1990s.” Now, he adds, biologists generally regard what was called junk “as a genomic treasure.”

In Mattick’s opinion, the junk-DNA theory is a classic example of scientific tradition “derailing objective analysis of the facts.” “The failure to recognize the full implications of this,” he says, “may well go down as one of the biggest mistakes in the history of molecular biology.” Clearly, truth in science needs to be determined on the basis of evidence, not by popular vote. That being the case, what does recent evidence reveal about the role of “junk” DNA?

What the “Junk” Does

A factory that makes cars uses machines to manufacture the parts. We can liken the parts to the proteins in a cell. The factory also needs devices and systems that assemble those parts step-by-step and others that serve as controls, or regulators, in the assembly line. The same is true of the activities inside the cell. And that, say researchers, is where “junk” DNA comes in. Much of it contains the recipe for a class of complex molecules called regulatory RNA (ribonucleic acid), which play a key role in how the cell develops, matures, and functions. “The sheer existence of these exotic regulators,” says mathematical biologist Joshua Plotkin in Nature magazine, “suggests that our understanding about the most basic things . . . is incredibly naive.”

An efficient factory additionally needs effective communication systems. The same is true of the cell. Tony Pawson, a cell biologist at the University of Toronto in Ontario, explains: “The signalling information in cells is organized through networks of information rather than simple discrete pathways,” making the whole process “infinitely more complex” than previously thought. Indeed, as a geneticist at Princeton University said, “many of the mechanisms and principles governing inter- and intracellular behaviour are still a mystery.”

Each new discovery about the cell points to ever higher levels of order and sophistication. So why do so many people still cling to the notion that life and the most sophisticated information system known to man are products of a random evolutionary process?

                             

                                    Which Approach Is More Reasonable?

NO HUMAN witnessed the beginning of life on earth. Nor has anyone seen one kind of life evolve into another kind—a reptile into a mammal, for example. Therefore, we must rely on the available evidence to draw conclusions about the origin of life. And we need to let the evidence speak for itself rather than force it to say what we want it to say.

Many atheists, however, view science through the lens of materialism—a philosophy that assumes purely material causes for the origin of life. “We have a prior commitment . . . to materialism,” wrote evolutionist Richard C. Lewontin. “That materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.” Hence, materialists embrace the only alternative they have—evolution.

Religious people too may have preconceptions that distort their attitude toward science. For instance, as mentioned earlier, some creationists cling to the erroneous notion that God formed the world in six literal days a few thousand years ago. Having made that prior commitment, they try to force the evidence to fit their extremely literal interpretation of the Bible. (See the box “How Long Is a ‘Day’?” on page 9.) People who have such extreme interpretations of both the Bible and science are left without satisfying answers when they try to seek evidence for their faith.

Which View Fits All the Facts?

With regard to the origin of the complex molecules that make up living organisms, some evolutionists believe the following:

1. Key elements somehow combined to form basic molecules.

2. Those molecules then linked together in the exact sequences required to form DNA, RNA, or protein with the capacity to store the information needed to carry out tasks essential to life.

3. The molecules somehow formed the specific sequences required to replicate themselves. Without replication, there can be neither evolutionary development nor, indeed, life itself.

How did the molecules of life form and acquire their amazing abilities without an intelligent designer? Evolutionary research fails to provide adequate explanations or satisfying answers to questions about the origin of life. In effect, those who deny the purposeful intervention of a Creator attribute godlike powers to mindless molecules and natural forces.

What, though, do the facts indicate? The available evidence shows that instead of molecules developing into complex life-forms, the opposite is true: Physical laws dictate that complex things—machines, houses, and even living cells—in time break down. Yet, evolutionists say the opposite can happen. For example, the book Evolution for Dummies says that evolution occurred because the earth “gets loads of energy from the sun, and that energy is what powers the increase in complexity.”

To be sure, energy is needed to turn disorder into order—for example, to assemble bricks, wood, and nails into a house. That energy, however, has to be carefully controlled and precisely directed because uncontrolled energy is more likely to speed up decay, just as the energy from the sun and the weather can hasten the deterioration of a building. Those who believe in evolution cannot satisfactorily explain how energy is creatively directed.

