Q:
I have been reading some of your articles since the time I
found your site. It is very interesting to know that some of my questions
before were answered in your writings although I do not agree with your
stand against the governing body. I have a deep respect to them since by
their detailed explanation of the bible is the reason why I know the truth.
But I also believe that they are just imperfect humans who commit errors
even to the point of making mistakes on some Bible explanations. . .
But my concerns was upon reading your articles, you may seem establishing a
new kind of bible explanation that you think it’s the right one while
disapproving the Governing Body. If a new brother who just begins to study
the Bible will come to read your explanation, it will definitely get
uninterested because of the conflicting ideas brought by you. It will also
create division among the brothers. The unity of worship will be broken. I
believe that we have a diversity of understanding but it does not mean to
become rebellious, like Korah and publicly reproach the governing body who prepares the
food for us. And to create a very opposite idea which is in contrast of what
they explained to us is not morally right? This kind of attitude is the
reason why a there are many religious group which have so many sects because
of the leaders who thinks of a different way. . .
As I scan through your articles, I understand that your concern is to give
advice and spiritual support to those brothers who have problems inside the
congregation. But looking deeper on it was a hatred in your part against the
Governing Body. We must always put in mind that those problems are
basically in the individual brothers and nothing on the part the governing
body to be involved. We should not see ourselves to as righteous as we do not
see others our righteous. Lastly, Which is better, declaring the good news
or declaring the bad news? What should we see on the part of our brothers,
their good deeds or their bad deeds. I hope you get my point.
_________________________
A:
I agree that it is wrong to speak or rebel against those who take the lead in
caring for and feeding God's sheep. (1 Tim. 5:17) Jude, for example, speaks of
"ungodly men" who have slipped in among God's people and are "speaking abusively
of glorious ones," wicked men who "have perished in the rebellious talk of
Korah." (Jude 4, 8, 11) From your expressions I understand that you have not as
yet read much on my site. For example, in my article on “My People Like it That
Way” I address the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, three notorious rebels
who opposed Moses and are given as a warning example for us today. (Num. 26:9; 1
Cor. 10:6, 10,11) The Society teaches, and many wholeheartedly agree, that
questioning the governing body is equivalent to Korah's rebellion. Moses was the mediator of the Law covenant that Jehovah made
with the nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai, and he was the one chosen by God to lead
his people. (Heb. 8:7-13) As you know, the greater
Moses is Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new and better covenant. Regarding
him the apostle Paul wrote: “Moses as an attendant was faithful in all the house
of that One as a testimony of the things that were to be spoken afterwards, but
Christ [was faithful] as a Son over the house of that One. We are the house of
that One, if we make fast our hold on our freeness of speech and our boasting
over the hope firm to the end.” (Heb. 3:1-6; 5:4,5; 8:6; Gal. 3:24)
Who is leading
God's people today? A Watchtower article answered: “As
Jehovah’s modern-day servants, we cherish our good relationship with God. We are
eager to learn and apply in our lives valuable lessons from past events. (Romans
15:4) When the Israelites walked by sight, they forgot that God through Moses
was directing them. If we are not careful, we too can forget that Jehovah God
and the Greater Moses, Jesus Christ, are directing the Christian congregation
today.” —w05 9/15 p. 20 par. 18; Walk by Faith, Not by Sight!
Since Jesus is the greater Moses, for someone to follow in the path of Korah he would have to rebel against Jesus, and not just against any man,
or group of men,
even if that were the twelve apostles. When Paul confronted the
apostle Peter in Antioch with the need to correct him, for Peter “stood condemned,”
also influencing others in following his hypocritical course so that “they were not walking straight according to the truth of the good
news,” would you say that Paul became guilty of becoming like Korah? (Gal. 2:11-14)
The Scriptures foretold that before the coming of Jehovah’s day (NWT),
Jehovah would reveal (or expose) the existence of an element right at the very top inside his own household—his temple—that would
reflect the same rebellious attitude as did Korah, wanting to share in the glory
of the greater Moses Christ Jesus, and elevating himself above all others of
God's people, even going so far as showing himself to be a god. The apostle
Paul calls him the “man of lawlessness,” the “son of destruction.”
