The Study Watchtower, "Article 1", Week of February 27 to March 5, 2023, Convinced that the Word of God is the truth, Answers.

The Study Watchtower, «Article 1», 27-February-5-March-2023, Convinced that the Word of God is the truth, Answers.

TEXT OF THE YEAR 2023: "The truth is the very essence of your word" (SAL. 119:160).

1. Why do many people mistrust the Bible?

The main reason is because nowadays there is a crisis of confidence. And we say this because although many people admire politicians, scientists or businessmen, they wonder if they mean well. For their part, the leaders of the Christian churches do not inspire respect for their actions. So since they don't know who to trust, it shouldn't surprise us that they don't trust the Bible, and the funny thing is that religious leaders follow this Book.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT

As today there is a crisis where people do not know who they trust and have no respect for the leaders of the church and we see how their foundation is supposed to be the Bible, that is why they do not trust the Bible.

2. According to Psalm 119:160, of what must we be convinced?

We must be convinced that Jehovah is the god of truth and that he always wants the best for us. Therefore, we can trust what the Bible says because truth is the very essence of God's word, as Psalm 119:160 shows.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Jesus Christ himself entrusted his life to Jehovah God and knew that he was going to rescue him from death, because he knew that Jehovah is the God of truth who always fulfills everything that he promises, with how much more reason can we have full confidence in his word.

The paragraph says that he had written everything that God has said, there is not an iota of falsehood and no probability that he will fail. God's people can trust what he says because they trust the God who said it, and if they are Biblicalists who have said it, it means that he is someone who has really researched the Bible.

3. What will we analyze in this article?

We will analyze three arguments that we can use to help other people have the same confidence that we have in the word of God: The message of the Bible has not changed, its prophecies always come true, and the Bible has the power to change the life of the people.

 THE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE HAS NOT BEEN CHANGED

4. Why do some people think the Bible has been changed?

As the paragraph mentions, Jehovah used about 40 faithful men to write the books of the Bible by inspiration, but today there are none of those original manuscripts, only copies of copies. That is why some people wonder if what the Bible says is the same as what those men wrote or if it has been changed.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT

Well, a manuscript is a handmade document written by hand, because of papyrus, clay, stone, different materials.

5. How were the Hebrew Scriptures copied? (See cover drawing.)

To protect his message Jehovah ordered the kings of Israel to be a copy of the law and told the Levites that they should explain it to the people, and after the Jews had been exiled in Babylon, a group of professional Copyists began to make many copies of the Hebrew scriptures and the interesting thing is that these men, as the paragraph mentions, were careful, so much so that over time they began to count the words and even the letters to make sure that their work or responsibility was impeccable. However, since they were imperfect, they had some small errors and they managed to detect them thanks to the fact that there were many copies of the same text.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Of course, as the paragraph says, since they were imperfect, there were small errors, but these errors were perfectly detected precisely because of this because there were so many copies that they could compare with each other.

In the Pamphlet "a book for the whole world" it is mentioned how according to some scholars the scribes were able to find out what was the word that was right in the middle of the Pentateuch right in the middle of each book of the Bible, and how many times each letter of the Bible appeared. the Hebrew scriptures came to find that they already verified that there were over 800,000 letters in the scriptures and they specifically counted to see if they matched.

Yes, another detail is how these scriptures were protected in verse 31 verses 24 to 26 he was told that Moses told the Levites that they should keep it but then when we go to Nehemiah he mentioned to the Levites that they should explain the law to the A town like this, not everyone could copy that law, everyone could have access because everyone could explain that law, but it was prevented from manipulating the scriptures.

ILLUSTRATION

We see the meticulous work of these scribes, you can't see a lot of scrolls there, some will be about to write others already written and the tables are seen as if it were an original below, not that they are copying exactly, that is, they have the origin and making a copy what as thorough as possible to match what has been written before no And that has helped a lot in maintaining accuracy.

