The Bible does not give the date of Jesus’ birth,
nor does it say that we should celebrate his birthday. As McClintock and
Strong’s Cyclopedia states: “The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of NT [New Testament] origin.”
Instead, an examination of the history of
Christmas exposes its roots in pagan religious rites. The Bible shows
that we offend God if we try to worship him in a way that he does not
approve of.—Exodus 32:5-7.
History of Christmas customs
Celebrating Jesus’ birthday: “The
early Christians did not celebrate [Jesus’] birth because they
considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.”—The World Book Encyclopedia.
December 25: There
is no proof that Jesus was born on that date. Church leaders likely
chose this date to coincide with pagan festivals held on or around the
winter solstice.
Gift-giving, feasting, partying: The Encyclopedia Americana says: “Saturnalia,
a Roman feast celebrated in mid-December, provided the model for many
of the merry-making customs of Christmas. From this celebration, for
example, were derived the elaborate feasting, the giving of gifts, and
the burning of candles.” The Encyclopædia Britannica notes that “all work and business were suspended” during Saturnalia.
Christmas lights: According to The Encyclopedia of Religion, Europeans decorated their homes “with lights and evergreens of all kinds” to celebrate the winter solstice and to combat evil spirits.
Mistletoe, holly: “The
Druids ascribed magical properties to the mistletoe in particular. The
evergreen holly was worshiped as a promise of the sun’s return.”—The Encyclopedia Americana.
Christmas tree: “Tree worship, common among the pagan Europeans, survived after their conversion to Christianity.” One of the ways in which tree worship survived is in the custom of “placing a Yule tree at an entrance or inside the house in the midwinter holidays.”—Encyclopædia Britannica.
IF SOMEONE told you, “There will soon be no more
disasters,” how would you react? You might reply, “You must be dreaming.
Disasters are just a fact of life.” Or you might just think to
yourself, ‘Whom does he think he’s kidding?’
Even though natural disasters seem to be here to
stay, there is a basis for real hope that this will change. The change,
however, will not come through human efforts. Humans are not able to
understand fully how and why things happen in nature, much less control
or change them. King Solomon of ancient Israel, noted for his wisdom and
keen observation, wrote: “Mankind are not able to find out the work
that has been done under the sun; however much mankind keep working hard
to seek, yet they do not find out. And even if they should say they are
wise enough to know, they would be unable to find out.”—Ecclesiastes 8:17.
If humans cannot control natural disasters, who
can? The Bible identifies our Creator as the one to make this change. He
is the One who put the earth’s ecological systems, such as the water
cycle, in place. (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
And in sharp contrast with humans, God has unlimited power at his
disposal. Testifying to this fact, the prophet Jeremiah said:
“O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Here you yourself have made the heavens and
the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. The whole
matter is not too wonderful for you yourself.” (Jeremiah 32:17)
Since God made the earth and all its elements, logically he knows how
to manage things so that people can dwell on it in peace and security.—Psalm 37:11; 115:16.
How, then, will God bring about the needed change?
You will recall that the second of this series of articles mentioned
that the many terrifying things taking place on the earth today make up a
“sign” marking “the conclusion of the system of things.” Jesus said:
“When you see these things occurring, know that the kingdom of God is
near.” (Matthew 24:3; Luke 21:31)
The Kingdom of God, a heavenly government of God’s making, will bring
about big changes on the earth, even bringing natural elements under
control. Though Jehovah God has the power to do this himself, he has
chosen to delegate the task to his Son. Speaking of this one, the
prophet Daniel said: “To him there were given rulership and dignity and
kingdom, that the peoples, national groups and languages should all serve even him.”—Daniel 7:14.
God’s Son, Jesus Christ, has been given the power
necessary to bring about all the changes needed to make the earth a
delightful place. Two thousand years ago, when Jesus was on earth, he
demonstrated on a small scale his ability to control the natural
elements. On one occasion, when he and his disciples were in a boat on
the Sea of Galilee, “a great violent windstorm broke out, and the waves
kept dashing into the boat, so that the boat was close to being
swamped.” His disciples panicked. Fearing for their lives, they turned
to Jesus. What did Jesus do? He simply “rebuked the wind and said to the
sea: ‘Hush! Be quiet!’ And the wind abated, and a great calm set in.”
His disciples were amazed and asked: “Who really is this, because even
the wind and the sea obey him?”—Mark 4:37-41.
Since then, Jesus has been elevated to the spirit
realm and has been given even greater power and authority. As the King
of God’s Kingdom, he has the responsibility as well as the ability to
administer all the changes necessary to give people a peaceful and
secure life on earth.
