Watchtower Study, “Always Be Prepared” for the Day of the Lord, Week of August 21-27, 2023, Comments and Practical Answers.

Study of the Watchtower, "Always be prepared" for the day of Jehovah, 21-27-August-2023, Comments and Answers.

“The day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night” (1 THES. 5:2).

1. What must we do to survive the day of Jehovah?

The day of Jehovah is coming. And it will begin with the attack of Babylon the great and it will end in the battle of Armageddon. So to survive we have to prepare now. In fact, Jesus taught that we must always be prepared for the great tribulation and thus he indicated to us that it is a continuous process, for which we must always be ready and alert if we want to survive.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, as Luke 12:40 says, we must always be prepared because we do not know what day it will come.

And always being prepared includes starting from now, from this very moment being aware that it can arrive at any moment, then being prepared not waiting to see more signs to prepare.

And it is not the first time that Jehovah destroys his enemies. Therefore, we can see examples from the past of how they were prepared for this situation and this event and we can copy their example.

And it is not that we prepare ourselves and now, but rather that he says that always being prepared is a continuous process.

It will start with the attack on Babylon the great and end with the battle of Armageddon and between those two events there are many other things as well that have to happen according to the prophecies. 

2. Why is it good that we analyze the First Letter to the Thessalonians?

It is good because through this letter the apostle Paul used various comparisons to help Christians prepare for the great day of Jehovah, and although he knew that that day would be a long time away, he made it clear that it was very important to prepare as if was just around the corner. From there, what do we do well to analyze this letter and follow this advice.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, because in this letter the apostle Paul uses several comparisons to help us so that we are always prepared for the day of the Lord and although he knew that there was a long time to go, he spoke of the importance of preparing as if the day of the Lord was always around the corner. corner.

And in second Thessalonians 2 he explains very well because what he says there is that we should not lose our good judgment or get scared and that we should not be deceived by some message or letter saying that the day of the Lord will come sooner because as it says at the end of the day of Jehovah will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the son of destruction is revealed. 

HOW WILL THE DAY OF THE LORD COME?

ILLUSTRATION

Well, we see the victim who is peacefully asleep and the thief takes advantage of that moment, he does it quickly and when nobody expects it, as it happened with Jehovah's Day, it may be that we are with our daily routine and suddenly the world changes from one day to the next and even if we know what the biblical prophecies say, it will develop suddenly.

Series of images: 1. The Apostle Paul writes on a scroll. 2. A burglar sneaks into a house at night while the owner of the house is fast asleep. When the Apostle Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, he used comparisons that help us a lot. (See paragraph 3).

3. In what sense does the day of Jehovah come like a thief in the night? (See also pictures).

Well, it will come quickly and it will take almost everyone by surprise and it may even surprise us as true Christians.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

In 1 Thessalonians 5:2, the apostle Paul uses the first comparison "Like a thief in the night" to describe how the day of Jehovah will come. And he did it to teach that just as thieves steal quickly in the dead of night when no one expects them, so the day of Jehovah will come quickly and take almost everyone by surprise. Even true Christians may even be surprised by how quickly everything will happen.

So since we started studying the Bible we knew that this was going to be quick as a thief but I think that the experience of the pandemic has made us more sensitive to what could be a quick thing because from one day to the next we find ourselves in a situation that we did not expect, so in the same way we can be prepared because in the same way it could happen too.

4. In what sense does the day of Jehovah come like the pains of childbirth?

The apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, compares the coming of the day of the Lord with the labor pains of a pregnant woman. And with this example he wanted to convey that just as the woman is waiting for the baby, but she does not know the exact moment in which the labor will begin and she is very sure that that day will come and she also knows that it is generally sudden, painful and unstoppable. In the same way, we do not know the day or the hour that the day of Jehovah will begin, but we are convinced that it will come to execute judgment against the wicked.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, we know that labor pains have to come, we don't know when but we are very sure that they will come, because the same thing happens with this, we don't know when but we are sure that the day of the Lord will arrive without a doubt.

