Appendix A—Truths We Love to Teach
Jesus said that honesthearted people will recognize the truth when they hear it.
(John 10.4: When he has brought all his own out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice.)
(John 10.27: My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.)
So whenever we speak to people, we want to share simple Bible truths. Try introducing a truth by asking: “Did you know that...?” or “Have you ever heard that...?” Then use the related scripture(s) to explain that truth. Just sharing a simple Bible truth may plant a seed in a person’s heart, and God can make that seed grow!—
(1 Corinthians 3.6, 7: I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept making it grow, so that neither is the one who plants anything nor is the one who waters, but God who makes it grow.)
THE FUTURE
1. Current events and attitudes indicate a change is near.—
(Matthew 24.3: While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately, saying: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?”)
(Matthew 24.7, 8: “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. All these things are a beginning of pangs of distress.)
(Luke 21.10, 11: Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another food shortages and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and from heaven great signs.)
(2 Timothy 3.1-5: But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.)
2. The earth will never be destroyed.—
(Psalm 104.5: He has established the earth on its foundations; It will not be moved from its place forever and ever.)
(Ecclesiastes 1.4: A generation is going, and a generation is coming, But the earth remains forever.)
3. The earth’s environment will be restored.—
(Isaiah 35.1, 2: The wilderness and the parched land will exult, And the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron. Without fail it will blossom; It will rejoice and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The splendor of Carmel and of Sharon. They will see the glory of Jehovah, the splendor of our God.)
(Revelation 11.18: But the nations became wrathful, and your own wrath came, and the appointed time came for the dead to be judged and to reward your slaves the prophets and the holy ones and those fearing your name, the small and the great, and to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”)
4. Everyone will have perfect health.—
(Isaiah 33.24: And no resident will say: “I am sick.” The people dwelling in the land will be pardoned for their error.)
(Isaiah 35.5, 6: At that time the eyes of the blind will be opened, And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. At that time the lame will leap like the deer, And the tongue of the speechless will shout for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert plain.)
5. You can live forever on earth.—
(Psalm 37.29: The righteous will possess the earth, And they will live forever on it.)
(Matthew 5.5: “Happy are the mild-tempered, since they will inherit the earth.)
FAMILY
6. A husband should “love his wife as he does himself.”—
(Ephesians 5.33: Nevertheless, each one of you must love his wife as he does himself; on the other hand, the wife should have deep respect for her husband.)
(Colossians 3.19: You husbands, keep on loving your wives and do not be bitterly angry with them.)
7. A wife should deeply respect her husband.—
(Ephesians 5.33: Nevertheless, each one of you must love his wife as he does himself; on the other hand, the wife should have deep respect for her husband.)
(Colossians 3.18: You wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as it is becoming in the Lord.)
8. A husband and a wife should be loyal to each other.—
(Malachi 2.16: For I hate divorce,” says Jehovah the God of Israel, “and the one who covers his garment with violence,” says Jehovah of armies. “And guard yourselves respecting your spirit, and you must not deal treacherously.)
(Matthew 19.4-6: In reply he said: “Have you not read that the one who created them from the beginning made them male and female and said: ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together, let no man put apart.”)
(Matthew 19.9: I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except on the grounds of sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”)
(Hebrews 13.4: Let marriage be honorable among all, and let the marriage bed be without defilement, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.)
9. Children who respect and obey their parents will succeed.—
(Proverbs 1.8, 9: Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, And do not forsake the instruction of your mother. They are an attractive wreath for your head And a fine ornament for your neck.)
(Ephesians 6.1-3: Children, be obedient to your parents in union with the Lord, for this is righteous. “Honor your father and your mother” is the first command with a promise: “That it may go well with you and you may remain a long time on the earth.”)
GOD
10. God has a name.—
(Psalm 83.18: May people know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.)
(Jeremiah 10.10: But Jehovah is truly God. He is the living God and the eternal King. Because of his indignation the earth will quake, And no nations will endure his denunciation.)
