Page 4: Haughtiness, or pride, is a serious personality defect, and the Bible proverb says: "Everyone that is proud in heart is something detestable to Jehovah." (Proverbs 16:5)
Correction: Pride is sin not a personality defect.
Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin.
Page 4: Learning patience - learning how to wait - may, therefore, require that we take a good look at ourselves and our relationships with people around us.
Correction: True Christians will show patience in the hope of Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.
Page 4: We normally find waiting easier if we are convinced that what we are waiting for is worth the delay and that it really will come eventually. In this regard, it is good to reflect on the fact that all sincere worshipers of God are waiting for the fulfillment of his magnificent promises found in the Bible.
Note: True Christians love the promises fulfilled in the death of Jesus Christ for our sins.
Romans 5:9-10 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Page 4: For example, we are told in a divinely inspired psalm: "The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it." This promise was echoed by the apostle John when he said: "He that does the will of God remains forever." (Psalm 37:29; 1 John 2:17)
Note: True Christians have put on the "righteousness of God" through trusting Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.
Page 5: The apostle Paul mentions another example of patience. He reminds us of faithful men and women of old. They were looking forward to the out-working of God's purposes, but they had to wait for God's appointed time. Paul encourages us to imitate these, "who through faith and patience inherit the promises." - Hebrews 6:11, 12.
Note: True Christians inherit the promises through the death of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 9:15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Page 5: For those who are awaiting the out-working of God's promises, it can be a source of joy. They can fill the time spent waiting by cultivating a close relationship with God and doing works that demonstrate their faith.
Note: True Christians find their source of joy in Jesus Christ.
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."
Page 5 Punch line: SUCCESSFUL WAITING IS MAINLY A MATTER OF ATTITUDE AND FORETHOUGHT.
Correction: True Christians know that patience is from Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Page 6: As in all else, so too in the matter of attitude, Jesus Christ set the best pattern. He said: "I set the pattern for you, that, just as I did to you, you should do also." (John 13:15) To be like Jesus, we must first learn about him. We study Jesus' life with the intention of doing what the apostle Peter recommended: "To this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for you to follow his steps closely." (1 Peter 2:21) Our goal is to be as much like Jesus as possible. That includes cultivating his mental attitude.
Correction: Have you opened your life to Jesus Christ?
Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
Page 6: What is involved in having Christ Jesus' mental attitude? Chapter 15 of Paul's letter to the Romans helps us to answer that question.
Answer: True Christians will demonstrate their faith through sincere belief by the Spirit.
Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Page 7: Jesus, who was spiritually stronger than any human who ever lived, said of himself: "The Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many." (Matthew 20:28)
Note: Salvation is only from God.
Matthew 1:23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."
Page 7: Another fine characteristic that Jesus manifested was a pattern of thought and action that was always positive. He never allowed the negative attitude of others to influence his own fine attitude toward serving God; neither should we.
Correction: Jesus as God judged religious hypocrisy.
Matthew 23:15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
Page 7: When reproached and persecuted because of worshiping God faithfully, Jesus patiently endured without complaining.
Correction: Jesus Christ did not rebuke after He was arrested to fulfill Bible prophecy.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.
Mark 15:4-5 Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!" But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.
Page 7: Jesus demonstrated a proper attitude in other ways. He never expressed impatience with Jehovah but patiently waited for the out-working of His purposes. (Psalm 110:1; Matthew 24:36)
Correction: The purpose of the Father was for the Son to die for the sins of the world.
Matthew 26:45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners."
Pages 7-8: Moreover, Jesus did not become impatient with his followers. He told them: "Learn from me"; since he was "mild-tempered," his instruction was upbuilding and refreshing.
Correction: He corrected Peter when he was in error.
Matthew 16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
Page 8: And because he was "lowly in heart," he was never bombastic or presumptuous.
Correction: Before His arrest, Jesus Christ was bombastic against religious hypocrisy.
John 2:15-16 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"
Page 8: Paul encourages us to imitate these aspects of Jesus' attitude when he says: "Keep this mental attitude in you that was also in Christ Jesus, who, although he was existing in God's form, gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God. No, but he emptied himself and took a slave's form and came to be in the likeness of men."
Note: Though being God, Jesus Christ became a human being and came as a servant.
Philippians 2:5-7 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Note: The New World Translation is a mistranslation of the Bible.