Two copyists write on parchments. Professional copyists of the Hebrew Scriptures went to great lengths to ensure that their work was flawless. (See paragraph 5).

6. How can errors in copies of the Bible be detected?

Comparing many manuscripts of the Bible.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT

An example that will help us understand how errors could be detected in copies of the Bible is Imagining that 100 men are asked to copy a page of a certain text by hand and one of them makes a small error, and to detect that error, the solution is to compare all the copies. Something similar is done by current biblical scholars, they can find the errors or omissions of these copyists, comparing many manuscripts of the Bible. 

7. How do we know that many Bible copyists did a very careful job?

The work carried out by the copyists of the Bible was a very careful work and we say this because the comparison that is currently made of the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew scriptures, the Leningrad codex of the year 1008 or 1009 of our era, with manuscripts and fragments of the Bible that are some 1000 years older than the Leningrad codex, since when comparing them despite the fact that there is a thousand years between them and that the wording is slightly different, the essence of the Bible's message is not has changed.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT

Contrast is made with respect to other editions of similar publications, since the contrast with Don Quixote was commented, of which the original does not exist, nor does it even seem that there is the first printed copy, there are others and which have subsequently had different versions. So we think about what the Bible has done with respect to other publications and we are impressed. 

8. What is the difference between copies of the Christian Greek Scriptures and copies of other ancient works?

We can be sure that what we are reading in the Bible today is what was written in ancient times.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT

We can distinguish the difference by comparing the manuscripts of the Greek scriptures with works from that same period, and regarding this a biblical scholar said that there are generally more copies and they tend to be more complete. And referring to the Greek scriptures, a certain work says that we can be sure that what we read is a serious and current translation and essentially contains what the ancient authors wrote. 

9. What certainty does Isaiah 40:8 give us about the message of the Bible?

Isaiah 40:8 gives us the certainty that the word of God will last until time indefinite. In addition, the painstaking work done by many copyists over the centuries made it possible for the Bible we read today to be accurate. This shows that Jehovah has always made sure that the message of his word reaches us with the same essence of the original writings.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Seeing all this evidence there are people who can accept the fact that the Bible remains exactly the same as when it was written, but they do not necessarily accept the fact that these are the words of God.

We have the guarantee that the message has not changed and precisely because of all those copies it has become possible to see that there has been no error that has changed the message. 

THE PROPHECIES OF THE BIBLE ARE ALWAYS FULFILLED

10. Mention a prophecy that was fulfilled and that confirms what 2 Peter 1:21 says (see the pictures).

The prophecy is that of Isaiah 4427 to 45 2 where it is shown that Jehovah inspired the Prophet Isaiah to predict that Babylon would be conquered by Cyrus. This prophecy explains even the details of how it would be invaded and destroyed, all this has been fulfilled to the letter. And we say this because today Babylon is a heap of ruins, and this confirms what 2 Peter 1:21 says that the prophecies of the Bible were not written by the will of man, but these men spoke from God and They wrote prompted by the Holy Spirit.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Also how was it explained not how was it going to be that the waters of the river were going to be diverted after the gates were left open because it was a glorious walled city And so they didn't expect and it was going to be like that but we see how This prophecy was fulfilled No They had to fight and although it happened more than 2,500 years ago and continues to be the case, Babylon was never going to be populated and we see that to this day it is still the same as it is in ruins.

The photograph is current, 2,500 years have already passed and instead, according to the video that we see at the end of the paragraph, we see that men make weather forecasts for the next day and it fails, however, as the Bible comes from the word of Jehovah is fulfilled Even if it takes a long time That also gives us security. 

