JW Broadcasting—October 2018

Welcome, brothers and sisters, to JW Broadcasting!

In this edition, we’ll glorify Jehovah’s name in our discussions and segments. For
example: How was the discovery of this ancient manuscript a tremendous help to
the New World Bible Translation Committee? How did it support their decision to
restore God’s name in the Christian Greek Scriptures? We’ll find out. We’ll visit
the Quechua-speaking people in the Andes Mountains. What special efforts have
our brothers been making there to spread the good news? And what new tool do
they have to glorify God’s name in Quechua? How did you feel when you finally
found Jehovah? And how does it feel now when you can help someone in his or
her search to know the true God? You’ll enjoy a new original song about the
search for Jehovah. You’re watching JW Broadcasting for October 2018. It’s hard
to believe that it’s already been five years since the release of the revised New
World Translation in English. What a wonderful blessing from Jehovah it has
been! Do you remember why the Governing Body saw the need for a revised
edition? One reason was to honor God’s name, including it in six more places
where new evidence made it possible. Another reason to revise the English text
was to allow Bible translation into even more languages. Thousands of questions
from Bible translation teams showed where the English text could be made more
clear and understandable without sacrificing accuracy. It’s our prayer that, in
time, more of our brothers can have a revised New World Translation in their
language. The Governing Body feels that Jehovah is answering that prayer.
Revised translations are now available in 13 languages. Listen to brothers and
sisters from four European-language groups explain how the revised Bible has
benefited them in their study and in their ministry. The release of the revised
version of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures in the English
language in 2013 had a wonderful impact on the English-speaking world. As
Brother Jackson noted, more than 60 years had passed since the release of the
first volume of the New World Translation, and during that time, the English
language had changed as well. During 2017, the revised version of the New
World Translation of the Holy Scriptures has been released in some major
European languages, such as Italian (originally released in 1963), Dutch (also
originally released in 1963), Greek (originally released in 1997), and Hungarian
(originally released in 2000). How do the brothers and sisters feel about the
revised New World Translation in their particular language? The modern
language in this revised version of the Bible helps me to understand Bible
passages because now it flows better and is much simpler. This helps me to
meditate more on what I have just read. At Numbers 14:24, Jehovah speaks to
Moses. In the older version, Jehovah says about Caleb that “a different spirit has
proved to be with him.” In the revised version, the verse reads that ‘my servant
Caleb thinks differently’ —very clear and doesn’t need further explanation. Psalm
7:9 now says that Jehovah “examines the hearts and the deepest emotions,”
whereas previously it said he examines the ‘hearts and the kidneys.’ Now it’s
easier to understand. Besides all the aspects of helping to get a better
understanding of God’s Word, why are brothers and sisters happy to use this
revised version in field service? When reading a scripture, you can tell that
people understand it more quickly; there is less need to explain more. And that’s
great. I particularly like the glossary; it’s a kind of mini Insight book. It has been
very useful when I study and also in the ministry. Furthermore, I like that at the
beginning of the Bible, there are 20 introductions that answer questions that
people in the territory often ask, and they have Bible verses and very nice
illustrations. So they are very clear and practical. To achieve such an awesome
result by revising the New World Translation, which important aspects did the
translators have to keep in mind? Thanks to the modern language that is used in
the revision, readers can understand most Bible passages as they read them,
without having to stop and read them over again. This is possible, in part,
because the text is not cluttered with too many words —trying to copy the
Hebrew syntax and style of expression. Thus, the use of modern language
contributes to naturalness and clarity. The language used in the revision also
now allows the emotions of the characters to come through more vividly. You
straightaway notice when someone is angry or desperate or sad. Like in Matthew
11, when Jesus invites us to take his yoke upon us, his warmth is immediately
obvious. In the 2003 edition, only one sentence was packed into seven verses,
and its length was half a column, making it very cumbersome to follow the line of
thought. In the revised Bible, this part was cut into more sentences, so it is easier
to grasp the idea. Many parents have told us that now when they read the Bible
with their children, they don’t have to stop to explain words and the reading is
much more enjoyable. The revised New World Translation will be made available
