Our Readers Ask . . .

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Practice Faith Healing?

▪ Jehovah’s Witnesses have never practiced faith healing. Like Jesus, they believe that their primary mission is to preach the good news about God’s Kingdom. They also believe that true Christians are identified, not by faith healing, but by something of far greater importance.

To be sure, the compassionate healing of the sick in the first century C.E. by Jesus Christ is of great significance to all of us. He thereby furnished a guarantee that under his rule as King of God’s Kingdom, “no resident will say: ‘I am sick.’”​—Isaiah 33:24.

What, though, about today? Faith healers in Christendom as well as in some non-Christian religions claim to perform miraculous healings. Yet, Jesus himself sternly warned against individuals who would claim to have “performed many miracles” in his name. He would say to them: “I never knew you. Get away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:22, 23, International Standard Version) So, are the supposed miracles of modern-day faith healers really an indication of God’s approval or blessing?

Consider what the Bible says about the healings performed by Jesus. By comparing that Scriptural record with the methods of faith healers today, we can readily determine whether modern-day faith healing is from God.

Jesus never used healing as a means of attracting followers or large audiences. On the contrary, he performed a number of healings out of public view. Many times he told those whom he cured to reveal the miracle to no one.​—Luke 5:13, 14.

Jesus never charged money for his miracles. (Matthew 10:8) He also had an unfailing record of success. All sick ones who came to him were completely cured, and the healing did not depend on the individual’s faith. (Luke 6:19; John 5:5-9, 13) Why, Jesus even raised the dead!​—Luke 7:11-17; 8:40-56; John 11:38-44.

Though he did perform those miracles, the focus of Jesus’ ministry was not on gathering converts by means of emotional sessions of miracle working. Instead, his primary work was to declare the good news of God’s Kingdom. Jesus organized his followers to become disciple makers, who would teach others about the hope of attaining perfect health under God’s Kingdom.​—Matthew 28:19, 20.

Granted, some of Jesus’ first-century followers had special gifts of healing, but these were to cease. (1 Corinthians 12:29, 30; 13:8, 13) True Christians today are identified, not by acts of healing, but by the bond of self-sacrificing love. (John 13:35) Modern-day faith healing has not produced a genuine family of Christians from all races and backgrounds who are bound together by such love.

There is, however, a group of Christians who are united by a bond of love so strong that they refuse to harm one another​—or anyone else for that matter—​even during the fiercest of human conflicts. Who are they? Jehovah’s Witnesses. Worldwide, they are known for displaying Christlike love. Uniting people of diverse racial, national, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds is a miracle, so to speak, and is made possible only by God’s holy spirit. Why not attend one of their meetings and see for yourself?

[Picture on page 13]

Do modern-day faith healers (shown at right) really have God’s backing?

Our Readers Ask . . .

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Have Women Ministers?

Yes, worldwide Jehovah’s Witnesses have several million women ministers. They are a great host of preachers of the good news of God’s Kingdom. Psalm 68:11 says prophetically of those ministers: “Jehovah himself gives the saying; the women telling the good news are a large army.”

However, do not confuse the ministry of women who are Jehovah’s Witnesses with the ministry performed by female clerics of other religions. There is a striking contrast that sets them apart. In what ways are they different?

The audience of their ministry is different. Clergywomen, particularly of Christendom, assume leadership roles within their congregations, and their main audience is made up of members of the flock. For women ministers of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the main audience of their preaching is outside the congregation, namely the public, whom they meet in their house-to-house ministry and elsewhere.

Another way in which women ministers of Jehovah’s Witnesses differ from those in other religions is their activity in the congregation. Female clerics of Christendom and other churches preside over and instruct members of their congregation in the dogma of their religion. Women ministers of Jehovah’s Witnesses, however, do not teach in the congregation when baptized men are present. Only men who are appointed as teachers do so.​—1 Timothy 3:2; James 3:1.

