4/17/14
The Terminator
10/19/14
Who is Greater Than John the Baptist?
10/8/14
Why do the Wicked Among God's People Prosper?
Jehovah is a merciful God who is willing to pardon "error and transgression and sin,"
and yet he says that he will by no means "give exemption from punishment." (Exodus 34:6.7)
This may cause you to wonder: If Jehovah does not give exemption from
punishment, how is it possible for the presumptuous and wicked ones among God's
people to be pronounced happy; even being build up to the point of prospering
where the righteous ones begin to envy them? Malachi wrote: "You have said, ‘It
is of no value to serve God. And what profit is there in that we have kept the
obligation to him, and that we have walked dejectedly on account of Jehovah of
armies? And at present we are pronouncing presumptuous people happy. Also, the
doers of wickedness have been built up. Also, they have tested God out and keep
getting away’”? (Malachi 3:14,15)
Why do the wicked among God's people prosper and "keep getting away"?
Where is their punishment that God says he does not give exemption from? Our
situation today resembles that of Jeremiah's day, when the "way of the wicked
ones [was] what succeeded," and they were the ones who were "unworried,"
having taken root as if Jehovah himself had planted them. Indeed, Jehovah was
"near in their mouth and far from their heart." (Jeremiah 12:1-3, ESV;
"far from their conscience," HCSB)
When King David sinned in connection with Bath-sheba, taking another man's wife,
he did not escape punishment, although Jehovah forgave him because he repented. David suffered long-lasting consequences, including a revolt
against his kingship by his own son, Absalom, who forced David to flee for his
life. Eventually David was restored to his throne and Jehovah again blessed him.
(2 Sam. 11:2-5; 12:7-14; 15:1-6, 13,14) King David certainly did not prosper
when he sinned.
Perhaps you yourself are aware that Jehovah has not exempted you from punishment
on account of a sin you became guilty of; yet you have reason to
be encouraged. Consider what happened to a brother whose business trips took him
away from his family for days at a time; and on one of those trips he succumbed
to temptation as David had. And like David, he wanted to keep it hidden. Then,
within a few months his company downsized and he lost his job. Not being able to
find another, his wife felt compelled to go to work, moving back to her parents
and former hometown where she had worked before she was married. This had
consequences on their marriage and she became estranged from her husband, who at
this point came to realize that the turn of events was no coincidence. He
confessed his sin to Jehovah, begging for his forgiveness, and shortly after
found another job. He realized that he still had to settle matters with his wife
and ask for her forgiveness.
Paul writes that "whom Jehovah loves he disciplines; in fact, he scourges every
one whom he receives as a son." (Heb. 12:6-11) And the same applies to his
punishment, which is not to be confused with discipline. (1 Thess. 4:6; 1 Peter
2:14) No one escapes God's just punishment, for he is not to be mocked, as if we
can ignore his laws and get away with it, deceiving ourselves with false
reasoning that, after all, he is a merciful God. (Gal. 6:7) If a servant of
Jehovah becomes the recipient of his deserved punishment, take courage, for it
shows that Jehovah still considers the sinner to be his son; for God
does not have dealings with wicked people, persons who are "dead" to him. (Eph.
2:1-3; 1 John 3:14, 21,22) Consider Saul's example in this regard, for when Jehovah had
rejected him from being king, he no longer had any dealings with Saul―he no
longer listened to his prayers, nor did he discipline or punish Saul, as he
did in David's case. Saul was now "without God in the world", but his punishment
caught up with him when he was slain in battle against the Philistines. (1 Sam.
15:22-29, 35; 28:6; 31:2-6; Eph. 2:12)
Jehovah does not discipline or punish the people of the world, of which Satan is the god,
the way he disciplines and punishes his own people; and neither does he listen to their prayers. But
that does not mean that he exempts them from punishment, for it will come upon
them at God's appointed time, which will mean their destruction. (2 Cor. 4:4; 2
Thess. 1:8,9; 2:9,10; Rev. 18:20)
Therefore, if you have endured Jehovah's rage and punishment for a sin that only you
know about, and you have repented, consider this to be a blessing, because Jehovah is still dealing with you as a
son―or a daughter; otherwise he would not have bothered to mete out justice
at this time. (Compare Micah 7:9, NWT) This is not the case with the wicked
ones among his people who are seemingly prospering. Don't envy them, for they
are not going to get away with anything. Their judgment is not slow in coming.
They will suddenly be broken when God's judgment catches up with them. This may
even happen sooner, rather than later, when the wicked ones actually become a
serious danger to the congregation. (Psalms
37:37,38; Prov. 6:12-15; Heb. 10:26-31)
9/19/14
How Much Longer?
Have you become discouraged by the situation in your congregation to the point
where you want to "walk away" from all the things that you perceive as proof
that this cannot possibly be God's household? (John 6:66) Don't you remember
reading that Jehovah foretold that these things would exist within his household
in "the last days"? The apostle Paul wrote: "Remember this: There are some
terrible times coming in the last days. People will love only themselves and
money. They will be proud and boast about themselves. They will abuse others
with insults. They will not obey their parents. They will be ungrateful and
against all that is pleasing to God. They will have no love for others and will
refuse to forgive anyone. They will talk about others to hurt them and will have
no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. People will turn
against their friends. They will do foolish things without thinking and will be
so proud of themselves. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. They
will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that
'devotion' change the way they live. Stay away from these people!" (2 Tim.
3:1-5; ERV)
Paul is not talking about the world of mankind of whom Satan is the god―no, but
he is describing the characteristics of the members within God's own household,
which would result in "critical times hard to deal with" [NWT] for God's
faithful servants, giving proof that we are indeed in the last days. (2 Cor.
