“When you spread … an evening meal, do not call your friends or your brothers.”

(Luke 14:12)

God “is great, and rich,” and he makes “good gifts.” (Psalm 147:5, ISV; James 1:17, ERV) But “those who are rich and those who give presents have many friends who are interested only in the selfish benefits derived from the friendship … Appropriately Jesus Christ counseled not to invite to an evening meal friends.” – Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, page 872.

This warning applies to God, too. “Jehovah’s Witnesses are friends of God” – but, as “Gerrit Lösch of the Governing Body” admitted, only because they “hope for a reward.” (You Can Be God’s Friend!, page 7; The Watchtower, February 15, 2008, page 31) God will heed Jesus’ warning though and will ‘not call his friends or his brothers’ to “the evening meal of the Lamb’s marriage.” (Luke 14:12; Revelation 19:9) The “faithful and discreet slave” – “the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses” – must also stay away from this evening meal, since Jesus will not invite ‘his brothers’ too. (The Watchtower, July 15, 2013, page 22) “With no enlightenment of any kind from God, that class will … be cut off from the ‘kingdom of the heavens’ and will have no part in the ‘evening meal of the Lamb’s marriage’ in the heavens above.” – The Watchtower, November 15, 1974, page 698.

“A slave does not know what his master does.”

(John 15:15)

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim “that the ‘greatly diversified wisdom of God’ can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.” (The Watchtower, October 1, 1994, page 10) But nothing that this “slave” has prophesied has come true. Jesus revealed the reason for that when he told: “A slave does not know what his master does.” (John 15:15) Even if the “faithful and discreet slave” is faithful and discreet, he is still a slave – hence he has not the foggiest idea of “what his master does.”

“Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha …

… which means, when translated, ‘Dorcas.’” (Acts 9:36)

After Tabitha died, the bereaved sent for Peter. What happened when he arrived at the mourners? Did they tell him what a good person Tabitha had been or how they miss her company? No, no one wasted any word her her personality. Rather they kept “showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them.” (Acts 9:39, NLT) Accordingly the Watchtower says: “Why … was Dorcas loved so much? – Well, the Bible says that she … gave fine gifts. She apparently made nice clothes for widows.” – August 1, 2011, page 14.

So the Christians in Joppa missed Tabitha only because now no one would make “coats and other clothes” for them anymore. Peter felt sympathy for them and resurrected Tabitha; “then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive,” so that she could make more “nice clothes” for them. – Acts 9:41, MSG.

“Rejoice with the wife of your youth …

…. why should you … embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?” (Proverbs 5:18, 20, NWT 1984)

Where in the Bible do we find this advice? It is part of “the proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel” and was written “to learn wisdom.” (Proverbs 1:1, 2) As is generally known, “King Solomon [was] one of the wisest men who ever lived.” (The Watchtower, May 15, 2007, page 14) Admittedly, he strongly advised against foreign women and told husbands to stay ‘with the wife of their youth’ for a lifetime – but “King Solomon loved many foreign women besides the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women … And he had 700 wives … and 300 concubines.” (1 Kings 11:1-3) He did exactly the opposite of what he taught.

“Jesus Christ [is] the Greater Solomon.” (Awake!, February 22, 2002, page 9) He perfectly followed Solomon’s example – for instance, he taught that he would have come “not to be ministered to, but to minister,” but he demanded that all people should ‘minister to him.’ (Matthew 20:28; John 12:26) He taught that God’s name must be sanctified, but he never used that name. (Matthew 6:9) He emphasized the importance of obeying God and complying with his regulations, but at the same time he declared God’s regulations invalid and introduced his own. – Matthew 7:21; 5:38; Deuteronomy 24:1; Luke 16:18.

Today we can imitate the wisdom of Solomon and Jesus Christ by also teaching the contrary of what we do. We should condemn others for something that we do ourselves. Then we will prove to be true Christians.

“A man will leave his father and his mother.”

(Genesis 2:24)

Jesus repeated this prophecy and urged everyone to “leave his father and his mother.” (Mark 10:7) Was he referring to one’s literal parents? Hardly, for adult Christians “still need to honor their parents” a lifetime. (The Watchtower, February 1, 2010, page 27) So, which “father” and which “mother” was Jesus speaking of?

“Besides being the God of Christians, Jehovah is also their Father.” (Commentary on the Letter of James, page 47) Actually Jesus prompted us to disassociated ourselves “from our Father, Jehovah, and his motherlike organization.” (The Watchtower, June 1, 1998, page 23) Do not hesitate to heed his advice!

“The kings of the earth take their stand …

… and high officials gather together as one against Jehovah and against his anointed one.”
(Psalm 2:2)

When was this prophecy fulfilled? The book Worldwide Security Under the “Prince of Peace” says: “In 1914 .. came the time for Jesus Christ, ‘the Son of David,’ to be enthroned … That momentous date had been pointed forward to since 1876 by those who became associated with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. But the nations of the earth … refused to recognize it as the time for them to turn over their earthly sovereignties to the newly enthroned ‘Son of David.’” (page 26) “In 1914 … human rulers were put on notice to submit to God’s chosen Ruler. But they have refused to do so.” – The Watchtower, June 1, 2003, page 18.

