“Every man is a liar.”

(Romans 3:4, KJV)

This short statement in the Bible is of great significance. “The Bible itself tells us that its contents of sixty-six smaller books were written by men.” (Holy Spirit – The Force Behind the Coming New Order!, page 57) “Jesus was a man” too (“Come Be My Follower”, page 152) And we must not forget that “even … the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ [is] made up of imperfect fleshly men.” – The Watchtower, August 15, 1981, page 28.

But were the Bible writers not inspired by God? The apostle Peter wrote that “men spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:21) The “faithful and discreet slave has also been called God’s channel of communication,” at least by himself. (The Watchtower, September 1, 1991, page 19) However, although God “cannot lie,” it is still possible that his delegates do so. In the days of King Ahab “Jehovah allowed a spirit creature to become ‘a deceptive spirit’ in the mouth of Ahab’s prophets. That is to say, this spirit creature exercised his power upon them so that they spoke, not truth.” (Insight on the Scriptures, volume II, page 245) God made his prophets lie, and he might have influenced the Bible writers or the “faithful and discreet slave” the same way.

The Bible writers, Jesus Christ, the “faithful and discreet slave” – they all are men, and “all men are liars,” whether they are lying on behalf of God or on their own accord. (Psalm 116:11, NASB; 1 Kings 22:23) So it is completely out of the question “that it is folly to trust in imperfect humans,” because “trusting in man leads to disaster.” (The Watchtower, March 15, 1988, page 10; May 15, 1979, page 3) Furthermore, we cannot be saved anyway, since “all people are liars,” and “all the liars … will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.” – Psalm 116:11, ISV; Revelation 21:8.

“A private place should be designated for use outside the camp.”

(Deuteronomy 23:12)

God provided clear instructions for Israel’s trek through the wilderness. He also regulated how the call of nature should be answered. There should be a privy “outside the camp,” and he commanded: “There is where you should go. A peg should be part of your equipment. When you squat outside, you should dig a hole with it and then cover your excrement.” (Deuteronomy 23:12, 13) What did this mean in practice? To get an idea of it, we have to realize how big Israel’s camp was. “The number coming up out of Egypt, namely, 600,000 able-bodied men besides women and children, would mean that there could have been more than three million persons.” – Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, page 778.

“More than three million persons” need a lot of space. Los Angeles has 3.9 million inhabitants and occupies 503 square miles. Imagine that for all inhabitants of Los Angeles (or Chicago, or Berlin,) there would only be a single privy outside the city! Even with our modern transportation means, a trip across such a city can take an hour. But in Israel’s camp there was no subway; every inhabitant had to walk to the privy outside the camp by foot.

Of course, back then there were no multistory buildings, only tents. If we assume that every person needed 100 square feet, the camp would have had a diameter around 4 miles. A person could walk that distance in an hour; of course only if there would not be tens of thousands of others on the way. But we must not forget that there were not only 3 million people in the camp, but also “flocks and herds, a great number of livestock.” (Exodus 12:38) The animals must have been near their owners. We don’t know how large the “flocks and herds” were, but some people owned thousands of animals. (Job 1:3) And we also don’t know what happened to the animals’ excrements – maybe they were left in the camp, or the owners gathered them and brought them to the privy.

Due to the many animals, the camp might have had a diameter of 12, or maybe even 30 miles. Depending on one’s home location, the way to the privy and back could have taken a day or more. And imagine how pleasant it was to live at the edge of the camp, right next to the privy! Granted, there were the noises and smells, but the way to the privy was short. All in all, we can conclude that Israel’s camp was perfectly organized.

“Wail, for the day of Jehovah is near!”

(Isaiah 13:6)

How do we know that “the day of Jehovah” is now nearer than in Isaiah’s or Joel’s day? The January 15, 2000 Watchtower mentioned “six lines of evidence proving that we are living in the last days of this ungodly world.” One of these reads: “The number of genuine anointed disciples of Christ is dwindling … Most of the remnant are quite elderly, and over the years the number of those who are truly anointed has been getting smaller.” – pages 12-14.

“For many years now, the number of the remnant of anointed Witnesses has been decreasing.” (1993 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 253) No wonder, for “from the end of the 19th century and on into the 20th, Jehovah has been completing the gathering of this group … to make up the full number of 144,000.” (The Watchtower, January 1, 1997, page 10) This shows “the significance of the diminishing number of anointed ones on earth” – it indicates “that the end is close at hand.” – The Watchtower, August 15, 1997, page 15.

