Melinda Mills

Remember United in Worship... book, can't remember one with Pure Worship. Could you write out the full name of the book.

Doesn't look like one of ours.

Glad you enjoyed it, James. Kind regards and greetings to all yours!

Read over all the comments, but especially mine to Space Merchant, in which I said the wicked will not be there based on the scriptures from Jesus and others. Unrighteous people are not categorised as wicked. They do wrong things due to lack of knowledge or being brought up in a society which does not know God's laws. Note the experiences in the various Yearbooks with people who were violent and became lamb-like on learning the truth. For example, note the attitude of the thief beside Jesus on the torture stake: He had respect for Jesus and faith in Jesus coming Kingdom, and he knew Jesus did nothing wrong, whereas the other thief mocked Jesus and was disrespectful although he was about to die. Jesus knew the difference, as he could read hearts. He said the thief that asked Jesus to remember him will be in Paradise with him (the earthly realm of the paradise). I don't think you are reading and meditating, I think you are too quick to ask someone else, and to ask questions that were already answered.

All jokes aside, all men will be resurrected, the good and the bad. The bad will be placed in judgement, while the good will keep alive and live eternally.--- Space Merchant Re-read the scripture you quoted at John 5: 28, 29 - righteous and unrighteous. Does not mean that all will be resurrected. Unrighteous people will be allowed to learn righteousness. If they see the eminence of Jehovah and that his way of doing things is superior and for the good of all, most likely they will cooperate with the Kingdom arrangement and grow to perfection with the help of Jesus Christ and the 144,000 king-priests. All will not like Jehovah's way of doing things. See my comment above. The other category is the wicked. They will not be brought back. (See scriptures below, already referenced in a previous comment.) (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) 7 But you who suffer tribulation will be given relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels 8 in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. 9 These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength. . . (Jude 7) 7 In the same manner, Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah and the cities around them also gave themselves over to gross sexual immorality and pursued unnatural fleshly desires; they are placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire. (Matthew 25:41) “Then he will say to those on his left: ‘Go away from me, you who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:46) These will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.”

Good questions, but read the following scriptures. Isaiah 26:10 and Isaiah 65: 20. The ones who refuse to cooperate will not get to live to the end of the 1000 years. It will be a government in which Jehovah's eminence will be seen. Wickedness will not be allowed to prevail. Those who obey the Kingdom's laws and cooperate will be brought to perfection by the end of the thousand years. (See quote below.) *** pe chap. 21 p. 178 par. 7 Judgment Day and Afterward *** associate kings will judge humankind. People who choose to serve Jehovah will be in a position to receive everlasting life. But, even under these best of circumstances, some will refuse to serve God. As the Scriptures say: “Though the wicked one should be shown favor, he simply will not learn righteousness. In the land of straightforwardness he will act unjustly.” (Isaiah 26:10) So after being given full opportunity to change their ways and to learn righteousness, such wicked ones will be destroyed. Some will be put to death even before Judgment Day ends. (Isaiah 65:20) They will not be permitted to remain to corrupt or spoil the paradise earth. End Quote Italics and bold text, mine

(Genesis 9:6) 6 Anyone shedding man’s blood, by man will his own blood be shed, for in God’s image He made man. (Proverbs 28:17) 17 A man burdened with bloodguilt for taking someone’s life will keep fleeing until the grave. Let no one support him. Both of these remedies would be difficult to achieve for a man taking his own life. So there is a difference in taking your own life and taking someone else’s life. (Revelation 21:8) But as for the cowards and those without faith and those who are disgusting in their filth and murderers and the sexually immoral and those practicing spiritism and idolaters and all the liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This means the second death.” Murder is something willful and thought out. Note what the scripture says will happen to murderers. *** w02 6/15 p. 30 Questions From Readers *** If someone commits suicide, would it be advisable for a Christian minister to give the funeral talk …. Any future prospect for the dead is in the hands of Jehovah, and no one is in a position to say whether the deceased will be resurrected or not. The minister can concentrate on the Bible truths about death and offer comfort for the bereaved. ===== You seem quite capable of doing your own research.

What If Everyone Who Ever Lived Was Resurrected? John Butler, I was just answering the above question. The points you made were valid but I was just touching the surface and answering the question re the possibility of everyone who ever lived being resurrected. The scriptures I used are merely addressing the "everyone" part.

Only thing is that he was killed by the Roman State, aided and abetted by the Jewish leaders and Judas (like a sheep to the slaughter). If he wanted at any time to commit suicide he would have jumped down from the battlement of the temple willingly.

