Truth Magazine

By Patrick Andrews

If you have seen any recent Jehovah’s Witness literature, then you know that they are big on smiles. All the tracts and books they have given me (recently), are filled with drawings of people who could pass for reincarnated opossums.

Of course you must realize that the point that they are trying to force on the unlearned and the unexpected is this, “you can live forever in paradise on earth, ” which, by the way, is the title of a book published by the Watchtower Society for the Jehovah’s Witnesses. On pages 12 and 13 of the above mentioned book is a drawing depicting the Watchtower Society’s idea of how the earth and its inhabitants will look throughout eternity. Everyone in the picture is smiling, regardless of what they are doing. I believe if they were any happier they would bust. To me it looks as if a tank car full of Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) derailed nearby. There is a lion on page 13; I believe it is smiling.

This happiness that everyone is enjoying (including the animals), is part of the Jehovah’s Witness “New Earth” (i.e., this planet, after it has been renovated by those who survive Armageddon, Ibid., p. 159). One of the passages they use to create this wonderland is Isaiah 11:6-9. There are other passages that they have been programmed to use to defend this error, but we will stick with this one for the most part.

A rule I learned somewhere that has remained with me, lo these many years is this, “You must take anything you hear or read literally, unless the context forbids it.” I was comforted by my knowledge of figurative language as a child when an older brother would threaten to “beat my brains out” or “slap me into the next county.” The laws of the land, the laws of my parents, and the laws of grammar forced me to interpret their show of force figuratively. I was forbidden to take their threats literally. Children have always understood such elementary grammatical rules. Let’s look at the passage that has been thrust upon us by our Witness friends and see if we are to take it literally or if we are forced to interpret the passage figuratively.

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the failing together; and a little child shall lead them.

And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like an ox.

And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put this hand on the cockatrice’s den (Isa. 11:6-9).

If we interpret this passage of Scripture literally, we find that: a little child, a sucking child, and a weaned child will dwell on “The New Earth,” with certain tasks to perform with respect to the animal life, either leading the larger animals around, or simply playing on snake holes.

If I was a robot of the Watchtower Society, I would be in a panic. I would be worried about my children and their proper place in this “New Earth.” You see, my timing is all wrong. According to the Watchtower’s latest pep-rallies, the end of this present order of things is about to come. That leaves me with a son that will be forced to play on a snake hole from now on. My daughters will be expected to smile like opossums all the live-long-day, and lead the calves and bears around. These are jobs where there are no promotions; the young will remain young forever (Ibid., p. 11). Can you imagine going through eternity as an infant playing on a snake hole? Do you see how much trouble you get into when your older brother fails to instill in you the difference in literal and figurative language?

There is another passage that the Witnesses turn to as a proof text for their “New Earth,” Isaiah 65:17-25. Please notice verse 20.

There will be no more an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his day: for the child shall die an hundred years old, but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed (emphasis mine, p.a.).

I think if someone in the Watchtower Society would tell the children that they are only allowed 100 years to “punch the little doggies” and then they would die, I bet the children wouldn’t feel like smiling.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, p. 329
June 2, 1988

By Ron Halbrook

The Bible claims to be the holy and sacred Word of God, “given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). That means we have heaven’s message on earth “in the words which . . . the Holy Ghost teacheth” (1 Cor. 2:13). The idols of ancient nations (Babylon, Greece, Rome, etc.) supposedly gave sacred messages, as do heathen religions in the modern world. The Hindu offers his Vedas and the Moslem his Koran. Masonry claims to distill “secrets” and “mysteries” from, many ancient religions, can put the sacred books of any religions on “our holy altar,” and pretend to make all good men “better.”

Divine messages are alleged by astrologers, fortune tellers, and prognosticators such as Nostradamus, Jeane Dixon, and Edgar Cayce. Joseph Smith’s Book ofMormon and Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health pose as revelations. The words of the Pope, the creed books of Protestant denominations, the cries of charismatics, and the pronouncements of sectarian boards (Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, etc.) all avow the inspiration or illumination of the Spirit of God.

