As Wednesday, August 2, 1950, dawned, Jehovah’s people in general had no idea of the marvelous blessing in store for them on that “‘Preach the Word’ Day.” That afternoon Brother Knorr spoke on the subject “Turning to the Peoples A Pure Language.” (Zeph. 3:9) Among other things, he mentioned that in 1902 the Watch Tower Society came into possession of a translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures known as The Emphatic Diaglott, first printed on its own presses on December 21, 1926. The Society thereafter undertook other very notable Bible-printing activities.

But that 1950 assembly session brought to light something especially thrilling. On that memorable occasion, Brother Knorr had the great pleasure of releasing the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures in English.

So it was that a total of 123,707 attended Brother Knorr’s absorbing, widely advertised public talk “Can You Live Forever in Happiness on Earth?” That logical, moving discourse gave ample Scriptural proof that there are persons who can live forever in happiness on earth.

In keeping with the assembly theme, on July 20 Brother Knorr gave the timely discourse “Living Now as a New World Society.”

THE ASSEMBLY’S MOVING CONCLUSION

Delegates were in for a particularly moving experience on Sunday afternoon, July 26. For N. H. Knorr’s public discourse “After Armageddon​—God’s New World” 165,829 persons assembled inside Yankee Stadium, in overflow tents and at Trailer City. There were 91,562 persons in the stadium itself. Not long before the public talk, gates were opened and thousands filed in to sit on the grass of the playing field. Additional thousands heard the speech over the Society’s radio station WBBR.

That absorbing hour passed quickly and soon the public talk was over. A cool breeze refreshed the thousands who remained for the assembly’s closing session. Basing his remarks on Psalm 145, Brother Knorr gave an hour-long talk stressing the need to praise Jehovah, exalt him as God, advertise him as Universal Sovereign and make known his kingship.

At this grand gathering the earthly paradise, the spiritual paradise and the heavenly paradise​—all three were considered in the discourse “Maintaining Our Spiritual Paradise,” given by Brother Knorr. After this absorbing talk, the speaker related that missionaries in Thailand had once asked whether the Society would produce a study publication, not refuting falsehood, but setting forth just the true Biblical teaching. To meet their need and that of Christians everywhere, he said, the Society had produced the new book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained. Written in simple language and profusely illustrated, the Paradise book has been a delight to young and old alike. “A whole generation of children has grown up, fingering the Paradise book,” says Grace A. Estep, “carrying it to meetings with them, sharing it with their little playmates, being able to relate, long before they were old enough to read, a whole series of Bible stories just from the pictures.”

Saturday, August 2, was “Your Will Come to Pass” Day. That afternoon the Society’s president gave the stirring discourse “Let Your Will Come to Pass,” after which he thrilled his audience of 175,441 by announcing release of the new book “Your Will Be Done on Earth.” How the delegates yearned to probe its explanation of prophecies, especially those in the book of Daniel!

As the stadium was being filled to capacity, the same thing was happening at the Polo Grounds. At 3:00 p.m. there was a hushed silence among the more than a quarter of a million people present as the chairman rose to introduce the speaker, N. H. Knorr, president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and to announce the subject of his talk, ‘God’s Kingdom Rules​—Is the World’s End Near?’”

When N. H. Knorr spoke on the subject “Presenting ‘the Sword of the Spirit,’” back in 1942 at the New World Theocratic Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Cleveland, Ohio, he identified the Bible as the greatest offensive weapon, the “sword of the spirit.” (Eph. 6:17) In essence, he expressed the thoughts of Jehovah’s servants in general: ‘If we could only find the text we want, we could hold off our opponents, we could comfort those that mourn, we could make simple to others, with abundance of proof, the things so clear to us. If we only had a Bible with helps wherein we could find quickly what we need!’