On the other hand, when we view life and the universe as the work of a wise Creator who possesses an “abundance of dynamic energy,” we can explain not only the complexity of life’s information systems but also the finely tuned forces that govern matter itself, from vast galaxies to tiny atoms.—Isaiah 40:26.

Belief in a Creator also harmonizes with the now generally accepted view that the physical universe had a beginning. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” says Genesis 1:1.

Invariably, new discoveries tend to make the philosophy of materialism increasingly hard to defend, a fact that has moved some atheists to revise their views. Yes, some former atheists have come to the conclusion that the wonders of the universe are visible evidence of the “invisible qualities” and “eternal power” of our Creator, Jehovah God. (Romans 1:20) Would you consider giving the matter further thought? No subject could be more important or of greater consequence.

For more informative articles please go to www.jw.org

WHAT IS GOD'S KINGDOM?

                 “This good news of the kingdom . . .”—MATTHEW 24:14.

IN HIS famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a model prayer, which includes this petition to God: “Let your kingdom come.” Countless millions have memorized that prayer and have repeated it often. In the words of one encyclopedia, it is “the principal prayer used by all Christians in common worship.” Yet, many who recite it have little idea what the Kingdom is or what it will do when it comes.—Matthew 6:9, 10.

That is not surprising. Christendom’s leaders offer conflicting, confusing, and complicated explanations as to what the Kingdom is. One writes that God’s Kingdom is “something supernatural, . . . an inner link with the living God . . . , an experience with God in which men and women find salvation.” Another defines the gospel of the Kingdom as “instruction about the church.” And the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The kingdom of God [is] righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

                        The Future Rulers of All the Earth

A kingdom is a government ruled by a king. The King of God’s Kingdom is the resurrected Jesus Christ. His enthronement in heaven was described in a vision given to the prophet Daniel, who wrote: “I kept on beholding in the visions of the night, and, see there! with the clouds of the heavens someone like a son of man [Jesus] happened to be coming; and to the Ancient of Days [Jehovah God] he gained access, and they brought him up close even before that One. And to him there were given rulership and dignity and kingdom, that the peoples, national groups and languages should all serve even him. His rulership is an indefinitely lasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom one that will not be brought to ruin.”—Daniel 7:13, 14.

The Bible book of Daniel also shows that the Kingdom would be firmly established by God, that it will put an end to all human governments, and that it will never be overthrown. Chapter 2 describes an inspired dream that the king of Babylon had, in which he saw a great statue, representing a succession of world powers. The prophet Daniel interpreted that dream. In “the final part of the days,” he wrote, “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”—Daniel 2:28, 44.

The King of God’s Kingdom does not rule alone. During his ministry on earth, Jesus assured his faithful apostles that they, along with others, would be resurrected to heaven and would sit on thrones. (Luke 22:28-30) He did not mean literal thrones, for as Jesus indicated, the Kingdom would be in the heavens. The Bible describes these corulers as being from “every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” They would be “a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.”—Revelation 5:9, 10.

Why the News of the Kingdom Is Good

Notice that Christ Jesus is given rulership over all “peoples, national groups and languages” and that those associated with him will “rule as kings over the earth.” Who, then, will be the subjects of this Kingdom? Those who respond positively to the good news that is being preached today. Subjects also include those who will be resurrected to life on earth and who will have the prospect of living forever.

The Bible eloquently describes the blessings the people will enjoy under the Kingdom. Here are a few of them:

“He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth. The bow he breaks apart and does cut the spear in pieces; the wagons he burns in the fire.”—Psalm 46:9.

“They will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating.”—Isaiah 65:21, 22.

“[God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”—Revelation 21:3, 4.

“At that time the eyes of the blind ones will be opened, and the very ears of the deaf ones will be unstopped. At that time the lame one will climb up just as a stag does, and the tongue of the speechless one will cry out in gladness.”—Isaiah 35:5, 6.

“The hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his [Jesus’] voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life.”—John 5:28, 29.

“The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”—Psalm 37:11.

That is certainly good news! What is more, fulfilled Bible prophecies show that the time is near for the Kingdom to establish its righteous rule over all the earth.

 

For more informative articles please go to www.jw.org

DOES GOD SUPPORT WARS TODAY?

