STUDY ARTICLES

MARCH 3-9
Worship Jehovah,
the King of Eternity
PAGE 3

SONGS: 106, 46

MARCH 10-16
100 Years of
Kingdom Rule
How Does It
Affect You?
PAGE 8

SONGS: 97, 101

MARCH 17-23
Making Wise
Choices During
Youth
PAGE 14

SONGS: 41, 89

MARCH 24-30
Serving Jehovah
Before the Days
of Distress Come
PAGE 20

SONGS: 54, 17

MARCH 31APRIL 6
Let Your Kingdom
ComeBut When?
PAGE 26

SONGS: 108, 30
34567
JANUARY 15, 2014
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January 15, 2014
Vol. 135, No. 2 Semimonthly ENGLISH
STUDY ARTICLES

Worship Jehovah, the King of Eternity

This article will conrm that Jehovah has always been King
and will show us how he has ruled over his creation in
heaven and on earth. It will also encourage us to imitate the
examples of those who chose to worship Jehovah, the King
of eternity.

100 Years of Kingdom Rule

How Does It Aect You?
This article will help us to have more appreciation for what
the Messianic Kingdom has done during its rst 100 years.
It will also encourage each of us to be loyal servants of the
Kingdom, and it will motivate us to meditate on the full
meaning of our yeartext for 2014.

Making Wise Choices During Youth

Serving Jehovah Before the Days
of Distress Come
What will I do with my life? This is a very important question
for anyone who has decided to serve Jehovah. First, we will
discuss what options young Christians have if they want to
serve Jehovah with all their heart. Then, we will discuss
what unique opportunities are available to older Christians
who want to serve Jehovah more fully.

Let Your Kingdom ComeBut When?

Today, many people do not believe that the end is near be-
cause they do not see the meaning of world events and are
distracted by daily life. This article discusses three reasons
why we can be condent that Gods Kingdom will soon bring
an end to this wicked world.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

32 What I Chose as a Child

UKRAINE
COVER: Witnessing to university
students from foreign lands in the
city of Lviv

POPULATION
45,561,000
PUBLISHERS
150,887

1,737 congregations and 373
groups in 15 languages, including
Hungarian, Romanian, Russian,
Russian Sign Language, and
Ukrainian
JANUARY 15, 2014 3
KING SOBHUZA II of Swaziland ruled for almost 61 years.
Even though it is impressive that a man ruled for so long,
there is a king who does not live for only a short time, as hu-
mans do. The Bible says that he is the King of eternity.
(1 Timothy 1:17) One of the psalms gives us the name of
this Sovereign. It says: Jehovah is King forever and ever.
Psalm 10:16.
2
The length of time that God has been King makes his
rule dierent from that of any human. But it is the way Je-
hovah rules that draws us to him. A king who ruled over Is-
rael for 40 years praised God by saying: Jehovah is merci-
ful and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in loyal
love. Jehovah has rmly established his throne in the heav-
ens; and his kingship rules over everything. (Psalm 103:8,
19) Jehovah is more than our King. He is also our loving
heavenly Father. But inwhat way has Jehovahbeen a Father?
How has Jehovah shown that he is still King and that he has
been in control since the rebellion in Eden? The answers to
these questions will draw us closer to Jehovah and strength-
en our condence in him.
1, 2. (a) Who is the King of eternity, and why can we say that? (See
opening picture.) (b) Why do we want Jehovah to rule over us?
Worship Jehovah,
the King of Eternity
To the King of eternity . . . be honor and glory forever.
1 TIMOTHY 1:17.
HOW WOULD YOU
ANSWER?

Why are we drawn to

Jehovahs way of ruling?

How has Jehovah always

shown love for his human
family?