“In view of their diminishing numbers, the anointed cannot be present in all congregations.” (The Watchtower, April 1, 2007, page 25) While there had still been 8,685 anointed ones in 1988, only 13,204 of them were left in 2013. “Admittedly, the number of anointed Christians left on earth is declining” because “the gathering in of all his anointed remnant was completed about 1935.” (The Watchtower, October 15, 1995, page 26; July 15, 1969, page 433)  But still some of them are alive. No wonder that many Jehovah’s Witnesses “wail,” and that “their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth” can be heard everywhere! – Matthew 8:12.

“On the mountains he has not eaten.”

(Ezekiel 18:15, NWT 1984)

Ezekiel divided his contemporaries into two groups. On the one hand he mentioned someone who “he has eaten … upon the mountains” and said with regard to him: “A detestable thing is what he has done … He positively will not keep living … He will positively be put to death.” (Ezekiel 18:11-13, NWT 1984) On the other hand he spoke of a man who “happens to be righteous and … has executed justice and righteousness; on the mountains he did not eat.” (Ezekiel 18:5, 6, NWT 1984) He said about this righteous man: “On the mountains he has not eaten … my judicial decisions he has carried out; in my statutes he has walked … He will positively keep living.” – Ezekiel 18:15-17, NWT 1984.

So whoever ‘eats upon the mountains’ will be eliminated by Jehovah. To whom does this apply today? “Jehovah’s Witnesses are … streaming to ‘the mountain of Jehovah’s house’ in ever-increasing numbers” and taking “rich spiritual feasts” there. (The Watchtower, July 15, 2002, page 25; January 15, 1985, page 28) Thus as a group they “will positively be put to death,” that is, cease to exist.

“Out of the heart’s abundance his mouth speaks.”

(Luke 6:45)

As Christians we must ‘guard what we feed our mind.’ (Awake!, June 22, 1984, page 5) When we need to decide whether a topic is worth pondering or not, we should follow Jesus Christ’s example. How did he feed his mind? We can learn this from his statements, for “what we usually talk about is a good indication of what our heart is set on.” – The Watchtower, October 15, 2001, page 23.

What did Jesus “usually talk about?” One of his favorite topics was wine; he talked about wineskins, vine dressers, vineyards, and a winepress. (Matthew 9:17; 20:1; 21:28, 33; 26:29; Luke 10:34; 13:6) “Jesus often drank wine” and told his disciples: “I am the true vine … I am the vine.” – The Watchtower, December 15, 1996, page 25; John 1:1, 5.

Are alcoholic beverages taking the first place in your life, too? If not, “it may be time to think seriously about the use of alcohol in your home.” (Awake!, February 8, 1975, page 18) As Christians we must “imitate the perfect example of Jesus Christ” and develop “a godly view of alcoholic beverages.” – The Watchtower, July 1, 1977, page 407; December 15, 1996, page 25.

Jesus did not only talk about wine though. Harlots, fornication, and virgins also played a major role in his stories. (Matthew 5:32; 19:9; 21:31, 32; 25:1; Luke 15:30) We should imitate him in this regard too. We must avoid being distracted by unimportant issues. A young Christian remembered: “I couldn’t concentrate on sex as long as I was concentrating on something else.” (Awake!, July 22, 1993, page 22) Whether we go for wine, virgins, or harlots – all Christians should heed the counsel: “Always look to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, and do your best to imitate him.” – The Watchtower, June 15, 1976, page 380.

“Look! Here is water; what prevents me from getting baptized?”

(Acts 8:36)

After only few minutes of Bible study, an Ethiopian man asked Philip whether he could get baptized. Philip acted presumptuously and readily “baptized him,” completely ignoring theocratic procedure. (Acts 8:38) He rather should have waited until the Ethiopian would have breathed the wish to accompany him in the field ministry. Then he should have informed the coordinator of the body of elders, so that he could have ‘arranged a meeting of two elders (one being a member of the Congregation Service Committee)’ and the Ethiopian. The Elders would have tried to find out whether the Ethiopian ‘believed that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and if he knew and believed the basic teachings of the Scriptures so that when asked questions, he would not have answered according to his own ideas.’

They would have verified that he was “heeding the Bible’s command to associate with Jehovah’s people at congregation meetings,” that he ‘knew what the Bible teaches about fornication, adultery, polygamy, and homosexuality, and if he was living in harmony with such teachings.’ They would have asked him whether he knew “the Bible’s prohibition of drunkenness,” and they would have checked if he was “free from all nonmedical use of additive of mind-altering natural or synthetic substances.” They would have made sure that he saw “the value of avoiding unwholesome association.” Furthermore they would have investigated whether ‘he had definitely broken off membership in all false religious organizations with which he might have been affiliated, and if he had ceased attending their meetings and supporting or sharing in their activities,’ and also if he was “free from all involvement in the political affairs of the world.”