Page 8: To develop an unselfish attitude often means to cultivate a pattern of thought contrary to our inborn imperfect nature. That takes determination and effort.
Correction: By receiving Jesus Christ into your life, you will be "born of God" or "born again."
John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Page 8: We may doubt that having the same mental attitude that Jesus had is even possible. But note Paul's encouraging words: "I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, there dwells nothing good; for ability to wish is present with me, but ability to work out what is fine is not present. For the good that I wish I do not do, but the bad that I do not wish is what I practice. I really delight in the law of God according to the man I am within, but I behold in my members another law warring against the law of my mind and leading me captive to sin's law that is in my members." (Romans 7:18, 19, 22, 23) True, Paul's imperfection repeatedly hindered him from carrying out God's will as he desired, but his attitude - the way he thought and felt about Jehovah and His law - was exemplary. Ours can be too.
Correction: Being in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit not our attitude sets us free from sin.
Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Page 8: Paul's words show that anyone who, having become a Christian, does not feel the need to make progress has a wrong attitude. He has failed to adopt Christ's mental attitude.
Correction: Mature Christians are in Christ Jesus thereby fulfilling their calling in God.
Philippians 3:14-15 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
Page 8: Is the situation of such a person hopeless? Not at all. God can help us to change our attitude if we really want to. Paul goes on to say: "If you are mentally inclined otherwise in any respect, God will reveal the above attitude to you." - Phillippians 3:15.
Note: Mature Christians know that they will have a glorified body in heaven.
Philippians 3:20-21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Page 9: Christian elders, appointed by holy spirit "to shepherd the congregation of God," will be happy to offer support. (Acts 20:28) How grateful we are that Jehovah takes our imperfections into account and lovingly offers us help! Let us accept it.
Note: True Christian elders know that God shed His blood for the congregation.
Acts 20:28 "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."
Page 9: In Romans chapter 15, Paul shows that meditating on historical examples can help us to adjust our attitude. He writes: "All the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)
Correction: Mature Christians will glory in Christ Jesus not their good attitude.
Romans 15:17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.
Page 9: Some of Jehovah's faithful servants in times past needed to correct certain aspects of their attitude. In general, for example, Job had a fine attitude. He never attributed evil to Jehovah, and at no time did he allow suffering to shake his confidence in God. (Job 1:8, 21, 22)
Note: Job was confident of the resurrection and that he would see God.
Job 19:26-27 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Page 9: Yet, he was inclined to justify himself. Jehovah directed Elihu to assist Job in rectifying this inclination. Rather than feeling insulted, Job humbly accepted the need for a change in attitude and readily set about making it. - Job 42:1-6.
Correction: God did not think highly of Elihu.
Job 38:1-2 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"
Page 9: If we suffer unjustly, may we never complain or hold Jehovah responsible for our difficulties. May we avoid trying to justify ourselves, remembering that no matter what our privileges may be in Jehovah's service, we are still only "good-for-nothing slaves." - Luke 17:10.
Correction: True Christians while suffering for the name of Jesus Christ are blessed.
1 Peter 4:14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
Page 10: Simon Peter answered him: "Lord, whom shall we go away to?" In effect, Peter then answered his own question: "You have sayings of everlasting life." (John 6:60, 66-68) What a fine attitude!
Correction: True Christians have a "precious faith" in Jesus Christ our God and Savior.
2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
Page 10: How foolish it would be to stop serving Jehovah or to speak in a manner contrary to "the pattern of healthful words" simply because some things are initially difficult to understand!
Note: True Christians are slaves of Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant (slave) of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
Page 10: The Jewish religious leaders of the first century failed to manifest the mental attitude that Jesus had. Their resolute determination not to listen to Jesus was demonstrated when he raised Lazarus from the dead. For any with a right attitude, that miracle would have been proof positive that Jesus was sent from God.
Correction: It would have been positive that Jesus Christ is God.
John 10:33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
John 11:4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
Page 10: Jehovah's servants maintain a positive attitude. When Daniel's enemies conspired to have a law passed forbidding the making of a petition to any god or man except to the king for 30 days, Daniel knew that this impinged on his relationship with Jehovah God.
Note: True Christians have a true relationship with the Father due to their love for Jesus Christ.
