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By Tom Cabeen
Does God Work Through an Organization?
By Tom Cabeen
The Watchtower Society asserts that God has
always used an organization to communicate with and provide guidance and direction
to his servants. It also teaches that for the last century or so, God's organization
has been known as Jehovah's Witnesses, or the Watchtower Society. The Witnesses'
administrative and executive structure, through printed publications and representatives,
maintains highly detailed regular communications between the headquarters and
the many congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide. These communications
cover instructions for field activities, regularly update and adjust explanations
of doctrinal or organizational subjects, provide rules and regulations governing
religious matters as well as daily life, and specify disciplinary procedures
and instructions for those who fail to conform.
Witnesses view their governing body and the
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society as representatives of a divinely appointed
"channel" of communication between God and mankind. They hold that
God directs all his interests on earth through that organization. They firmly
believe that outside their organization there is neither salvation nor divine
favor. Recognizing the authority of the "spirit-filled organization"
is even included in the baptism requirements for Jehovah's Witnesses.
Does the Bible indicate that God has really
used an organization throughout history? If not, how did he communicate with
and direct mankind, reveal his will, deal with problems, and set apart special
representatives?
From Adam to the Flood
God spoke directly to Adam and Eve. He blessed
them and gave them divine direction as to what he expected of them. (Gen. 1:28-30)
After they sinned, he questioned them and pronounced judgment directly upon
each of three individuals in the Garden of Eden: Adam, Eve and the serpent.
(Gen. 3:9-19) When Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God, he judged them individually.
When Cain showed an incorrect attitude, God gave him personal guidance and a
warning against sin. After he murdered his brother, God pronounced judgment
against him as an individual. (Gen. 4:6-15)
During the long patriarchal period which followed,
obedience to God's command to mankind to be fruitful, multiply and fill the
earth required his servants to spread out rather than gather together. Consistently,
there is no mention of God's servants who either worshipped in a central location
or regularly received messages as a group directly from God to pass on to others.
When God decided to cleanse the earth of unrighteousness
by means of a global flood, he selected Noah to carry out the instructions that
would preserve both the human and animal families. Consistent with his pattern,
God spoke directly to Noah [1]. By being a preacher of righteousness, Noah acted as
a prophet, or one who communicates divine messages. After the flood, Noah made
sacrifices to God on behalf of his family, a pattern that was to last for many
centuries[2]."In matters of worship, family heads represented their families
before God, and thus took on the role of priest or mediator in that limited
sense.
From the Flood to Sinai
After the flood, God repeated his command to
"be fruitful and become many and fill the earth."with individuals,
or he communicated by means of angels, dreams, visions or prophets, who received
divine messages from God and were compelled to deliver them to their recipients.
When a group of rebels conspired to gather together and build a great tower,
partly because of fear that they would be "scattered over all the surface
of the earth,"languages to force them to obey, at least for a time, the
command given to Noah to fill the earth. (Gen. 11: 4,8)
Hundreds of years later, God made a personal
promise to his friend Abraham, an outstanding man of faith, that he would become
a "great nation."12:2) This marked the beginning of something new.
A favored family would receive special attention and produce the promised Messiah.
Did selecting a favored family mark the beginning of a new, more "organized"
way of communicating with mankind?
As Abraham's family grew, God continued to communicate
directly with his servants, including persons who acted, temporarily or permanently,
as prophets. Yet it appears that no one had the whole picture, nor did God work
only through one "channel" or slave at a time. For example, Joseph,
while still a boy living with his patriarch prophet father, dreamed inspired
dreams that foretold the future. Joseph was sent by Jehovah to Egypt to prepare
the way for the growth of Jacob's family into a nation. But Jehovah did not
reveal to Jacob what he was doing, although Jacob was still a patriarch and
prophet. (Gen. 42:36) Under God's guidance, 75 descendants of Abraham moved
down to Egypt. When they came out 430 years later, they numbered in the millions.
When God was about to deliver his people from
slavery in Egypt, he spoke personally to Moses through a burning bush, and commissioned
him to perform miracles, to show the Israelites and the Egyptians the meaning
and power behind the name of Jehovah. Their readiness to accept and worship
a golden calf on the plains of Sinai, for example, and other signs of weak faith,
suggests that while in Egypt they had not, as a group, maintained the pure worship
of God practiced by their ancestor Abraham.
The Israelites entered into a special covenant
relationship with God after they left Egypt. They received the Law, which would
guide them in moral, civil and religious matters. The Watchtower Society presents
these events as a parallel of how Jehovah's Witnesses were brought out of the
world of mankind, especially Christendom, and received regulations and centralized
direction through an earthly "channel,"into their current organized
form. Israel is used as a "type" or picture of the highly organized
Watchtower Society. Does the picture hold true? Did the Mosaic Law create a
centralized administrative structure such as exists among Jehovah's Witnesses
today?
How was Israel Organized?
Moses was truly a "channel of communication"
between God and the Israelites. He is referred to in scripture as a "mediator."that
role, he foreshadowed Jesus Christ. (Deut. 18:18,19; compare with Acts 3:19-23)
Moses led Israel and was a prophet. His successor Joshua was a leader, but not
a mediator or prophet, nor were Moses' brother Aaron and his descendants the
priests. They, as well as the other members of their tribe, the Levites, were
only to carry out religious functions, not executive or prophetic ones. Who,
then, directed things in Israel?
