“Let me die with the Philistines!”

(Judges 16:30)

Samson was “one of Israel’s outstanding judges.” (Insight on the Scriptures, volume II, page 849) Once he “went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them together in pairs with oil-soaked rags around their tails. Then Samson took the foxes into the Philistine wheat fields that were ready to be harvested. He set the rags on fire and let the foxes go. The wheat fields went up in flames, and so did the stacks of wheat that had already been cut. Even the Philistine vineyards and olive orchards burned.” (Judges 15:4, 5, CEV) So he was an innovator of biowarfare – he utilized animals as weapons to take from his enemies their livelihood, so that many of them starved to death.

Then he took direct action against the Philistines. First he “he went smiting them, piling legs upon thighs with a great slaughter.” (Judges 15:8, NWT 1984) Later he vaunted: “With the jawbone of a donkey – one heap, two heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey I struck down 1,000 men.” (Judges 15:16) He did not need modern weapons of mass destruction to kill great crowds of men; rather “Jehovah’s spirit empowered him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down 30 of their men.” – Judges 14:19.

At the end of his life it became apparent that Paul counted him as a part of the “great cloud of witnesses” for good reason. (Hebrews 11:32; 12:1)  He was present in the temple of the Philistines (that is, from his standpoint, infidels). There was a feast, and “Samson braced himself against the two middle pillars that supported the house, and he leaned on them with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other. Samson called out: ‘Let me die with the Philistines!’ Then he pushed with all his might, and the house fell on the lords and all the people in it. So he killed more at his death than he had killed during his life.” (Judges 16:29) So he became the first suicide assassin of human history.

Whether we are preparing attacks with biological weapons, going to kill our enemies in an open fight or planning a suicide bombing – in any case “we rely on the same holy spirit that Samson did.” (The Watchtower, December 15, 2011, page 21) What a fine example he gave for Terrorists today!

“In faith all of these died, although they did not receive the fulfillment of the promises.”

(Hebrews 11:13)

In his letter to the Hebrews, the apostle Paul referred to Abraham. (Hebrews 11:8) “Because of Abraham’s great faith, Jehovah promised to give the land of Palestine to his offspring.” (The Government That Will Bring Paradise, page 5) No doubt, “Abraham demonstrated faith in Jehovah’s promises” – but “it is noteworthy that Abraham did not during his lifetime receive the inheritance of the land promised to him. He also did not see his seed become ‘like the grains of sand that are on the seashore’ … These promises went unfulfilled.” – The Watchtower, September 15, 2011, page 26.

Later, God promised Moses to bring him and his people “to a land good and spacious, a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Exodus 3:8) But “like Abraham, Moses did not experience the fulfillment of God’s promise … Moses was told: ‘From a distance you will see the land, but you will not go there.’” (The Watchtower, September 15, 2011, page 19) Centuries later, “Jesus’ disciples were still expecting an earthly reign of the Messiah.” (The Watchtower, April 15, 1981, page 15) “Even after Jesus’ death and resurrection his disciples still expected the establishment of an earthly kingdom.” – The Watchtower, May 15, 1978, page 21.

Thousands of years after these events, Charles Taze Russell promised “that the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’ … will end in A. D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership.” (Millennial Dawn, volume II, The Time is at Hand, 1889 printing, page 101) In 1920, after Russell’s death, Joseph F. Rutherford promised “that the old order of things, the old world, is ending and is therefore passing away, and that the new order is coming in, and that 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction,” and he called this promise “positive and indisputable.” – Millions Now Living Will Never Die, page 97.

Since the resurrection of Abraham failed to materialize in 1925, Rutherford promised again in 1938 that his followers would only have to “wait a few years, until the fiery storm of Armageddon is gone.” (Face the Facts, page 50) In the following decades, “the generation that saw the start of this age of lawlessness in 1914” was the object of promises. (The Watchtower, July 1, 1980, page 4) But “in faith all of these” – Abraham, Moses, Russell and his followers, Rutherford and his followers, virtually all of the ‘generation of 1914’ – “died, although they did not receive the fulfillment of the promises.” – Hebrews 11:13.

Today Jehovah’s Witnesses look forward to another one “of these divine judgments,” and they “expect the fulfillment of it very soon.” (The Watchtower, February 1, 2000, page 8) “Accordingly … [they] expect the great tribulation to begin soon.” (The Watchtower, May 1, 1999, page 16) “With eager anticipation … [they] await that new world.” (The Watchtower, April 15, 2010, page 11) But like Abraham and Moses, like all of God’s worshippers of old, like all Jehovah’s Witnesses before them and like all “true Christians” after them, they will ‘die in faith and not receive the fulfillment of the promises.’

“One time Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and he went in to her.”