John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
Page 10: Jesus likewise refused to be intimidated by his enemies. One Sabbath day, he encountered a man with a withered hand. Jesus knew that many Jews there present would be displeased if he healed someone on the Sabbath. He asked them pointedly to express themselves on the matter. When they refused, Jesus went ahead and healed the man. (Mark 3:1-6) Jesus never shrank back from fulfilling his commission as he felt proper.
Note: Jesus Christ is the Creator of the Sabbath.
Mark 2:28 "Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord (Jehovah) of the Sabbath."
Pages 10-11: Jehovah's Witnesses today recognize that they too must never be intimidated by the possible negative reaction of opposers. Otherwise, they will not be displaying Jesus' mental attitude. Many oppose Jehovah's Witnesses, some because they are ignorant of the facts and others because they hate the Witnesses or their message. But let us never permit their unfriendly attitude to affect our positive one. We should never let others dictate the way we worship.
Note: Cult organizations will often resort to the personal slander of opposers.
Titus 3:1-2 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.
Page 11: Granted, our brothers are imperfect, but so are we. And where can we find better companions and truly loyal friends than in our worldwide brotherhood? Jehovah has not yet given us a complete understanding of his written Word, but what religious group understands more?
Correction: Mature Christians are taught by God not by a religious organization.
John 6:45 "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."
Note: Have you gone to Jesus Christ in prayerful worship?
Page 11: MANY things in life can be viewed either positively or negatively, depending on our attitude. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they were miraculously provided with manna.
Note: Have you positively feasted on the "bread of God"?
John 6:32-33 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
Page 11: The attitude of a Christian today can similarly make things appear either bright or gloomy. Without the proper attitude, a Christian could easily lose his joy, and that would be serious because, as Nehemiah said: "The joy of Jehovah is (our) stronghold." (Nehemiah 8:10)
Note: The evidence of being a mature Spirit-filled Christian is joy.
Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Page 11: Despite living in difficult times, Jeremiah displayed a positive attitude. Even when he witnessed the horrors of Jerusalem's fall in 607 B.C.E., he could see positive things.
Correction: Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C.E.
In 588 B.C.E. Zedekiah led a revolt against Chaldea, and two years later (586 B.C.E.) Nebuchadnezzar's army destroyed Judah and razed Jerusalem. Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia, Volume 15, page 57.
Page 12: Throughout history servants of God in the most difficult circumstances have sought to maintain a positive, even joyful, attitude. - 2 Corinthians 7:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; James 1:2.
Note: Are you a slave of Jesus Christ?
Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants (slaves) of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
Page 12: Six hundred years after Jeremiah, Jesus was helped to endure because of his positive attitude. We read: "For the joy that was set before (Jesus) he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)
Note: The "torture stake" is a Watch Tower fable.
John 20:25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands (plural) the print of the nails (plural), and put my finger into the print of the nails (plural), and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
Page 12: That joy was the privilege of vindicating Jehovah's sovereignty and sanctifying his name as well as the prospect of bringing great blessings to obedient mankind in the future.
Correction: That joy was the salvation of believing mankind back to the Father through the Son.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the good news of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Page 12: The prophet Micah said: "As for me, it is for Jehovah that I shall keep on the lookout. I will show a waiting attitude for the God of my salvation." (Micah 7:7; Lamentations 3:21) We too can show a waiting attitude. How? In many ways. For one thing, we may feel that a brother in authority has acted in error and that an immediate correction is needed.
Correction: Are you waiting for the return of Jesus Christ?
1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Page 12: We have to keep doing whatever is in our power to solve the problem and then have faith in Jesus words: "Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9) Keep praying, and wait upon Jehovah. At an appropriate time and in his own way, Jehovah will answer your prayers.
Note: Have you prayed to Jesus Christ?
John 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
Pages 12-13: As Bible prophecies undergo fulfillment, our understanding of the Scriptures is refined. At times, though, me may think that a certain clarification is overdue.
Note: True Christians avoid associating with the Watch Tower.
Prov 24:21 My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change;
Page 13: If it is not forthcoming when we would prefer it, are we willing to wait? Remember, Jehovah saw fit to reveal "the sacred secret of the Christ" a little at a time and over a period of some 4,000 years. (Ephesians 3:3-6) Do we, then, have any reason to be impatient? Do we doubt that a "faithful and discreet slave" has been appointed to give Jehovah's people "their food at the proper time"? (Matthew 24:45)
Note: The Watch Tower has nothing to offer true Christians.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Page 13: Some may be discouraged because they feel that after many years of faithful service, they may not live to see "the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah." (Joel 2:30, 31)
Correction: True Christians are not looking forward to the "day of Jehovah."