There was no need for a centralized government
because the nation of Israel was actually a single family. It was "organized"
along family lines. In Israel, elders and "chieftains over hundred and
thousands" were not elected by popular vote nor appointed by God. They
were relatives of the people they represented.,Each tribe was a family group,
descended from a common ancestor and closely related by blood.
The Mosaic Law gave moral and religious guidance
to the Israelites. It provided extensive definitions of sinful thoughts or actions
that could occur in every facet of everyday life, along with specific procedures
for dealing with that sinfulness. It set forth highly detailed plans and procedures
for constructing the tabernacle and moving it from place to place. But it did
not set up any human form of government or administrative body. Under the Law,
the Israelites were to be guided by personal conscience rather than human rulers
who enforced governmental power through police or other armed forces. Sanctions
against sinners or lawbreakers were carried out in each community by the people
themselves, under the supervision of the elders, and the priests supervised
the accompanying offerings and other religious procedures. Each individual was
responsible before God, his family and the community, for his own behavior.
This was a theocratic form of government in its true sense -- God himself acted
in place of any earthly king. Did this form of government work?
From Sinai to Solomon
After entering the promised land, the Israelites
lived for over 350 years without any human king or centralized government. "In
those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit."did not result
in anarchy. The evidence is that this was an excellent arrangement.
God selected and appointed judges from time
to time, as needed. They acted as leaders, but more in a military than in a
governmental way. At times more than one judge was active at once, and at times
no judge was active. They had no special executive authority, nor did they act
as kings over Israel, for God was to be their only ruler. The closing chapters
of Judges contain an interesting and unusual story of how justice was administered
under this arrangement in the case of a particularly violent crime.
The Bible states that during more than two-thirds
of the period of the judges, there was peace in the land. Following occasions
when judges appeared to deliver Israel from enemies, there were three periods
of 40 years and one period of 80 years when the land had "peace."There
were never so many peaceful years after that period of the judges ended. In
fact, during that time, the Bible only reports that one prophet, the woman Deborah,
was sent to Israel. What happened that changed the situation and prevented peaceful
conditions in the land?
A Bad Idea Takes Root
Eventually, the Israelites began to clamor for
a king. They wanted a visible centralized government. Why? Was it because the
theocratic form of rule that had brought peace and prosperity for generations
wasn't working? No. Was it to protect them from apostasy? No. Why was it? They
said: "Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead
us and to go out before us and fight our battles."the pagan nations around
them. The idea was selfish, worldly and untheocratic. And God said exactly that.
Samuel thought that Israel had rejected him as prophet, but Jehovah God corrected
him. God said that their request was a rejection of him as their king. God warned
Israel that a centralized form of government would lead to many difficulties,
but they continued to insist that God give them a human king. (1 Sam. 8-10)
God granted their request. He chose a good and
capable man, Saul, as their first king. With the passage of time, the good qualities
for which Saul was chosen became corrupted. God rejected Saul and chose another
king for Israel, the boy David, who grew up into a man "agreeable to [God's]
heart." 13:14) Even a man with this wonderful recommendation was not without
serious faults. David's reign was marred by personal scandal and family tragedy.
David's son Solomon was called "the wisest
of all men."was marked by peace, prosperity and happiness, but with age,
he, too, was unfaithful to God. (1 Kings 11:4-6) As a result, when Solomon's
son, Rehoboam, took the throne, Jehovah split the nation forever into two kingdoms
-- 10 tribes in the north (Israel) and two tribes in the south (Judah).11:9-13)
Centralized government over all Israel failed
miserably. It lasted only three generations, even though God himself selected
their kings . From this point on in Jewish history, comparing the Israelites
with Jehovah's Witnesses in the 20th century becomes even more difficult and
complicated.
Two Kingdoms, One Organization?
After the division into two kingdoms, things
were never the same for the Jews. The kingdom of Judah continued to have David's
descendants on their throne, while the kingdom of Israel had multiple dynasties,
at times changing through bloody warfare. The two kingdoms fought wars with
outside enemies, and they fought each other. Each had its own line of kings.
The northern kingdom set up a center of worship in Samaria rather than at Jerusalem,
which was in the territory of the two-tribe kingdom, and largely replaced the
Levitical priests with non-Levite priests, which led to false worship.
It's hard to imagine how the governmental situation
among the Jews could be compared in any way to a single harmonious organization
with a central administrative structure. It is not as if one of the kingdoms
was faithful and the other was unfaithful. Good and bad kings were as likely
to be in one kingdom as the other. God did not refuse to deal with one kingdom
or the other. He sent prophets to both kingdoms. In either kingdom, when there
were unrighteous kings, wickedness abounded. But under righteously inclined
kings, there was generally a return to a more pure form of worship and blessings
resulted.
The northern kingdom, Israel, fell forever at
the hands of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser in the middle of the eighth century
before Christ. In time, some of their descendants returned to their former capital,
Samaria, in northern Palestine. In Jesus' day they were known as Samaritans,
and were hated by their Jewish cousins.