in more languages in the near future. We know that Jehovah wants all his people
to listen as he speaks to them in clear, understandable language. This will help
us to come to know Jehovah even better, and our love for him will keep growing
while we read his Word with joy. In addition to being clear and accurate, what
should be the primary goal of any Bible translation? The answer is found in the
theme of our program this month: “Father, Glorify Your Name.” It’s based on
Jesus’ words recorded at John 12:28. Let’s start by examining the context of
those words as found in verses 27 and 28: “‘Now I am troubled, and what should
I say? “‘Father, save me out of this hour. “‘Nevertheless, this is why I have come
to this hour. “Father, glorify your name.’ “Then a voice came out of heaven: ‘I
have glorified it and will glorify it again.’” Jesus uttered these words just four days
before his agonizing death. But even though Jesus was very troubled about what
was soon to happen to him, what was his primary concern? It was for Jehovah’s
name to be glorified. We today are likewise concerned about the glorification of
Jehovah’s name and his reputation. But how can someone be glorified, or made
famous, if nobody knows his name? Knowing God’s personal name, Jehovah, is
closely tied in with glorifying his reputation. In fact, knowing Jehovah’s name is
the very first step in that process. The June 2015 program of JW Broadcasting
discussed why God’s personal name should appear in all translations of the
Bible. You might find it helpful to review that program. But this month, we will
consider another aspect of this subject that is far more controversial, namely,
Should the divine name appear in the Christian Greek Scriptures, or what is
commonly called the New Testament? Many scholars who agree with us that the
divine name should appear in the Hebrew Scriptures disagree with our use of the
same name in the New Testament. So, what prompted the translators of the New
World Translation to restore the divine name 237 times in the Christian Greek
Scriptures? The answer to that question involves some fascinating events that
seem to be too amazing to be just coincidence. It also requires us to do some
detective work. Sound intriguing? It is! So let’s start our journey together. First of
all, imagine that you are back in the late 1940’s —the time when the New World
Bible Translation Committee was translating the book of Matthew. As they started
the project, no doubt they realized that Matthew’s account contains many
quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures. Many of these contain the
Tetragrammaton, that is, the divine name in Hebrew letters in the original text.
For example, let’s consider Matthew 22:44. This verse records Jesus quoting the
words of Psalm 110:1: “Jehovah said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand.’” But did
Jesus use the divine name when making this quote? Or did he substitute the
divine name with an equivalent such as “Lord”? Well, the brothers would have
realized that many editions of the King James Version did something very
interesting at Matthew 22:44. In that verse, the English word “LORD” is written in
capital letters. This technique is used throughout the King James Version to
indicate where the original Hebrew text uses the divine name. So using “LORD”
in capital letters in this verse, in effect, acknowledges that the name of God was
originally in this quote. The implication is that Jesus used God’s name when
making this quote. However, in the years prior to the release of the New World
Translation, many scholars argued that long before Jesus came to earth, the
Jewish people had already removed the Tetragrammaton from the Greek
translation of the Hebrew text —the Septuagint. If true, that would mean that
copies of the Holy Writings used in Jesus’ day would not have contained the
divine name. So, what should the Translation Committee do? Should they use
the divine name in their translation or not? This is where the story becomes
intriguing. Around that time, some exciting discoveries were made that proved
those scholars wrong. One of these discoveries was documented by the brothers
in the foreword of the 1950 edition of the New World Translation of the Christian
Greek Scriptures. It involved some papyri copies of the Septuagint that dated
back to around the time of Jesus. What did these papyri fragments reveal? Let’s
find out in this documentary report. In 1950, the New World Translation of the
Christian Greek Scriptures was released. “I have the extreme pleasure of
releasing “the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures!” This
translation was unique in that it restored the divine name, Jehovah, 237 times in
the main text of the so-called New Testament. But how could they do that,
considering that for centuries many Bibles did not use Jehovah’s name? And why
did the divine name need to be restored? The oldest copies we have available do
not use the divine name in the Christian Greek Scriptures; they use substitutes
like God or Lord. Very early on, the copyists of those original manuscripts, they
simply replaced —they got into the practice of replacing— God’s name. We know
that this is not a translation because one is a name and the other one is a title.