11. God communicates with us.—
(2 Timothy 3.16, 17: All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, so that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.)
(2 Peter 1.20, 21: For you know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were moved by holy spirit.)
12. God is fair and unbiased.—
(Deuteronomy 10.17: For Jehovah your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the God great, mighty, and awe-inspiring, who treats none with partiality and does not accept a bribe.)
(Acts 10.34, 35: At this Peter began to speak, and he said: “Now I truly understand that God is not partial, but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.)
13. God wants to help us.—
(Psalm 46.1: God is our refuge and strength, A help that is readily found in times of distress.)
(Psalm 145.18, 19: Jehovah is near to all those calling on him, To all who call on him in truth. He satisfies the desire of those who fear him; He hears their cry for help, and he rescues them.)
PRAYER
14. God wants us to pray to him.—
(Psalm 62.8: Trust in him at all times, O people. Pour out your hearts before him. God is a refuge for us. (Selah))
(Psalm 65.2: O Hearer of prayer, to you people of all sorts will come.)
(1 Peter 5.7: while you throw all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.)
15. The Bible teaches us how to pray.—
(Matthew 6.7-13: When praying, do not say the same things over and over again as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words. So do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need even before you ask him. “You must pray, then, this way: “‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth. Give us today our bread for this day; and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.’)
(Luke 11.1-4: Now he was in a certain place praying, and when he stopped, one of his disciples said to him: “Lord, teach us how to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” So he said to them: “Whenever you pray, say: ‘Father, let your name be sanctified. Let your Kingdom come. Give us each day our bread according to our daily needs. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is in debt to us; and do not bring us into temptation.’”)
16. We should pray often.—
(Matthew 7.7, 8: “Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you; for everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking, it will be opened.)
(1 Thessalonians 5.17: Pray constantly.)
JESUS
17. Jesus was a great teacher whose advice always works.—
(Matthew 6.14, 15: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; whereas if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.)
(Matthew 6.34: So never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles.)
(Matthew 7.12: “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must do to them. This, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean.)
18. Jesus foretold events we see today.—
(Matthew 24.3: While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately, saying: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?”)
(Matthew 24.7, 8: “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. All these things are a beginning of pangs of distress.)
(Matthew 24.14: And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.)
(Luke 21.10, 11: Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another food shortages and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and from heaven great signs.)
19. Jesus is God’s Son.—
(Matthew 16.16: Simon Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”)
(John 3.16: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.)
(1 John 4.15: Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is God’s Son, God remains in union with such one and he in union with God.)
20. Jesus is not God Almighty.—
(John 14.28: You heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I am.)
(1 Corinthians 11.3: But I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ; in turn, the head of a woman is the man; in turn, the head of the Christ is God.)
GOD’S KINGDOM
21. God’s Kingdom is a real government in heaven.—
(Daniel 2.44: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it alone will stand forever,)
(Daniel 7.13, 14: “I kept watching in the visions of the night, and look! with the clouds of the heavens, someone like a son of man was coming; and he gained access to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him up close before that One. And to him there were given rulership, honor, and a kingdom, that the peoples, nations, and language groups should all serve him. His rulership is an everlasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed.)
(Matthew 6.9, 10: “You must pray, then, this way: “‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth.)
(Revelation 11.15: The seventh angel blew his trumpet. And there were loud voices in heaven, saying: “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will rule as king forever and ever.”)
22. God’s Kingdom will replace human governments.—
(Psalm 2.7-9: Let me proclaim the decree of Jehovah; He said to me: “You are my son; Today I have become your father. Ask of me, and I will give nations as your inheritance And the ends of the earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron scepter, And you will smash them like a piece of pottery.”)
(Daniel 2.44: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it alone will stand forever,)
23. God’s Kingdom is the only solution to mankind’s problems.—
(Psalm 37.10, 11: Just a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more; You will look at where they were, And they will not be there. But the meek will possess the earth, And they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.)
