Continue to Waka for “the Holy Road”

1-2. Which important decision Israel people wey dey Babylon that time get to make? (Ezra 1:2-4)

AFTER the new king start to rule, e make one special announcement. Israel people wey don dey Babylon as slave for 70 years, don free now and them fit go back to their country wey be the land of Israel. (Read Ezra 1:2-4.) Na only Jehovah fit make this kind thing happen. Why we talk like that? Na because Babylon people no de release people wey them catch as slave. (Isa. 14:4, 17) But another country don take over Babylon, so the new king tell Israel people say them fit go back to their country. Because of this one, all Israel people, especially family head, get serious decision to make: whether them go go back to the land of Israel or stay for Babylon. This decision fit no easy for them. Why we talk like that?

² Many of them don old, so this one make them no fit go back. Another thing be say, since na for Babylon they born plenty of the people, them never stay for another place before. So to them, the land of Israel na their papa-papa land no be their own. Some Israel people for Babylon don do business and get plenty money, this one fit don make-am hard for them to leave their fine-fine house or business and go de stay where them never go before.

3. Which blessing Israel people go get if them go back to their land?

³ For Israel people wey love Jehovah, the thing wey them go gain if them return to Israel big pass anything wey them go leave for Babylon. The blessing wey big pass for them na their worship to Jehovah. Even though say e pass 50 temple wey Babylon people de use worship their gods, Israel people no get any temple wey them de use worship Jehovah for there. Them no still get altar wey them fit use do sacrifice as the law wey Jehovah give Moses talk. And priests no dey to help them do sacrifice. Another thing be say, the people wey de worship lie-lie gods plenty well-well pass the people wey love Jehovah and want follow E law. So Israel people wey love Jehovah de wait for the time wey them go go back to Israel to start to worship Jehovah well again.

4. Wetin Jehovah promise to do for Israel people wey de go back to their land?

⁴ To travel from Babylon to the land of Israel go take about four months, this one no be easy journey! But Jehovah promise them say e go remove anything wey fit make them no fit go back to their land. Isaiah talk say: “Prepare Jehovah road! Make road for our God, road wey straight wey pass inside desert. . . . The rough ground must level, and make ground wey no good become smooth ground.” (Isa. 40:3, 4) Just think how the road go be: straight flat road for desert and wey dey between different-different mountain. The people wey de travel for the road go really happy because e go easy for them to waka for the road. E go easy pass for them to waka for flat road wey straight than to de climb mountain and waka come down enter valley as them de travel. The straight road go still make them quick reach where them de go.

5. Wetin be the name of the road wey prophet Isaiah talk about?

⁵ Today plenty road dey and them get name or number wey go help people know them. Na so e still be with the road wey prophet Isaiah write about, that road get name. E talk say: “And road go dey there, Yes, na road wey them de call the Holy Road. People wey no clean no go pass that road.” (Isa. 35:8) Wetin this promise mean for Israel people that time? And wetin e mean for us today?

“THE HOLY ROAD” —THAT TIME AND FOR OUR TIME

6. Why them call that road “the Holy Road”?

⁶ “The Holy Road,” this one na really better name! Why them call-am “the Holy Road”? Na because them no go allow “people wey no clean” dey the land of Israel. This one mean say they no go allow any Israel person wey continue to put hand for sex wey no clean for God eye, de worship juju, or other serious sin for the land of Israel. As Israel people de go back to their land, them go become “holy people” to Jehovah. (Deut. 7:6) But this one no mean say Israel people wey comot from Babylon no go need to change some things for their life to make Jehovah happy.

7. Wetin some Israel people need to change? Give example.

⁷ As we don talk before, na for Babylon them born plenty of Israel people wey dey Babylon. Because of this one, na the way Babylon people de think and do things this Israel people sabi. After 69 years wey Israel people comot from Babylon, Ezra hear say some Israel people de marry women wey no de worship Jehovah. (Ex. 34:15, 16; Ezra 9:1, 2) After sometime, e surprise Nehemiah to see say some children wey them born for Israel, no de understand Hebrew language wey be the language of Israel people. (Deut. 6:6, 7; Neh. 13:23, 24) So how this children go take learn how to love and worship Jehovah if they no de understand Hebrew language wey be the main language wey them use write God Word? (Ezra 10:3, 44) This Israel people get plenty things wey them go need to change for their life. But e go dey easy for them to change this things for Israel as them start to worship God for the correct way small-small.—Neh. 8:8, 9.

8. Why the things wey happen for the time of Israel people suppose concern us today? (Check picture for front cover.)

⁸ Some people today fit talk say, ‘Israel people really need to change some things for their life.’ But them fit still ask say, ‘Wetin happen to Israel people that time get any meaning for us today?’ Yes, e get meaning for us today because we self de waka for “the Holy Road.” Whether we be anointed or “other sheep,” all of us need to continue to waka for that road. This one go help us continue to worship Jehovah go reach when God Kingdom go bring paradise for this earth.b (John 10:16) Since 1919, plenty people; men, women, and children don free from Babylon the Great wey be all lie-lie religion for the whole world and don start to waka for “the Holy Road.” And e fit be say you don de waka for that road. Na true say people start to waka for “the Holy Road” around 100 years ago, but people don de prepare the road plenty years before 1919.

HOW THEM TAKE PREPARE THE ROAD?