And it’s not even a synonym for Jehovah, for a name. Since the Greek Scriptures
were an inspired addition to the sacred Hebrew Scriptures and, in fact, Jehovah’s
name, God’s name, was used some 7,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, the
sudden disappearance in the Greek text is inconsistent. Even though the New
World Bible Translation Committee believed that Jehovah’s name should appear
in the text of the Christian Greek Scriptures, they also knew that at that time
virtually all Bible scholars disagreed with that belief. Those scholars argued that
by the time of Jesus, even the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, the
Septuagint, no longer contained the divine name. So why would the writers of the
New Testament use the divine name when their copies of the Holy Scriptures in
Greek did not contain the Tetragrammaton? This view was based on faulty
information. How so? Did the Septuagint still use the divine name in Jesus’ time?
Let’s consider one piece of evidence that answers this question. Something
amazing happened in 1944. A theological journal published a picture of a Greek
Septuagint fragment from the Papyrus Fouad 266 collection. Now, inside that
fragment there was the divine name. In the Greek text, you had the
Tetragrammaton, not just once but throughout. Now, this fragment was very old,
dating back to the first century B.C.E., but the important point is that this was
proof, clear proof, that the divine name was originally there. Two Jehovah’s
Witnesses were asked to obtain photographs of these fragments, which were
located in Cairo, Egypt. The New World Translation Committee was very
interested in this because they started translating the Greek Scriptures in 1947.
After obtaining permission, pictures of 12 of the fragments were published in the
foreword of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. What
amazes me about this is the timing. When our brothers —this New World
Translation Committee— did their research, before even translating, suddenly
something that was unknown until essentially 1944 came to light that confirmed
that the eternal name of God had to be revealed; it could no longer be hidden. It
should be shown to everyone who wants to worship Jehovah. This careful
preservation supports what Jesus said in prayer at John 17:26, when he said to
his Father: “I have made your name known . . . and will make it known.” As
Jehovah’s Witnesses, we are proud to be “a people for his name.” Knowing his
name is essential to knowing Jehovah himself, and the fact that Jehovah has
provided this arrangement through his people makes it very clear that he was
gathering “a people for his name.” This is why this Bible translation is so
beautiful, because it brings us closer to Jehovah. Jehovah is not just a Lord
somewhere, which could apply to anyone, but he is Jehovah, our God. He
extends his hand to us and says, well, ‘I’m Jehovah; call me by that name.’ What
an amazing find! They found proof that the divine name in Hebrew letters was
included in the text of the Septuagint that would have been available in Jesus’
day and just at the right time —the time when the members of the Translation
Committee were making the decision as to whether they should use the name
Jehovah in their translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. We are so happy
that the brothers were able to find this information because these fragments were
not released for general publication until much later in 1971 —years after the
time when the committee needed to make that vital decision. But that’s not all!
Do you remember what other important material was discovered starting in
1947? It was the Dead Sea Scrolls. Many of these scrolls were dated to around
the time when Jesus was on earth. And what did these scrolls contain over and
over again? You guessed it —the Tetragrammaton— the divine name. Isn’t it
interesting that these discoveries were made around the time when our brothers
were translating the New World Translation? Is this just coincidence or do you
see Jehovah’s hand in this? What has happened in the years since that time? It’s
important to note that the divine name is consistently used in fragments of the
Septuagint that date from the first century B.C.E. and the first century C.E. This
has led some scholars to acknowledge the possibility that Jesus and his disciples
used the divine name when making these quotations. But we need to remember
that Hebrew Scripture quotations account for approximately one third of the 237
times the New World Translation restores the divine name in the Christian Greek
Scriptures. So, what about the other two thirds of occurrences? Well, this brings
us to the part of our program that involves some detective work. Imagine that you
are a detective, and you catch an art thief who has stolen over 200 original
pieces of art from various museums and art galleries. This thief not only stole
each piece of art but he also substituted it with a copy. So you need to start an
investigation and follow the clues. First of all, you need to find out where each
painting was located originally. Once you have verified that fakes are hanging in
those locations, you would be in a position to return the originals to their proper
locations. In a similar way, we have solid evidence that a crime was committed in
the second and third centuries C.E. Apostate Christians removed the divine
name from manuscripts of the Bible and replaced it with Kyʹri·os, the Greek word
for “Lord.” There is much evidence for this conclusion. So they are like the art
thief in our illustration. They stole something valuable when they removed
Jehovah’s name from the Christian Greek Scriptures. But we have a problem.