After the fall of the northern kingdom, the
southern kingdom, Judah, continued to have both good and bad kings. In the sixth
century B.C.,them to be taken captive by the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar due to
their unfaithfulness. After the captivity, a relatively small group did return
to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and reestablish themselves in their Jewish
homeland. Most never returned to Palestine.
During almost 20 centuries between the time
God promised his friend
Abraham that his offspring would become a nation
until Jesus came, Israelites did worship together faithfully from time to time,
especially in the centuries before they had a king. But they never had any central
administrative body that even remotely resembled the Watchtower organization
of today, either in form or in function, and during the entire time, they were
still God's chosen people. How do we know this?
Jesus--Sent to the "Lost Sheep of Israel"
By the time Jesus appeared on the scene, Israel
as a nation was anything but highly organized. They were governed by foreigners.
They did not practice pure worship. The majority of them (what was left of the
10-tribe kingdom, plus the descendants of the large number of Jews who never
returned to Palestine after the Babylonian captivity) were scattered throughout
the earth. They were governed by a number of nations and rulers. They were divided
in their beliefs. They had embellished and added to the Law to the point that
even simple commands such as the Sabbath were nearly impossible to obey. The
worship carried on in Jerusalem was corrupted by commercialism and meaningless
rituals and formalities.
In spite of this situation, however, Jesus'
ministry was directed to Jews and Samaritans rather than Gentiles. Why? In his
own words, he was sent "to the lost sheep of Israel."and apostasy,
they were still God's chosen people. It was only after their rejection of the
Messiah that "their house was abandoned to them."(Matt. 23: 38)
How Did God Communicate with Israel?
The Bible is filled with examples of how God
influenced his people to do his will. He spoke to some directly (Gen. 46:1-4;
Josh. 8:1) or through angels (Judges 6:11-24; chapter 13) or dreams (1 Kings
3:5-15; 9:1-9; Isa. 1:1; Amos 7:1-9; Ezek. 1:1) messages delivered to God's
people as a group were delivered by prophets. As Hebrews 1:1 states: "God
long ago spoke on many occasions and in many ways to our forefathers by means
of the prophets."
Prophets were most often sent to God's people
when they were unfaithful. Their job was simply to deliver messages from God,
warn the people to turn from false worship and encourage them to obey the Law
and practice true worship. Who appointed these prophets? They were not chosen
by national leaders, priests or even other prophets. They were appointed by
God himself, by holy spirit. (Num. 11:24- 29) They simply received God's messages
and passed them on to others.
There was no arrangement in the Law for appointing
prophets, nor any official procedure to authorize them, so the Israelites were
given three ways to know whether someone calling himself a prophet truly represented
God. (1) The prophet spoke in the name of Jehovah. (2) The prophecy came true
(Deut. 18:20-22).
The job of a prophet as described in the Bible
offered little or no prestige or power. Prophets were unpopular. Most of them
were treated poorly by God's chosen people. Many were brutally persecuted or
killed by the leaders of the nation.
Were God's prophets ever organized into a central
body that gave direction to the nation of Israel? The Bible mentions groups
of prophets in a couple of places, such as 1 Samuel 10:5,10; 2 Kings 2:3,5 and
4:38, but there is no mention of them acting as any type of regular "channel"
of communication. In fact, it appears that at times prophets were not even aware
of the whereabouts or even the existence of other prophets or even other true
worshipers.
For example, during one of the periods of unfaithfulness
of the northern kingdom, the prophet Elijah believed himself to be the only
person in Israel who had not bowed down to Baal. Yet God revealed to him: "I
reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal
and all whose mouths have not kissed him."would doubtless have been considered
disloyal to the anointed king who was in power. Yet they were obviously not
organized into any type of group. They lived in quiet personal faith to God
while surrounded by God's unfaithful but still chosen people.
Throughout the entire Israelite period, the
Bible mentions faithful individuals who maintained loyalty to God, regardless
of whether the leaders of the nation were leading the nation in true worship
or not. This was true right up until Jesus appeared. A righteous prophet named
Simeon saw the young child Jesus, in fulfillment of a prophecy given him by
the holy spirit. (Luke 2:25-35) A faithful prophetess named Anna is also mentioned.
(Luke 2:36-38)
The Christian Era Begins
Jesus' arrival involved a new spokesman rather
than a new way of communication between God and man. Hebrews 1:2 says, "in
these last days, [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir
of all things, and through whom he made the universe."to represent his
interests on earth, or would each individual Christian be an "ambassador
substituting for Christ"? (2 Cor. 5:20)
Once, when Jesus spoke about maintaining watchfulness,
"Peter asked, 'Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?'
The Lord answered, 'Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master
puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper
time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he
returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in
coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to
eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when
he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to
pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. That servant who knows his
master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will
be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving
punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much,
much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much
more will be asked."NIV)
It would be hard to imagine that this passage
refers to multiple organizations in operation at the time of Jesus' arrival
in power, each with lesser or greater responsibility according to what each
did with the knowledge each had. The passage only makes sense as an exhortation
to Christians to maintain vigilance, behave properly toward others-- especially
other Christians-- and know that they will answer for their conduct.