Why do you want to worship

the King of eternity?
THE KING OF ETERNITY
CREATES A UNIVERSAL FAMILY
3
What pleasure Jehovah must have
had when he created his rstborn Son!
God did not treat him like an un-
important citizen. Rather, he loved him
as a Son and invited him to share in the
joyful work of creating millions of per-
fect angels. (Colossians 1:15-17) The Bi-
ble says that these angels serve Jeho-
vah with joy as ministers who do his
will. Jehovah honors them by calling
them his sons. They are part of his
universal family.Psalm 103:20-22; Job
38:7.
4
After creating the physical heavens
and the earth, Jehovah made his uni-
versal family larger. How? After he pre-
pared the earth as a beautiful home, he
created the rst man, Adam, in His own
image. (Genesis 1:26-28) Because Jeho-
vah created Adam, He expected him to
be obedient. As a Father, Jehovah in-
structed Adam with love and kindness.
He did not give Adam rules that un-
necessarily limited his free will.Read
Genesis 2:15-17.
3. Who was the rst member of Jehovahs uni-
versal family? Who were also created as Gods
sons?
4. How did humans become part of Jehovahs
universal family?
5
Unlike many human kings, Jehovah
treats his servants as family. He trusts
them so much that he is pleased to give
them many responsibilities and the
authority to do their work. For exam-
ple, he assigned Adam the enjoyable
and challenging job of giving the an-
imals names. (Genesis 1:26; 2:19, 20)
God did not personally create every hu-
man who would live on the earth. Rath-
er, he chose to create one perfect wom-
an, Eve, as a wife for Adam. (Genesis 2:
21, 22) Then he gave them the opportu-
nity to ll the earth with their children.
Under ideal conditions, Adam and Eve
would, over time, make the whole earth
a paradise. Then all humans and angels
as members of Jehovahs universal fam-
ily could worship him forever. Jehovah
truly showed his fatherly love by giving
Adam and Eve such a wonderful hope
for the future!
REBELLIOUS SONS REJECT
GOD AS THEIR KING
6
Sadly, Adam and Eve were not will-
ing to accept Jehovah as their Ruler.
Instead, they chose to follow Satan, an
5. How would the earth be lled with humans?
6. (a) How did rebellion in Gods family be-
gin? (b) How do we know that Jehovah is still in
control?
SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED
Jehovahs universal family:
All of Jehovahs faithful
servants in heaven and
on earth
Jehovahs sovereignty:
The power and authority
that Jehovah has over all
of his creation
Ospring:
A descendant or child in
a family line. Children are
ospring of their parents,
grandparents, and so on.
Jesus was the ospring of
King David because He was
a descendant of David
4 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
angel who had rebelled against God.
(Genesis 3:1-6) The result was pain, suf-
fering, and death for themselves and
their children. (Genesis 3:16-19; Ro-
mans 5:12) So God had no obedient ser-
vants left on earth. But did this mean
that he had lost control and that he had
given up his sovereignty over the earth?
Absolutely not! Jehovah expelled Adam
and Eve from the garden of Eden, and
to prevent them from coming back, he
assigned cherubs to guard the entrance.
(Genesis 3:23, 24) At the same time, he
showed his fatherly love. He promised
that he would still have a familyof faith-
ful angels and humans and that one of
Adams descendants would destroy Sa-
tan and remove the damage done by
Adams sin.Read Genesis 3:15.
7
In the hundreds of years that fol-
lowed, some men such as Abel and
Enoch chose to be loyal to Jehovah.
However, most humans did not accept
Jehovah as their Father and King. By
the time of Noah, the earth had become
lled with violence. (Genesis 6:11)
Did this mean that Jehovah was no lon-
ger in control of the earth? What does
the Bible say?
8
The Bible says that Jehovah gave
Noah detailed instructions to build a
huge ark that would save him and his
family. God also showed his love for hu-
mans when he appointed Noah to be
a preacher of righteousness. (2 Peter
2:5) Noah likely invited people to re-
pent and warned them of the coming
destruction, but no one listened. For
many years, Noah and his family lived
in a violent and very immoral world. Je-
7, 8. (a) How bad had the world become by
the time of Noah? (b) What did Jehovah do
to cleanse the earth and to protect the human
family?
hovah, as a loving Father, protected and
guided those eight loyal people. When
Jehovah brought the Flood, he removed
the rebellious humans and wicked an-
gels and showed that he was denitely
in control.Genesis 7:17-24.
JEHOVAHS RULE AFTER THE FLOOD
9
After Noah and his family came out
of the ark, they must have been very
grateful to Jehovah for his care and pro-
tection. Immediately, Noah built an al-
tar and oered sacrices to worship Je-
hovah. God blessed Noahs family and
told them to be fruitful and become
many and ll the earth. (Genesis 8:20
9:1) Again, mankind had an opportuni-
ty to unite in worship to Jehovah and to
ll the earth.
10
However, people were still imper-
fect after the Flood. They still had to
live with the invisible inuence of Sa-
tan and the demons. Soon, people were
again rebelling against Jehovahs lov-
ing rule. One person who opposed Je-
hovah was Noahs great-grandson Nim-
rod. Nimrod was a mighty hunter in
opposition to Jehovah. He built large
cities, such as Babel, and made him-
self king in the land of Shinar. (Gen-
esis 10:8-12) What would Jehovah do
about this rebel king? How would Jeho-
vah react to Nimrods eorts to oppose
Gods will? God confused the peoples
language so that Nimrods followers
would scatter all over the world. Wher-
ever they went they brought their false
religion and their way of human rule
with them.Genesis 11:1-9.
9. What opportunity did Jehovah give man-
kind after the Flood?
10. (a) After the Flood, where and how did
people start rebelling against Jehovah?
(b) What did Jehovah do to make sure that his
will was done?
JANUARY 15, 2014 5
11
Many worshipped false gods after
the Flood, but there were still some
faithful men who worshipped Jehovah.
One of them was Abraham. He had a
comfortable home in the city of Ur, yet
he obeyed Jehovah, left the city, and
lived in tents for many years. (Genesis
11:31; Hebrews 11:8, 9) Abraham did
not trust in the protection that a hu-
man king or a city wall might give him.
Instead, it was Jehovah who protected
Abraham and his family. The psalmist
wrote about Jehovahs fatherly protec-
tion: [God] did not allow any man to
oppress them, but on their account he
reproved kings. (Psalm 105:13, 14) Be-
cause he was loyal to his friend, Jehovah
promised Abraham: Kings will come