4:4; 1 Tim. 3:15; Rev. 2:4; 3:1-4) The prophet Malachi similarly foretold that
the wicked ones among God's people would appear to be prospering, causing the
righteous among them to wonder if it was really advantages to remain faithful to
God. Malachi wrote: “You have said, ‘It is of no value to serve God. And what
profit is there in that we have kept the obligation to him, and that we have
walked dejectedly on account of Jehovah of armies? And at present we are
pronouncing presumptuous people happy. Also, the doers of wickedness have been
built up. Also, they have tested God out and keep getting away.’” (Mal. 3:14,15;
Psalms 73:2-14) Have you observed this situation in your congregation? Rather
than leave God's household on account of the wicked, be determined to minimize
your association with such people. (Prov. 13:20) Jehovah recognizes how these
things affect you, your discouragement, and how it is testing your continued
faith and obedience; and therefore he explained all these things long in advance
before they occurred, to help you endure. (Matt. 24:10-13; 26:54; Rom. 15:4)
This is not the first time in the history of God's people that the righteous
ones have suffered at the hands of the wicked ones who continue to prosper in
their midst. Like you, they too wondered: How much longer will God tolerate this
deplorable situation before he brings relief to those who genuinely love him?
Indeed, how much longer will Jehovah tolerate the wicked on whose account "the
way of the truth is spoken of abusively?" (2 Peter 2:2) That same question
troubled the prophet Habakkuk who asked God in prayer: “O Lord, how long must I
call for help before You will hear? I cry out to You, 'We are being hurt!' But
You do not save us. Why do you make me see sins and wrong-doing? People are
being destroyed in anger in front of me. There is arguing and fighting. The Law
is not followed. What is right is never done. For the sinful are all around
those who are right and good, so what is right looks like sin... Your eyes are
too pure to look at sin. You cannot look on wrong. Why then do You look with
favor on those who do wrong? Why are You quiet when the sinful destroy those who
are more right and good than they?" Did Jehovah respond to the prayer? Habakkuk
says: "Then the Lord answered me and said, 'Write down the special dream on
stone so that one may read it in a hurry. For it is not yet time for it to come
true. The time is coming in a hurry, and it will come true. If you think it is
slow in coming, wait for it. For it will happen for sure, and it will not wait."
(Hab. 1:2, 3, 13; 2:2,3; NLV)
Yes, all that Jehovah has promised will come true! It will not be late, although
to us who are at the present time still enduring under suffering it may seem
that he is delaying. But Habakkuk's message is written for our day. We are
witnessing the foretold signs that Jesus gave regarding the conclusion of "the
system of things," which is the system that has been set up within God's temple
in opposition to true worship, by the one whom Paul calls "the man of
lawlessness." It is because of his presence, which is "according to the
operation of Satan," that the present troubles and suffering are being
experienced within God's household, instead of the blessings we should be
enjoying. Since you are now witnessing the revealing of this "lawless one"
within God's temple, and are experiencing the foretold troubles associated with
his presence, you will also witness his foretold removal from God's temple,
along with all who were duped into following him. His judgment from God will not
be late. It is very close at hand! Keep in expectation of it! Doing so will help
you to continue to endure to the end, as Jesus said we must. (Matt. 24:1-3, 13,
32-34, 42, 48-51; 13:40-43; 2 Thess. 2:3-10; Luke 21:28; 1 Peter 4:17-19)
"Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. Look! The Devil will
keep on throwing some of you into prison that you may be fully put to the test,
and that you may have tribulation ten days. Prove yourself faithful even to
death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Rev. 2:10)
8/24/14
"The false prophets are making my people become vain"
How do you feel about the condition of your congregation? Do you enjoy attending
the meetings because of the peace and brotherly love that is there? That is what
Jehovah and Jesus want for us, and that would be the case when we listen to
them. On the other hand, there is "no peace for the wicked ones." (Psalms 29:11;
119:165-168; Isa. 48:22; Rev. 2:4) When joy and peace are lacking among God's
people it is evidence that Jehovah's spirit is missing, for both are fruits of
the spirit. (Gal. 5:22; Rom. 15:13).
At the meetings and in our publications, we have heard much about the supposed
peace and the "spiritual paradise" that God's people are said to enjoy in this
time of the end. We are assured that our obedience to the elders, who in turn
have been loyally submissive to the "faithful and discreet slave," has made this
peace within the congregation and with God possible. A recent Watchtower article
said: "Even now in the Christian congregation, we have peaceful conditions.
Indeed, we are enjoying a true spiritual paradise. We have peace with God and
with our fellow man. Note what Isaiah prophesied about the conditions that we
are experiencing today: 'They will have to beat their swords into plowshares and
their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
neither will they learn war anymore.' (Isa. 2:3, 4) By acting in harmony with
God’s spirit, we contribute to the beauty of the spiritual paradise."―w09 4/15 p. 32 par. 18.
Do those words describe your congregation? Do you enjoy peace
within a "spiritual paradise" as they boast? Their lying claims result in making
many of God's people vain and disrespectful of Jehovah. We should not be surprised
by these things for Jehovah foretold a
very different situation regarding his people "in the final part of the days"
from that which we are led to believe. Listen
to what the prophet Jeremiah wrote about this:
8/16/14
Is It Service or Sacrifice?
When we go from house to house; conduct Bible studies; or
otherwise spend time preaching the "good news of the kingdom," we refer to it as
our "service," and hence we turn in our "service report" at the end of each
month. After his baptism, Jesus himself "went throughout the whole of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the kingdom." (Matt.
4:23) Was Jesus rendering "sacred service" to God, or was it "sacrifice" he was
offering? Is there a difference? (Eph. 5:1,2)
In John's Revelation, the great crowd that comes out of the great
tribulation is seen "standing before the throne and before the Lamb," and "they
are rendering [God] sacred service day and night in his temple; and the
One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them." (Rev. 7:9,10, 14,15)
When it says that the great crowd is rendering "sacred service" day and night in
God's temple, does it mean that they are out in the field service at all times?
Note that they are not serving God out in the world, but within his temple.
God's temple is his people, "a place for God to inhabit by spirit." (1 Cor.
