Strongim Hand Bilong Iufala
“Strongim hand bilong iufala, iufala wea herem distaem olketa toktok wea kamaot from mouth bilong olketa profet.”—ZECHARIAH 8:9.
1, 2. Why nao iumi shud interest long buk bilong Haggai and Zechariah?
HAGGAI and Zechariah raetem olketa profesi klosap 2,500 year go finis. Nomata olsem, olketa profesi hia barava important for laef bilong iu distaem. Buk bilong Haggai and Zechariah hem no just story bilong bifor nomoa. Olketa part long “evri samting [wea] olketa raetem bifor . . . for teachim iumi.” (Romans 15:4) Taem iumi readim tufala buk hia hem mekem iumi tingim olketa samting wea happen from taem Kingdom start for rul long heven long 1914.
2 Taem Paul story abaotem pipol bilong God bifor, hem sei: “Olketa samting hia wea happen long olketa hem olsem example, and olketa raetem olsem warning for iumi wea stap long taem bilong end bilong disfala world.” (1 Corinthians 10:11) So diswan maet mekem iu ting, ‘Wanem important samting nao iumi savve lanem distaem from buk bilong Haggai and Zechariah?’
3. Wanem nao main samting wea Haggai and Zechariah mekhae long hem?
3 Long first article iumi lanem hao Haggai and Zechariah talem profesi long olketa Jew wea kamap free from Babylon and kam bak long land wea God givim for olketa. Main samting wea tufala profet hia mekhae long hem, hem nao wei for buildim bak temple. Olketa Jew finis for wakem faondeson bilong temple long 536 B.C.E. Long datfala taem, samfala olo Jew ting bak long olketa samting wea happen bifor. Nomata olsem, klosap evriwan “singaot big from olketa hapi.” Bat, distaem wanfala important and barava spesol samting hem happen wea winim datwan. Wanem nao datwan?—Ezra 3:3-13.
4. No longtaem bihaen World War I, wanem nao happen?
4 No longtaem bihaen World War I, olketa anointed wan bilong Jehovah kamap free from Bigfala Babylon. Datwan hem wanfala main samting wea showimaot hao Jehovah sapotim olketa. Bifor datfala taem, luk olsem olketa bigman bilong religion and politik stopem evribit waka bilong olketa Bible Student for preach and teach long pablik. (Ezra 4:8, 13, 21-24) Bat, Jehovah aotem evri samting wea savve stopem pipol bilong hem for duim waka for preach and mekem pipol kamap disaepol. Start kam long 1919 kam kasem distaem, Kingdom waka hem barava muv ahed and no eni samting fit for stopem.
5, 6. Zechariah 4:7 hem point go long wanem nambawan samting?
5 Olketa servant bilong Jehovah wea obey for duim preaching and teaching waka long taem bilong iumi feel sure olketa bae gohed for kasem sapot bilong Jehovah. Long Zechariah 4:7 hem sei: “Hem bae tekem kam datfala hedston. Pipol bae singaot long hem and sei: ‘Hem naes tumas! Hem naes tumas!’” Wanem nambawan samting wea happen long taem bilong iumi nao disfala toktok hem point go long hem?
6 Long Zechariah 4:7, hem point go long taem wea tru worship bilong Sovereign Lord bae kamap perfect long datfala courtyard bilong spiritual temple bilong hem. Datfala courtyard hem stap long earth. Datfala spiritual temple hem arrangement bilong Jehovah wea olketa man savve kam front long hem for worshipim hem thru long sakrifaes bilong Christ Jesus, wea datwan nao kavarem sin bilong iumi. Disfala nambawan spiritual temple hem kamap long taem bilong olketa aposol. Bat, tru worship insaed long datfala courtyard wea stap long earth, bae kamap perfect long future. Distaem plande million pipol nao servem God insaed datfala spiritual courtyard wea stap long earth. Olketa hia and staka wea bae resurrect bae kamap perfect insaed long Wan Thousand Year Rul bilong Jesus Christ. Long end bilong datfala thousand year, olketa tru worshiper bilong God nomoa bae stap long disfala earth wea kamap klin.
7. Wanem waka nao Jesus duim for mekem tru worship for kamap perfect long taem bilong iumi, and why nao datwan encouragem iumi?
