“Master, leave it alone for one more year until I dig around it and put on manure.”

(Luke 13:8)

In the first place, the parable of the barren fig tree was fulfilled by Jesus himself. “During … [the] fourth year of his ministry, he is … symbolically digging and putting manure around the Jewish ‘fig tree’ by zealously preaching and teaching in Judea and Perea.” (The Watchtower, October 15, 1988, page 8) His teaching was “manure.” Back then, “dung was used as manure,” and in the Bible, “dung or manure is also employed as a simile.” (Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, pages 658, 659) So, in a spiritual sense, Jesus spread dung in Judea and Perea.

In our time it is “Jehovah’s Witnesses who are carrying out the good work started by Jesus Christ.” (The Watchtower, March 15, 2000, page 8) “Millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses are … preaching and teaching” today, spreading “magazines, books, and brochures.” (The Watchtower, December 15, 1987, page 18; 2008 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 144) Thus these publications, “especially The Watchtower,” are the Greater Dung. – 1994 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 201.

“The lion will eat straw like the bull.”

(Isaiah 11:7)

As is known, “the Bible says that in the garden of Eden the diet of the animals was vegetation.” (Happiness – How to Find It, page 188) “None of the animals in the garden of Eden were killers,” rather they “had a vegetarian diet in Eden, as did humans.” Only after Adam and Eve sinned, “the animals … began to live off one another.” (Awake!, October 8, 1982, pages 10, 11) “Further, during the Flood of Noah’s day, eight humans and ‘flying creatures and all moving animals of the ground’ were obliged to live on vegetable matter exclusively for more than a year,” proving “that animals and humans were meant to be vegetation eaters.” – Awake!, January 8, 1983, page 28.

Also in the future paradise “animals will be at peace with one another, able to be around one another without risk.” (The Watchtower, December 15, 1991, page 30) Lions “will eat straw” or other vegetarian diet, just like all other animals. Even the polar bears at the North Pole and the penguins at the South Pole will eat grass which will grow there in abundance. Spiders will create “intricate webs” in order to catch leaves flying around. (Awake!, July 8, 1972, page 5) “The cheetah finds the open grasslands ideal footing for its lightning-quick sprints. Its lean body blurs as it races across the plains in pursuit of prey” consisting of grass blades and other plants. (Awake!, February 22, 2003, page 16) Even crocodiles will eat vegetables growing underwater or in the proximity of the shore; fish will no longer eat other fish or shellfishes. Carnivorous plants like the Venus flytrap and carnivorous mushrooms like the lawyer’s wig will change their dietary habits and live on vegetarian diet.

Granted, “the earth [will] cause grass to sprout, seed-bearing plants and fruit trees,” but it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to feed all humans and animals. (Genesis 1:11) Antelopes will no longer be eaten by lions, but maybe they will starve because lions have eaten up all the grass. However, the dietary change will have more far-reaching effects. The human population is growing above average in times of peace, and the same will apply to the animal population when there is “peace among animals.” (The Watchtower, February 15, 1996, page 18) Some animals reproduce rapidly, for example, “the common brown rat … the black rat … and the house mouse” – a single female of these “can produce 2000 descendants in one year.” (Stopest) Mice and rats have many natural predators in our day, but once these have become vegetarians, a single mouse can have roughly 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 descendants within only ten years. Thus the “abundance of grain on the earth” will not persist because mice and other animals will eat it up in a minimum of time. “On the top of the mountains it will overflow,” not of food, but of mice, rats, hares, birds, and many other fast reproducing animals. (Psalm 72:16) The oxygen content of the air will also be reduced, since “phytoplankton account for half of all photosynthetic activity on Earth … [and are] responsible for much of the oxygen present in the Earth’s atmosphere,” but it will be the exclusive source of food for all sea dwellers in paradise. – Wikipedia.

In summary: “God’s restoration of Paradise on earth through Christ” will cause an extreme shortage of grass, grain, and other vegetables. (The Watchtower, September 15, 2007, page 12) Animals will reproduce without hindrance. If there would not be food shortage and lack of oxygen, earth would be covered with a meters thick layer of mice, rats, worms, and other animals after few years. Then the survivors will rightly proclaim: “The former things” – lush meadows, biodiverse forests, full pantries – “have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4.

 

“All the utensils of gold and of silver were 5,400.”