3:16,17; Eph. 2:19-22)
Jesus said that the time would come when God will no longer be
worshiped in Jerusalem, where the temple was located, because "the true
worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the
Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. God is a Spirit, and those
worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth." (John 4:21-24) Since God is
no longer worshiped in a physical building, we are rendering sacred service to
God in connection with his people, in "spirit and truth." Our sacred service to
God has to do with our worship. It is our worship, because "worship" (λατρεύω
- latrev'o) means to serve! And to serve God includes having love for our
brothers. That is why Jesus commanded us to love one another, when he said: "By
this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among
yourselves." And the apostle John adds: "If anyone makes the statement: 'I love
God,' and yet is hating his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his
brother, whom he has seen, cannot be loving God, whom he has not seen." (John
13:34,35; 1 John 4:20,21) Our worship is not acceptable to God if we do not love
our brothers "intensely from the heart." (1 Peter 1:22)
Rendering sacred service to God means that we obey Him at all
times, "day and night." John states: "For this is what the love of God means,
that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome."
(1 John 5:2,3) And James explains further: "If any man seems to himself to be a
formal worshiper and yet does not bridle his tongue, but goes on deceiving his
own heart, this man’s form of worship is futile. The form of worship that is
clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look
after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot
from the world." (James 1:26,27) It becomes evident that our sacred service
within God's temple involves our wholehearted love for God and our brothers. It
also includes the effort we make in putting on "the new personality which was
created according to God's will in true righteousness and loyalty." (Eph.
4:22-24)
From the foregoing it can be seen that according to the
Scriptures, our service to God does not refer to the preaching work. That is
more appropriately viewed as "offering to God a sacrifice of praise, that
is, the fruit of lips which make public declaration to his name." Also included
should be "the doing of good and the sharing of things with others, for with
such sacrifices God is well pleased." (Heb. 13:15,16; Hos. 14:2; Phil.
2:16-18) Jehovah tells us that if we do not obey him then neither does he accept
our sacrifices, because "to obey is better than to sacrifice." (1 Sam. 15:22;
Prov. 15:8; 21:3)
Perhaps it would sound strange if we were to refer to the
preaching work as our "sacrifice" rather than "service." But if we are doing it
for the Society, rather than for Jehovah, then I guess we are indeed "serving"
the interests of the Society by placing their literature.
8/1/14
Why No Exemption From Punishment?
Jehovah gave Moses a glimpse of his glory while at the same time declaring his
name, thereby revealing what the name exemplifies, when he said:
"Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in
loving-kindness and truth, preserving loving-kindness for thousands, pardoning
error and transgression and sin, but by no means will he give exemption from
punishment, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons and upon
grandsons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation." (Ex.
34:6,7)
How can it be said that Jehovah is "merciful and gracious," and yet refuses to
pardon "error and and transgression and sin", even to the fourth generation?
Paul answers that "every transgression and disobedient act received a
retribution in harmony with justice." (Heb. 2:2) Not only is Jehovah a
God of love and mercy, but he is also a God of justice. Perhaps we fail to see
the benefit of God's justice when we are the recipient of his punishment. Some sins and transgressions are
clearly more serious than others, for they may affect not only us and our
immediate family, but even our offspring for several generations, such as in the
case of adultery when it results in divorce. We should not expect Jehovah to
shield us from the consequence of our sins.
If we have become guilty of a serious sin, can we ever worship Jehovah again
with a clean conscience? Is it enough for you to know that Jehovah has forgiven
you? Will forgiveness alone cleanse your conscience? Suppose a man committed a
serious crime a long time ago, and he seemingly got away with it because he was
not caught and the trail leading to him has gone cold. If he has a conscience,
will it ever allow him to have peace? He
will always be looking over his shoulder, for until his crime has been dealt
with there is no closure for him. The point being,
he has not paid for his crime and therefore his conscience has not been absolved
of his criminal act. It is different with the man who has been brought before a
judge and had a penalty
imposed on him, whether a fine or imprisonment; for once he has paid his debt he
can continue to live his life without his conscience smiting him.
Jehovah wants us to love him with all our hearts, which is possible only by
having a clean conscience. (Matt. 22:37,38; 1 Tim. 1:5, 19) Simply knowing
that God has forgiven us our sin does not in itself give us a good conscience;
it may even harden us to continue in a sinful course because there has been no
punishment. (Eccl. 8:11) When Jehovah exacts punishment for a sin, it not only helps us to
grasp the seriousness of the sin but it also enables us to have our conscience
cleared of having committed it; because once we have felt Jehovah's fury rage against us, and we
have suffered the consequence, he then restores us to his favour.
We have paid the debt and been refined by the punishment. (Micah 7:8-10;
Lam. 3:1-9, 22-24, 39; Psalms 119:67, 71, 75; Isa. 48:10) Jehovah forgives completely, and thus he will
never again hold the sin against us. It is as though he has cast it into "the depth of the
sea." Yes, once the "error has been paid off" he will "comfort" us, and we can once again serve him with a clean conscience.
(Isa. 40:1,2; Micah 7:19)
Punishment is not discipline, although many use the words interchangeably.
Punishment is administered on account of God's justice, from which he
does not give exemption. Discipline on the other hand is motivated by his love,
for it teaches and reproves us, at times reinforcing the teaching in a way that
is sure to get our attention. The Scriptures say that "whom Jehovah loves he
disciplines,"―it never says that whom he loves he "punishes." (Prov. 3:11,12;
Heb. 12:5,6; Rev. 3:19) It's good for us to accept both: discipline to guide us;
and punishment when deserved, for it will allow us to continue to worship
Jehovah with an honest conscience. (Isaiah 12:1)
7/26/14
What is "Worldly"?
"They're worldly"―"that's my worldly friend"―"they're nice for a
worldly person"! Terms such as these are quite often used to refer to
individuals outside "the truth." But is it appropriate for us to use such
unflattering terminology to describe our neighbours? (Luke 10:29-37)
The word "worldly" appears only once in the New World Translation but not in
reference to describing individuals who do not share our beliefs:
"It trains us to reject ungodliness and worldly desires and to live with
soundness of mind and righteousness and godly devotion amid this present system
of things, while we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the
great God and of our Savoir, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to set us
free from every sort of lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people who are
his own special possession, zealous for fine works.―Titus 2: 12-14."