Well, just like when a woman is pregnant, she knows for sure that at some point during the gestation, more at the end, the baby will be born, the day is not known, but it will be something fast and something unstoppable, because that is how the day of Jehovah will be I mean, it will surely arrive. 

5. In what way is the great tribulation like the dawn?

In his third comparison, the apostle Paul again speaks of thieves who steal at night, but this time, he compares the arrival of the day of the Lord with the dawn, in the sense that it is possible that the thieves are so focused on stealing that they lose money. the notion of time and do not realize that it is past dawn and daylight could expose them. This means that when the day of Jehovah comes, people who do things that displease Jehovah will be exposed.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Just like a thief who always uses the night to go unnoticed, as mentioned here in the paragraph, perhaps he will entertain himself and the dawn will catch him because it is easier for his works to be discovered, since here he also mentions that the people who act in the darkness what has to do with doing the will of the Lord or who insist on doing what pleases the Lord because sooner or later this dawn when the day of the Lord comes because his work will be discovered.

The thieves who go to steal at night wait until late at night when dawn is very close because that is when people are sleeping the deepest, so it is the same with this great tribulation when it breaks out is when people are almost dawn and that is why we must be careful not to fall asleep.

If the paragraph gives two ideas by contrast, on one side are the people of this world who, as we realize, are engaged in their social struggles, political struggles of any kind, as well as their own conduct contrary to the opinion of God, but as it says very good paragraph we are not like them why Because we are or are aware we are not absorbed in the things of this world just like a thief is absorbed in what he is stealing and now that day comes and exposes it, people will be exposed discovered but we happily thanks to Jehovah's teaching that has to happen to us.

And that is written very well by the text of Ephesians that is mentioned, even some of us could at some point be in this darkness of not doing the things that Jehovah asks of us, but when we have already known God we are like children of light and we What we have to do is keep making sure we are in this light and keep magnifying Jehovah.

WHO WILL NOT SURVIVE THE DAY OF JEHOVAH?

6. In what sense are almost all people asleep? (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 7).

According to 1 Thessalonians 5:6,7. Almost all people are asleep in a spiritual sense. They ignore the tests that we are experiencing in the last days and that the great tribulation is near. While it is true that when great changes occur in the world, some open their eyes a little and become interested in the message of the Kingdom, the interest is very short-lived when thinking that although there may be a day of judgment, it will be a long time before it arrives. I arrived. Therefore, they fall asleep again in a spiritual sense.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

When someone is asleep they do not know anything, in Romans 11:8 it says that eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear have a deep sleep and now we see that people do not want to see the proofs that we are living in the last days and that the great tribulation is very close and when a change occurs some people open their eyes a little but after a short time they fall asleep again.

There is also another danger when we are asleep even if we wake up, but when a person is asleep and they wake him up unexpectedly, he does not know how to react, that is, he is not in a position to react well, that is why we should or must keep this in mind and not fall into that trap because there will come a time and it will catch us without knowing what to do.

And there is the text of second Peter 3:13 of people who would mock the message that is being carried and would even say where is that promised presence of his because since the day our ancestors fell asleep in death all things follow exactly The same as from the beginning of creation and nothing could be further from reality, things do not remain the same, the world is now in a global anguish that many people recognize that a few decades may remain for the earth between climate change, pandemics, wars, but People are still asleep when we preach to them, they don't realize that all this fulfills the sign that we are in the last days and that God is going to act. 

7. In what way are the people whom God will eliminate like drunkards?

Jehovah compares the people he will eliminate to drunkards, because drunkards lose some of their ability to react and make bad decisions. Similarly, the wicked do not respond to God's warnings and choose a way of life that leads to destruction. Hence, 1 Thessalonians 5:6 advises Christians to maintain good judgment and be sober to avoid behaving like drunks.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

In 1 Thessalonians 5:6. The apostle Paul advises Christians to be "sober" and avoid behaving like drunks. A Bible Scholar says that being sober means having a calm and stable disposition of mind that allows one to be able to weigh and calculate matters well in order to make sound decisions. This is very important, because if we fall asleep or act drunk, even for a little while, we could get entangled in the political and social affairs of this world, or maybe give in to the pressure of this system. In contrast, if we are awake we do not have to worry about how to respond, because the holy spirit will give us the calm and stability we need to make good decisions.

