‘Keep Close in Mind the Presence of the Day of Jehovah’

“What sort of persons ought you to be . . . awaiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah.”​—2 Pet. 3:11, 12.

1. What is the “day of Jehovah,” and why should we be giving serious thought to it now?

A TIME of accounting draws near for all mankind. It is a time when divine judgment will be executed against the wicked, also a time of deliverance for the righteous. All persons then alive will be called to account for the way they have used their lives, whether with selfish disregard for the will of God and the welfare of their fellowmen or with loving obedience to God and unselfish concern for fellow humans. Because it will be a time of settling accounts on the part of the true God, the coming time period is referred to in the Bible as the “day of Jehovah.” It deserves our serious concern.​—Zeph. 2:2, 3.

2, 3. What attitude toward the “day of Jehovah” did the apostle Peter urge all Christians to have?

² Do you have the presence of the day of Jehovah close in mind? Do you keep it there? Is it a reality to you? The apostle Peter felt that way. He encouraged all Christians to have that attitude. In the Bible, at 2 Peter 3:11-13, he wrote: “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion, awaiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah, through which the heavens being on fire will be dissolved and the elements being intensely hot will melt! But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.”

³ Are you keeping close in mind that fiery day of Jehovah? Is it so real to you that you can see it clearly, immediately ahead of you? According to The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, that expression “keeping close in mind” is “speeding up.” So we should not be slowing it down, that is, not looking at Jehovah’s day as a long way off and putting it off.

4. Why would it result in serious loss to us if we failed to keep Jehovah’s day close in mind?

⁴ This attitude is a necessary one for all Christians, at all times, regardless of when Jehovah’s “day” arrives. Why? The apostle Paul answers, “for the scene of this world is changing.” (1 Cor. 7:31) It is like the changing scene on a stage, which, though appearing glamorous, is soon succeeded by another scene, with different settings and different actors, so that there is nothing permanent. (Eccl. 1:4) Why, then, should the Christian, who has the hope of life everlasting in a permanent world of real values, spend his time and his life energies on a transitory, passing thing? As stated at 1 John 2:17, ‘this world is passing away.’ It will soon go completely out of the picture, forever. Do you believe that?

THE ATTITUDE OF THE APOSTLES

5, 6. How did the apostles by their attitude toward Christ and his kingdom set a fine example for us?

⁵ If we keep alert and in tune with what Jehovah is doing, we are always sharers in great blessings. On the other hand, we are in danger if we develop an attitude of skepticism toward the things pointed out to us by the “faithful and discreet slave,” that composite Christian body through which Jesus Christ provides spiritual food for his disciples. We can find ourselves in a situation where we are like stragglers in an army column, easily picked off by the enemy.​—Matt. 24:45.

⁶ The desire not to miss out on anything that God would provide was the attitude Christ’s apostles had. When they asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of your presence?” they did not know that his future presence would be invisible. (Matt. 24:3) Even after his resurrection, they asked: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” (Acts 1:6) They looked for a visible restoring of it. However, their inquiry showed that they were keeping in mind God’s kingdom by Christ as being close. They looked forward to having an official share in that kingdom. They were not like the unbelieving Jews who saw Jesus visibly among them in the flesh and yet did not recognize that he was the promised Messiah, that ‘the kingdom of God was in their midst.’ (Luke 17:21) Jesus had all the credentials of the Messiah. He came in the way the Scriptures foretold. But those Jews did not accept him. They stumbled over him. Why?

7, 8. Why did the scribes and Pharisees fail to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah?

⁷ They were proud and materialistic. They loved the praise and approval of men more than that of God. Jesus told them plainly: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you resemble whitewashed graves, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful but inside are full of dead men’s bones and of every sort of uncleanness. . . . [You] appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matt. 23:27, 28) He told his disciples that those religious leaders did all their works to be viewed by men, loving the most prominent places and wanting public adoration. They were lovers of money, but they did not love God.​—Luke 16:14.

⁸ With this attitude it was impossible for the Jewish clergy to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Though Christ was right there before them, in the flesh, performing the most wonderful cures, their eyes were blind. Being in this state of mind and heart, they were disappointed in Jesus because their selfishness caused them to look for the wrong things, according to the standards of the world.​—John 5:39-44; Isa. 8:14, 15; Matt. 13:57.

9. How would our spiritual condition be affected if, in our mind and heart, we were to put off the presence of Jehovah’s day?