(Psalm 46.9: He is bringing an end to wars throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the military wagons with fire.)
(Isaiah 65.21-23: They will build houses and live in them, And they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. They will not build for someone else to inhabit, Nor will they plant for others to eat. For the days of my people will be like the days of a tree, And the work of their hands my chosen ones will enjoy to the full. They will not toil for nothing, Nor will they bear children for distress, Because they are the offspring made up of those blessed by Jehovah, And their descendants with them.)
- Based on NASA/Visible Earth imagery
SUFFERING
24. God does not cause our suffering.—
(Deuteronomy 32.4: The Rock, perfect is his activity, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness who is never unjust; Righteous and upright is he.)
(James 1.13: When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone.)
25. Satan rules this world.—
(Luke 4.5, 6: So he brought him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time. Then the Devil said to him: “I will give you all this authority and their glory, because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.)
(1 John 5.19: We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.)
26. God cares about your suffering.—
(Psalm 34.17-19: They cried out, and Jehovah heard; He rescued them from all their distresses. Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted; He saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the hardships of the righteous one, But Jehovah rescues him from them all.)
(Isaiah 41.10: Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.’)
(Isaiah 41.13: For I, Jehovah your God, am grasping your right hand, The One saying to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I will help you.’)
27. God will soon end suffering.—
(Isaiah 65.17: For look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be called to mind, Nor will they come up into the heart.)
(Revelation 21.3, 4: With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”)
DEATH
28. The dead are unconscious; they are not suffering.—
(Ecclesiastes 9.5: For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten.)
(John 11.11-14: After he said these things, he added: “Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep, but I am traveling there to awaken him.” The disciples then said to him: “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get well.” Jesus, however, had spoken about his death. But they imagined he was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly: “Lazarus has died,)
29. The dead cannot help us or harm us.—
(Psalm 146.4: His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground; On that very day his thoughts perish.)
(Ecclesiastes 9.6: Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they no longer have any share in what is done under the sun.)
(Ecclesiastes 9.10: Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, for there is no work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave, where you are going.)
30. Dead loved ones will be resurrected.—
(Job 14.13-15: O that in the Grave you would conceal me, That you would hide me until your anger passes by, That you would set a time limit for me and remember me! If a man dies, can he live again? I will wait all the days of my compulsory service Until my relief comes. You will call, and I will answer you. You will long for the work of your hands.)
(John 5.28, 29: Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.)
(Acts 24.15: And I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.)
31. “Death will be no more.”—
(Revelation 21.3, 4: With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”)
(Isaiah 25.8: He will swallow up death forever, And the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will wipe away the tears from all faces. The reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, For Jehovah himself has spoken it.)
RELIGION
32. Not all religions please God.—
(Jeremiah 7.11: Has this house that bears my name become a cave of robbers in your eyes? Here I have seen it for myself,” declares Jehovah.)
(Matthew 7.13, 14: “Go in through the narrow gate, because broad is the gate and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it.)
(Matthew 7.21-23: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’)
33. God hates hypocrisy.—
(Isaiah 29.13: Jehovah says: “This people approach me with their mouth And they honor me with their lips, But their heart is far removed from me; And their fear of me is based on commands of men that they have been taught.)
(Micah 3.11: Her leaders judge for a bribe, Her priests instruct for a price, And her prophets practice divination for money. And yet they lean on Jehovah, saying: “Is not Jehovah with us? No calamity will come upon us.”)
(Mark 7.6-8: He said to them: “Isaiah aptly prophesied about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.’ You let go of the commandment of God and cling to the tradition of men.”)
34. Genuine love identifies true religion.—
(Micah 4.3: He will render judgment among many peoples And set matters straight respecting mighty nations far away. They will beat their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, Nor will they learn war anymore.)
(John 13.34, 35: I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples—if you have love among yourselves.”)
[End of Appendix A.]