7/20/17
"I
must declare the good news of the kingdom of God, because for this I was
sent forth."
(Matthew 24:14)
From the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus preached "the good news
of the kingdom." He demonstrated why the kingdom of God was indeed good
news as he accompanied his preaching by "curing every sort of disease
and every sort of infirmity among the people." Consequently great crowds
followed him, and "they brought him all those faring badly, distressed
with various diseases and torments, demon-possessed and epileptic and
paralyzed persons, and he cured them." (Matt. 4:17, 23-25)
When people pray for God's kingdom to come, as Jesus taught us to pray,
do they really understand that they are at the same time praying for God
to remove and destroy all the governments of this world which are under
Satan's control, for he is "the ruler of this world"? (Matt. 6:9,10;
Luke 4:5-8; John 12:31; Dan. 2:44; 7:13,14) It is by means of God's
kingdom that Jesus will "break up the works of the Devil"; and therefore
Satan is vehemently opposed to God's kingdom and persecutes anyone who
has a share in proclaiming it. (1 John 3:8; Rev. 12:7-9, 17) Yet, in
harmony with Jesus' prophecy regarding the "conclusion of the system of
things", this good news of the kingdom is being preached "in all the
inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations", before the end comes.
(Matt. 24:14) Satan is unable to silence the preaching of the good news
of God's kingdom, for even God's faithful angels have a share in
declaring "the everlasting good news" as "glad tidings to those who
dwell on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and
people." (Rev. 14:6)
Seeing that he cannot prevent the preaching of the everlasting good
news, Satan uses another tactic, namely, that of making rulership by God
appear to be oppressive, undesirable, even cruel and tyrannical; not
unlike when he succeeded in deceiving Eve. (Ezek. 34:4; Gen. 3:4,5) In
this deception he has proved quite successful, as in recent years
religious extremists have burst onto the world scene wreaking havoc with
their indiscriminate bombings and acts of terrorism, all in the name of
Allah―their
word for the one and only true God; for the purpose of bringing all
"unbelievers" under the rule of Allah. As a result, thousands have lost
their lives, and many more thousands have suffered indescribable horror
in many parts of the world. Has it brought peace and happiness to the
constrained subjects of these extremists? Not if we judge by the joy and
celebration expressed by those who have been liberated by the secular
governments who are fighting extremists and winning back land that they
had seized. As a result of these developments, which rivets the
attention of the world almost daily, the majority of mankind have come
to view rulership by God at best as unappealing and at worst
unacceptable. Have you tried to share with such ones the good news of
God's kingdom lately? Is it being well received?
Satan knows that he has only "a short period of time" before he will see
all his works―all
that he set up in opposition to Jehovah over the
past
thousands of years―removed
by God's kingdom; which will be followed by his own removal, when he is
thrown into the abyss where he will be unable to "mislead the nations
anymore".
(Rev. 12:9, 12; 20:1-3)
As
Jesus' disciples, we too want to share zealously in declaring the good
news of the kingdom of God wherever we are, because it is "the holy work
of the good news of God." God's kingdom is the only hope for mankind;
the only rulership that will satisfy all mankind's needs and desires,
which includes everlasting life in perfect peace and happiness. (Rom.
15:16; John 3:16)
7/3/17
"For
there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the
wholesome teaching"
(2 Tim. 4:3,4; New Watchtower Bible)
Who is
Paul talking about in his letter to Timothy, when he says that "they"
will not put up
with―that
is, reject―the
wholesome teaching? "They" are the same Paul mentioned earlier in this
same letter, when he wrote: "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, self-assuming, 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 a form
of godly devotion but proving false to its power; ...always
learning and yet never able to come to an accurate knowledge of truth."
(2 Tim. 3:1-7)
Paul is not describing the situation that will exist in the world of
mankind in general in the last days; but rather, he is referring to
those within God's own household who do not "agree with the wholesome
instruction, which is from our Lord Jesus Christ, nor with the teaching
that is in harmony with godly devotion." (1 Tim. 6:3-5, 20,21; 3:15;
NWB) It's a sad fact that God's people as a whole have always rejected God's
message addressed to them when it was condemnatory, exposing their
hard heartedness. (Jer. 1:16-19; John 8:44-48; Acts 7:51-54) Should we
expect it to be any different in our day, especially when we see that
this was prophesied for our "period of time"
(which the prophet
Daniel calls "the time of the end"),
at which time "no wicked ones at all will
understand; but the ones having insight will understand"? (Dan. 12:9,10)
Paul explains concerning those who reject God's word of truth, that "God lets an
operation of error go to them, that they may get to believing the lie,
in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the
truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thess. 2:9-12)
Have you become aware of the turmoil and confusion also in your own
congregation, including the lack of zeal for preaching the good news of
the kingdom, as is the case in the organization everywhere? Many, if not
the majority, of our brothers and sisters have come to
put their trust in men in the misguided belief that to follow our
leaders, the Watchtower
Society's governing body, is the same as to follow Jesus. (Psalms 146:3,
5) After all, that is what we have been taught we must do, as one
Watchtower article said:
"In
this time of the end, Christ has committed 'all his belongings'—all the
earthly interests of the Kingdom—to his 'faithful and discreet slave'
and its representative Governing Body, a group of anointed Christian
men. The anointed and their other sheep companions recognize that by
following the lead of the modern-day Governing Body, they are in fact
following their Leader, Christ."
(Bold
added) (w10 9/15 p. 23 par. 8 “Your Leader Is One, the Christ”)
The prophesied revealing of the "man of lawlessness" within God's temple
has greatly contributed to the confusion within the congregations. And although the Society blames
the turmoil on their so-called
apostates, in reality it is Jehovah who is doing the revealing of
our errors and the false teachings; thereby giving us the opportunity to
repent while there is yet time. This cleansing of his
people makes clear "the distinction between a righteous one and a
wicked one, between one serving God and one who has not served him."
(Malachi 3:14-18; Matt. 13:40-43; 2 Thess. 2:3,4; Luke 12:1-3; 2 Peter
2:1-4)
The fact is,
and
which should be obvious to all lovers of truth, we cannot mix falsehood
and errors with true worship; for that would render our worship
unacceptable, "in
vain", as Jesus said. Such vain and false worship will not lead to
everlasting life. (Matt. 15:3-9; 23:25,26; John 4:23,24)
Who would have believed that our loyalty to Jehovah and his word of
truth would result in persecution, not from the world but from our
closest family members, relatives, and fellow worshipers in our
congregation. They may view as spiritually mature any man who reads the
Watchtower publications, and quotes them as reliable and trustworthy;
yet at the same time they will consider as apostate the person who appeals to
the Bible as his only authority. Imagine, your quote of the Scriptures
may actually sound "strange" to your
fellow brothers (as I have been told) when it
differs from what the Watchtower says. (Titus 1:9) This reminds me of a
return visit I had many years ago on a Seventh-Day Adventist deacon, who
slammed his own Bible (King James Version) shut on my hand, which I was
quoting from to refute his insistence that we must keep the Sabbath. In
his frustration he said, "I don't need this (the Bible) to tell me I
have to keep the Sabbath." To which I replied, "I thought your religion
accepts the Bible as the word of God. Since you reject what your own
Bible says, there is no further basis for me to discuss this subject, or
any other."
Isn't it ironic that we experience the same opposition when we discuss
the Scriptures with our spiritual brothers? Don't be surprised by this
development, for it is happening just as the Scriptures foretold it must
take place. We just never expected the rejection of God's wholesome
teaching to come from within God's household; from those who are singing
Jehovah's praises. (John 16:1-4; Matt. 10:32-37; 26:54)
6/22/17
"Instead
of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately
chose to believe lies."