CONCERNING his role as a warrior, King David of ancient Israel said: “[God] is teaching my hands for warfare, and my arms have pressed down a bow of copper.”—Psalm 18:34.

In regard to Christians, the apostle Paul wrote: “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage warfare according to what we are in the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly.”—2 Corinthians 10:3, 4.

Do those texts contradict each other? Or are there valid reasons why God approved of ancient Israel’s going to war but disapproved of Christians’ doing so? Has God’s view of warfare changed? The answers become clear when we consider three major differences between Israel and the true Christian congregation.

Three Significant Differences

1. Ancient Israel was a nation with God-given geographical borders, and it was surrounded by neighbors who were often hostile. Therefore, God commanded his people to protect their land, even giving them victories over their enemies. (Judges 11:32, 33) The Christian congregation, on the other hand, has no borders, and its members can be found in all lands. So if Christ’s followers in one country were to join in warfare against another country, they would be fighting against fellow believers—their spiritual brothers and sisters—whom they are commanded to love and even die for.—Matthew 5:44; John 15:12, 13.

2. Ancient Israel had a human king whose throne was in Jerusalem. True Christians, however, are ruled by Jesus Christ, now a powerful spirit creature whose throne is in heaven. (Daniel 7:13, 14) Jesus himself said: “My kingdom is no part of this world. If my kingdom were part of this world, my attendants would have fought that I should not be delivered up to the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is not from this source.” (John 18:36) Thus, no political kingdom, or rulership, on earth can claim to belong to Christ. What bearing does this have on Jesus’ “attendants,” or followers? The third point explains.

3. Ancient Israel, like other nations, often sent out messengers, or what we today might call ambassadors or envoys. (2 Kings 18:13-15; Luke 19:12-14) Christ has done the same, but with two key differences. First, all his followers serve as ambassadors or envoys. Thus, the apostle Paul could write on behalf of his fellow Christians: “We are therefore ambassadors substituting for Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:20) As peaceful ambassadors, they did not take up arms. Second, Jesus’ followers speak to all who will listen to their message. Jesus said: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.” (Matthew 24:14) He also said: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, . . . teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.”—Matthew 28:19, 20.

Sadly, Christ’s attendants do not always receive a warm welcome. For this reason Paul wrote to the Christian evangelizer Timothy: “As a fine soldier of Christ Jesus take your part in suffering evil.” (2 Timothy 2:3) Timothy’s weapons, of course, were of a spiritual nature and included God’s written Word, which is called “the sword of the spirit.”—Ephesians 6:11-17.

Why the Change From Israel to the Christian Congregation?

For some 1,500 years, the nation of Israel enjoyed a special relationship with God, one that was based on a covenant, or contract. (Exodus 19:5) That covenant, mediated by Moses, included the Ten Commandments and other laws, all of which promoted true worship and high moral standards. (Exodus 19:3, 7, 9; 20:1-17) Sadly, though, Israel as a whole became unfaithful to God, even to the point of killing his prophets.—2 Chronicles 36:15, 16; Luke 11:47, 48.

Finally, Jehovah sent his Son, Jesus Christ, who was born a Jew. Instead of welcoming him as the Messiah, the Jewish nation as a whole rejected him. As a result, God terminated his long-standing covenant with Israel, and the figurative wall that separated Jew from non-Jew came down. (Ephesians 2:13-18; Colossians 2:14) At about the same time, God established the Christian congregation, appointing Jesus as its Head. Moreover, before the end of the first century, that congregation became truly multinational. “In every nation the man that fears [God] and works righteousness is acceptable to him,” stated the Jewish apostle Peter.—Acts 10:35.

Jehovah’s Witnesses model themselves after the early Christians. Hence, the Witnesses are known for their public ministry and their neutrality toward politics and carnal warfare. (Matthew 26:52; Acts 5:42) Yes, they let nothing distract them from announcing the good news of God’s Kingdom, the only government that will eradicate evil and bring lasting peace to the earth. With that precious hope in mind, the apostle Paul wrote: “As substitutes for Christ we beg: ‘Become reconciled to God.’” (2 Corinthians 5:20) Those words carry an even greater sense of urgency today, for we are nearing the end of “the last days” of the present wicked world.—2 Timothy 3:1-5.

