Chiengmai in Thailand, and those of richly figured silk brocade from Szechwan in western China, were very beautiful. Nearly all the conventioners carried their Bibles and literature from house to house in hand-loom-woven cloth bags hung from one shoulder. Brightly colored and ornamented, these bags come from the hill peoples of Burma, particularly from the Kachʹins of the far north.

Nearly all the talks were translated from English to Burmese, and the baptismal talk was also partly translated into Tamil. A Tamil meeting on Saturday summarized the main talks of the assembly.

Among the many interesting experiences related on the platform, one missionary sister told how, when going from house to house in one of the poorer areas of Sagaing, just after an earthquake had killed some people and ruined many of the pagodas in that very religious city, she found many interested in the prophecy of Matthew 24:7, which predicted earthquakes in the “time of the end” of this world. Among these was an old Indian who spoke good English and who eagerly took literature to learn more about the truth. His interest was followed up by brothers from nearby Mandalay, and he is now gaining good understanding concerning Jehovah God.

From Bassein and Pyapon on the steaming delta of the big Irrawaddy River others told of a young boy, a new publisher, who in halting words told about the lion’s dwelling with the lamb and of the end of sorrow and death, thereby striking such appreciation in the heart of an elderly Burmese Buddhist that he took all the books the boy had and came on to the meeting to learn more. Also of an elderly woman, striving to continue along the path of pure worship, but who was threatened by the clergy of the American Baptist Mission with the loss of her house if she continued to associate with Jehovah’s witnesses and to preach the Bible truths. And of a young man, a graduate of the seminary of that Mission, who told a pioneer witness of Jehovah that, after trying different religions, he was convinced that only Jehovah’s witnesses could give the answers.

Until Thursday of the week it appeared that the Society’s vice-president would be prevented from delivering the widely announced public talk on “New World Peace in Our Time—Why?” But by the manifest skillful maneuvering of the irresistible Almighty God Jehovah the way was cleared for the public event to go forward as advertised. Sunday afternoon, January 6, 1957, the public meeting was held at the Railway Institute Hall and 237 persons attended, among them a Buddhist monk. A few more came in afterward to see the film, “The Happiness of the New World Society,” shown for its first time in Burma. Many of those viewing this remained still longer for the vice-president’s closing talk, thus enjoying the close of a most blessed assembly for Burma. For weeks thereafter the brothers were still talking about it, and all were doing a better work at the witness work in the field since this blessed get-together. Three of the Rangoon newspapers in English gave fine reports of the public address, The Burman giving the full report and submitting front-page spread, top, the first two columns, with big headlines.

By a revision Brother Franz was scheduled to fly from Rangoon by way of Pan American Airways Monday, at 10:30 p.m. That evening about twenty brothers assembled in the lounge of the missionary home and enjoyed a farewell theocratic discussion with him for an hour. The brothers had borrowed two cars and rented a jeep taxi in order to accompany him to the airport. There they saw him emplane for his next appointment, in the adjoining country to the east. He and they had been mutually refreshed by one another’s wholesome company for eight days.

BANGKOK, THAILAND

In the early part of last October the Watch Tower Society’s branch office in Bangkok, Thailand, was notified of a coming visit by its vice-president. This posed a problem for the Bangkok branch office. Should a general assembly be held during the vice-president’s visit or not? At the time of receipt of the notice the branch office was right in the middle of preparations that were going on for the approaching district assembly scheduled for October 25-28. An assembly in January would mean that in two months another convention would be held. Since most of Jehovah’s witnesses in Thailand live in its northern part and the travel distance is great, how many of the brothers would come, could come? Well, it was decided to have an assembly during the vice-president’s visit, even though the two assemblies were close together and the second assembly would come in the middle of the week, January 8-10, the days being Tuesday through Thursday. The place chosen for this assembly was the Sala Lumpini Romya, a dance pavilion, which was rented for three days. The location was ideal, as the pavilion was situated on a beautiful lagoon in one of the fine parks of Bangkok.

While there may have been debate on just how many of the Kingdom publishers of various congregations would attend this assembly, one thing was very certain: every one of the missionary graduates of Gilead would be on hand. It did not matter that the vice-president’s arrival at the Don Muang airport of Bangkok was after midnight, at half past one in the morning, local time; all the missionaries, twenty-six in number, were at the airport to meet him. Some of the Siamese brothers were on hand, too, which was appreciated. It is a fine feeling when one lands in an unknown alien land and is cordially received with open arms by friends, old ones and new ones to get acquainted with! But that is something unique that the globe-girdling New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses provides.

Later on that same morning an interesting thing on the day’s agenda was a three-hour trip down the famous klongs (canals) on an intimate sightseeing trip in Bangkok. Most of the missionaries made this trip with Brother Franz, which, as the klongs were full of water, some of the missionaries pronounced “The best trip yet!” The afternoon was set aside for a special meeting with all the missionaries. During the two-hour meeting many problems and questions that they had were solved and answered to their satisfaction. The good counsel given therewith encouraged them all to stick to the work on hand, and also to push ahead with greater zeal and determination in the work before us, not being disheartened by the religious barriers to be overcome.