(Luke 20:35) but those who have been counted worthy of gaining that system of things and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. All will not be counted worth of a resurrection from the dead. (John 5:28, 29) Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment. Only those in God's memory will be resurrected - hence memorial tombs. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) 7 But you who suffer tribulation will be given relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels 8 in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. 9 These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength. . . (Jude 7) 7 In the same manner, Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah and the cities around them also gave themselves over to gross sexual immorality and pursued unnatural fleshly desires; they are placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire. (Matthew 25:41) “Then he will say to those on his left: ‘Go away from me, you who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:46) These will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.” Second death, everlasting fire, everlasting destruction, annihilation means these people who die are not in God's memory. Just to confirm that all who have died will not get a resurrection. God is not a man that he should tell lies, so we don't have to worry about the what ifs.

"Jehovah and his type are energy creatures, without DNA". - James Rook Watch how you are wording things! Jehovah is not a creature. Regards

I think I am confident the people in Sodom and Gomorrah, Judas, and others sinning against the holy spirit, were already judged by God and have undergone eternal destruction. See my comment above. Others may wish to comment on people committing suicide, etc.

*** it-1 pp. 616-617 Destruction *** Will all persons who were destroyed by God in times past be dead forever? The Bible indicates that not all destruction is eternal. This is demonstrated by the fact that the Hebrew word ʼavad·dohnʹ (destruction) is used twice to parallel “Sheol.” (Job 26:6; Pr 15:11) The prophet Zephaniah spoke of the destruction of Assyria, whereas Ezekiel said that the Assyrians would go down to Sheol. (Zep 2:13; Eze 32:21, 22) When speaking of the destruction of the rebels Dathan and Abiram, Moses wrote that they went down “alive into Sheol.” (Nu 16:31, 33) Since Sheol in the Bible denotes the common grave of mankind from which there will be a resurrection, it is evident that not all destruction—not even all destruction at the hand of God—is necessarily eternal. Everlasting Destruction. The Bible does not indicate that all the dead will be resurrected. Jesus implied this when he spoke of “those who have been counted worthy of gaining that system of things and the resurrection from the dead.” (Lu 20:35) The possibility of eternal destruction for some is also indicated by Jesus’ words at Matthew 10:28: “Do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” Regarding this text, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (edited by C. Brown, 1978, Vol. 3, p. 304) states: “Matt. 10:28 teaches not the potential immortality of the soul but the irreversibility of divine judgment on the unrepentant.” Also, Bauer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (revised by F. W. Gingrich and F. Danker, 1979, p. 95) gives the meaning “eternal death” with reference to the Greek phrase in Matthew 10:28 translated “destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” Thus, being consigned to Gehenna refers to utter destruction from which no resurrection is possible.—See GEHENNA. “Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them . . . are placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire.” (Jude 7) That punishment evidently applies not merely to the physical cities but to their inhabitants as well, because it was the people themselves who committed the gross sins that led to their annihilation. The possibility of eternal destruction is particularly an issue during the conclusion of the system of things. When Jesus was asked by his disciples what would be ‘the sign of his presence and of the conclusion of the system of things,’ he included as part of his answer the parable of the sheep and the goats. (Mt 24:3; 25:31-46) Concerning “the goats” it was foretold that the heavenly King would say: “Be on your way from me, you who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels,” and Jesus added, “These will depart into everlasting cutting-off.” Clearly the attitude and actions of some individuals will result in their permanent destruction. END QUOTE The Bible at Jude 7 did say Sodom and Gomorrah have undergone "everlasting fire". Certainly Satan and his demons, Judas, Ananias and Sapphira, those destroyed at Noah's Day and at Armageddon, are in that lot. (Matthew 24: 37-39; Matt 25:41,46)) I think the point was raised by JWI about Jesus reading hearts and saying the people of Sodom would have repented after seeing certain signs. (Matthew 11:20-24) 20 Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his powerful works had taken place, for they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Cho·raʹzin! Woe to you, Beth·saʹi·da! because if the powerful works that took place in you had taken place in Tyre and Siʹdon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more endurable for Tyre and Siʹdon on Judgment Day than for you. 23 And you, Ca·perʹna·um, will you perhaps be exalted to heaven? Down to the Grave you will come; because if the powerful works that took place in you had taken place in Sodʹom, it would have remained until this very day. 24 But I say to you, it will be more endurable for the land of Sodʹom on Judgment Day than for you.” Checking here is says Sodom would have remained until this day, and that the people of Tyre and Sidon would have repented and it brings the people of Sodom and Gomorrah into the conversation about Judgement Day. So that is where the speculation begins. Thanks for the impetus to do more research. Look forward to your comments and those of others.