However, as we have seen, many of the problems and
disasters are man-made, caused or made worse by the exploits of selfish
and greedy individuals. What will the Kingdom do about those who
persist in such ways and refuse to change? The Bible speaks of the Lord
Jesus coming “from heaven with his powerful angels in a flaming fire, as
he brings vengeance upon those who do not know God and those who do not
obey the good news about our Lord Jesus.” Yes, he will “bring to ruin
those ruining the earth.”—2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8; Revelation 11:18.
Afterward, this “King of kings,” Jesus Christ, will assert full control of earth’s elements. (Revelation 19:16)
He will make sure that the subjects of the Kingdom no longer suffer any
calamities. He will use his power to regulate the meteorological
elements so that the weather and seasonal cycles will work to the
benefit of mankind. The result will be the realization of what Jehovah
God long ago promised to his people: “I shall also certainly give your
showers of rain at their proper time, and the land will indeed give its
yield, and the tree of the field will give its fruit.” (Leviticus 26:4)
People will be able to build houses without fear of losing them in some
calamity: “They will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and
they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage.”—Isaiah 65:21.
What Must You Do?
No doubt you, like many others, are attracted to
the idea of living in a world with no more devastating disasters. What,
though, do you have to do to be there? Since “those who do not know
God” and “those who do not obey the good news” will not qualify to live
in the disaster-free world to come, it is clear that one must now learn
about God and support his arrangement for rulership of the earth. God
requires that we come to know him and obey the good news of the Kingdom
that he has set up through his Son.
The best way to learn to do this is through a
careful study of the Bible. It contains the instructions for qualifying
to live in the secure environment that will exist under Kingdom
rulership. Why not ask Jehovah’s Witnesses to help you learn what the
Bible teaches? They are at your bidding for that very purpose. One thing
is sure—if you make the effort to know God and to obey the good news,
then the words of Proverbs 1:33
will come true in your case: “As for the one listening to me, he will
reside in security and be undisturbed from dread of calamity.”
DISASTERS seem to be very much in
the news. More people than ever before are the victims of one calamity
or another. The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, in
Belgium, reports that in 2010 alone there were 373 disasters and that
at least 296,000 people died as a result.
The number of reported disasters
has also climbed noticeably over the past several decades. For example,
between 1975 and 1999, well under 300 disasters were recorded each year.
However, between 2000 and 2010, the average was close to 400 per year.
Perhaps you are among those who wonder, ‘Why are there so many disasters
now?’
Although people often label such
disasters as “acts of God,” this is really a misnomer. God is not behind
the calamities that affect so many people today. Nevertheless, the
Bible did foretell that there would be disasters in our time. For
example, at Matthew 24:7, 8,
we read Jesus’ words: “There will be food shortages and earthquakes in
one place after another. All these things are a beginning of pangs of
distress.” Why did Jesus foretell these events, and what meaning do they
have for us?
God’s Son, Jesus, was speaking in
answer to the question posed to him: “What will be the sign . . . of
the conclusion of the system of things?” (Matthew 24:3)
He told of various things that would happen, including calamities like
those mentioned above. He then went on to make this significant
statement: “When you see these things occurring, know that the kingdom
of God is near.” (Luke 21:31) Those natural disasters, therefore, have great significance for us. They point to a time of momentous changes just ahead.
Forces Contributing to Disasters
Nevertheless, many people still
ask, If God is not responsible for the disasters, who or what is? We can
understand the answer only if we recognize an important truth mentioned
in the Bible: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19)
This verse reveals that it is not God who is behind the distressing
conditions in the world, but in many cases, it is his enemy, “the wicked
one”—otherwise referred to in the Bible as “the Devil.”—Revelation 12:9, 12.
Guided by his own self-serving
objective, this enemy of God views people as disposable. Since he has
the whole world under his control, he has promoted that same spirit
among mankind. Indeed, the Bible points to this by foretelling that in
“the last days,” people will be “lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
self-assuming, haughty.” (2 Timothy 3:1, 2)
Hence, it is no surprise that the Devil has created a global system
that thrives on those and other ungodly traits. He encourages selfish
and greedy exploitation that often puts people in harm’s way.
In what way does today’s greedy
system promote disasters? A United Nations report on global disasters
states: “Populations are too often being concentrated in risky areas
such as flood plains. In addition, the destruction of forests and
wetlands is harming the capacity of the environment to withstand
hazards. Looming above all this is the threat of global climate change
and rising sea levels as a result of increased greenhouse gas
concentrations . . . caused by human activity.” Though much of this
“human activity” is said to be for economic progress, it is in reality
the work of the selfish and greedy spirit that permeates the world.