There are no copies of the Christian Greek Scriptures from the first century for us
to examine. The earliest existing manuscripts that would have a bearing on this
matter date from the late second century onward —a time when we know that the
crime had already been committed and Jehovah’s name had already been
removed. So how do we know where Jehovah’s name originally appeared in the
Greek text before the apostates removed it? Well, just like the detective in our
illustration, we need to start an investigation and follow the clues. To do our work
properly, we need to examine every time the word “Lord” appears in the text and
see if it refers to Jehovah, to Jesus, or to some other person with the title “Lord.”
Basically, there are five clues that will help us to find out where the original
artwork, that is, Jehovah’s name, needs to be returned to. Let’s scrutinize these
clues. The first clue is, as we have already mentioned, the easiest clue, where
the title “Lord” appears in quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures that originally
used the divine name. The second clue is where the Greek text contains a
Hebrew idiom that would normally contain the divine name. For example, if
someone says in English, “He escaped by the skin of his . . . ,” what word do you
expect? Teeth, not eye. Yes, the expression is “skin of his teeth.” This is similar
with Hebrew expressions. Some of these contain the divine name. For example,
the expression found at Matthew 1:20 is “the angel of Jehovah.” So whenever we
find a Greek translation of a Hebrew idiom that uses the divine name, this is
another clue that Jehovah’s name should be there. The third clue is where the
term “Lord” appears in the context surrounding a quotation that is originally
attributed to Jehovah. An example of this is Matthew 1:22: “All of this actually
came about to fulfill what was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet,
saying . . .” The quotation that immediately follows at Matthew 1:23 is taken from
Isaiah 7:14. This is a prophetic message spoken by Jehovah through Isaiah. The
fourth clue is when we see in the Greek text where there is no definite article
before Kyʹri·os, the Greek word for “Lord,” in places where the Greek grammar
normally expects a definite article. This clue may indicate that a proper name,
such as Jehovah, originally was there in the text and was removed from later
manuscripts and replaced with Kyʹri·os. To illustrate the importance of this clue,
imagine that you are a newspaper reporter who is reporting on a car accident.
You report that Joe Smith, the driver of the vehicle, was killed in the accident. But
just before the story goes to press, your editor informs you that Joe Smith’s
relatives have not yet been notified of his death. So you are told to remove his
name from the report. You do that, but in doing so, you forget to add the “the”
before the word “driver.” What would happen? Your report would say, “As a result
of the accident, driver was killed.” That sounds strange, doesn’t it? It sounds like
“driver” is the name of the person killed. That’s because you suppressed the
name and forgot to add the appropriate article. That is similar to what our
symbolic art thieves did when removing Jehovah’s name from the Bible. An
example of this is found in the Greek text of Mark 13:20. “In fact, unless Lord had
cut short the days, no flesh would be saved.” That sounds like “Lord” is a name,
and clearly it should be Jehovah’s name. That’s why the New World Translation
restores the divine name in this verse. However, even in cases where the definite
article occurs before the word “Lord,” there may be other strong reasons for
viewing “Lord” as a substitute for the divine name, like the ones we already
discussed. The final clue is where the divine name needs to be added to avoid
ambiguity. An example of this is in Mark 5:19. There, Jesus says to a man he
healed: “Go home to your relatives, “and report to them all the things Jehovah
has done for you and the mercy he has shown you.” How do we know that “Lord”
here refers to Jehovah and not Jesus? Well, in recording the same event, Luke
8:39 uses the Greek word The·osʹ (God), supporting the thought that Kyʹri·os
(Lord) at Mark 5:19 is used with reference to Jehovah God. So these five clues
helped the New World Bible Translation Committee to ascertain where the name
Jehovah should be restored to the Biblical text. In this way, they were able to
right the wrong that was committed by apostate Christians in the second and
third centuries or, in other words, they were able to return the figurative pieces of
stolen artwork to their proper places. If you would like to review these five clues,
you will find a detailed explanation in Appendix C of the Study Edition of the New
World Translation. You can either find this in the JW Library® app or online at
Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY. In the same Appendix C, you will find a list of
what we call J-References that support these decisions. But you might ask,
‘What role did these J-References play in making these decisions?’ Well, to help
us understand the answer to that question, I’d like to introduce to you a brother
with whom I work, Brother Nick Ahladis. He’s the assistant overseer of
Translation Services. Nick, thanks so much for being willing to come along and
answer some questions for us. Yes, I’m glad to come. Well, now that we’ve got
you here, the first question I’d like to ask you is, What really are these so-called
J-References? Well the “J” in the J-References stands for Jehovah. And this is
mainly a list of Bibles in Hebrew and other languages that use the divine name,
Jehovah, in the main text of the Christian Greek Scriptures —or at least some
form of the name Jehovah. And this list began to be compiled by the New World
Bible Translation Committee in the 1940’s. So where would we find a list like that
now? Well, originally there was a list of 21 such references in the 1950 edition of
the Christian Greek Scriptures. Then, in 1984, 27 such references were included
in the Reference Bible in English. And since that time, many more J-References
have been found, and now the list includes over 90 such translations and
reference works. And you can find an up-to-date list in Appendix C4 of the
[Study] Bible. Very good. So I guess the main question we’re interested in asking
you is, Do these J-References prove in themselves that the Tetragrammaton
should be in the Christian Greek Scriptures? Actually, no; they don’t. Ah, now, I’m
sure most of us weren’t expecting you to say that. So can you explain it a little bit
more please? Well, the New World Translation Committee did not rely on the J-
References as the basis for their decision to restore the divine name in the
Christian Greek Scriptures. You already discussed the basis for the decision
earlier in the broadcast. Rather, these J-References provide proof that other
translators have made similar decisions when restoring the divine name to their
editions of the Christian Greek Scriptures, or the so-called New Testament. So,
now that you’re talking about these other Bible translators, could you give us an
example of who you’re talking about? Well, a number of them were well-known
Bible scholars. For example, 19th-century Lutheran theologian Franz Delitzsch is
still considered to be a foremost Bible scholar and a scholar of Biblical Hebrew.
Delitzsch’s translation of the New Testament in Hebrew was produced in 1877,
and it’s one of the J-References. In fact, it’s still one of the best-known New
Testaments in the Hebrew language. In that translation, he discerned when to
use Jehovah’s name in places where the Greek text contains the term Kyʹri·os, or
Lord. The New World Bible Translation Committee studied all those occurrences
from his translation as well as the occurrences in others of the J-References. So
how would you summarize what the value is of these J-References? Well, all the
J-References, including the new ones in the Study Bible, represent the view of
translators and scholars who arrived at the same conclusion that the New World
Bible Translation Committee did, namely, that Jesus Christ and the apostles used
the name Jehovah in their teaching and in their writings. And this conclusion is
reflected in their translation and reference works. Very interesting. That’s
fascinating. So if I’ve got it right then, what you’re saying is that if we go to
Appendix C, in C3, there we’ve got a list of the reasons why the brothers on the
New World Translation Committee decided to put Jehovah’s name in certain
verses. And then C4 is virtually a list of other Bible translations where the
translators made exactly the same decision. Is that right? That’s exactly right. Ah,
that’s good. Well, thank you very much, Nick, for coming along. We really
appreciated hearing those expressions from you. Before you go, though, can we
ask you, please, Can you take back the love and greetings and an expression of
appreciation to all those hardworking brothers and sisters there in Translation
Services? Yes, I’d be happy to. Thank you very much. Why does the organization
work so diligently to translate the Bible? It’s not so that we can feel smart when
talking to others about the Bible and God’s name. No, but it equips us to follow
Jesus’ example in the ministry and to glorify God’s name and make it known to
those searching for Him. This month’s original song is entitled “The Search,” and
it shows the joy people feel when they find Jehovah. We heard the words ‘seek
and you’ll find’ The very priceless pearl of truth. It was a sea of doubts and
questions to God That the search would take us through. But we carried on with
our sails unfurled. Like merchants on a quest, we knew that truth was out there.