Some interesting points from Anna and JWI. Just commenting on clear signs - JWI - and it being too late for those at Armageddon to repent - Anna. By allowing the preaching to continue Jehovah is allowing people to learn, repent and convert. Even with a non-Christian nation, the Ninevites, he gave them time to repent, even if it was only 40 days. All nations are accountable to God - non-Christian or not. The signs from heaven will be clear - including literal celestial phenomena - as Jehovah won't let us be mistaken that it is He who will bring the destruction. (The world powers also have hideous weapons that could also produce some celestial phenomena.) But the Revelation shows that people will say to the mountains and rock-masses to cover them and hide them - nothing stated about their repentance there, but continued looking to earthly sources to protect them, which is idolatry. (Revelation 6:14-17) 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and every island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the high officials, the military commanders, the rich, the strong, every slave, and every free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they keep saying to the mountains and to the rocks: “Fall over us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Note it says all categories of people - from the elite to the ordinary people , depicted by high officials to slaves - will understand that the destruction is the result of the anger of the Lamb, Christ Jesus, authorized by the One seated on the throne, Jehovah God. *** w99 12/1 p. 17 pars. 11-12 Be Happy Readers of the Book of Revelation *** 11 Joyful submission to Jehovah’s sovereignty is the basis for happiness on a personal level and on a universal level. Soon a symbolic great earthquake will shake Satan’s world system to its very foundations and destroy it. There will be no place of refuge for humans who refuse to submit to Christ’s heavenly Kingdom government, representing God’s legitimate domination. The prophecy states: “The kings of the earth and the top-ranking ones and the military commanders and the rich and the strong ones and every slave and every free person hid themselves in the caves and in the rock-masses of the mountains. And they keep saying to the mountains and to the rock-masses: ‘Fall over us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”—Revelation 6:12, 15-17. 12 With regard to that question, in the next chapter, the apostle John describes those making up the great crowd, who come out of the great tribulation, as “standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9, 14, 15) Their standing before the throne of God shows that they recognize that throne and fully submit to Jehovah’s sovereignty. They therefore stand approved. *** re chap. 18 pp. 112-113 Earthquakes in the Lord’s Day *** “Fall Over Us and Hide Us” 26 John’s words continue: “And the kings of the earth and the top-ranking ones and the military commanders and the rich and the strong ones and every slave and every free person hid themselves in the caves and in the rock-masses of the mountains. And they keep saying to the mountains and to the rock-masses: ‘Fall over us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”—Revelation 6:15-17. ... 29 Now, the opening of the sixth seal has shown that something similar will happen during the coming day of Jehovah’s wrath. At the final shaking of this earthly system of things, those committed to supporting it will desperately seek for a hiding place, but they will not find one. False religion, Babylon the Great, has already failed them miserably. Neither caves in the literal mountains nor symbolic mountainlike political and commercial organizations will provide financial security or any other kind of help. Nothing will shelter them from Jehovah’s wrath. Their terror is well described by Jesus: “Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”—Matthew 24:30. 30 Yes, those who have refused to recognize the authority of the victorious Rider of the white horse will be forced to admit their error. Humans who have willingly been part of the seed of the serpent will be faced with destruction when Satan’s world passes away. (Genesis 3:15; 1 John 2:17) The world situation at that time will be such that many will, in effect, ask: “Who is able to stand?” They will apparently assume that no one at all can stand approved before Jehovah in that day of his judgment. But they will be wrong, as the book of Revelation goes on to show. END QUOTE [The scriptures do inform us to seek Jehovah before God's fear-inspiring day. (Zephaniah 2:3). But we leave final decisions to the Righteous Judge, the God of all the earth, as to those who are in the middle of converting their lives. Sodom and Gomorrah: These cities were thoroughly corrupt (they even sought to introduce unnatural sex to the angels) and the destruction came suddenly and Lot and his family were moved immediately to safety by the angels before the destruction overtook them. We have to learn from what happened to the wife of Lot. Lot's wife left the city physically but her heart was still with the materialistic, corrupt society she was living among. So the angels changed her into a pillar of salt. Those angels could read hearts. (For example, when Sarah doubted the angel and laughed about pregnancy in her old age, he asked her why she laughed, but she had not done it audibly, and when she denied doing so, he said "But you did laugh".) Jesus, the 144,000 and other angels coming with him will also be able to read hearts, and that will make it easy for them to be selective in carrying out the execution of people. (Rev 17:14: 19:14) Whether these people in Sodom and Gomorrah are in Hades or Gehenna is not clear - we had some revisions in the publications on that subject. I cannot remember any conclusive comment about it. Jehovah will do or have done the right thing regarding them. But they and the people in Noah's day are placed before us as a warning of what happens to ungodly people in the future - 2 Peter 2:4-10. We are living in a parallel period now with all types of moral wrongs being sanctioned by various governments and peoples.]