7 Governor Zerubbabel and Hae Priest Joshua stap taem olketa finis for wakem temple long 515 B.C.E. Long Zechariah 6:12, 13, hem showimaot hao Jesus duim semkaen waka olsem tufala. Hem nao bae mekem tru worship kamap perfect moa. Scripture hem sei: “Diswan nao samting wea Jehovah, komanda bilong olketa army hem talem: ‘Diswan nao man wea nem bilong hem Young Shoot. And from ples wea hem stap bae hem grow kamaot, and for sure hem bae buildim temple bilong Jehovah. And . . . hem bae garem honor; and hem mas sidaon and rul long throne bilong hem, and hem mas kamap priest long throne bilong hem.’” Jesus wea stap long heven hem nao datfala young shoot wea grow kamaot from laen bilong king David. From hem nao sapotim Kingdom waka long spiritual temple, waswe, iu tingse eniwan bae fit for stopem diswan? Barava nomoa nao! So, diswan barava encouragem iumi for muv ahed long ministry, and no letem olketa wari bilong evriday living for pullim iumi go difren.
Olketa Important Samting
8. Why nao datfala waka long spiritual temple hem mas first samting long laef bilong iumi?
8 For kasem sapot and blessing bilong Jehovah, iumi mas gohed for mekem waka bilong spiritual temple kamap first samting long laef bilong iumi. Iumi mas no olsem olketa Jew wea sei, “Hem no kasem taem yet,” bat iumi mas remember iumi stap insaed “olketa last day” distaem. (Haggai 1:2; 2 Timothy 3:1) Jesus talem finis hao olketa faithful follower bilong hem bae preachim gud nius bilong Kingdom and mekem pipol for kamap disaepol. Iumi mas careful for no ting smol long disfala spesol privilege bilong iumi for preachim gud nius. Nomata olketa long world stopem disfala waka for preach and teach for lelebet taem, bihaen 1919 hem start bak moa. Waka hia hem no finis yet. Tru nao, no eniwan savve stopem datwan!
9, 10. Wanem nao man mas duim for kasem blessing from Jehovah, and wanem nao datwan minim for iumi?
9 Taem iumi gohed for waka hard, Jehovah bae blessim iumi wanwan, and tu full section bilong olketa brata. Tingim promis bilong Jehovah wea savve strongim wei wea iumi trustim hem. Taem olketa Jew start for worshipim Jehovah witim full soul and gohed for wakem moa datfala faondeson bilong temple, Jehovah hem sei: “Start long distaem mi bae givim blessing.” (Haggai 2:19) Olketa kasem bak wei wea Jehovah hapi long olketa. So tingim olketa blessing wea God promisim taem hem sei: “Bikos seed bilong peace stap; grape tree bae givim frut bilong hem, and earth bae givim kaikai, and heven bae givim dew; and mi bae mekem pipol hia wea stap yet for kasem evri samting hia.”—Zechariah 8:9-13.
10 Long sem wei wea Jehovah promis for givim olketa spiritual and material blessing long olketa Jew, hem bae blessim iumi tu taem iumi hapi and waka hard for duim samting wea hem markem iumi for duim. Samfala long olketa blessing hia nao hem wei wea iumi olketa brata garem peace, stap sef long spiritual wei, garem gud living, and grow long spiritual wei. Iumi savve God bae gohed blessim iumi, only sapos iumi gohed for duim waka long datfala spiritual temple followim wei wea Jehovah laekem.
11. Hao nao iumi savve lukluk gud long iumiseleva?
11 Distaem nao hem taem for iumi ‘lukluk gud long olketa wei bilong iumi.’ (Haggai 1:5, 7) Iumi shud markem taem for ting raonem wanem nao important long laef bilong iumi. Blessing wea iumi kasem from Jehovah distaem hem depend long haomas samting iumi duim for mekhae long nem bilong hem, and tu, wei wea iumi muv ahed for duim waka long spiritual temple bilong hem. Maet iu askem iuseleva olsem: ‘Waswe, samting wea mi ting long hem olsem important hem change? Waswe, strong bilong mi for servem Jehovah hem semsem yet olsem taem wea mi baptaes? Waswe, wei for laek garem gud living mekem mi no ting long Jehovah and Kingdom olsem samting wea moa important? Waswe, wei wea mi warim tingting bilong narawan abaotem mi, hem mekem mi hol bak lelebet for givim glory long Jehovah?’—Revelation 2:2-4.
12. Haggai 1:6, 9 showimaot wanem samting abaotem olketa Jew?
12 Iumi no laekem Jehovah for stop for givim nambawan blessing long iumi. Bat diswan savve happen sapos iumi ting smol long disfala waka for mekhae long nem bilong hem. Tingim hao firstaem olketa Jew strong for buildim bak temple, bat Haggai 1:9 hem sei: ‘Iufala aftarem nomoa samting for haos bilong iufala seleva.’ Olketa busy nomoa for tingim need bilong olketa seleva. From datwan, ‘olketa nating kasem plande samting,’ olketa no garem inaf gudfala kaikai and drink, and no garem wool kaleko. (Haggai 1:6) Jehovah stop for givim blessing. Waswe, iumi savve lanem eni samting from diswan?