Were the Apostles a Governing Body?
If Jesus wanted to establish a "channel
of communication" through which increased understanding of the Scriptures
would be revealed, surely his faithful apostles would be expected to be the
ones to whom such "new light" would be revealed. However, the record
shows that not to be the case. Some of the apostles appear often in the inspired
record of the growth of Christianity. Some wrote letters which became part of
the inspired Scriptures, namely Matthew, Peter, James and John. But others of
the 12 did not figure nearly so prominently in the growth and spread of Christianity
as did, for example, Paul, Barnabas, Silas and Timothy. And the majority of
the inspired Christian scriptures were written by persons other than the 12,
most notably Paul, but also Mark, Luke, James and Jude.
Jesus' life, death and resurrection fulfilled
many Hebrew scripture prophecies in ways not anticipated by the religious teachers
of the apostles' day. These prophecies needed explanation, so early Christians
could understand them correctly. How was this in-depth understanding of Jesus'
role as Messiah revealed to the early Church? According to Luke 24:13-35, on
the same day he was resurrected, Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road
to Emmaeus, a man named Cleopus and, likely, his wife. "Beginning with
Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures
concerning himself."applied to Jesus doubtless was the most outstanding
example of divine revelation in the entire Scriptural record. After Jesus had
shared a meal with Cleopas and his wife and had left them, they immediately
got up and returned to Jerusalem, where they found the 11 disciples and told
them about their meeting with Jesus. While they were still telling the story,
Jesus himself appeared to the group assembled there.
Before his ascension to heaven, Jesus told the
11 that he was going to take personal responsibility for what was going to happen
both in heaven and on the earth: "All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. Therefore go and make [disciples] of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age."
Jesus had told his disciples before his death
that he would send a paraclete, a helper or counselor, who would take his place
after he returned to heaven.,"And I will ask the Father, and he will give
you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truthYou know him,
for he lives with you and will be in you."of the holy spirit, Jesus continued:
"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will
tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what
is mine and making it known to you."16:13-15 NIV)
Was the spirit simply to work during a short
interval, a generation or so after the start of the Christian congregation,
until Jesus could organize the newly formed church to take over the duties of
the holy spirit, that is, feeding the disciples, "guiding them into all
truth,"Jesus' behalf? No, Jesus said that the spirit would be with them
"forever."
Because Jesus would be constantly in contact
with his disciples after his resurrection through the holy spirit, there was
no reason for him to encourage them to expect the development of any centralized
group of human representatives for guidance and direction. Jesus had not indicated
otherwise when he said: "where two or three come together in my name, there
am I with them."18:20)
The Jerusalem "Council"--Source of
"New Light?"
The Watchtower Society suggests that the elders
of the congregation at Jerusalem, the city from which the Gospel began to spread
to all the world, acted much like the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses,
deciding matters of importance for Christians in other congregations, and acting
as a source of increased understanding of truth. It states that the elders in
Jerusalem acted in that capacity when an issue arose involving circumcision.
Is this truly what the Bible teaches? What was the role of the Jerusalem congregation,
and how did Jesus himself and the holy spirit act in the development and resolution
of that issue? Let's examine the record, in Acts 15:1-35 and Galations 2:1-14.
According to Acts, the issue was raised when
some men "from James" came from Jerusalem to Antioch and started teaching
something new, something Paul hadn't taught these Gentile believers. What was
this "new truth" from Jerusalem? "You cannot be saved unless
you are circumcised as the Law of Moses requires,"they said. This was in
direct conflict with what Jesus himself had revealed to Paul, that it was by
faith alone that one could be saved, so he took strong issue with this "new
teaching."were right, so Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem to "see
the apostles and elders about this question."went to Jerusalem at the direction
of the Lord himself, "as the result of a revelation." believe that
circumcision was necessary for salvation.
Paul's account of this situation given to the
Galatian congregation shows that he went into a private meeting with those "who
seemed to be something" in the congregation, the prominent elders. He "set
before them the Gospel that [he preached] among the Gentiles, and did not give
in to them for a moment."that they were in error, accepted the correction
given by Christ through Paul, and spoke up in a larger meeting with the other
elders, guiding it under the direction of the holy spirit so that a proper viewpoint
was arrived at. They then had a letter of apology written addressed specifically
to the Gentiles in Antioch, suggesting some things that, if avoided, would contribute
to peace among the Jews and Gentiles, as well as to their health and prosperity[3]
There is certainly no evidence that a new understanding
was arrived at due to this meeting. The Jerusalem elders received correction
rather than giving direction. This event provides no evidence that there was
a "governing body" of men in Jerusalem that made rules and regulations
and passed them on to all other Christians. Quite the opposite is the case.
The evidence clearly shows that God's spirit worked through faithful individuals
to nurture and guide Christians away from error.