[Footnote]

The term “Jew” initially applied to a person belonging to the Israelite tribe of Judah. Later, the name was applied to all Hebrews.—Ezra 4:12.

HAVE YOU WONDERED?

● What outstanding quality are Christians to show toward one another?—John 13:34, 35.

● What is a true Christian’s primary “weapon”?—Ephesians 6:17.

● Christ’s representatives announce what important message?—Matthew 24:14; 2 Corinthians 5:20.

 

Jehovah’s Witnesses make up a multinational brotherhood and maintain neutrality in the wars of the nations

 

For more informative articles please go to www.jw.org

SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE---DO THEY REALLY CONTRADICT EACH OTHER?

THE seeds of the clash between Galileo and the Catholic Church were sown centuries before Copernicus and Galileo were born. The earth-centered, or geocentric, view of the universe was adopted by the ancient Greeks and made famous by the philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) and the astronomer-astrologer Ptolemy (second century C.E.).

Aristotle’s concept of the universe was influenced by the thinking of Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras (sixth century B.C.E.). Adopting Pythagoras’ view that the circle and sphere were perfect shapes, Aristotle believed that the heavens were a series of spheres within spheres, like layers of an onion. Each layer was made of crystal, with the earth at the center. Stars moved in circles, deriving their motion from the outermost sphere, the seat of divine power. Aristotle also held that the sun and other celestial objects were perfect, free of any marks or blemishes and not subject to change.

Aristotle’s great scheme was a child of philosophy, not science. A moving earth, he felt, would violate common sense. He also rejected the idea of a void, or space, believing that a moving earth would be subject to friction and would grind to a halt without the application of constant force. Because Aristotle’s concept seemed logical within the framework of existing knowledge, it endured in its basic form for almost 2,000 years. Even as late as the 16th century, French philosopher Jean Bodin expressed that popular view, stating: “No one in his senses, or imbued with the slightest knowledge of physics, will ever think that the earth, heavy and unwieldy . . . , staggers . . . around its own center and that of the sun; for at the slightest jar of the earth, we would see cities and fortresses, towns and mountains thrown down.”

Aristotle Adopted by the Church

A further step leading to the confrontation between Galileo and the church occurred in the 13th century and involved Catholic authority Thomas Aquinas (1225-74). Aquinas had a profound respect for Aristotle, whom he referred to as The Philosopher. Aquinas struggled for five years to fuse Aristotle’s philosophy with church teaching. By the time of Galileo, says Wade Rowland in his book Galileo’s Mistake, “the hybridized Aristotle in the theology of Aquinas had become bedrock dogma of the Church of Rome.” Keep in mind, too, that in those days there was no scientific community as such. Education was largely in the hands of the church. The authority on religion and science was often one and the same.

The stage was now set for the confrontation between the church and Galileo. Even before his involvement with astronomy, Galileo had written a treatise on motion. It challenged many assumptions made by the revered Aristotle. However, it was Galileo’s steadfast promotion of the heliocentric concept and his assertion that it harmonizes with Scripture that led to his trial by the Inquisition in 1633.

In his defense, Galileo affirmed his strong faith in the Bible as the inspired Word of God. He also argued that the Scriptures were written for ordinary people and that Biblical references to the apparent movement of the sun were not to be interpreted literally. His arguments were futile. Because Galileo rejected an interpretation of Scripture based on Greek philosophy, he stood condemned! Not until 1992 did the Catholic Church officially admit to error in its judgment of Galileo.

Lessons to Be Learned

What can we learn from these events? For one thing, Galileo had no quarrel with the Bible. Instead, he questioned the teachings of the church. One religion writer observed: “The lesson to be learned from Galileo, it appears, is not that the Church held too tightly to biblical truths; but rather that it did not hold tightly enough.” By allowing Greek philosophy to influence its theology, the church bowed to tradition rather than follow the teachings of the Bible.

All of this calls to mind the Biblical warning: “Look out: perhaps there may be someone who will carry you off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ.”—Colossians 2:8.

Even today, many in Christendom continue to embrace theories and philosophies that contradict the Bible. One example is Darwin’s theory of evolution, which they have accepted in place of the Genesis account of creation. In making this substitution, the churches have, in effect, made Darwin a modern-day Aristotle and evolution an article of faith.