from you.Genesis 17:6; James 2:23.
12
God promised Abrahams son
Isaac and grandson Jacob that he would
bless them and that their descendants
would become kings. (Genesis 26:3-5;
35:11) However, before they became
kings, Jacobs descendants rst became
slaves in Egypt. Did this mean that Je-
hovah would not fulll his promise or
that he had given up his sovereignty
11. How did Jehovah show that he was loyal to
his friend Abraham?
12. Howdid Jehovah showhis sovereignty over
Egypt, and how did this help his people?
over the earth? No! At his chosen time,
Jehovah proved his power and showed
that he had much more authority than
stubborn Pharaoh. The Israelites put
their faith in Jehovah, and he freed
them in a wonderful way by leading
them through the Red Sea. Clearly, Je-
hovah was still the ruler of the universe,
and as a Father who cares for his chil-
dren, he used his great power to protect
his people.Read Exodus 14:13, 14.
JEHOVAH BECOMES KING TO ISRAEL
13
Immediately after Jehovah freed
themfromEgypt, the Israelites sang the
song of praise recorded in Exodus chap-
ter 15. Verse 18 says: Jehovah will rule
as king forever and ever. Jehovah had
really become King over the newnation
of Israel. (Deuteronomy 33:5) However,
for the Israelites, it was not enough
to have Jehovah as their invisible Rul-
er. About 400 years after leaving Egypt,
they asked God to give them a human
king, just as the pagan nations around
them had. (1 Samuel 8:5) Even so, dur-
ing the reign of David, it became very
clear that Jehovah was still King.
14
David brought the ark of the cove-
13, 14. (a) What did the Israelites say in song
about Jehovahs rule? (b) What did God prom-
ise David?
Jehovah has always
been King of the universe
(See paragraphs 6, 8, 10, 12, 17)
Garden
of Eden
Flood of Noahs day
2370 B.C.E.
Tower of Babel
2269 B.C.E.
Red Sea
1513 B.C.E.
Jesus is
resurrected
33 C.E.
6 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
nant to Jerusalem. On this joyful day,
the Levites sang a song of praise to Je-
hovah and made this important state-
ment, recorded at 1 Chronicles 16:31:
Declare among the nations: Jehovah
has become King! But since Jehovah
is the King of eternity, how is it that he
became King at that time? Jehovah be-
came King when he selected David to
represent him. Understanding how Je-
hovah becomes King is very important.
Before David died, Jehovah promised
him that his rule would continue for-
ever: I will raise up your ospring af-
ter you, your own son, and I will rmly
establish his kingdom. (2 Samuel 7:12,
13) This promise came true when the
ospring, or son, of David appeared
more than 1,000 years later. Who was
he, and when did he become King?
JEHOVAH APPOINTS A NEW KING
15
In the year 29, John the Baptizer
began preaching that the Kingdom of
the heavens [had] drawn near. (Mat-
thew 3:2) When Jesus was baptized by
John, Jehovah anointed Jesus as the
Messiah and future King of Gods King-
dom. Jehovah showed his fatherly love
for Jesus by saying: This is my Son, the
beloved, whom I have approved.Mat-
thew 3:17.
16
During his ministry, Jesus gave
glory to his Father. (John 17:4) He did
this by preaching about the Kingdom
of God. (Luke 4:43) He even taught
his followers to pray for that Kingdom
to come. (Matthew 6:10) As the future
King, Jesus could say to his opposers:
The Kingdom of God is in your midst.
(Luke 17:21) Later, on the evening be-
15, 16. When was Jesus anointed as future
King? While on earth, what did Jesus do to pre-
pare his Kingdom?
fore his death, Jesus made a covenant
for a kingdom with his followers. This
meant that some of his faithful disci-
ples would become kings with Jesus in
Gods Kingdom.Read Luke 22:28-30.
17
When would Jesus begin to rule as
King of Gods Kingdom? He could not
do so immediately. The very next after-
noon, Jesus was executed and his fol-
lowers ed. (John 16:32) However, just
as in the past, Jehovah was still in con-
trol. On the third day, he resurrected
his Son, and on the day of Pentecost in
the year 33, Jesus began to rule over the
Christian congregation. (Colossians 1:
13) But Jesus, the promised son of Da-
vid, would have to wait to have full pow-
er over the earth. So Jehovah told his
Son: Sit at my right hand until I place
your enemies as a stool for your feet.
Psalm 110:1.
WORSHIP THE KING OF ETERNITY
18
For thousands of years, angels and
humans have rebelled against Jehovahs
rule. But Jehovah has always been in
control and has never given up his sov-
ereignty. As a loving Father, he has pro-
tected and cared for such loyal servants
as Noah, Abraham, and David. We are
glad to obey such a King, and we want
to draw close to him.
19
But we may ask: How has Jeho-
vah become King in our day? How can
we be loyal servants of Jehovah and be-
come perfect sons in his universal fam-
ily? What does it mean when we pray
for Gods Kingdom to come? These
questions will be answered in the next
article.
17. In what way did Jesus begin to rule in the
year 33, but for what would he have to wait?
18, 19. What are we moved to do? What will
we learn in the next article?
JANUARY 15, 2014 7
IN THE spring of the year 31 on a mountain close to the
town of Capernaum, Jesus Christ taught his followers to
pray: Let your Kingdom come. (Matthew 6:10) Today,
many doubt if the Kingdom will ever come. However, we
are condent that Jehovah will answer our prayers for his
Kingdom to come.
2
Jehovah will use the Kingdom to unite his family in
heaven and on earth. Jehovahs purpose will be fullled.
(Isaiah 55:10, 11) The exciting events of the last 100 years
prove that Jehovah is already King and that he is doing
wonderful things for the millions of his servants. (Zecha-
riah 14:9; Revelation 15:3) However, Jehovahs becoming
King is dierent from the coming of Gods Kingdom that
Jesus taught us to pray for. How are these two events dif-
ferent, and how do they aect us?
JEHOVAHS APPOINTED KING TAKES ACTION
3
About 20 years before 1900, Gods servants began to
understand a prophecy that was written by Daniel over
2,500 years ago: In the days of those kings the God
1, 2. What will Gods Kingdom do, and how do we knowthat the King-
dom will come?
3. (a) When was Jesus enthroned as King, and where? (b) How would
you prove that Jesus began ruling in 1914? (See footnote.)
100 Years of Kingdom Rule
How Does It Affect You?
Great and wonderful are your works, Jehovah God, . . .
King of eternity.REVELATION 15:3.
CAN YOU ANSWER?

How did Jehovah become

King in 1914? What were
some of the rst things that
the Kingdom did?

How has Jesus used the

Messianic Kingdom to rene,
educate, and organize Gods
loyal servants on earth?

