1. Wanem nao happen long Jerusalem long 607 B.C.E.?

LONG 607 B.C.E., King Nebuchadnezzar II bilong Babylon and bigfala army bilong hem attakim Jerusalem. Bible sei king hia hem iusim sword for killim dae olketa young man. “Hem nating feel sorre for olketa young man or olketa young gele, or olketa olo.” Gogo “hem bonem haos bilong trufala God, brekem wall bilong Jerusalem, bonem olketa strongfala taoa long fire, and distroem evri samting long datfala taon.”—2 Chron. 36:17, 19.

2. Wanem warning nao Jehovah talem, and wanem nao bae happen long olketa Jew?

² Olketa Jew shud no seke taem Jerusalem hem distroe olsem. Staka year nao God sendem olketa profet for warnim pipol long there. God sei sapos olketa gohed for no obeyim hem, bae olketa long Babylon kam attakim olketa. God sei bae olketa hia iusim sword for killim dae staka Jew, and eniwan wea laef bae olketa tekem olketa go prisoner long Babylon. (Jer. 15:2) Hao nao laef bilong olketa taem olketa go long Babylon? Waswe, olketa Christian kasem semkaen nogud samting tu? Sapos olsem, wanem taem nao datwan happen?

3. Hao nao laef bilong olketa Israelite wea stap long Babylon hem difren from laef bilong olketa Israelite wea slave long Egypt?

³ Jehovah talem olketa Jew taem olketa kasem Babylon olketa mas acceptim datfala niu laef bilong olketa and duim gud samting long there. Hem sei long olketa: “Wakem olketa haos and stap insaed. Wakem olketa garden and kaikaim wanem iufala plantim. Stap gud witim pipol long there, and prea long Jehovah for olketa, bikos sapos olketa stap gud, iufala tu bae stap gud.” (Jer. 29:5, 7) Olketa Jew wea followim disfala advaes stap olsem olketa pipol long Babylon nomoa. Olketa long Babylon letem olketa Jew hia for lukaftarem olketa seleva and olketa free for go long eni ples long Babylon. Long datfala taem Babylon hem main taon wea pipol kam for duim bisnis long hem. Olketa oldfala raeting long Babylon bifor showimaot staka Jew lane for baem and salem samting, and lanem tu olketa difren kaen waka. Samfala Jew kamap rich. Laef bilong olketa Israelite wea stap long Babylon hem no hard olsem olketa Israelite wea slave long Egypt staka handred year bifor.—Readim Exodus 2:23-25.

4. Hu nao olketa narawan wea safa tu long Babylon, and why nao hem hard for olketa duim evri samting wea Law talem?

⁴ Samfala Jew hia wea go long Babylon olketa faithful long God. Olketa tu kasem nogud samting wea happen long datfala nation nomata olketa no brekem law bilong God. Olketa Jew garem evri samting wea olketa needim for laef, bat waswe long worship bilong olketa? Olketa bilong Babylon distroem finis datfala temple, and olketa priest no savve duim waka bilong olketa tu. Bat olketa Jew wea faithful traem best bilong olketa for followim Law bilong God. Olsem example, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego no laek for kaikaim olketa kaikai wea olketa Jew tambu for kaikaim. And Bible sei Daniel prea long God evritaem. (Dan. 1:8; 6:10) Nomata olsem, from olketa stap anda long wanfala nation wea no worshipim Jehovah, hem hard nao for olketa faithful Jew hia for duim evri samting wea Law bilong God talem olketa for duim.

5. Wanem nao Jehovah promisim long pipol bilong hem, and why nao maet hem luk olsem diswan bae no happen?

⁵ Waswe, olketa Israelite bae fit for worshipim God moa long wei wea hem acceptim? Long datfala taem, hem luk olsem bae hem hard for olketa duim datwan bikos olketa long Babylon no savve letem prisoner bilong olketa for go free. Bat Jehovah God promis bae pipol bilong hem free, and hem nao samting wea happen. Wanem God promisim hem evritaem kamap tru!—Isa. 55:11.

6, 7. Why nao hem fitim for changem hao iumi minim wei wea olketa Christian stap prisoner long Bigfala Babylon?

⁶ Waswe, eni samting kasem olketa Christian wea semsem olsem samting wea kasem olketa Jew long Babylon? For staka year nao Wastaoa sei olketa faithful Christian stap prisoner long Bigfala Babylon long 1918 and olketa kamap free long 1919. Bat long disfala study and long study bihaen, iumi bae storyim wei wea hem fitim for changem hao iumi minim diswan.