God's Spirit Works with Early Christians
Jesus told his disciples to remain in Jerusalem
only until they had been "clothed with power from on high."Peter spoke
on that occasion, applying Joel's prophecy to what had happened. Included in
that prophecy, to be fulfilled throughout the Christian era, was the prediction
that "I shall pour out some of my spirit upon every sort of flesh, and
your sons and your daughters will prophesy and your young men will see visions
and your old men will dream dreams; and even on my menslaves and my women slaves
I will pour out some of my spirit in those days, and they will prophesy."holy
spirit would communicate with Christians in the same ways he had during pre-
Christian times, directly, and by visions, dreams and through prophets. Does
the scriptural record show that this happened?
The book of Acts is filled with accounts that
clearly illustrate the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. It shows the very active
involvement of Jesus personally, the holy spirit, angels, visions and dreams
in the work of the early Christian church, including the conversion of individuals,
the expansion of the congregation, selecting and guiding apostles and missionaries,
keeping the congregation from corruption by falsehood, encouraging and assisting
Christians through trials and hardships, and guiding the recording and preservation
of all essential information that Christians would need in the coming centuries,
that is, the Christian scriptures. There was no essential part of Christianity
that Jesus did not involve himself with personally, either directly or by means
of the holy spirit.
Consider the case of Philip and the Ethiopian.
Philip was preaching in Samaria, when an angel sent him to the road from Jerusalem
to Gaza. On his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch. The spirit sent Philip to his
chariot. After Philip baptized the Ethiopian, God's spirit led Philip away.
(Acts 8:36,39,40) [4]
Consider also the case of Cornelius, a devout
and God-fearing man. He had a vision of an angel of God, who told him to send
men to Joppa to get Peter. Meanwhile Peter, on the roof praying, fell into a
trance and was told by a voice that things that were formerly considered unclean
were now clean. The spirit told him about the men sent by Cornelius. Peter went
to Cornelius' house, where he proclaimed the Gospel to a large group of people,
and they became Christians. (Acts 10:1-46)
Jesus himself appeared to Saul, to accomplish
his conversion. (Acts 9:3-6, 15) Saul (Paul),outstanding among the apostles
in carrying the Christian message to non-Jewish persons. He started many congregations.
Who authorized him to do so? Was it the Jerusalem congregation, or the congregation
at Antioch, from which he had left on his missionary journeys? Saul and Barnabas
were commissioned to be missionaries and went out at the specific direction
of the holy spirit. (Acts 13:1-4)
The record shows that persons to whom Paul preached
were directed to look to Christ himself for guidance rather than a group of
elders in Jerusalem or elsewhere. When Paul spoke to a jailer in Phillipi, he
simply began speaking God's word to the man and "all those in his house"
shortly after their miraculous release, sometime after midnight. Before dawn,
the jailer and his whole household (including children and possibly even servants)
were baptized. Was their attention directed to the local congregation to finish
their "training?" No, for there was no congregation there, only another
recent convert, a woman named Lydia. (Acts 16:30-34)
There are many other examples that could be
cited, but the message is clear. Jesus Christ himself and the holy spirit, rather
than any man or group of men, played the most active role in guiding early Christians.
The spirit guided Paul and his companions during his missionary tours (Acts
16:6-10; 18:9-11; 20:22,23; 21:4),letters to the congregations that resulted
from their efforts, and appointed overseers (Acts 20:28,32,33)[4].
Just as the Israelites were given a way to clearly
identify true and false prophets and prophecy, so were Christians. After describing
at great length the type of conduct that his followers would produce, Jesus
said that "those men" (false prophets) could be recognized by their
conduct or "fruits,"as an organization but as individuals. (Matt.
7:15-20) Later, the apostle John said to test the "inspired expressions"--"You
gain the knowledge of the inspired expression from God by this: Every inspired
expression that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh originates
with God, but every inspired expression that does not confess Jesus does not
originate with God. Furthermore, this is the antichrist's inspired expression,
which you have heard was coming, and now it is already in the world." John
did not focus on doctrine, behavior or the source of the prophecies as the criteria
for judging messages that supposedly come from God. Rather, the prophecy is
judged by its focus. If the focus is on Christ and his redemptive works, it
is from God. If not, the spirit of prophecy is from the antichrist.
"Come to Me"
In the centuries since the death of the apostles,
many religious organizations have been formed, often with the sincerest of intentions,
to provide fellowship, escape from persecution and protect believers from false
teachings. However, in time, the original founders die and the membership grows.
Active, influential members of these organizations sooner or later may lose
sight of the original purpose of forming the fellowship or organization. Lacking
faith in Jesus' ability to meet his disciples' needs, or moved perhaps by a
sense of responsibility, or opportunities for personal financial gain, power
or prestige, they may hide behind the lofty stated goals of the organization
and maneuver things so they gain increased control over others. The terrible
consequences that ultimately result when this process matures are written in
blood and tears across the pages of history. Leaders of these organizations
may claim to represent Christ, and insist that they have authority to speak
in his name. Declaring that they have the right to interpret the Bible, they
expel anyone who disagrees with their interpretations. They have substituted
their own interpretations for the pure words of the Bible, and increased their
membership through human means such as the promise of security within the organization.
They have maintained their membership through blackmail, coercion and threats,
dictated rules and regulations to their members, demanded loyalty and financial
support, and browbeat sincere persons with the tyranny of authority.