(Judges 16:1)

Worshippers of God never steered clear of prostitutes’ houses. “When Judah saw … [Tamar,] he thought she was a prostitute, since she had concealed her face. So on the way, he turned aside, approached her, and said, ‘Come on! Let’s have some sex!’ … So he .. had sex with her.” (Genesis 38:15-18, ISV) Centuries later, Joshua sent out two spies, and “the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.” (Joshua 2:1, NLT) Samson followed the example of these faithful role models; he “went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and he went in to her.” – Judges 16:1.

Did the conduct of these men displease God? Not at all, for Judah became an ancestor of the Messiah, and the two spies were blessed by Jehovah, too. (Joshua 6:20) Even “the prostitute Rahab … received God’s approval because of what she did.” (James 2:25, GWT) And the apostle Paul ranked Samson among the “‘great cloud’ of good examples.” (Hebrews 12:1, The Watchtower, July 1, 2000, page 21) Consequently Christian men today also also obliged to ‘go in’ when they encounter a prostitute or come across a brothel.

This truth from God’s word sheds also light onto Jesus’ words towards the Sadducees. He told them: “When people come back to life, they don’t marry.” (Matthew 22:30) Not for nothing, Jesus promised his male listeners: “Prostitutes precede you to the Kingdom of God.” (Matthew 21:31, ABPE) Along with many other women, Rahab “will return to her hire and prostitute herself … Her profit and her hire will become something holy to Jehovah.” (Isaiah 23:17, 18) Their occupation will be simplified because “the Creator of human reproductive power will himself justly regulate its use … There will be no need for abortions.” (Awake!, April 8, 1988, page 27) What wonderful prospects lie ahead!

“What was left by the caterpillar, the locust has eaten; and what was left by the locust, the creeping, unwinged locust has eaten; and what the creeping, unwinged locust has left, the cockroach has eaten.”

(Joel 1:4, NWT 1984)

“The prophet Joel likened the work of God’s people to a series of plagues by insects … Jehovah’s people are like … swarms of insects.” (Live With Jehovah’s Day in Mind, page 172) The prophet Joel mentioned locusts and cockroaches, and “these locusts picture the anointed remnant of Christians.” (The Watchtower, May 1, 1992, page 11) But who today make up the cockroach class?

According to the aforementioned Watchtower issue, “the locust plague is succeeded by a huge plague of cavalry. How true this is today, as the few thousand remaining anointed Christians are reinforced by more than four million ‘other sheep.’” Hence the “cockroach” from Joel’s prophecy symbolizes the ‘great crowd of other sheep.’ Today “Jehovah’s anointed locusts” are “joined by … Jesus’ ‘other sheep.’” (The Watchtower, May 1, 1998, page 10) “Advancing like an army [they] enter into houses, and devour everything in their path … What a vivid portrayal of the perseverance and thoroughness of God’s people in carrying out the witnessing work in modern times!” – The Watchtower, July 15, 2008, page 4.

“These enemies of mine that did not want me to become king over them bring here and slaughter them before me.”

(Luke 19:27)

If you didn’t know who made this statement, you might attribute it to Joseph Stalin, Emperor Nero or an Egyptian Pharaoh. “But who said those words? It was a man who most people might think would never issue such a harsh order. He put those words into the mouth of the king about whom he was speaking in a parable or prophetic illustration of his. But he was really speaking for himself, inasmuch as he himself was the one pictured by the king in the parabolic illustration.” (The Watchtower, December 1, 1973, page 709) Indeed, there is no doubt that Jesus was referring to himself.

No wonder that this Bible verse was covered only five times in the whole Watchtower literature from 1930 to 2013 – less than once in 16 years on average. But it shows clearly that Jesus is not always as “lowly in mind, humble, loving, compassionate, [and] merciful” as he is usually described by Christians. (The Watchtower, August 1, 1999, page 15) No, when he will be King, “Jesus will use his power” only for those “who obey him.” (Learn from the Great Teacher, page 176) But people who disagree with his style of government “have no hope of survival” of course. (The Watchtower, September 15, 1988, page 15) Jesus considers such individuals “enemies,” and he will have them slaughtered before his eyes just like a human tyrant. “His rule not only would end poverty and hunger” but also freedom. – Insight on the Scriptures, volume II, page 71.

“So Jehovah set up a sign for Cain in order that no one … would strike him.”

(Genesis 4:15)

”At times Jehovah permits one of his servants to die.” (The Watchtower, March 1, 1984, page 15) For example, God had foreseen that Cain was going to slay righteous Abel, but he did not protect Abel. (Genesis 4:6, 7) But for the murderer Cain “Jehovah set up a sign … in order that no one … would strike him.” (Genesis 4:15) The psalmist aptly described God’s attitude: “Costly in the eyes of Jehovah Is the death of his loyal ones.” – Psalm 116:15.