Yes, because drunk people are compared to evil people, he says that the drunk of course when he is drunk loses part of his ability to react and this makes him make bad decisions and in the same way evil people cannot respond to God's warnings and their way of life the one they choose leads them to destruction.

If you found those who are sober, who are precisely the ones who remain calm despite the circumstances and are capable of making the right decisions, and that is how we want to be, knowing the times in which we live, the circumstances that surround us that are quite unstable, knowing make right decisions.

How timely are the words of Luke 12:11 and 12 shows us that in difficult situations we have to trust in the spirit of Jehovah and above all, as the theme of the Watchtower said, the need to be prepared at all times, what does this mean because if we trust in Jehovah and in his spirit for a very difficult situation that comes to us we do not know how but Jehovah will be there to help us.

Yes, we have said that the drunkard is inhibited by the situation that surrounds him, however, Jehovah is going to destroy the people who do get involved in this in this world, so it seems a little strange contrast, but what Jehovah wants is for us not to be inhibited of his decisions about what he expects of us and that is precisely what the people of this world do. They will bring destruction.

HOW CAN WE PREPARE FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD?

ILLUSTRATION

Well, it can be seen that the soldier that we see in the foreground, well, he is prepared with his armor with his helmet looking, he is not distracted, but behind we see three who are not prepared without any armor, they are drinking relaxed, laughing, and under the image it says what Most people live without giving importance to what is happening, but we are ready for Jehovah's Day, that's why we wear our armor, our helmet.

A Roman soldier in full armor. He is standing guard at the entrance to a tent. Behind him are some soldiers who are not wearing their armor and who are drinking and laughing. Most people live without giving importance to what is happening, but we are always ready for Jehovah's day: we wear the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of hope. (See paragraphs 8 and 12).

8. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:8, what do we need to stay awake and keep our senses? (See also image).

In the illustration we see three men in the back of the store. They are relaxed, drinking, laughing and dressed in their undergarments. On the contrary, at the entrance to the tent we see a soldier who is dressed in his full armor, has his sword drawn and keeps watch. The apostle Paul compared us to soldiers, like the one in the illustration we just saw. So in order to stay awake and keep our senses, we need to be ready for battle and aware that we live in a time of war. Hence, the importance of continually dressing ourselves with the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of hope.

Well, first he gives the example of a soldier who is at war, he has to be prepared, so we are also waiting but we cannot wait distracted as we have been seeing, but we have to put on, as the apostle Paul has already said, the breastplate of faith on love and the helmet of hope because that will show that we are prepared for what we expect.

9. How does faith protect us?

Faith, like love, protects our symbolic heart, in the same way that the breastplate protected the soldier's heart. This mentioned quality will help us to continue serving Jehovah and following Jesus. Since faith helps us to be convinced that Jehovah rewards those who seek him hard and motivates us to be loyal to our leader Jesus despite the difficulties.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Hence, the importance of keeping our faith strong. Something that can help us in this sense is to look at how the brothers who suffer persecution or are going through economic crises have managed to maintain their integrity without falling into the traps of materialism, and instead of that, they lead a simple life and always put the Kingdom first of all.

Another thing that can help us strengthen our faith is to look at the "They Offered to Help" series of articles. In these articles we will see experiences of brothers who try their best to let the Bible influence what they think, say and do. If we analyze them we will see how they have benefited and have been able to benefit those around them.

Just as the breastplate protected the soldier's heart in battle, faith and hope, these qualities help us to continue serving Jehovah and also follow Jesus. In fact, as the Hebrews say, without faith it would be impossible to believe that Jehovah exists and that he will give us the reward of eternal life that is why it is so important that thanks to this quality we are convinced that Jehovah is going to reward us.