All these actions bring the greatest dishonor
to Jesus Christ, who said: "Be on the watch for the false prophets that
come to you in sheep's covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves."growth
or success be viewed as a sign of God's approval and blessing, for Jesus said
"many false prophets will arise and mislead many."(Matt. 24:11)
Organizations provide a way for resources such
as time, energy or money to be channeled and used. In the wrong hands, these
resources can be used for purposes other than to honor Jesus Christ and focus
on his redemptive work. When individuals within organizations choose to focus
on Christ, they may find themselves at odds with the organization to which they
belong. Then they are faced with a choice.
If members of a religious organization hate
us or call us apostates because we are loyal to God's son Jesus Christ alone
rather than to an organization and exclude us from their fellowship as a result,
remember Jesus' words of comfort. "Blessed are you when men hate you, when
they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the
Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward
in heaven."NIV; compare 3 John 9,10),
Peter stated: "God is not partial, but
in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable
to him.""[God] is not far off from each one of us."to God can
happen in any place, at any time, and must happen on a personal basis, because
God bought each of us as individuals with the blood of own son, and wants each
of us to personally repent of our sins, accept forgiveness and come to him.
"Come to me,"you."
Does God Work with Individuals and an Organization?
In the view of the overwhelming evidence that
throughout history God has communicated his will through individuals, someone
may ask: Is it possible that God relates to us both individually and through
an organization, communicating certain things to us through the Bible and other
things through organizational instructions? This idea is based on the assumption
that an organization can act like a person. An organization is not a separate
entity, with the capability of independent thought, feeling and opinion.
When individuals wish to pool their efforts
to accomplish some task or achieve some objective, or if they simply wish to
share fellowship, they may join together to form a tightly or loosely knit organization.
They may appoint one or more leaders or spokespersons for the group, and assign
job functions to various members. Members of the group may form a legal corporation
in order to conduct business. They may agree upon rules of conduct and operational
methods to be followed as they go about achieving the objectives of the organization.
But, although it is common to speak of an organization as accomplishing something,
this is merely a figure of speech. No activity that is attributed to an organization
can be done by the organization independent of the individuals involved. Every
thought or action comes from individuals. Apart from its members, an organization
is absolutely incapable of generating, communicating or carrying out ideas.
This means that any communication that comes from "the organization"
is really just coming from an individual. It also explains why it is so hard
at times for sincere Witnesses to determine just what the "Society's viewpoint"
is on certain matters, since written or verbal communications may be contradictory.
This is so because they simply reflect the differing viewpoints of the different
people who originated the communications.
After World War II, the Nazi organization never
went on trial for war crimes. But individuals who were associated with it did.
An organization cannot commit nor be punished for crimes. It bears no accountability.
But people do. That is why Jesus said, referring to his arrival in glory, that
he would"separate people one from another, just as the shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats."conduct, rather than loyalty to an organization
or belief structure, would determine the judgment he would pronounce. (Matt.
25:31-46)
An organization has no viewpoint, no memory,
no conscience, no love, no hate. It has no emotions or opinions. It cannot do
wrong or right. This basic truth about the nature of organizations makes it
clear that it is only on a personal basis that an individual can have a relationship
with God or anyone else. This is not to say that organizations are wrong or
bad in themselves. But they must be seen for what they are and what they are
not. Organizations are a way for people to combine their efforts so they can
accomplish more as a group than they could accomplish as individuals. Organizations
are not personalities or entities with independent wills, intellects or capabilities.
God, who has absolutely unlimited resources
and abilities, has no need for any such structure to multiply his resources
or help him do what he could not do by himself. All of us know that one of the
problems associated with organizations is that rules and regulations that may
be the best possible compromise for governing the behavior of people as a group
may be unfair to individuals within the group. How much better to be under the
personalized direction of God and Jesus Christ, through the holy spirit. We
can rely on the fact that our heavenly Father knows what we personally need
and will supply those needs in the best possible way. (Matt. 6:
31-33; 1 John 5:13-15,20)
Where Do We Go From Here?
The Bible says that God spoke to mankind through
prophets in pre- Christian times, and through his Son in the Christian era.
There is absolutely no evidence anywhere in the Bible that suggests that God
ever established or worked through a small group of special representative servants
who regularly acted as his administrators, or who regularly revealed God's messages
or expressed his will to the rest of God's faithful people. That is why there
is not a single exhortation in the Bible toward identifying or maintaining loyalty,
faithfulness, obedience or cooperation with such an approved group of his representatives.
The conclusions presented herein, if accepted,
may create a problem for persons who may be considering whether to continue
to associate with the Watchtower organization. If they choose to leave, they
may wonder where they can go. Even if they have serious doctrinal disagreements
with the Watchtower organization, they may wonder why they cannot simply stay
with it, since the consequences of leaving, especially on doctrinal grounds,
will almost certainly include rejection by friends and family members, slander
and gossip. This abuse may not seem worth the price, if one simply goes to associate
with another church which may have certain doctrines correct, but doesn't teach
"the whole truth."Leaving one organization to which one looked for
spiritual guidance simply to join another one for the same reason may not be
wise. But it is certainly not the only, nor the best, alternative. Actually,
the decision should not be about choosing organizations at all. Here's why.