13, 14. Hao nao iumi savve followim wanem Haggai 1:6, 9 talem, and why nao diswan hem important?
13 Waswe, iu agree hao sapos iumi laek for gohed kasem blessing bilong Jehovah, iumi mas no busy for aftarem olketa samting for iumiseleva wea savve mekem iumi no garem taem for worshipim Jehovah? Diswan maet minim wei for aftarem selen, duim samting for kamap rich kwiktaem, kasem bigfala waka from hae education, or duim olketa samting for satisfaem feeling bilong man seleva.
14 Olketa samting hia no rong. Bat sapos iu tingim laef olowe, waswe, iu luksavve hao olketa samting hia hem “waka wea iusles” nomoa? (Hebrews 9:14) Why nao Bible talem datwan? Bikos long spiritual wei olketa waka hia barava iusles. Sapos man busy for aftarem olketa iusles waka olsem, diswan savve mekem hem dae long spiritual wei. Diswan happen long samfala anointed Christian long taem bilong olketa aposol. (Philippians 3:17-19) Hem happen distaem tu. Maet iu savve long samfala wea letem world pullim tingting bilong olketa from olketa Christian waka and kongregeson, and wea distaem no laek for kam bak for servem Jehovah. Iumi barava hope olketa hia bae kam bak long Jehovah, bat for tok stret, maet Jehovah no blessim man wea aftarem olketa “waka wea iusles.” Datfala samting wea savve isisi happen, hem wanfala sorre samting. Man bae lusim hapi and peace wea savve kamap from spirit bilong God. And tingim hao man bae lusim tu wei for kaban witim olketa Christian brata and sista!—Galatians 1:6; 5:7, 13, 22-24.
15. Hao nao Haggai 2:14 showimaot wei wea worship bilong iumi hem important?
15 Diswan hem barava serious samting. Lukim wei wea Haggai 2:14 storyim tingting bilong Jehovah abaotem olketa Jew wea stop for wakem haos bilong hem, and gohed for mekem naes haos bilong olketa seleva, maet long tokpiksa wei or long really wei. Hem sei: “Diswan nao toktok bilong Jehovah: ‘Datwan nao wei bilong pipol hia, and datwan nao wei bilong disfala nation front long mi, and datwan nao evri waka wea hand bilong olketa duim, and eni samting wea olketa givim long there. Hem no klin.’” Taem olketa no duim waka bilong olketa saed long tru worship, Jehovah no willing for acceptim eni sakrifaes wea olketa Jew givim long datfala altar long Jerusalem.—Ezra 3:3.
God Promis for Givim Sapot
16. Olketa vision bilong Zechariah helpem olketa Jew for feel sure abaotem wanem?
16 Eitfala vision wea Zechariah lukim mekem olketa Jew wea obey and buildim bak temple barava feel sure God bae sapotim waka bilong olketa. Firstfala vision showimaot hao sapos olketa Jew obey for duim datfala waka, Jehovah bae mek sure waka hia bae finis, and tu, olketa long Jerusalem and Judah bae stap gud. (Zechariah 1:8-17) Mek-tu vision showimaot hao Jehovah bae finisim eni gavman wea againstim tru worship. (Zechariah 1:18-21) Olketa nara vision showimaot hao God bae protectim olketa Jew taem olketa wakem temple, and hao pipol from plande difren nation bae kam worship long haos bilong Jehovah. Olketa story abaotem tru peace and sef living, and abaotem wei wea olketa bigfala problem saed long waka hia bae finis. Olketa showimaot tu hao wicked pipol bae finis, and hao olketa angel bae helpem and protectim olketa Jew for duim disfala waka. (Zechariah 2:5, 11; 3:10; 4:7; 5:6-11; 6:1-8) Dastawe, taem God promis for sapotim olketa, olketa wea obey changem living bilong olketa and busy for buildim bak temple, bikos datwan nao waka wea God mekem olketa kamap free from Babylon for duim.
