international war from a blood-drenched earth. The happy peaceable ones, who are the “sons of God,” will prove to be the ones to whom Psalm 46:8-11 is addressed:

¹⁵ “Come you, behold the activities of Jehovah, how he has set astonishing events on the earth. He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth. The bow he breaks apart and does cut the spear in pieces; the wagons he burns in the fire. ‘Give in and know you that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ Jehovah of armies is with us; the God of Jacob is a secure height for us.”

16. Why will these have to take no hand in the war of Armageddon?

¹⁶ The survivors of this “war of the great day of God the Almighty” will indeed behold the activities of Jehovah in setting astonishing events on the earth, wiping out all peace disturbers. These prospective survivors are already committed to peace and friendship with God and will have to take no hand in the universal war of Armageddon. Their course is dictated for them in the prophetic words: “As for you, do not be afraid or be terrified because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” For this reason they do not now have to arm and train for that war of Armageddon.—2 Chron. 20:15.

17. (a) After Armageddon, over whom will the millennial reign begin? (b) How does Isaiah verify the enduring of peace then?

¹⁷ When Armageddon ends, the millennial reign of the Prince of Peace will begin over a loyal, peaceable people on earth, saved out of all the present nations. His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth; hence it will embrace all the earth. Concerning his reign this prophetic prayer was recorded: “Let the mountains carry peace to the people, also the hills, through righteousness. In his days the righteous one will sprout, and the abundance of peace until the moon is no more.” (Ps. 72:3, 7) The prophet Isaiah verifies this enduring of peace under the One whose name is to be called Prince of Peace, saying: “To the abundance of the princely rule and to peace there will be no end.” (Isa. 9:6, 7) As God’s Mouthpiece he will speak peace to all nations, to his surviving subjects out of all nations.

18. How will the historical prophecy of the rainbow after the Flood be fulfilled, and into what will the earth be converted?

¹⁸ Thousands of years ago a symbol of God’s peaceful purpose, a rainbow, appeared to Noah and his family after the ancient world of the ungodly was destroyed by the global flood. Fulfilling that historical prophecy, peace like a glowing rainbow will arch itself over all the earth and its inhabitants, after the storm of Armageddon destroys this present war-racked system of things and cleanses the earth for the peaceful, righteous new system of things. Then those who begin living on earth under Christ’s reign will build confidently without fear that what they construct will be destroyed or seized by armed invaders or that their productive fields will be overrun and ruined by maneuvering troops or heavy engines of destruction. They will build and plant in the stimulating assurance that they will occupy, reap and enjoy the products of their labors. The ruiners of the earth being annihilated, the earth will be converted by God’s blessing through his King into a perfect paradise home.

19. How will peace be established between man and animal life, and how may all enjoy “peace on earth” as God’s “men of good will”?

¹⁹ In this earthly paradise all the animal life will be tamed by God’s power and will be at peace with man, who will exercise God-given dominion over them. “And a mere little boy will be leader over them.” (Isa. 11:6) Perfect health will become obedient mankind’s possession, and bodily perfection will make them beautiful creatures, made in God’s image, according to His likeness. Moreover, all those sleeping in the memorial tombs will be awakened by the voice of the King and will come forth by resurrection to opportunities for everlasting life in perfection on earth under his rule as an Everlasting Father. To these he will speak peace. By forever worshiping Jehovah God and obeying his Savior King all earth’s inhabitants may, to the glory of God in the heights above, enjoy “peace on earth” as “men of good will,” men whom the God of peace approves and to whom he speaks peace.

Be a Man—Shoulder the Responsibility

“A POOR writer blames his pen.” That adage points out the common human failing of wanting to shirk responsibility when it comes to shouldering blame. In this respect every one of us, whether man, woman or child, should strive to be manly, to “carry on as men.” While friends can help us bear our burdens in times of distress, when it comes to responsibility or blame, then “each one [must] carry his own load of responsibility.”—1 Cor. 16:13; Gal. 6:2, 5.

Often our attempts to get out from under the blame make about as much sense as did Aaron’s on a certain occasion, betraying befuddled thinking. While Moses was up in the mountain for forty days the people grew impatient and returned to their idolatrous Egyptian ways. Bringing their jewelry to Aaron, they asked him to make them an idol. The record expressly states that then Aaron “took the gold from their hands, and he formed it with a graving tool and proceeded to make it into a molten statue of a calf.”—Ex. 32:4.

When Moses returned from the mountain and saw what had been done and in righteous indignation asked Aaron about it, did Aaron accept his responsibility in the matter? He did not. He was trying to get out from blame when he said to Moses: “I proceeded to throw [the gold the people gave me] into the fire and this calf came on out,” apparently by itself he would have Moses believe! Could anything be more preposterous? Yes, often our attempts to excuse or justify ourselves make about as much sense as that!—Ex. 32:22, 24.

While our trying to avoid blame may be due to befuddled thinking, when we try to shift the blame upon others, more likely than not there is something wrong with our hearts, revealing pride, dishonesty and selfishness. In doing so we are but following the bent we inherited from our first parents. Adam, instead of manfully owning up to having disobeyed by eating of the forbidden fruit and shouldering the blame, justified himself by blaming others: “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree and so I ate it.” Yes, ‘why blame me? If you had not given me that woman and if she had not handed me the fruit, why, I would never have eaten of it!’ And Eve followed