Witnesses are taught that the true religion
must teach all the truth, that if just one teaching is incorrect, the entire
body of teachings is suspect.,In the Watchtower view, "truth" consists
of "correct teachings" or "accurate explanations" that seem
to fit reality, interpretations that can be supported or "proven"
by human reasoning and use of Biblical references for support in the same way
a scientist or mathematician might attempt to explain the operation of the physical
universe by reasoning on accepted mathematical or physical axioms or procedures.
This approach cannot be used to know God. No person or group of persons, and
thus no organization, church or religious group knows everything about God or
his ways. No one can find the "truth that leads to eternal life" by
finding the "correct" explanation of the Bible or "proving"
doctrinal positions, because it simply isn't found there.
Paul warned against such a view of knowledge.
"The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to
know. But the man who loves God is known by God."God is far more important
than "knowledge" of facts or being able to explain Bible passages.
Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."for "truth"
must begin with a relationship with Jesus Christ, the simple acceptance of him
as God's son and our savior, mediator, lord and king. (1 Cor. 3:11) When many
of Jesus' disciples left him because they didn't understand some of his teachings,
he asked the 12, "you do not want to go also, do you?" Peter replied:
"Lord, whom would we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life;
and we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God."of
"truth."to Jesus' question shows that he understood that the question
was not about where to go, but about whom to trust. The apostles recognized
Jesus as the only source of truth, and knew that they could trust no other to
supply them with teachings that would lead to eternal life.
The apostle John assures us that we have been
given "understanding [intellectual capacity NWT] so that we may know him
who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He
is the true God and eternal life."from idols."refer to the organization
in terms the Bible uses to refer to Jesus Christ. Witnesses say they are "in
the truth" to mean they are "in the organization."The organization
is said to handle "all the king's interests" on earth -- really, everything
Jesus said he would handle personally and through holy spirit. To attribute
to an organization capabilities such as providing leadership and protection
from enemies amounts to nothing less than idolatry. (Compare Ex. 32:4) And persons
who make such claims are false prophets.
Rather than following any man or group of men,
base your Christianity only on Jesus Christ, who has been given "all authority
in heaven and on earth."whether you prefer it in a more or less structured
form, takes on a whole new dimension. You will certainly find a variety of other
true Christians with whom to share the pure joy of belonging to and sharing
the love of Christ, being guided by God's spirit and his Word the Bible, to
his glory and praise.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------<
P> Footnotes:
[1]
The Watchtower Society compares Noah's ark with its present-day organization.
It says this ark was God's provision for salvation into which all the righteous
were gathered to be saved from destruction in the flood. It is worth noting
that, although Noah's wife, three sons and daughters-in-law were saved through
the flood with him, Noah himself is the only one specifically mentioned in the
Bible account as being righteous. This is true in the Genesis account and in
Jesus' and Peter's references to the flood. The Bible does not state or even
suggest that they were unrighteous. Nor does it say that Noah's entire family
was righteous or that only righteous persons were allowed on the ark. If any
of the other seven were not righteous, they may have been spared for Noah's
sake and to carry on the human race. Jehovah is referred to specifically as
Shem's God (as opposed to the God of all Noah's sons) only much later, in Abraham's
time. A similar situation occurred later, in the case of righteous Lot. His
family and in-laws were offered salvation from the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah, but showed no strong inclination toward true worship.
[2]
An example is Job, who "got up early in the morning and offered up burnt
sacrifices according to the number of all of [his children]; for, said Job,
'maybe my sons have sinned and have cursed God in their heart.' That is the
way Job would do always."
[3]
In the letter, the Gentiles were encouraged to abstain from "food polluted
by idols" and "the meat of strangled animals."however, Paul discusses
eating meat and other foods and makes it clear that avoiding them was a matter
of conscience, and that to Christians, avoiding actions that might stumble others
was a prime motivating factor. Compare Rom. 14:14,20,21; 1 Cor. 10:19-33.
[4]
It has been suggested that overseers are "appointed" by the holy spirit
in the sense that men who are familiar with the Biblical qualifications for
overseers appoint men who meet those qualifications. This is a sensible explanation,
and respected commentators suggest that the overseers in Ephesus were appointed
by some representative of the church. But the Bible itself does not state that
Paul or anyone else appointed these overseers. Paul's letters to Timothy and
Titus that contain those qualifications had not yet been written. The Bible
says that the Ephesian overseers were appointed by holy spirit. (Acts 20:28)
So it is more than possible that holy spirit directly appointed those men to
the post of overseer. If that were true, it is also possible that it was by
observing these men appointed directly by holy spirit that Paul was inspired
to write down the qualifications for this office for the direct benefit of Timothy
and Titus.
======================================================================
How could these questions be answered?
Does the Watchtower Society claim to be inspired?
Does it claim
to be "spirit directed?"
How would you describe the difference between
these two terms?
Do Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be a "prophet"
of Jehovah, communicating God's message to mankind through the channel of the
Watchtower Society's publications?