The Bible describes only men as being charged with oversight of a congregation. Notice the pattern set by the apostle Paul when he wrote to a fellow overseer, Titus: “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might . . . make appointments of older men in city after city.” Paul added that each man so appointed had to be “free from accusation, a husband of one wife.” (Titus 1:5, 6) Paul gave similar instructions to Timothy in his pastoral letter: “If any man is reaching out for an office of overseer, he is desirous of a fine work. The overseer should therefore be irreprehensible, a husband of one wife, . . . qualified to teach.”​—1 Timothy 3:1, 2.

Why are oversight functions in the congregation limited to men? Paul says: “I do not permit a woman to teach, or to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” (1 Timothy 2:12, 13) Thus, the order of creation indicates God’s purpose in the delegation of teaching and oversight.

Ministers of Jehovah follow the example of their Leader, Jesus Christ. The disciple Luke wrote about Jesus’ ministry: “He went journeying from city to city and from village to village, preaching and declaring the good news of the kingdom of God.” Later, Jesus sent out his followers to do the same work: “They went through the territory from village to village, declaring the good news.”​—Luke 8:1; 9:2-6.

Today, ministers of Jehovah​—male and female—​have an active share in carrying out what Jesus foretold: “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.”​—Matthew 24:14.

Our Readers Ask

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe That They Are the Only Ones Who Will Be Saved?

Jehovah’s Witnesses think that they have found the true religion. If they did not think so, they would change their beliefs. Like adherents of many religious faiths, Jehovah’s Witnesses hope to be saved. However, they also believe that it is not their job to judge who will be saved. Ultimately, God is the Judge. He decides.​—Isaiah 33:22.

God’s Word reveals that those who would be saved must not only want salvation but also cooperate with the Savior. To illustrate: Suppose that a hiker becomes lost in a wilderness. He desperately wants to find his way out. Will he perish, or will he survive? The outcome depends on the way he responds to help. Out of pride, he may refuse the help of a rescuer, or savior. On the other hand, he could humbly accept help and reach safety.

In a similar way, salvation belongs to those who cooperate with mankind’s Rescuer, Jehovah God. Salvation is a gift from God, yet not all people will attain it. God’s Son, Jesus, said: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.”​—Matthew 7:21.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God saves only those who exercise faith in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus and closely follow Jesus’ teachings. (Acts 4:10-12) Consider three important requirements for salvation that are revealed in God’s Word.

(1) “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves,” Jesus told his companions. (John 13:35) Jesus’ own example of giving his life in behalf of others stressed the importance of love. Those who love others are demonstrating a quality vital for salvation.

(2) “I have made your name known to them,” said Jesus in prayer to his Father. (John 17:26) Jesus knew how important God’s personal name, Jehovah, was to his Father. Jesus prayed for his Father’s name to “be sanctified.” (Matthew 6:9) Sanctifying God’s name includes knowing that name and treating it as important and holy. Like Jesus, those seeking salvation need to use God’s name. They also need to teach others about God’s name and qualities. (Matthew 28:19, 20) In fact, only those calling on God’s name will be saved.​—Romans 10:13.

(3) “My kingdom is no part of this world,” Jesus said to Pontius Pilate. (John 18:36) Few today demonstrate faith in God’s Kingdom, or government, of which Jesus is King. Instead, they place their trust in human institutions. By contrast, those who will be saved loyally support God’s Kingdom and teach others about how it will liberate all faithful mankind.​—Matthew 4:17.

After learning some of the requirements for salvation, Jesus’ disciples said: “Who possibly can be saved?” Jesus answered: “The things impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:18-30) Jehovah’s Witnesses diligently try to meet these requirements for salvation. They also work hard to help others to be saved.

Our Readers Ask

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Accept the Old Testament?

Jehovah’s Witnesses view the Bible as God’s Word and accept both the Old Testament and the New Testament as integral parts of it. However, they prefer to use the more fitting designations “Hebrew Scriptures” and “Christian Greek Scriptures,” Hebrew and Greek being the principal languages in which the Old and the New Testaments were originally written.