(Romans
1:25; TLB)
Why is it that the vast
majority of mankind put their trust in lies, falsehood, rather than the
truth―when the truth is oh so
much better? In fact, God's reliable promises are so amazing that most people are
inclined to dismiss them as nonsense―considering
them as
"too good to be true". (Rom. 1:25, 28; 2 Thess. 2:10,11)
But is the truth really "too good to be true"?
Consider for example the subject of
what happens when someone dies. No healthy and happy person wants to
die, because God has "planted eternity in the human heart." (Eccl. 3:11;
NLT) In the desperate hope that death is not the end of life,
many theories have been proposed to explain that life somehow continues
after death; based on the concept that man has an immortal soul that
continues to exist somehow, somewhere, invisibly apart from the body. Yet,
this idea directly contradicts the truth of what God tells us, namely,
that death is the end of life; and when it comes to death there is no
difference between man and the animals. Wise king Solomon wrote: "For
what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is
the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath,
and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to
one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return." (Eccl. 3:19,20;
ESV; Gen. 2:7; 3:19) Indeed, "the living at least know
that they will die! But the dead know nothing; they don’t even have
their memories. Whatever they did in their lifetimes—loving, hating,
envying—is long gone, and they have no part in anything here on earth
anymore." (Eccl. 9:5,6; Living Bible)
The truth is: Death is the opposite
of life. The dead really are dead; they are not conscious of anything at
all. When God pronounced sentence upon Adam and Eve in consequence of
their rebellion against his clearly stated command not to eat of a
certain tree, he told them: "You will work hard for your food, until
your face is covered with sweat. You will work hard until the day you
die, and then you will become dust again. I used dust to make you, and
when you die, you will become dust again.” (Gen. 2:16,17; 3:19; ERV)
Why did Adam and Eve disobey God? Because Eve was deceived by a lie,
spoken by a rebellious spirit creature which posed as a wise serpent.
This "original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan," convinced Even
that if she were to eat from the forbidden tree, not only would she not
die, but she would "become like God". Eve believed the lie, and sadly,
Adam joined his wife. (Gen. 3:1-6; John 8:44-47; Rev. 12:9)
The obvious is clear to everyone:
When a person dies, he really does return to the ground. After a short
time, only the person's skeleton remains. Nothing has happened behind
the scene that has been unseen to the eyes—no invisible soul leaving the
body. The Bible refers to those who have died as "dwellers in the dust".
They are "sleeping in their graves". But how is this truth, that the
dead are really dead, better than the lie that the soul continues to
exist apart from the body somewhere else, such as in heaven? God's word
provides this assurance: "Those of our people who have died will live
again! Their bodies will come back to life. All those sleeping in their
graves will wake up and sing for joy. As the sparkling dew refreshes the
earth, so the Lord will revive those who have long been dead." (Isaiah
26:19; NRSV, GNT)
Have you lost a family member, a
relative, or some other close friend, in death? Have the well-wishing
comments that he or she is now in "a better place" brought you relief
from your pain? Do you find comfort in believing that your deceased
loved one is now looking down on everything you do? Think about this:
God's promise is that he will bring back to life right here on this
earth all who have died. He will wake them up as if from a long sleep.
That is what Jesus promised, when he said: "“Do not marvel at this. For
the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His
voice and come out—those who have done good to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment." (John
5:28,29; MEV) Yes, the dead will live again, just as surely as
Jesus brought back to life his friend Lazarus who had been dead for four
days. (John 11:11-14, 20-27, 38-44)
God's amazing, "too good to be true"
promise is that you have the opportunity to be reunited, right here on
earth, with your dead loved ones who are at the present time "sleeping
in the dust". Also, you will be able to meet all your ancestors who have
ever lived when they too return to life in the resurrection. God has
absolutely guaranteed this wonderful prospect when he sent his Son,
Christ Jesus, to die for us, to redeem us from the sin and consequence
that we inherited from Adam. And what is it that God requires from us in
return? We need to accept his provision for life by exercising faith in
Christ Jesus and his sacrifice that he paid on our behalf. By doing
this, we will show obedience unlike our original parents, Adam and Eve.
(1 Cor. 15:21,22)
But does the Bible not speak of a
resurrection to life in heaven? Yes, it does for a few who have been
chosen by God; for these ones will assist Jesus in bringing about these
sure promises of God by means of God's kingdom. The prophet Daniel saw
them in vision at the time when they receive the kingdom along with the
"Son of man". Please read for yourself in your Bible Daniel 13-18, 27.
(Matt. 19:27-29; Eph. 1:4,5; Rev. 14:1-4) It is by means of his kingdom,
which Jesus taught us to pray for, that God will restore to mankind the
everlasting life that he originally had purposed for Adam and all his
offspring. (Matt. 4:17, 23; 6:9,10)
Listen to God's promise in which you
can put your trust, which he will bring about by means of his kingdom,
when he says: "For see, I am creating new heavens and a new earth—so
wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be
glad; rejoice forever in my creation. Look! I will re-create Jerusalem
as a place of happiness, and her people shall be a joy! And I will
rejoice in Jerusalem and in my people; and the voice of weeping and
crying shall not be heard there anymore." And the apostle John adds:
'"And I, John, saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven. It was a glorious sight, beautiful as a bride at her
wedding. I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, 'Look, the home of
God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his
people; yes, God himself will be among them. He will wipe away all tears
from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor
crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.'” (Isaiah 65:17-19;
Revelation 21:3,4; Living Bible)
Please note, mankind will not live
with God in heaven, but rather, God will reside with mankind. By saying
that he will live among his people, God is assuring us that we have his
approval and become precious members of his family; in the same way that
when his ancient people Israel was obedient to him, he was residing
among them and blessing them. (Compare Exodus 29:45,46; Malachi 3:17,18;
2 Cor. 6:14-18) "For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a
mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love,
he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful
songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17; NLT)
Don't you agree that the truth of
God's word is so much better than the lies and falsehood that most
people have come to believe; which are taught by Satan, who is "a
liar and the father of the lie." (John 8:44) Also, not to be
overlooked are the consequences that result from putting one's trust in
lies; for not only does that person miss out on the comfort the truth
provides in a time of mourning and suffering; but when God executes his
judgment upon the wicked he will also destroy "all who love to live a
lie." (Rev. 22:15; NLT)
6/7/17
"You
are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you."
(John
15:3)
What did Jesus mean when, after having dismissed Judas, he told his
eleven faithful apostles that they were "already clean" because of the
word that he had spoken to them? Remember earlier, when Jesus took a
basin with water and proceeded to wash the feet of his disciples (with
Judas still present), Peter objected and told Jesus, "You will certainly
never wash my feet." He was startled when Jesus answered him by saying:
"Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." Peter immediately
reversed his objection and replied: "Lord, not my feet only, but also my
hands and my head." In turn, Jesus answered: "He that has bathed does
not need to have more than his feet washed, but is wholly clean. And you
men are clean, but not all." The apostle John, one of the twelve who
was present, explains further: "[Jesus] knew, indeed, the man betraying
him (Judas). This is why he said: 'Not all of you are clean.'" (John
13:2-11)
This may raise the question: In what way does a person become "clean"?
Is it by means of God's word, as Jesus indicates above; or do we become
clean when being bathed in water―that
is, baptism―as
some suggest regarding the washing of the feet of his disciples, for
they were all baptized by John the Baptist? (John 12:49,50; Acts 22:16)
Is Jesus perhaps talking about a "spiritual" cleanliness, and therefore
the washing of the feet of his disciples was "in symbol" of that
cleansing?