He
is not placed in his lofty position by Jehovah but rather his presence would be
“according to the operation of Satan.” (please read for yourself 2 Thessalonians
2:3-12; Rev. 2:2) It is important for us to identify this man of lawlessness,
for according to the prophecy we are all affected by his presence.
Who, according to the Society’s explanation, is “the man of lawlessness”? The
Daily Text for Saturday, March 20, 2010, applies it to “Christendom’s clergy.”
(see The Watchtower, June 15, 2008, page 8) And what, according to the Society,
is “the temple of The God” (where this man of lawlessness is sitting)? The Watchtower of November 1, 2006, on page 24, says
that it is the “Christian congregation of anointed ones.” Since God’s temple
refers to God’s people, as the apostle Paul explains, then that is where the man
of lawlessness is to be found. (1 Cor.
3:16,17) Therefore, the pertinent question is: Who among God's people has claimed
that to follow them is the same as following Jesus, the greater Moses? The Study Watchtower
of Sept. 15, 2010 answers:
"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." In wanting us to follow them, is the Governing Body not
expressing the same ambition as that of the rebels Koran, Dathan, and Abiram?
None of the apostles ever make such a bold claim! Who did the
apostle Paul say would want to "draw away the disciples after themselves?" Was
it not men "from among you yourselves?" (Acts 20:30) The man of lawlessness is "set in opposition." How is
that true? Not submissively
following the lead of the governing body,
or even questioning their authority, will
get a person expelled from the congregation, as you probably well know. (compare
John 9:22; 16:1-3; 3rd John 9,10)
All of this affects everyone of God’s people personally, including you, whether
you are aware of it or not! The Daily Text that I referred to above, regarding
the man of lawlessness, said the following: “Like the religious leaders whom
Jesus condemned, the modern-day worshippers who are part of ‘the son of
destruction’ face destruction with no hope of a resurrection.” That is true! The apostle Paul
speaks of the ones who are deceived by the man of lawlessness
as “those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the
love of the truth that they might be saved.” (2 Thess. 2:10-12)
It is of the utmost importance that we are not deceived by the man of
lawlessness. Our everlasting life is at stake! Jesus said that if we were to substitute God's commandments with our own
traditions then our worship would be in vain and unacceptable to God. (Matt. 15:6-9)
Therefore, we need to make sure that all our beliefs are in harmony
with the Scriptures. The Watchtower of
September 1, 2010, in the article "Guard Against Being Deceived," gives
the following counsel:
Could any
of us fall into the trap of being deceived? Sadly, the answer is yes. In truth,
all of us are susceptible to such danger. And that includes the
possibility of being deceived about our cherished religious beliefs—with
potentially catastrophic consequences. Why is that so? How can you guard against
being deceived? . . .
'Is it not an exaggeration to say that all of us are in danger of being
deceived with regard to our religious beliefs?' you might ask. No, it is not.
This is because Satan the Devil, whom Jesus called "the father of the lie," is
bent on deceiving and deluding all of us. (John 8:44) Satan is also described in
the Bible as "the god of this system of things." He has "blinded the minds" of
millions of people throughout history. (2 Corinthians 4:4) . . .
So how can you guard against being deceived by Satan? How can you make sure that
you "worship [God] with spirit and truth"? (John 4:24) Use what Jehovah God has
given you. First of all, he has given you "intellectual capacity" so that you
can distinguish truth from falsehood. (1 John 5:20) He has also made it possible
for you to identify Satan's designs. (2 Corinthians 2:11) In fact, he has given
you everything you need to counteract Satan's attempts to mislead you.―Proverbs
3:1-6; Ephesians 6:10-18.
