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.

Our Readers Ask

Are Natural Disasters Punishment From God?

God does not use natural disasters to punish innocent people. He never has, and he never will. Why? Because “God is love,” says the Bible at 1 John 4:8.

Love is the wellspring of God’s actions. Love does not call down hurt on the innocent, for the Bible states that “love does not work evil to one’s neighbor.” (Romans 13:10) At Job 34:12, the Bible states: “For a fact, God himself does not act wickedly.”

True, the Bible foretold disasters for our day, such as “great earthquakes.” (Luke 21:11) But Jehovah is no more responsible for the destruction caused by them than a weatherman is responsible for the damage done by a typhoon that he forecasts. Well, if God is not behind the human suffering wrought by natural disasters, what is the cause?

“The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one,” Satan the Devil, reveals the Bible. (1 John 5:19) He has been a manslayer from his rebellion at mankind’s beginning down to our day. (John 8:44) Satan sees human life as cheap and disposable. He is governed by self-serving ambition, so it is no wonder that he has created a global system that thrives on selfishness. Today’s world system condones human exploitation even to the point that many defenseless people live in harm’s way, in places where natural or man-made disasters are very likely to strike. (Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 2:16) Thus, greedy humans must bear the blame for some of the calamity that victims experience. (Ecclesiastes 8:9) How so?

A surprising number of disasters are at least partially man-made. Consider, for example, the woes that afflicted residents of the hurricane-flooded city of New Orleans, U.S.A., or the houses flattened by mud slides off the coastal mountains of Venezuela. In those instances and others, natural phenomena, such as wind and rain, turned catastrophic largely because of human environmental ignorance, shoddy engineering, flawed planning, unheeded warnings, and bureaucratic bungling.

Consider a disaster in Bible times. In Jesus’ day, the sudden collapse of a tower claimed 18 lives. (Luke 13:4) This disaster may have been the result of human error, “time and unforeseen occurrence,” or both​—but assuredly not a result of God’s judgment.​—Ecclesiastes 9:11.

Have any disasters ever been caused by the hand of God? Yes, but unlike natural or man-made disasters, they were selective, they had a purpose, and they were extremely rare. The global Flood in the days of the patriarch Noah and the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah during the days of Lot are two examples. (Genesis 6:7-9, 13; 18:20-32; 19:24) Those divine judgments swept away incorrigibly wicked populations but preserved alive people who were righteous in the eyes of God.

As a matter of fact, Jehovah God has the means, the desire, and the power to end all suffering and to bring relief from the effects of natural disasters. Regarding God’s appointed King, Jesus Christ, Psalm 72:12 foretold: “He will deliver the poor one crying for help, also the afflicted one and whoever has no helper.”

Our Readers Ask . . .

Did God Have a Beginning?

▪ The Bible answers that God did not have a beginning. God has always existed. As difficult as the concept of God’s eternity is to grasp, we cannot dismiss the idea simply because we cannot fully comprehend it.

How reasonable is it that we should expect to understand all of God’s ways? The apostle Paul declared: “O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are and past tracing out his ways are!” (Romans 11:33) Our minds cannot fully grasp the depth of God’s wisdom and knowledge any more than an infant can understand all the ways of a parent. These inspired words of Paul, although primarily about the uniqueness of God’s wisdom and mercy, suggest that there are aspects of Jehovah God and his workings that are too deep for our minds to fathom. The concept of God’s being without a beginning is apparently one of them. Yet, we can have absolute trust in what the Bible teaches about God. Jesus Christ said regarding the sacred writings: “Your word is truth.”​—John 17:17.

Moses said in prayer to Jehovah: “You have always been, and you will always be.” (Psalm 90:2, The Holy Bible, New Century Version) Here Moses describes God’s existence as stretching in two directions. One is toward the future. Jehovah is “the One that lives forever and ever.” (Revelation 4:10) Thus, God’s existence stretches forward into the eternal future. The other is toward the past. In other words, God was neither created nor did he come into existence. Rather, God’s existence stretches back into the infinite past.

