Do You Remember?

Have you appreciated reading the recent issues of The Watchtower? Well, see if you can answer the following questions:

• What indicates that Jesus had brothers and sisters?

The Bible says so at Matthew 13:55, 56 and Mark 6:3. The Greek word (adelphos) found there is used to designate “some sort of physical or legal relationship [and] means only full or half-brothers.” (The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, January 1992)​—12/15, page 3.

• What changed face of war has been in evidence, and what have often been the root causes?

In recent years the wars that have plagued mankind have mainly been civil wars​—wars between opposing groups of citizens of the same country. Ethnic and tribal hatred, religious differences, injustice, and political turmoil have been factors. Another factor has been greed for power and money.​—1/1, pages 3-4.

• How do we know that Jesus did not intend for Christians to repeat by rote the words of the model prayer?

Jesus set out this example of prayer in his Sermon on the Mount. Some 18 months later, he repeated the essence of his earlier instruction about prayer. (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4) Noticeable is the fact that he did not repeat it word for word, which indicates that he was not giving a liturgical prayer to be recited by rote.​—2/1, page 8.

• After the Flood, where did the dove find the olive leaf that it brought to the ark?

We do not know the salinity or temperature of the floodwaters. But olive trees have been known to sprout again even after being cut down. So some may have survived the floodwaters and put forth leaves thereafter.​—2/15, page 31.

• During the Nigerian civil war, with the blockade of Biafra, how did Jehovah’s Witnesses in that area receive spiritual food?

A civil servant was assigned a post in Europe and another worked at the Biafran airstrip. Both were Witnesses. They accepted the risky task of channeling spiritual food into Biafra, thus benefiting many brothers until the war ended in 1970.​—3/1, page 27.

• What was accomplished with the Peace of Westphalia, and how was religion involved?

The Reformation split the Holy Roman Empire into three faiths​—Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist. The Protestant Union and the Catholic League were formed in the early 17th century. Then a religious conflict erupted in Bohemia and escalated into an international power struggle. Catholic and Protestant rulers jockeyed for political supremacy and commercial gain. Finally, peace talks were held in the German province of Westphalia. After almost five years, the Treaty of Westphalia was signed in 1648, ending the Thirty Years’ War and marking the birth of modern Europe as a continent of sovereign states.​—3/15, pages 20-3.

• What is the meaning of the mark, or name, of “the wild beast”​—the number 666?

This mark is mentioned at Revelation 13:16-18. The beast refers to human rulership, and the beast’s bearing “a man’s number” indicates that governments reflect the fallen human condition. The 6 plus 60 plus 600 shows that it is utterly deficient in God’s eyes. Those who bear this mark give worshipful honor to the political State, or they look to it for salvation.​—4/1, pages 4-7.