Most important, God has provided you with an infallible means with which to
protect yourself. What is that? The same one that the apostle Paul encouraged
his companion Timothy to rely on when it came to matters of religious faith.
After giving the warning about "wicked men and imposters," the apostle Paul told
Timothy to resist them by basing everything he believed on "the holy
writings"―that is, on God's holy Word, the Bible.―2 Timothy 3:15.
. . . Be like the noble-minded men and women whom the apostle Paul preached to
in Beroea. They "received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind." Not
only were they keenly believing what the apostle Paul taught them but they were
also "carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things
were so."―Acts 17:11.
You have nothing to fear from examining your beliefs in this way. In fact, the
Bible encourages you to "make sure of all things" before accepting them as true.
(1 Thessalonians 5:21) Toward the end of the first century C.E., the apostle
John urged his fellow Christians: "Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired
expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with
God." (1 John 4:1) Yes, even though a certain religious teaching seems to
be "inspired"―or to come from God―it is still the course of wisdom to examine
the Scriptures to make sure before accepting it as true.―John 8:31, 32.
Do you agree that any one
of us could be deceived by men who claim to be appointed by God, but who "speak
twisted things" to promote their own agenda? Do you do what the above
Watchtower article suggests all of us should do in order to
avoid being deceived?
Do you use your "intellectual
capacity" so that you can distinguish truth from falsehood? Do you agree that we
should carefully examine the Scriptures daily to "make sure" that the things we
are taught are actually in harmony with God's Word the Bible?
Or do you accept everything
without question as coming from God, even when it contradicts what God says in
his Word,
simply because of who it is that is teaching it? If we were to deviate from what
God tells us, substituting
our own doctrines for
his commandments,
would that not eventually become evident by the fruitage it would bear,
"for whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap." (Gal. 6:7,8)
My website is not for the purpose of exposing the errors or wrong doing of the Society, but
rather to explain how our deflecting from the truth of God's Word has affected our
relationship with Jehovah and has resulted in the present troubling developments within the organization.
(Matt. 24:11-13;
2 Tim. 3:1-7; Jer. 7:24) The result has been that many, yes, many of God's
precious sheep have been scattered. Some of the "plump" sheep (the spiritual
mature ones) have been slaughtered, that is expelled from the congregation, and
are no longer able to worship Jehovah in association with their brothers simply
because they refuse to submit to the "superfine apostles" who have begun to rule
over God's people. (Ezek. 34:3; 1 Cor. 4:8; 2 Cor. 11:5; Rev. 2:2) Have you noticed any of
God's sheep missing in
your congregation? Does Jehovah care about this? (Luke 15:4-7) He will hold
accountable the
wicked shepherds for the mistreatment of his sheep: "The sickened ones you have
not strengthened, and the ailing one you have not healed, and the broken one you
have not bandaged, and the dispersed one you have not brought back, and the lost
one you have not sought to find, but with harshness you have had them in
subjection, even with tyranny. And they were gradually scattered because of
there being no shepherd, so that they became food for every wild beast of the
field, and they continued to be scattered. My sheep kept straying on all the
mountains and on every high hill; and on all the surface of the earth my sheep
were scattered, with no one making a search and with no one seeking to find."
(Ezek. 34:2-10) The sheep belong to Jehovah! He will
most certainly
hold the shepherds
accountable.
(Rom. 14:8; 1 Cor. 6:19,20; 2 Tim. 2:19; Heb. 13:17; 1 Peter 5:2-4)
If the shepherds seem undisturbed at present by God's judgment against them it
is because they do not believe it applies to them, and yes, many of them even
lack faith in God himself.
Jehovah foretold the increase of lawlessness among his people that we are now
witnessing, and yet,
to our great harm we have deflected these condemnatory prophecies from
ourselves and have applied them to the churches of Christendom. (Matt. 24:12) This should not surprise us
for when in the history of God’s people have they ever listened to him? And have
the results not always been the same?
