How We Will Be Judged

The Watchtower of December 15, 2010, page 20, paragraph 19, under the article "Reap Blessings Through God's Spirit-Guided King!" states:

"Among those "gifts in men" are the members of the Governing Body, who act in a representative way for the entire Christian congregation. In fact, our attitude toward Christ's spiritual brothers is a major factor that will determine how we will be judged during the coming great tribulation. Thus, one aspect of the way we gain a blessing is by giving our loyal support to God's anointed ones."


It appears in their magazine this way:

The Watchtower Society cherry picks select verses from Acts chapter 15 to support a so-called 'Governing Body' in the first century. The fact is this passage was over the one matter of circumcision in which Paul and Barnabus decided it would be best to go to the place where the conflict originated and discussed with a council there. However, it was for that one matter and one matter only. Paul, Barnabus, and other faithful followers of Jesus Christ such as Timothy, did things on their own with no further discussions with anyone from Jerusalem or any so-called Governing Body.

Assuming the role for the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses of being brothers of Christ, the Watchtower Society then rips a few verses from Matthew chapter 25, where Jesus basically states if you don't support my brothers you don't support me.  According to the verses in that chapter, those who don't support Jesus' brothers receive everlasting punishment [The Watchtower Society interrupts this to mean not a literal everlasting punishment but eternal death remembered everlastingly], and the righteous receive eternal life.

In either case, both scriptural citations are a weak attempt in trying to provide some twisted biblical backing to the message of: 'Be loyal and have a positive attitude towards us, or else you will be judged unfavorably to eternal death!'.

The messages to Jehovah's Witnesses that is being indoctrinated into their hearts and minds are:

Loyal, Supportive, Faithful to Governing Body = Everlasting 'Perfect' Life.

Disloyal, Unsupportive, Unfaithful to Governing Body = Eternal Death.

The above is impounded and brow-beat into the members of the organization, over and over, time and time again.

As is the case with many cult and cult-like organizations, obedience and loyalty to the leader comes first.  The difference with Jehovah's Witnesses demonstrates obedience not to one, but several men who call themselves the ‘Governing Body’.  They hold the power and key with instilling fear and allegiance into the members. Loyalty to the organization and its leaders is inculcated above all else in the members' lives, inclusive of family and friends. Jehovah’s Witnesses need to wake up.

Enoch’s "Death"

Watchtower Society doctrine stipulates that only a literal 144,000 individuals go to heaven when they physically die. Their version of the Bible, The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is used in conjunction with systematic cherry picking of verses and convenient interpretation of passage to stipulate that the remaining members who are worthy of everlasting life will be resurrected and bound to the Earth only.

Members who do not make up the 144,000 include faithful servants of God prior to Jesus Christ. All of those individuals will make up in part, those who will live forever upon the Earth according to the Watchtower Society doctrine. However, once again the Watchtower Society's own literature works against them as Enoch is one such individual who would fall into this category. Interestingly, the Watchtower, July 15, 2009 issue – which was studied in Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Halls on Sunday, September 27, 2009 -- Paragraph 5, page 20, makes the following statements:

“This enmity quickly became evident when Abel, a righteous man, was killed by his brother. Later, enmity was directed against Enoch, another faithful man who lived before the Flood. He prophesied that God would come with HIS holy myriads to execute judgment against the ungodly. (Jude 14, 15) This message was certainly not a popular one. People hated Enoch and evidently would have murdered him had Jehovah not cut his life short. What boldness Enoch displayed! - Gen 5:21-24.”


According to the Watchtower Society, Jehovah cut his life short – killed him – to avoid being murdered. This on the surface may appear to be wonderful to a Jehovah’s Witness as God took Enoch away from persecution and he will receive Everlasting Life on a Paradise Earth, according to their beliefs as established by the Watchtower Society.

The reality is that reasoning doesn’t make sense. It would be the same as saying, “People hated Enoch and evidently would have cut his life short had Jehovah not murdered him.” Or, it could also be worded as: “People hated Enoch and evidently would have murdered him had Jehovah not murdered him”.

Looking at the New World Translation, what the Bible verse actually states at Genesis 5:24, is the following:

"And E´noch kept walking with the [true] God. Then he was no more, for God took him."


All the Bible verse stipulates is that “God took him”. The Watchtower Society conjecturing as to why God performed such action is to take focus away from the real issue that statement poses. The verse does not indicate why or in what manner, but just that God took him. Other Bible translation such as the New International Version renders that verse as “God took [Enoch] away”. Nevertheless, let’s stick with the “God took him” statement.

Remember, Watchtower Society doctrine has Enoch living forever on the Earth and not in heaven. In Enoch's case, this means dying a physical death and being resurrected. This leaves quite a mess for the doctrine taught to Jehovah’s Witnesses in light of this Bible verse; especially, once you couple it with another Bible verse concerning Enoch. The Bible once again speaks of Enoch if you were to take a look in Hebrews 11: 5. There the Bible reads as follows as per the New World Translation:

"By faith E´noch was transferred so as not to see death, and he was nowhere to be found because God had transferred him; for before his transference he had the witness that he had pleased God well."


The Bible indicates Enoch did not see death, and he was nowhere to be found because God had transferred him. This phenomenon can easily be explained by most Christians as Enoch being swept up to heaven by God. Unfortunate for a Jehovah’s Witness, such an explanation is not possible as it goes against what their religion teaches as the truth.

The truth is the Bible provides a much more reasonable and sound basis for such statements to be made not to lean towards a physical death provided to Enoch by God so he may be resurrected to an everlasting life on Earth; rather, an eternal heavenly reward for his faithful service to God. The Bible plainly states Enoch did not see death. There is no resurrection from death to a so-called Paradise Earth in the future per Watchtower Society teachings; instead, he was transferred to the heavens without ever experiencing death.