The soldier is expectant because he expects an attack and we also expect the attack of Gog de Magog and that is what the phrase says that thanks to faith we are convinced that Jehovah is going to bring the end, he will reward us if we are expectant and that It is the attitude that we have to have, faith helps us to be convinced that all this is going to happen and it will not take long.

We can follow the example of brothers who currently have this very clear and have followed a simple life and put the kingdom of God first and in fact the note refers us to a series of articles called They offered to help that we can find circumstances for everyone, everyone can find something to identify with.

The paragraph says that to strengthen our faith and face the problems, let's look at how the brothers have managed to be upright in the face of persecution and I thought of the brother from Eritrea from the experience that is already posted in report 6 of the governing body how he tells us about the atrocities what happened in prison and learning about all this strengthens our faith and helps us to obey God no matter what.

Well, lead a simpler life to be able to spend more time serving Jehovah and not get so involved with materialism, with wealth, with the love of money. 

10. How does love for God and neighbor help us?

This love helps us a lot to continue preaching and even if they suffer many difficulties in life.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

According to Matthew 22:37-39, to stay awake and maintain good judgment we need love. Since the love of God will help us to continue preaching even if difficulties arise for doing so, and the love of our neighbor drives us to do everything possible to share the message of the Kingdom using all possible means at our disposal, with the hope that someday start doing what is right.

And since we love our neighbor, even if they do not share our beliefs, we want to do everything possible to make our message known to them and the paragraph says that even by phone by letter and that is what we have all been able to experience in the pandemic, how despite not being able to go out to preach we have been able to reach people through these means.

Ezekiel 18 If there he mentions that if someone wicked abandons evil and begins to do what is fair, what Jehovah pleases, he says that he is not going to die, Jehovah is going to save him and says that he has to abandon all the offenses he has committed, So we are there to bring this message to these people.

11. How does love for our brothers help us? (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

1 Thessalonians 5:11 shows that love for our brothers helps us because it encourages and edifies us while we encourage and edify them too. That way, despite being like soldiers fighting together in a battle for life, we would never hurt him on purpose, nor return evil for evil. On the contrary, we love, respect and especially support those who lead us.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

We have an example of this in the first century Thessalonica congregation that was less than a year old when Paul wrote this letter. Therefore, it is very likely that the elders made mistakes due to their inexperience, even so, it was made clear that they had to respect them. This leads us to think that perhaps in the great tribulation we will lose contact with the branch and with the world headquarters, so it will be vital to maintain good judgment and not focus on the defects of our congregation elders, but rather, we must keep in mind that Jehovah uses Christ to guide these faithful men to direct and care for us.

Well, it helps us to always be united at all times, supporting each other, encouraging each other when we need it and, at the same time, building each other up when we have the opportunity to do so as well.

In a battle, although he would never do it on purpose, a soldier may inadvertently injure his partner and in the same way, because we have to take into account what First Thessalonians 5:15 says and make sure that we do not return evil for evil, but rather that we strive to always do good to everyone by forgiving and not holding grudges.

In addition, lately, he has had a significant impact on the idea that those who lead the congregation must be respected, the elders, why, because Jehovah uses Christ to guide these faithful men and it is very important that we now learn to love and respect the elders of our congregation.

And it caught my attention that in his first letter to the Thessalonians Paul associated love with the breastplate but 10 years later in his letter to the Ephesians Paul used the breastplate to represent justice, so they are two qualities that are closely related to love and justice help us to promote peace, unity and respect in the congregation and it is precisely what we are analyzing.

12. How does hope protect our thoughts?

It protects us, in the same way that the helmet protects the soldier's head. Hope protects our thoughts by making us very aware that this world is useless. Also, hope calms our hearts and gives us stability.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

We have an example of this in Wallace and Laurinda, who serve in Africa. One lost his father and the other his mother. In addition, they could not return to their country to be with the family due to the covid-19 pandemic. However, the hope of the resurrection has helped them not to think about how their relatives were in the last days of their life in this world, but about how they will be in their first days in the new world. Thanks to this hope, they feel calm, since the sadness for having lost them has become more bearable.