The crowds have always followed their leaders, whom they could see with their
physical eyes, while turning their backs on Jehovah, in
spite of the command not to put their "trust in
nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs." (Psalms
146:3) In Jesus' time, because of the ruling authority of the
Sanhedrin—the governing body of the Jews in the first century—very
few of God's people had the courage to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah. They were
individually in fear of being expelled from the synagogue. Are we not witnessing
the same situation today, where many are more afraid of men than of God,
consequently rejecting the truth of the Bible in favor of doctrines of men whom
they are loyally following? (John 7:13; 9:22; 12:42,43; 16:2)
When I show from the Scriptures what it is that God is telling us, and where it
differs from what the governing body presents, am I like Korah?
Do you share the goods news of the kingdom with others? Do you ever have to open your
Bible and show someone where some belief of his is at odds with the
Bible? Do you not feel a responsibility to do that? We should "not hold back good
from those to whom it is owing, when it happens to be in the power of your hand
to do it." (Prov. 3:27) My website is intended to help and comfort those of God’s sheep who are “sighing and groaning over
all the detestable things that are being done in the midst of [us],” as a
consequence of having turned our back on Jehovah. (Ezek.
9:4,6; Jer. 5:31) Jesus said that those in health do not need a physician, but
the ailing do. (Matt. 9:12,13) From the many letters that I have received it
seems that my site is accomplishing its purpose. Many have told me that they are
returning to the meetings again, now that they understand from the Scriptures
why the present situation exists. (Matt. 26:54) It is helping many endure
the present troubles, such as the suffering inflicted by wicked
shepherds or “false brothers,” while not losing faith in Jehovah and
his promises which are sure to come true. (2 Cor. 11:26; Gal. 2:4) You can read portions of the letters on
my site in the “Comments from Visitors” box. If I were to be negligent with my
responsibility in not encouraging, feeding or even warning the sheep, would
Jesus not consider that to be a “wicked and sluggish slave”? (Matt. 25:24-30; John
21:15-17; Ezek. 3:20,21) Does anyone have a monopoly on scriptural truth? Was it
only the twelve apostles who were given the authority to teach God's word? Is
our governing body superior to them? I do
not seek a following. I do not promote or advertise my site. I refuse to
speculate where a point cannot be established with scripture. Use God's
inspired Word to prove for yourself what is from Jehovah, and then live in
harmony with that knowledge. Your everlasting life is at stake.
A word of caution: Do not attribute to men what rightly belongs to Jehovah! It
is not because of any man or group of men, but by God’s spirit that you have
come to know Jehovah and his purpose, for it is his spirit that
teaches us, “even the deep things of God.” Without the holy spirit none of us would
be able to understand anything at all! (Matt. 13:10-15; John 14:26; 1 Cor.
2:10-14; Gal. 1:8) If you grieve God’s spirit, and he were to remove it from
you, you would lose everything you have received. (Eph. 4:30; Isa. 63:10; Luke
8:18) We must be careful not to share our worship of Jehovah with anyone else,
no matter who they profess to be. Jehovah says: “I am Jehovah. That is my name;
and to no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images
[nor earthling men].” (Isai. 42:8; Psalms 146:3-5)
We should not idolize the person
who teaches us God's
word, as if it originates with him; for that belongs to Jehovah alone. (1 Cor.
1:11-13; 4:6-8) Also, please take to heart the outcome for Korah, Dathan,
Abiram, and the other 250 rebels who had sided with them, when Jehovah destroyed
them and everything that belonged to them. Immediately the following day another
14,700 of their sympathizers perished at God's hand. All these things have been
written "for a warning to us upon whom the ends of the systems of things have
arrived."
When Jehovah's
judgment comes upon us in the very near future, we will not be able to say, "we
did not know!" It was simply a matter of not listening to Jehovah, and a
lack of faith! (Numbers 16:19-35,
41-49; 1 Cor. 10:11; Prov. 24:12)
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