The search—the search for the key To answer all the things, Things that we fight
to understand: The origin of man, wondering why we need God’s Kingdom soon
to come. Searching hard to find. We had never known God had a name. Jehovah
is the one to call on. When we were shown, we found a piece Of what we were
searching for. And we carried on with our sails unfurled, Finding truths about
where we came from and where we’re heading. The search—the search for the
key That answered all the things, Things that we fought to understand: The origin
of man, a paradise that’s promised in God’s Kingdom soon to come. Search and
you will find. Now we can never hold back when others are searching For the
priceless pearl of truth, Sailing a sea of unanswered questions. So we help them
to get through, And we share what we’ve discovered. The search—the search for
the key To answer all the things, Things that they fight to understand: The origin
of man, living forever in God’s Kingdom soon to come. Search and you will find.
Maybe you once thought similarly to what the lyrics from our song express: “Like
merchants on a quest, we knew the truth was out there.” What a wonderful
privilege it is to find Jehovah and then to help others who are still searching. It’s
an important way we glorify God’s name and why we’re called Jehovah’s
Witnesses. Bearing that name is, of course, both a privilege and a responsibility.
How so? Brother Robert Ciranko explains in this Bethel morning worship. By the
time the apostle Peter wrote the words of today’s text, individuals who were
Jews, proselytes, Samaritans, and Gentiles had been brought into the Christian
congregation as God’s people, the spiritual Israel of God. In the verse before
today’s text, Peter outlined what their mission was. Let’s open to 1 Peter
chapter 2 and read that. It’s in verses 9 and 10 of 1 Peter 2. He wrote: “But you
are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, “‘a holy nation, a people for special
possession, “that you should declare abroad the excellencies’ “of the One who
called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. “For you were once not a
people, but now you are God’s people.” And, of course, this refers to the spirit-
anointed members of the congregation who would be responsible for glorifying
Jehovah’s name as his Witnesses. And this harmonizes with what Peter had said
years earlier in the first-century governing body meeting, as reported in Acts
chapter 15. So let’s turn there, Acts 15, and we will begin with verse 14. It says:
“Symeon has related thoroughly how God “for the first time turned his attention to
the nations “to take out of them a people for his name. “And with this the words of
the Prophets agree, “just as it is written: “‘After these things I will return and raise
up again “‘the tent of David that is fallen down; “‘I will rebuild its ruins and restore
it, “‘so that the men who remain may earnestly seek Jehovah, “‘together with
people of all the nations, “‘people who are called by my name, says Jehovah,
who is doing these things.’” Now, what about the rest of us who are not anointed
Christians but who call ourselves Jehovah’s Witnesses? Are we also God’s
people? Well, most certainly! And what a proud honor it is for us to bear the
name of the only true God. But with that name comes responsibility, one that
other religious groups do not want to take on. You see, we are under obligation to
bear witness to Jehovah, to tell the truth about him, and to expose false
teachings that misrepresent Jehovah. And a classic example of an unscriptural
dogma that God’s people have exposed is the Trinity, which reminds me of
another hoax that fooled many people who should have known better. It’s the
true story about a man named van Meegeren, a Dutch artist, born in 1889, who
perpetrated what may have been the most sensational art hoax of all time. You
see, he never won the critical acclaim that he thought he was due as an artist. So
to get back at the art critics, he decided to demonstrate his talent by producing a
painting that would fool them all, and he set out to imitate the famous 17th-
century Dutch impressionist, Johannes Vermeer. Well, van Meegeren spent 4
years figuring out how to make a new painting look 300 years old. The canvas
was the easy part. He just took a lesser-known painting from the 17th century
and removed the picture. His biggest problem was getting oil paint to harden
thoroughly, which usually takes 50 years. He solved it by mixing his pigments
with a synthetic resin instead of oil and then baking the canvas. Well, van
Meegeren produced six paintings that were passed off as Vermeers. His greatest
sold in 1937. It was entitled Christ and the Disciples at Emmaus. The most
authoritative art historian of the day said it was a genuine Vermeer masterpiece,
untouched, on the original canvas, and that it had no restoration done to it. But in