On the other hand, some who profess Christianity are reluctant to accept the Old Testament. They say that it depicts an angry God who sanctioned wars, murder, and actions hard to harmonize with the all-loving, moral God revealed in the New Testament. Or they reason that since the Old Testament deals chiefly with the Jewish religion, it is not relevant for Christians. However, in view of God’s command found at Deuteronomy 12:32not to add to or take away from his word, are these valid reasons for rejecting some three fourths of the Bible?

Sometime in 50 C.E. when the Christian apostle Paul visited the citizens of Thessalonica, Greece, “he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving by references that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.” (Acts 17:1-3) Some of his listeners became Christians, and Paul later commended them, saying: “When you received God’s word, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but, just as it truthfully is, as the word of God.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13) At the time of his visit, of the 27 books of the Christian Greek Scriptures, apparently only the Gospel of Matthew had been written. So “the Scriptures” that Paul used to prove “by references” were obviously texts from the Hebrew Scriptures.

In fact, Christian Greek Scripture writers directly referred to texts in the Hebrew Scriptures some 320 times and indirectly another several hundred times. Why? “For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) This clearly indicates that those who today accept the entire Bible greatly benefit by doing so.

The Christian Greek Scriptures, based on the foundation laid by the Hebrew Scriptures, are a logical extension of God’s Word brought about by the gradual unfolding of God’s purposes. They in no way diminish the value of the Hebrew Scriptures. Herbert H. Farmer, professor of divinity at Cambridge University, argues that the Gospels “cannot be understood apart from what went before in the history of the old covenant people, as set before us in the Old Testament.”

God’s Word needs no revision. Nevertheless, “the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.” (Proverbs 4:18) By adding the Christian Greek Scriptures to the Bible canon, God shed increased light upon the outworking of his purpose without diminishing the value of the Hebrew Scriptures. They are all part of “the saying of Jehovah [that] endures forever.”​—1 Peter 1:24, 25.

Our Readers Ask . . .

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Accept Medical Treatment?

Jesus said that “persons in health do not need a physician, but the ailing do.” (Matthew 9:12) He thereby implied that there is no Scriptural objection to getting help from medical professionals. Thus, Jehovah’s Witnesses gladly accept medicine and medical treatment. They want to maintain good health and to prolong life. In fact, like the first-century Christian Luke, some of Jehovah’s Witnesses are physicians.​—Colossians 4:14.

However, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept types of treatment that conflict with Bible principles. For example, they do not accept blood transfusions because the Bible forbids the taking of blood to sustain the body. (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:1-14; Acts 15:28, 29) God’s Word also prohibits health treatments or procedures that involve the use of “uncanny power,” or spiritism.​—Isaiah 1:13; Galatians 5:19-21.

Many health-care professionals provide lifesaving treatments that do not conflict with Bible standards. Such treatments, which many Witnesses choose to accept, are often of a better quality than those that ignore what God requires.

Of course, there are many opinions when it comes to matters of health. What may benefit one person might not help another. Thus, individuals searching for an accurate professional diagnosis and treatment of an illness may wish to get a second medical opinion.​—Proverbs 14:15.

Not every Witness will make the same medical choices. Where no Bible law is at stake, God’s Word allows for differences of conscience among Christians. (Romans 14:2-4) Each individual, therefore, should investigate any proposed treatment and ensure that it does not conflict with his or her Bible-trained conscience.​—Galatians 6:5; Hebrews 5:14.

A Witness will view the making of each decision as if he were a driver approaching a busy intersection. If he just followed the cars ahead and sped through the intersection, he could cause serious damage. A wise driver will slow down and evaluate the flow of traffic before proceeding. Likewise, Witnesses do not rush into making medical decisions, nor do they blindly follow popular opinion. Instead, they weigh their options and examine Bible principles before making a decision.

Jehovah’s Witnesses certainly appreciate the hard work and dedication of those who provide medical care. They are also grateful for the welcome relief from illness that those individuals provide.

Our Readers Ask

Why Use God’s Name if Its Pronunciation Is Uncertain?