⁹ We today must not become materialistic like them. It is extremely dangerous to allow ourselves to fall into a sleepy, apathetic condition, in our mind and heart ‘putting off’ the presence of the fiery day of Jehovah. If we do, we will fail to discern God’s leadings, his directives for us. We will fail to get to know him, appreciating his fine characteristics. A drowsy attitude will cause us not to see clearly what needs to be done in the service of God. We will not ever ‘be ready’ for or wanting the “day of Jehovah” to come. We will be off balance so that we may be caught unawares when that “day” arrives.​—1 Thess. 5:2-5.

WHAT WORLD CONDITIONS INDICATE

10. (a) In what way is our time marked by Bible chronology? (b) What view do world leaders take of the critical situations facing mankind?

¹⁰ Bible chronology definitely marks the time in which we live as being of great importance. The “appointed times of the nations,” extending from 607 B.C.E. to 1914 C.E., have ended. (Luke 21:24) Six thousand years of human history are soon to end. In the light of these facts, what we see happening to the world is very significant. To what conclusion does it point? World conditions give strong testimony of the closeness of the end. For one thing, now, for the first time, even the world leaders have recognized world destruction as a real possibility. They agree that an all-out nuclear war would be so deadly that there could be no winners, only losers. However, many, particularly the scientists, say that there is even greater danger from worldwide pollution, and also from the “population explosion,” with the widespread famine, disease and unrest that it threatens to bring. A report in the Washington Post stated: “Suddenly in any number of disparate countries​—the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, India, Japan—​influential men have sensed an impending danger unlike any in human experience.” These men recognize that, even though mankind might survive the impending crises one at a time, they could not survive if all, or even several of them, hit at once. In every field​—war, population growth, ecology, crime, famine, disease, unrest—​there is the potential for destruction, and all of them could explode simultaneously.

11. (a) Why is it unreasonable to expect technology to solve the problems? (b) Why will world destruction not come from the sources that men fear? (c) As shown in the Bible, when will the “great tribulation” strike?

¹¹ While some say that modern technology can and will solve the problems, what is technology doing? Has it not shared responsibility for the worsening situation, particularly in the areas of war and pollution? And even if technology could solve these problems, will it do so? No, there is too much selfishness among people, too many selfish interests that block efforts to remedy the bad situation. Yet the foretold destruction will not come from the sources that men fear. The present world system will not collapse on its own. Now that its complete failure is clearly evident, Jehovah’s own time is at hand to annihilate it. And this time he clearly marked in his Word long ago. Unmistakably, the Bible pinpoints 1914 C.E. as the time when the “kingdom of the world” became the kingdom of the Lord God and of his Christ. Before the generation that was then alive passes off the scene, the “great tribulation” will strike.​—Rev. 11:15; Dan. 4:10-17; Matt. 24:21, 34.

12. What developments show a decline in the influence of worldly religion in many places?

¹² Events in the field of religion are also of keen interest to students of God’s Word. Many are leaving the priesthood and the ministry, and churches are closing. But it is not merely the closing of churches, the loss of members in many places, and the resigning of clergymen that portend the destruction of world religion, as if it were going to collapse on its own. There is more to it.

13. What led to the desolation of Jerusalem and its religious system in 70 C.E.?

¹³ Consider this: What really brought God’s anger resulting in the desolation of Jerusalem and its religious system in the year 70 C.E.? It was their rejection of God’s Word, which led to all sorts of moral corruption. Also, their spurning of God’s Son as the Messiah and their choosing instead to put their trust in Caesar. (Matt. 15:1-9; John 19:14-16) Jerusalem’s end was fully deserved. Are Christendom’s clergy today any better? No, they are counterparts of those corrupt religious leaders of ancient Jerusalem.

14. How has the clergy’s rejection of the Bible as God’s inspired Word influenced their outlook on morals?

¹⁴ They too have rejected the Bible as God’s inspired Word. In some cases they have openly labeled parts of it as “myth.” But that is not all. Listen to just a few from among the many headlines that have appeared in the public press. From Australia: “Minister Urges Church to Bless Homosexuals.” From New York city: “Is Homosexuality Wicked? Episcopal Priests Say No.” From Sweden: “Ease Sex Rule, Say Clergy.” From London: “Bishop Wants Sex Made Legal at 14.” This is what happens when people turn away from the Word of God.