The term "worldly" refers to us, not to others, for it's up to us
to reject worldly desires. So what do we mean by "worldly" when making reference
to those who do not share our faith? Most of us consider the term a harmless
reference, meaning they don't live by God's standards in contrast to us applying
Bible principles in our lives. But is this reference an innocent description, or
could it be a subtle conditioning of our mind, building an "us" and "them"
scenario? There is an easy test for this "theocratic speech"— would you address
any individual as "worldly" in their presence? (Isaiah 5:20)
We want to avoid making rules on the use of words, whether or not some are
unChristian for us to use, but we need to show consideration to everyone by
always showing a loving attitude. Even though some may view the term "worldly"
as an insignificant expression, it does subtly condition our mind into viewing
others as inferior by our supposed blessed standing with Jehovah. (Phil. 2:3;
4:8; James 4:6; Matt. 5:43-48) Jesus said that we show what sort of person we
are at heart by what comes out of our mouth, which may even condemn the person.
(Matt. 12:34-37) Most of us would never think of the term "worldly" in reference
to us being superior to our neighbours, but repeatedly referring to those
outside the "truth" as such does it not show that we view them as inferior? If
our neighbours heard us referring to them as "worldly" they would likely be
offended and certainly not view us as a loving person; and I'm positive we would
feel nothing but embarrassment if we knew that they knew we viewed them as such.
(Prov. 25:11)
"Now if I am declaring the good news, it
is no reason for me to boast, for necessity is laid upon me. Really, woe to me
if I do not declare the good news!" (1 Corinthians 9:16)
―Contributed.
7/20/14
How Safe is Your Treasure in Heaven?
“A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself,
‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know!
I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to
store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My
friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat,
drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very
night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to
store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke
12:16-21; NLT)
Do you value and work for a good relationship with God; or do you perhaps
resemble the man in Jesus' illustration who believed that his material riches
guaranteed him a comfortable life, both now and in his future retirement years.
Jesus said that we cannot do both―slave for God and for Riches. Therefore he
said: "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also." (Matt. 6:20,21, 24) Material wealth can
provide a life of ease at the present time; but the treasure that is stored up
in heaven will give its owner everlasting life in unending happiness. (Rev.
7:14-17; 21:3,4)
Responding to Jesus' words, many of God's people have been motivated by an
appreciative heart to devote their entire life to "seeking first the kingdom,"
rendering "sacred service" to God by engaging in the "holy work" of preaching
the "good news of the kingdom", and often doing so far from their home in a
foreign country where they had to learn its language. They relinquished the
opportunity of pursing a career by which they could have build a comfortable
life for themselves and their family. (Matt. 6:33; 24:14; 28:19,20; Rom. 15:16;
Rev. 7:15) The question that many are asking themselves at this time, though,
is: Since I spent my entire life accumulating treasure in heaven, and seeing
that now in my old age I am poor in material possessions, how secure is my
treasure in heaven? Can I lose it all through one act of indiscretion and sin?
Jesus assures us that there is no safer place for our treasure―our relationship
with God―than in heaven. No one can rob you of it, and it will never ever
diminish in value as may happen in the case of earthly treasures, such as when
keeping your hard earned money in a trusted bank, as was recently reported (July
13) in a Financial newspaper, which said: "Bank of Cyprus customers whose
deposits were seized as part of an extraordinary move to rescue the island from
financial collapse are cutting their losses and selling stakes in the bank at
discount. Last year, thousands of customers with money in Bank of Cyprus,
including many British and Russians, became unwilling shareholders in the lender
when their deposits were turned into equity as part of a controversial €10bn
emergency rescue."
The treasure that you have stored up in heaven over the years is safe, as Paul
assures you: "Yes, I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us,
nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom.
8:38-39; NCV) Even if you should become guilty of sin, your heavenly
account will not be automatically closed, as the apostle John says: "My little
children, I am telling you this so that you will stay away from sin. But if you
sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. His name is Jesus
Christ, the one who is all that is good and who pleases God completely. He is
the one who took God’s wrath against our sins upon himself and brought us into
fellowship with God; and he is the forgiveness for our sins, and not only ours
but all the world’s." (1 John 2:1,2; TLB)
The only person in the entire universe who has the means to close your treasured
account with God in heaven is YOU, if you leave Jehovah. (1 Chronicles 28:9)
7/6/14
Hijacked
Due to being skinned and mistreated, many sheep have come to the
conclusion that Jehovah doesn't have an organization, his sheepfold. (Psalms
100:3; John 10:1) The reality is quite different―for he does, but it has been
hijacked by terrorists who have put outrageous demands on the passengers. These
selfish hijackers want to fly the plane to a destination of their own choosing,
assuring the passengers that it will be a destination of "peace & security." The
passengers need not fear them, the plane under their control is secure, a flying
paradise. Even though these terrorists think they are in control of flying the
plane, they are not; they are merely delusional, drunk with narcissistic power,
so focused on their own abilities and not appreciating their lack of
qualifications that they haven't been relying on the planes instrumentation to
discern their true course! (2 Thess. 2:9) Unbeknown to them, the plane has been
on auto pilot the whole time, God's holy Spirit, and directed by the control
tower manned by none other - Jesus Christ, flying the terrorists to a
destination they are not expecting. When the plane lands these terrorists will
be ejected and the qualified pilots put in the cockpit to fly the plane and its
passenger's to the true holiday destination. (Luke 12:45,46)
―Contributed.
6/25/14
The Skin of Your Conscience
Few people give consideration to the amazing conscience with which man
was created. A good conscience serves as much of a protection to your mental and spiritual
health as does the skin protect you against dangerous diseases by preventing pathogens such as a virus, bacterium, prion, fungus or protozoan,
from entering your body.
Jehovah is a lover of justice and righteousness; and he hates everything wicked.