No one today knows exactly how God’s name was pronounced in ancient Hebrew. Significantly, however, God’s personal name appears in the text of the Bible some 7,000 times. Jesus made God’s name manifest when on earth, and he instructed his disciples to pray for the sanctification of that name. (Matthew 6:9; John 17:6) Thus, one thing is certain​—the use of God’s name is of utmost importance to Christian faith. Why, then, is the original pronunciation of that name uncertain today? There are two main reasons.

First, some two thousand years ago, there arose among the Jews a superstitious tradition that it was wrong to pronounce God’s name. When a reader came to the name in Bible text, he would say the word “Lord” as a substitute. In this way, after many centuries of disuse, the pronunciation of God’s name faded from memory.

Second, ancient Hebrew was written without vowels, very similar to abbreviations in English and other languages. When reading the written text, the reader supplied the missing vowel sounds from memory. In time, a system was devised to prevent the pronunciation of Hebrew words from being completely forgotten. Vowel points were added to each word in the Hebrew Bible. For the divine name, however, either the vowel points for “Lord” were added to remind the reader to pronounce the substitute word, or none were added at all.

What survived, then, were the four consonants called the Tetragrammaton, which one dictionary defines as “the four Hebrew letters usu[ally] transliterated YHWH or JHVH that form a biblical proper name of God.” It is easy to see how JHVH, with vowel points and vowel sounds added, becomes “Jehovah,” the form that is most familiar and widely accepted in English.

Some scholars, though, recommend the pronunciation “Yahweh.” Is that closer to the original pronunciation? No one can be certain. Actually, other scholars have cited reasons for not using this pronunciation. Of course, Bible names, when spoken in a modern-day language, probably sound nothing like the original Hebrew, and hardly anyone objects. This is because these names have become part of our language and they are easily recognized. So it is with the name Jehovah.

The first-century Christians were called a people for God’s name. They preached about the name to others and encouraged them to call upon it. (Acts 2:21; 15:14; Romans 10:13-15) Clearly, it is important to God that we use his name in whatever language we speak, appreciate its significance, and live in harmony with what it stands for.

[Blurb on page 31]

Significantly, God’s personal name appears in the text of the Bible some 7,000 times

Our Readers Ask . . .

Why Does God Offer Humans the Gift of Everlasting Life?

▪ The Bible says that God holds out to us the opportunity to obtain “everlasting life.” (John 6:40) What, though, motivates him to offer such a prospect? Is it simply a matter of justice?

Justice involves treating people according to what is fair and right. Do we really deserve life? No. The Bible says: “There is no man righteous in the earth that keeps doing good and does not sin.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20) Sin carries a penalty. God warned the first man, Adam, that in the day he sinned he would positively die. (Genesis 2:17) Later, the apostle Paul was inspired to write: “The wages sin pays is death.” (Romans 6:23) So if all descendants of Adam justly deserve death, why does God offer the possibility of endless life?

The offer of everlasting life is “a free gift.” It is an expression of the greatness and expansiveness of God’s love and undeserved kindness. The Bible says: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus.”​—Romans 3:23, 24.

Though we all deserve to die, God chooses to give everlasting life to those who love him. Is that unfair? The Bible says: “What shall we say, then? Is there injustice with God? Never may that become so! For he says to Moses: ‘I will have mercy upon whomever I do have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I do show compassion.’ . . . Who, then, really are you to be answering back to God?”​—Romans 9:14-20.

In some areas of the world, a high government official or judge can pardon a criminal who is serving a severe sentence. If the criminal willingly conforms to punitive orders and exhibits changes in his attitude and behavior, a judge or president may choose to pardon him by lessening his sentence or totally forgiving his sentence. This action may well be an expression of undeserved kindness.

In a similar manner, Jehovah can choose not to demand of all sinners the punishment they deserve. Rather, motivated by love, he can grant everlasting life to those who love him and conform to his standards. The Bible says: “God is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.”​—Acts 10:34, 35.

Jehovah’s greatest act of love in our behalf was his sending his Son to suffer and die for us. Jesus said of his Father: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”​—John 3:16.