reality, it was a fake. The critic’s opinion was taken as gospel in the art world, so
much so that this critic had been nicknamed “The Pope.” Eventually, though, a
chemical analysis proved that the paint contained an ingredient that had not been
discovered until two centuries after Vermeer died, and that’s what exposed van
Meegeren as a fraud. Well, something similar went on during the apostasy that
took place after the death of the apostles. Less than 300 years after the Bible
was completed, a Trinitarian added to 1 John 5:7 the words “in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” However, this
addition does not appear in the oldest Greek manuscripts, proving it’s a fake; it’s
a corruption of God’s Word. And yet for centuries, the churches propagated the
Trinity doctrine. As recently as the 19th century, almost all Bible translations had
this spurious addition. As late as 1897, Pope Leo XIII upheld the corrupted text of
the Latin Vulgate. Interestingly, the New Catholic Encyclopedia comments on this
and says: “The Trinitarian dogma “is in the last analysis a late 4th century
invention. “Among the Apostolic Fathers, “there had been nothing even remotely
approaching such a mentality or perspective.” Well, Jehovah’s anointed
Witnesses firmly rejected Christendom’s Trinity dogma. In 1915, The Watch
Tower exposed the foolishness of teaching a doctrine that contradicts the Bible.
The Watch Tower said: “In what a jumble of contradictions “and confusion do they
find themselves who say “that Jesus and the Father are one God! “This would
involve the idea “that our Lord Jesus acted the hypocrite when on earth “and only
pretended to address God in prayer, “when He Himself was the same God. . . .
“The Father has always been immortal, hence could not die. “How then, could
Jesus have died? . . . “The Scriptures declare, however, that He did die. . . . “If
they admit that Jesus really died, they take the other horn of the dilemma; “for
believing that their three Gods “are all one person as many do, “when Jesus died
they must all three have died. “If they all died, who raised them to life? “How
foolish all this sounds! . . . “Shall we thus contradict the Apostles and Prophets
and Jesus Himself, “and ignore reason and common sense, in order to hold “to a
dogma handed to us from the dark, superstitious past, “by a corrupt apostate
Church? Nay!” says The Watch Tower. Well, Jehovah’s people continue to uphold
the excellencies of the only true God. Whether in ancient times, as with the
natural Israelites or in modern times, as with spiritual Israel, Jehovah’s words
through Isaiah are still true. Look at it at Isaiah 43:21. Of course, we know in
Isaiah chapter 43 Jehovah declares: “You are my witnesses.” And in verse 21 he
says: “The people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my
praise.” And the effort that Jehovah’s Witnesses —God’s people— have put forth
to expose Bible teachings that are false, to teach the truth about Jehovah, and to
sanctify God’s name has taken on proportions never attained by any other
religious group. And Jehovah takes notice of that. Look at Malachi the 3rd
chapter. Malachi chapter 3, beginning with verse 16. Malachi 3:16: “At that time
those who feared Jehovah spoke with one another, “each one with his
companion, “and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. “And a book of
remembrance was written before him “for those fearing Jehovah and for those
meditating on “[or the footnote says, possibly, “treasuring”] his name. “‘And they
will be mine,’ says Jehovah of armies, ‘in the day when I produce a special
property.’” So Jehovah truly does love those who fear him and treasure his name,
making them truly God’s people. Jehovah can remove any obstacle to sanctifying
his name and declaring the good news —even long-held false teachings. And
what is more amazing, he uses his people —his special property— to get the
work done. The challenges may be different where you live, but the results are
the same: Jehovah blesses your efforts to glorify him. Let’s see an example in
this report from Peru, where our brothers are reaching the hearts of Quechua-
speaking people in the Andes Mountains. My name is Faustino Camacho
Quispe. My family and I speak Quechua or, as we say, runa simi —the language
of the people. We live in an agricultural community in the mountains of Peru. Our
way of life depends on farming. We grow crops such as corn, potatoes, wheat,
and quinoa. We also raise a small amount of livestock. Many people who speak
Quechua have moved to larger cities, but others, like us, still enjoy a more
traditional way of life in the country. My family and I are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Most of our brothers and sisters in this area would never have been able to learn
the truth had there not been someone sent here to preach in Quechua. In 1992,
the Peru branch office began to expand the work in the Quechua-language field.