True Science Harmonizes With the Bible

The foregoing should in no way discourage an interest in science. To be sure, the Bible itself invites us to learn from God’s handiwork and to discern God’s amazing qualities in what we see. (Isaiah 40:26; Romans 1:20) Of course, the Bible does not claim to teach science. Rather, it reveals God’s standards, aspects of his personality that creation alone cannot teach, and his purpose for humans. (Psalm 19:7-11; 2 Timothy 3:16) Yet, when the Bible does refer to natural phenomena, it is consistently accurate. Galileo himself said: “Both the Holy Scriptures and nature proceed from the Divine Word . . . Two truths can never contradict one another.” Consider the following examples.

Even more fundamental than the movement of stars and planets is that all matter in the universe is governed by laws, such as the law of gravity. The earliest known non-Biblical reference to physical laws was made by Pythagoras, who believed that the universe could be explained by numbers. Two thousand years later, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton finally proved that matter is governed by rational laws.

The earliest Biblical reference to natural law is contained in the book of Job. About 1600 B.C.E., God asked Job: “Have you come to know the statutes [or, laws] of the heavens?” (Job 38:33) Recorded in the seventh century B.C.E., the book of Jeremiah refers to Jehovah as the Creator of “the statutes of the moon and the stars” and “the statutes of heaven and earth.” (Jeremiah 31:35; 33:25) In view of these statements, Bible commentator G. Rawlinson observed: “The general prevalence of law in the material world is quite as strongly asserted by the sacred writers as by modern science.”

If we use Pythagoras as a point of reference, the statement in Job was about a thousand years ahead of its time. Keep in mind that the Bible’s objective is not simply to reveal physical facts but primarily to impress upon us that Jehovah is the Creator of all things—the one who can create physical laws.—Job 38:4, 12; 42:1, 2.

Another example we can consider is that the earth’s waters undergo a cyclic motion called the water cycle, or the hydrologic cycle. Put simply, water evaporates from the sea, forms clouds, precipitates onto the land, and eventually returns to the sea. The oldest surviving non-Biblical references to this cycle are from the fourth century B.C.E. However, Biblical statements predate that by hundreds of years. For example, in the 11th century B.C.E., King Solomon of Israel wrote: “All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place from which the rivers come, to there and from there they return again.”—Ecclesiastes 1:7, The Amplified Bible.

Likewise, about 800 B.C.E. the prophet Amos, a humble shepherd and farmworker, wrote that Jehovah is “the One calling for the waters of the sea, that he may pour them out upon the surface of the earth.” (Amos 5:8) Without using complex, technical language, both Solomon and Amos accurately described the water cycle, each from a slightly different perspective.

The Bible also speaks of God as “hanging the earth upon nothing,” or he “suspends earth in the void,” according to The New English Bible. (Job 26:7) In view of the knowledge available in 1600 B.C.E., roughly when those words were spoken, it would have taken a remarkable man to assert that a solid object can remain suspended in space without any physical support. As previously mentioned, Aristotle himself rejected the concept of a void, and he lived over 1,200 years later!

Does it not strike you as amazing that the Bible makes such accurate statements—even in the face of the erroneous yet seemingly commonsense perceptions of the day? To thinking people, this is one more evidence of the Bible’s divine inspiration. We are wise, therefore, not to be easily swayed by any teaching or theory that contradicts God’s Word. As history has repeatedly shown, human philosophies, even those of towering intellects, come and go, whereas “the saying of Jehovah endures forever.”—1 Peter 1:25.

[Footnotes]

In the third century B.C.E., a Greek named Aristarchus of Samos put forth the hypothesis that the sun is at the center of the cosmos, but his ideas were dismissed in favor of Aristotle’s.

For an in-depth discussion on this topic, see chapter 15, “Why Do Many Accept Evolution?” in the book Life—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

For more informative articles please go to www.jw.org

THE AWESOME UNIVERSE

 

What the Big Bang Explains—What It Doesn’t

EVERY morning is a miracle. Deep inside the morning sun, hydrogen is being fused into helium at temperatures of millions of degrees. X rays and gamma rays of incredible violence are pouring out of the core into the surrounding layers of the sun. If the sun were transparent, these rays would blast their way to the surface in a few searing seconds. Instead, they begin to bounce from tightly packed atom to atom of solar “insulation,” gradually losing energy. Days, weeks, centuries, pass. Thousands of years later, that once deadly radiation finally emerges from the sun’s surface as a gentle shower of yellow light—no longer a menace but just right for bathing earth with its warmth.