(Ezra 1:11)

Ezra reports the exact number of vessels which Cyrus returned to the Jews: “Now this was the inventory: 30 basket-shaped vessels of gold, 1,000 basket-shaped vessels of silver, 29 replacement vessels, 30 small gold bowls, 410 small silver bowls, 1,000 other utensils. All the utensils of gold and of silver were 5,400.” – Ezra 1:9-11.

According to today’s popular mathematics it would have been only 2,499 vessels –. not 5,400 as stated by Ezra. What is the reason for the difference between the Bible’s definitive statement and the mathematical calculation? Mathematics is a science, and “what scientists know is far less than what they do not know … A scientist’s lack of knowledge is compounded by his imperfection.” (Awake!, June 22, 1993, page 22) Furthermore, “scientists are only imperfect humans. They make mistakes … [and] cling to ideas that are not the truth.” – Awake!, March 8, 1977, page 9.

True Christians put “their trust … not in human scientists but in the Master Scientist, who created all living things, Jehovah God.” (Awake!, December 8, 2000, page 18) “When scientific … [statements] that contradict the Bible … are introduced, they say with calm confidence that the scientists must be wrong.” (Awake!, April 8, 1972, page 16) Exactly that applies here. “The Scriptures are infallible, being the Word of God.” (Awake!, February 8, 1989, page 11) Thus, when they say that ‘30 vessels, 1000 vessels, 29 replacement vessels, 30 bowls, 410 bowls, and 1,000 other utensils’ are together ‘5,400 utensils,’ then this is an established fact. “The Bible, the Word of God, allows no room for doubt.” (The Watchtower, June 1, 2008, page 3) Let us hope that mathematicians will recognize their error sooner or later.

“Every swarming creature of the earth is something loathsome.”

(Leviticus 11:41)

Obviously there are ‘loathsome creatures.’ It is impossible that they were created by God because “every creation of God is fine.” (1 Timothy 4:4) “All of God’s creative work is perfect,” and “in God’s handiwork both big and small are beautiful.” (Awake!, May 8, 1977, page 27; November 8, 1995, page 10) Furthermore, the apostle Paul wrote that only apostates who are “paying attention to misleading inspired statements and teachings of demons … [and] speak lies” would “command people to abstain from foods that God created.” (1 Timothy 4:1-3) But the Mosaic Law came from God; when he commanded to abstain from certain foods, he must have referred to foods that someone else had created.

Since the ban explicitly mentions ‘creatures,’ someone must have created them, for “we know that everything made has a maker.” (Awake!, October 22, 1973, page 23) The Bible tells us who is was: “When the Most High passed the peoples to the Gods, when he divided humankind, he determined the territories of the peoples according to the number of the Gods.” (Deuteronomy 32:8, Einheitsübersetzung) So there were multiple gods, that is why Jehovah said to the other gods during creation: “Let us make man in our image.” (Genesis 1:26) For the Jews, of course, Jehovah was “the God of gods,” and they refused to worship other gods – but they never denied their existence. (Deuteronomy 10:17) Thus it must have been one of these other gods who created the ‘loathsome swarming creatures.’

“After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, look! astrologers from the East came to Jerusalem.”

(Matthew 2:1)

Some years ago, the faithful and discreet slave advised Christians: “Ask yourself, ‘Would I invite practicers of … spiritism … into my house?’” (Awake!, March 22, 2003, page 12) The three men who visited Joseph and Mary were “astrologers” or “magi” (Footnote), hence for sure they were ‘practicers of spiritism.’ If they had been Jehovah’s Witnesses, they would not have been allowed to let these demonic men into their house. As Jews it would have been their obligation to follow these instructions: “A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard, must be put to death. The people must kill them with stones. They must be killed.” – Leviticus 20:27, ETR.

But instead of stoning, or at least rejecting, the astrologers, Joseph and Mary let them into their house. (Matthew 2:11) They even accepted gifts from the astrologers, though worshippers of God must under any circumstances reject or destroy “gifts received from practicers of spiritism.” (Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life, page 115) To “associate … with those known to dabble in the occult and to accept gifts from them” can make one “come under demon influence.” – Is This Life All There Is?, page 87.