When will our prayer let your

Kingdom come be answered
completely, and what will that
mean?
Our yeartext for 2014
is Matthew 6:10:
Let your Kingdom come.
8 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
of heaven will set up a kingdom that
will never be destroyed. (Daniel 2:
44) For more than 20 years, the Bible
Students preached that 1914 would
be a very important year. Many peo-
ple at that time were very optimis-
tic about the future. One writer says:
The world of 1914 was full of hope
and promise. However, later that
year, World War I began, and Bible
prophecy came true. The food short-
ages, earthquakes, diseases, and oth-
er Bible prophecies that were fullled
proved that Jesus Christ began ruling
in heaven as King of Gods Kingdom
in 1914.1 (See footnote.) By enthron-
ing his Son as the Messianic King, Je-
hovah had become King in a newway.
4
The rst thing that Gods new
King did was to ght a war against
his Fathers main enemy, Satan. Je-
sus and his angels threw the Dev-
il and all his demons out of heaven.
This brought great joy in heaven but
brought more suering than ever be-
fore on earth. (Read Revelation 12:
7-9, 12.) After that, the King began
to rene, teach, and organize his ser-
vants on earth to do Gods will. Let us
see how their obedience to Jesus di-
rection sets a good example for us to-
day.
THE MESSIANIC KING
REFINES HIS LOYAL SUBJECTS
5
After Jesus cleansed the heavens
of the bad inuence of Satan and his
1 See the book What Does the Bible Really Teach?
pages 88-92.
4. What was the rst thing that Jesus did when
he became King? What did he do next?
5. What cleansing happened between 1914
and the beginning of 1919?
demons, Jehovah had Jesus inspect
and rene his followers here on earth.
The prophet Malachi described this
as a cleansing. (Malachi 3:1-3) Histo-
ry shows that this cleansing happened
between 1914 and the beginning of
1919.1 (See footnote.) If we want to
be a part of Jehovahs universal fami-
ly, we must be clean, or holy. (1 Peter
1:15, 16) We must keep our worship
clean from the contamination of false
religion or politics.
6
Jesus then used his authority as
King to appoint a faithful and dis-
creet slave. This slave would regular-
ly provide good spiritual food to all
those who are part of the one ock
under Jesus care. (Matthew 24:45-47;
John 10:16) Since 1919, a small group
of anointed brothers have loyally han-
dled the important responsibility of
feeding the domestics. The faithful
and discreet slave provides us with an
abundance of spiritual food so that we
can growin our faith. It makes us even
more determined to keep our wor-
ship, our actions, and our thinking,
1 See the July 15, 2013, issue of The Watchtower,
pages 22-23, paragraph 12.
6. How is spiritual food provided, and why is
this food so important?
Jehovah will use
the Kingdom to
unite his family
in heaven and on
earth
JANUARY 15, 2014 9
as well as our bodies, clean accord-
ing to Gods standards. This spiritu-
al food also educates us and prepares
us to work hard in the most impor-
tant assignment on earth, the preach-
ing work. Do you regularly partake of
this spiritual food?
THE KING EDUCATES HIS FOLLOWERS
TO PREACH WORLDWIDE
7
When Jesus began his ministry on
earth, he said: I must also declare
the good news of the Kingdom of God
to other cities, because for this I was
sent. (Luke 4:43) For three and a half
years, this ministry was the most im-
portant work in Jesus life. He taught
his disciples: As you go, preach, say-
ing: The Kingdom of the heavens has
7. What important work did Jesus start when
he was on the earth, and until when would it
continue?
drawn near. (Matthew 10:7) After
his resurrection, Jesus foretold that
his followers would take this mes-
sage to the most distant part of the
earth. (Acts 1:8) He promised them
that he would personally support this
vital work until the end of this system.
Matthew 28:19, 20.
8
By 1919, the good news of the
Kingdom included a new meaning.
(Matthew 24:14) The King was rul-
ing in heaven, and he had gathered a
small group of cleansed followers on
earth. This group eagerly obeyed Je-
sus clear command to preach in
all the earth the good news that
Gods Kingdomwas ruling in heaven!
(Acts 10:42) For example, in Septem-
ber 1922, close to 20,000 supporters
of the Kingdom were at the inter-
national convention in Cedar Point,
Ohio, U.S.A. Imagine how excited
they must have been when Broth-
er Rutherford gave the talk The King-
dom and declared: Behold, the King
reigns! You are his publicity agents.
Therefore advertise, advertise, adver-
tise, the King and his kingdom. The
next day, two thousand of them went
out inthe eld service, and some even
traveled as far away as 72 kilometers
8. How did the King motivate his followers on
earth to preach?
SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED
Messianic Kingdom:
Gods government ruled by
Christ, the Messiah
To rene Gods servants:
To remove from Gods ser-
vants the inuence of false
religion and politics so that
they are qualied to serve
Jehovah
Jesus promised that
he would personally
support the preaching
work until the end
of this system
10 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
JANUARY 15, 2014 11
(45 miles) from the convention site to
preach. One brother said: Never will
I forget the call to advertise the King-
dom and the zeal of the assembled
throng! Many others felt the same
way.
9
By 1922, there were more than 17,-
000 publishers preaching in 58 lands
around the world. However, they
needed training. In the rst centu-
ry, the chosen King gave his disciples
clear instructions about what, where,
and how to preach. (Matthew 10:5-7;
Luke 9:1-6; 10:1-11) In a similar way
today, Jesus makes sure that all who
preach get instructions and have the
tools they need to be good teachers.
(2 Timothy 3:17) Jesus is using the
Christian congregation to train his fol-
lowers for the ministry. One way he
trains them is by using the Theocratic
Ministry School in the more than 111,-
000 congregations worldwide. This
school is instructing more than sev-
en million publishers how to preach
and teach in a way that will help peo-
ple of all sorts.Read 1 Corinthians
9:20-23.
10
There are also additional Bible
schools to train congregation elders,
pioneers, single brothers, Christian
couples, Branch Committee members
and their wives, traveling overseers
and their wives, and missionaries.1
(See footnote.) The students of one
class of the Bible School for Christian
1 See the September 15, 2012, issue of The Watch-
tower, pages 13-17, Theocratic SchoolsEvidence of
Jehovahs Love.
9, 10. (a) What schools train us for the min-
istry? (b) How have you personally beneted
from this training?
Couples said with appreciation: The
specialized training we received has
deepened our love for Jehovah and
has better equipped us to help oth-
ers.
11
The enemy Satan sees all these
great eorts to preach and teach the
good news. He wants to stop the
preaching work and will use any way
he can to attack the Kingdom mes-
sage and those who preach it. But Sa-
tans attacks will not succeed. Jeho-
vah has put his Son far above every
government and authority and power
and lordship. (Ephesians 1:20-22) As