Every night is a miracle too. Other suns twinkle at us across the vast expanse of our galaxy. They are a riot of colors, sizes, temperatures, and densities. Some are supergiants so large that if one were centered in the position of our sun, what remained of our planet would be inside the surface of that superstar. Other suns are tiny, white dwarfs—smaller than our earth, yet as heavy as our sun. Some will peacefully drone along for billions of years. Others are poised on the brink of supernova explosions that will obliterate them, briefly outshining entire galaxies.

Primitive peoples spoke of sea monsters and battling gods, of dragons and turtles and elephants, of lotus flowers and dreaming gods. Later, during the so-called Age of Reason, the gods were swept aside by the newfound “magic” of calculus and Newton’s laws. Now we live in an age bereft of the old poetry and legend. The children of today’s atomic age have chosen as their paradigm for creation, not the ancient sea monster, not Newton’s “machine,” but that overarching symbol of the 20th century—the bomb. Their “creator” is an explosion. They call their cosmic fireball the big bang.

What the Big Bang “Explains”

The most popular version of this generation’s view of creation states that some 15 to 20 billion years ago, the universe did not exist, nor did empty space. There was no time, no matter—nothing except an infinitely dense, infinitely small point called a singularity, which exploded into the present universe. That explosion included a brief period during the first tiny fraction of a second when the infant universe inflated, or expanded, much faster than the speed of light.

During the first few minutes of the big bang, nuclear fusion took place on a universal scale, giving rise to the currently measured concentrations of hydrogen and helium and at least part of the lithium in interstellar space. After perhaps 300,000 years, the universewide fireball dropped to a little below the temperature of the surface of the sun, allowing electrons to settle into orbits around atoms and releasing a flash of photons, or light. That primordial flash can be measured today, although greatly cooled off, as universal background radiation at microwave frequencies corresponding to a temperature of 2.7 Kelvin. In fact, it was the discovery of this background radiation in 1964-65 that convinced most scientists that there was something to the big bang theory. The theory also claims to explain why the universe appears to be expanding in all directions, with distant galaxies apparently racing away from us and from each other at high speed.

Since the big bang theory appears to explain so much, why doubt it? Because there is also much that it does not explain. To illustrate: The ancient astronomer Ptolemy had a theory that the sun and planets went around the earth in large circles, making small circles, called epicycles, at the same time. The theory appeared to explain the motion of the planets. For centuries as astronomers gathered more data, the Ptolemaic cosmologists could always add extra epicycles onto their other epicycles and “explain” the new data. But that did not mean the theory was correct. Ultimately there was just too much data to account for, and other theories, such as Copernicus’ idea that the earth went around the sun, explained things better and more simply. Today it is hard to find a Ptolemaic astronomer!

Professor Fred Hoyle likened the efforts of the Ptolemaic cosmologists at patching up their failing theory in the face of new discoveries to the endeavors of big bang believers today to keep their theory afloat. He wrote in his book The Intelligent Universe: “The main efforts of investigators have been in papering over contradictions in the big bang theory, to build up an idea which has become ever more complex and cumbersome.” After referring to Ptolemy’s futile use of epicycles to rescue his theory, Hoyle continued: “I have little hesitation in saying that as a result a sickly pall now hangs over the big bang theory. As I have mentioned earlier, when a pattern of facts becomes set against a theory, experience shows that it rarely recovers.”—Page 186.

The New Scientist magazine of December 22/29, 1990, echoed similar thoughts: “The Ptolemaic method has been lavishly applied to . . . the big bang cosmological model.” It then asks: “How can we achieve real progress in particle physics and cosmology? . . . We must be more honest and forthright about the purely speculative nature of some of our most cherished assumptions.” New observations are now pouring in.

Questions the Big Bang Does Not Answer

A major challenge to the big bang has come from observers using the corrected optics of the Hubble Space Telescope to measure distances to other galaxies. The new data is giving the theorists fits!