Consequently, many experts now
recognize that indiscriminate human activity has intensified the
devastating effects of the disasters that occur. In reality, humans have
played into the Devil’s hands by supporting a system that exacerbates
disasters.
We see, then, that many
disasters are the result of careless human activity. Some disasters
would not have been as devastating were it not for where they occurred.
In many parts of the world, the effects of natural disasters have been
greatly aggravated by the underhanded dealings of unscrupulous
individuals or by the fact that masses of people have been forced to
live in hazardous areas as a result of the economic or social
inequalities inherent in the world today. Of course, some people suffer
in disasters, not because of any particular person’s fault or
negligence, but because “time and unforeseen occurrence befall them
all.”—Ecclesiastes 9:11.
Whatever the reason, should you be the victim of a naturaldisaster, how can you cope? We will now take a look at what can be done to lessen the impact when calamities occur.
Is God Punishing Us?
“I think [it] is tembatsu (divine
punishment), although I feel sorry for disaster victims,” said a
leading Japanese politician after that country was hit by a
9.0-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami in March 2011.
When more than 220,000 people were killed in the earthquake that hit
Haiti in January 2010, a prominent televangelist claimed that it was
because they “swore a pact to the devil” and needed to have a “turning
to god.”
“God wants to awaken our deaden[ed] and indifferent conscience,”
declared a Catholic priest when 79 people died in a stampede in Manila,
Philippines. A newspaper there reported that “twenty-one percent of
adults believe God is unleashing his wrath with landslides, typhoons and
other disasters” that frequently pummel the country.
THE belief that God brings about disasters to
punish bad people is not new. In 1755, after some 60,000 people perished
in an earthquake, a fire, and a tsunami that hit Lisbon, Portugal,
well-known philosopher Voltaire queried: “Was then more vice in fallen
Lisbon found, than Paris, where voluptuous joys abound?” Indeed,
millions have wondered if God is using natural disasters to punish
people. In many countries such disasters are in fact called acts of God.
In view of all of this, we need to ask: Has God
really been using natural disasters to punish people? Is the recent
barrage of disastrous events punishment from God?
In their rush to blame God, some point to Bible accounts where God brought destruction by natural elements. (Genesis 7:17-22; 18:20; 19:24, 25; Numbers 16:31-35)
An examination of these Bible accounts shows, however, that in each
case, there are three major distinguishing factors. First, there was
warning beforehand. Second, unlike today’s natural disasters, which kill
good and bad people alike, destruction from God was selective. Only the
incorrigibly wicked or those who refused to listen to warnings were
destroyed. Third, God made a way for innocent people to escape.—Genesis 7:1, 23; 19:15-17; Numbers 16:23-27.
In the countless disasters that have wreaked havoc
on the lives of millions of people today, there is no evidence that God
was behind them. What, then, accounts for the apparent increase in such
disasters? How can we cope with them? And will there ever be a time
when disasters are no more? You will find the answers in the following
articles.
Coping With Natural Disasters
In view of the increase in both the
frequency and the destructiveness of natural disasters, what can a
person do to cope? Let us take a look at several practical steps that
can be taken.
Keep out of the path of calamity.
“Shrewd is the one that has seen the calamity and
proceeds to conceal himself, but the inexperienced have passed along
and must suffer the penalty,” says the Bible. (Proverbs 22:3)
This is wise counsel that can apply to disasters. If a warning is given
about an impending volcanic eruption, probable flooding, or an
approaching hurricane or typhoon, wisdom dictates that those in the
affected area evacuate and get to safer ground. Life is more valuable
than a house or other material things.
For some, it might be possible to choose not to
live in an area of high risk. One authority says: “Disaster risk is
geographically highly concentrated. A very small portion of the Earth’s
surface contains most of the risk and most future large-scale disasters
will occur in these areas.” This may be true, for example, in low-lying
coastal regions or in areas near fault lines in the earth. If you can
avoid living in such high-risk areas or can move to a safer location,
you may greatly reduce your risk of suffering from disasters.
Have a plan of action.
In spite of all precautions taken, you may still
find yourself a victim of an unexpected tragedy. Coping with it will be
much easier if you have planned in advance. This is also in harmony with
the advice at Proverbs 22:3, quoted earlier. Do you have an emergency kit prepared and ready to go? The publication 1-2-3 of Disaster Education recommends
including the following items: First-aid supplies, bottled water,
nonperishable food, and important documents. It would also be wise to
review with your family the types of disasters that could take place and
what could be done in each case.
Do you have an emergency kit prepared and ready to go?
Maintain a close relationship with God.