King, Jesus uses his authority to pro-
tect and guide his disciples to make
sure that his Fathers will is done.1
(See footnote.) The good news con-
tinues to be preached, and millions
of honest people are being taught to
worship Jehovah. It is truly an honor
for us to be a part of this wonderful
work!
1 See the December 1, 1998, issue of The Watch-
tower, pages 19-22, for examples of legal victories in
dierent countries.
11. How has it been possible for Jesus follow-
ers to continue preaching despite Satans at-
tacks?
Jesus uses his
authority to protect
and guide his
disciples to make
sure that his Fathers
will is done
THE KING ORGANIZES
HIS FOLLOWERS TO DO MORE
12
Ever since Jesus began ruling in
1914, he has rened the way Gods
servants are organized to do his Fa-
thers will. (Read Isaiah 60:17.) In
1919, a service director was appoint-
ed in each congregation to take the
lead in the preaching work. In 1927,
the congregations began preaching
regularly on Sundays. In 1931, Jeho-
vahs servants began using the name
Jehovahs Witnesses, which motivat-
ed them to do even more in the King-
dom work. (Isaiah 43:10-12) Starting
in 1938, those taking the lead in the
congregation were no longer elected
by vote. Instead, they were appoint-
ed. In 1972, the responsibility of over-
seeing the congregation was given to
a group of elders instead of to only
one brother. All who qualied to be el-
ders and ministerial servants were en-
couraged to be willing to help shep-
herd the congregation. (1 Peter 5:2)
In 1976, the Governing Body was or-
ganized into six committees to super-
vise the Kingdom work worldwide.
Since then, Jesus has continued to or-
12. Since 1914, how have Gods servants been
better organized?
ganize his followers progressively to
do things Gods way.
13
Think of how much the Messi-
anic King has accomplished dur-
ing the rst 100 years of his rule.
He has cleansed a group of people
to represent Jehovah. He has direct-
ed the preaching of the good news in
239 lands and has taught millions to
worship Jehovah. He has united more
than seven million loyal followers who
are willing to give of themselves to
do his Fathers will. (Psalm 110:3) Je-
hovah has used the Messianic King-
dom to do truly amazing things. But
even more exciting events will happen
in the future!
FUTURE BLESSINGS
OF THE MESSIANIC KINGDOM
14
Although Jehovah crowned his
Son, Jesus Christ, as the Messianic
King in 1914, this was not the com-
plete answer to our prayer let your
Kingdom come. (Matthew 6:10) The
Bible foretold that Jesus would go
subduing in the midst of his ene-
13. How have you been aected by what the
Messianic King has accomplished during his
rule?
14. (a) What are we asking God to do when
we pray: Let your Kingdom come? (b) What is
our yeartext for 2014, and why is it appropriate?
12 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
REFINEMENT
1914 to 1919
Jesus inspects and renes
the spiritual condition of his
followers on earth. In 1919,
Jesus appoints the faithful
and discreet slave
1919
Service director
is appointed
1927
House-to-house
work on Sunday
is organized
1938
Servants in
the congregation
were appointed,
not voted in
1972
Congregation
oversight is
assigned to a
body of elders
1943
Bible School
of Gilead and
Theocratic
Ministry School
Publishers Worldwide:
6,000 17,000
328,572
851,378
1910 1914 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960
JANUARY 15, 2014 13
mies. (Psalm 110:2) Human govern-
ments under Satans control still op-
pose the Kingdom. When we pray for
Gods Kingdom to come, we are ask-
ing God that the Messianic King and
the other 144,000 kings in heaven re-
move human rule and those on earth
who oppose the Kingdom. When this
happens, the prophecy at Daniel 2:
44 will be fullled. There it says that
Gods Kingdom will crush and put
an end to all these kingdoms. It will
destroy governments that are enemies
of the Kingdom. (Revelation 6:1, 2; 13:
1-18; 19:11-21) Since this will happen
very soon, it is appropriate that our
yeartext for 2014 is Matthew6:10: Let
your Kingdom come. It has nowbeen
100 years since Jesus started to rule in
heaven!
15
After Jesus destroys Gods ene-
mies, he will throw Satan and his de-
mons into an abyss for a thousand
years. (Revelation 20:1-3) Without
that evil inuence, the Kingdom will
move quickly to help people bene-
t from Jesus ransom sacrice, and
15, 16. (a) What exciting events will happen
during the thousand years of Christs rule?
(b) What will be the last thing Jesus does as
Messianic King? What will that mean for Jeho-
vahs purpose?
it will completely erase the eects of
Adams sin. The King will resurrect
millions of people and will organize
a program of worldwide education to
teach them about Jehovah. (Revela-
tion 20:12, 13) The whole earth will be-
come a paradise just like the garden of
Eden, and all faithful humans will be-
come perfect.
16
After the thousand years of
Christs rule, Jehovahs purpose for
the earth will be fullled. Then Jesus
will give the Kingdom back to his Fa-
ther. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.)
We will no longer need anyone to rep-
resent us before Jehovah. All of Gods
sons in heaven and his children on
earth will be united with their heav-
enly Father as part of his universal
family.
17
The exciting events during these
100 years of Kingdom rule show us
that Jehovah is in control and that his
purpose for the earth will come true.
Let us continue to serve him loyally
and advertise the King and his King-
dom. We are condent that Jehovah
will soon answer our prayer: Let your
Kingdom come!
17. What are you determined to do for the
Kingdom?
1976
The Governing Body
is organized into
six committees
1977
Pioneer Service
School
1987
Ministerial
Training School
1999
School for
Traveling
Overseers
2011
Bible School
for Christian
Couples
1,384,782
2,175,403
6,035,564
7,224,930
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2014
Organization
Education
WE LIVE in exciting times. As never before in history,
millions from all nations are choosing to worship Jeho-
vah. (Revelation 7:9, 10) Many young people are having
thrilling experiences inviting others to take lifes water
free. (Revelation 22:17) These young ones help people
to study the Bible and to improve their lives. Some zeal-
ously accept the challenge of learning a new language
and share the good news in foreign-language territories.
(Psalm110:3; Isaiah52:7) What must you do to have a part
in this satisfying work?
2
You can make decisions now that will later open the
door to further opportunities for serving Jehovah. For
example, Timothy made good decisions while he was
young, and by his late teens or early 20s, he was al-
ready qualied to be a missionary. (Acts 16:1-3) It may
have been only a few months later when Paul asked Tim-
othy to go to the newcongregation inThessalonica where
1. What wonderful experiences are many young people enjoying?
2. How does Timothys example show that Jehovah wants to give young
people responsibilities? (See opening picture.)
Making Wise Choices
During Youth
You young men and young women, . . .
praise the name of Jehovah.PSALM 148:12, 13.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN?