(Psalms 33:4,5; 37:27,28, 37,38) When God created the man Adam in his own image
he also created him with the same capacity to love what he loves and abhor what
he hates. (Rom. 12:9) To enable him to choose the course that would always be
the most beneficial for him, he endowed him with a conscience. Our conscience
performs the function of sounding the alarm when we approach that which we know
is a danger and detriment to our happiness, preserving our mental and emotional
well-being, which at the moment may not always be readily discernable. A
violated conscience will result in grief to a righteous person just as a wound
in the skin may cause an infection in an otherwise healthy man. (Psalms 32:1-5)
Immediately upon Adam's rebellion against God's clearly stated command in Eden,
when he allowed a forbidden desire to get past the barrier of his good
conscience, his peace with the Creator suffered serious damage, and for the
first time he experienced the dreaded sensation of fear, which is absent and
totally foreign to a good conscience. It drove Adam into hiding from God. (Gen.
2:15-17; 3:3, 6-11; 1 John 4:18)
The primary reason people reject God is not due to
the teaching of evolution, which does away with the need for God, but on account
of conscience. (Psalms 53:1-5) A healthy conscience serves as a powerful deterrent to
wrongdoing. When violated it can fill a person with fear, anxiety,
terror, sleeplessness, even drive some insane and to suicide. (Psalms
38:4-10, 18; Rom. 2:14,15; 1 Tim. 1:5, 19; 1 Peter 3:16) In
order to "hide" from God, as Adam tried, they simply deny that he exists, hoping
in this manner to neutralize or shutdown their conscience altogether, including any
dread that might result from their violated conscience. Is this to their
benefit? Do they not realize that it robs them of a purposeful life and peace?
To help them cope, many turn to alternative
means in their search for
feeling good or to deaden their pain, including drugs and other causes of
addiction, from which they would in better times have stayed far away. They
violate their other amazing protective armour, their skin, by puncturing it with poison containing
needles, sometimes with fatal results. The
outcome from these substitute sources of happiness often result in loss of self-respect; broken marriages;
destroyed
families; unemployment and poverty; homelessness; and in extreme cases
prostitution; robbery; and murder; resulting in a loss of freedom when
imprisoned. That is not the road to happiness! That is not what our Creator
wants for us.
Jehovah did not just give us life, but he also has made our lives
meaningful by giving us everything we need to be happy; and then he has provided
us with the means to protect that happiness with the amazing barrier of a
conscience. Treat it with the awe that it deserves. Care for it as you do for
your skin. Let it enhance your appearance and make you feel good about yourself
whenever you peer into the mirror. (Psalms 19:7-11; James 1:22-25)
"God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise,
and give us joy and light. God’s laws are pure, eternal, just. They are more
desirable than gold. They are sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. For
they warn us away from harm and give success to those who obey them."
(Psalm 19:7-11, Living Bible)
6/15/14
A King Like That of the Nations
Israel wanted a king! Although Jehovah was their King, they wanted a king like
the other nations; a king who would sit on a throne they could see, and who
would lead them into battle. For that reason
the older men of Israel approached Samuel, who was judging God's people at that
time, and told him: "'Look! You yourself have grown old, but your own sons have
not walked in your ways. Now do appoint for us a king to judge us like all the
nations.' But the thing was bad in the eyes of Samuel inasmuch as they had said:
'Do give us a king to judge us,' and Samuel began to pray to Jehovah. Then
Jehovah said to Samuel: 'Listen to the voice of the people as respects all that
they say to you; for it is not you whom they have rejected, but it is I whom
they have rejected from being king over them. In accord with all their
doings that they have done from the day of my bringing them up out of Egypt
until this day in that they kept leaving me and serving other gods, that is the
way they are doing also to you. And now listen to their voice. Only this, that
you should solemnly warn them, and you must tell them the rightful due of the
king who will reign over them.'” (1 Samuel 8:19-22)
Accordingly, Jehovah gave them a king, and history tells us how disastrously
that turned out to be for the nation. (Hosea 13:10,11) Their first king, Saul,
whom God himself had chosen, quickly became disobedient and presumptuously
overstepped God's orders; for which he was rejected from being king. (1 Sam.
15:22,23) Apart from king David, and a small handful of other good kings, the
vast majority of them turned out to be even worse than the kings of the nations
who did not know Jehovah; for just as the kings did, so the people followed,
even into idolatry. Jehovah kept sending against them his prophets, time and
again appealing to them to repent and to return to him, in order to escape his
wrath. (2 Chron. 36:15,16; Ezek. 33:11) Although the nation left Jehovah for
other gods, yet they were still God's covenant people, always having a few
remaining faithful individuals among them. (1 Kings 19:13,14, 18)
How did matters change for God's people under the new covenant, with Jesus as
their only King and Leader? (Matt. 21:4,5; 23:10; Rev. 1:5) After Jesus'
ascension to heaven they were again without a visible king. Did his disciples
then choose someone to sit in for Jesus in his absence, such as a body of
governors like the Jews had with their Sanhedrin, one that would exercise
authority over the congregations and keep them united? No! Jesus was still their
only head, now sitting at God's right hand in heaven, yet very much involved in
the congregation affairs by means of the holy spirit. (Heb. 8:1; Acts 13:2-5; 1
Cor. 11:3) Jesus had also appointed twelve of his disciples, whom he called
apostles and to whom he gave authority, to carry on after his ascension. (Luke
6:12-17; 9:1,2; Rev. 2:2) Although many persons presented themselves as having
apostolic authority (see Revelation 2:2), yet Jesus did not recognize any of
them, certainly not a governing body. That is also evident from the fact that
Jesus addressed his letters to the Seven Congregations directly. (Rev. 2:1,2,
8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14) The governing body, the Sanhedrin, actually sat in
opposition to true worship, much like the wicked kings had done. They rejected the Messiah and persecuted his