Well, yes, in the same way that the helmet protected the head of the soldiers, the truth is that our hope of salvation protects our thoughts and also because we always keep it very much in mind, since it happens to us, as Paul did, we consider the things of this world as something that it is useless.

Thus we see how our hearts calm and this hope in the kingdom of God and everything that the resurrection promises us and a just and happy world in which there will be no injustices gives us stability.

13. What can we do to get Jehovah to give us holy spirit?

We must study his word, be united with the organization, and do everything in our power to obey the elders and obey the guidelines that Jehovah is giving us.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

What we can do is ask Jehovah in prayer, study his word the Bible, and be United in his organization. Thus we do this, we will be cultivating the fruits of the spirit that are mentioned in Galatians 5:22,23. And then we will be brimming with fervor, with the desire to do what is right and the strength to work hard for Jehovah. Hence, the importance of following the advice of 1 Thessalonians 5:19 not to allow the fire of the spirit to go out.

Literally it says do not put out the fire of the spirit so first we have to remove from the spirit of Jehovah from the Bible that was written by his spirit this spirit that will make us act will make us have a lot of qualities that will prepare us to do what Jehovah wants.

The Apostle Paul in Romans 12 says that we should not be lazy if we associate not putting out the fire means working so that the fire does not go out, we know what a bonfire is, we have to keep feeding it, so what this world wants is for us to relax that let's live calm that we are careless in this matter like the soldiers who were seen in the tent before but our job is to continue maintaining that fire working putting on the armor and working in favor of the organization.

Being focused, serene and calm is what we need at this time in the face of the blows that we will take with us in situations that we also experience feelings of sadness and pain, being able to have hope in our minds will help us maintain that softness and good judgment.

ILLUSTRATION

And in the image we can see that by preaching and studying the Bible we can maintain the Spirit of God.

Series of images: 1. A brother is reading the Bible. 2. The same brother is preaching with his wife. Ask yourself: “Do my actions show that I want Jehovah to continue giving me his spirit?” (See paragraph 14).

14. What should we avoid if we want to continue receiving the spirit of God? (See also pictures).

To continue receiving God's spirit, our conduct and thoughts must be clean. In this sense, we must prevent impure thoughts from taking root in us and let ourselves be carried away by them. Another thing we must do is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:20. This verse shows the prophetic message about the Day of Jehovah and how close it is. Meditating on it will help us to give much more importance to our conduct and to carry out acts of devotion to God every day. Such as what we see in the Illustration: Preaching and our personal study of the Bible.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

It is what we read in first Thessalonians 4:7 and 8 God did not call us to be impure, so everything that is impure, both our behavior and our thoughts, we must throw it away and not when it is already a big tree but when it is beginning to grow. take root.

Well, our minds have to be clean as well, our thoughts and that we have a life fulfilling the conduct that Jehovah asks of us.

If we observe two actions of being involved in the worship of Jehovah the preaching of the good news of the kingdom and the prolonged study of the scriptures meditation, the question says there demonstrate my actions that I want Jehovah to continue giving me his spirit that is what you have to do, a vehicle only needs more fuel when it is in full motion if it stays still the fuel stays there and it does not need more we are still Jehovah is not going to give us more spirit because we are not giving it anything to bless and that is what we have to do. 

“CHECK EVERY THING”

15. What should we do so that no one deceives us? (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

In the near future Jehovah's enemies will somehow declare "Peace and Safety" and demon-inspired messages will start circulating everywhere, deceiving almost everyone. So, so that no one deceives us, we must follow the advice of one Thessalonians 5:21 and check if what we hear or read is true. So instead of being naive, we will use our thinking ability to compare what we read and hear with what the Bible and Jehovah's organization say.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, what we have read proves all the things that we hear as well as those that we read, we should not believe everything they tell us and not be naive, what we have to do is use our ability to think for what we are reading or listening to that we clearly compare it with what the Bible and its organization says and so we are not going to be deceived.

In proverbs 14:15 the naive and the prudent are mentioned and one way we have to demonstrate prudence is what has been said to check what we hear and read and if it was already important that the Thessalonians did this, it is even more important. let us do it since the great tribulation is just around the corner and false news is the order of the day.