How should the nations have ‘submitted to God’s chosen Ruler’ who “is invisibly present … and is reigning from heaven?” (Awake!, March 22, 1993, page 6) That would have been easy, since “God’s Messianic Kingdom [is] represented on earth today by a small band of anointed Christians.” (The Watchtower, July 1, 1990, page 22) Hence it is an unforgivable sin that “since … 1914, the nations and empires of this world have refused to yield over peaceably their earthly kingship to [Jesus] … Till this year, after more than half a century, the nations have refused to do so.” – The Watchtower, October 15, 1969, page 622.

So all governments of the world should have relinquished their power to the “small band of anointed Christians” around Charles Taze Russell in 1914. Later this group was taken over by Joseph F. Rutherford, and he would have ruled “substituting for Christ” over all the earth from Beth-Sarim. (2 Corinthians 5:20) How would the earth look like today? Mankind would never have travelled to the moon, since “by a higher law of nature, man is bound to his earth, as he can never get out of its borders,” though this fact had been “ignored by space fanatics.” (The Golden Age, German edition, November 1, 1931, pages 326, 327). “Fried potatoes” and “white bread” would be banned. – The Golden Age, January 15, 1936, page 227.

Vaccinations would be considered “the inoculation of a healthy person with putrid pus” and banned, though their consequences could be moderated by “the ‘Grape Cure’ diet.” (The Golden Age, May 1, 1929, page 507; May 29, 1929, page 564) Thus most of us would not be alive because our ancestors would have been removed by contagious diseases, or executed for fornication, or they would have “refrained from having children” so shortly before Armageddon. (The Watchtower, October 1, 1999, page 10) “Having a share in the ministry” would be an “obligation” for us all, but we would hardly meet anyone because most homeowners would be in the ministry. – The Watchtower, September 15, 1993, page 18.

Would it really have come to that? We can’t be sure, because “since 1914, the ‘kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ’ has had a right to interfere with Gentile nations. Does this mean that Jehovah’s Christian witnesses now have a right to meddle in worldly politics? Not at all!” (The Watchtower, March 1, 1978, page 29) Granted, in the years preceding 1914 the “earthly rulers were determined to resist the heavenly Messiah in taking over world domination” – but if they would have changed their mind and relinquished their power to Jesus’ earthly representatives, those would still not have been allowed to meddle in politics. (The Watchtower, August 1, 1983, page 23) Maybe “worldwide anarchy” would have been the consequence. – 1991 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 128.

All in all, we can consider ourselves fortunate that “in 1914, none of the nations .. were inclined to welcome Jehovah’s Anointed One, Jesus Christ, to the throne of rulership over the earth.” (The Watchtower, July 1, 1990, page 28) Let us hope that it remains this way in the future!

“Keep warm and well fed!”

(James 2:15, 16)

Under inspiration, the apostle James wrote to Christian women in Corinth: “If a brother is naked … yet one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm’ … but you do not give them what they need for their body, of what benefit is it?” (James 2:15, 16, Fn.) So it occurred that Christian women visited brothers and found them naked and freezing. In such a case they were obliged to “give them what they need for their body.” What did that mean?

Wise King Solomon explained what a freezing brother needs. He said: “If two lie down together, they will stay warm, but how can just one keep warm?” (Ecclesiastes 4:11) His statement shows that merely giving clothes or firewood to a freezing brother would not be enough. “Just one” simply cannot “keep warm.” Rather, Christian woman should follow Abishag’s example. She ‘lay beside David so that the king did keep warm.’ (1 Kings 1:2, NIV) Not for nothing did the apostle Paul mention in the same context that “Rahab the prostitute … [was] declared righteous by works.” – James 2:25.

“We want to … sacrifice to Jehovah our God.”

(Exodus 5:3)

“We will surely make whatever sacrifices Jehovah asks of us.” (The Watchtower, October 15, 2008, page 29) The inspired account in the book of Exodus shows clearly why we need to offer sacrifices to God and what kind of sacrifices please him.

Moses told Pharaoh: “We want to … sacrifice to Jehovah our God; otherwise, he will strike us with disease or with the sword.” (Exodus 5:3) So the right motivation for bringing sacrifices to Jehovah is fear of being punished by him. Not for nothing, the psalmist urged all people: “Serve Jehovah with fear.” (Psalm 2:11) The apostle Paul confirmed this when he advised the Philippians: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:11, KJV) “’Jehovah will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” – Hebrews 10:30, 31.

What can we present as a sacrifice to God? Jehovah explained in reference to a bull: “Its dung, you will burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering.” (Exodus 29:14) Back then, dung was an acceptable “offering to Jehovah, a pleasing aroma.” (Exodus 29:19) But “in the Christian congregation, Jehovah does not require us to offer such formal, material sacrifices.” (The Watchtower, October 15, 2009, page 3) Today we have to turn to the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ in order “to offer up spiritual sacrifices.” (The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, page 118) Thus we need to offer spiritual “dung,” that is, “something worthless.” – Christian Dream Symbols.