To make the day complete, that Tuesday evening at six o’clock the three-day assembly got under way. To the surprise of the branch office this very first meeting was well attended. On hand were ninety-five persons. Of these, about fifty publishers were from the local congregation, and also included were brothers who had made the trip down from northern congregations. A fine program was carried through, with talks given on many subjects by the local brothers and missionaries. The evening’s program was climaxed by the talk given by the Society’s representative from Brooklyn headquarters. The brother who translated into Siamese for him was the circuit servant, a graduate of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. The illumination beamed upon Jehovah’s visible organization by this talk was very much appreciated by the local Siamese brothers.

Wednesday, January 9, offered a full program. Meetings began at 9 a.m., with the initial meeting for field service. The afternoon and evening program consisted of many fine talks given by the local brothers, who showed fine capability. Again the Society’s vice-president concluded the day’s program, this time enlarging upon the 1957 yeartext that hung overhead in Siamese: “From day to day tell the good news of salvation by him.” (Ps. 96:2, NW) The importance of singing the new song to Jehovah was driven home to the 115 conventioners present. At every opportunity it is to be sung by the witnesses of the God to whom it is sung, as the salvation of the singers and the salvation of others who hear depend on our doing so.

Thursday morning brought the beginning of the last day of an all-too-short assembly, also the final day of the vice-president’s brief visit. During the course of the day’s activities two recently dedicated men were baptized in a plastic tank in the back yard of the Society’s branch building. As the public meeting of the assembly was to be its closing event on the day’s program, Brother Franz gave an hour’s talk with his farewell admonition earlier at 4 p.m.

But how many would come to hear the midweek public talk by the vice-president was the question. This talk “New World Peace in Our Time—Why?” was well advertised by the brothers by the distribution of a handbill with the printing of the subject in two languages. Together with the report of the speaker’s arrival, the lecture was given good publicity by the local newspapers, both English and Siamese. At the hour announced, from 7 p.m. on, the absorbing question was answered, in that 2,500th year of the Buddhist era. Assembled both in the pavilion and in the front yard outside to listen by loud-speaker were 190 persons. There was no taking of offense on the part of any attending Buddhist. All gave fine attention during the entire talk, down to the last word. They heard how the entrance of a lasting peace for men of good will was a sure thing in our generation, not to be introduced, however, by the United Nations organization, of whose General Assembly Thailand’s Prince Wan Waithayakon was then the president, nor by any other means that worldly men may yet use, but to come by the Almighty God named Jehovah after his war of Armageddon. Some of the points of this public address were published in the English newspapers next day.

The pavilion had to be vacated for the proprietor’s evening entertainment there, and so the assembly disbanded quickly after the public address. That same night, at 1:15 a.m., the vice-president was scheduled to depart from Bangkok by plane. The precious time in between was therefore utilized specially for the benefit of the congregated missionaries who had come from their scattered posts throughout Thailand. At the branch home there was a final, though late, get-together with Brother Franz, a tasty buffet lunch and joyous Kingdom songs providing enjoyable refreshment.

At 11 p.m. four cars of brothers and sisters left the branch with Brother Franz for Don Muang airport. Upon arrival there we soon learned that the plane was about two hours late. All the send-off party made up their minds to stay with their visitor till the plane arrived. The missionaries took advantage of the extra time by arranging another missionary meeting with him. In the lovely airport patio they assembled enough chairs for all to sit on, and the meeting was on! Certainly it was late and all were tired and somewhat sleepy, but this lively meeting with many questions, each of which received an answer, kept everyone awake. Finally in comes the long-awaited plane. Just before 3 a.m. Brother Franz breaks loose from this missionary group. On his way across the field to the airplane there is a wave of good-by to them all on the airport balcony. Not many minutes more and the great mechanical bird of the air is off into the darkness, with its destination Hong Kong.

(To be continued)

Questions From Readers

● The book You May Survive Armageddon into God’s New World, on page 359, discusses the earthly rebels at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ that Revelation 20:8 says “the number of whom is as the sand of the sea,” and makes this statement: “They are as indefinite in number as the ‘sand of the sea,’ though they might not be over 144,000.” Why is the number 144,000 brought in here?—E. C., Australia.

To say the rebels will be as many as the sands of the seashore suggests that they will number into billions. This is not what is meant. They are as the sands of the seashore in the sense that they are not numberable by man, just as the grains of sand on a beach cannot be numbered by man. The number is indefinite. To prove that the number is not literally the same as the sands on a seashore, reference is made to the figure 144,000. God said to Abraham: “I shall surely multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens and like the grains of sand that are on the seashore.” This promised seed is shown to be Christ and those who will be heirs of the heavenly kingdom with him: “If you belong to Christ, you are really Abraham’s seed, heirs with reference to a promise.” The heavenly kingdom heirs with Christ are shown to be 144,000 in number: “And I saw, and look! the Lamb standing upon the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand having his name . . . the hundred and forty-four thousand, who have been purchased from the earth.” So here is a Bible example where a number referred to as being “like the grains of sand that are on the seashore” is not many millions or billions, but only 144,000.—Gen. 22:17; Gal. 3:16, 29; Rev. 14:1, 3, NW.

The number is not literally the same as the number of grains of sand on the seashore, but is the same in the sense that both are indefinite, unnumbered by man. The number of rebels at the end of the thousand-year reign are as the sand of the seashore in indefiniteness. It does not mean millions will side with Satan then. The number might be limited to thousands, and to prove this we are reminded that in another case the Bible used the expression “the number of whom is as the sand of the sea” when only thousands were involved, 144,000 in that case. So in this case of Revelation 20:8 about the rebels at the end of the thousand years, they are to be as the sand of the sea, and yet might very well be limited to thousands in number.