Amos 5:18 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light.
Page 13: Jehovah's patience has allowed millions of additional righthearted ones to learn the truth. Is that not wonderful? Further, the longer Jehovah exercises patience, the more time we have to "keep working out (our) own salvation with fear and trembling." - Philippians 2:12
Correction: True Christians will allow God to do His work through their lives.
Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Page 13: A waiting attitude helps us not to be discouraged when opposition, sickness, advancing age, or other problems hinder us in Kingdom service. Jehovah expects us to serve him whole - heartedly. (Romans 12:1)
Note: Jehovah's Witnesses do not serve Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant (slave) of Christ.
Page 13: However, God's Son, who feels "sorry for the lowly one and the poor one," does not demand more than we can reasonably offer; neither does Jehovah. (Psalm 72:13)
Note: The phrase "God's Son" is not found in Scripture.
Page 13: Thus, we are encouraged to do what we can, patiently waiting until circumstances change - either in this system of things or in that which is to come. Remember: "God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name, in that you have ministered to the holy ones and continue ministering." - Hebrews 6:10.
Note: True Christians do everything in the name of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Page 13: A waiting attitude also helps us to avoid presumptuousness. Some who have become apostate were unwilling to wait. They may have felt that there was a need for adjustments, either in Bible understanding or in organizational matters. Yet, they failed to acknowledge that Jehovah's spirit moves the faithful and discreet slave to make adjustments in His due time, not when we may feel that this is needed.
Correction: The Spirit leads individuals not organizations supporting the law.
Galatians 5:18 But if you (individual) are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Page 13: Apostates allow a presumptuous attitude to warp their thinking and stumble them. But if they had adopted the mental attitude of Christ, they could have retained their joy and remained among Jehovah's people. - Philippians 2:5-8.
Correction: The people of God worship Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Jehovah), to the glory of God the Father.
Pages 13-14: Of course, maintaining a waiting attitude does not mean being lazy or inactive. We have things to do. For example, we need to be occupied in personal Bible study and thus show the same keen interest in spiritual things that the faithful prophets and even the angels showed. Speaking of such interest, Peter says: "Concerning this very salvation a diligent inquiry and a careful search were made by the prophets ... Into these very things angels are desiring to peer."
Note: Personal Bible study will reveal that true Christians love Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:6-8 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love.
Page 14: Because of their realistic view of such matters, Jehovah's Witnesses are sometimes accused of having a negative attitude. Rather, they are eager to tell people about the only One who can permanently improve mankind's lot. In this too they imitate the mental attitude of Christ. (Romans 15:2)
Note: True Christians have been received into the Kingdom by Jesus Christ through faith.
Rom 15:7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.
Page 14: Jehovah's Witnesses do not ignore the social problems - especially the defiling unscriptural practices - around them. Before an interested person becomes one of Jehovah's Witnesses, he makes changes, often having to conquer addictive vices that are displeasing to God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Correction: True Christians are changed by the Spirit by the name of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Page 14: Thus Jehovah's Witnesses have helped responsive ones to overcome drunkenness, drug addiction, immorality, and compulsive gambling. Such reformed individuals have learned to provide for their families in a responsible and honest way. (1 Timothy 5:8)
Note: The Watch Tower has suffered from rampant homosexuality at its' Bethel headquarters.
Governing Body member Ewart (also known as "Edward") Chitty resigned in 1980, only after his own homosexual affair became fairly widely known in Brooklyn, and in 1984 the Governing Body homosexual member Leo Greenlees also resigned (numerous sources include Fred Franz's assistant Roger Scott; a footnote in Apocalypse Delayed written by M James Penton; also archives of the Hourglass2 Outpost website.) the Free Minds Journal, Jul/Sep 2000, page 4.
Page 15: So, have Jehovah's Witnesses changed the moral climate in the world? Well, in the past decade, the number of active Witnesses increased from slightly fewer than 3,800,000 to almost 6,000,000. That is an increase of about 2,200,000, many of whom gave up unrighteous practices when they became Christians. A lot of lives improved! Still, this number is very small when compared with the increase in world population during the same period - 875,000,000!