Astronomer Wendy Freedman and others recently used the Hubble Space Telescope to measure the distance to a galaxy in the constellation of Virgo, and her measurement suggests that the universe is expanding faster, and therefore is younger, than previously thought. In fact, it “implies a cosmic age as little as eight billion years,” reported Scientific American magazine just last June. While eight billion years sounds like a very long time, it is only about half the currently estimated age of the universe. This creates a special problem, since, as the report goes on to note, “other data indicate that certain stars are at least 14 billion years old.” If Freedman’s numbers hold up, those elderly stars would turn out to be older than the big bang itself!

Still another problem for the big bang has come from steadily mounting evidence of “bubbles” in the universe that are 100 million light-years in size, with galaxies on the outside and voids inside. Margaret Geller, John Huchra, and others at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have found what they call a great wall of galaxies some 500 million light-years in length across the northern sky. Another group of astronomers, who became known as the Seven Samurai, have found evidence of a different cosmic conglomeration, which they call the Great Attractor, located near the southern constellations of Hydra and Centaurus. Astronomers Marc Postman and Tod Lauer believe something even bigger must lie beyond the constellation Orion, causing hundreds of galaxies, including ours, to stream in that direction like rafts on a sort of “river in space.”

All this structure is baffling. Cosmologists say the blast from the big bang was extremely smooth and uniform, according to the background radiation it allegedly left behind. How could such a smooth start have led to such massive and complex structures? “The latest crop of walls and attractors intensifies the mystery of how so much structure could have formed within the 15-billion-year age of the universe,” admits Scientific American—a problem that only gets worse as Freedman and others roll back the estimated age of the cosmos still more.

“We Are Missing Some Fundamental Element”

Geller’s three-dimensional maps of thousands of clumped, tangled, and bubbled galactic agglomerations have transformed the way scientists picture the universe. She does not pretend to understand what she sees. Gravity alone appears unable to account for her great wall. “I often feel we are missing some fundamental element in our attempts to understand this structure,” she admits.

Geller enlarged on her misgivings: “We clearly do not know how to make large structure in the context of the Big Bang.” Interpretations of cosmic structure on the basis of current mapping of the heavens are far from definitive—more like trying to picture the whole world from a survey of Rhode Island, U.S.A. Geller continued: “Someday we may find that we haven’t been putting the pieces together in the right way, and when we do, it will seem so obvious that we’ll wonder why we hadn’t thought of it much sooner.”

That leads to the biggest question of all: What is supposed to have caused the big bang itself? No less an authority than Andrei Linde, one of the originators of the very popular inflationary version of the big bang theory, frankly admits that the standard theory does not address this fundamental question. “The first, and main, problem is the very existence of the big bang,” he says. “One may wonder, What came before? If space-time did not exist then, how could everything appear from nothing? . . . Explaining this initial singularity—where and when it all began—still remains the most intractable problem of modern cosmology.”

An article in Discover magazine recently concluded that “no reasonable cosmologist would claim that the Big Bang is the ultimate theory.”

Let us now go outdoors and contemplate the beauty and the mystery of the starry vault.

[Footnote]

A kelvin is the unit of a temperature scale whose degree is the same as the degree on the Celsius temperature scale, except that the Kelvin scale begins at absolute zero, that is 0 K.—the equivalent of -273.16 degrees Celsius. Water freezes at 273.16 K. and boils at 373.16 K.

 

The Light-Year—A Cosmic Yardstick

  The universe is so big that measuring it in miles or kilometers is like measuring the distance from London to Tokyo with a micrometer. A more convenient unit of measurement is the light-year, the distance that light travels in a year, or about 5,880,000,000,000 miles [9,460,000,000,000 km]. Since light is the fastest thing in the universe and requires only 1.3 seconds to travel to the moon and about 8 minutes to the sun, a light-year would seem to be truly enormous!

 For more informative articles please go to www.jw.org

DOES GOD CARE ABOUT ANIMALS?

The Bible’s Viewpoint

 ANIMAL life is in peril. Many scientists believe extinction of animal species is taking place at an accelerated rate. Animals are suffering the devastating consequences of human encroachment. Industrial food production, cruel blood sports, and callous abandonment of pets add to this grim picture.