But why is that? Why does God like it when righteous ones perish? One reason is that he can not rightfully “eliminate the wicked world” if there are too many righteous people. (What Does the Bible Really Teach?, page 32) Otherwise, the people could follow Abraham’s example and say: “Suppose there are 50 righteous men within the … [world]. Will you, then, sweep them away and not pardon the place for the sake of the 50 righteous who are inside it?” (Genesis 18:24) If all righteous ones have already perished though, nothing can prevent him from destroying the remaining population.

But obviously there is another, even more important reason why God is happy when a righteous person dies. After all, he promised in the Bible: “Jehovah cares for the righteous.” (The Watchtower, July 15, 2004, page 30) As long as the righteous are alive, he must care for them – the fewer righteous are there, the better. For a dead righteous he doesn’t need to care. Furthermore, “the eyes of Jehovah are upon the righteous ones,” and when all “righteous ones” are in one place – the grave – this is much easier as if they would be distributed across the earth. – 1 Peter 3:12.

“They even sacrificed their sons.”

(Psalm 106:37, NASB)

Whom was the psalmist talking about? He was referring to “Moabites and Ammonites” and other peoples of old. “It was a known practice of their religion to offer their own children.” Moabite king “Mesha offered up his own son as a sacrifice.” (Insight on the Scriptures, volume II, page 382) Time and again the Israelites imitated this abhorrent custom. Wicked King “Ahaz became a notorious idolater, even going to the point of sacrificing his own son(s).” – The Watchtower, November 15, 1978, page 28.

There is no doubt that “child sacrifice” is a “revolting practice.” (Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, page 103) Do you warm to individuals who offer up their own sons as a sacrifice? But Ahaz, Mesha and other idolaters are long dead. There is, however, another person who also offered up his own son as a sacrifice roughly 2000 years ago. It was Jehovah who boasted of “sacrificing his own Son.” (Your Youth – Getting the Best out of It, page 184) ”Jehovah offered up his only-begotten Son in actual sacrifice,” and so he became the Greater Ahaz. (The Watchtower, April 1, 1967, page 208) We should have nothing to do with such a person.

“You have been weighed on a scale and found to be too light.”

(Daniel 5:27, GWT)

“Belshazzar … made a great bread” and “was drinking wine.” (Daniel 5:1, NWT 1984, Fn.) As a result he suffered from short weight, and he was “weighed on a scale and found to be too light.” (Daniel 5:27)  All Christians struggling with obesity can follow his example and live on nothing but bread and wine. Jesus did that too, indicating that he also was overweight. – Matthew 26:26, 27.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his … brothers … he cannot be my disciple.”

(Luke 14:26)

According to Joseph F. Rutherford there were “three great persons” at the beginning of creation: “Jehovah the Father, and the Logos and Lucifer his sons.” (Deliverance, page 5) So Jesus (also called “the word” or “the logos”) and Satan (Lucifer) were brothers. (John 1:1) While on earth, Jesus never concealed his hate for his brother – when Satan wanted to talk to him, Jesus snarled at his brother: “Go away, Satan!” (Matthew 4:10) Since then, Jesus dreams of bringing “destruction over Satan.” – Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, page 12.

Hating his brother that much, it is no wonder that Jesus demands the same hate from his disciples. He made hating one’s brothers an inevitable requirement for Christians. (Luke 14:26) What does that tell about him? The apostle John had a clear opinion on people like Jesus and his disciples: “Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10, HCSB) God wants us to “love our brothers from the heart,” but Jesus wants us to hate them. (The Watchtower, August 1, 1973, page 467) Can there be a greater contradiction? There can be no doubt that Jesus was one of the “false teachers” who would “bring in destructive sects” as foretold by the apostle Peter. – 2 Peter 2:1.

“If he also asks for an egg, will [you] hand him a scorpion?”

(Luke 11:12)

“Jehovah’s Witnesses write Easter off.” (Awake!, May 22, 1986, page 8) When their children are confronted with Easter eggs and Easter bunnies in shops and elsewhere, they basically claim that “anyone who eats their eggs would die.” (Isaiah 59:5) But can this strict position be justified with the Bible?

Obviously not. Jesus said to his disciples: “Which father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will hand him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he also asks for an egg, will hand him a scorpion?” (Luke 11:11, 12) So there were Christians who were asked by their children “for a fish” and “an egg” – without doubt this happened during the Passion Week where they ate fish on Friday and hunted Easter eggs on Sunday. So it is certain that the first Christians celebrated Easter.

Christians of today should also do that, especially if they have children. However, when purchasing Easter eggs, they must consider the advice given by the “faithful and discreet slave,” God’s channel of communication: “Whether the large, medium or small eggs are the best buy can be determined if you remember this: if the price of medium eggs is seven·eighths as much as large eggs, the cost is actually the same for both sizes.” (Awake!, November 22, 1969, page 23) Christian parents can utilize the Egg hunt to teach their children precious Bible truths, for example that the Easter bunny is a ruminant – Leviticus 11:6