Why did Joseph and Mary act this way? Did they arbitrarily defy Jehovah’s principles? This was obviously not the case, for God himself blessed the astrologers and protected them on their way home. (Matthew 2:12) The reason for this is: “Jehovah is … perfectly adaptable” and not “locked into some rigid, unadaptable standard of justice.” (The Watchtower, August 1, 1994, pages 10, 11) His ordinary “standard of justice” proposes death penalty for astrologers and spiritists. (Leviticus 20:6) But if such persons contribute generously to “advance the interests of God’s Kingdom,” Jehovah can be “quick to alter course or adapt to new situations.” (2007 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 3; The Watchtower, August 1, 1994, page 17) In a similar way, Jehovah’s Witnesses are very considerate of persons who have stumbled or have loose moral standards, but support the congregation with generous donations. This way they imitate the first Christians who also favored wealthy visitors. – James 2:2, 3.

“Happy is the man who fears Jehovah … Wealth and riches are in his house.”

(Psalm 112:1, 3)

The Bible makes it clear that true worshippers of God can be recognized by their wealth. Moses advised the Israelites to “remember that it is Jehovah your God who gives power to you to make wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:18) Faithful Hannah also knew: “Jehovah … enriches.” (1 Samuel 2:7) “The wisest man of antiquity, King Solomon,” also pointed out: “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth.” – Awake!, February 22, 1984, page 9; Proverbs 10:22, NIV.

Hence it is easy to determine whether someone is a true Christian or not. Whoever possesses “wealth and riches … in his house” is surely someone “who fears Jehovah” and has his “blessing.” If someone is poor, however, this proves beyond doubt that he is “taking up worthless pursuits” and does not stand “on Jehovah’s side.” – Proverbs 28:19; Exodus 32:26.

“I will completely wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens.”

(Exodus 17:14)

Jehovah promised that “all memory of Amalek is to be completely uprooted from the earth.” (Exodus 17:14, BBE) Was he able to keep his promise? The facts speak for themselves. The “memory of Amalek” is alive in the Bible where “Amalek” and “the Amalekites” are mentioned 57 times. And the Bible is not just any book; it is “the most widely translated and circulated book in the world.” (The Watchtower, April 1, 2002, page 29) Even back in 1959 there had been “over 2,000,000,000 copies of the entire Bible or major sections thereof … distributed in some 1,810 languages;” today there are even more copies in 2,557 languages. – “Look! I Am Making All Things New”, page 5; Scripture Language Report 2012.

“Nearly everyone on earth today has access to the entire Bible or portions of it,” and with it to “the memory of Amalek.” (The Watchtower, September 15, 2001, page 5) The Amalekites are even mentioned in Children’s books. (My Book of Bible Stories, Study Questions for story 56) True, God had promised to “completely erase any memory of the Amalekites from the earth.” (Exodus 17:14, GWT) But the millions of Google results for “Amalek” prove otherwise.

Thus the prophecy about Amalek is one of the many promises that God made but did not keep. Abraham’s offspring should own the land of Israel “until time indefinite,” David’s throne should “be firmly established forever,” the lion should “eat straw” – but so far, all worshippers of Jehovah have “died, although they did not receive the fulfillment of the promises.” (Genesis 13:15, NWT 1984; 2 Samuel 7:16; Isaiah 11:7; Hebrews 11:13) God’s promises can at best “be compared with the promises of politicians, who say that they will do one thing and finish up in doing something else.” (The Watchtower, February 1, 1979, page 6) What do we learn from this? “Bible prophecies that have … [not] been fulfilled give us the confidence that all other promises made by Jehovah God will also [not] come true.” – The Watchtower, November 1, 2004, page 32.

“A mouth they have, but they cannot speak … they make no sound with their throat.”

(Psalm 115:5, 7)

The psalmist vividly described the nature of false gods: They have a mouth, eyes, ears, a nose, hands, and feet, but they cannot speak, see, hear, smell, feel, or walk. But what about Jehovah? “Claiming that God has a literal mouth, nose, and ears creates serious problems” and is definitely wrong; “God is not a man.” – The Watchtower, March 15, 1985, page 6; Numbers 23:19, NWT 1984.

What is the difference between these false gods and the true God? The false gods have a mouth, eyes, ears, a nose, hands, and feet – the true God does not have such. But all gods, whether true or false, “cannot speak … cannot walk … [and] make no sound with their throat.” (Psalm 115:5-7) “Would you conclude that it is not worthwhile to go on serving Jehovah?” (The Watchtower, August 15, 2004, page 13) Yes, this is undoubtedly the case. Hence we should follow King Joram’s example who wondered: “Why should I wait any longer for Jehovah?” – 2 Kings 6:33.