11. How is Daniel 2:41-43 being fulfilled?

This prophecy of Daniel speaks of the power that would be reigned for these last days formed by the United Kingdom and the United States, which would be partly strong as iron and partly fragile as clay. That is exactly what we are experiencing with these two countries. They have been strong as iron because they played a decisive role in the victories of the two world wars and they continue to have great military might. Still, its citizens have weakened their power with unions, civil rights campaigns, and independence movements. Similarly, in recent years there have been divisions due to differences of opinion on the relations of these countries with countries of the European Union and these divisions have made it very difficult for them to act decisively.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

And if we read all this prophecy of the image in its entirety, it is very impressive that in Daniel's time where there were these empires that what the Monarch said was fulfilled, it is very impressive that he already prophesied that there was going to be a divided power, not that something that was not common in his time was going to be fragile, but it is because Jehovah always gives exact prophecies and that is what we are seeing now in our times.

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. Entrance of the ancient city of Babylon. Outside the immense walls there is a parade with soldiers, horses and a high official riding in his carriage. 2. The ruins of Babylon today, totally uninhabited. Bible prophecies were fulfilled in the past and are being fulfilled today. (See paragraphs 10 and 11).

12. What do fulfilled prophecies in the Bible convince us of?

Knowing that all the prophecies have been fulfilled and are being fulfilled further convinces us that God's promises for the future will be fulfilled and that our hope for the future does not depend on what human beings do. But rather from Jehovah, that is why it is important that we continue to study Biblical prophecies with determination so that our confidence in the word of God grows stronger every day.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT.

And they have been fulfilled with such accuracy and categoricalness, which makes us see what remains as something very real, as the text of the Psalm says, I long to see your salvation, that is, for us and what is going to happen, what is written, and is going to happen is like what has already happened real absolutely that's why we can have hope.

Yes, the first one we saw was the fall of Babylon, as the conqueror predicted, how it would be invaded, he was going to invade, and then what he said was that now they would never inhabit there again, and the second one is the one that the Americans promote as it is precisely strong, but at the same time is fragile.

THE TIPS OF THE BIBLE HELP MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

13. What is another reason to trust the Bible? (Psalm 119:66, 138).

We have another reason to trust the Bible and that is that it helps us greatly if we follow its advice. For example, couples who were about to divorce now live happily and together and the children of these Christian families live in a loving environment where they feel safe and loved. Because as Psalm 119:66,138 says, the Bible has taught them to be sensible and because they have trusted in Jehovah's righteous commandments and reminders they have done well.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT

Paul's letter to The Ephesians Chapter 5 from 22 to 29 give us practical advice for all family members parents husbands wives children and that makes us see that I have used carrying out these principles or these tips the happiness is guaranteed.

14. What example shows that the advice of the Bible helps us to be better people?

We have the example of dangerous criminals sentenced to death who changed thanks to the advice of the Bible. An example of this is Jack, the criminal mentioned in the paragraph. His lawyer, on the day of the execution, said that Jack was not the same person he knew 20 years ago. What Jack had learned with the Jehovah's Witnesses had changed his life. Although this man was executed, his example is clear proof that we can trust God's word and that it has the power to help us become better people.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The important thing is that we see the end of this brother's story, he says that after the Dead his story is giving information. So this helps us appreciate the value of Jehovah's word in changing people's hearts.

And I really liked the phrase that says that what moved him was the kindness they showed him, I start to think a little about that first time he began to listen, sure that his face was that of a rude man. However, the brother was not intimidated, but rather made him be very kind and it was not the words, but his presence that made him change, so it makes us see how any person needs affection and needs to be show kindness

15. Why are Jehovah's servants so different? (See the photographs).

Jehovah's servants are different because we put into practice the truths of the Bible. When we look at the photographs corresponding to the paragraph, we see divisions due to political or social issues and armed soldiers. On the other hand, the servants of God love each other, we do not get involved in politics or we are divided. All this thanks to the fact that we discovered the truth of God's word and dedicated our lives to Jehovah. So instead of fighting against people from a different background than ours we teach him the message of peace from the Bible. 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The fact that Jehovah's servants are different from the people of the world caught the attention of a young African named Jean. When a civil war broke out in his country and he enlisted as a soldier, but fled to a neighboring country where he met Jehovah's Witnesses and learned that they practiced the true religion because they were not involved in politics or divided, and instead they loved each other. This made him change and dedicate his life to Jehovah. We see that this young man totally changed thanks to the advice of the Bible, which is convincing proof that we can all trust the word of God.