This can help in any circumstance. The Bible
speaks of God as “the Father of tender mercies and the God of all
comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation.” Another verse
describes him as the God “who comforts those laid low.”—2 Corinthians 1:3, 4; 7:6.
Yes, God is keenly aware of the circumstances
coming upon those who put faith in him. He is a God of love and provides
uplifting encouragement in various ways. (1 John 4:8)
Prayers, not for miracles but for God’s powerful holy spirit, can
provide help in any situation. The holy spirit can bring to mind Bible passages
that can be comforting and soothing to those experiencing adversities.
Truly, God’s faithful servants can feel as did David, a king of ancient
Israel, who said: “Even though I walk in the valley of deep shadow, I
fear nothing bad, for you are with me; your rod and your staff are the
things that comfort me.”—Psalm 23:4.
Prayer, not for miracles but for powerful holy spirit, can provide help in any situation
Fellow Christians help one another.
In the first century, a Christian prophet named
Agabus indicated that “a great famine was about to come upon the entire
inhabited earth; which, for that matter, did take place in the time of
Claudius.” The famine severely affected many of Jesus’ disciples in
Judea. What did the disciples elsewhere do when they heard of their
fellow Christians’ plight? The account states: “Those of the disciples
determined, each of them according as anyone could afford it, to send a
relief ministration to the brothers dwelling in Judea.” (Acts 11:28, 29) They lovingly responded by providing relief supplies.
Fellow Christians help one another to deal with the effects of disasters
“I felt loved and protected”
When severe calamities occur today, God’s servants
respond similarly. Jehovah’s Witnesses are well-known for helping
fellow believers. For example, when a strong earthquake struck Chile on
February 27, 2010, Jehovah’s Witnesses quickly responded to help those
affected. Karla, whose home was swept away by a tsunami, related: “It
was comforting and encouraging to see that the very next day [fellow
Witnesses] arrived from other areas to help us. Without a doubt, Jehovah
comforted us through the goodness of those volunteers. I felt loved and
protected.” Her grandfather, who is not a Witness, observed the help
being given. He said: “This is completely different from what I have
seen for years in my church.” What he saw moved him to ask Jehovah’s
Witnesses to study the Bible with him.
Being in association with those who love God can
be a great aid during times of adversity. Even so, will there ever be a
time when the earth will be rid of the curse of disasters? Let us see
what the Bible has to say on this subject.
MANILA, Philippines—Super Typhoon Haiyan (called
Yolanda in the Philippines), one of the strongest storms ever to make
landfall, ripped through the Philippines on November 8, 2013.
As of November 13, 2013, the Philippines branch
office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Manila reported that 27 Witnesses have
been confirmed dead. Well over 100 homes of the Witnesses and five
places of worship were destroyed.
The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is
coordinating the international disaster response from their world
headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. As part of these arrangements, the
Philippines branch office has been making efforts to deliver food,
water, medicine, and other supplies into the affected areas. By Sunday,
November 10, about ten vans filled with relief supplies had been
delivered, with additional trucks being dispatched the following day.
The region has had little time to recover from the
magnitude-7.2 earthquake that shook the Philippines on October 15,
2013, killing 218 people. Reports indicate that the massive quake
claimed the lives of three of Jehovah’s Witnesses, one in a landslide
and two more when their homes collapsed. The earthquake came on the
heels of Typhoon Nari, which struck the Philippines on October 12, 2013,
killing at least 13 people.
The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses cares
for expenses related to their relief efforts by utilizing funds donated
to their worldwide work. The Governing Body also assesses the need for
skilled volunteers, and works with their global network of branch
offices to provide qualified personnel to assist with disaster relief
work in cooperation with local authorities and other relief agencies.
Dean Jacek, a spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in
the Philippines, stated: “We are all deeply grieved over the extensive
loss of life caused by these recent catastrophes. There is a great need
for comfort in view of the destruction as well as the trauma to the
victims. We will continue to do our best to provide ongoing relief and
spiritual assistance to our friends and neighbors.”
Media Contact(s):
International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000
During a special meeting held on October 5, 2013, Jehovah’s Witnesses announced the release of a revised English edition of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
The current New World Bible Translation Committee responded to changes
in modern language by reflecting these in the text and clarifying
certain Biblical expressions, enhancing readability and understanding.
Based on further examination of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient
manuscripts, this revision also includes six additional occurrences of
the divine name: Judges 19:18; 1 Samuel 2:25; 6:3; 10:26; 23:14; 23:16. A
PDF of the printed edition as well as an electronic version in the new JW Library application are available for download, free of charge, at www.jw.org. Media Contact(s): International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000