All those who do come to love Jehovah and do his will are equally acceptable to God, whatever their background. Thus, the hope of everlasting life is primarily an expression of undeserved kindness, an act of superlative love on God’s part.

[Blurb on page 29]

It is primarily an expression of undeserved kindness, an act of superlative love

Our Readers Ask

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

God is not the cause of human suffering. “Far be it from the true God to act wickedly!” states the Bible. (Job 34:10) Who, then, is the prime instigator of misery?

Jesus called Satan “the ruler of the world.” (John 14:30) True, Jehovah is the Universal Sovereign. That position he will never relinquish. However, for a time, God has allowed Satan to rule most of mankind.​—1 John 5:19.

What kind of ruler has Satan been? Ever since his first contact with humans, Satan has been a murderer and a deceiver. Satan wreaks havoc on human society in profound ways. Jesus indicted him with these words: “That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie.” (John 8:44) Jesus also said that the men seeking to kill him were children of the first murderer. They made themselves his children by acting like him. Like father, like son, the adage states.

Satan still fosters murderous attitudes in the hearts of mankind. For example, R. J. Rummel, emeritus professor at the University of Hawaii, U.S.A., estimates that from 1900 to 1987, various governments murdered 169,198,000 people during political purges, genocides, and indiscriminate acts of violence. That death toll is in addition to the tens of millions killed on the battlefield during the same period.

If God does not cause suffering, why does he allow it? Because universal issues, moral ones, raised a long time ago still need to be settled. Let us look at just one of them.

At the beginning of human history, Adam and Eve sided with Satan. They rejected God’s rule and chose self-rule, which was really rule by the Devil.​—Genesis 3:1-6; Revelation 12:9.

Jehovah’s sense of justice required that time be allowed for evidence to accumulate. What is the inescapable conclusion? Human rule under Satan’s influence leads only to suffering. Really, in the long run, God’s allowance of time has been for man’s benefit. How so? Those who study the evidence and believe it have the opportunity to demonstrate their willingness to be ruled by God. Those who learn of God’s standards and live by them have the prospect of living forever.​—John 17:3; 1 John 2:17.

True, for now, Satan has the world in his evil grip. But not for much longer. Soon Jehovah will use his Son to “break up the works of the Devil.” (1 John 3:8) Under God’s direction, Jesus will mend broken hearts and restore shattered lives. He will resurrect back to life on earth billions of humans who have suffered and died over the centuries.​—John 11:25.

The resurrection of Jesus is an example of God’s victory over the works of the Devil​—a token of what is to come for humans who choose God’s rule. (Acts 17:31) The Bible directs our thoughts to that time to come with these comforting words: “God himself will be with [mankind]. 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.”​—Revelation 21:3, 4.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Why Does God Allow the Strong to Oppress the Weak?

The Bible records some troubling instances of oppression of the weak by the strong. The case of Naboth comes to mind.* Ahab, a king of Israel in the tenth century B.C.E., allowed his wife, Jezebel, to have Naboth and his sons killed so that the king could take the man’s vineyard. (1 Kings 21:1-16; 2 Kings 9:26) Why did God allow such a gross abuse of power?

“God . . . cannot lie.”​—Titus 1:2

Let us focus on one important reason: God cannot lie. (Titus 1:2) What does that have to do with wicked acts of oppression? Well, in the very beginning, God warned mankind that rebellion against him would bring a grim result​—death. True to God’s word, death has been a part of the human experience ever since the rebellion in the garden of Eden. The first human death, in fact, came about through an act of oppression​—when Cain murdered his brother Abel.​—Genesis 2:16, 17;4:8.

Regarding human history since then, God’s Word summarizes it this way: “Man has dominated man to his harm.” (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Have those words proved true? Jehovah warned the nation of Israel, his people, that they would find their kings oppressive, causing the people to cry out to God. (1 Samuel 8:11-18) Even wise King Solomon taxed his people excessively. (1 Kings 11:43; 12:3, 4) Wicked kings, such as Ahab, were far more tyrannical. Consider: If God had prevented all such acts of domination, would he not, in effect, have turned his own words into a lie?