15. In what ways have Christendom’s clergy demonstrated their rejection of God’s Messianic Kingdom?

¹⁵ Their rejection of God’s Messianic kingdom in the hands of his Son is also a matter of record. Like the Pharisees, Christendom’s clergy have put their trust in the governments of men. They are on hand to pray when presidents and kings take office. Chaplains bless the troops as they go to war. And they are willing and eager to point to the United Nations organization as the means by which mankind will gain the peace and security that only God’s Messianic kingdom can bring.

16. So, rather than the mere declining of church attendance, what things make certain that Christendom’s destruction is near at hand?

¹⁶ These are only a sample of the sins that the religions of Christendom have committed. They have brought the greatest blasphemy upon the names of God and Christ, and have tried to efface true worship of Jehovah God from the earth. It is these things that make certain that Christendom’s destruction is imminent.

FURTHER EVIDENCE OF THE ‘DAY’S’ NEARNESS

17-19. (a) Where else do we find evidence of the nearness of the “day of Jehovah”? (b) What are some of the developments among God’s people that show that the incoming of God’s new order is very near?

¹⁷ There is no question that world conditions indicate the nearness of the “presence of the day of Jehovah.” But that is not the only evidence. We can also find clear-cut evidence of its nearness in what is going on in God’s true Christian congregation​—in what Jehovah is doing with respect to his people. From God’s dealings in recent years the new order of righteousness is seen to be so close that we can see it taking shape right before us.

¹⁸ Consider these developments: Organizationally, the congregations of Jehovah’s people have now come more fully into line with the Scriptures, with the arrangement of elders and ministerial servants. Also, they have been aided to understand Ezekiel’s vision of the citylike seat of worldwide administration on earth, called “Jehovah Himself Is There.” They realize that there will be an administrative body serving under the heavenly kingdom, a body called the “chieftain” in Ezekiel’s prophecy. (Ezek. 45:7; 48:35) Furthermore, they now understand that the “great crowd” of survivors of the “great tribulation” will be the foundation of the “new earth,” the new earthly society brought about by Christ’s thousand-year reign. Understanding of Zechariah’s prophecy has enlightened them to see that everything done by God’s people will be in holiness and exaltation of Jehovah’s sovereignty, with nothing unclean or harmful at all, so that God will have no more cause to find any fault with his people. (Zech. 14:20, 21) Additionally, they have been carefully instructed as to how persons must live now if they are to survive the “great tribulation.” All of this helps to prepare honest-hearted ones for life in God’s new order. We also see as never before the rapid, even phenomenal, influx of those who will compose the “great crowd.” Truly, the separation of the “sheep” from the “goats” is proceeding at an amazing rate. Today persons who long for righteous conditions respond very quickly to the good news.​—Mark 13:10; Matt. 25:31-46; Rev. 7:9.

¹⁹ In view of these evidences, it would indeed be a person dull of hearing and slow to observe who did not realize that we are in the generation that Jesus foretold would immediately precede the incoming of God’s righteous new order. And we are very well along in that generation, according to all the evidences before our eyes.​—Matt. 24:34.

FALSE RELIGION’S END TO COME SUDDENLY

20, 21. (a) What situation as to worldly religion may cause some to tend to ‘put off’ the fiery day of Jehovah? (b) But how does Revelation 17:16, 17 say that the destruction of “Babylon the Great” will come about?

²⁰ However, there are some who, when viewing the religious picture, tend to ‘put off’ the fiery “day” of Jehovah. They may reason in the following manner: ‘It is true that we see worldly religion weakening in some areas, churches closing, less respect for the churches, and other signs of losing ground. Yet, even in these areas, do we not frequently see that the churches have strong political connections? Also, they often own much industrial property, even large blocks of residential property that they use for commercial gain. They are well established financially. Again, in other sections attendance is still strong in the churches. Many people maintain their church membership in spite of the corruption that exists. Can we not say, then, that these strengths displayed by the churches are indications that the presence of the fiery day of Jehovah is yet many years off?’

²¹ Do not be deceived. The end of false religion is not going to come by its simply folding up due to lack of support. Rather, it will come in the way that God said it would come, in his vision to the apostle John, at Revelation 17:16, 17. There it reads: “The ten horns that you saw, and the wild beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire. For God put it into their hearts to carry out his thought, even to carry out their one thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast, until the words of God will have been accomplished.” Jehovah God himself will give the command for the destruction of “Babylon the Great” at the beginning of his “day,” and that destruction will come with surprising suddenness.