What can you do now that will

later open the door to further
opportunities for serving
Jehovah?

How have some young

brothers and sisters served
Jehovah?

What Bible principles can

help you to make the best
decisions in life?
14 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
the brothers were violently persecut-
ed. Paul was forced to leave there,
but he trusted that Timothy would
strengthen the brothers. (Acts 17:5-
15; 1 Thessalonians 3:1, 2, 6) Imagine
how excited Timothy must have been
to be given that assignment!
YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DECISION
3
The time to make important de-
cisions is now, while you are young.
What is the most important deci-
sion you will make? Your decision to
serve Jehovah. When is the best time
to make that decision? Jehovah tells
you to remember him while you are
young. (Ecclesiastes 12:1) The only
way to remember Jehovah is to serve
him with all your heart. (Deuterono-
my 10:12) It is the most important de-
cisionyou will ever make. It will aect
the rest of your life.Psalm 71:5.
4
Of course, your choice to serve Je-
hovah is not the only choice that af-
fects your future. You will also need
to decide if you will get married,
whom you will marry, and what job
you will have. These are very impor-
tant decisions, but you must rst de-
cide to serve Jehovah with all your
heart. (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20) Why?
Because all these decisions are close-
ly connected. What you decide about
marriage and work will aect how
you serve God. And your desire to
serve God will affect the choices
you make about marriage and work.
(Compare Luke 14:16-20.) So decide
3. What is the most important decision you
will make in life, and when should you make it?
4. What important decisions will aect how
you serve God?
what will be most important in your
life.Philippians 1:10.
WHAT WILL YOU DO
WHILE YOU ARE YOUNG?
5
Decide to serve Jehovah, nd out
what he wants you to do, and then
decide how you will live your life. A
Japanese brother writes: When I was
14, I was out preaching with a congre-
gation elder who noticed that I was
not enjoying the ministry. Gently, he
said to me: Go home, Yuichiro. Sit
down at your desk and think careful-
ly about what Jehovah has done for
you. I did as he said. In fact, I con-
tinued thinking and praying for some
days. Gradually, my attitude changed.
Soon, I found that I enjoyed serving
Jehovah. I enjoyed reading about mis-
sionaries, and I began to think about
serving God more fully.
6
Yuichiro started making good de-
cisions. Because of this, he later was
able to serve Jehovah in another coun-
try. He says: For example, I chose to
take a course in English. When I left
school, I chose part-time work teach-
ing English so that I could pioneer.
When I was 20, I started learning
Mongolian and I had a chance to visit
5, 6. How does Yuichiros experience show us
that making right decisions can open the door
to further opportunities for serving Jehovah?
(See also the article What I Chose as a Child
in this issue.)
The time to make
important decisions is
now, while you are young
JANUARY 15, 2014 15
16 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
a Mongolian group of publishers. Two
years later, in 2007, I visited Mongo-
lia. When I went out preaching with
some of the pioneers and saw that
many people were seeking the truth, I
wanted to move there and help. I re-
turned to Japan to make my plans. I
have been pioneering in Mongolia
since April 2008. Life is not easy here.
But people are responding to the good
news, and I am able to help them to
drawclose to Jehovah. I feel that what
I chose is the very best way of life.
7
You must make your own deci-
sions about how you will use your life
in serving Jehovah. (Joshua 24:15) We
cannot tell you if you should marry
or whom you should marry. We can-
not tell you what work you should do.
Will you get a job requiring only a lit-
tle training? Some of you live in poor
villages, and others live inwealthycit-
ies. You have dierent personalities,
skills, training, interests, and faith.
In ancient times, the young people
who served Jehovahalso had dierent
7. What decisions must you make for yourself,
and what can we learn from Moses?
backgrounds. For example, Moses,
who grew up in Egypt, was wealthy,
but the other young Hebrews were
slaves. (Exodus 1:13, 14; Acts 7:21, 22)
Like you, they lived in very exciting
times. (Exodus 19:4-6) But each one
had to decide what he would do with
his life. Moses made the right deci-
sion to do Jehovahs will.Read He-
brews 11:24-27.
8
Jehovah gives you advice to help
you make right decisions. How does
he do this? He teaches you Bible prin-
ciples that you canuse no matter what
your circumstances are. (Psalm 32:8)
If you are not sure how to apply these
principles, you can ask your parents
or the elders to help you. (Proverbs 1:
8, 9) Let us look at three Bible princi-
ples that can help you make good de-
cisions now.
THREE BIBLE PRINCIPLES TO HELP YOU
9
Seek rst Gods Kingdom and
his righteousness. (Read Matthew 6:
19-21, 24-26, 31-34.) Jehovah honors
you by giving you the freedom to de-
cide what you will do with your time.
He does not tell you that you must
spend all your time preaching. How-
8. Where can you nd help to make good deci-
sions?
9. (a) How does Jehovah honor us by giving us
the freedom to make decisions? (b) How will
you benet if you seek the Kingdom rst?
SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED
Principle:
A basic truth given by Jehovah. Principles inuence our
decisions and help us to make good choices in life
Decide now what will
take priority in your life
ever, Jesus did teach us the impor-
tance of seeking the Kingdom rst.
When you seek the Kingdom rst,
many doors will be opened to you.
For example, you will have many op-
portunities to show your love for Je-
hovah and your neighbors and to
show that you are thankful for the
hope of everlasting life. Will your
decisions about marriage and work
show that you worry more about
your possessions than about seeking
rst the Kingdom and his righteous-
ness?
10
Find happiness in serving oth-
ers. (Read Acts 20:20, 21, 24, 35.)
This is a basic principle of life. Jesus
10. What made Jesus happy, and what must
you do to be happy?
knew this, so he served his Father by
doing His will and served others by
teaching them the good news. This
made himhappy. (Luke 10:21; John 4:
34) You probably have felt that same
happiness when you serve others. So
base your decisions on the princi-
ples that Jesus taught. Doing this will
make you happy, and it will make Je-
hovah happy too.Proverbs 27:11.
11
The greatest happiness comes
from serving Jehovah. (Proverbs 16:
20) It seems that Baruch, the secre-
tary of Jeremiah, lost his joy at one
point in his life. Baruch started to
think more about what he wanted
than about what Jehovah wanted.
11. Why did Baruch lose his joy, and what
counsel did Jehovah give him?
Ramiro has been nding joy in
serving Jehovah from his youth on
(See paragraph 12)
Jehovah sawthis, so he told Baruch to
stop seeking great things for him-
self. If he obeyed, he would survive
the destruction of Jerusalem. (Jeremi-
ah 45:3, 5) What would have made
Baruch happier? Doing what he
wanted and being destroyed, or do-
ing what Jehovah wanted and surviv-
ing Jerusalems destruction?James
1:12.
12
One brother who found happi-
ness in serving others is Ramiro. He
says: I come from a poor family liv-
ing in a village in the Andes Moun-
tains. So when my older brother
oered to pay for my university edu-
cation, it was a big opportunity. But
I had recently been baptized as one
of Jehovahs Witnesses, and I had re-
ceived another oera pioneer invit-
ed me to preach with him in a small
town. I went there, learned how to
cut hair, and opened a barbershop to
support myself. Many people in that
town accepted Bible studies. Later, a
newcongregation was started in a lo-
cal language. So Ramiro decided to
join the congregation and has been
serving there for ten years. He says
that no other work could give him
12. What decisions did Ramiro make that
helped him to be happy?
more joy than helping people learn
the Bible in their own language.
13
Enjoy serving Jehovah. (Read
Ecclesiastes 12:1.) Do not feel that
you must rst get a good job before
you can start pioneering. The best
time to start serving Jehovah with all
your heart is now, before you have
family responsibilities. You have the
health and energy to tackle challeng-
ing assignments. What would you
like to do for Jehovah? Maybe your
goal is to pioneer, or maybe you want
to preach to people in another lan-
guage. Maybe you can do more in
your own congregation. Whatever
your goal is, you need to earn a living.
Ask yourself: What job will I choose,
and how much training do I need for
it?
USING BIBLE PRINCIPLES
TO MAKE WISE DECISIONS
14
The three Bible principles we
have talked about will guide you
when you decide which jobs may be
acceptable for you. Your school coun-
selors or government agencies prob-
ably know what jobs are available in
your area or in the area where you
hope to serve. These people may be
helpful, but be careful. People who do
not love Jehovah may try to plant love
for the world in your heart. (1 John
2:15-17) When you look at what the
world oers, do not forget that your
heart can easily mislead you.Read
Proverbs 14:15; Jeremiah 17:9.
13. Why is nowa good time for you to serve Je-
hovah with all your heart?
14. What must you be careful of when looking
for a job?
The greatest
happiness comes
from serving
Jehovah
18 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
JANUARY 15, 2014 19
15
Once you know what jobs are
available to you, you need practical
advice. (Proverbs 1:5) Who can help
you to evaluate your job options using
Bible principles? Listen to people who
love Jehovah, love you, and know you
and your circumstances well. They
will help you to be honest with your-
self about what you can do and what
you want to do. Maybe what they say
will help you to rethink your goals. If
your parents love Jehovah, theycanbe
a great help to you. Also, the elders in
your congregation will give you good
advice. Ask pioneers and traveling
overseers why they decided to serve
Jehovah full-time. How did they get
started? What did they do for work?
What blessings have they received?
Proverbs 15:22.
16
Those who really know you well
can give you wise advice. For exam-
ple, what if you want to quit high
school and start pioneering because
you do not like the hard work that
school requires? A person who loves
you may clearly see why you want to
quit school. So he can help you to un-
derstand that persevering in school
will help you to learn not to give up
easily. This quality is necessary if you
want to serve Jehovah forever.Psalm
141:5; Proverbs 6:6-10.
17
Everyone who serves Jehovah
will face situations that can weaken
his faith and draw him away from Je-
hovah. (1 Corinthians 15:33; Colos-
sians 2:8) Some types of employment
may be more dangerous to your faith
15, 16. Who can give you wise advice about
employment?
17. What kind of work should you avoid?
than others. You probably have no-
ticed that some have lost their faith af-
ter choosing a particular type of em-
ployment. (1 Timothy 1:19) It is wise
to avoid any kind of work that could
damage your friendship with Jeho-
vah.Proverbs 22:3.
ENJOY BEING A YOUNG CHRISTIAN
18
If you have a sincere desire to
serve Jehovah, use the opportunities
oered to you while you are young.
Make the kind of decisions that will
allow you to enjoy serving God in
these exciting times.Psalm 148:
12, 13.
19
What if you do not yet feel like
serving Jehovah? Do not give up
trying to build strong faith in Jeho-
vah. Paul explained what he did to
have Jehovahs blessing. He said: If
you are mentally inclined otherwise
in any respect, God will reveal the
above attitude to you. At any rate, to
the extent we have made progress,
let us go on walking orderly in this
same course. (Philippians 3:15, 16)
Remember that Jehovah loves you.
His advice is the best. Let him help
you to make the best decisions now
while you are young.
18, 19. If you do not yet want to pioneer, what
can you do?
Make decisions that
will allow you to enjoy
serving Jehovah in
these exciting times
20 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
JEHOVAH inspired King Solomon to tell young people:
Remember . . . your Grand Creator in the days of your
youth, before the days of distress come. What are the
days of distress? This expression refers to old age. Sol-
omon used poetic words to describe the diculties older
ones have: trembling hands, unsteady legs, loss of teeth,
poor eyesight, poor hearing, white hair, and a bent and
sti body. No wonder Solomon told us to remember our
Grand Creator while we are young!Read Ecclesiastes
12:1-5.
2
Many Christians in their 50s and older still have
a lot of energy. They may have some gray hair, but
they probably do not have all the health problems that
Solomon described. Could these experienced Christians
1, 2. (a) What advice was Solomon inspired to write to young people?
(b) Why should Christians in their 50s and older also be interested in
Solomons advice?
Serving Jehovah Before
the Days of Distress Come
Remember . . . your Grand Creator.ECCLESIASTES 12:1.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN?