followers. Their system of worship came to a sudden end when it was destroyed in
70 CE by the Roman armies.
The situation is very similar today, in fulfillment of the many Scriptures that
deal with God's household in the time of the end. God's people are again ruled
and oppressed by a governing body, who Paul calls the "man of lawlessness." He
is sitting and has elevated himself above everyone within God's temple, even
showing himself to be a god. But, just as the situation has always been in
the past with God's people, they want a human "king" like the rest of the
nations. Therefore they willingly give their loyalty to their rulers, who in
this case are merely directors of a secular corporation, having no kingly powers
except for their claim that their authority comes from Jesus. After
allowing sufficient time to make a record for themselves, Jehovah will
then reveal, that is, make known, this lawless ones presence and identity; and after which "the Lord Jesus
will do away with [him] by the spirit of his mouth and bring to nothing by the
manifestation of his presence." (2 Thess. 2:3-12; 1 Peter 4:17-19) Paul explains
that all who fall prey to the "unrighteous deception" of this apostasy will
"perish, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth that
they might be saved." (2 Thess. 2:9-10)
Now that you have come to know about the lawless ones presence and identity,
what should you do? Please consider: God
tells us to be "in subjection to the superior authorities" of this world, which
includes "paying taxes," and we have no problem accepting that. Does
Jehovah not also tell us to be submissive to "the superior authorities" within
his
household, seeing that he has allowed them to exist?
(Rom. 13:1-7) Neither the man of lawlessness, nor the rulers of this world, have
been appointed by God (contrary to what they all claim), and yet we need to
be in subjection to them out of fear of going against God's word, until they have all finally been removed by God's heavenly
armies at Armageddon. (Rev. 19:19-21) In the meantime we obey them to the extent
they don't require us to disobey God. (Acts 4:19,20; 5:29)
5/25/14
Antarctica Was Once a Tropical Paradise
The danger exists for us to be lulled into complacency by the
people around us, as they believe that everything will continue as it always
has. But that is not true. Things don't always continue as they have. That is
why Jesus warned: "In the days before the flood, people were eating and
drinking. They were getting married. They were giving their daughters to be
married. They did all those things right up to the day Noah entered the ark.
They knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all
away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes." (Matt. 24:37-39, 42,
NIRV) The end came suddenly upon the people in Noah's day, and there
was no place to hide. (2 Peter 2:5)
The account in Genesis describes the flood
waters as covering “all the tall mountains that were under the whole heavens.”
(Gen. 7:19) Some have wondered, where did all that water come from? Insight
on the Scriptures explains: "The Genesis account of creation tells how on
the second 'day' Jehovah made an expanse about the earth, and this expanse
(called “Heaven”) formed a division between the waters below it, that is, the
oceans, and the waters above it. (Ge 1:6-8) The waters suspended above the
expanse evidently remained there from the second “day” of creation until the
Flood. This is what the apostle Peter was talking about when he recounted that
there 'were heavens from of old and an earth standing compactly out of water and
in the midst of water by the word of God.' Those 'heavens' and the waters above
and beneath them were the means that God’s word called into operation, and 'by
those means the world of that time suffered destruction when it was deluged with
water.' (2Pe 3:5, 6)"― it-1 pp. 609-610 Deluge.
The waters that were suspended above the
atmosphere at that time protected the planet against the seasonal extremes,
making the whole earth a pleasant tropical paradise. With the collapse of the
water canopy came a drastic change in earth's climate, plunging the polar
regions into instant deep freeze, which scientists have tried to explain with
their theory of the ice age. You may rightly ask, if there was such a vastly
different climate on the earth at one time, should there not be some evidence of
this?
In fact, there has been much evidence printed
on these discoveries, which has not received the wide publicity it deserves. The
scientific paper, PRISM (Polar
Radar for Ice Sheet Measurement),
in its article entitle
"Tropical Greenland" wrote:
"Greenland was once upon a time a tropical country. That is proved absolutely by
the remains of an extensive tropical flora which are found there. Where now a
sheet of solid ice over a mile thick covers mountain and valley, and mighty
frozen rivers called glaciers make their way to the sea and hatch icebergs,
there was in earlier days a verdure-clad wilderness of luxuriant vegetation.
Together with the palms and tree ferns, there were trees related to the giant
sequoias of our own west coast; also representatives of the "gingko," the sacred
tree of Japan and of the Eucalyptus family, which today is restricted to
Australia. Climbing vines festooned the trunks of these monarchs of an ancient
forest with draperies of foliage, while close to the ground grew those curious
dwarf trees called "cycads," somewhat resembling palms in miniature, in the
midst of a tangled undergrowth of ferns and other flowerless plants that
carpeted the densely wooded areas. . .
"All
the evidence seems to point to the conclusion that climates all over the world
in that ancient epoch were pretty much the same. The same plants grew
contemporaneously in Greenland and in California, in Spitzbergen and in
Virginia. There was a uniformity of vegetation in all parts of the earth. Nobody
can say just why this was, although several theories have been advanced to
account for it. One theory is that the atmosphere in those days was heavily
charged with watery vapor, so that warmth was readily distributed through it,
and the sun's rays did no have a chance to strike the earth uninterrupted,
making differences in climate by the degree of their slant. In the course of
time the atmosphere thinned gradually, and then there can [sic] to be climatic
variations marking a series of zones around the globe."
The article, "When
Antarctica was a tropical paradise," in The Guardian, said something similar
regarding the Antarctic continent: "Antarctica is the coldest, most desolate
place on Earth, a land of barren mountains buried beneath a two-mile thick ice
cap. Freezing winds batter its shores while week-long blizzards frequently sweep
its glaciers. Yet this icy vision turns out to be exceptional. For most of the
past 100 million years, the south pole was a tropical paradise, it transpires.
'It was a green beautiful place,' said Prof Jane Francis, of Leeds University's
School of Earth and Environment. 'Lots of furry mammals including possums and
beavers lived there. The weather was tropical. It is only in the recent
geological past that it got so cold."