22-24. (a) How do adherents of worldly religion view their religion and their clergy? (b) How does Jeremiah 25:34, 35 illustrate the suddenness with which the clergy and their false religion will meet their destruction?

²² We should not forget that Babylonish world religion is viewed by its adherents as something sacred, something beautiful. Its leaders, particularly the clergymen of Christendom, have been looked upon as men of God, holy. Even nonreligious men among politicians and businessmen address them by high-sounding titles, as Reverend, Right Reverend, Father, Holy Father and by other flattering terms. Of course, worldly religion has brought to some people things they desire. To some it gives social status; to some, political power; to others it brings financial gain. Some persons among churchgoers feel that, to worship God, they must attend or belong to a church, because Christendom claims to worship God, because it claims to represent the Bible and to be the repository of truth.

²³ But what does Jeremiah 25:34, 35 say about this? Concerning what will happen to Christendom’s leaders just as concerning what was to befall the Jewish leaders shortly after Jerusalem’s fall in 607 B.C.E., it says: “Howl, you shepherds, and cry out! And wallow about, you majestic ones of the flock, because your days for slaughtering and for your scatterings have been fulfilled, and you must fall like a desirable vessel!”

²⁴ So it is not a slow fading away by loss of members that brings the end of Christendom’s false religions and their clergy. Instead, just as a beautiful vase, a “desirable vessel,” suddenly falls from its pedestal, to the dismay of its onlookers, so the clergy and their false religion have a sudden, surprising crash to destruction.

25. (a) Likewise, at Revelation 18:10, 21 how is the swiftness of the fall of Babylon the Great shown? (b) Against what can appreciation of these Scriptural facts safeguard us?

²⁵ Also, as to the swiftness of the fall of Babylon the Great, what does Revelation chapter 18, verse 10, say? “They [the mourners, including many commercial men] stand at a distance because of their fear of her torment and say, ‘Too bad, too bad, you great city, Babylon you strong city, because in one hour your judgment has arrived!’” And then, in Re 18 verse 21, it continues: “And a strong angel lifted up a stone like a great millstone and hurled it into the sea, saying: ‘Thus with a swift pitch will Babylon the great city be hurled down, and she will never be found again.’” Appreciation of this fact can protect us against any inclination to ‘put off’ the day of Jehovah simply because Babylonish religion still exercises considerable influence in some areas.

The Right Attitude Is a Safeguard

1. (a) When did Peter write urging Christians to ‘keep close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah’? (b) Thereafter, how long would it be before the coming of Jehovah’s “day”?

ABOUT the year 64 C.E. the apostle Peter wrote to the Christian congregation urging them to ‘keep close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah.’ When Christians first read those words it was yet about six years before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, before God’s “day” of judgment on that city. (Acts 2:14-21) It was more than 1,900 years before the presence of the “day” of Jehovah’s judgment of Christendom and the present system of things. Yet Peter’s words had an application to Christians living back then.

2, 3. Why was it vital for anointed Christians all through the past nineteen centuries to ‘keep close in mind Jehovah’s day’?

² Why would Christians living so far from God’s “day” of final judgment need to feel this way? Because any other attitude would lead them into the snare of involvement with the world and into putting their trust and hope in worldly things. They were to keep in mind that the things around them were going to be destroyed. Besides, they would have to prove their integrity to God by ‘loving not the world or the things in the world,’ for they would, in time, die, and what would their record then be as spirit-begotten, anointed Christians, brothers of Jesus Christ?​—1 John 2:15.

³ The question facing anointed Christians all through the past nineteen centuries has been, What is my record with Jehovah God now? Am I making God’s calling and choosing of me sure, so that I qualify to be one of his “royal priesthood,” with hopes of reigning with Christ? (1 Pet. 2:9; 2 Pet. 1:10; Rev. 20:4, 6) They did not have to be living in the “day of Jehovah” to be judged by Jehovah as worthy or unworthy of that heavenly position to which they were called.​—Heb. 3:1.