The following evidences of divine inspiration are found in the Bible and in the Bible alone. That is why the Bible urges us to reject any and all other claims of a word from God, and to expose them as fraudulent and false (Rev. 2:2; 22:1819).

Evidence For Inspired Bible	All Other Claims Fall
Fulfilled Prophecy. Every prophecy matches its fulfillment perfectly. Over 300 refer to Jesus Christ (Isa. 53; Mic. 5:2)	Failed Prophecy. No other book in all history can match the Bible record. Guesses result in hit-&-miss pattern. Jehovah’s Witnesses predicted 1914, 1925, etc. as the end.
Resurrection of Jesus. This proved him “to be the Son of God with power.” All power and authority to reveal and command is his (Rom. 1:4; Matt. 28:18).	None Raised. None of the leaders listed above can offer such powerful proof. God gave them no authority to reveal or command.
Unity in Message. 66 books by 40 men in 1,500 years all fit together with perfect unity in purpose and message. Jesus Christ as God’s Son and man’s Savior is the one story (Jn. 20:30-31).	Disunity. No similar collection of religious literature reflects the unity and harmony of the Bible. Denominational creeds contradict each other. The Koran is full of contradictions.
Genuine Miracles. The miracles of the prophets, Christ, and his apostles could not be denied even by their enemies. These miracles confirmed the word as revelation (Acts 4:16; Mk. 16:20; Jn. 3:2).	Fake Miracles. No other claim to divine inspiration has ever been confirmed by true miracles. False claims to speak in tongues or heal are a dime a dozen (Oral Roberts’ 900 ft. Jesus says to send money!).
Text Preserved. No other book has faced as many efforts by its enemies to eliminate its existence. Yet the Bible text is the most accurately preserved of all ancient literature. God protects it (Isa. 40:8; 1 Pet. 1:25).	Texts in Doubt. Pali texts written 300-500 years after Buddha lived (500 B.C.); earliest copies date A.D. 900. 3,911 changes were made in the 2nd edition of The Book of Mormon.
Many Other Evidences. The Bible record is consistent with all proven facts of history, geography, science, and archaeology.	Many Other Fallacies. The Book of Mormon contradicts facts of history, geography, science and archaeology. It claims to have been written in Reformed Egyptian; no such language existed.
Infallible, Inerrant. The Bible equips man fully unto salvation and service for God. It teaches error of no kind but reflects the perfect character of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17).	Full of Error. All other claims of divine inspiration, revelation and illumination reflect the fallible character of their authors.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, p. 331
June 2, 1988

By Jerry Merten

Are the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 binding upon us? Is it necessary to follow those instructions when a local church collects funds for its authorized work? Some brethren say no and some go so far as to say that those instructions were not even binding upon the Corinthians. They claim that Paul was not commanding the Corinthians to give on the first day of the week to help the needy saints in Jerusalem, because 2 Corinthians 8:8 says that he was not speaking by commandment. Since they conclude that the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 were not binding upon the Corinthians, they argue that those instructions can not be binding upon us. I would like to offer some thoughts for your consideration on this matter.

First Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 was indeed a “command” to the Corinthians. The words “I have given order to” (KJ) are a translation of the Greek word diatasso. According to Young’s Analytical Concordance, it is used a total of 16 times and translated in the KJ as follows:

a. appoint (4) – Luke 3:13; Acts 7:44; 20:13; Tit. 1:5.

b. command (7) – Matt. 11:1; Luke 8:55; 17:9, 10; Acts 18:2; 23:31; 24:23.

c. give order (1) – 1 Cor. 16:1.

d. ordain (3) – 1 Cor. 7:17; 9:14; Gal. 3:19.

e. set in order (1) – 1 Cor. 11:34.

On page 142 Thayer says that diatasso means “.. . to arrange, appoint, ordain, prescribe, give order.” Its meaning is given by Arndt and Gingrich on page 188 as “. . . order, direct, command.” Vine’s definition (p. 450), reads “to appoint, arrange, charge, give orders to.”