Finally they would have “encouraged [him] to begin sharing in the field ministry as soon as possible and to turn in a field service report at the end of the month,” and informed him that “a Congregation’s Publisher Record card is made out in his name and included in the congregation file.” (Organized to do Jehovah’s Will, pages 79-81) After he would have regularly turned in a field service report during a number of months, he could have apprised the coordinator of the body of elders of his decision to get baptized. The coordinator of the body of elders would have assigned three different elders to discuss 35 questions about “elementary bible teachings,” 32 questions about “Jehovah’s righteous requirements,” and 37 questions regarding “Jehovah’s arrangement of things” with him.

If the Ethiopian would have confidently and correctly answered all 104 questions, the elders would likely have allowed him to get baptized. He would have been baptized at the next convention. One year later, the secretary would have ‘notified the coordinator of the body of elders that the publisher has been baptized one year,’ and the coordinator would have ‘arranged for two elders, one of them being the Ethiopian’s group overseer, to meet with the baptized publisher … to provide encouragement and helpful suggestions.’ – Shepherd the Flock of God, pages 17, 19.

Therefor let us never be as careless as Philip, but let us “willingly submit ourselves to the direction given by the Governing Body and cooperate with the appointed elders in the congregations.” (The Watchtower, January 15, 2010, page 32) Only then “all things … [can] take place decently and by arrangement.” – 1 Corinthians 14:40.

“So these men … were thrown into the burning fiery furnace.”

(Daniel 3:21)

The pagan king Nebuchadnezzar threw three men “into the burning fiery furnace” because they refused to worship his gods. (Daniel 3:14, 21) This is not the only Bible account that puts furnaces in a negative context. The prophet Hosea condemned the apostate Israelites: “All of them are adulterers, like a furnace.” (Hosea 7:4, NWT 1984) So furnaces were as bad as adulterers – and back then, adultery was one of the worst crimes imaginable. Adulterers had to “be put to death without fail.” – Leviticus 20:10.

The Bible further mentions a “metalsmith” making idols “over the coals,” that is, by the help of a furnace. (Isaiah 44:12) On another occasion, apostate king Jehoiakim “was sitting … with a fire burning in the brazier before him,” and he used this kind of oven to burn the scroll of the prophet Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 36:22, 23) “The slaves and the officers” of the High Priest also “were standing around a charcoal fire they had made” during Jesus’ conviction. (John 18:18) Is it not interesting that the Bible mentions fires and furnaces so often in regard to Gods enemies? This shows without doubt that God does not approve the use of furnaces and heatings. This is probably also the reason why “faithful Abraham … went out from the Chaldean city of Ur,” since Ur was the birthplace of central heating. – Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, page 974; Bringing God’s Word to the Nations.

Does this mean that Christians should not heat at all? Yes, since God himself declared that “the earth will never cease to have … cold and heat.” (Genesis 8:22) The winter cold is an order from God, that is why the apostle Paul served him “in cold and lacking clothing.” (2 Corinthians 11:27) Therefor let us imitate the faithful worshippers of old by living with “no covering for the cold.” (Job 24:7) If we live in a house with heating, we should follow Abraham’s example and move out immediately. Only then we might have a chance to survive “the day … that is burning like the furnace.” – Malachi 4:1, NWT 1984.

“Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”

(Matthew 6:32)

Jesus told his disciples: “God your Father knows what things you are needing.” (Matthew 6:8, NWT 1984) Does this mean that Christians do not have to worry about anything because God cares for them? No, this is not the case. The key to understanding Jesus’ words can be found in another statement that he made a white later: “Two sparrows sell for a coin of small value, do they not? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” – Matthew 10:29.

So God also “knows” when birds “fall [dead] to the ground, and still “as many as 988 million birds die annually in window collisions” alone. (The Washington Post) Millions more are killed by cats and other predators, or dying from starvation or disease.

What can we learn from this? Granted, God knows when birds “fall to the ground” – but they do “fall to the ground.” God knows that they perish, but he does nothing about it. In the same way he cares for Christians: God ‘knows what things they are needing,’ but he does not give these to them.

“Pay no attention to this worthless man Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name is Nabal, and stupidity is all he knows.”

(1 Samuel 25:25, HCSB)

In the article “Wives – Deeply Respect Your Husbands,” the Watchtower asked its readers: “What can wives learn from the example of such Bible characters as Abigail?” (February 15, 2007, page 21) The answer is apparent, for today’s text is a fine example of “Abigail’s humility, deep respect, and clear thinking.” (The Watchtower, November 1, page 11) Christian women of today should imitate “her being respectful and mild.” – The Watchtower, August 15, 1976, page 484.