God and bearing witness to Jesus,” John says. He was being kept as a prisoner on the penal island of Patmos, not far from the coast of Asia Minor, now Asiatic Turkey. (Rev. 1:9) What did John see that is of value and importance to us in this nuclear space age?

(To be continued)

Part 2—Relatives of Jesus

CONTINUING the study as to the zealous relatives of Jesus that appeared in the September 15 Watchtower, the chart printed with this article will be of considerable assistance. The chart involves the two theocratically important tribes of Israel, Levi and Judah. To the left of the chart are the genealogies involving the tribe of Levi in relationship to Jesus, and to the right the tribe of Judah. The leading paternal house or most important subdivision of the tribe of Levi was the house of Aaron, from which came all the high and ministering priests of Israel. From the other houses of the Levites came lesser ministers or helpers in the temple organization. Likewise for the tribe of Judah, the most important paternal house was that of the royal house of David, through which the line or dynasty of kings ran.

The chart’s lowest level of names contains the generation contemporary with Jesus. The next level of names above it involves the generation of Jesus’ mother Mary and Joseph, whereas the middle level of names contains the generation of Jesus’ grandfather Heli. The left part of the chart illustrates the relationship of Jesus to John the Baptist, as mentioned in the previous article. Note that Jesus’ mother Mary was of the kingly house of David through her father Heli, who was married to Anna (according to tradition, this being said to be the name of Mary’s mother) a Levitess. Anna’s sister, in turn, married Elizabeth’s father of the house of Aaron. Elizabeth their child was thus born a true daughter of the house of Aaron and when she married Zechariah, also of the house of Aaron, their son John the Baptist was of the priestly house of Aaron both through his father and through his mother. From the chart one will clearly observe that Elizabeth was a first cousin of Mary in their generation. Further, that John the Baptist was a second cousin of Jesus in their succeeding generation.

Following Jesus’ genealogy, the chart indicates Mary was his natural mother, although Jehovah himself continued to be his Father by having arranged the human conception in such a way through the miraculous intervention of the holy spirit as to effect His Son’s transfer from a prehuman heavenly existence to that of becoming born a natural man. This enabled Jesus to be called both the “Son of God” and the “Son of man.” Mary’s father being Heli of the house of David through David’s son Nathan, Jesus received a natural right to the throne of David through Mary. However, as shown in the previous article, since Joseph legally adopted Jesus as his firstborn son, Jesus thereby acquired additionally