Note: The end would never come if the Watch Tower gospel was correct.
Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."
Note: There are no publishers in Red China with its 1.3 billion people. 1/1/2000 Watchtower.
Page 15: Jehovah's Witnesses have found it a source of joy to help responsive individuals, though realizing that few from among mankind will take the road to life. (Matthew 7:13, 14)
Note: Jehovah's Witnesses are not on "the road to life."
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Page 15: While the Witnesses await the worldwide changes for the better that only God can make, they do not get involved in secular reform movements, which often start with good intentions but end up in disillusionment and even violence. - 2 Peter 3:13.
Correction: True Christians will try to do good to everyone.
Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Page 15: In taking this course, Jehovah's Witnesses demonstrate the same confidence in Jehovah that Jesus did while on earth. Back in the first century, Jesus performed miracles of healing. (Luke 6:17-19) He even resurrected the dead.
Correction: Jesus Christ had confidence in the power of God.
John 11:4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
Page 16: But he did not remove the problem of sickness or conquer the enemy death. He knew that it was not yet God's due time for this. With the elevated abilities of a perfect man, Jesus could likely have done much to solve serious political and social problems.
Correction: Jesus Christ was more than just a perfect man.
Rom 9:5 according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Page 16: Jesus refused to become involved in politics of purely social work because he knew that the time for him to assume kingly power and to perform works of healing for everyone everywhere had not yet arrived.
Correction: Jesus Christ will not perform works of healing for everyone in the future.
Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord (Jehovah), Lord (Jehovah),' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."
Page 16: Even after his ascension to immortal spirit life in the heavens, he was willing to wait for Jehovah's appointed time before taking action. (Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:34, 35) However, since his enthronement as King of God's Kingdom in 1914, he is going forth "conquering and to complete his conquest." (Revelation 6:2; 12:10)
Correction: Jesus Christ ascended to heaven in a glorified resurrected material body.
Luke 24:37-39 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."
Correction: Jesus Christ was the King of God's kingdom long before 1914.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
Note: 1914 is based on the bogus date of 607 B.C.E. for the destruction of Jerusalem.
Page 16: How grateful we are to submit to his kingship, while others who claim to be Christians choose to remain ignorant of the Bible's teaching concerning the Kingdom!
Correction: The Watch Tower is ignorantly deceptive about the kingdom of God.
Acts 28:30-31 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.
Page 16: God's faithful worshipers know that Christ's Millennial Reign is imminent. They are confident that they will see the end of death and disease. With eager anticipation they joyfully await the time when they will welcome back billions from the dead, including their dead loved ones. (Revelation 20:1-3, 6; 21:3, 4)
Correction: The Watch Tower is violating the authority of the Father.
Acts 1:6-7 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority."
Page 16: In these times of ecological crisis, they relish the certain prospect of seeing Paradise established on earth. (Isaiah 35:1, 2, 7)
Correction: True Christians are looking forward to seeing Jesus Christ.
Titus 2:13-14 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
1 Timothy 6:14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,
Page 16: How wise, then, to use the waiting time judiciously, "always having plenty to do in the work of the Lord"! (1 Corinthians 15:58) Keep on taking in spiritual food. Build an ever closer relationship with Jehovah. Seek out others whose hearts move them to serve Jehovah.
Note: True Christians serve Jesus Christ.
Col. 3:23-24 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Page 17: Shortly before Jesus ascended to heaven, some of his faithful disciples asked him: "Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?" Jesus' answer implied that some time would elapse before the Kingdom would come. During that time, his followers would have a great work to do. They were to be witnesses of Jesus "both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the most distant part of the earth." - Act 1:6-8.
Note: Are you a Jesus Witness?
Page 17: THAT assignment could not be accomplished in a matter of a few days, weeks, or months. Without the slightest hesitation, however, the disciples began to preach. But they did not lose interest in the subject of restoration.
Note: Are you a Jesus Witness?
Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
Page 17: As the apostle Peter pointed out to that crowd in Jerusalem, heaven 'held Jesus within itself.' This was the case until 1914, when Jesus took up his royal power and began as God's appointed King.
Note: Are you a Jesus Witness?
Acts 3:14-16 "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."