My understanding from reading the Bible and Bible publications provided is that those who do not cooperate with the Kingdom government after Armageddon (resurrected ones) will be cut off. If they reach the end of the 1000-year reign it is believed that they would have been healed by the King-Priest and his 144000 associate king-priests and have become perfect. They would be destroyed only if they fail the final test. (Rev 20) Righteous ones (survivors and those who get a resurrection to life) will most likely continue to be righteous in an environment free of Satan's influence if they did so in the former life with him around. But they will have to be tested after attaining to perfection. See scriptures below, and comment on how they relate to your statement above. "(Isaiah 26:10) Even if the wicked is shown favor, He will not learn righteousness. Even in the land of uprightness he will act wickedly, And he will not see the majesty of Jehovah." (Resurrected unrighteous ones would be given the opportunity in the new system to see the majesty of Jehovah - those not seeing will have proved to be wicked and will disappear from the earth) "(Isaiah 65:20) “No more will there be an infant from that place who lives but a few days, Nor an old man who fails to live out his days. For anyone who dies at a hundred will be considered a mere boy, And the sinner will be cursed, even though he is a hundred years of age. " (No one will be disadvantaged by hunger, sickness, deformity, disease, short life span, etc. Will live healthy lives and afforded ample time (lifespan) and opportunity to learn about Jehovah and will be expected to transform their lives according to Jehovah's will (see the eminence of Jehovah's way of doing things). Those who continue to love sin, will be cursed/cut off. This sabbath period of 1000 years will be for learning about Jehovah (scrolls opened) not the practising of sin. All the scriptures mentioned by AllenSmith pertain to things people choose to do. So I don't believe there will be any big group of people sailing along and enjoying the Paradise and not acting in harmony with the expectation for them, after they are taught. I believe they will be taken out of the earth, once they get ample knowledge of Jehovah's requirements. Choosing was always connected with getting God's approval. As we learned in our meeting this week, Jehovah draws us but he doesn't force us. Deut 30:19,20. All will have to show whether they are on Jehovah's side by their choices. Why all who survive to the end of the thousand years will have to be tested: What the final test will do for those who have been obedient up to the end of the the 1000 years will be to test their fitness for Jehovah granting them eternal life after Jesus would have healed and uplifted them. Adam had that test while perfect and he failed it; all perfected people then would also have that test. Satan would be used to test their motive for serving Jehovah. (On every occasion where we invite people to enjoy themselves, there are always those who come along for the food and the entertainment, not really out of appreciation for the host. Even in Jesus' time on the earth when large crowds were following him and he fed them, his disciples wanted to understand what he was saying but lots of people were satisfied with the literal bread, and also the cures, and he detected it, and he told them so. They were not interested in spiritual things. ) Also Jehovah would want to ensure that peace and security would be permanent in the earth. He will eliminate those whose heart is not complete toward Him and who might possibly cause danger in the future. Satan would see to it that any rebellious tendency dormant in their hearts is shown up. Even this statement bears out the fact that people will be expected to act now and in the future paradise.

The previous answers have much merit. It can also be summed up like this: (Genesis 18:25-28) . . .It is unthinkable that you would act in this manner by putting the righteous man to death with the wicked one so that the outcome for the righteous man and the wicked is the same! It is unthinkable of you. Will the Judge of all the earth not do what is right?” 26 Then Jehovah said: “If I find in Sodʹom 50 righteous men in the city, I will pardon the whole place for their sake.” 27 But Abraham again responded: “Please, here I have presumed to speak to Jehovah, whereas I am dust and ashes. 28 Suppose the 50 righteous should lack five. Because of the five will you destroy the whole city?” To this he said: “I will not destroy it if I find there 45.” We can safely leave the details and final decisions about certain groups to Jehovah. We must not presume to speak for him above what he has already said. He will always do what is right. Every detail cannot be written down (John 21:25), but generally all the guidelines are clear (Ps 11:4-7; Ps 15:1-7). (Isaiah 55:9) . . .For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So my ways are higher than your ways And my thoughts than your thoughts. (Deuteronomy 32:4) 4 The Rock, perfect is his activity, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; Righteous and upright is he. (Malachi 3:6) “For I am Jehovah; I do not change. And you are sons of Jacob; you have not yet come to your finish.

