They took no note until the flood came and swept them all away. — Matt. 24:39, NW.

Jehovah God has exercised the greatest religious tolerance for 4,319 years now, or since Babylon was founded shortly after the flood. This divine patience has allowed honest-hearted people to escape from religion before it at last goes down. The modern counterpart of the flood is the battle of Armageddon. The early Christians lived as though it would occur in their generation, and they would survive it in the Christians' ark. But we today are the ones warned by prophecy and its fulfillment to be prepared for it to occur within our generation. The presence of the great crowd of other sheep with us gives added proof to the certainty of this. We do not want to experience the baptism of fire which 2 Peter 3:7-12 describes and which is reserved for the wicked heavens and earth that now exist. So, it is urgently necessary that we hold to the true baptism. W 11/15