Q:
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Brother
I would like to get your thoughts on an article in the latest Watchtower about
the seven shepherds and eight dukes. (Nov. 15, 2013)
I find it highly disturbing to see the article
telling us that in the future we may come under attack by the modern "Assyrians"
and must therefore be ready to obey any instructions that comes from the
Society, even when the instructions may seem unreasonable. Am I overreacting or
is this what you also got out of it?
•
I have a question for you,
What do you make of the latest watchtower and
the seven shepards and eight dukes. I find it a bit scary as they say to carry
out their request even if it does not sound or look logical from a mans point of
view.
This is acceptable off course as following Moses
to the point of the red sea with the surrounding mountains certainly didn't look
logical. So there is the dilemma hey! They are not Moses but Jehovah has used
them to accomplish the preaching work.
_________________________
A:
Whenever
anyone solicits your unquestionable trust and obedience, no matter what
credentials they may provide to bolster their claimed authority
[even if an angel out of heaven], it should immediately sound your alarm because
we know that Jehovah has told us not to put our trust in anyone but him. That is
for our protection, and I am glad to see that your alarm is ringing loud and
clear! (Psalms 146:3-5; 40:4) Jesus foretold that in the "conclusion of the system
of things" many would come on the basis of his name, claiming to have
Christlike authority, in order "to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones."
(Matt. 24:24,25; Gal. 1:8,9) He further said: "All those that have come in place
of me are thieves and plunderers; but the sheep have not listened to them." The
thieves and plunderers are not there to care for the sheep, but rather to steal
them away from their owner. As long as the sheep know the voice of their
rightful owner, they are not easily fooled into following strangers. But they
may still be in danger of being fooled by appearance. That is why Jesus also
warned: "Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep's
covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves." (John 10:7-15; Matt. 7:15-20) We
may get fooled by a wolf that comes to us in sheep's covering, but only until he
starts to howl like a wolf.
On the surface, the publications printed by the Watchtower Society appear to be
sheeplike, at least to the extent that they adhere to God's Word. But then every
so often they cannot suppress their wolflike howl, and thereby expose their true
identity beneath their covering. Staying alert to these howls will be a
protection for us! The article about the "seven shepherds" and "eight dukes,"
and the two following articles about obeying the shepherds, are suchlike
examples, for they definitely do not express Jehovah's view on the matter.
What should our response be when we are told that we must trust and obey the
shepherds in our congregations, who in turn are required to trust and obey the
Society's governing body? Consider the Watchtower that you mention (Nov. 15,
2013, pg. 20), regarding the interpretation of the seven shepherds and eight
dukes:
16 The prophecy about seven shepherds and eight dukes has its major
fulfillment in our day. The citizens of ancient Jerusalem were attacked by the
Assyrians. In the near future, Jehovah’s apparently vulnerable people will come
under attack from the modern-day “Assyrian,” whose intent will be to wipe them
out. The Scriptures refer to that attack as well as the attack of ‘Gog of Magog,’
the attack of “the king of the north,” and the attack of “the kings of the
earth.” (Ezek. 38:2, 10-13; Dan. 11:40, 44, 45; Rev. 17:14; 19:19) Do these
represent separate attacks? Not necessarily. The Bible could be referring to the
same attack under different names. What ‘secret weapon’ does Micah’s prophecy
indicate Jehovah would raise up against that implacable foe—“the Assyrian”? A
very unlikely one—“seven shepherds, yes, eight dukes”! (Mic. 5:5) The shepherds
and dukes (or, “princes,” NEB) in this implausible army are the congregation
elders. (1 Pet. 5:2) Today, Jehovah certainly has provided an abundance of
spiritual men to shepherd his precious sheep, to strengthen his people for the
future attack of the modern-day “Assyrian.” Micah’s prophecy states that they
will “shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword.” (Mic. 5:6) Yes, among ‘the
weapons of their warfare,’ you will find “the sword of the spirit,” God’s Word.
—2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:17.