These passages and definitions show that the word diatasso has the force of a command. When used it shows that something is being required. This is especially the case in 1 Corinthians 16:1, because after saying “I have given order to” (diatasso), Paul also tells the Corinthians “so do ye.” Paul, having fill the authority of an apostle, was ordering what was to be done and expected those orders to be followed. Nothing in the context shows that the Corinthians could choose not to follow Paul’s orders and maintain divine approval.

The fact that in the second letter Paul chose to “speak not by commandment” (2 Cor. 8:8) does not mean he did not speak by commandment in the first letter. Nor does it mean that they had a choice in the matter. It just meant that in the second letter Paul chose to appeal to their sense of love.

For example, in Philemon 8 Paul told Philemon that he could have commanded him what was fitting, instead he chose to appeal to him. Did the fact that Paul chose not to command Philemon mean that Philemon actually had a choice? Did it mean that it was not a requirement? Absolutely not! In reality Philemon had no choice at all. Paul expected Philemon to do what he asked. It was Philemon’s responsibility. Paul just chose, for expediency sake, to appeal to him rather than to command him. Likewise in the 2 Corinthian letter Paul’s decision to appeal rather than to command did not mean that the Corinthians had a choice or that they were not responsible. It just meant that he decided to appeal to them rather than use his authority as an apostle to command them as he did in the first letter. Either way they had the same responsibility and were expected to do what he said.

Are the “orders” (commands) of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 or Paul’s appeal of 2 Corinthians 8 to us in the same sense as they were to the Corinthians? No, because the specific need is over. Those needy saints in Jerusalem are no longer around. Furthermore the instructions in 1 Corinthians 16 and 2 Corinthians 8 were specifically directed to the Corinthians. In fact Romans 15:25-28 seems to indicate that not all the churches were ordered to help the needy saints in Jerusalem. But while the instructions to the Corinthians are not to us in the same sense as they were to the Corinthians, they do set a pattern for us, just like Paul’s instructions in 2 Timothy 4:25 sets a pattern for evangelists today.

Paul’s instructions in 2 Timothy 4:2-5 were specifically to Timothy, evidently about circumstances that were to come in his day. Yet who would say that an evangelist today does not have to follow those instructions? Likewise, the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16 and 2 Corinthians 8 were specifically to the Corinthians about a circumstance in their day, but that does not mean that Christians today do not have to follow those instructions in similar circumstances. So, is the instruction of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 an “order” (command) to us? Yes, in the same way 2 Timothy 4:2-5 is a command to evangelists today.

In the past I have looked at the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 in a backwards way. I saw “giving” and emphasized it without considering the why. Paul’s instructions were based on the need that arose in Jerusalem and as an inspired apostle he told the Corinthians how to take care of that need. They were given no choice. Even if one would be correct in saying that the Corinthian church could decide whether to help the needy saints in Jerusalem, that would not nullify the fact that once they were so committed they had no choice as to “how” they were to go about it. Besides what plan could possibly be better than a plan given by an apostle through inspiration?

Likewise today it is not a just a matter of “giving.” It is “giving” because there are needs that a local church has a responsibility to take care of for which it must raise funds. But how is the local church to raise those funds? Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 give us the pattern we must follow. We have no more a choice as to the “how” than did the Corinthians or than an evangelist does in regards to the instructions of 2 Timothy 4:2-5. In the same way we use 2 Timothy 4:2-5 to show an evangelist must use patience in his preaching we must use 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 to show that when a local church collects funds it must do so on the first day of the week. Both Scriptures are profitable for training in righteousness.

Most agree that a church can take a collection on Sunday. We know this is right because of the teaching of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2. But how do we know that a local church can collect funds in any other way? Where do the Scriptures authorize by command, statement, example or inference a church to collect funds in any other way? If the Scriptures do not authorize any other way, then a local church can only accumulate funds by first day of the week collections.

Some argue that the reason why Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 told the Corinthians to collect the funds the way he did does not apply upon us. This is not so! Paul told the church at Corinth to collect funds upon the first day of the week so that the funds would be ready when he came. It is true that Paul is not coming to us today, but the principle of having the funds stored up so that they are ready for the time of distribution is just as needful today. It would be very inconvenient for the one handling the treasury to have to call the members together to collect funds every time he needed to write out a check.

