Watchtower Study, Week of December 25 to 31, 2023, Let's explore the Word of God in all its dimensions Underlined Answers.

Watchtower Study, December 25-31, 2023, Let's explore the Word of God in all its dimensions, Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Response.

Dark Yellow: Additional Response.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

“Be fully capable of understanding the width, length, height, and depth” (EPHES. 3:18).

1, 2. What is the best way to read and study the Bible? Give an example.

IMAGINE you want to buy a house. What would you need to know before making a decision? Would a photo of the front of the house be enough for you? Wouldn't you rather go see her? Surely you would want to take a walk around the outside, inspect all the rooms and see all its corners. You might even want to take a look at the plans to see how it is built. It is clear that he would like to examine the house in all its dimensions.

2 We can do the same when we read and study the Bible. One reference work compares the message of the Bible to “a huge and spacious building with high towers and deep foundations.” And how can we become familiar with everything the Bible says? If we read it hastily, we will only learn the most basic, “the elementary things of the sacred utterances of God” (Heb. 5:12). It is much better to do as with the house: examine the “interior” to see all its details. To study the Bible well, it is useful to see how the different parts of its message are related. It is not enough to know what we believe, we must also know why we believe it.

3. What did Paul encourage his fellow Christians to do, and why? (Ephesians 3:14-19).

3 To understand the Word of God thoroughly and in all its dimensions, we must study the deepest biblical truths. The apostle Paul encouraged all Christians to study God's Word earnestly so that they would be “able to grasp the breadth, length, height, and depth” of the truth. As a result, they would be “well rooted and established” in their faith (read Ephesians 3:14-19). We have to do the same. Let's see how we can explore God's Word to get the full picture and capture its rich nuances.

LET'S EXPLORE THE DEEPER BIBLICAL TRUTHS

4. What can we do to grow closer to Jehovah? Give some examples.

4 Christians cannot settle for having a superficial knowledge of the Bible. We desire to learn “even the deep things of God,” and the holy spirit will help us achieve this (1 Cor. 2:9, 10). Why not propose a personal study project that will bring you closer to Jehovah? You have many options. You could investigate how Jehovah demonstrated his love to his servants in ancient times and how that proves that he loves you too. You could study the system that Jehovah established for Israel to worship him and compare it with the Christian system today. Or you could even take an in-depth look at the prophecies Jesus fulfilled during his life and ministry on Earth.

5. What topic would you like to research as a personal study project?

5 Some brothers who are good Bible students were asked what deeper truths they would like to examine. The “Topics for Personal Study Projects” box contains some of the ideas they mentioned. You will surely enjoy studying topics such as these with the help of the Watch Tower Publications Index and the Study Guide for Jehovah's Witnesses. Such research will strengthen your faith and help you find “the knowledge of God” (Prov. 2:4, 5). Now, let's focus on some deep biblical truths we can explore.

Topics for personal study projects

1.How the theme of the Bible develops from Genesis to Revelation.

2.Better understand the meaning of the name Jehovah.

3.What relationship do the covenants mentioned in the Bible have with God's purpose?

4.What meaning did the sacrifices required by the Mosaic Law have?

5.How Isaiah's restoration prophecies encourage us.

6.How Jehovah uses his holy spirit to accomplish his will.

7.What similarities are there between the prophecies of Daniel and those of Revelation.

LET US REFLECT ON THE PURPOSE OF GOD

6. a) What is the difference between a plan and a purpose? b) Why can it be said that Jehovah's purpose for man and the Earth is eternal? (Ephesians 3:11).

6 Let's think, for example, about what the Bible says about God's purpose. There is a clear difference between a plan and a purpose. a). A plan is like a fixed route that can take us to the destination we have chosen. But it can fail if an obstacle appears in the way. Instead, a purpose focuses on the destination. We know exactly where we want to go, but the route is not unalterable; can be changed. b). Jehovah has an “eternal purpose,” and we are very grateful that he has  revealed it little by little in the Bible (Eph. 3:11). One way or another, he always succeeds because he “has made everything work for his purpose” (Prov. 16:4). And the results of what Jehovah does will last forever. So what is Jehovah's purpose, and what changes has he made to fulfill it?

7. How did Jehovah change the way he carried out his purpose when Adam and Eve rebelled? (Matthew 25:34).

7 God showed the first humans His purpose for them when He told them: “Have many children, multiply, fill the earth and take control of it, and have authority over… all living things” (Gen. 1:28). It is true that when Adam and Eve rebelled, they introduced sin to humanity, but that did not prevent Jehovah's purpose from being fulfilled. He simply modified the way of doing it. He immediately decided that he would establish a Kingdom in heaven that would fulfill his original purpose for humanity and the Earth (read Matthew 25:34). In his time, Jehovah showed his love and sent his firstborn Son to Earth. Jesus spoke about the Kingdom to people and gave his life to rescue us from sin and death. He was then resurrected to live in heaven and rule as King of God's Kingdom. But there are more details about God's purpose that we can meditate on.