Did you know that the expression "in symbol of" is not found anywhere in
the Bible; although it appears in the New World Translation (NWT
*)
in four places, all in connection with the baptism of John the Baptist?
For example, according to the NWT, Mark 1:4 reads: "John the
baptizer turned up in the wilderness, preaching baptism [in symbol] of
repentance for forgiveness of sins." (Also at Luke 3:3; Acts
13:24; 19:4) "In symbol" of is shown in brackets because it is
acknowledged that those words do not appear in the original manuscripts.
The words are added by the translators; they are spurious, an
interpolation―I
suppose for the purpose of explaining the meaning of John's baptism. But
rather than making the meaning clear, it often causes confusion. John
the Baptist was appointed by God to "prepare the way of Jehovah," by
turning the people to God in advance of Jesus' ministry. (Luke 3:2-18)
John was preaching and baptizing for "repentance for forgiveness
of sins", because the actual forgiveness of sins would follow upon
Jesus' death. (Rom. 5:6-10) After Jesus' death, baptism was for
forgiveness of sins, and not merely for repentance. (Acts 2:38; 22:16)
Does baptism symbolize our being washed clean of our sins?
In
order for God to forgive us our sins, he has three requirements that we
must meet:
1. Repentance for our sins―our
past disobedience to God; for without genuine repentance there can be no
forgiveness. (Isa. 1:16-20; Luke 13:3)
2. Then, complete forgiveness for our sins is made possible by
Jesus' death, in which we must put faith. (John 8:24; 1 Cor. 15:22)
3. This must be followed by baptism, for baptism is a
command from God. The Bible does not say that baptism is "in symbol" of
anything (certainly not in symbol of one's dedication to God, which is
not even mentioned in the Scriptures). By submitting to water baptism we
simply demonstrate our obedience to God's command. Have we not already
repented of our past disobedience? Hence, it is our obedience by which
we attain a clean standing before God, not that the water itself
cleanses us. (Compare Matthew 7:21-23)
The prophet Isaiah wrote: "Oh, wash yourselves! Be clean! Let me no
longer see you doing all these wicked things; quit your evil ways. Learn
to do good, to be fair, and to help the poor, the fatherless, and
widows. Come, let’s talk this over, says the Lord; no matter how deep
the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as
freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can
make you white as wool! If you will only let me help you, if you will
only obey, then I will make you rich! But if you keep on turning
your backs and refusing to listen to me, you will be killed by your
enemies; I, the Lord, have spoken.” (Isaiah 1:16-20; Living Bible)
We
become clean in God's eyes by our obedience, not by literal water, nor
by simply hearing God's word. Therefore, when Jesus said, "you are
already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you," he was
acknowledging that his disciples were obedient to his word; for by their
obedience they continued to be branches in the vine that was Jesus, and
their obedience produced good fruit. Indeed, Jesus went on to say to
them: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the cultivator. Every branch
in me not bearing fruit he takes away, and every one bearing fruit he
cleans, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of
the word that I have spoken to you. . . I am the vine, you are the
branches. He that remains in union with me, and I in union with him,
this one bears much fruit; because apart from me you can do nothing at
all. . . My Father is glorified in this, that you keep bearing much
fruit and prove yourselves my disciples. Just as the Father has loved me
and I have loved you, remain in my love. If you observe my commandments,
you will remain in my love, just as I have observed the commandments of
the Father and remain in his love." (John 15:1-10)
It
is absolutely vital for us to be clean by remaining in God's word. Jesus
said that the Father cleanses us in order for us to keep bearing much
fruit; and Isaiah points out that this may include being refined even "in the
furnace of affliction." (Isa. 48:10, 17,18) We are cleansed, that is,
made holy by God's word, as Jesus said in his prayer to his Father:
"Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17;
1 Peter 1:14-16) Since it is the truth of God's word that sanctifies us,
can you see why it is so important that we accept only the truth of
God's word? Yes, any falsehood, errors, and lies that may find their way
into our worship will render us unclean; which in turn will result in
our being cast out as a branch and dried up; "and men gather those
branches up and pitch them into the fire and they are burned." (John
15:6; 4:23,24; Matt. 15:3-9; 23:25,26)
-----------------------------------
*
New Watchtower Bible (2013)
With the release of the 2013 version of the New World Translation, it no
longer qualifies as a true translation. A more accurate descriptive name
would be the New
Watchtower Bible (NWB), because the
parentheses (brackets)
have now been removed,
which previously indicated words and phrases that had been added by the
publisher (but which do not appear in the original manuscript text),
making
it now impossible to identify what has been added and does not belong;
thereby giving the appearance that these spurious additions actually belong in the Bible,
and thus giving the interpolated words equal status with the original
writings.
For that reason, I cannot in good conscience refer to
the New Watchtower Bible (2013) as a translation. Ironically, the
Watchtower Society condemns other Bible translators for being guilty of
the same practice―inserting
additions, or tampering with the meaning of a word, in order to make a
text read according to
their own
religious beliefs, rather than allowing the Bible to interpret itself.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and "the interpretation
belongs to God." (Genesis
40:8)
Jesus said that it is God's word of truth that sanctifies the believer.
(John 17:17)
God has warned us against making any additions or changes to his Word. "Every saying of God is refined. Add nothing to his words,
that he may not reprove you, and that you may not have to be proved a
liar." ―Proverbs
30:5,6; Deuteronomy 12:32; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Revelation 22:18.
6/2/17 "The intentions of the heart belong to a man." (Prov. 16:1; NET)
It is not at all unusual for a chosen and anointed one of Jehovah to
become proud and presumptuous, although having previously been humble. For
example, Jehovah chose young Saul out of all the men in Israel to become king
over his people Israel. Why Saul? What special quality did Jehovah see in him?
The Bible tells us that "Saul was not only the most handsome man in Israel, but
he was also the most imposing, standing taller than all others." (1 Sam. 9:2;
The Voice) Was it because of his physical appearance that God chose Saul?
No, not entirely, for there was something more important that Jehovah saw in
him, as Samuel later reminded Saul: “Is it not true that even though you were
small (insignificant) in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of
Israel?" (1 Sam. 15:17; AMP) It was Saul's humility that made him special
in God's eyes; and yet, although his good looks must have made him popular with
his fellow Israelites, it was God's blessings that went to his head so that he
became in a short time presumptuous; for not only did he erect a monument for
himself, but he also failed to carry out God's specific instructions. (1 Samuel 15:12, 22,23)
We might ask, when a previously
humble person turns presumptuous and becomes self-important and rebellious, did
Jehovah not see this coming? Does the Scripture not say that "he searches all
hearts and examines deepest motives"? Can Jehovah be fooled? (Jer. 17:10; TBL)
Consider another example, that of Jeroboam, a servant of king Solomon. Although
king Solomon himself had been chosen by Jehovah to replace his father David upon
the throne, and in spite of having been richly blessed, yet, he apostatized in
his later years and built high places for his foreign wives for them to worship
their foreign gods; in direct violation of God's commands. (Exodus 34:12-16; Neh.
13:26) As a consequence, Jehovah chose Jeroboam to give him ten of the tribes of
Israel; leaving just the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to Solomon's sons. And
yet, Jeroboam too rebelled against Jehovah almost immediately upon becoming
king, for he invented his own religion and set up calf worship. How shocking! In
fact, the ten tribes, over which God had anointed him as king, never returned to
true worship; so that Jehovah brought the Assyrians against them to destroy
their cities and take them into exile. (1 Kings 11:26-35; 12:25-33)
The Scripture says that "the heart is
more treacherous than anything else and is desperate." And therefore asks: "Who
can know it?" (Jer. 17:9) Surely, Jehovah can know it. But, why, then, do so
many of his chosen and anointed ones―who start out good―rebel against him? Why
would he choose such a person in the first place? And how can we, personally,
make sure that we too don't follow in the same disastrous course of leaving
Jehovah?