⁷ Tingim diswan: Bigfala Babylon nao hem evri false religion long world. And pipol bilong God no kamap slave long false religion long 1918. Hem tru, long datfala taem olketa anointed Christian kasem persecution. Bat olketa gavman nao persecutim  olketa and no false religion. Staka year bifor World War I, olketa anointed Christian start finis for lusim false religion. So luk olsem pipol bilong Jehovah no kamap prisoner long Bigfala Babylon long 1918.

8. Wanem nao happen bihaen olketa aposol dae? (Lukim piksa long start bilong study.)

⁸ Long Pentecost 33 C.E., staka thousand niu wan nao God anointim witim holy spirit. Olketa anointed Christian hia kamap ‘pipol wea God chusim, olketa priest wea rul olsem king, wanfala holy nation, and spesol pipol bilong God.’ (Readim 1 Peter 2:9, 10.) Olketa aposol lukaftarem gud olketa kongregeson taem olketa laef. Bat bihaen olketa dae, samfala insaed kongregeson start for teachim olketa laea teaching mekem olketa “disaepol followim olketa.” (Acts 20:30) Olketa man hia laekem tumas olketa idea and teaching bilong Aristotle and Plato. Olketa start for teachim olketa idea hia insaed long kongregeson and no teachim tru teaching wea kam from toktok bilong God. (2 Thess. 2:6-8) Staka long olketa hia hem olketa overseer insaed kongregeson. Nomata Jesus talem long olketa disaepol “iufala evriwan olketa brata,” samfala Christian kamap olketa bigman insaed long olketa kongregeson.—Matt. 23:8.

9. Hao nao olketa apostate Christian start for waka tugeta witim gavman bilong Rome, and wanem nao kamaot from datwan?

⁹ Long year 313 C.E., king Constantine bilong Rome appruvim teaching bilong olketa apostate for kamap wanfala niu religion. Bihaen datwan, Church waka tugeta witim gavman bilong Rome. Olsem example, Constantine arrangem wanfala meeting witim olketa bigman bilong religion, wea gogo olketa kolem datfala meeting, Council of Nicaea. Bihaen datfala meeting, king raosem from Rome wanfala priest wea nem bilong hem Arius bikos hem no laek for bilivim Jesus hem God. Bihaen, Theodosius I hem kamap king bilong Rome, and Catholic Church hem kamap main religion long olketa kantri wea Rome rul ovarem. Olketa man for raetem history sei long rul bilong king Theodosius, Rome, wea hem wanfala heathen kantri, hem kamap kantri wea pipol sei hem Christian kantri. Bat long datfala taem, olketa Christian wea apostate acceptim finis olketa heathen teaching wea mekem olketa kamap part long Bigfala Babylon. Nomata olsem, samfala anointed Christian wea faithful olketa stap yet. Olketa olsem wheat wea Jesus story abaotem. Olketa faithful wan hia traem best for worshipim God, bat no eniwan laek for herem wanem olketa talem. (Readim Matthew 13:24, 25, 37-39.) Olketa barava olsem prisoner long Bigfala Babylon!

10. Why nao pipol start for garem daot abaotem olketa teaching bilong church?

¹⁰ Long samfala handred year bihaen Christ hem dae, staka pipol savve readim Bible long Greek or Latin languis. Olketa savve comparem olketa tru teaching insaed Bible witim olketa teaching bilong church. Taem samfala pipol luksavve olketa teaching bilong Church hem no stret, olketa stop for bilivim datwan. Bat laef bilong olketa stap long danger sapos olketa talemaot tingting bilong olketa and maet pipol bae killim olketa dae tu.

11. Wanem nao olketa bigman long church duim mekem pipol no readim Bible?

¹¹ Gogo, no staka pipol story long Greek languis or Latin languis. Olketa bigman long church no letem eniwan for transleitim Bible long olketa languis wea pipol  minim. From datwan, olketa bigman long church and samfala wea skul nomoa savve readim Bible, and samfala long olketa bigman hia tu no savve read and raet gud. Olketa bigman long church savve panisim eniwan wea no acceptim olketa teaching bilong church. Samfala faithful anointed Christian fit for hipap long olketa smolfala grup, bat olketa narawan nomoa nao. Olsem olketa Jew wea go prisoner long Babylon bifor, olketa anointed Christian hia no fit for worship tugeta long wei wea organize. Bigfala Babylon barava kontrolem pipol nao!

12, 13. Wanem nao tufala samting wea givim olketa tru Christian hope for olketa savve kamap free for worshipim God? Minim kam.