4. Why do we today, and every day, need to give serious attention to what we are doing with our lives?

⁴ What about us today? Is it different because we are close to the end of this system of things? No, it is not a matter of waiting until the “great tribulation” is upon us. For how do we know that we shall be alive at that time? At James 4:15, the Bible reminds us: “You do not know what your life will be tomorrow. For you are a mist appearing for a little while and then disappearing.” If we take matters lightly, we do not know when our unreliable heart will pull us away. (Jer. 17:9) Furthermore, we do not know when conditions might come about that could catch us off guard, to our calamity, even before the “great tribulation” comes. How could that be? Let us see.

WHAT ENDURING TO THE END MEANS

5. (a) What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement, “He that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved”? (b) Of what fact concerning the possible “end” of one’s present life does Solomon remind us?

⁵ When Jesus spoke of the time in which the apostles lived and which prefigured the time in which we are living, he said: “He that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.” (Matt. 24:13) He was talking about the enduring of persecution, mounting lawlessness and world hatred. He said that some of his disciples would be killed during that persecution. But if a Christian endured all of this to the very death or to the finish of this violent state of world hostility, he would be saved because of his integrity. (Matt. 24:9-12) He might not live until the end of the system of things, but he would be judged as to whether he was a part of this world or not, no matter at what time the “end” was for him. (1 John 2:15; Jas. 4:4) Any one of us, whether of the spirit-begotten, anointed brothers of Jesus Christ, or of the “other sheep,” who entertain earthly hopes, young or old, can die very quickly, today or tomorrow, due to unforeseen circumstances, including a sudden outburst of religious persecution. Wise King Solomon spoke of the situation that confronts men in general when he said: “Time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all. For man also does not know his time. Just like fishes that are being taken in an evil net, and like birds that are being taken in a trap, so the sons of men themselves are being ensnared at a calamitous time, when it falls upon them suddenly.”​—Eccl. 9:11, 12.

6. What “unforeseen occurrence” recently befell one of the members of the Society’s headquarters staff, but what had be been doing up till that time?

⁶ We have examples of how quickly our end, individually, can come, emphasizing the importance of being in a right position before God and of having a good standing in his favor at all times. Not long ago one of the members of the headquarters staff of the Watchtower Society was working in a Kingdom Hall in New York with another brother. He was approached by a young man who came into the hall and asked for information, which the Witness kindly gave him. Suddenly, under religious animosity, the young man whipped out a knife and stabbed the Witness to death. How good to know that he had been serving faithfully right up to that time!

7, 8. What should we learn from the experience of our brothers in Malawi?

⁷ Again, we have the experience of Jehovah’s witnesses in Malawi. Here was a country where people had responded marvelously to the Kingdom message. In 1972 there was a ratio of one of Jehovah’s witnesses to every 194 of Malawi’s population. During that year 1,617 new ones were baptized. We could say that there was real prosperity for the 447 congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses in that country, and for the more than 22,000 Witnesses actively associated with these congregations. There had been persecution in 1967, true. But one might have thought in 1972, ‘With such spiritual prosperity we are surely far from calamity.’ Yet, what befell the Witnesses in Malawi almost overnight? Because of their faithful neutrality toward the politics of this world their homes were burned, some of their women were raped, they were mobbed, some tortured or killed, and most were driven, with peril to their lives, to neighboring countries.

⁸ What do we learn from this? The Christian should live every day as though it might be the end of his present earthly life. He must make true Christianity a way of life, being closely knit with his brothers in the congregations, actively serving Jehovah with all his strength. For where would those Malawian Witnesses have been if they had been apathetic, negligent of their spiritual condition? Only those with spiritual strength could stand firm when the test came, and to the credit of the Malawian Witnesses, the great majority of them did so.

9. What is it that determines whether we will be found pleasing to Jehovah at the time when the “great tribulation” arrives?

⁹ God reveals to us what we need to know so that we can take a wise course and help others by alerting them to the danger and to the imminence of Jehovah’s “day.” But he has not told us exactly what year or what day, even what hour, he will begin the “great tribulation” on this world. (Matt. 24:36) It is not knowledge of the precise time when the “great tribulation” is to begin that determines whether we will be active in his service or not, or whether we will be living in a way pleasing to him or not. To please God, we must serve him at all times, the true motivation being, not the nearness of the end, but love for him as our wonderful heavenly Father.

WHY GOD’S TIMING IS RIGHT

10-12. (a) In what sense does Jehovah’s “day” come as a “snare”? (b) How do those who lose faith because things do not take place when they anticipate them show that they fail to appreciate the superiority of Jehovah’s position?