Conclusively, this provides further proof and evidence of the Watchtower Society not interested in the real truth of the Bible. They’re only interested in having the members believe and support what they teach as ‘The Truth’.

Memorial

As we approach closer to the date Thursday, April 9, 2009, Jehovah's Witnesses will anxiously be awaiting the day and more specifically after sundown in which they will observe the Watchtower Society's version of commemorating the death of Jesus Christ, also referred to as the Lord's Evening Meal. Jehovah's Witnesses perform this event annually on the day which corresponds to Nisan 14 on the Jewish calendar.

However, unlike traditional Christianity which when adhering to the admonition of Jesus and partake during their observance according to the following scripture...

John 6:53-54: "Accordingly Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, Unless YOU eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, YOU have no life in yourselves. He that feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I shall resurrect him at the last day"


...Jehovah's Witnesses are taught by the Watchtower Society that only those claiming to be a part of the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation should partake. Everyone else passes the wine and bread which symbolize Jesus' flesh and blood without partaking.

What is the reason for this teaching?

For the reason that Jesus established a new covenant, one in which those that were a part of it would have everlasting life in the heavens with him. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that only a limited number of 144,000 individuals will go to heaven, and everyone else will either be destroyed at Armageddon or remain on the earth under “paradise” conditions.

Those who survive Armageddon on the earth make up the Watchtower Society's understanding of what entails the "great crowd" mentioned in the Bible [In select verses]. Furthermore, those who are not of the remaining 144,000 do not have Jesus as their mediator. Only the remaining Jehovah's Witness members who claim to be a part of the 144,000 have that relationship according to the Watchtower Society.

"Jesus Christ, is not the Mediator between Jehovah God and all mankind. He is the Mediator between his heavenly Father, Jehovah God, and the nation of spiritual Isreal, which is limited to only 144,000 members." - Worldwide Security Under the Prince of Peace, page 10.


The Watchtower Society's teaching of a literal 144,000 is from their understanding of the seventh chapter of Revelation.

Revelation 7:1: "And I heard the number of those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel"


Interestingly, the entire rest of the surrounding verses and details are symbolic, but somehow the 144,000 is a literal number according to the Watchtower Society. They also use as support of their doctrine, Revelation chapter 14.

Revelation 14:1, 4-5: "And I saw, and, look! the Lamb standing upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. ...These are the ones that did not defile themselves with women; in fact, they are virgins. These are the ones that keep following the Lamb no matter where he goes. These were bought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, 5 and no falsehood was found in their mouths; they are without blemish."


Again, the 144,000 is literal, but other details such as "...did not defile themselves with women...”, "...have the name of Lamb and Father on their foreheads...", "...are virgins...", "...have no falsehood on their mouths...", "...are without blemish..." are all symbolic or figurative.

Furthermore, the phrase "great crowd" appears in Revelation and they are clearly located in the heavens:

Revelation 19:1: "After these things I heard what was as a loud voice of a great crowd in heaven. They said: “Praise Jah, YOU people! The salvation and the glory and the power belong to our God"


A Jehovah's Witness may have been taught an explanation of something along the lines of that great crowd is different than the great crowd of Armageddon survivors. According to the Watchtower Society teachings, apparently the great crowd mentioned here...

Revelation 7:9: "After these things I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands."


...refers to people living on the earth.

BUT the great crowd mentioned here...

Revelation 19:1: "After these things I heard what was as a loud voice of a great crowd in heaven. They said: “Praise Jah, YOU people! The salvation and the glory and the power belong to our God"


...refers to angels.

Both scriptures use the terminology “great crowd”; both verses are from the same Bible book and the same writer. In both instances “great crowd” is preceded by the phrase "After these things", but somehow, the same designation "great crowd" indicates two complete different groups. How does the Watchtower Society know their understanding is correct? Because the Watchtower Society says so and they have a way of rationalizing and claiming their current teachings are the absolute truth in harmony with their interpretation of scripture.

An example of such is when vaccinations were not allowed. A short time ago, blood fractions were not allowed, and blood transfusions are still not permitted. Let's not forget the stance that organ transplants were viewed as cannibalistic for years by the Watchtower Society as well.

The Watchtower Society is guilty of costing the physical lives of many by their teachings. Not to forget the effects of the mental and emotional conditioning. Should a Christian take the Watchtower Society's view of partaking or not partaking of the bread and wine, knowing very well what the scriptures state regarding everlasting life?

At one time the Watchtower Society taught all Christians were going to heaven, then the Watchtower Society's second president J.F. Rutherford in 1935, started teaching a concept of a great crowd living forever on earth. Will this be another teaching the Watchtower Society flip-flops on?

Similar to the teaching concerning the resurrection of the men of Sodom, the understanding of the "superior authorities", and the "generation", teachings of the Watchtower Society which either went back and forth over and over again in what was believed to be "truth", or became several things over many years, only to end right back to an original old “light" teaching again. Yet, regardless of the teaching at the time, it was still always "the truth".

Maybe someday the Watchtower Society will teach Jehovah's Witnesses "the truth" as they once did, that according to the scriptures, for all Christians their everlasting life is in the heavens.

Remember what the Bible teaches that Jesus stated...

John 6:53-54: "Accordingly Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, Unless YOU eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, YOU have no life in yourselves. He that feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I shall resurrect him at the last day"


Meanwhile, Jehovah's Witnesses may continue to roll the dice on the Watchtower Society teaching being "the truth" and not simply opinion. "The truth" of the Watchtower Society has changed so many times on a variety of doctrinal teachings. Furthermore, some Christians may believe Jehovah's Witnesses not partaking definitively means the passing up of everlasting life. Whatever your beliefs are it certainly does not have to be "the truth" of the Watchtower Society.