“There is death in the pot, o man of the true God.”

(2 Kings 4:40)

“Jesus said that upon his return he would find a ‘faithful and discreet slave’ providing spiritual food,” and as is known, “the Governing Body members [of Jehovah’s Witnesses] … today make up the faithful and discreet slave.” (The Watchtower, June 1, 1984, page 12; July 15, 2013, page 23) This “faithful and discreet slave [was] pictured by Elisha,” thus they are sometimes called “the Elisha class, the ‘faithful and discreet slave,’” for their work is equivalent to that of Elisha. – Watchtower Publications Index 1930-1985, “Elisha Work”; “Let Your Name Be Sanctified”, page 351.

Thus, it is reasonable to believe that the “Elisha class” provides the same kind of food as Elisha did. The Bible reports that in Elisha’s day “there was famine in the land,” and “today [there] is the deplorable spiritual famine.” (2 Kings 4:38; The Watchtower, May 1, 1987, page 10) Back then, Elisha made “his attendant … boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” (2 Kings 4:38) What kind of food did he provide? “As soon as they ate from the stew, they cried out: ‘There is death in the pot, o man of the true God.’ And they could not eat it.” – 2 Kings 4:40.

The same kind of food is “provided through ‘the faithful and discreet slave’” in our day. (The Watchtower, July 15, 1992, page 30) David prophetically described how someone would feel when attending a Jehovah’s Witness meeting in hope for edification: “I was hoping for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. But for [spiritual] food they gave me poison.” – Psalm 69:20, 21.

“Make the heart of this people unreceptive … that they may not actually turn back.”

(Isaiah 6:10, NWT 1984)

Jehovah’s Witnesses “are eager to see as many people as possible saved from the impending ‘great tribulation.’” (The Watchtower, February 1, 1987, page 11) But is this God’s will? Not necessarily, since “the sanctification of Jehovah’s name is far more important than human salvation” and “our being freed from bondage to sin and death and gaining life.” – The Watchtower, October 15, 2008, page 15; January 15, 2007, page 10.

”The book of Ezekiel emphasizes … that the sanctification of Jehovah’s name is more important than anything else” – maybe Jehovah would love to save all people, but “as the prophecy shows, he will sanctify his name by destroying all.” (“All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial”, page 137) “Jehovah’s indignation is against all the nations, and his wrath is against all their army. He will devote them to destruction; he will give them to the slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, and the stench of their carcasses will ascend.” – Isaiah 34:2, 3.

As in the past, where Jehovah regularly “struck down” thousands among his own people “with a great slaughter,” so it will be in the future. (1 Samuel 6:19) Thus “the worldwide preaching work of Jehovah’s Witnesses” is opposed to God’s purpose, for how should the prophecy be fulfilled that “those slain by Jehovah in that day will be from one end of the earth clear to the other end of the earth” if too many people would leave the false religion and join Jehovah’s people? – The Watchtower, July 15, 1990, page 18; Jeremiah 25:33.

The “abundance of grain on the earth” promised by Jehovah is only possible if “those slain by Jehovah … will become like manure on the surface of the ground.” (Psalm 72:16; Jeremiah 25:33) But unfortunately, the “truth is not presented in a complex, difficult-to-comprehend manner in the Bible.” (The Watchtower, October 15, 1996, page 5) If too many people would get to know the truth, Jehovah would be unable to destroy them. Not only would there be a lack of manure, but also his name would not be sanctified, which “would cause Satan to rejoice.” (Keep Yourself in God’s Love, page 129) Isaiah knew that, therefor he asked Jehovah to act in the same manner as he did with the Egyptian Pharaoh: “Make the heart of this people unreceptive, make their ears unresponsive, and paste their eyes together, so that they may not see with their eyes and hear with their ears, so that their heart may not understand and they may not turn back.” (Exodus 7:3; Isaiah 6:10) This strategy worked out; today “most people reject the good news,” and Jehovah “will crush them to clear the way for a much-needed change.” (The Watchtower, August 15, 2005, page 21; Awake!, October 8, 1969, page 11) “O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are!” – Romans 11:33.