¹⁰ We have seen that the “great tribulation” comes suddenly. Jesus said that it comes as a “snare.” (Luke 21:34-36) An animal about to be caught in a snare may be unaware that he is even near danger, when suddenly he is hopelessly caught. The Bible is not warning us of a make-believe situation. It is real, and will take place exactly when and as it should. God has a time to destroy this system of things. But some get impatient and lose faith because things do not happen as they anticipate and God’s action seems to delay. This is because of the shortness of man’s life-span and his consequent impatience to get things done in the brief time that he has. As a result, he may be inclined to judge God on the basis of such human experience, with its limitations.​—Hab. 2:3.

¹¹ On the other hand, Jehovah lives forever. He does not need to become impatient. He can scan the situation and see precisely where in the stream of time his acts will accomplish the most good for everyone concerned and will thoroughly carry out his purpose as well.​—Prov. 15:3.

¹² Peter expresses the thought in this way: “Let this one fact not be escaping your notice, beloved ones, that one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. Jehovah is not slow respecting his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.”​—2 Pet. 3:8, 9.

13. (a) Who really benefits from the fact that Jehovah has not yet executed judgment on this system of things? (b) How is it true that “one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day”?

¹³ So any seeming delay on Jehovah’s part is not for his personal benefit, nor because of any slowness to act. It is for the benefit of us humans. Jehovah could quickly destroy this world! As Peter notes, he can do more in one day than men could do in a thousand years. For example, when Jesus was on earth, he restored withered hands, blind eyes, even resurrected a man whose body was partly decomposed. He accomplished these mighty works instantaneously. But think how long it would have taken under ordinary circumstances for the man to grow another arm, or the resurrected man to replace decayed body parts by normal growth. Then, looking at matters the other way​—to Jehovah, who lives forever, and who purposes things ages in advance, the passing of a thousand years is “as a watch during the night.” (Ps. 90:4) He is not limited by time, as we are. So if he acts in a manner that appears slow to us, we must keep in mind that it is in consideration for us, and is the very best way for all concerned.

14. Why do we not need to know exactly when Jehovah’s “day” will arrive, but what should we be doing?

¹⁴ The person understanding his position before God, having faith in God, does not need to be anxious. The apostle assures Christians: “Your labor is not in vain in connection with the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58) If we know his purpose, what his will is for us now, and what is the hope ahead. we do not have to know the exact timetable of events. No matter when Jehovah’s “day” arrives, we will be busy doing the divine will. Is that what you are determined to do?

DO YOU HAVE THE “MARK”?

15. (a) What is the “mark” that all who will be spared to life on earth in God’s new order must have? (b) What questions as to a person’s reaction to bad conditions in the world will help him to analyze whether he truly has the viewpoint that God requires?

¹⁵ Just before the destruction of ancient Jerusalem by the Babylonians, Jehovah gave Ezekiel a vision in which a symbolic man went through Jerusalem, setting a mark upon the foreheads of all who were “sighing and groaning over all the detestable things” that were being done in Jerusalem. (Ezek. 9:4) That was prophetic of a work that is being done today. Each one who professes to be of the “other sheep,” with hope of life here on earth in God’s new order, should ask himself: ‘Do I really have the mark? Does my life give evidence, just as clearly as a mark on my forehead, that I have a truly Christian personality? Do I really hate the bad things that I see going on, especially in Christendom? Do I feel bad simply because these things bring danger and inconvenience to me, or am I grieved because I see God’s name being reproached?’

16. (a) Although a person may always have been morally chaste, why does that in itself not mean that he has the “mark”? (b) Yet why is it vital to avoid sexual immorality?

¹⁶ Those who truly display the “mark” of the Christian personality are very careful lest the day of Jehovah overtake them practicing things that would classify them with lovers of the world. Is that true of you? For example, how do you really feel about such things as loose conduct, fornication and adultery? Regardless of what your past way of life may have been, are you now in full agreement with Jehovah’s judgment against those who practice such things? (1 Cor. 6:9-11; Heb. 13:4) Of course, some people have never committed such a thing. Yet this in itself does not mean that they are ‘marked’ for survival. Those who have the “mark” are not merely persons who avoid such conduct because it can lead to unpleasant consequences. They hate the wrong because it is a violation of Jehovah’s righteous ways. They realize, as faithful Joseph did, that fornication or adultery not only is defiling, but is actually a “great badness” and a “sin against God.” (Gen. 39:9) It is Jehovah’s viewpoint that is of chief concern to them. Knowing that sexual immorality is one of Satan’s chief snares, it is vital to avoid situations that may tempt a person to commit this sin and lose out when so near the portals of the New Order. Keep in mind the example of Israel in Moab on the borders of the Promised Land. Twenty-four thousand lost their lives there in the snare of sexual immorality.​—Num. 25:1-9.

