MESSENGERS OF GODLY PEACE PRONOUNCED HAPPY

TODAY as never before, mankind needs a messenger of good news. There is an urgent need for someone to tell the truth about God and his purposes, a fearless witness who will warn the wicked of coming destruction and help righthearted ones to find godly peace.

In the days of Israel, Jehovah promised to provide messengers of that sort. At the end of the ninth century B.C.E., the prophet Amos said: "The Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7) In the centuries following this pronouncement, Jehovah performed many mighty acts. For example, in 607 B.C.E., he severely disciplined his chosen people because they were rebellious and bloodguilty. He also punished the nations round about who gloated because of Israel's suffering. (Jeremiah, chapters 46-49) Then, in 539 B.C.E., Jehovah brought about the downfall of the mighty Babylonians would world power, and as a result, in 537 B.C.E., a remnant of Israel returned to their land to rebuild the temple. - 2 Corinthians 36:22, 23.

These were earthshaking events, and in harmony with the words of Amos, Jehovah revealed them in advance to prophets who served as messengers, warning Israel of what was to come. In the middle of the eighth century B.C.E., he raised up Isaiah. In the middle of the seventh century B.C.E., He raised up Jeremiah. then, toward the end of that century, he raised up Ezekiel. These and other faithful prophets gave a thorough witness about Jehovah's purposes.

Next time: Identifying God's Messengers Today

Watchtower, 1997

NO PEACE FOR THE FALSE MESSENGERS!

So-Called Messengers of Peace

What,though, of the so-called messengers of peace in Satan's worldly system? At Isaiah chapter 33, verse 7, we read: "Look! Their very heroes have cried out in the street; the very messenger of peace will weep bitterly." How true this is of those scurrying about feverishly from one world capital to another, trying to bring peace! How futile! Why so? Because they tackle the symptoms of the word's ills rather than grapple with the root causes. In the first place, they are blind to the existence of Satan, whom the apostle Paul describes as "the god of this system of things." (2 Corinthians 4:4) Satan has sown seeds of wickedness among humankind, with the result that the majority, including many of their hearts. Having come to be past all moral sense, they gave themselves over to loose conduct to work uncleanness of every sort of greediness."

No agency of imperfect humans can root out every human hearts the greed, the selfishness, and the hatred that are so prevalent today. Only our Creator, the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, can do that! Further, it is only the meek ones, a minority among mankind, who are willing to submit to his guidance. The results to these and to the wicked of the world are contrasted at Psalm 37:9-11: "Evildoers themselves will be cut off, but those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth. And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more . . . But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace."

Can messengers of peace be found, then, among the religions of this ailing world? Well, what is religion's record to date? History shows that religion has shared in, yes, even been the instigator of much of the bloodshed throughout the centuries. For example, the Christian Century of the week of August 30, 1995, reporting on the turmoil in t he former Yugoslavia, stated: "In Serb-held Bosnia, priests sit in the front lines, where units and even weapons are blessed before battles.

A Century of Christendom's missionary work in Africa has brought no better result, as was well illustrated In Rwanda, a land reputedly 80 -percent Catholic. The New York Times of July 7, 1995, reported: "Golias, a liberal, lay Catholic magazine published in Lyons [France], plans to identify 27 more Rwandan priests and four nuns who it says killed or encouraged the killings in Rwanda last year." African Rights, a human rights organization in London, had this comment: "Even more than its silence, the churches must answer for the active complicity of some of its priests, pastors and nuns int he genocide." This resembles the situation in Israel when Jehovah's true messenger Jeremiah described the "shame" of Israel, along with her rulers, her priests,and her prophets, adding: "In your skirts there have been found the blood marks of the souls of the innocent poor ones." -Jeremiah 2:26, 34.

Jeremiah has often been called a prophet of doom, but he could also be called God's messenger of peace. he referred to peace as often as Isaiah had done before him. Jehovah used Jeremiah to pronounce judgment on Jerusalem, saying: "This city, from the day that they built it, clear down to this day, has proved to be nothing but a cause of anger in me and a cause of rage in me, in order to remove it from before my face, on account of all the badness of the sons of Israel and of the sons of Judah that they have done to offend me, they, their kings, their princes, their priests and their prophets and the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem." (Jeremiah 32:31, 32) This foreshadowed Jehovah's judgment on rulers and clergy in Christendom today. For true peace to prevail, these instigators of badness and violence must be removed! They are certainly no messenger of peace.

Next time: The UN as a Peacemaker?

Watchtower, 1997