The apostle Paul tells us what will
help us, as it did in his own case: "Because of the privilege and authority God
has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than
you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring
yourselves by the faith God has given us." (Rom. 12:3; NLT) Jehovah
blesses his loyal servants, for he takes notice of the love we show for his
name, and our love for his word of truth. Jesus said, "for, indeed, the Father
is looking for suchlike ones to worship him." (John 4:23) When we enjoy God's
blessings, we may interpret that as evidence of having more faith than others in
our congregation. Perhaps we are reporting more time spent in the preaching work
than others, which may be acknowledged by the elders from the platform. If that
is true in your case, doesn't that make you feel good? especially when this is
followed by applause? (That is one of the unfortunate consequence of reporting
hours spent preaching.) What, though, is often the result when this continues
over a period of time? The person thus praised may begin to view himself as more
"spiritually mature" in comparison to others, which would be a clear case of
"judging" our fellow brothers―a thing Jesus warned against. (Matt. 7:1-5; Rom.
14:4, 10-12; Gal. 6:4) Further, others may be drawn to such a "spiritually
mature" person; which in turn may result in forming cliques, something James
calls "class distinction," "rendering wicked decisions," "working a sin". (James
2:4, 9)
We can see that a good beginning in a
person can turn out disastrous in the end. Jehovah does not judge us by what we
might do in the future, but by the person we are right now. That is why he tells
us: "When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin,
expecting their past righteousness to save them, then none of their righteous
acts will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins. And suppose I tell
some wicked people that they will surely die, but then they turn from their sins
and do what is just and right. For instance, they might give back a debtor’s
security, return what they have stolen, and obey my life-giving laws, no longer
doing what is evil. If they do this, then they will surely live and not die.
None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is
just and right, and they will surely live.” (Ezekiel 33:13-16; NLT)
Jehovah created man with the gift of
freedom of choice. It is up to us to choose what we do, whether good or bad; but
this freedom to choose carries with it responsibility and consequence. Jehovah
wants us to choose what is good and right. Therefore he is teaching us to
benefit ourselves, just like children who listen to their caring parents benefit
from their guidance. (Deut. 30:19,20; Prov. 22:6; Isa. 48:17-19) Since we are
all judged and held accountable individually according to our deeds, it is up to
everyone to decide for himself what sort of person he becomes; just as the
Scripture says: "The intentions [arrangings, NWT] of the heart belong to
a man." (Prov. 16:1; NET; Rev. 22:12) "Keep yourselves in God's
love, while you are waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ with
everlasting life in view." (Jude 21)
5/19/17
"Out of your own mouth
I judge you, wicked slave."
(Luke 19:22)
The Watchtower Society has written much over the years about the "man of
lawlessness." For example, Volume 2 of
Insight on the Scriptures, under the heading "Temple," ―and after
stating that "anointed
Christians are a spiritual temple,"―
it goes on to explain that "an
impostor" is sitting within God's temple. It says: "The
apostle Paul, in warning of the apostasy to come, spoke of 'the man of
lawlessness' as setting himself up 'so that he sits down in the temple
of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god.' (2Th 2:3, 4) This
'man of lawlessness' is an apostate,
a false teacher, so he actually seats himself only in what he falsely
claims to be that temple."―it-2
p. 1083 Temple.
The Watchtower identifies
the "man of lawlessness" with
the clergy of Christendom. But is that scripturally correct? Are the
clergy of Christendom sitting within God's "spiritual temple", as
they refer to "anointed Christians"? Would God accept their claim to be
his temple, when they are not? The apostle Paul explains: "Do you not
know that you people are God’s temple, and that the spirit of God dwells
in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for
the temple of God is holy, which [temple] you people are." (1 Cor.
3:16,17) Christendom with its clergy is not God's people, his holy
temple. Since the Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E., they have been an
integral part of this world of which Satan is the god. They belong to
Babylon the Great, which has "a kingdom over the kings of the earth."
(2 Cor. 4:4; Rev. 17:5, 18; Compare Luke 4:5-8)
As such, they are an enemy of God; and never would Jehovah refer to his
enemies as "my people" or his temple. (James 4:4; 1:27; 2 Cor. 6:14-18)
Only God's people can apostatize from
true worship, by leaving the true God Jehovah.
(Isa. 9:17; Jer. 5:26-31; 17:13) Who, then, is this "man of lawlessness"
as described in the Scriptures? Interestingly, the Watchtower Society
helps to identify him in their publications. And although they are
referring to the clergy of Christendom, see how, in actuality, they are
exposing themselves to be that "lawless one." Here are some of their
quotes regarding the "man of lawlessness" (Bold added):
Man of Lawlessness.
An expression used by the apostle Paul at 2 Thessalonians 2:2, 3 in
warning of the great anti-Christian apostasy that would develop before
“the day of Jehovah.” The Greek word for “apostasy” here used, apostasi′a,
denotes more than a mere falling away, an indifferent sliding back.
It means a defection, a revolt, a planned, deliberate rebellion. . .
This rebellion, however, is not a political one. It is a religious one,
a revolt against Jehovah God and Jesus Christ and therefore against the
Christian congregation.
Paul warned the Christian overseers of Ephesus that after his going away
“oppressive wolves” would enter in among true Christians and
would not treat the flock with tenderness but would try to draw away
“the disciples” after themselves (not just making disciples for
themselves but trying to draw away the disciples, Christ’s disciples).
(Ac 20:29, 30)
The apostle Peter drew a parallel between the apostasy from Christianity
and that which occurred in the natural house of Israel. He said:
“However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as
there will also be false teachers among you. These very ones will
quietly bring in destructive sects and will disown even the owner that
bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. Furthermore,
many will follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these
the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively.” Peter goes on to
point out that these would exploit the congregation but that “the
destruction of them is not slumbering.”—2Pe 2:1-3.
A composite “man.” The “man”
of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 is, therefore, not an individual, but a
composite “man,” a collective group, as the foregoing scriptures
show, and this “man” was to continue after the apostles’ death and exist
down until the time of the Lord’s presence.
The “lawlessness” that this composite apostate “man” commits is
lawlessness against Jehovah God the Universal Sovereign. This “man”
is guilty of treason. He is called “the son of destruction,” as was
Judas Iscariot, the traitor who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ and who
was instrumental in bringing about his death. He, like Judas, is to be
annihilated, sent into extinction forever. This “man” is not “Babylon
the Great,” who also fights against God, for she is a woman, a
harlot.—Joh 17:12; Re 17:3, 5.
“The
man of lawlessness” sets himself in opposition to God and is therefore a
“satan,” which means “resister.” And, indeed, his “presence is
according to the operation of Satan.” (2Th 2:9) In the days of the
apostle Paul, there was “mystery,” or a religious secret, about the
identity of this “man of lawlessness.” To this day mystery shrouds his
identity in the minds of many persons, because his wickedness is
practiced under the guise of godly devotion. (2Th 2:7)
By his lying teachings contrary to or superseding, as it were, the law
of God, “the man of lawlessness” sets himself up over Jehovah God
and other ‘gods,’ mighty ones of the earth, and also against God’s
holy ones, true spiritual brothers of Jesus Christ.
―Insight
on the Scriptures, Volume 2 pp. 310-312 Man of Lawlessness
It is vital that we identify this man of lawlessness.