We apply 2 Timothy 4:2-5 to show how to deal with the problem of people turning from the truth even though it was evidently originally written because people would turn from the truth in Timothy’s day. We do this because the principle of needing to keep others from turning from the truth is just as applicable today. In like manner we ought to apply the teaching of I Corinthians 16:1-2 even though Paul’s original purpose was to deal with circumstances in his day. The principle of needing the funds stored up for the time of distribution is just as necessary today, hence the principle still applies.

Some may wonder what the fuss is all about? It is about adding or taking away from the word of God (1 Cor. 4:6; Gal. 1:6-9). If by saying that the church can only collect funds on the first day of the week, I am adding a command where God has not I am wrong and condemned. But if by saying that we do not follow the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 today a person is taking away from the word of God, then he is wrong and condemned! I urge all to study thoroughly the question “Is giving on the first day of the week a command?” Please search for truth, for only truth will free us (John 8:31-32).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, pp. 332-333, 344
June 2, 1988

By Larry R. DeVore

In Hebrews 3:13 we find these words: “But exhort one another daily, while it is called today: lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” The word “deceitfulness” comes from the Greek word apate which is defined in Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, as “to cheat, deceive, beguile, that which gives a false impression, whether by appearance, statement, or influence” (p. 279).

The statement that “you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time; but you can’t fool all the people all of the time,” is supposedly attributed to Abraham Lincoln.

We need to add to that, you can never fool God at anytime! But people are often quite clever at fooling others, even members of the body of Christ. We must realize, that even though we would be successful in continuing in sin and keeping it hidden from the church, we cannot conceal anything from God. “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). Even if we could hide our sins for fifty years or more, one day we will have to answer to God. The things we have kept secret will be revealed (Rom. 2:16). The God of heaven will call every one of us to account (Rom. 14:12).

There is an aspect of the deceitfulness of sin we need to think about, and that is, that we are our own worst enemies. We deceive ourselves in sin. The first time we engage in a sin, it may deeply trouble us; it may worry and scare us. But let a person repeat that sin and continue in it time and time again and he will become hardened to it. Notice in our text, “Lest any of you be hardened.” In the same manner a man will become tired and sore the first time he uses a pick and shovel all day and perhaps get sore and blistered hands, but later on he becomes tough and hardened to that work, so it may be with the human heart.

The first time we go out drinking our conscience may trouble us, for we know it is wrong. The first time we do drugs and the first time we gamble, these will worry us. The first time a man or woman commits fornication or adultery will deeply trouble them; but let it continue, and they will fool themselves into thinking their “affair” is something “sweet and precious.” It is not; it is sin! The homosexual and the Lesbian have fooled themselves into thinking that God has made them the way they are. He has not! They have turned away from God’s laws. God has limited sex. He has limited it first of all, to the opposite sex (Rom. 1:26-28). God does not approve of homosexuality and lesbianism. He has condemned it in no uncertain terms. Then God has further limited sex to within the framework of marriage. “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication (immorality), let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2).

If a person continues in sin, any sin, he will become hardened by the very nature of sin, by its deceitfulness. Sin is pleasurable (Heb. 11:25b); continue in it and it will become normal and acceptable, and we will cease viewing it as sin, and think little or nothing at all of the evil of continuing to pursue sinful activities. We will deceive ourselves.

What is the remedy? The gospel of Christ, God’s power to save those who obey (Rom. 1:16; Heb. 5:8-9). What is needed? Repentance! Old fashioned godly repentance! A repentance preceded by godly sorrow for sin (2 Cor. 7: 10). Paul says this “godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. ” That is the only kind of repentance that is any good, that which will work to salvation.

The key to all this is, how much does a person want to go to heaven. If we really desire to do what is right (I John 3:7), then we will repent and extricate ourselves from whatever sin(s) are in our lives, and live according to the Word of God. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:17). There is no sin too grievous, too corrupt, too immoral, that our God cannot forgive if we repent and ask him to forgive us (1 John 1:8-10).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, p. 324
June 2, 1988