The new calendar year is customarily a time when we look back not only at the past year, but we also look forward to the new year ahead. In keeping with tradition, every year the January 1st Watchtower publishes an annual statistical report of the past service year ending in September. The service report is usually incorporated into a Watchtower study article that is discussed during the congregational Watchtower study. So, first, let us take a brief look at the past year's service report. The average number of active Jehovah's Witnesses world-wide in the 2003 service year increased by approximately 150,000, or roughly 2%. There are now 6,184,046 publishers compared with 6,048,600 from the year before. In the last paragraph of the 2nd study article, the statement is made that "the work is not slowing down." However, that statement appears to be somewhat misleading. While there is an overall average increase globally of 2%, in many lands with the highest concentration of Jehovah's Witnesses the growth has not only slowed down from previous years, it has positively stagnated and in some cases has virtually stopped altogether. That is not to say that Jehovah's Witnesses have stopped preaching, just that the numbers are not increasing. The trend that is emerging in the industrialized nations, and other countries where Jehovah's Witnesses have been established the longest, is that the growth has leveled off and a slow decline appears to have begun. Brazil is the one exception—enjoying a 4% increase. But, Austria, Britain, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Hungary, Japan, all had zero percent increase for 2003. France, Mexico, Italy, South Korea, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden managed a meager 1% increase over the prior year. Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States experienced a modest 2% increase. One thing to consider is that if it were not for the fact that the majority of those being baptized are the children of Jehovah's Witnesses, there would likely be a statistical decline in the numbers of active Witnesses in many countries. Take the United States, for example, where there are nearly 12,000 congregations. Last year there were a little over 30,000 individuals baptized. That is less than three per congregation for the entire year. That number could easily be made up of the minor children of Jehovah's Witnesses. That means that without the organic growth coming from our own children being baptized, and also from so-called "un-baptized publishers" and newly counted "fifteen-minute publishers," those countries with zero growth would no doubt be experiencing a negative growth rate of one or two percent. What does this mean for the future? The Watchtower has always attributed the solid growth in the numbers of Jehovah's Witnesses to Jehovah's blessing upon our disciple-making work. But, conversely, the question we now have to consider is whether stagnant growth is evidence that Jehovah is now beginning to withhold his blessing. Jehovah's blessing is not something we can take for granted. After all, God is not some mascot or genie whom we can order around. Neither is Jehovah mute on the question of whether he might actually do such a thing as withhold a blessing from us. Actually, through the prophet Malachi, Jehovah foretold that he would withhold a harvest blessing from his people. In view of the lack-luster results of our preaching, humility behooves us to reconsider this prophecy. To establish the setting of the prophecy, consider Malachi 2:5-7, which reads: "As for my covenant, it proved to be with him, one of life and of peace, and I kept giving them to him, with fear. And he continued fearing me; yes, because of my name he himself was struck with terror. The very law of truth proved to be in his mouth, and there was no unrighteousness to be found on his lips. In peace and in uprightness he walked with me, and many were those whom he turned back from error. For the lips of a priest are the ones that should keep knowledge, and the law is what people should seek from his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of armies." Without question, Jesus is the God-fearing priest and messenger of the covenant whom Jehovah is referring to. Even though the prophecy was written several hundred years before Christ, yet God speaks of his covenant bearer and faithful priest in the past tense. That means that Jehovah is referring back to the ministry of Christ from some point in the future; no doubt during a time of judgment. Have these words of God become relevant yet? Possibly, let us reason further. The preceding span of verses denounces the Levite priests for failing to give glory to the name of Jehovah. But, God's prophetic rebuke does not really apply in full measure to the literal Levite priests. That should be obvious since Jehovah is rebuking his priests for not following the covenant of the faithful priest—Christ. Let it be noted that Jesus was not a Levitical priest. Paul went to some length in his letter to the Hebrews to explain how Christ is a priest "according to the manner of Melchizedek" and not according to the manner of Levite priests who merely inherited their position by birth. Neither should we suppose that the negligent priests somehow picture the clergy of Christendom, since at Malachi 2:1 Jehovah addresses them and says: "And now this commandment is to you, O priests. If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name," Jehovah of armies has said, "I shall also certainly send upon you the curse, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have even cursed the blessing, because you are not laying it to heart." The priests in the prophecy are Jehovah's priests. Those who bear his name are really the only ones in a position to give glory to the name of Jehovah or to profane it. That's why he extends the opportunity to them to lay his reproof to heart and to make amends. The priests whom Jehovah is speaking to in the prophecy can only be those whom Peter said make up a royal priesthood—anointed Christians. Since the 3rd and 4th chapters of Malachi relate to the time of Christ's arrival and the judgment upon the house of God, it is evident that the negligent priests are in reality the faithful slave, who as Christ explained in the 12th chapter of Luke, will be beaten with a few strokes when the master of the house suddenly arrives like a thief in the night for judgment. At Malachi 2:10-11 the prophet explains specifically what Jehovah's issues are with the under-priests of the messenger of the covenant. "Is it not one father that all of us have? Is it not one God that has created us? Why is it that we deal treacherously with one another, in profaning the covenant of our forefathers? Judah has dealt treacherously, and a detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of Jehovah, which He has loved, and he has taken possession of the daughter of a foreign god as a bride." Unquestionably, the Watchtower's leadership has "dealt treacherously" with the trusting brotherhood of Jehovah's Witnesses by cozying up to the UN; by becoming an NGO and using Jehovah's Witnesses to disseminate subtle pro-UN propaganda and by lying about its relationship. The contractual obligations of an NGO might be likened to a marriage of sorts—"the daughter of a foreign god" indeed. The Watchtower has also profaned the name of Jehovah by spiritually prostituting itself through lawyering with some of the foremost institutions of Satan's system of things. In view of the above, what does Malachi 2:3 portend for Jehovah's Witnesses? The verse in question reads: "Look! I am rebuking on your account the sown seed, and I will scatter dung upon your faces, the dung of your festivals; and someone will actually carry you away to it." In view of the anemic growth of the organization, we might wonder whether Jehovah has not already cursed our blessing and rebuked the seed we are sowing in the field ministry by withdrawing his favor from our work. Whatever little bit we seem to be accomplishing may very well be in our own strength and not necessarily indicative of God's blessing as we suppose. Who is to say that we could not be enjoying much greater success? At any rate, we will see what sort of harvest the 2004 service year will bring. Copyright © 2004, by Robert King
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