Furthermore, I do not personally judge Jehovah's Witnesses as you allege. e-Watchman merely calls attention to Bible prophecies that contain Jehovah's pre-recorded judicial decisions regarding his people. Your comments are fairly typical, though, of the vast majority of friends who, ironically, boast about the supposed humility of Jehovah's Witnesses. But, according to our heavenly Judge's own stated legal opinion, he does not share your assessment that "the Society is the most humble, Bible-following, sincere worshipper on the face of the earth." In fact, the Scriptures reveal that Jehovah is offended by our prideful spirit and that he is determined to chasten and humble the leaders of his people. For example, Isaiah 28:14 says: "Therefore hear the word of Jehovah you braggarts, you rulers of this people..." Contrary to the way we have been taught, that Jehovah is rebuking the braggarts of Christendom, the context of that prophecy indicates that Jehovah's rebuke is directed to his own. There are several essays on e-Watchman that discuss that.

The Watchtower has often exhorted Jehovah's Witnesses to be humble and to be quick to admit our mistakes. But, has the organization that teaches such things practiced what it preaches? Sadly, the answer is an emphatic—No!

No matter how closely we may listen during congregational meetings and conventions, we will never hear the Watchtower humbly admit that it has ever misled Jehovah's Witnesses. As a tragic consequence of the Watchtower Society's lack of honesty and humility, over the years many tens of thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses have been stumbled. The latest child abuse outrage that has wracked the organization, along with the NGO scandal, has highlighted the Watchtower's absolute refusal to accept responsibility for its own transgressions. That is not a characteristic of humility. In fact, the Watchtower has set a horrible example for Jehovah's Witnesses in this regard. No wonder that so many elders, pioneers, and others in the congregations display such unbecoming self-righteousness!

Worst of all, the Watchtower has trickily twisted the prophecies to mislead Jehovah's Witnesses to believe that Jehovah could not be more pleased with us. That, of course, is a lie! Judging from your all-too-familiar knee-jerk reaction to the facts presented on e-Watchman, the idea that the organization will eventually be held accountable before God is unthinkable to most of Jehovah's Witnesses. But, if Jehovah's Witnesses are really God's people, as you and I believe, then his judgment is unavoidable and is the only way that Jehovah can establish himself as our God and humble his people.

Contrary to the Watchtower's present teaching that we are now fulfilling the prophecy in the 3rd chapter of Zephaniah, about speaking a pure language of truth, the context shows that God does not bring about the needed change until the tribulation commences. It plainly says that we should stay in expectation "till the day of my rising up to the booty," and that "then" is when the change to a pure language is to take place. The prophecy goes on to foretell that God will ultimately forgive his people their many transgressions and purge his congregation of the arrogant ones in our midst. Verse 11b foretells:  "For then I shall remove from the midst of you your haughtily exultant ones; and you will never again be haughty in my holy mountain."

Reasoning on the above verse: If the "haughtily exultant ones" are prominent men in the midst of God's people, so that their removal permanently cleanses the realm of God's kingdom of their corrupting influence, it should be obvious that not only is that judgment in our immediate future, but that it will effect a top-down purge of those who may presently be esteemed as pillars. The judgment that awaits us can only be described as a looming disaster; but, it is the only thing that can set things straight in the organization and truly instill in us the fear of Jehovah, and true humility, that God requires of those to whom he is going to give the new world of his promise.

The next verses in Zephaniah make that even more evident. They read: "And I shall let remain in the midst of you a people humble and lowly, and they will actually take refuge in the name of Jehovah. As regards the remaining ones of Israel, they will do no unrighteousness nor speak a lie, nor will there be found in their mouths a tricky tongue..."

The 12 apostles that were with Jesus in the upper room on the Passover were merely representative of all of the 144,000, just as the 12 sons of Jacob were representative of the 12 tribes of Israel when Jacob blessed them upon his deathbed. Jesus picked and personally trained the 12 because they were to be the foundation stones of the symbolic 12 tribes of spiritual Israel that was to follow. That's the way they are symbolized at Revelation 21:14, where it depicts the 12 apostles serving as foundational stones upon which the city of God is built.

Of note too, on some occasions Jesus just used Peter, James, and John to represent the 12. For example, only those three apostles were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, yet the prophetic significance of that occasion impacts all of those with the heavenly hope. So, it is not unusual that Jesus would share his evening meal with the 12, seeing that they would represent the entire body of Christ as it developed over the centuries. Primarily, though, the reason that Jesus did not share the first Evening meal with all of his disciples is because the anointing had not taken place at that time. However, later, as new disciples were added, they were instructed to keep the memorial. As an example: Paul, who was not at the table with the 12, nevertheless said that he personally received the commandment from Christ to "keep doing this in remembrance of me."

The passing of the bread and wine on that first occasion was wholly symbolic, just as it is now, of Christ's blood and flesh that would be sacrificed. In fact, that's what Jesus said-- that, the "cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in your behalf." Merely drinking wine from a shared cup does not validate anything. As Jesus explained, his blood was to be poured out, but obviously at the time Jesus said that, his blood had not been poured out yet.

As for Judas' presence at the table, his drinking from the cup did not mean that he was actually brought into a covenant with Jehovah through Christ—not that it matters—seeing that since Pentecost many anointed ones have subsequently apostatized from their calling. As you know, though, after Jesus ascended back to heaven to present the value of his sacrifice to Jehovah, the very first order of business for the 11 faithful apostles was to find a replacement for Judas. Thus, in the 1st chapter of Acts, Jehovah indicated his choice of Matthias to replace Judas. That was immediately before the holy spirit was poured out on Pentecost. Then, when the spirit was finally poured out upon the 120, as well as the 12 apostles in the upper room, it was at that point when Jesus actually inaugurated the new covenant that had been made possible by his death 50 days earlier.