“Man has dominated man to his harm.”​—Ecclesiastes 8:9

Remember, too, that Satan claims that people serve God only for selfish reasons. (Job 1:9, 10; 2:4) If God protected all his servants from all forms of domination, would that not tend to substantiate Satan’s claims? And if God prevented all forms of oppression for everyone, would he not be responsible for an even greater falsehood? Under such protection, many might assume that humans can rule themselves successfully without God. But God’s Word says the very opposite​—that man is completely incapable of governing himself. (Jeremiah 10:23) We need the Kingdom of God to come; only then will injustice end.

Does that mean, then, that God does nothing about oppression? No. Consider two things he does: First, he exposes tyranny for what it is. For example, his Word exposes every aspect of Jezebel’s plot against Naboth. The Bible further reveals that such evil deeds are promoted by a powerful ruler who wants to hide his identity. (John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 11:14) The Bible exposes him as Satan the Devil. By exposing wickedness and oppression along with their true source, God helps us to keep free of wickedness ourselves. He thus protects our eternal future.

Second, God provides solid hope for an end to oppression. The way he exposed, judged, and punished Ahab and Jezebel​—as well as many like them—​gives us confidence in his promises to punish all evildoers one day. (Psalm 52:1-5) God also provides reliable hope that he will soon reverse the bad effects of wickedness for those who love him.* Faithful Naboth will thus see a time when he and his sons will live on a paradise earth forever free from injustice.​—Psalm 37:34.

See the article “Imitate Their Faith” in this issue.

See chapter 11 of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach? published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Who Made God?

Picture a father talking with his seven-year-old son. He says, “Long, long ago, God made the earth and everything in it, and he made the sun, the moon, and the stars.” The boy thinks about this for a few moments and then asks, “Daddy, who made God?”

“Nobody made God,” the father replies. “He has always existed.” That simple statement satisfies the child for now. As he grows older, however, the question continues to intrigue him. He finds it hard to comprehend how anyone could be without a beginning. Why, even the universe had a beginning. ‘Where did God come from?’ he wonders.

How does the Bible answer? Essentially, in much the same way as did the father in our example. Moses wrote: “O Jehovah, . . . before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the productive land, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” (Psalm 90:1, 2) Likewise, the prophet Isaiah exclaimed: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, is a God for all eternity”! (Isaiah 40:28) Similarly, the letter of Jude refers to God as existing “for all past eternity.”​—Jude 25.

Those scriptures show us that God is “the King of eternity,” as the apostle Paul describes him. (1 Timothy 1:17) This means that God has always existed, no matter how far back in time we cast our gaze. And he will always exist in the future. (Revelation 1:8) Thus, his eternal existence is a fundamental attribute of the Almighty.

Why do we find this idea difficult to grasp? Because our limited life span gives us a completely different concept of time from that of Jehovah. Because God is eternal, to him a thousand years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8) To illustrate: Could a grasshopper, which lives as an adult for only about 50 days, fathom our life span of 70 or 80 years? Hardly! Yet, the Bible explains that we are like grasshoppers in comparison with our Grand Creator. Even our ability to reason is dwarfed by his. (Isaiah 40:22; 55:8, 9) So it is not surprising that there are aspects of Jehovah’s nature that escape full human understanding.

Although the concept of an eternal God may be hard to grasp, we can see that it makes sense. If someone else had created God, that person would be the Creator. Yet, as the Bible explains, Jehovah is the one who “created all things.” (Revelation 4:11) Furthermore, we know that the universe at one time did not exist. (Genesis 1:1, 2) Where did it come from? Its Creator had to exist first. He also existed before there were any other intelligent beings, such as his only-begotten Son and the angels. (Job 38:4, 7; Colossians 1:15) Clearly, then, he existed alone first. He could not have been created; nothing was in existence that could have created him.

Our own existence and that of the entire universe testifies to the existence of an eternal God. The One who put our vast universe in motion, the One who established the laws to control it, must have always existed. Only he could have breathed life into everything else.​—Job 33:4.