17. If we truly have the “mark,” what will be our attitude as to truthfulness, and why?

¹⁷ What about truthfulness? Do we really respect the truth, or are we willing to twist the truth a little bit, to get out of an inconvenient circumstance, or to get something we want? Lying is a common practice in business today. But where did lying originate? Jesus said that the Devil “is a liar and the father of the lie.” (John 8:44) A liar, therefore, is actually serving the Devil. But we give evidence that we have put on the new personality, that we truly have the “mark,” if we always speak the truth. God’s Word says: “Now that you have put away falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor.” (Eph. 4:25) Do you, in a tight spot, feel a temptation to lie as the easy way out? Or are you like the writer of Proverbs who said: “Untruth and the lying word put far away from me”?​—Prov. 30:8.

18, 19. Why is more required than simply coming to meetings and associating with Jehovah’s witnesses, if we want to have a good conscience before God?

¹⁸ Many persons are newly coming into the way of the truth during this time near to the “day of Jehovah.” Previously they carried on practices harmful to their own minds and bodies. But now they are being baptized, making the request to God for a good conscience. (1 Pet. 3:21) If you are among those contemplating taking that step of baptism, or if you took the step some time ago, can you get or receive a good, clean conscience from God if you continue to engage in a practice that is known to have harmful effects on mind and body? Can you gain a clear conscience simply by associating with Jehovah’s witnesses, who endeavor to live by the Bible’s high standard of cleanliness, if at the same time you carry on a practice that they reject? Can you say that you are really one of them? Do you want to be?

¹⁹ A clean conscience is essential if you expect to receive favor and life from God. Therefore, in all things that we do our first consideration should be: How do these things reflect on God’s name? And second: How do these things reflect on his Christian congregation that represents his name and kingdom? Doing this will help us to maintain a good conscience in the course that we choose. We need to consider that God has made the Christian congregation a “pillar and support of the truth” in the earth. (1 Tim. 3:15) We should live in harmony with what that congregation teaches. Keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah will protect us from holding on to something that, in comparison with the glorious treasure of Jehovah’s favor, is “a lot of refuse.” (Phil. 3:8) It will cause a person to work to maintain a good conscience. He will keep his body under control, so that, after he has preached to others, he himself should not become disapproved by God.​—1 Cor. 9:27.

AGAINST WHAT DID JESUS WARN HIS DISCIPLES?

20-23. (a) Against what things that could weaken our faith did Jesus warn, as shown at Luke 21:34-36? (b) Explain how these everyday concerns of life could have such a faith-destroying effect. (c) If we really want God’s spirit to direct us, where should we be?

²⁰ However it is not necessarily the big things that may overthrow a person’s faith. Stressing the matter of everyday living by faith, the Lord Jesus Christ warned: “Pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of all the earth. Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that you may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man.”​—Luke 21:34-36.

²¹ Against what kind of things was Jesus here warning? He was not speaking of such sins as fornication, adultery and thievery. Such things would, of course, keep one out of the kingdom of God. But Jesus was warning them against common things that can easily affect any of us, involving eating, drinking and the daily cares of life. But all of these are very easy to indulge in to a sinful excess. Therein lie their subtlety and peril. A person can easily be deceived into thinking he is taking a safe course, and then be caught unawares. An individual can become involved and entangled in the affairs of this world and the anxieties that such bring, with serious damage to his spirituality. He can become overly concerned with acquiring things of this life that he may think he needs. He may get to feeling that he has to have ‘the best’ of all the conveniences and comforts that the world in general has. He may feel that it justifies his working extra time at a secular occupation in order to get them.

²² As a result, he neglects his spiritual life; he does not take time to study; he fails to give needed help to his family to keep them spiritually healthy; he loses out on association with his Christian brothers. Consequently he has little zeal for the field service. Even what he does is usually a perfunctory service, not putting himself out to aid others to become disciples. He really demonstrates that he does not actually believe that Christ is reigning and that the day of Jehovah is at hand.