8. a) What is the theme of the Bible? b) As explained in Ephesians 1:8-11, what else will Jehovah accomplish? (See cover drawing).

8 a ). The main theme of the Bible is this: Jehovah will vindicate his name when he fulfills his purpose for the Earth through his Kingdom in the hands of Christ. Nothing can thwart what Jehovah has purposed to do. He himself guarantees that he will fulfill it (Is. 46:10, 11, notes; Heb. 6:17, 18) . Eventually, the Earth will become a paradise where the righteous descendants of Adam and Eve will be perfect and live forever (Ps. 22:26). And not only that: Jehovah's purpose goes much further. b). He will ensure that all intelligent beings, both in heaven and on Earth, form a united family and that all loyally recognize his authority as Sovereign (read Ephesians 1:8-11). Isn't it wonderful the way in which Jehovah fulfills his purpose?

ILLUSTRATION

The angels in heaven and human beings in Paradise happily praise Jehovah. Imagine what it will be like when all intelligent beings in heaven and on Earth form a united family that loyally serves Jehovah! (See paragraph 8).

LET'S IMAGINE OUR FUTURE

9. How much do we know about the future by reading the Bible?

9 Let us think about the prophecy that Jehovah gave in the Garden of Eden and that appears in Genesis 3:15. It refers to events that would fulfill God's purpose but that would take place thousands of years later. One of those events is that the main part of the woman's offspring, the Messiah, would come from the lineage of Abraham (Gen. 22:15-18). Some time later, in the year 33 AD, Jesus was wounded in the heel, as had been predicted (Acts 3:13-15). And there are still more than 1,000 years until the final part of the prophecy is fulfilled and Satan's head is crushed (Rev. 20:7-10). But the Bible gives many more details of what will happen before the enmity between Satan's system and Jehovah's organization reaches its climax.

10. a) What events will take place soon? b) How can we prepare our minds and hearts? (See note).

10 Let us remember the shocking events announced in the Bible. For starting  a).  the nations will proclaim “peace and security” (1 Thes. 5:2, 3). Then the great tribulation will begin “suddenly” when the nations attack all false religions (Rev. 17:16). Later, supernatural phenomena may occur when “the Son of Man is seen coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30). Jesus will judge all people and separate those who are like sheep from those who are like goats (Matt. 25:31-33, 46). Meanwhile, Satan will not sit idly by. Filled with hatred, he will incite a coalition of nations, which the Bible calls Gog of the land of Magog, to attack Jehovah's people (Ezek. 38:2, 10, 11). At some point, he will join the rest of the anointed Christians in heaven. There they will join Christ and his heavenly armies to fight the war of Armageddon, which will put an end to the great tribulation (Matt. 24:31; Rev. 16:14, 16). Finally, the Thousand Year Reign of Christ over the entire Earth will begin (Rev. 20:6).

b).  It is good to be aware of these prophecies, since we should not get anxious or panic, but what we can do is strive every day to be solvent before Jehovah. And thus the importance of being willing even to do anything to faithfully and completely obey Jehovah until the end, and we must not allow our faith and obedience to depend on others.

11. What does the prospect of living forever mean to you? (See also images).

11 Let us now move to a more distant future. The Bible says that our Creator “has put eternity in the hearts” of human beings (Eccl. 3:11). Can you imagine what this means for you and your relationship with Jehovah? T he book Draw Closer to Jehovah, page 319, makes this striking comment: “When we have lived hundreds, thousands, millions, or even billions of years, we will know much more about Jehovah than we do today. But even so we will see that we still have many wonderful things to learn about him. […] We cannot even imagine how incredible and varied life in Paradise will be. But, of everything we do there, the most beautiful thing will be getting closer to Jehovah every day.” And in the meantime, what other themes from God's Word can we explore?

ILLUSTRATION

A brother uses the “Message of the Bible” chart in Appendix B1 of the “New World Translation” to get more out of his Bible reading. Series of images: 1. In the new world, the brother is sitting next to a bear and two of her cubs, and caresses one of the cubs. 2. At night, he observes the countless stars in the sky with a telescope. Can you imagine how close to Jehovah you will feel after millions of years of learning about him? (See paragraph 11).

