VALUE LIFE BY PREACHING THE KINGDOM MESSAGE 26 The situation of God’s people in our day calls to mind that of the ancient prophet Ezekiel, whom Jehovah commissioned to serve as a spiritual watchman to the house of Israel. “You must hear [my] word and give them warning from me,” said God. If Ezekiel were to neglect his commission, he would be held personally responsible for the blood of those executed when Jerusalem was called to account. (Ezekiel 33:7-9) But Ezekiel was obedient and incurred no bloodguilt. 27 Today, we face the end of Satan’s entire world. Thus, Jehovah’s Witnesses count it both an obligation and a privilege to proclaim God’s “day of vengeance” in conjunction with the Kingdom message. (Isaiah 61:2; Matthew 24:14) Do you have a full share in this vital work? The apostle Paul took his preaching commission seriously. As a result, he could say: “I am clean from the blood of all men, for I have not held back from telling you all the counsel of God.” (Acts 20:26, 27) What a fine example for us to imitate! 28 Of course, to keep ourselves in the warmth of Jehovah’s fatherly love, we must do more than view life and blood as Jehovah does. We also need to remain clean, or holy, in his eyes, as we shall see in the following chapter. [Footnotes] Concerning God’s statement, “the soul of the flesh is in the blood,” the journal Scientific American notes: “Metaphorical significance aside, the statement is literally true: each type of blood cell is required for life.” See Awake! of August 2006, pages 3-12, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Bible lexicographers state that the wording of the Hebrew text “apparently renders it impracticable to refer the words to injury done to the woman alone.” Note, too, that the Bible says nothing about the age of the embryo or fetus being a factor in Jehovah’s judgment. See Chapter 5, “How to Keep Separate From the World.”
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 04:47:26 +0000
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