Why? Because he is intent on undermining our good standing with God and
our hope of eternal life. How? By getting us to abandon the truth and to
believe falsehoods in its place, thus diverting us from worshiping God
“with spirit and truth.” (John 4:23)
The evidence shows that they are the
body of proud, ambitious clergymen of Christendom, who over the
centuries have set themselves up as a law unto themselves. . . What all
these religions have in common is that they do not hold fast to the
Bible’s teachings, having violated the rule: “Do not go beyond the
things that are written.”—1 Corinthians 4:6; see also Matthew 15:3, 9,
14.
Why have Jehovah’s servants
powerfully exposed the man of lawlessness all these years? Because the
millions of the great crowd of Jehovah’s sheep that are already on the
way to salvation must be protected from Satan’s world and its false
religion. (John 10:16; Revelation 7:9-14)
―w90
2/1 pp. 10-25, Identifying “the Man of Lawlessness
Where else, then, could
the apostasy be expected to start from but in the Christian
congregation? It was to the Christians, as represented by the
congregation at Thessalonica, that the apostle wrote: “Paul and Silvanus
and Timothy to the congregation of the Thessalonians in union with God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: May you have undeserved kindness
and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(2 Thessalonians 1:1, 2) These Christians could apostatize from God,
could revolt and rebel against God, because they were in union with Him
and with his Messiah Jesus and were receiving undeserved kindness
and peace from God their heavenly Father and through his Son Jesus
Christ. Who, therefore, are such rebels from the Christian congregation?
In the light of what the apostles
Paul and Peter say about the apostasy, who really is “the man of
lawlessness . . . the son of destruction”? To “elders,” the “overseers”
who represented the congregation of Ephesus, the apostle Paul said that
men would rise and “speak twisted things,” in the religious field.
This narrows the matter down to the religious leaders of the Christian
congregation, those ordained or appointed to “shepherd the congregation
of God.”
―God's
Kingdom Has Approached (ka) chap. 18 pp. 368-397 pars. 12-72,
Bringing the “Man of Lawlessness” to Nothing
Although the foretold "man of lawlessness" is present within God's temple today, not everything that is taught originates with this "lawless one." Jesus also spoke of a "faithful and discreet slave" who would be rewarded for having provided "food at the proper time" for the domestics of God's household, right up until the day of Jesus' return—"in favorable season, [and] in troublesome season." (Matt. 24:45-51; 2 Tim. 4:1-5)
5/2/17
"Whom Jehovah loves he
disciplines"
(Hebrews 12:5,6;
New Watchtower Translation)
Our conscience may smite us when we have sinned against Jehovah. That is
a good thing --- no, not the sinning, but the repentance we show after
we have sinned or made a mistake. Note David's remorse expressed in his
heartfelt prayer after he had sinned and committed adultery with another
man's wife, Bathsheba, and had even devised the murder of her husband.
(Psalms 51:1-19) Jehovah forgave him, although he did not exempt David
from punishment; and he will likewise forgive us when we sin, although
we too may come to suffer the consequence of our sinful action, like in
David's case. (Exodus 34:6-7; 2 Sam. 12:9-13) The apostle John assures
us: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we
make the statement: 'We have not sinned,' we are making him a liar, and
his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing you these things
that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we
have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. And he is
a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also
for the whole world’s." (1 John 1:19-2:2)
There is no need for you to feel hopeless on account of having committed
many repeated sins, perhaps feeling guilty and worthless to the point of
giving up on yourself. Your attitude towards your sins is important
though! If you find yourself in a position that you know is contrary to
God's law, and that you are thereby sinning, then you need to show that
you are genuinely repentant by doing everything possible to get out of
that situation. You will need to "produce fruits that befit repentance."
That in itself may take time, like it takes time for a tree to produce
fruit. (Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20; Compare 1 Cor. 6:9-11) God's word assures
us: “'Come, now, you people, and let us set matters straight between
us,' says Jehovah. 'Though the sins of you people should prove to be as
scarlet, they will be made white just like snow; though they should be
red like crimson cloth, they will become even like wool.'" (Isaiah 1:18)
When you strive to worship Jehovah "with spirit and truth," you can be
assured that he will accept you as his son, even though you may find
yourself sinning at times. (John 4:24) It is a constant struggle to keep
doing what is right, and for that reason we all may fall short many
times. It is as Paul expressed it: "I find, then, this law in my case:
that when I wish to do what is right, what is bad is present with me. I
really delight in the law of God according to the man I am within, but I
behold in my members another law warring against the law of my mind and
leading me captive to sin’s law that is in my members. Miserable man
that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death?
Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, then, with [my] mind I
myself am a slave to God’s law, but with [my] flesh to sin’s law." (Rom.
7:21-25; Heb. 12:7-13)
When we sin we demonstrate that we are in need of discipline -- of being
corrected -- to keep us in God's love and on the path that leads to
everlasting life. (Jude 21) Paul expresses it this way: "As you endure
this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own
children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its
father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it
means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.
Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we
submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and
live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years,
doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for
us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable
while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a
peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.
Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and
lame will not fall but become strong." (Heb. 12:7-13, New Living
Translation)
So, don't give up on yourself on account of your constant battle against
the desires of the flesh, even when you find yourself struggling again
and again over a period of many years, against the temptations and
weaknesses that are "common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not
let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the
temptation he will also make the way out in order for you to be able to
endure it." (1 Cor. 10:13) How does Jehovah help you to endure the
temptation? He helps you by means of his discipline, giving you the
needed correction which will eventually see results over time. And he
also helps you to endure his loving correction in order for you not to
become downhearted to the point of giving up. (2 Cor. 2:5-11; Compare 2
Peter 3:9)
If you are a parent, you know how discipline works for the good of your
child when it is administered in love. God's discipline will continue
for all of us until the day when we will no longer need it, having
reached perfection of mind and body, and in perfect obedience; just as
Jesus himself "learned obedience from the things he suffered; and after
he had been made perfect he became responsible for everlasting salvation
to all those obeying him." (Heb. 5:8,9; 2:10, 17,18) Therefore, never
give up, for "whom Jehovah loves he disciplines."
4/15/17
"Not
many of you should become teachers"
(James 3:1)
To preach and to teach in God's name is a serious matter,
because it carries with it the responsibility to teach only God's word
of truth. (John 17:17) False prophets and false teachers are condemned
by God. After the apostle Peter warns that there will be false teachers
among God's people in our time, just as there were false prophets among
God's people in ancient times, he goes on to say that "as for them, the
judgment from of old is not moving slowly, and the destruction of them
is not slumbering." (2 Peter 2:1-3)
That is why James cautions: "Not many of you
should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we shall receive
heavier judgment. For we all stumble many times. If anyone does not
stumble in word, this one is a perfect man, able to bridle also his
whole body." (James 3:1) James is saying that teachers may make
mistakes, since we are all imperfect, but any falsehood on the part of a
teacher can result in serious consequence. James compares the tongue to
a fire, and it only takes a spark to set a forest ablaze. In the same
way, a falsehood, although uttered in innocence, may result in actually
causing the listeners to become guilty before God. Jesus definitely
taught that God does not accept or tolerate falsehood mixed with pure
worship. After all, is that not what the religious leaders of his day
had become guilty of? (Matt. 15:3-9; 23:13, 15; compare Ezek. 14:9,10)
Presenting a teaching as truth when in fact it is
a falsehood, is as serious as playing false to the holy spirit. Consider
the example of the man Ananias and his wife Sapphira. After the
outpouring of the holy spirit at Pentecost, the number of disciples
increased rapidly. The account in the book of Acts relates that "all
those who became believers were together in having all things in common,
and they went selling their possessions and properties and distributing
the [proceeds] to all, just as anyone would have the need." Ananias also
sold a possession of his, but "secretly held back some of the price, his
wife also knowing about it." There was no sin in keeping some of the
price, if that is what Ananias wanted, as Peter explained to him: "As
long as it remained with you did it not remain yours, and after it was
sold did it not continue in your control? Why was it that you purposed
such a deed as this in your heart? You have played false, not to men,
but to God.” Ananias really was a hypocrite, for he presented himself as
more generous than he really was. Did he not realize that God would see
the falsehood? He did not act out of a pure heart, and neither did his
wife who knew about the matter yet covered for him. This act of deceit
cost them their lives! (Acts 2:44,45; 5:1-11; Matt. 5:8)
Jehovah has provided us with his word of truth,
the Bible, which he caused to be written by his holy spirit. (1 Thess.