¹² Waswe, bae enitaem olketa tru Christian savve free for worshipim God? Yes! Tufala samting nao happen wea mekem olketa tru Christian garem hope olketa bae kamap free for worshipim God. Firstfala samting, pipol wakem wanfala printing machine long samting olsem year 1450. Bifor datwan, for mekem copy bilong Bible, man nao mas raetem, wea diswan hem no isi. Hem savve tekem wanfala man wea savve gud long disfala waka tenfala month for raetem wanfala copy bilong Bible. And long datfala taem pipol iusim papyrus or skin bilong animal for raet long hem. So no staka Bible hem stap, and olketa expensive tumas. Bat from olketa garem datfala printing press and pepa, olketa savve printim 1,300 page insaed wanfala day!

¹³ Mek-tu samting, hem wei wea pipol start for transleitim Bible. Long start bilong mek-16 century, samfala man wea no fraet transleitim Bible long olketa languis wea staka pipol isi for minim. Olketa duim datfala waka nomata laef bilong olketa stap  long danger. Olketa bigman long religion barava kros. Why nao olsem? From olketa savve sapos pipol readim Bible long languis bilong olketa seleva, bae olketa start for garem samfala kwestin olsem: ‘Wea insaed long Bible nao hem storyim purgatory? Wea insaed long Bible nao hem sei man mas peim priest mekem hem duim mass for man wea dae finis? Wea insaed long Bible nao hem story abaotem olketa pope and bigman long church? Staka long olketa laea teaching bilong church kam from olketa idea bilong Aristotle and Plato, wea tufala savveman hia laef staka handred year bifor Christ. Olketa bigman bilong religion kros long pipol taem olketa askem kaen kwestin olsem. Olketa killim dae olketa man and woman wea no acceptim olketa teaching hia. Olketa bigman bilong religion laek stopem pipol for no readim Bible and for no askem olketa kwestin, and hem nao samting wea happen. Bat samfala wea no fraet olketa no letem Bigfala Babylon for kontrolem olketa. Olketa faendem olketa tru teaching insaed long Bible, and olketa laek for lanem moa samting! Hem klosap kasem taem wea pipol bae kamap free from false religion.

14. (a) Wanem nao pipol wea laek for studyim Bible olketa duim? (b) Wanem nao Brata Russell duim for faendem truth insaed long Bible?

¹⁴ Staka pipol laek for readim, studyim, and story abaotem wanem olketa lanem insaed long Bible. Olketa no laekem olketa bigman long church for talem olketa wanem nao olketa shud bilivim. So olketa go stap long olketa kantri wea olketa bae free for studyim Bible. Wanfala long olketa kantri hia hem United States. Long 1870, long United States, Charles Russell and tu-thri narawan start for studyim gud Bible. Firstaem, Brata Russell laek for faendemaot wanem religion nao teachim truth insaed long Bible. Hem comparem wanem Bible talem witim olketa teaching bilong staka religion wea sei olketa Christian, and witim teaching bilong olketa religion wea no Christian. Taem hem duim datwan, hem start for luksavve no eniwan long olketa religion hia barava followim wanem Bible talem. Wantaem hem go story tu witim olketa bigman bilong church. Brata Russell tingim maet bae olketa acceptim olketa truth wea hem and olketa narawan faendem insaed Bible, and teachim olketa truth hia long church bilong olketa. Bat olketa bigman bilong religion hia no laekem datwan. Gogo, olketa Bible Student hia luksavve hem no fitim for olketa worshipim God witim eniwan wea insaed long false religion.—Readim 2 Corinth 6:14.

15. (a) Wanem taem nao olketa tru Christian kamap prisoner long Bigfala Babylon? (b) Olketa wanem kwestin nao bae iumi storyim long nextfala study?

¹⁵ Long disfala study, iumi lanem olketa tru Christian stap olsem prisoner long Bigfala Babylon no longtaem bihaen olketa lastfala aposol dae. Bat samfala kwestin stap wea iumi mas savve long ansa bilong olketa. Hao nao iumi savve olketa anointed Christian start for lusim Bigfala Babylon long olketa year bifor 1914? Waswe, Jehovah hem no hapi long pipol bilong hem bikos olketa no strong for duim preaching waka long olketa year wea World War I hem gohed? Waswe, samfala brata and sista long datfala taem teksaed long taem bilong war and datwan mekem Jehovah no hapi long olketa? And sapos olketa Christian kamap prisoner long Bigfala Babylon bihaen olketa aposol dae, wanem taem nao olketa kamap free? Olketa hia barava gudfala kwestin, and bae iumi storyim ansa bilong olketa long nextfala study.