How can experienced

Christians share what they
have learned with younger
ones?

What examples in the Bible

can encourage older ones to
move where the need is
greater?

How have some older

brothers and sisters started
serving Jehovah in new ways?
also apply Solomons advice to young
people: Remember . . . your Grand
Creator? First of all, what does that
advice mean?
3
You may have been serving Jeho-
vah for many years, but it is good
from time to time to stop and think
about how grand our Creator is. Life
is a remarkable gift. The design of
creation is so complex that we can-
not fully understand it. The vari-
ety of wonderful things that Jeho-
vah made makes it possible for us
to enjoy life in an endless number
of ways. When we meditate on Jeho-
vahs creation, we remind ourselves
of how loving, wise, and powerful he
is. (Psalm 143:5) When we remember
our Grand Creator, it also means that
we remember what he requires of us.
Meditating on all these things moti-
vates us to show our thankfulness by
doing all we can in his service for as
long as we live.Ecclesiastes 12:13.
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES
WHEN WE ARE OLDER
4
If you have many years of expe-
rience, ask yourself, What will I do
with my life now while I still have
some energy and strength? As an ex-
perienced Christian, you have oppor-
tunities that others do not have. For
example, you can teach younger ones
what you have learned from Jehovah.
You can share with others the won-
derful experiences you have had serv-
ing God. King David prayed for op-
3. What does it mean to remember our Grand
Creator?
4. What can Christians with many years of ex-
perience ask themselves, and why?
portunities to do this. He wrote:
O God, you have taught me from my
youth . . . Even when I am old and
gray, O God, do not abandon me. Let
me tell the next generation about your
power and about your mightiness to
all those who are to come.Psalm71:
17, 18.
5
How can you share the wisdom
that you have gained over the years?
Can you invite younger ones to your
home to enjoy encouraging associa-
tion? Can you plan to preach with
them and allow them to see the joy
that you have in serving Jehovah? Eli-
hu said: Let age speak, and let a mul-
titude of years declare wisdom. (Job
32:7) The apostle Paul told experi-
enced Christian women to encourage
others by their words and by their ex-
ample. He wrote: Let the older wom-
en be . . . teachers of what is good.
Titus 2:3.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP OTHERS
6
If you are an experienced Chris-
tian, there is much you can do to
helpothers. Think about what you un-
derstand now that you did not know
30 or 40 years ago. You know how
5. How can older Christians share what they
have learned with others?
6. Why are Christians with many years of expe-
rience needed?
As an experienced
Christian, you have
opportunities that
others do not have
JANUARY 15, 2014 21
22 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
to apply Bible principles ina varietyof
situations in life. You have the abili-
ty to touch the hearts of others with
Bible truth. If you are an elder, you
know how to help brothers who
have made unwise decisions. (Gala-
tians 6:1) Perhaps you have learned
how to oversee congregation activi-
ties, assembly departments, or King-
dom Hall construction. You may
know how to encourage doctors to
use methods that do not require blood
when they operate. Even if you are
newly baptized, you have gained valu-
able experience in life. For example,
if you have raised children, you have
developed skills that are very useful.
Older Christians have the ability to be
valuable to Jehovahs people by teach-
ing, guiding, and encouraging the
brothers and sisters.Read Job 12:12.
7
In what other ways can you use
your abilities to help others? Perhaps
you can show younger ones how to
start and conduct Bible studies. If you
are a sister, can you help young moth-
ers learn to balance their service to
Jehovah while caring for small chil-
dren? If you are a brother, can you
teach young brothers to give talks
with enthusiasm and to be better
preachers of the good news? Can you
7. What useful training can older ones give to
younger ones?
show them how you encourage elder-
ly brothers and sisters when you vis-
it them? Even if you do not have the
strength you used to have, you still
have wonderful opportunities to train
younger ones. The Bible says: The
glory of young men is their strength,
and the splendor of old men is their
gray hair.Proverbs 20:29.
SERVING WHERE THE NEED IS GREATER
8
The apostle Paul stayed very busy
in Jehovahs service even as he got
older. By the time he was released
from prison in Rome about the
year 61, he had already worked very
hard and endured many trials as a
missionary. He could have chosen to
have an easier life by preaching in
Rome. (2 Corinthians 11:23-27) The
brothers in Rome would certainly
have loved for Paul to stay and sup-
port them. But Paul saw that the
need was even greater in other coun-
tries. Along with Timothy and Titus,
he traveled to Ephesus, then to Crete,
and probably to Macedonia. (1 Timo-
thy 1:3; Titus 1:5) We do not know if
he visited Spain, but he did plan on
going there.Romans 15:24, 28.
9
The apostle Peter may have been
8. What did the apostle Paul do as he got
older?
9. When did Peter move to serve where the
need was greater? (See opening picture.)
SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED
Serving where the need is greater:
Moving to support a group or a congregation
where there is a need for publishers
JANUARY 15, 2014 23
over the age of 50 when he moved to
where the need was greater. How do
we know? If he was about the same
age as Jesus or a little older, it would
mean that he was about 50 years old
when he met with the other apos-
tles in Jerusalem in the year 49. (Acts
15:7) Some time after that meeting,
Peter went to live in Babylon, likely to
preach to the many Jews who lived in
that area. (Galatians 2:9) He was liv-
ing there when he wrote his rst in-
spired letter, about the year 62. (1 Pe-
ter 5:13) Moving to where the need is
greater can be challenging, but Peter
did not allowhis age to keephimfrom
experiencing the joy of serving Jeho-
vah fully.
10
Today, many Christians in their
50s and older nd that their circum-
stances have changed and that they
are able to serve Jehovah in newways.
Some have moved to where the need
is greater. This is what Robert and his
wife did. They were about 55 when
they realized that they had many new
opportunities to serve Jehovah. Their
only son had moved away from home,
and they no longer had to care for
10, 11. What did Robert and his wife do later
in life?
their aging parents. They had received
a small inheritance and realized that if
they sold their house, they could pay
o their debt and have enough mon-
ey until Robert received his retire-
ment pension. They heard that many
people in Bolivia were accepting Bible
studies and that it was cheaper to live
there. So they decided to move. Rob-
ert says: Adapting to our new home
was not easy. Everything was so dier-
ent from what we were accustomed to
in North America. But our eorts were
well rewarded.
11
Robert adds: Our whole life
now revolves around congregation
activities. Some of the people with
whom we studied the Bible got bap-
tized. One family we studied with
lives in humble circumstances in a
village several miles away. But each
week, the members of that family
make the dicult journey into town
for the meetings. Canyou imagine our
joy at seeing the familys progress and
the eldest boy even taking up the pio-
neer service?
THE NEED IN FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FIELDS
12
Foreign-language congregations
and groups can benet greatly from
the example of older brothers and sis-
ters. Also, such territory can be very
enjoyable to work. For example, Brian
from Britain wrote that after he re-
tired at the age of 65, he and his wife
felt that life had become dull. He said:
Our children had left home, and we
rarely found interested people with
whomwe could conduct Bible studies.
12, 13. After Brian retired, what did he and his
wife do?
Peter did not allow
his age to keep him
from experiencing
the joy of serving
Jehovah fully
Then I met a young Chinese man who
was doing research at the local univer-
sity. He accepted an invitation to our
meeting, and I started studying the Bi-
ble with him. After a few weeks, he
began bringing a Chinese colleague
with him. Two weeks later, he brought
a third, and then a fourth.
13
About the time a fth Chinese
researcher asked for a Bible study, I
thought, Just because I am 65 does
not mean that I should retire from Je-
hovahs service. So I asked my wife,
who is two years younger than I am, if
she would like to learn Chinese. We
used a recorded language course.
That was ten years ago. Preaching in
a foreign-language eld made us feel
young again. So far, we have studied
the Bible with 112 Chinese people!
Most of them have attended meet-
ings. One of them nowserves with us
as a pioneer.
ENJOY DOING WHAT YOU CAN
14
Not all Christians in their 50s
have the circumstances to do new
things in Jehovahs service. Some
have poor health, and others care
for children or aging parents. But do
not forget that Jehovah values what-
ever you do in his service. So even if
you are sometimes frustrated by what
you cannot do, enjoy what you can
do. Think of the apostle Paul. For
years, he was a prisoner and could
not continue his missionary journeys.
But whenever people visited him, he
spoke to them about the Scriptures
and helped them to keep serving God
faithfully.Acts 28:16, 30, 31.
15
Jehovah also truly values what
elderly ones can do to serve him. Sol-
omon admits that the days of dis-
14. What should older Christians not forget?
How can Pauls example encourage them?
15. Why are elderly Christians truly valuable?
You may not be too old to
do more in your ministry
(See paragraphs 12, 13)
JANUARY 15, 2014 25
tress are not the easiest time in life.
But the Bible reminds us that Jehovah
notices what elderly Christians do to
praise him. (Luke 21:2-4) Congrega-
tions cherish the beautiful example of
faith and endurance that these older
brothers and sisters show.
16
In the Bible, we read of a faithful
older woman named Anna. She was
an 84-year-old widow when Jesus was
born. Because of her age, she did not
have the same opportunities to serve
Jehovah that others had. She would
not likely be able to become a disci-
ple of Jesus, to be anointed with holy
spirit, or to go preaching. But she did
enjoy serving Jehovah in other ways.
For example, every morning and eve-
ning she would go to the courtyard
of the temple and pray silently for
about half an hour while the priest
oered incense to Jehovah. The Bible
says that she was never missing from
the temple, rendering sacred service
night and day. (Luke 2:36, 37) It was
during one of those visits to the tem-
ple that she sawthe young child Jesus.
She told everyone that he would be-
come the Messiah and bring freedom
to Jerusalem.Luke 2:38.
17
Today, we should look for ways
to help brothers and sisters who are
elderly or sick. There are many older
ones who would love to be with us at
meetings or assemblies but who are
not able to attend. How can the con-
16. What opportunities were probably not
available to Anna, but what could she do to
worship God?
17. How might the congregation help Chris-
tians who are elderly or sick to share in true
worship?
gregation help? In some places, it may
be possible to arrange for them to lis-
ten to the meetings by telephone. In
other places, this may not be possible.
Even if older ones cannot go to meet-
ings, theycan still share in supporting
true worship. For example, they can
pray for the success of the congrega-
tion.Read Psalm 92:13, 14.
18
Elderly Christians may not real-
ize how much they encourage others.
Think of Anna, who faithfully went to
the temple for many years. She prob-
ably did not realize that her example
and love for Jehovah would be includ-
ed in the Bible and would still be en-
couraging us today. In a similar way,
your love for Jehovah will never be for-
gotten by your brothers and sisters.
No wonder Gods Word says: Gray
hair is a crown of beauty when it is
found in the way of righteousness!
Proverbs 16:31.
19
There are limits to what all of us
can do in Jehovahs service. But while
you still have some strength and ener-
gy, be determined to remember . . .
your Grand Creator . . . before the
days of distress come.Ecclesiastes
12:1.
18, 19. (a) Howcan elderly Christians encour-
age others? (b) Who can apply the counsel: Re-
member . . . your Grand Creator?
Your love for Jehovah
will never be
forgotten by your
brothers and sisters
26 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
YOU may have noticed that people do not always re-
member the same details about an event. Similarly, it
may be dicult for someone to remember exactly what
the doctor said after he gave a diagnosis. Or a person
may not nd his keys or eyeglasses, even when they are
right in front of him. Why do these things happen? Re-
searchers say that a type of blindness happens when we
try to do more than one thing at the same time. Appar-
ently, our brain can fully concentrate on only one thing
at a time.
2
Many people today have a similar kind of blindness
about what is happening in the world. They may ad-
mit that the world has changed very much since 1914,
but they do not understand what this means. As Bible
students, we know that Gods Kingdom came in 1914
when Jesus was made King in heaven. However, the
prayer Let your Kingdomcome. Let your will take place,
1, 2. (a) What can cause a certain type of blindness? (b) What do we
know about Gods Kingdom?
Let Your Kingdom Come
But When?
When you see all these things, know that he is near at
the doors.MATTHEW 24:33.
HOW WOULD YOU
ANSWER?