9. As e dey for Isaiah 57:14, how them take prepare “the Holy Road”?

⁹ Jehovah make sure say e remove anything wey fit block road for Israel people wey de comot from Babylon. (Read Isaiah 57:14.) What about “the Holy Road” for this our time? Plenty years before 1919, Jehovah use people wey love-am prepare the road wey people go pass comot from lie-lie religion. (Compare Isaiah 40:3.) The work wey them do help people wey want worship Jehovah fit comot from lie-lie religion and start to worship Jehovah with e people. Wetin them do? Make we talk about-am.

10-11. As them start to translate and print Bible, how e help people understand wetin Bible really teach? (Still check the picture.)

¹⁰ Them start to print Bible. Before the year 1450, na hand them de use copy Bible. Because e de take time to copy, Bible no plenty, and the one wey dey cost well-well. When them start to use printing machine de print, e make-am easy to print plenty Bible and this one make Bible reach plenty people hand.

¹¹ Them translate Bible. For plenty years, na Latin be the main language wey them use translate Bible, and na only people wey go school well-well de understand-am. As time de go, plenty people start to use printing machine. This one make people wey love God do their best to translate Bible to different-different language wey plenty people de understand. So people go fit read Bible and see if wetin them de learn from church na wetin Bible really teach.

12-13. Give example of how some men wey study Bible well around 1835 show people the lie wey people de teach for church.

¹² Them produce books wey help people understand Bible. Some people wey take time study Bible gain plenty things from wetin them read from Bible. When them learn new things, them go still teach other people and this one no make teachers for lie-lie religion happy. For example, from around 1835, men wey love God start to write tracts wey them use show people the plenty lie wey their teachers for church de teach them.

¹³ Na around that year, one man wey fear God wey e name na Henry Grew write one tract wey e use explain wetin de happen to person wey die. E use the tract show wetin Bible teach about people wey don die, say no be everybody get life wey no de ever die as people de teach for church. But, na only people wey God give, go fit get-am. For 1837, one man wey e name na George Storrs wey de teach for one church, see the tract for inside train when e de travel. When e read-am, e believe say e don see one important truth wey Bible teach. This one make-am decide to teach people about wetin e don learn. For 1842, e give talk wey the title na, “An Inquiry—Are the Wicked Immortal?” plenty times. One person wey really gain from the books wey George Storrs write na Charles Taze Russell.

14. How Brother Russell and e friends gain from the things wey other people don do before their time? (Still check the picture.)

¹⁴ Brother Russell and e friends study Bible together. So how them gain from the things wey other people wey study Bible before their time do? To fit understand wetin them de study for Bible, them use some big-big books wey people don write about Bible and compare-am with different-different Bible translation. Them still gain from the books wey Henry Grew, George Storrs, and some other people write. Brother Russell and e friends do their part to prepare “the Holy Road” as them produce plenty book wey explain wetin Bible talk.

15. Wetin happen for 1919?

¹⁵ For 1919, God people free from the hand of Babylon the Great. Na that year Jesus choose “faithful and discreet slave” and them start to work at once so that people wey want worship Jehovah for the correct way, go start to waka for “the Holy Road.” (Matt. 24:45-47) Wetin other people don do to prepare “the Holy Road,” help people wey de travel for that road to learn more about Jehovah and wetin e get for mind to do. (Prov. 4:18) E still help them fit live their life the way Jehovah want. Jehovah no expect say make e people change everything for their life one time. Instead, na small-small e de correct e people. (Check the box “Jehovah De Correct E People Small-small.”) We go really happy to see the time wey we go fit make Jehovah happy for everything wey we de do!—Col. 1:10.

“THE HOLY ROAD” STILL DEY

16. Since 1919, wetin faithful and discreet slave don do so that we go fit continue to waka for “the Holy Road”? (Isaiah 48:17; 60:17)

¹⁶ For road to continue to dey good, them need to de maintain-am. Since 1919, God don make sure say faithful and discreet slave continue to maintain “the Holy Road” so that e go help more people comot from lie-lie religion. When Jesus choose the faithful and discreet slave for 1919, them start to work at once! And for 1921, them produce one book wey Jehovah people start to use study Bible with people wey want learn Bible. The name of the book na The Harp of God, e nearly reach six million copy wey them share give people, for 36 different-different language and plenty people learn the truth from the book. But now we get one fine book wey we de use teach people Bible. The name of the book na Enjoy Life Now and Forever! Since the last days start, Jehovah don de use e organization teach us wetin E want make we do so that we go fit continue to waka for “the Holy Road.”—Read Isaiah 48:17; 60:17.

17-18. Where we go reach as we de waka for “the Holy Road”?

¹⁷ We fit talk say when somebody start to study Bible with us, e don start to waka for “the Holy Road.” Some people no de tey for the road before them comot from the road. But other people don make up their mind to continue to waka for that road until them reach where them de go. But where them de go?

¹⁸ People wey be anointed go waka for “the Holy Road” reach “the paradise of God” for heaven. (Rev. 2:7) And for people wey get the hope to live forever for this earth, them go pass this holy road to get perfect life for the end of the 1,000 years. If you don de waka for that road, make you no de think about the things wey you don leave to fit start to de waka for the road. And no comot for the road until you reach where you de go whether na God Kingdom for heaven or for this earth! As you de waka for “the Holy Road,” make you “travel well!”