17. From Jehovah promisim iumi finis, wanem nao iumi shud askem iumiseleva?
17 Long sem wei tu, wei wea Jehovah promis for mekem tru worship kamap perfect, hem shud muvim iumi for duim waka bilong iumi and for tinghae long haos bilong Jehovah for worship. Askem iuseleva: ‘Sapos mi barava bilivim hao distaem nao hem taem for duim waka for preach abaotem gud nius bilong Kingdom and mekem pipol kamap disaepol, waswe, olketa goal and living bilong mi hem showimaot datwan? Waswe, mi iusim inaf taem for studyim Word bilong God wea garem olketa profesi? Waswe, mi tinghevi long diswan and story abaotem long olketa brata and sista and long pipol wea mi meetim long ministry?
18. Zechariah chapter 14 showimaot wanem nao bae happen long future?
18 Zechariah storyim wei wea Bigfala Babylon bae distroe, and then datfala war bilong Armageddon bae kamap. Hem sei olsem: “And hem mas kamap wanfala day wea pipol savve hem day bilong Jehovah. Bae hem no daylaet and bae hem no naet; and long evening hem bae kamap laet.” Tru nao, long tokpiksa wei day bilong Jehovah bae barava dark and cold for olketa enemy bilong hem long earth! Bat bae olketa faithful worshiper bilong hem gohed for garem laet and blessing bilong Jehovah. Zechariah hem storyim tu hao evri samting long niu world bae talemaot holy fasin bilong Jehovah. Long datfala taem, evriwan wea stap long earth bae followim tru worship long datfala nambawan spiritual temple bilong God. (Zechariah 14:7, 16-19) Datwan hem wanfala nambawan promis! Iumi bae lukim hao olketa profesi fulfill and wei wea sovereign rul bilong Jehovah bae showaot klia. Hem bae wanfala spesol day bilong Jehovah!
Olketa Blessing wea Bae Stap for Olowe
19, 20. Hao nao Zechariah 14:8, 9 hem encouragem iu?
19 Bihaen Jehovah duim datfala barava nambawan samting, Satan and olketa demon bilong hem bae no savve duim eni samting, from olketa bae stap insaed wanfala deep hol. (Revelation 20:1-3, 7) Then olketa man bae kasem olketa blessing insaed datfala Wan Thousand Year Rul bilong Christ. Zechariah 14:8, 9 hem sei: “Long datfala day olketa wata wea laef bae go aot from Jerusalem, haf go long east sea and haf go long west sea. Long hot season and long cold season hem bae happen. And Jehovah mas kamap king ovarem full earth. Long datfala day hem bae showaot klia hao Jehovah hem wanfala nomoa, and nem bilong hem wanfala.”
20 Olketa blessing bilong Jehovah for helpem olketa man kasem laef hem olsem ‘wata wea laef’ or “river bilong wata bilong laef,” wea bae gohed for ran olowe from datfala Messiah Kingdom. (Revelation 22:1, 2) Wanfala big crowd wea worshipim Jehovah, wea no dae long Armageddon, bae kasem gud samting bikos olketa kamap free from wei for dae wea kam from Adam. Olketa wea dae finis tu bae kasem gud samting from olketa bae laef bak. Diswan bae startim wanfala niu wei wea Jehovah hem rulim full earth. Evri man bae luksavve hao hem nao datfala Sovereign bilong Universe, and hem nomoa iumi fit for worshipim.
21. Wanem nao iumi shud disaed strong for duim?
21 Evri samting wea Haggai and Zechariah talem and evri samting wea fulfill finis, mekem iumi garem barava gudfala reason for muv ahed for duim waka bilong God insaed courtyard long earth wea part long datfala spiritual temple. Go kasem taem wea tru worship hem kamap perfect, iumi evriwan mas trae hard for mekem olketa samting saed long Kingdom kamap first samting insaed laef bilong iumi. Zechariah 8:9 encouragem iumi olsem: “Strongim hand bilong iufala, iufala wea herem distaem olketa toktok wea kamaot from mouth bilong olketa profet.”
Waswe, Iu Remember?
• Taem iumi markem olketa profesi bilong buk bilong Haggai and Zechariah witim taem bilong iumi, wanem nao samfala samting wea semsem?
• Haggai and Zechariah teachim iumi wanem nao important long laef bilong iumi?
• Taem iumi ting raonem buk bilong Haggai and Zechariah, why nao diswan mekem iumi garem hope for future?
[Piksa long page 9]
Haggai and Zechariah encouragem olketa Jew for waka witim full soul and for kasem blessing
[Piksa long page 10]
Waswe, iu ‘aftarem nomoa samting for haos bilong iuseleva’?
[Piksa long page 11]
Jehovah promis for givim blessing, and tru nao hem givim finis