“Many [Jehovah’s] Witnesses … contribute time and money to accomplish the preaching of the good news of the Kingdom.” (The Watchtower, August 15, 1953, page 490) But since everything that we teach will eventually be replaced by ‘brighter light,’ these witnessing efforts are “something worthless,” so to speak, ‘spiritual dung.’ (Proverbs 4:18) Are we not happy that we can have a share in the greater fulfillment of Exodus 29:14?

“Jehovah was with Judah.”

(Judges 1:19)

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that soon “Satan the Devil … [will use] his atheistic hordes to attack Jehovah’s people, to plunder and destroy them,” but then “Jehovah will step in and fight for his people.” (Worldwide Security Under the “Prince of Peace”, page 153) They say, “Jehovah will fight for us as he did in the days of Joshua and other loyal leaders in Israel.” (The Watchtower, December 15, 1986, page 18) This leads to the question, How did Jehovah fight “in the days of Joshua and other loyal leaders in Israel?”

The inspired account says: “Jehovah was with Judah, and they took possession of the mountainous region, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain, because they had war chariots with iron scythes.” (Judges 1:19) Though Jehovah was successful in the rough “mountainous region,” he was powerless before the “war chariots with iron scythes” used in the lowland. Some time before, when fighting against the Egyptians, he had been walking across the battlefield and “taking wheels off their chariots.” (Exodus 14:25) But decades had passed; military technology had advanced. The iron scythes of the Canaanite war chariots deterred him from sabotaging their wheels. Yet this was not the first time that God lost a battle. Centuries before he had to admit to Jacob: “You have fought with God … and have won.” – Genesis 32:28, NLT.

3000 years have passed since the war against the Canaanites, and war technology has advanced substantially. Instead of “war chariots with iron scythes,” modern armies have atomic bombs, long-range missiles, and submarines at their disposal. In the upcoming “war of the great day of God the Almighty” his servants will be equipped only with “sword” and “bow,” and they will ride on horses. (Revelation 1:16; 6:2; 16:14) Maybe God will “call fire down from heaven,” but this will not be an issue for modern air defense systems. (Luke 9:54) Moreover, in the past God could never fight alone; though he supported them, the Israelites had to slaughter their enemies by their own hands. (Joshua 10:10; 1 Samuel 19:8; 1 Kings 20:21; 2 Chronicles 13:17) But since his modern worshippers “refuse to go to war” and to “do anything else that is in connection with the war,” they can not hope for victory. (The Watchtower, October 15, 1987, page 7; 1989 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 116) And even if they would get ‘brighter light’ and go to war, Jehovah’s fighters with bow and arrow could not compete with modern weapon systems. – Proverbs 4:18.

“They have set up princes, but I did not know it.”

(Hosea 8:4, NWT 1984)

Many “people today are tired of living under the eye of God.” (The Watchtower, December 1, 1994, page 5) But is fearing “that God is watching continually what we do” justified at all? (The Watchtower, June 15, 1977, page 355) What does the Bible say?

At the very beginning of human history, Adam and Eve “hid from the face of Jehovah God among the trees of the garden. And Jehovah God kept calling to the man and saying to him: ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:8, 9) Apparently God did not know where the humans sojourned and what they did. Centuries later God saw from heaven that some people were building a tower, but he was unable to recognize details. Thus he had to come “down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.” – Genesis 11:5, NLT.

In Abraham’s day God came to know from hearsay that something was wrong in Sodom and Gomorrah. Therefore he went for a visit to his friend Abraham, and to him “Jehovah said: ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great … I will go down to see whether they are acting according to the outcry that has reached me. And if not, I can get to know it.” (Genesis 18:20, 21) Evidently he was unable to see the events in these cities from his heavenly home. Rather, he had to go there in person to “get to know” what happened. Even later Jehovah was upset because the Kingdom of Israel had not informed him of political changes. He complained to Hosea: “They have set up princes, but I did not know it.” – Hosea 8:4, NWT 1984.

Obviously Jehovah did not know where Adam and Eva hid themselves. From heaven he could not see the construction of the Tower of Babel and the events in Sodom and Gomorrah. Also he did not realize the appointment of new princes in Israel. How is that possible? A psalm from David provides the answer: “The eyes of Jehovah are on the righteous.” (Psalm 34:15) Thus Moses, David, Jesus, and other “righteous” had always been under his surveillance and accordingly were reproached by him regularly. But Adam and Eve after they sinned, Nimrod, the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the princes of Israel were not numbered among “the righteous.” Hence Jehovah ignored them for the most part.

Since there will “be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous” anyway, we do well to prove to be “unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) In that case, when finally “the dead … [will be] judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds,” most of our “deeds” will not be recorded in these “scrolls.” – Revelation 20:12.