There exists abundant geological evidence throughout the
earth
5/17/14
Our Obligation to Help the Poor
Among Us
Looking after the poor among us has always been an essential
part of true worship. In fact, Jehovah included it in the Law covenant, when he
commanded his people: “In case some one of your brothers becomes poor among you
in one of your cities, in your land that Jehovah your God is giving you, you
must not harden your heart or be closefisted toward your poor brother. For you
should generously open your hand to him and by all means lend him on pledge as
much as he needs, which he is in want of. Watch out for yourself for fear
your eye should indeed become ungenerous toward your poor brother, and you
should give him nothing, and he has to call out to Jehovah against you, and it
has become a sin on your part." (Deut. 15:7-11)
We have often been reminded in the publications of our responsibility toward the
poor among God's people. One article recently said: “'If you love those loving
you, what reward do you have?' asked Jesus. 'Are not also the tax collectors
doing the same thing? And if you greet your brothers only, what extraordinary
thing are you doing? Are not also the people of the nations doing the same
thing?'” (Matt. 5:46, 47) True Christians do not show partiality toward
people of certain educational or ethnic backgrounds; nor do they extend love
only to those who are able to reciprocate. Rather, they help the poor and the
sick, the young and the old. In such ways, Christians can imitate Jehovah’s
love and thus be perfect in a relative sense." (w10 11/15 p. 22 Questions
From Readers) What is the situation in your congregation?
Jesus and his apostles set aside funds to help the poor, which the apostles
considered "this necessary business." (Matt. 19:21; John 12:4-6; 13:29; Acts
6:1-3; Gal. 2:10) Do the elders in your congregation share that same concern for
the poor and needy in your congregation, or those living nearby? Do they have
provision in place for this "necessary business" of helping them? Indeed, does
anyone qualify as elder without demonstrating a genuine concern for the physical
needs of the members of God's household? (Titus 1:5-9; 2 Tim. 3:1,2, 5)
Addressing elders, James wrote: "My brothers, you are not holding the faith of
our Lord Jesus Christ, our glory, with acts of favoritism, are you? For, if a
man with gold rings on his fingers and in splendid clothing enters into a
gathering of you, but a poor man in filthy clothing also enters, yet you look
with favor upon the one wearing the splendid clothing and say: 'You take this
seat here in a fine place,' and you say to the poor one: 'You keep standing,'
or: 'Take that seat there under my footstool,' you have class distinctions among
yourselves and you have become judges rendering wicked decisions, is that not
so? . . . Of what benefit is it, my brothers, if a certain one says he has faith
but he does not have works? That faith cannot save him, can it? If a brother or
a sister is in a naked state and lacking the food sufficient for the day, yet a
certain one of you says to them: 'Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,' but you
do not give them the necessities for their body, of what benefit is it?" (James
2:1-17)
The apostle John likewise tells us: "But whoever has this world’s means for
supporting life and beholds his brother having need and yet shuts the door of
his tender compassions upon him, in what way does the love of God remain in him?
Little children, let us love, neither in word nor with the tongue, but in deed
and truth." (1 John 3:17,18) Jehovah requires that we have intense love for one
another and be generous toward the poor among us, that we may "prove ourselves
sons of our Father who is in the heavens." (Matt. 5:45-48; 2 Tim. 2:19; 1 Peter
4:8)
When you drop your money into a Contribution Box, do you have the satisfaction
of knowing that a good portion of it goes toward helping the poor among God's
people; or will it instead be used to enlarge the Society's properties? If you
note a lack of that sort of concern for the needy among the elders in your
congregation, perhaps it is because of the great emphasis that is placed on
sending your contribution to the Society, where they use it for the purpose of
"tearing down their storehouses in order to build bigger ones, and to lay up
many good things for many years." (Luke 12:16-21)
To view where your contributions are going, click on the Link:
http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/activities/construction/wallkill-warwick-projects/
5/4/14
Nicodemus Was not "Without God" or a "Stranger to the
Covenant of Promise"
We are all born into sin and death. That is why Jesus came, in order to buy back for us
what Adam lost―the right to life. The apostle Paul explains: "For since
death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a man. For just
as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive." (1 Cor.
15:21,22) Are we "born again" when we are "made alive" in the Christ?
When Jesus told Nicodemus, a Jew, that "unless anyone is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," adding, "you people (the
Jews) must be
born again," Jesus was not talking about a spiritual rebirth
(passing over from death to life). Jesus did not tell Nicodemus that he was "dead in
[his] trespasses and sins,"
needing to
be "made alive," or "born again"; as many understand
Jesus' words to mean when they attempt to explain it by appealing to Paul's
letter to the Ephesians for support.
The congregation in Ephesus was made up of Gentiles,
non-Jews, who before becoming disciples were "at that particular time without
Christ, alienated from the state of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the
promise," with "no hope and were without God in the world." (Eph. 2:1-6, 11-14;
2 Peter 3:15,16)
4/26/14
Jehovah Will "Fool" His People When They Take Pleasure
in the Lie (1 Kings 22:20; 2 Thess. 2:11,12)
Ahab was king over the ten northern tribes of Israel in Samaria, and although he
was an apostate Baal worshiper Jehovah had given him two decisive victories over
the far superior armies of the Syrian king Benhadad and the thirty-two kings who
had aligned themselves with him. (1 Kings 20:1-34) The victories must have
emboldened king Ahab, perhaps drawing the mistaken conclusion that Jehovah was
with him, because after three years he decided to war against Syria in order to
retake Ramoth-gilead, which was still in the hands of the Syrians; and so he
invited good king Jehoshaphat of Jerusalem to accompany him into battle. But
before Jehoshaphat agreed, he requested that Ahab first inquire of Jehovah.
All the prophets that served king Ahab were called, and they all assured him of
victory. When Jehoshaphat realized that these were prophets of Baal, he asked:
"Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah still?" Ahab replied that there was
still one prophet of Jehovah, whom he hated because he never prophesied anything
good for the king. Thus Micaiah was summoned from the detention place where he
was being held. At first Micaiah spoke in accord with what the king wanted to
hear, and thus agreed with all the words of the other prophets, assuring Ahab
"The line that separates day and
night is called the terminator. It is also referred to as the "grey line" and
the "twilight zone." It is a fuzzy line due to our atmosphere bending sunlight.