Did you know that the Watchtower of April 1,
1972, under the title ""They shall know that A PROPHET WAS AMONG THEM"
said, "These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this
prophet?Today they are known as Jehovah's Christian WitnessesAnd since no word
or work of Jehovah can fail, for he is God Almighty, the nations will see the
fulfillment of what these witnesses say as directed from heaven."of their
claim with these words: "Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts
as a "prophet" of God. It is another thing to prove it. The only way
that this can be done is to review the record. What does it show?"
Have you personally taken the time to make such
a review of the "spirit directed" interpretations of Bible prophecy
that have been published throughout the years in the Watchtower magazine? For
example, for many years the Watchtower Society has identified the "king
of the north" of Daniel chapter 11 as the Soviet Union. The issues of July
15, 1981; October 15, 1986; and July 1, 1987, depict the U.S.S.R. as a godless
military superpower that will engage the democratic "king of the south"
in a "pushing" contest as each struggles to gain world supremacy.
They further predicted that the Soviet Union would "enter into the lands
and flood over and pass through" (Dan. 11:40) in the sense of gaining control
of a major part of the world's wealth and resources. They go on to say that
the atheistic, anti-religious nature of this communist ideology would precipitate
Armageddon by making an attack on the "spiritual estate" of Jehovah's
Witnesses. The Watchtower organization has identified itself in this prophesy
as "the ones having insight, who are shining like the brightness of the
expanse."
Does this interpretation, restated as recently
as 1987, recommend that channel as being "spirit directed" or as having
divine insight regarding the events of the future? Beginning in 1966, the Watchtower
Society began calling attention to the year 1975 as being the end of 6,000 years
of human history, and strongly suggested that Armageddon could begin within
months of the fall of 1975 [5]
In response, many Witnesses gave up good jobs,
liquidated their assets, and cashed in life insurance policies in order to spend
"the few remaining years of this old system" in the full-time service.
Many Witnesses are now struggling with the consequences of those decisions and
face a future of inadequate resources to sustain them in their old age.
Do you believe that the speculations about 1975
and the resulting expectations entertained about that year were "spirit
directed?"
If the year 1975 was such a milestone in Bible
chronology, why has it been virtually forgotten in the pages of Watchtower publications
since that time? The book Holy Spirit--The Force Behind the Coming New Order!,
page 175, asks this question in paragraph 24: "In whose mouth has Jehovah
put his word?"
How would you answer that question today?
The paragraph answers: "Just as at Mount
Sinai he put his word in the mouth of his chosen people through the mediator
Moses and thereafter he led them under the protective shadow of his hand into
the Promised Land, so he has done for the remnant of spiritual Israel. He has
put his word, his message of the hour, into the mouth of the spiritual remnant
for them to confess openly before all the world"
Does this publication suggest that the pronouncements
and teachings that the "anointed remnant" put in the mouths of Jehovah's
Witnesses through the pages of Watchtower publications are equivalent to the
words that Jehovah gave to the Israelites through Moses?
Was Moses inspired?
Did any of "the words" that were transmitted
to the Israelites through Moses fail to come true, or need to be revised in
later times?
Since the record clearly shows that such is
not the case for the teachings and predictions found in Watchtower publications,
how can an individual Witness determine which "words" really constitute
"the words of Jehovah?"
Would Deut. 18:21,22 be of help in making that
determination? In The New World Translation those verses read: "And in
case you should say in your heart: 'How shall we know the word that Jehovah
has not spoken?' When the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word
does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With
presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him."
Did you know that the publication Reasoning
From the Scriptures in its discussion of "False Prophet" on page 133,
chose not to include these verses, stopping their quotation instead at verse
20?
Do you think that anyone could come to a correct
understanding of how the Scriptures define a false prophet without considering
these verses? The book Paradise Restored to Mankind--By Theocracy! says on pages
353 and 354, under the heading Religious Hypocrisy Exposed, "Jehovah, the
God of the true prophets, will put all false prophets to shame either by not
fulfilling the false prediction of such self-assuming prophets or by having
his own prophecies fulfilled in a way opposite to that predicted by the false
prophets. False prophets will try to hide the reason for feeling shame by denying
who they really are."
According to Deut. 18:21, what should be our
attitude toward a prophet whose prophecies have proven to be "the word
that Jehovah did not speak?"
Should we "get frightened of him"
or continue to view him as an unquestionable channel of communication and spokesman
for God?
=========================================================================<
P> [5]
Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, pages 28 and 29: "It would
not be by mere chance or accident but would be according to the loving purpose
of Jehovah God for the reign of Jesus Christ, the 'Lord of the sabbath,' to
run parallel with the seventh millennium of man's existence."Awake!, October
8, 1966: "How Much Longer Will It Be?": "Does God's rest day
parallel the time man has been on earth since his creation? Apparently so...
Adam was created in the autumn of the year 4026 B.C.E. Sometime in that same
year Eve could well have been created, directly after which God's rest day commenced...So
we can expect the immediate future to be filled with thrilling events."be
filled with climactic events, for this old system is nearing its complete end.
Within a few years at most..." -----------------------------------------------------------------------
This material was prepared by Tom Cabeen, 58
Shelter Cove Road, Milford, CT 06460. Questions or comments may be addressed
to the author. Quotations from the Bible are from the New World Translation
of the Holy Scriptures, 1971 edition, or the New International Version .
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