*** re chap. 40 p. 290 Crushing the Serpent’s Head *** The Rest of the Dead 14 Whom, though, will these kings judge if, as the apostle John here inserts, “(the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended)”? (Revelation 20:5a) Again, the expression “come to life” has to be understood according to context. This expression can have varying meanings in varying circumstances. For example, Paul said of his anointed fellow Christians: “It is you God made alive though you were dead in your trespasses and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1) Yes, spirit-anointed Christians were “made alive,” even in the first century, being declared righteous on the basis of their faith in Jesus’ sacrifice.—Romans 3:23, 24. 15 Similarly, pre-Christian witnesses of Jehovah were declared righteous as to friendship with God; and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were spoken of as “living” even though they were physically dead. (Matthew 22:31, 32; James 2:21, 23) However, they and all others who are resurrected, as well as the great crowd of faithful other sheep who survive Armageddon and any children that may be born to these in the new world, must yet be raised to human perfection. This will be accomplished by Christ and his associate kings and priests during the thousand-year Judgment Day, on the basis of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice. By the end of that Day, “the rest of the dead” will have “come to life” in the sense that they will be perfect humans. As we shall see, they must then pass a final test, but they will face that test as perfected humans. When they pass the test, God will declare them worthy of living forever, righteous in the fullest sense. They will experience the complete fulfillment of the promise: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.” (Psalm 37:29) What a delightful future is in store for obedient mankind! Get the Watchtower Library installed on your computer, so you can do your own research. You can use the online library as well.

This article is informative, cautionary and comforting at the same time. *** ws13 8/15 pp. 9-11 pars. 2-8 Never Become “Enraged Against Jehovah” *** 2 Today, the earth has been ruined. Its soil, water, and air are polluted. People are violent and immoral. But we have learned from the Bible that this is not Jehovah’s fault. He created the earth to be a beautiful paradise home for us. (Genesis 2:8, 15) Jehovah is a God of love. (1 John 4:8) The Scriptures tell us that Satan the Devil is “the ruler of the world,” and he is the one who causes many of these problems.—John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4. 3 However, we cannot blame Satan for all our problems. Why not? Because some of our problems are the result of our own mistakes. (Read Deuteronomy 32:4-6.) We might say that we believe this. But because we are imperfect, we could begin to have the wrong view of our problems, and that can be dangerous. (Proverbs 14:12) Instead of blaming ourselves or Satan for our problems, we could start to blame Jehovah. We might even become “enraged against Jehovah himself,” that is, we might become very angry with him.—Proverbs 19:3. 4 Is it possible to become “enraged against Jehovah”? Really, it would do us no good to become angry with him. (Isaiah 41:11) We have no chance of winning a fight against God. It is true that we may never say that we are angry with Jehovah. But Proverbs 19:3 says that a man’s foolish thinking “distorts his way” and that “his heart becomes enraged against Jehovah.” This means that a person can become enraged against God in his heart and feel bitter toward Him. This can start to affect what the man does. For example, he might slow down in his service to Jehovah or stop worshipping with the congregation. 5 What might make us become “enraged against Jehovah”? How can we avoid this trap? We need to know the answers to these questions so that we can protect our relationship with Jehovah God! HOW MIGHT WE BECOME “ENRAGED AGAINST JEHOVAH”? 6 Why might a faithful servant of Jehovah start to complain about God in his heart? This article will discuss five things that could make us become bitter, and we will review Bible examples of those who became “enraged against Jehovah.”—1 Corinthians 10:11, 12. 7 The negative talk of others can influence us. (Read Deuteronomy 1:26-28.) Think about what Jehovah did for the Israelites. He brought ten plagues on Egypt and destroyed Pharaoh and his armies at the Red Sea. The Israelites were free! (Exodus 12:29-32, 51; 14:29-31; Psalm 136:15) God’s people were ready to enter the Promised Land. But they started to complain about Jehovah. Why did they lose faith just as they were going to receive their reward? Ten spies gave a bad report to the Israelites, and this discouraged and scared them. (Numbers 14:1-4) As a result, Jehovah did not let them enter into that “good land” at that time. (Deuteronomy 1:34, 35) What can we learn? The negative talk of others could weaken our faith and cause us to complain about the way Jehovah guides his people. 8 Tragedies and difficulties could discourage us. (Read Isaiah 8:21, 22) In Isaiah’s day, the people of Judah were suffering. They were surrounded by enemies. Many were hungry because there was not enough food. But there was an even bigger problem. They had stopped listening to Jehovah and were letting their relationship with him get weak. (Amos 8:11) Instead of asking Jehovah for help, they blamed him and the king for their problems. In a similar way, if we become discouraged because of a tragedy or other problems in our life, we might begin to blame Jehovah and feel that he did not help us when we needed him. END QUOTE It would be good to review the whole article.