16. What wonderful hope do we have, and what must we do now?

Jehovah's servants as a group will survive the Great Tribulation. But we do not know individually what will happen to each of us. But whether we go through the great tribulation or die first, Jehovah will reward us with eternal life if we are faithful. The Anointed will receive their reward in heaven and the other sheep in paradise on earth. So in the meantime, we must focus on our wonderful hope and keep ready for the day of Jehovah.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, if we remain faithful, we have the wonderful hope of eternal life, we know that the anointed Christians are going to go to heaven to reign with Christ and the other sheep, because we are going to be able to enjoy life in paradise, that is why what we have to do Now, as we have been seeing in this article, it is to focus on our wonderful hope and always be prepared for the day of the Lord.

And we have the guarantee that the servants of Jehovah as a group will survive but we do not know if as individuals we will survive, we know that a great crowd will pass that great tribulation but James 4:14 says that our life is like a mist that appears and disappears so if If that moment came as individuals, then it caught us serving Jehovah to the fullest possible.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

How will the day of Jehovah come?

He says that he says that he will come like a thief in the night so it will be something unexpected and it will be very fast.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

In the study we could see that the day of the Lord would come in three ways, for example: 1 Thessalonians 5:2 mentions that it would come like a thief at night. This comparison highlights an important idea, that just as thieves often steal quickly in the dark when no one is waiting for us. Something similar will happen in the day of the Lord, since it will come suddenly and quickly and will take almost everyone by surprise.

Another way in which the day of Jehovah will come, we find it in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, there it is compared that the day of Jehovah would come, like labor pains of a pregnant woman, since a woman expects a baby she does not know the moment Exactly when labor will begin. But she is undoubtedly convinced that that day will come, and it usually comes at the least expected, painful and unstoppable moment. In the same way we do not know the day on which the day of the Lord will begin. However, we are sure that that day will come and there is nothing and no one to stop it.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:4. compares the arrival of the day of the Lord with the dawn in this comparison it is highlighted that it is possible that the thieves are so focused on theft, that they lose track of time, so much so that they will forget that dawn has already begun and that the daylight could expose them. Something similar will happen in the great tribulation. And we say this because people who act in the dark, just as thieves are bent on doing things that displease Jehovah, they will be exposed, just as daylight exposes thieves.

Who will not survive the day of Jehovah?

In 1 Thessalonians 5:6-7. Paul compared those who are not going to survive the day of the Lord, with people who are asleep, since when a person sleeps, he is not aware of everything that surrounds him or how time passes. They will not survive the Day of Jehovah, since they do not pay attention to the tests that we are experiencing in the last days and that the great tribulation is very close.

Paul also compared people who will not survive the day of Jehovah, "Like those who get drunk." As mentioned in Thessalonians 5: 6, since the drunkard loses part of his reaction capacity and makes bad decisions. Something similar happens with the wicked, they do not respond to God's warnings and choose a way of life that will lead them directly to destruction.

How can we prepare for the day of Jehovah?

The apostle Paul compared us to soldiers who are watchful and have their armor on well. he made this comparison to highlight how important it is for a soldier to always be ready for battle. In the same way, as Jehovah's spiritual soldiers, we must always be ready and prepared to face this spiritual battle that we have against Satan. 

We also show that we are prepared for this important day, if we put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of hope mentioned in one Thessalonians 5: 8.

In addition, as the paragraph mentions, faith and love protect our symbolic heart. Because if we protect our hearts, the qualities mentioned will help us to continue serving Jehovah and following Jesus. We can also stay prepared for the day of Jehovah by showing awareness in our spiritual activities and by using good judgment when making decisions in our lives.

The ideas that this world, this world, can be likened to a siren song, they all have the solution, but really the solution comes from Jehovah and that not only now, but he has shown it, and so we have to keep that in mind and not be easily deceived by the people of the world

Yes, the other was not to put out the fire of the spirit, ask Jehovah in prayer, study his word and take action, preach the meetings, everything.