Page 17: At that time, Peter foretold, Jehovah would "send forth" his Son in the sense that He would allow Jesus to carry out his role as the central figure in God's purposes. The Bible describes the event in symbolic language: "And (God's heavenly organization) gave birth to a son, a male, (God's Kingdom in the hands of Jesus Christ) who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod." - Revelation 12:5.
Correction: The Watch Tower does not cross-reference the symbolic verses with other verses.
Revelation 12:1-2 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman (Israel) clothed with the sun (Jacob), with the moon (Rachel) under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars (twelve tribes of Israel). Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
Genesis 37:9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me." (Joseph's dream as told to his brothers and father)
Revelation 12:5 She (Israel) bore a male Child (Jesus Christ) who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child (Jesus Christ) was caught up to God and His throne.
Note: God's Kingdom did not ascend up to heaven.
Pages 17-18: Opposition to the work that these sincere Christians were doing flared up in one country after another. In 1918, responsible members of the headquarters staff of the Watch Tower Society in Brooklyn, New York, were haled into court on trumped-up charges and unjustly sentenced to lengthy prison terms. For a while it appeared that the modern-day witness work "to the most distant part of the earth" was going to fail. - Revelation 11:7-10.
Correction: J.F. Rutherford was a conniving attorney.
No sooner had Charles T. Russell died (1916) than there came into play a behind-the-seen tug of war for his mantle. Russell's will left instructions for certain men to succeed him. However, the legal counsel, Judge Rutherford, was able to maneuver proxies of the Corporation in such a way that he emerged President of the Watchtower Society. In order to quiet somewhat the furor which had arisen over the high-handed way in which this subversion was accomplished, he succeeded early in the war to create an issue outside of the Organization through his editorial policy of the Watchtower magazine, the outcome of which was to put him into the position of a hero. 30 YEARS A WATCHTOWER SLAVE, William J. Schnell, page 34.
Page 18: However, in 1919, the imprisoned members of the headquarters staff were released and later exonerated of all the false charges. They wasted no time getting the spiritual restoration work back on course. Since then, Jehovah's people have been enjoying unprecedented spiritual prosperity.
Correction: There are no publishers in Red China with its 1.3 billion people. 1/1/00 Watchtower
Page 18: In a spiritual sense, the words of the prophet Isaiah are being fulfilled even now: "The wolf (a person who formerly displayed wolf-like characteristics) will actually reside for a while with the male lamb (a person manifesting a meek disposition), 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."
-Colossians 3:8-10; Isaiah 11:6, 9.
Note: The spiritual blindness of the Watch Tower is appalling since they do not seek Jesus.
Isaiah 11:10 "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious."
Colossians 3:1-2 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Page 18: The whole earth will come to be free of disturbance. (Isaiah 14:7) Even the millions who have died will be restored to life on earth. All will experience the restorative benefits of the ransom sacrifice. (Revelation 20:12-15; 22:1, 2)
Correction: Not ALL will experience the restorative benefits of the ransom sacrifice.
Rev 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Note: Hitler will not be in the kingdom of God.
Page 18: When the earth reaches the end of the thousand years of restoration, "every breathing thing" will praise Jehovah, and they will do so throughout all eternity. (Psalm 150:6) Will you be among them? You can be.
Note: Will you give praise to the Father and Son now or later in judgment?
Revelation 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
Page 19: Jehovah, as a loving heavenly Father, originally offered humankind a far different heritage - eternal life in perfection in Paradise. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were given a perfect, sinless start.
Note: The persons of the Trinity as Jehovah created mankind.
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
Page 19: At God's appointed time, his own Son, Jesus Christ, laid down his perfect human life in behalf of the offspring of Adam. By this means Christ purchased them all. However, the heritage does not automatically become theirs. They need an approved standing with God, which they can gain by exercising faith in the sin-atoning value of Jesus' sacrifice and by demonstrating that faith by obedience. (John 3:16, 36; 1 Timothy 2:5, 6; Hebrews 2:9; 5:9) Does your course of life show appreciation for that provision?
Note: Have you obediently placed your sincere belief into the person of Jesus Christ?
Hebrews 3:18-19 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Page 20: How did Abraham react? He was willing to serve Jehovah wherever and however God directed so that his offspring could receive their inheritance. Abraham served Jehovah in a land not his for 100 years, until his death. (Genesis 12:4; 25:8-10) Would you have done that? Jehovah said that Abraham was his "friend." - Isaiah 41:8.