You can see a scene of that man we are commenting on in the paragraph, first we see a man who carries a weapon in his hands and some inscriptions are seen on his face, a hard face, because he is going with the intention of doing harm. However, he then starts reading the Bible and there he learns to live in peace. His face changes and later he is teaching others to do the same to live in peace.

That is why we can say that we are enjoying peace and security. We the people of Jehovah today and I would like to highlight why in first Corinthians chapter 1 verse 10 we would say from the middle of the text, it says that everyone agrees on what they say and that there are no divisions among you, but that they are completely United in the same mind and in the same way of thinking is the indication to the people of Jehovah, for this is fulfilled and we all strive to reach this conclusion.

ILLUSTRATION 

Series of images of a brother representing Jean. 1. He has a gun in his hands and an ammunition belt slung over his shoulder. 2. Read the Bible. 3. he Converses with a man while he participates in the preaching. The advice of the Bible has improved the lives of many people from different backgrounds. (See paragraph 15). 

LET US CONTINUE TO TRUST IN THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD

16. Why is it so important that we strengthen our confidence in God's Word?

It is important because the conditions of this world will go from bad to worse and our faith in the truth will be tested and perhaps some will try to make us doubt that the Bible tells the truth and that Jehovah has appointed the faithful and wise slave to guide His town. Hence, it is vital that we are convinced that God's word always tells the truth as this will help resist such attacks.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Strengthening our confidence in God's word is also important because it will help us to be determined to obey Jehovah's standards all the time to the end, without being ashamed, without stopping telling others about the truth, and without stopping encouraging them to Follow Biblical advice.

It is increasingly difficult to adhere to the rules of the Bible, that is why they are going to try to make us doubt that these rules are valid, in the time in which we live they are going to try to make us doubt and make us lose confidence in the organization, in the faithful and prudent slave. So, of course, we must be very clear in our minds that the Bible is the word of God, that we are in the true organization and that the end is very close and we must remain faithful. 

How beautiful Psalm 119:46 when it says in front of Kings I will speak of your reminder, and I will not be ashamed that should not encourage them to speak the truth to as many people as possible and encourage them to follow Biblical advice because it will be a good for them.

17. What will the 2023 year text remind us of?

It will remind us that we must be convinced that the truth is the very essence of the entire word of God. Which is very important, since we live in a world that is increasingly lost and confused. Instead, the word of God gives us stability, a purpose in life, reliable guidance, and offers us a bright future under the Kingdom of God. So we should be very grateful that Jehovah has allowed us to know the truth. 

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

How do we know that the message of the Bible has not been changed?

We know this because copies of ancient manuscripts were made to protect the word of God.

What strengthens your confidence in God's Word?

What strengthens our confidence is that many prophecies were fulfilled in the past and in the future we await Jehovah's promise to turn the earth into a paradise.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT

The prophecy on the feet of the Statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw that it would be a divided kingdom and there are two pieces since the United States and the United Kingdom are two powers together and we see how that is being fulfilled that the power so strong that it had before the rulers is already weakening, because there are many movements that prevent them from acting with such decisiveness. This also strengthens my trust in Jehovah, since everything is being fulfilled to the letter.

Why is it more important now than ever for us to be convinced that God's Word is the truth?

It is important to be more convinced that God's word is the truth, because that way we will be more determined to obey Jehovah and his righteous standards and we can tell others about Jehovah's purposes for all of us.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT

Well, because the conditions of this world we know that they are going to go from bad to worse, our faith is going to be put to the test. as Colossians says with patience and happiness.