2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:20,21) In his book of truth he has
included everything we need to know in order for us to worship "with
spirit and truth." (John 4:23,24) That is why the apostle Paul warns all
of us not to go "beyond the things that are written." Of course, when he
says not to go beyond the things that are written he is referring to the
inspired written word of God, and not to publications that attempt to
interpret God's word. (1 Cor. 4:6) A person would become guilty of
playing false to God and the holy spirit if he were to go "beyond the
things that are written," and in the process contradicts the things
written by holy spirit. God's word says: "Every saying of God is
refined. . . Add nothing to his words, that he may not reprove you, and
that you may not have to be proved a liar." (Prov. 30:5,6; 1 Sam.
13:13,14; 15:22,23)
God warns us to be on guard against the false
prophets and false teachers "that come to [us] in sheep's covering, but
inside they are ravenous wolves." Serving their own selfish interests,
they "speak twisted things to draw the disciples after themselves," and
succeed in "subverting the faith of some." (Matt. 7:15; Acts 20:29,30; 2
Tim. 2:15-18) Jehovah's judgment against the false teachers within his
household is not slumbering. Their end will come suddenly. All of us
need to be on guard, not just against the false teachings, but also
against becoming guilty by sharing in the distribution of their
falsehood. We must strictly stick to God's word of truth, for that is
what Jesus meant when he commissioned us to "make disciples of people of
all the nations. . . teaching them to observe all the things I have
commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the
conclusion of the system of things." (Matt. 28:18-20)
No, Jehovah is not to blame when some among his own people become false
teachers who speak falsehood in God's name; and it is not God's fault
when many among his people prefer the lies to God's word of truth. (2
Thess. 2:9,10)
9/10/16
"The joy of Jehovah is your stronghold."
(Nehemiah 10:8)
We have reason to rejoice, for our God Jehovah is a happy God and he
wants us to be happy. (Psalms 104:31; Prov. 27:11)
The sons of Korah expressed their joy in songs of praise: "What joy for
those who can live in your house, always singing your praises," yes,
"what joy for those who trust in you." (Psalms 84:4, 12; NLT)
King David likewise found joy in worshiping Jehovah, singing: "Happy is
the people whose God is Jehovah." (Psalms
144:15) Everything that Jehovah has given us is meant to bring us joy,
including preaching "the glorious good news of the happy God."
(1 Tim. 1:11) In fact, joy is a fruitage of God's spirit, for it
reflects the very nature of God. Therefore, we can rightly expect to be
happy when we have God's spirit. (Gal. 5:22; Acts 13:52)
Why, though, is joy lacking sometimes in our life; which is then
reflected in our lack of feeling motivated? Some can't remember the last
time they were truly happy. Perhaps it was when they first learned of
Jehovah and his promise of everlasting life on a righteous earth, and
the hope of a resurrection for loved ones who have died. But that joy
seems to have evaporated over the years. (Matt. 5:5,6; John 11:25,26,
39-44) When joy is lacking, it may indicate a problem; just as physical
pain indicates a physical problem. No, it does not necessarily mean that
we have lost God's spirit.
In the time of the prophet Ezekiel, Jehovah took notice of the ones
among his people who were "sighing and groaning over all the detestable
things that [were] being done in the midst of [them]." Their lack of joy
was a good thing, for it marked them for survival. You see, God's people
had become extremely wicked, and because nothing of any consequence was
happening to them they actually began to believe that Jehovah was not
seeing them, or not caring; prompting them to say: "Jehovah has left the
land, and Jehovah is not seeing." Yet, they did not realize that Jehovah
was about to execute his judgment upon them, for he said: "And as for me
also, my eye will not feel sorry, neither shall I show compassion. Their
way I shall certainly bring upon their own head." (Ezek. 9:3-10; compare
Malachi 3:14-18) Within a few short years, Jehovah brought the
Babylonian army against his people. Jerusalem with its temple was
destroyed, and most of the inhabitants did not survive. But those who
had been marked for survival, as described by Ezekiel of the man with
the secretary's inkhorn, had God's protection and even prospered in
their place of exile, Babylon ― such as the prophet Daniel; and king
Jehoiachin who surrendered to the Babylonian king. (2 Kings 24:12-15;
25:27-30; Dan. 1:3-7; 2:48,49)
If you are "sighing and groaning over all the detestable things" that
are happening within God's household today; and you no longer enjoy
attending the meetings in your Kingdom Hall, or even at the larger
conventions, take courage. Don't feel that it is because you have lost
God's spirit. Your sighing and groaning may actually be marking you for
survival, as Jehovah sees your "streams of water" that "have run down
[your] eyes over of the fact that they have not kept [God's] law."
(Psalms 119:136; 2 Peter 2:7-9) Also, if you have come to view your
sacred service to Jehovah ― such as preaching the good news of the
kingdom ― as having become burdensome, and robbing you of your joy, then
be assured that this burden is not from God. It is more likely that you
are chafing under a heavy load that has been imposed upon you by men;
and you mistakenly view it as from Jehovah. Jesus invited the people to
"come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh
you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and
lowly in heart, and you will find refreshment for your souls. For my
yoke is kindly and my load is light." (Matt. 11:28-30)
The heavy load that many are experiencing today originates with the
foretold man of lawlessness. For example, the unscriptural doctrine
regarding "Dedication"
demands that God's people must "live up to their dedication" in
order to receive everlasting life. And since such a thing is not
mentioned in the Scriptures, this man of lawlessness is free to explain
whatever he wants it to mean. (2 Thess. 2:3,4, 9; Acts 20:29,30; Gal.
4:15-17) Many years ago, a young married brother and father told me that
he did not expect to survive Armageddon because he could not live up
to his dedication, that is, all that the Society teaches is
essential for survival. Worshiping Jehovah had become too great a burden
for him. According to his understanding, this required him to attend all
the meetings (which were three times a week back then); preparing for
the meetings; commenting at the meetings; conducting a regular weekly
family study; perhaps conducting a Bible study with an interested
person; participating in the preaching activity, preferably twice a
week, and spending at least the number of hours averaged by the
congregation. This was especially hard since his job took him away from
his family for a few days each month. Having lost the "joy of Jehovah,"
he was about to give up on himself.
In order for us to hold on to our God-given joy ― which is vital in
helping us endure ― we need to distinguish between the things that God
requires of us, and the needless burden that is placed upon us by men.
(Matt. 23:1-4; 1 John 4:6) Remember, Jesus said that his yoke is kindly
and his load is light. If your yoke and load has become heavy and
burdensome, robbing you of your joy, then you can be certain that it is
not the yoke Jesus invites you to accept. By means of his prophet
Ezekiel, Jehovah addresses the wicked shepherds and accuses them of
scattering his sheep, because "with harshness you have had them in
subjection, even with tyranny." Soon, Jehovah will "break the bars of
their yoke" and "deliver [his sheep] out of the hand of those who had
been using them as slaves." (Ezek. 34:2-10, 26,27) Be assured that
Jehovah cares for his sheep. He tells us: "You are my flock, the sheep
of my pasture. You are my people, and I am your God." (Ezekiel 34:31;
NLT)
8/23/16
"It does not belong to you..."