How have world events

fullled Bible prophecies
since 1914?

Why is there more wicked-

ness in the world now than
ever before?

How do you feel about the

end being so close?
as in heaven, also on earth has not
yet been completely answered. (Mat-
thew 6:10) This prayer will be fully
answered when this wicked world is
removed. Only when that happens
can Gods will be done on earth as it
is done in heaven.
3
Because we regularly study Gods
Word, we can see that prophecies are
being fullled right now. What a dif-
ference frommost people! Theyare so
busy with their lives that they do not
see the clear evidence that Christ has
been ruling since 1914 and will soon
destroy this wicked world. Ask your-
self this question: Do I still believe
that the end of this world is very near
and that events on the earth prove
this? Even if you have been a Wit-
ness for only a short time, on what
is your attention focused? Whatever
your answer is, let us discuss three
important reasons why we know that
soon Gods will for the earth will be
done.
THE HORSEMEN HAVE ARRIVED
4
In 1914, Jesus Christ received a
heavenly crown, that is, he became
King of Gods Kingdom. The proph-
ecy recorded in Revelation chap-
ter 6 describes Jesus as riding a white
horse. After becoming King, he im-
mediately began his ride in order to
defeat Satans wicked world. (Read
Revelation 6:1, 2.) The prophecy fore-
told that after Gods Kingdom began
3. What does our study of the Bible help us to
see?
4, 5. (a) What has Jesus been doing since
1914? (See opening picture.) (b) What do the
three horsemen following Jesus represent?
How has this prophecy been fullled?
ruling, the world would quickly be-
come much worse. War, food short-
age, disease, and other causes of
death would happen more than ever
before. These disasters are represent-
ed in the prophecy by three horse-
men riding closely behind Jesus
Christ.Revelation 6:3-8.
5
As the prophecy foretold, war
took peace away from the earth.
This happened even though many
nations had promised to work to-
gether and keep peace. World War I
was only the rst of many destruc-
tive wars that would take peace away
from the earth. Although much eco-
nomic and scientic progress has
been made since 1914, food short-
ages are still a threat to world secu-
rity. No one can deny that diseases,
natural disasters, and other trage-
dies take the lives of millions each
year. These events are more dan-
gerous, happen more often, and kill
more people than ever before in hu-
man history. Do you realize what that
means?
6
Many people were distracted be-
cause of the beginning of World
War I and the Spanish u. However,
anointed Christians eagerly expected
6. Who had been paying attention to the fulll-
ment of Bible prophecy, and what did they do
when prophecy was fullled?
Many people do not see
the meaning of what is
happening in the world
JANUARY 15, 2014 27
the Gentile Times, or appoint-
ed times of the nations, to end in
1914. (Luke 21:24) The anointed did
not know exactly how Bible prophe-
cy would be fullled, but they knew
that in 1914 an important event
would take place in Gods King-
dom. As soon as they understood
how prophecy had been fullled,
they courageously announced to oth-
ers that Gods rule had begun. Many
who preached the Kingdom mes-
sage were cruelly persecuted. This
persecution was also a fulllment of
Bible prophecy. For many years after
that, enemies of the Kingdom used
laws, violence, prison sentences, or
even death to try to stop the preach-
ing work.Psalm 94:20; Revelation
12:15.
7
If there is so much evidence to
prove that Gods Kingdom is now
7. Why do most people not see the importance
of what is happening in the world today?
ruling in heaven, then why do most
people not see it? Why do they not
see that world events are fullling Bi-
ble prophecy exactly as Gods peo-
ple have been saying for many years?
Do they see only what they want to
see? (2 Corinthians 5:7) Are they so
busy with their own lives that they do
not see what God is doing? (Matthew
24:37-39) Are some of them distract-
ed by the ideas and goals of Satans
world? (2 Corinthians 4:4) We need
faith as well as the ability to see more
than just what is in front of our eyes
to understand what Gods Kingdom
is doing. How happy we are that we
can see what is really going on!
WICKEDNESS IS INCREASING
8
There is a second reason why we
know that Gods Kingdom will soon
rule the earth: The world is nowmore
8-10. (a) How has 2 Timothy 3:1-5 been ful-
lled? (b) Why can we say that wickedness is
getting worse?
With the ride of the horsemen,
world conditions continue to worsen
(See paragraphs 4, 5)
JANUARY 15, 2014 29
wicked than ever before, and it is
getting worse. For almost one hun-
dred years, we have seen the prophe-
cy at 2 Timothy 3:1-5 come true. The
behavior described in those scrip-
tures is spreading into all parts
of the world. Do you see that also?
Let us discuss some examples.Read
2 Timothy 3:1, 13.
9
Compare what shocked people in
the 1940s or 1950s with what hap-
pens today in the workplace, in en-
tertainment, in sports, and in fash-
ion. Extreme violence and extreme
immorality are seen everywhere.
People try to shock others with their
violent, immoral, and cruel behav-
ior. Television programs that many
thought were bad in the 1950s are
now viewed as good family enter-
tainment. Many have noticed the
strong inuence that homosexuals
have on entertainment and fashion
and how they promote their lifestyle
in public. Thankfully, we know how
God feels about these things!Read
Jude 14, 15.
10
Also, compare the rebellious be-
havior of young people in the past
with what young people do today. For
example, in the 1950s, parents wor-
ried about their children smoking to-
bacco, drinking alcohol, or dancing
in an improper way. But today we of-
ten hear shocking news reports like
these: A 15-year-old student shoots
his classmates, killing 2 and injur-
ing 13. A group of drunken teen-
agers cruelly murder a nine-year-old
girl and attack her father and cousin.
Another news report said that in one
Asian country, young people were re-
sponsible for half of all crimes com-
mitted during a ten-year period. Can
anyone deny that things today are
getting much worse?
11
The apostle Peter accurately
said: In the last days ridiculers will
come with their ridicule, proceeding
according to their own desires and
saying: Where is this promised pres-
ence of his? Why, from the day our
forefathers fell asleep in death, all
things are continuing exactly as they
were from creations beginning.
(2 Peter 3:3, 4) Why do some people
react this way? It seems that the more
often we see something, the less we
pay attention to it. If the behavior of
a close friend changes suddenly, this
may shock us. But if the attitudes and
morals of people in general change
slowly over a long period of time, we
may not notice it. A change like this
is very dangerous.
12
The apostle Paul warned us that
the last days would be hard to deal
with. (2 Timothy 3:1) But we do
not need to hide from the world. We
can overcome any disappointments
or fears that we may have. With the
help of Jehovah, his spirit, and the
Christian congregation, we can stay
faithful to him. God will give us
the power beyond what is normal.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10.
13
Paul began the prophecy about
11. Why do many people not realize that
things are getting worse?
12, 13. (a) Why do we not need to be dis-
couraged by what is happening in the world?
(b) What will help us to endure these last days
that are hard to deal with?
30 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
the last days with the words know
this. Those words guarantee that
this prophecy will be fullled. We
know that this world will contin-
ue to get worse until Jehovah brings
the end. We have learned from histo-
ry that when standards of right and
wrong become very low, societies or
entire nations have collapsed. Nev-
er before have the standards of right
and wrong been so low in the entire
world. Many people may ignore what
this means, but the events since 1914
should convince us that Gods King-
dom will soon end all wickedness.
THIS GENERATION
WILL NOT PASS AWAY
14
The history of Gods people
gives us a third reason to have con-
dence that the end is near. For ex-
ample, before Gods Kingdom began
14-16. What is a third reason why we believe
that Gods Kingdom will come soon?
ruling in heaven, a group of faith-
ful anointed ones were serving God.
When prophecy was not fullled in
the way that they expected in 1914,
what did they do? Most of them con-
tinued serving Jehovah faithfully and
endured trials and persecution. Over
the years, most, if not all, of those
anointed ones have remained faithful
until death.
15
In his prophecy about the last
days of Satans world, Jesus said:
This generation will by no means
pass away until all these things hap-
pen. (Read Matthew 24:33-35.)
When Jesus mentioned this gen-
eration, we understand that he was
speaking about two groups of anoint-
ed Christians. The rst group was
present in 1914 and understood that
Christ began ruling as King in that
year. Those who made up this group
were not only alive in 1914, but they
had also been anointed by holy spir-
it in or before that year.Romans 8:
14-17.
16
All those in the second group in-
cluded in this generation were not
simply alive but were anointed with
holy spirit during the time that some
members of the rst group were still
alive on earth. So not every anointed
person today is included in this gen-
eration whomJesus spoke about. To-
SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED
Let your Kingdom come:
Gods Kingdom came in 1914 when Jesus was made King
in heaven. Gods Kingdom will also come in the future when
Jesus destroys the wicked
Events since 1914
should convince us
that Gods Kingdom
will soon end all
wickedness
JANUARY 15, 2014 31
day, those in the second group are
getting older. Yet, Jesus words at
Matthew 24:34 make us condent
that at least some of this genera-
tion will by no means pass away be-
fore seeing the start of the great trib-
ulation. This convinces us even more
that soon the King of Gods King-
dom will destroy the wicked and
bring in a righteous newworld.2 Pe-
ter 3:13.
CHRIST WILL SOON
HAVE THE VICTORY
17
Canyou see howthe Bible proph-
ecies we have studied are being ful-
lled right now? As Jesus warned us,
we do not know the exact day or hour
of the end. (Matthew 24:36; 25:13)
But Paul mentioned that we do know
when the season, that is, the last
days, would be. (Read Romans 13:11.)
We are living inthat season right now.
If we pay attention to Bible prophecy
and to what Jehovah God and Jesus
Christ are doing, we will see the clear
evidence that the end of this wicked
world is near.
17. What does the evidence we have discussed
help us to understand?
18
Soon, those who refuse to accept
the authority of Jesus Christ, the Rid-
er of the white horse, will have to ad-
mit that they are wrong. They will not
be able to escape the judgment that
is coming to them. When that hap-
pens, many will cryout infear, saying:
Who is able to stand? (Revelation 6:
15-17) Chapter 7 of Revelation gives
us the answer to that question. The
anointed still on earth and the great
crowd will stand because of be-
ing approved by God. Then the great
crowd of other sheep will survive the
great tribulation and enter into Gods
new world.Revelation 7:9, 13-15.
19
If we keep paying attention to Bi-
ble prophecies that are being fullled
in our day, we will not be distracted
by Satans world. We will not be blind
to the real meaning of world events.
Christ will soon complete his victo-
ry and destroy this wicked world dur-
ing the righteous war of Armageddon.
(Revelation 19:11, 19-21) Imagine how
happy we will be after that!Revela-
tion 20:1-3, 6; 21:3, 4.
18. What will happen to those who refuse to
accept Jesus Christ as their King?
19. As one who is condent that the end is
near, what are you looking forward to?
If we pay attention
to Bible prophecy,
we will see the clear
evidence that the
end of this wicked
world is near
Soon, those who
refuse to accept
the authority of Jesus
Christ will have to admit
that they are wrong
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o
p
In 1985, I was ten years old. Children from
Cambodia had arrived at my school in Columbus,
Ohio, U.S.A. One of the boys knew a few words of
English. By using pictures, he began to tell me
horrible stories of torture and killings and of peo-
ple who had to run away to save their lives. I cried
at night when I thought of these children. I want-
ed to tell them about the Paradise and the res-
urrection, but they did not understand my lan-
guage. Even though I was only a boy, I decided to
learn Cambodian so that I could tell my school-
mates about Jehovah. I did not realize then how
much this decision would aect my future.
Learning Cambodian was dicult. Twice I de-
cided to give up, but Jehovah used my parents
to encourage me. Later, my teachers and school-
mates started pressuring me to accept a well-
paying job. But I wanted to pioneer, so I chose
high school courses that would help me to nd
part-time work. After school, I would go preaching
with some pioneers. I also volunteered to help
students learn English. This decision helped me
later on.
When I was 16, I heard about a Cambodian
group in Long Beach, California, U.S.A. My par-
ents allowed me to visit the group. These brothers
and sisters taught me how to read Cambodian. As
soon as I graduated from school, I became a pio-
neer. I preached to the Cambodian people near
my home. By the time I was 18, I was thinking
about moving to Cambodia. It was still a danger-
ous place, but there were ten million people living
in Cambodia, most of whom had never heard the
good news. At that time, there was only one con-
gregation of 13 publishers in the whole country.
When I was 19, I visited Cambodia for the rst
time. Two years later, I decided to move there. I
found part-time work translating and teaching En-
glish. Later, I found a wife who had the same goals
as I did. Together, we have enjoyed helping many
Cambodian people become Jehovahs Witnesses.
Jehovah has given me the desires of my heart.
(Psalm 37:4) Preaching is the most satisfying
thing a person can do. During the 16 years I have
been in Cambodia, that little congregation of 13
publishers has grown to become 12 congrega-
tions and 4 groups!As told by Jason Blackwell.
What I Chose as a Child
As a young boy