Some feel, however, that such a picture is the inevitable price of human progress. But is that what God intended? Has he abandoned animal creation to suffer at the hands of humans? How do we know that God cares about animals?

Care Evident From the Start

After God’s creation of fish, birds, and land animals, God was pleased. The Bible says that he “got to see that it was good.” (Genesis 1:21, 25) All those creatures, from the smallest to the largest, had the Creator’s loving concern. God not only created them “instinctively wise” but also made provisions for them to flourish in their environment. As a Bible writer aptly stated: “All of them—for you they keep waiting to give them their food in its season. What you give them they pick up. You open your hand—they get satisfied with good things.”—Proverbs 30:24; Psalm 104:24, 25, 27, 28.

True, God made animals subject to the first man, Adam. They were not designed with reasoning ability or the capacity for spirituality. (2 Peter 2:12; Jude 19) In contrast, Adam was a higher life-form, created “in God’s image.” He was able to reflect the personality of his Creator, Jehovah. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 83:18) But this did not give humans license to exercise authority over animals independent of their Creator.

For example, Adam began naming the animals because Jehovah extended that privilege to him. Moreover, Jehovah assisted Adam by “bringing [the animals] to the man to see what he would call each one.” (Genesis 2:19) Only by working under his Creator’s direction could man be successful in caring for the animals.

God Really Does Care!

Sadly, Adam rebelled against his Creator. His rebellion brought devastating consequences to the human family and to all life on earth. The Creator, however, made clear how animals were to be treated. Although man was eventually permitted to use them for food and other practical purposes, God never sanctioned cruel treatment of them. The Bible says: “The righteous one is caring for the soul of his domestic animal, but the mercies of the wicked ones are cruel.”—Proverbs 12:10.

God even gave the ancient nation of Israel laws that addressed the welfare of animals. The arrangement for a Sabbath, a day of complete rest each week, benefited the Israelites’ animals in that they too could rest. (Exodus 23:12) Significantly, although no work was allowed on this sacred day, people were to come to the aid of a distressed animal. (Luke 14:5) God further directed that cattle were not to be deprived of food while they worked, and animals were not to be put under an extreme burden. (Exodus 23:5; Deuteronomy 25:4) Yoking a bull and a donkey together was prohibited, preventing injury to either animal. (Deuteronomy 22:10) Clearly, the Bible teaches that animals were to be treated with propriety, respect, and compassion!

Though many people focus on their own concerns and ignore any consequences to animals, God compassionately considers them. When the prophet Jonah reacted unmercifully when the inhabitants of Nineveh repented and were spared God’s judgment, Jehovah stated: “For my part, ought I not to feel sorry for Nineveh the great city, in which there exist more than one hundred and twenty thousand men who do not at all know the difference between their right hand and their left, besides many domestic animals?” (Jonah 4:11) Yes, the Creator felt pity even for the animals!

Future Care Is Assured

Clearly, God is not insensitive to how animals are treated. His beloved Son, Jesus, even said that a single sparrow does not fall to the ground without his Father’s knowledge. (Matthew 10:29) In contrast, even with the best of intentions, humans do not fully understand how their actions influence the environment. Managing human society in a way that shows regard for wildlife requires a change in mankind’s thinking.

Happily, the Bible describes the time when under God’s Kingdom rule, “the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah.” (Isaiah 11:9) Such knowledge will provide obedient humans with the education and training they need to manage the earth properly. The Creator’s influence will then ensure that harmony prevails between man and beast, thus restoring the conditions on earth that God originally purposed.

The Bible describes the transformation that will then take place, explaining: “The wolf will actually reside for a while with the male lamb, and with the kid the leopard itself will lie down, and the calf and the maned young lion and the well-fed animal all together; and a mere little boy will be leader over them. And the cow and the bear themselves will feed; together their young ones will lie down. And even the lion will eat straw just like the bull. And the sucking child will certainly play upon the hole of the cobra; and upon the light aperture of a poisonous snake will a weaned child actually put his own hand.” What a glorious prospect to contemplate!—Isaiah 11:6-8.

HAVE YOU WONDERED?

● Does God care how animals are treated?—Proverbs 12:10; Matthew 10:29.

● Is complete harmony between man and animals possible?—Isaiah 11:6-9.

 For more informative articles please go to www.jw.org