(Acts 1:7)
Upon creating Adam, God told him: "Here I have given to you all
vegetation bearing seed which is on the surface of the whole earth and
every tree on which there is the fruit of a tree bearing seed. To you
let it serve as food." The account in Genesis goes on to say that
"Jehovah God made to grow out of the ground every tree desirable to
one's sight and good for food and also the tree of life in the middle of
the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad." (Gen.
1:29; 2:9) Adam was permitted to eat the fruit of every tree in the
garden, with just the one exception, for
God
told him: "From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction.
But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat
from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.” (Gen.
2:16,17)
Clearly, Adam had everything he needed in the way of food; he did not
need to eat from the one tree that God commanded him to stay away from,
not even to touch it. (Gen. 3:1-3) The tree of the knowledge of good and
bad belonged to Jehovah. He
kept it "in his own jurisdiction," and therefore
it did not belong to man. To eat from the tree would be a violation of
God's clearly stated command and an act of rebellion, the penalty for
which would be death. (Acts 1:7; Rom. 5:12)
It was Adam's wife, Eve, who first ate from the forbidden tree when
Satan, "the original serpent," deceived her by
telling her that eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad
was going to give her knowledge that God was keeping from her.
She began to look at the tree as
"good for food and something to be longed for to the eyes."
(1 Tim. 2:14; Rev. 12:9) Eve then offered the fruit
also to her husband who accepted it.
Thereby they both turned their backs on their Creator; and, as God had
warned, they eventually died and returned to the dust from which they
were created. (Gen.
3:6-19; 5:5)
What could possibly have induced Adam and Eve to violate God's clearly
stated command not to eat from the one tree that was out of bounds for
them? They lacked nothing! After all, they were permitted to eat from
every other tree in the garden, including the "tree of life" that was in
the middle of the garden, the fruit of which represented their right to
life as long as they continued obedient to God; just as the tree of the
knowledge of good and bad represented God's right to tell them what is
good and bad, and the consequence for disobedience, namely death. Upon
sinning, God removed them from the garden in order to prevent them from
eating any further from the tree of life, to which they had now lost
access. (Gen. 2:9, 16,17; 3:24;
1 Cor. 15:22; compare Rev. 2:7; 22:1,2)
We certainly do not want to be like Adam and Eve; and yet there is the
danger that we too may be deceived into considering something as "good"
― yes, "something to be longed for"
― but which God "has placed in his
own jurisdiction," and therefore does not belong to us; and the reaching
out for it would be just as rebellious as in the case of Adam and Eve.
The resurrected Jesus had shown himself to his disciples throughout
forty days as proof that he had risen from the dead, and to strengthen
them. The time had arrived for him to ascend to heaven, and thus he was
meeting with his disciples for the last time. Of course, they still had
many questions regarding the kingdom that he had promised them and
commissioned them to preach to all the nations. And so they were moved
to ask: "Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” It
is natural to want to know when certain events will happen in
fulfillment of God's promises; but Jesus' blunt answer may have
surprised them when he told them: “It does not belong to you to get
knowledge of the times or seasons which the Father has placed in his
own jurisdiction"; or as other translations say, "It is not
for you to know times or seasons that the Father
has fixed by his own authority."
(Acts 1:3, 6,7; Matt. 24:14; Luke 9:1,2; 12:32)
Jesus was not about to divulge the Father's times or seasons, not only
because it did not belong to them to get that knowledge, but neither did
he have the authority to provide that information. In fact, Jesus had
told them earlier that even he did not receive that information from his
Father. (Matt. 24:36) It goes without saying that since Jesus himself
did not know "that day and hour," there is simply no way of calculating
it, and searching for it in the Scriptures would be futile. But even
more serious, it would be rebelling against God to try and get hold of
the forbidden knowledge that we are told does not belong to us but to
God alone. This is not any different from the command that God gave Adam
and Eve regarding the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and bad.
Like in their case, Satan can make something that is forbidden appear to
be very attractive, even beneficial for us, so that we may be tempted to
want to reach out for it. Even Satan himself would love to have that
knowledge, for it would enable him to more effectively oppose God's
kingdom. (1 Peter 1:10-12; Eph. 3:8-11)
Charles Taze Russell's attempt at calculating the times or seasons for the
establishment of God's kingdom was in direct violation of Jesus' words,
"it does not belong to you."
While Russell, like many others of his time, believed that Jesus had
actually returned
invisibly
in 1874, he also widely preached―according to his
own interpretation of certain Scriptures―that God's chosen ones would be taken up to
heaven in 1914 to rule with Christ in his newly established kingdom. This
hope turned out to be a great disappointment to everyone who had put his trust in
Russell's promise, yet who was still on earth the following year.
Joseph Rutherford,
who succeeded Russell as
president of the Watchtower Society,
held on to the date of 1914; while at the same time discarding
most of Russell's other teachings regarding God's "Divine Plan of the
Ages." Why would Rutherford, like his predecessor, cling to a date
(times
or seasons)
that Jesus had clearly told his disciples belongs only to God, and
therefore we cannot get to know? Because it is this date of 1914 that is
used by the Watchtower Society as their basis to exercise authority over
God's people.
Rather than being able to calculate a
date according to some mysterious formula, Jehovah has provided us with signs,
events, which when observed will clearly
indicate the nearness of God's kingdom; especially the prophecies that
are fulfilled in connection with God's household in the last days.
(Luke 21:28; 2 Tim. 3:1-7, 13)
These signs are recorded in the Scriptures for our benefit, to give us
hope during the time when we experience the foretold suffering and
testing of our faith. Jesus told his disciples: "So when all
these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up! For your
salvation is near. Notice the fig tree, or
any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told
that summer is near. In the same way, when you see the events taking
place that I’ve described you can be just as sure that the Kingdom of
God is near. I solemnly declare to you that when these things happen,
the end of this age has come." (Luke 21:28-32, TLB)
We anxiously await "the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with
his powerful angels," while in the meantime we lean on Jehovah God to
provide us everything we need to help us endure, and to keep our faith
in his promises alive. (2 Thess. 1:6-10)
James writes that "every good gift and every perfect present is from
above, for it comes down from the Father of the celestial lights."
(James 1:17) Our hearts fill with gratitude for Jehovah's many
loving provisions; while at the same time we realize that it does not
include the things he has kept "in his own jurisdiction."
"Keep yourselves in God's love, while you are waiting for the mercy of
our Lord Jesus Christ with everlasting life in view." (Jude 21)
8/16/16
"You
will know the truth, and the truth will set you free"
(John 8:32)
Can we know the truth? Jesus said: "If you remain in my word,
you are really my disciples, and you will know the truth, and
the truth will set you free." (John 8:31,32) Does that not sound like we
can know the truth, when we accept Jesus' words; and that the truth sets
us free from falsehood and deception? Jesus further said that "the
true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for,
indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him." (John
4:23,24)
Many are of the opinion that we cannot know the truth at
this time. That is undoubtedly due to the confusion created by the
Watchtower's ever shifting ideas and teachings, which, although at one
time were considered God's truth, have been abandoned in favor of some "new" or
"updated" insight. But if we cannot know the truth, then neither can we
worship Jehovah with spirit and truth, for God does not accept lies and
errors mixed with his true worship. (Ezek. 13:6-10) Jesus emphatically
told the scribes and Pharisees: "You have made the word of God invalid
because of your tradition. You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about
you, when he said, ‘This people honors me with their lips, yet their
heart is far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshiping
me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.’” (Matt.