In fact, the atmosphere bends sunlight by half a degree, which is about 37 miles
(60 km). It is commonly thought that while half of the Earth is covered in
darkness, the other half is covered in sunlight. This is actually not true
because of the bending of the sunlight results in the land covered by sunlight
having greater area than the land covered by darkness.
"The shape of the terminator curve changes with the seasons. This
difference is especially noticeable when the terminator curve from an equinox is
compared to the terminator curve from a solstice. . . During the equinox, the
sun can be observed directly over the equator. This means that day and night are
approximately the same length. The equinox is also thought of as the start of
spring and fall. Because at equinox there is no tilt of the Earth with respect
to the sun, the terminator line is parallel to the axis of the Earth and to
lines of longitude. The solstice occurs when the Earth's axis tilts most toward
or away from the sun, causing the sun to be further north or south of the
equator than any other time. The shortest day of the year is winter solstice and
the longest day is summer solstice. When the Earth is tilted away from the sun,
the sun appears south of the equator and when the Earth is titled toward the
sun, the sun appears north of the equator. During solstice, the terminator line
is at its greatest angle with respect to the axis of the Earth, which is
approximately 23.5 degrees." (From Science On a Sphere,
http://sos.noaa.gov/Datasets/dataset.php?id=111 )
This is a picture of earth’s (and moon's) terminator. The interesting thing is, this phenomenon is only visible from
space. It cannot be seen by standing on the earth’s surface. So, how could Job
have known this?
4/9/14
God Does not Accept Worship that Mixes Truth With Lies
(Matt. 15:8,9)
Jesus' letters to the Seven Congregations are just as applicable to God's
congregations today as they were in the first century. (Rev. 2:1-3:22; 1 Tim.
3:15) A recent
Watchtower article noted that Jesus closely "observed the spiritual condition of
individual congregations in the first century C.E. In our day [he] exercises
active headship over the congregations worldwide and their overseers. As such,
nothing that occurs within the more than 100,000 individual congregations of
Jehovah’s Witnesses escapes his notice." The article further noted that Jesus
"rebuked members of [the Thyatira] congregation for their immoral,
self-indulgent lifestyle, telling them: 'I am he who searches the kidneys and
hearts, and I will give to you individually according to your deeds.'
(Rev. 2:23) That statement indicates that Christ observes not only the
collective conduct of each congregation but also the lifestyle of its individual
members." (w10 9/15 p. 27 pars. 8-9) (Bold added)
In his message to the congregation in Thyatira, Jesus began with words of
commendation, saying: "I know your deeds, and your love and faith and ministry
and endurance, and that your deeds of late are more than those formerly." (Rev.
2:19) That certainly sounds like the congregation enjoyed Jesus' approval, don't
you think? Ah, but
Jesus goes on to say: “‘Nevertheless, I do hold this against you, that you
tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess ["self-anointed
prophetess"; The Voice], and she teaches and misleads my slaves to
commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to
repent, but she is not willing to repent of her fornication." (vs. 20,21)
Although the congregation in Thyatira displayed such vital works as increasing in deeds,
and love, and faith, and endurance, yet their worship was not acceptable because they
tolerated the false prophet in their midst. And not only did they tolerate
her, they were even misled into following her. How could that be possible? How
can a congregation have deeds and love and faith and works and endurance, and
yet be misled by a false prophet? (Ezek. 13:8-10)
Good deeds do not validate false worship! We cannot attach Jehovah's holy name
to false worship without reaping the consequence, a lesson the Israelites often had to learn. (Ex. 32:1-10, 25-28; 1 Kings 12:26-30; Ezek. 33:12,13;
1 Cor. 10:11) Yet, in
spite of the numerous scriptural examples, many
in the congregations today believe that all we need in order to have God's approval is to be zealous in
fine works―which usually involves many hours
spent in the ministry, and regular meeting attendance; also to have brotherly love;
and to have faith in those taking the lead in the organization, who we are told
we must follow as we follow Jesus. (Matt. 23:10) But what happens when the ones
who take the lead prove themselves to be like that false prophet in Thyatira,
whom Jesus gave time to repent? In consequence of her unwillingness to repent,
Jesus was about to "throw her into a sickbed, and those committing adultery with
her into great tribulation." And her children, all her followers, he was going
to "kill with deadly plague, so that all the congregations will know that I am
he who searches the kidneys and hearts, and I will give to you individually
according to your deeds." (vs. 22,23) In view of the graveness of Jesus'
words, please consider the condition that at present exists in your
congregation, in your area. Is it the sort of meeting place that Paul describes
we want to attend; or is it on "a sickbed"? Keep in mind that Jesus was
addressing his words to his disciples, and not to people in the world. (Heb.
10:23-25; Compare Rev. 2:8-11)
We cannot mix truth with lies. That is clear! For that would make our worship
unfit and unacceptable
to Jehovah, the God of truth. (Matt. 15:9; 23:25-28; John 4:23,24; Rom. 1:18, 28)
If we follow the lead and the teachings of the foretold "man of lawlessness" in our modern day Thyatira
congregations (whose "presence is according to the operation of Satan"), then
that would void any benefits that would come from our good deeds that Jesus mentions.
Following
Jesus as our Leader is not burdensome. That is why he assured the faithful in the congregation in
Thyatira: “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have
not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of
Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly
to what you have until I come." Yes, "Let the one who has an ear hear what
the spirit says to the congregations." (Rev. 2:24,25, 29, NLT;
Matt. 11:28-30; Rev. 7:13-17)
4/1/14
Wicked Shepherds were Foretold to be in Charge of God's
Sheep in the Time of the End
Did you expect God's people to be dwelling in a "spiritual paradise" during "the
time of the end"? (Dan. 12:9,10) Not according to God's word, for
Jehovah foretold that his sheep would suffer on account of the wicked ones in
their midst, and even more significant, at the hands of his appointed yet
"worthless" shepherds. To his prophet Zechariah, God said:
(4/1/14 - 10/19/14)
Additional pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 PRESENT