LET'S RAISE THE LOOK TO THE HEAVENS

12. How can we look up to the heavens? Give an example.

12 The Word of God allows us to get a small idea of ​​the glory of Jehovah “up in the highest” (Is. 33:5). The Bible reveals impressive aspects about Jehovah and the heavenly part of his organization (Is. 6:1-4; Dan. 7:9, 10; Rev. 4:1-6). For example, we can read about the great things Ezekiel saw when “the heavens were opened” and he began “to see visions of God” (Ezek. 1:1).

13. How do you feel when you think about Jesus' work in heaven? (Hebrews 4:14-16).

13 Let us also think about Jesus' work in heaven as a compassionate King and High Priest. Through it we can approach God’s “throne of undeserved kindness” in prayer and ask for mercy “just when we need help” (read Hebrews 4:14-16). Let us not let a single day pass without reflecting on what Jehovah and Jesus have done and are doing for us from heaven. Their love for us should move us deeply and compel us to serve Jehovah wholeheartedly.​—2 Cor. 5:14, 15.

14. What is one of the best ways to show gratitude to Jehovah and Jesus? (See also images).

 14 One of the best ways to show how grateful we are to God and his Son is by striving to help others become Jehovah's Witnesses and disciples of Jesus. (Matt. 28:19, 20) That is what the apostle Paul did, moved by gratitude to God and Christ. He knew that Jehovah’s will was that “all kinds of people should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). That is why he worked hard in his ministry to help as many as he could and thus “save some by every possible means” (1 Cor. 9:22, 23).

ILLUSTRATION

A brother uses the “Message of the Bible” chart in Appendix B1 of the “New World Translation” to get more out of his Bible reading. Series of images: 1. In the new world, the brother is sitting next to a bear and two of her cubs, and caresses one of the cubs. 2. At night, he observes the countless stars in the sky with a telescope. Can you imagine how close to Jehovah you will feel after millions of years of learning about him? (See paragraph 11) Series of images: 1. A sister uses her phone to preach to a woman on the train. 2. In the new world, the sister and her husband walk happily with the woman on the train and her husband. Think how happy he will be in the new world knowing that he has helped others become Jehovah's Witnesses and disciples of Jesus. (See paragraph 14).

LET'S ENJOY EXPLORING THE WORD OF GOD

15. According to Psalm 1:2, what will make us happy?

15 Not surprisingly, the psalmist says that the happy and successful person is someone who “enjoys the law of Jehovah” and who “reads his law day and night and meditates on it” (Ps. 1:1-3). Speaking about this passage, a Bible translator explains that someone who reads the Bible should “like God's advice so much that he seeks it out, learns it, and keeps thinking about it.” And he adds: “He will consider the days in which he fails to better understand his wisdom to be days lost” (Studies in the Psalms, Joseph Rotherham). You, too, will enjoy studying the Bible if you strive to grasp all of its rich nuances and see the relationship between them. How satisfying it is to explore the Word of God in all its dimensions!

16. What will we examine in the next article?

16 We can all understand the beautiful truths that Jehovah teaches us in his Word. In the following article, we will examine one of these deeper truths: Jehovah's great spiritual temple, which Paul described in his letter to the Hebrew Christians. I'm sure we will all really enjoy exploring this topic.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What will be the final result when Jehovah fulfills his purpose?

The end result will be that Jehovah's Name will be vindicated as he realizes his purpose for the earth through his kingdom in the hands of Christ. Nothing can thwart what Jehovah has purposed to do. he himself guarantees that he will fulfill it

What does the Bible reveal to us about the future?

The events that will take place soon are the following:

In 1 Thessalonians 5:2,3, we see that the nations proclaim peace and security.

In Revelation 17:16, it shows that the great tribulation will begin suddenly when the nations attack all false religions.

Matthew 24:30 shows us that the son of man, that is, Jesus, will come on the clouds of heaven with great power and glory.

In Matthew 25:31-33,46, we see that Jesus will judge all people and separate those who are like sheep from those who are like goats.

The prophetic book of Ezekiel in chapter 38 and verses 2:10,11, show us that Satan filled with hatred will incite a coalition of nations, which the Bible calls Gog of the land of Magog, whose objective will be to attack the people of Jehovah.

Matthew 2431 and Revelation 16:14-16, shows that the rest of the Anointed Christians will be reunited in heaven. There they will join Christ and his heavenly sheep to fight the war of Armageddon, which will end the great tribulation.

And finally, Revelation 20:6 shows that finally, the thousand-year reign of Christ over the entire Earth will begin.

How can we look up to the heavens?

For example, we can read about the great things Ezekiel saw when the heavens opened and he began to see visions of God.

We can think of the work of Jesus Christ the lamb, in heaven. Through it we can approach the Throne of God's undeserved kindness in prayer and ask for mercy just when we need help.