Note: Are you a friend of Jesus Christ?
John 15:15 "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."
Page 20: Abraham had waited many years for a son, Isaac, whom he dearly loved. When the boy had evidently grown to young manhood, Jehovah instructed Abraham to take the boy and offer him up as a sacrifice. Abraham did not know that he was about to demonstrate what God himself would do in giving his Son as a ransom; yet, he obeyed and was at the point of offering up Isaac as a sacrifice when Jehovah's angel stopped him. (Genesis 22:9-14)
Note: As Abraham and Isaac were human, the Father and Son are God.
John 10:28-30 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."
Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change;"
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Page 20: Abraham did not know the significance of what Jehovah was then doing; neither did his son Isaac nor his grandson Jacob, who became "heirs with him of the very same promise." But they all had confidence in Jehovah. They did not attach themselves to any of the city kingdoms in the land because they were looking for something better - "the city having real foundations, the builder and maker of which city is God." (Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16)
Note: They were looking forward to heaven.
Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Pages 20-21: The nation through which God's promises to Abraham would be fulfilled descended from Jacob, whose name was changed by God to Israel.
Note: Jacob named was changed by Jesus Christ.
Genesis 32:28-30 And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Page 21: When the sons of Israel were en route to the Promised Land, Jehovah assembled them at Mount Sinai. There he said to them: "If you will strictly obey my voice and will indeed keep my covenant, then you will certainly become my special property out of all other peoples, because the whole earth belongs to me. And you yourselves will become to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus 19:5, 6)
Note: Have you offered spiritual sacrifices to the Father through sincere belief in the Son?
1 Peter 2:4-5 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Page 21: The Messianic Seed was to appear in their nation. The Law pointed forward to him, would identify him, and should help them to appreciate their need for him. (Galatians 3:19, 24) Moreover, they would be given the opportunity to serve in association with that Messianic Seed as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. - Romans 9:4, 5.
Note: True Christians are no longer under the law or look to the law for guidance.
Galatians 3:24-26 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Page 21: True to his promise, Jehovah led the Israelites to the Promised Land. But as the apostle Paul later explained, because of their lack of faith, that land did not prove to be truly "a place of rest." As a people, they did not enter into "God's rest" because they failed to perceive and work in harmony with the purpose of God's own day of rest, which began after the creation of Adam and Eve. - Hebrews 4:3-10.
Note: Have you obediently entered "God's rest" through sincere belief in Jesus Christ?
Hebrews 4:3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,'" although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Hebrews 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
Page 21: The Kingdom was taken away from natural Israel and "given to a nation producing its fruits." (Matthew 21:43) What nation is that?
Answer: Gentiles.
Romans 9:30-31 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.
Page 21: The nation to which the Kingdom was given is "the Israel of God," spiritual Israel, made up of 144,000 spirit-begotten followers of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 6:16)
Correction: The phrase "the Israel of God" refers to believing Jews.
Galatians 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them (Gentiles), and upon the Israel of God (Jews).
Pages 21-22: Some of those 144,000 were natural Jews, but most were from the Gentile nations. In that way Jehovah's promise to Abraham, that through his "seed" all the nations would be blessed, began to be fulfilled. (Acts 3:25, 26; Galatians 3:8, 9)
Correction: All 144,000 will be natural Jews on the earth during the "great tribulation."
Revelation 6:17 "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
Revelation 7:1-4 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
Note: The 144,000 are sealed for protection from the wrath of God to be poured out on earth.
Page 22: Before his death, Jesus introduced to prospective Jewish members of that new nation the new covenant, which would be validated by his own blood. On the basis of their faith in that validating sacrifice, those taken into that covenant would be made "perfect perpetually." (Hebrews 10:14-18) They could be "declared righteous" and their sins forgiven.
Note: Have you been "declared righteous" and had your sins forgiven?
Romans 3:22-26 For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Page 22: Thus, in that sense they are as Adam was before he sinned. However, these are not to live in an earthly paradise. Jesus said that he was going to prepare a place for them in heaven. (John 14:2, 3) They give up their earthly prospects in order to have an 'inheritance reserved for them in the heavens.' (1 Peter 1:4)
Correction: True Christians will return with Jesus to the earth at the end of the tribulation.