Abstract ideas are hard for most of us to comprehend. Yet, we sometimes deal with challenging concepts, such as positive and negative numbers. Counting numbers can go on endlessly, either up or down. Could we not apply this example to the years in the life of the Creator?

It is therefore fitting that only God bears the unique title “King of eternity.” (1 Timothy 1:17) Just think: Jesus Christ, the myriads of angels in heaven, and mankind on earth all have a beginning because of being created. (Colossians 1:15, 16) Not so with God. To insist that God must have been created introduces pointless and circular logic about who created the Creator. No, Jehovah alone exists “from eternity to eternity.” (Psalm 90:2, The New American Bible) In other words, Jehovah existed “before all time.”​—Jude 25, footnote.

Keep in mind, though, that the concept of God’s eternal existence is not just a cold fact. A closer look at Moses’ prayer reveals that God’s eternity guarantees a warm promise of everlasting life for us. In contrast with the fleeting nature of our present life, God is described as “a real dwelling for us during generation after generation.” As a loving Father, Jehovah has been, is, and always will be there for his people. May you take comfort in that wonderful truth!​—Psalm 90:1.

Our Readers Ask . . .

Does God Dwell in One Place?

Various religions describe God as omnipresent, a term suggesting that God dwells in all places simultaneously. For example, the New Catholic Encyclopedia refers to God as the one “who is actually present in all existing places and things.” Likewise, John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, wrote a sermon entitled “On the Omnipresence of God” in which he stated that “there is no point of space, whether within or without the bounds of creation, where God is not.”

What does the Bible teach? Is God omnipresent, existing in all places in heaven, on earth, and even in humankind at the same time?

Actually, the Bible speaks of God as having a specific place of dwelling​—the heavens. It records a prayer of King Solomon in which he called upon God: “May you yourself listen from the heavens, your established place of dwelling.” (1 Kings 8:43) When teaching his disciples how to pray, Jesus Christ told them to address their prayers to “Our Father in the heavens.” (Matthew 6:9) After his resurrection, Christ entered “into heaven itself, now to appear before the person of God,” states the Bible.​—Hebrews 9:24.

These verses clearly indicate that Jehovah God dwells, not everywhere, but only in heaven. Of course, “the heavens” mentioned in these passages does not refer to the atmosphere surrounding the earth nor to the vast expanse of outer space. The physical heavens cannot contain the Creator of the universe. (1 Kings 8:27) The Bible tells us that “God is a Spirit.” (John 4:24) He resides in the spiritual heavens, a realm independent of the physical universe.​—1 Corinthians 15:44.

What, though, of Bible passages that seem to suggest that God is present everywhere? For example, as recorded at Psalm 139:7-10, David said regarding God: “Where can I go from your spirit, and where can I run away from your face? If I should ascend to heaven, there you would be; and if I should spread out my couch in Sheol, look! you would be there. Were I to take the wings of the dawn, that I might reside in the most remote sea, there, also, your own hand would lead me.” Do these verses indicate that God is, in fact, omnipresent, dwelling in each of the places mentioned?

Note that David first asked: “Where can I go from your spirit?”* By means of his holy spirit, God can see anything and exert his power anywhere, without literally going there or dwelling there. To illustrate: In recent years scientists have been able to examine soil on the planet Mars, millions of miles (kilometers) from Earth. How? Not by traveling there personally, but by studying detailed photos and other information transmitted back to Earth by probes sent to Mars’ surface.

Likewise, Jehovah God does not have to be present everywhere, or omnipresent, in order to perceive what is happening at any point in the universe. God’s Word says: “There is not a creation that is not manifest to his sight.” (Hebrews 4:13) Yes, Jehovah’s powerful active force, or holy spirit, can extend anywhere, allowing him to be all-seeing and to accomplish his purpose from a fixed location, his “holy dwelling” in the heavens.​—Deuteronomy 26:15.

The Hebrew word here translated “spirit” refers to God’s active force, the power God uses to accomplish his will.