17 Elders who are reading this article can draw some useful
conclusions from the account we have just considered: (1) The most practical
step that we can take to prepare for the coming attack of “the Assyrian” is that
of strengthening our faith in God and helping our brothers to do the same. (2)
When “the Assyrian” attacks, the elders must be absolutely convinced that
Jehovah will deliver us. (3) At that time, the lifesaving direction that we
receive from Jehovah’s organization may not appear practical from a human
standpoint. All of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive,
whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not. (4) Now
is the time for any who may be putting their trust in secular education,
material things, or human institutions to adjust their thinking. The elders must
stand ready to help any who may now be wavering in their faith. (Italics mine
for highlight)
Is there any
scriptural basis for believing that the ancient "Assyrian," who
threatened faithful king Hezekiah, has "its major fulfillment in our day," and that it
will be countered by "seven shepherds" and "eight dukes" who picture the
congregation elders, armed with "the sword of the spirit," God's Word? Has
someone had a vision, or a dream? Have they been "drinking
with the confirmed drunkards," because "they reel and move unsteadily like a
drunken man, and even all their wisdom proves confused." (Matt. 24:49; Psalms
107:27; Isa. 28:7,8)
It is easy to discern the real intent
behind their interpretation, namely, that the elders and all the
congregations must wholeheartedly trust in "the
lifesaving direction that we receive from Jehovah’s organization" at that future
time when we come under attack by the Assyrians, although the direction "may not
appear practical from a human standpoint." It seems as if they are laying the
foundation and preparing us for the time when we will receive special
instructions from the Watchtower Society, which we will be expected to obey
without hesitation, even when they may not appear sound from a human standpoint,
or even a scriptural one. Can you discern the yelping of the wolf? We can
expect to be called upon to thrust aside our Bible based conscience and follow
them; which in fact many are already doing. It clearly contradicts what Jehovah
himself tells us, saying: "Cursed is the able-bodied man who puts his trust in
earthling man and actually makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from
Jehovah himself." (Jeremiah 17:5-8)
The prophet Ezekiel warns us against the false
prophets in our midst, and who come under God's condemnation: "Woe to the stupid prophets who are walking after
their own spirit, when there is nothing that they have seen. . . They have
visioned what is untrue and a lying divination, those who are saying, ‘The
utterance of Jehovah is,’ when Jehovah himself has not sent them, and they have
waited to have a word come true. 7 Is
it not an untrue vision that you men have visioned, and a lying divination that
you have said, when saying, ‘The utterance of Jehovah is,’ when I myself have
spoken nothing?”’ 8 “‘Therefore
this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “‘For the reason that you men
have spoken untruth and you have visioned a lie, therefore here I am against
you,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”
9 And my hand has come to be against the prophets that
are visioning untruth and that are divining a lie. In the intimate group of my
people they will not continue on, and in the register of the house of Israel
they will not be written, and to the soil of Israel they will not come; and you
people will have to know that I am the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, 10 for the
reason, yes, for the reason that they have led my people astray, saying, “There
is peace!” when there is no peace, and there is one that is building a partition
wall, but in vain there are those plastering it with whitewash.’" (Ezekiel
13:3-10)
Truly, the leaders within "Jehovah's organization" are whitewashing the present
terrible condition within God's temple, while telling us to trust them, talking
of peace when there is no peace—at least not with Jehovah: "For from the least
one of them even to the greatest one of them, every one is making for himself
unjust gain; and from the prophet even to the priest, each one is acting
falsely. And they try to heal the breakdown of my people lightly, saying,
'There is peace! There is peace!' when there is no peace." (Jer. 6:13-15) What
is the situation in your congregation? In your area? Is there peace? Or are many
"sighing and groaning over all the detestable things that are being done in the
midst of [us]"? (Ezek. 9:4, 6)
The two final study articles (pages 21-30) extol the virtues of the shepherds,
while admonishing the flock to be obedient to them. How different from Jehovah's
own estimation of the shepherds, whom he holds responsible for devastating and
scattering his flock, having been feeders only of themselves; while the sheep
have gone hungry and looking for food, straying "on all the mountains and on
every high hill; and on all the surface of the earth, with no one making a
search and with no one seeking to find." (Ezek. 34:2-12) We can find many of
these hungry sheep scouring even the internet in search for food. But the wicked
shepherds, and at the present time still self-righteous, will soon be removed
from their positions of oversight. Ezekiel shows that Jehovah's judgment will
come upon the "valueless shepherds," and that he himself will search for his
lost sheep, "in the day of clouds and thick gloom." According to the prophet
Zephaniah, that describes Jehovah's great day, at which time the wicked
shepherds will be destroyed, along with all the inhabitants of the earth who
refused to listen to God. (Ezek. 34:11,12; Zeph. 1:14-18; Zech. 11:15-17; Matt.
24: 48-51) Isaiah prophesied: “Aha, the Assyrian, the rod for my anger, and the
stick that is in their hand for my denunciation! Against an apostate nation I
shall send him, and against the people of my fury I shall issue a command to
him, to take much spoil and to take much plunder and to make it a trampling
place like the clay of the streets." (Isaiah 10:5,6; NWT)
In further reply to the second question:
The governing body is no Moses! Moses, the mediator of the old covenant,
foreshadowed Jesus Christ who is the mediator of the new covenant! And just as
the people followed Moses, so Jesus is the Leader of God's people today. (Matt.
23:10; Heb. 3:1-6; 9:13-15) On the other hand, the three notorious rebels, Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram, who envied Moses' glory and the authority Jehovah had given
him, more fittingly picture the Society's governing body who similarly want to
bask in Jesus' glory. They will receive the same judgment as those of the three
men and their 250 associates, who rebelled against God. (Num. 16:1-35) Also,
although the Society has been zealous in organizing the preaching work, we must
remember that it is Jehovah's "holy work," and that he is the one responsible
for the success of preaching it in "all the inhabited earth for a witness to all
the nations." He could even make the stones cry out, if that were necessary.
(Matt. 24:14; Luke 19:40; Rom. 15:16) To have God's approval, more is required
than preaching the good news of the kingdom. (Matthew 23:15)
To help us all better understand the present developments within the
organization, with its many problems and false teachings, it would be good to
read and consider closely Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians, regarding
the presence of the man of lawlessness [also called the son of destruction],
within God's temple; and how his presence is not from Jesus or Jehovah, but
"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." (2 Thess. 2:3-12) I recently mentioned in conversation to an
elder (a relative), who is loyal to the Society and feels that we must be
obedient to them, that if the man of lawlessness does not refer to the clergy of
Christendom, but is indeed our very own governing body—who have elevated
themselves over everyone within God's temple and demand our trust and
obedience—then he may find himself in deep trouble in the near future. There is
no mistaking of Paul's words that those trusting in the man of lawlessness will
perish, and the Society even added at one time, "with no hope of a
resurrection." Although this elder may be inclined to consider me as
entertaining apostate thoughts, I also pointed out to him that I don't face the
same dilemma he does. No Sir! I am not a gambling man! Sticking close to Jehovah
and trusting in him alone, even under persecution and rejection by most family
members, is still the best and safest course.