In order to reach those living in isolated areas, zealous brothers and sisters
climbed narrow roads in the frigid elevations of the Andes Mountains. Great
efforts were made in order to bring Quechua-speaking people the good news in
their own language. The people loved having publications in their mother tongue.
However, there were some challenges in carrying out this work. One problem
was not having a good translation of the Holy Scriptures in Quechua. The
commonly used translations here in Peru omit God’s name in the main text. It
can be found in the glossary of some Bibles, and sometimes we used that in
order to preach. But even so, it didn’t have the same impact as seeing it in its
proper place. That, along with the influence of false doctrines, made it difficult for
us to teach the truth. When we teach people about the Bible, we want them to
draw close to God; we want them to become his friends. But no one can be
God’s friend if they don’t know his name. For people to be able to come to love
God, they have to know his name, and they have to understand what it means. It
was difficult for us to use the Bible at the meetings, in the field ministry, and in our
family worship. How could Jehovah’s great name be sanctified throughout this
mountainous region? How could the Quechua people get to know God when his
name was hidden? The answer to our prayers came when Quechua
congregations throughout the country were invited to a special program on May
1, 2016. Imagine the great joy we felt when Brother Jackson of the Governing
Body announced the release of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek
Scriptures in two Quechua languages! Language number 136: It’s the Christian
Greek Scriptures in Quechua Ayacucho! But we also have number 137: It’s
Quechua Cuzco! What a wonderful gift we’ve received today! This new Quechua
Bible is a grand victory for Jehovah’s great name. God’s name is no longer
hidden from the Quechua people, giving them the precious opportunity to come
to know our loving Creator, Jehovah. I feel proud to use our new Bible to teach
my family and neighbors Jehovah’s name. I am thankful every day that Jehovah
sent this good news to the mountains to us who speak runa simi —the language
of the people. It was a privilege to be at such a happy event and to see our
brothers’ joy when they received the Christian Greek Scriptures in two Quechua
languages. May they use their Bibles to draw close to Jehovah and glorify his
name in the Andes Mountains. Our program now goes to the South Pacific,
where we conclude with greetings from Tuvalu. Most of Tuvalu’s nine islands are
ring-shaped coral atolls surrounding peaceful lagoons. These small islands
barely rise out of the sea. On Funafuti, Tuvalu’s capital, the island is just wide
enough in some places for the main road and a single house. The motorbike is
the preferred way to travel on the island. So it’s good that our witnessing carts
come equipped with sturdy wheels. Tuvalu has a busy remote translation office.
In 2011, the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures in Tuvaluan
was released. In October of last year, the complete Bible was released, making
Tuvaluan the smallest language group to receive the New World Translation. I
was assigned to Tuvalu in 1979 and enjoyed the challenging task of helping to
establish Tuvaluan translation. There were only 3 other baptized publishers back
then, but in 2017, Tuvalu reported a peak of 125 publishers. They preach to a
population of around 10,000 people. Tuvaluans are warm and friendly, and our
brothers and sisters thoroughly enjoy the time they can spend together. They
send their love and greetings from the South Pacific. Alofa atu in Tuvaluan
means “We send our love to you all.” We send them our love and pray for
Jehovah’s continued blessing.

This is JW Broadcasting from the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

JW Broadcasting—October 2018
Length 55:35
https://tv.jw.org/#en/mediaitems/LatestVideos/pub-jwb_201810_1_VIDEO