Jude 1:14-15 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
Correction: The "New Jerusalem" descends to the earth from heaven.
Revelation 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Page 22: From the heavens, those who will rule with Christ will, among other things, help to remove from the earth all traces of rebellion against Jehovah's sovereignty. (Revelation 2:26, 27)
Correction: The saints will be ruling from the earth after their return with Jesus Christ.
Matthew 19:28 So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
Revelation 20:9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
Page 22: As a secondary part of the spiritual seed of Abraham, they will share in bringing the blessing of life in perfection to people of all nations. (Romans 8:17-21)
Correction: God will bring the blessing of life in perfection to all true Christians.
Romans 8:30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Page 22: But the heritage of Jesus' anointed followers is not all future. In a manner that no one else could, Jesus helped them to know Jehovah, the only true God. (Matthew 11:27; John 17:3)
Note: To know God is to know Jesus Christ.
John 8:19 Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."
Note: The Watch Tower implies that Jesus Christ is a false god.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Page 22: By word and example, he taught them what is meant by 'trusting in Jehovah' and what obedience to Jehovah involves. (Hebrews 2:13; 5:7-9)
Correction: Are you in obedience to Jesus Christ as the "author" of your salvation?
Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Hebrews 5:9-11 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
Page 22: Jesus entrusted them with knowledge of the truth concerning God's purpose and assured them that the holy spirit would lead them to a fuller understanding of it. (John 14:24-26)
Note: Jesus Christ is the truth for true Christians.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Page 22: He impressed upon their minds and hearts the importance of the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:10, 33) Jesus also entrusted them with the assignment to witness and to make disciples of people in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the most distant parts of the earth.
Note: The kingdom of God concerns Jesus Christ.
Acts 28:30-31 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.
Page 22: Likely, the full number of spiritual Israel, that "little flock" of Kingdom heirs, has been selected. (Luke 12:32)
Correction: The "little flock" referred to the disciples who did not leave Jesus Christ.
John 6:66-68 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
Luke 12:32 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Page 22: What precious heritage does Jehovah offer to those who are not of the little flock? No, it is not an inheritance in the heavens. It is the heritage that Adam could have passed on to his offspring - the prospect of eternal life in perfection in a paradise that will gradually encompass the globe.
Note: The Watch Tower resembles the hypocritical Pharisees.
Matthew 23:13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
Pages 22-23: It is to you, then, that God's inspired Word says: "Trust in Jehovah and do good; reside in the earth, and deal with faithfulness. Also take exquisite delight in Jehovah, and he will give you the requests of your heart. And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more ... But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it." - Psalm 37:3, 4, 10, 11, 29.
Note: Have you sincerely asked Jesus Christ to come into your life?
John 14:14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."
Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."
Page 23: Jesus "other sheep" have an inheritance in the earthly realm of the heavenly Kingdom. (John 10:16a) Although they will not be in the heavens, much of the spiritual heritage enjoyed by the anointed ones is passed on to them. It is through the collective body of anointed, "the faithful and discreet slave," that the other sheep have had opened to them an understanding of the precious promises contained in God's Word. (Matthew 24:45-47; 25:34)
Correction: There cannot be "one flock" in two places.
John 10:16 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."
Note: The "other sheep" are Gentiles.
Acts 26:22-23 "Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come; that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."
Page 23: Together, anointed and other sheep know and worship the only true God, Jehovah.
Note: To know God is to know Jesus Christ.
John 14:7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
Page 23: They are all part of one loving, global brotherhood. They share together the privilege of being Witnesses of Jehovah and of his Kingdom. Yes, if you are a dedicated and baptized servant of Jehovah, all of this is included in your spiritual heritage.
Correction: True Christians are Jesus Witnesses.
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Page 24: How precious is this spiritual heritage to you? Do you prize it sufficiently to make the doing of God's will the most important thing in you life? As evidence of that, are you heeding the counsel of his Word and his organization to be regular in attendance at all meetings of the Christian congregation? (Hebrews 10:24, 25)
Correction: True Christians are doing the will of the Father by sincerely trusting the Son.
John 6:40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
Page 24: May all of us cherish the spiritual heritage that God has given us. While we keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Paradise ahead, let us share fully in the spiritual privileges that Jehovah is granting us now.
Correction: True Christians are focused on Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
John 15:5-6 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.