The postal service here also uses postmen who ride bikes. The new ones go on foot until they can learn to ride and/or obtain a bike. The bikes are their personal property but they are frequently stolen. The island is relatively small but each postman belongs to a particular branch and each has his own area of a few villages or districts to cover. People really appreciate their postmen.

(Matthew 5:6) 6 “Happy are those hungering and thirsting for righteousness, since they will be filled. It was really nice meeting you and hearing your views and benefiting from your encouragement. Keep up the good work. (Heb 6:10; Romans 8:38,39)

Jehovah expects us to take care and make wise decisions and not be foolhardy. In rainy season we must pay attention to the weather and listen to government and weather announcements, etc. These things are provided by the superior authorities for our benefit. They may have also been good and wise people but time and unforeseen occurrence befalls us all. The good work they did at the KH and otherwise would be remembered by Jehovah forever. (Heb 6:10) (Romans 8:38,39)

If he had to save bedbugs and roaches, he would have had to save lice too. He probably would not have had to seek for such small creatures, God could have commanded them to go into the wood crevices, the hair of animals, etc. And he would have other ways of doing it that we would not think of. He is not limited like us.

It was not something generally done, but from time to time a few brothers would do it. I experienced it when I was very young, at some Book Study homes, and overseas also in Trinidad two old sisters (who were physical sisters as well) had the study in their home and they would always bake cakes and cookies. Then sometimes others would also bring stuff to add. But it was never tons of food. It is a good way to show hospitality to several brothers at one time, but it is not generally or regularly done. One sister recently started to invite brothers to her home after field service for refreshments, a few went from time to time, but it petered out as after field service it is near lunch time, and you have your own lunch to eat, so why spoil your appetite with sweets and things like that.

I thoroughly enjoyed the last Watchtower on Sunday gone. That was food for a full grown man. I like how it was drawn to our attention that God rewarded Jesus and Mary in incremental and unexpected ways, and how we have to do things to be known by God and not seek our reward now in this system of things. It gave us similar hope that when we serve Him in spirit and truth we can also look forward to blessings that we did not anticipate. As his memory is limitless we can rest assured that he knows the good things we do daily and will not forget the love we showed by giving us sweet surprises. I am sure Mary might not have thought that her speech would be recorded in his Word for all eternity.

I remember "back-calls" and other terms. It still slips off my tongue from time to time. Never heard those instructions before. Thanks for the quote from the 1943 magazine. I remember also about the 100 hours for vacation pioneers some years later - the 1950s and '60s. My mum used to pioneer a lot, along with looking after five children, as well as being a housewife and a seamstress. I always remember this incident when I think of vacation pioneering in those days along with the high hour requirement. (Imagine calling 30 hours high after those figures of yesteryear.) My eldest brother was kind of "hard-ears". Mum had special instructions for him before she left home to pioneer. On one occasion she told him not to leave the house and not to fly any kites. He not only flew the kite but he flew it from the top of the house. When he saw her returning from pioneer service about a few hundred yards off, he jumped from the top of the house to the ground and pretended he was not outside. (My Mum did not leave discipline to my father like some mothers - she was a strict disciplinarian.) He got lashes along with the sore feet. (Of course they were other reports from the siblings about other things he did.) After his disobedience, she would take him with her - so he frequently had to put in the same hours as she. He got baptized at 13, I think. He was faithful for some time, but after marrying a non-Witness he became inactive. Occasionally he refers to her as one of the "real" Witnesses, a term that makes me smile. He asked me recently why there are always older people in the field service - where are the young ones?.He knows that in his day the young ones were out religiously every weekend and often during school holidays, no excuses posed or allowed. Back to the idea I posited. I don't think you can have it both ways. Either you set your own goals, knowing your circumstances, and you give God your best, or your goals are set by someone else. Agree it is legalistic to set hour requirements for others.