15:3-9)
You see, when we make God's word invalid by teachings that contradict
the Scriptures, then our worship is in vain. And when our worship is in
vain, then we will miss out on the everlasting life that God has
promised to those who obey him. (Heb. 5:9)
Can we know the truth? Yes, of course --- when we are taught by holy
spirit. Paul says that it is "to us God has revealed [his hidden wisdom]
through his spirit, for the spirit searches into all things, even the
deep things of God." (1 Cor. 2:10) All of God's people have his spirit,
which teaches us. In fact, we are God's temple and his spirit resides in
us. (1 Cor. 3:16,17) We could lose that spirit, though, if we were to
continually grieve it by rejecting the truth that we are taught by the
spirit in favor
of man-made teachings, doctrines, and traditions; such as we receive
from the Watchtower Society, the teachings of which -- for the most part
-- have been based on Joseph Rutherford's own peculiar interpretation of
the Bible; which in turn he based on his then theory of types and
anti-types (which idea the Watchtower recently abandoned, see WT
3/15/2015).
How can we be sure that what we are taught, by anyone, is indeed God's
truth? We do as the Beroeans did to whom Paul preached the good news.
They did not just accept every word he said, but were "carefully
examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so."
(Acts 17:11,12) We must do that too. Indeed, the apostle John tells us
that it is our responsibility to do so if we do not want to fall victim
to any false prophets. He says: "Test out the inspired expressions to
see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets
have gone forth into the world." (1 John 4:1) We are not so much in
danger of the false prophets of this world, including those in
Christendom, as we are in danger of the false prophets among own God's
people. (2 Peter 2:1-3) That is why the apostle Paul warned: "I know that after my
going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat
the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will
rise up and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after
themselves." (Acts 20:29,30)
The foretold "man of lawlessness" has seated himself within God's temple
(the temple being God's people) where he has lifted himself up over
everyone, including God's chosen ones ("everyone who is called 'god' or
an object of reverence" --- compare Jude 8, 10,13). But, Paul foretold
that his presence within God's temple is revealed in the days leading up
to Jesus' return, "whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit
of his mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence."
This "lawless" one's presence is not from Jehovah or Jesus, but rather
is "according to the operation of Satan with every powerful work and
lying signs and portents and with every unrighteous deception for
those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not
accept the love of the truth that they might be saved. So that is
why God lets an operation of error go to them, that they may get to
believing the lie, in order that they all may be judged because they
did not believe the truth." (2 Thess. 2:3-12)
In view of Paul's words, we can see why it is so important for us to
know and understand the truth, in order to avoid falling prey to the
"unrighteous deception" of the man of lawlessness, who is sitting in
"opposition" to the truth. (v. 4) If there are those who prefer the lie
-- including any elders in the congregations -- and they want to put their trust
in man, then Jehovah allows them to "get to believing the lie." (Psalms
146:3,5; Ezek. 14:9,10) It is our personal and individual
responsibility to read God's word, and familiarize ourselves with God's
teachings; for only then will we be able to distinguish between "the
inspired expression of truth and the inspired expression of error."
(Psalms 1:1-3, 6; 1 John 4:6; 1 Tim. 4:1,2) God's Word alone is
truth. God cannot lie! And he gives his "holy spirit to those asking him,"
in order that we may be taught the truth that is contained in his Word. (Luke 11:13; John
14:15-17, 26; 17:17;
Rom. 3:4; 2 Peter 1:21)
The truth of God's word never changes. It never becomes outdated or
obsolete. What we see
happening within God's household at the present time proves the
reliability of God's word regarding his people in the time of the end.
We can put our trust and confidence in everything it says, which in turn
serves as an anchor that keeps us from drifting away. (Matt. 26:54; Heb.
2:1; 6:19)
8/9/16
"No one has come to know the things of God, except the spirit of
God."
(1 Corinthians 2:11)
What is God's spirit? God
is holy, and therefore so is his spirit. In the Scriptures,
God is spoken of in an illustrative way as a "sun." The sons of Korah
sang, "Jehovah God is a sun and a shield. Favor and glory are what he
gives!" (Psalms 84:11)
All life on earth is dependent on the sun, which
is situated at just the perfect distance from the earth --- and not by
coincidence. The sun is an incredible source of energy. It not only
illuminates our earth, bathing it in light, but it also powers the
weather and produces the abundant vegetation that supplies food for all
living things. In many ways, it well illustrates the glory of Jehovah.
Just as
all life owes its
existence to God, we also owe our continued existence to the sun that
God created. Further,
we cannot gaze at
the brilliant sun with our naked eyes, without causing blindness.
Similarly, it is impossible to look upon the Creator of the sun. When
Moses requested to see God's face, God told him:
"You are not able to see my face, because no man may see me and yet
live." (Deut. 33:18-20) Of course, Jehovah must be greater in glory and
power than all the things he has created, such as the universe with its
billions of galaxies, each consisting of billions of stars, many of them
dwarfing our own sun.
God is a spirit
person who dwells in the spirit realm called heaven, and which is
invisible to physical mankind. Since we cannot see God, he describes
himself for us in terms that we humans can understand. There is no
darkness at all with God, and when we walk with Him, we are said to be
walking in his light, in contrast to those who are estranged from God,
for they are dwelling in darkness. (Psalms 27:1; Isa. 30:26; 60:19,20; 1
Thess. 5:4,5)
The comparison in
the Scriptures of Jehovah to that of the sun in glory and power, in an
illustrative way, helps us to understand what his holy spirit is and how
it operates; for his holy spirit is his glory and power that emanates
from him, similar to the light and the power of the sun which makes
possible and sustains the vast variety of life on earth. The basic fact
is, there can be no life on earth without the sun and its life-giving
power. In the same way, there can be no life anywhere apart from God and
his holy spirit. Those who cut themselves off from God, also cut
themselves off from his spirit and life, as the Scripture says: "If you
conceal your face, they get disturbed. If you take away their spirit,
they expire, And back to their dust they go. If you send forth your
spirit, they are created; And you make the face of the ground new. The
glory of Jehovah will prove to be to time indefinite. Jehovah will
rejoice in his works." (Psalms 104:29-31)
God created all
things by the power of his holy spirit. (Gen. 1:2) This spirit is not
something separate from him. It is the very essence of who he is, his
power and glory that emanates from him and by which he accomplishes his
purpose. He can give his spirit to his creatures, which enlightens us;
teaches us; empowers us; it can fill us, or reside in us; etc.. Jesus
referred to God's spirit as a "helper," which we receive from the
Father; and since Jehovah is the "God of truth" his spirit is "the
spirit of the truth, which the world cannot receive." Also, since the
spirit proceeds from God, it is at times personified, being referred to
as "he." This does not mean that it is a person, distinct from God with
its own personality. (Psalms 31:5; John 14:16,17, 26; 16:7,8)
What a blessing it
is to have God's holy spirit in our lives. It is something that we
should treasure and cling to at all cost, for it is evidence of God's
favor upon us, and makes us the happiest people on earth. And not only
that, it draws others to us when we display the fruitage of the spirit
in our lives, such as "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness,
goodness, faith, mildness, and self-control," the very things that
personify God himself. It transforms us to be the sort of person who
reflects God's qualities and personality. (Gal.
5:22,23;
Eph. 4:20-24) When
we are taught by holy spirit, we will not fall victim to "the
unrighteous deception" of the man of lawlessness, who is sitting so
prominently within God's temple. (2 Thess. 2:9-12) And another thing,
when we appreciate what the holy spirit is, it also helps us to
understand the seriousness of blaspheming the holy spirit, for which
there is no forgiveness, as Jesus warned. (Matt. 12:12:31,32)