As far as the other disciples being in the kingdom covenant, take Paul, again, for example: Even though he was an apostle to the nations, he was not an original apostle and he was definitely not on hand when Jesus made a covenant for a kingdom with the 12 apostles. Yet, Paul had the hope of sharing with Christ in his kingdom. That is evident by what Paul wrote to Timothy, at 2 Timothy 2:12, which reads: "If we go on enduring, we shall also rule together as kings."

At Revelation 3:20-21, Jesus referred to his sharing the evening meal with all of his disciples in the symbolic seven congregations of anointed ones, and he said: "Look! I am standing at the doors and knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and take the evening meal with him and he with me. To the one that conquers I will grant to sit down with me on my throne, even as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne."

Jesus shares the evening meal with all of his anointed brothers and not just the 12 apostles and Jesus' thus sharing that meal with them is the basis for him to share his kingdom with them as well.

Taking the Mosaic covenant as a pattern, God covenanted with the entire nation of Israel; but later on, God made a separate covenant for a kingdom with David. Jehovah's covenant with David evidently required no mediator because it was merely secondary to previous messianic covenants that God had made with Abraham and the nation of Israel. However, Jehovah's covenant with David was the basis for Jesus' kingdom. Remember, too, that Jesus is not personally in the new covenant. He is the mediator of it between Jehovah and the 144,000. That is why Jesus presented it to the apostles as two separate agreements. The new covenant that Jesus mediates is between Jehovah and the 12 tribes of spiritual Israel. That allows them to be adopted as spirit sons of God. But, because Jehovah made a covenant with Christ for a kingdom, for that reason Jesus made his own secondary covenant with his anointed disciples to share his kingdom with them. That's why Jesus told his apostles: "I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom..."

In the case of Jehovah making a covenant with David and his descendents for a kingdom, such would not have been possible had David not already been under the Law covenant to start with. So, too, Jesus' covenant for a kingdom with his disciples is not possible on its own merit. Those whom Christ shares his kingdom with can only be those who are already in the new covenant as joint heirs with Christ and sharers in divine nature. (2 Peter 1:4)

As for all of Israel eating the Passover and not just the priestly class, keep in mind that on the original Passover when the Hebrews soaked their door posts with the blood of the lamb, so that the angel of death passed-over their homes, there was no Levitical priesthood at that time. The priestly tribe did not come about until after the exodus, when Jehovah organized the nation and instituted the tabernacle as part of the Law covenant. As a matter of fact, the 12 tribes actually observed the original Passover before they came under the Mosaic covenant. So, too, the 12 apostles did the same thing, in that, they celebrated the first Evening meal with Christ before they came into the new covenant. Remember also, that the vast mixed company of non-Jews that left Egypt on Passover night did not observe the Passover regulations of that original Passover, and so they would more aptly picture the non-anointed other sheep of today. In the Christian system of things, though, all the "tribes" of spiritual Israel serve Jehovah as kings and under-priests of the High priest—Christ.  Peter referred to spiritual Israel as a holy nation and royal priesthood.

So what did Jehovah mean at Isaiah 44:24 when he said he acted alone during the creation? The context in Isaiah indicates that God was denouncing as frauds all other would-be gods that are worshipped by the nations. Jehovah claims that he alone is the Creator of the universe. That does not exclude the pre-human Jesus from being at Jehovah's side, though. The reason being, as Jesus himself said on numerous occasions, that he 'does nothing of his own initiative, but only what he beholds the Father doing.'

As the Word, Jesus did indeed create everything in existence, but it was not something that he took upon himself to do. Jehovah endowed his Only-begotten heavenly Son to have that privilege. That's why Jesus does not carry the title of Creator, because he himself was created by Jehovah and then afterwards empowered by his Creator to create all other things. Put more simply, Jehovah could have created everything by himself, but Jesus could not have. Because of Jehovah's large-hearted nature he shared himself completely with his very first creation. And, because Jesus and Jehovah are in complete union, they act as one. Jehovah's saying that no one else was with him means that God does not recognize any peer. 

However, since mankind is under the malevolent influence of demonic powers generally, we must assume that the direction the world is going is in accord with Satan's impelling spirit. That being the case, then, the factors contributing to environmental degradation, for example, have quite a bit to do with our health—or lack of. For instance, in this week's headlines, there is an article predicting a 50% increase in cancer over the next 20 years. In another article, some researchers think that our atmosphere has 50% less oxygen then it had a century ago, which is definitely not good. So, in that respect the demons are indirectly responsible for leading us down the path of illness and death. But, apparently the demons do, in some cases, directly cause illness—both physical and mental.

As for some demons being more powerful than others—the Scriptures indicate that that is true. Jesus once referred to a demon who takes along seven other demons more wicked than himself. So, just as there are varied personalities and degrees of strength in the human realm, so, too, in the spirit world. Some demons are extremely ferocious and dangerous, while others are relatively less vicious.

According to the 7th chapter of Micah, there is to occur a confounding of God's people in order to humble and discipline those who are going to inherit the new heavens and new earth. But, after God judges his own house, then Babylon the Great and apostates receive their judgment. In the setting of that future judgment, Micah speaks for Jehovah's chastened faithful slave when he says: The raging of Jehovah I shall bear—for I have sinned against him—until he conducts my legal case and actually executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I shall look upon his righteousness. And my enemy will see, and shame will cover her, who is saying of me: "Where is he, Jehovah your God?" My own eyes will look upon her. Now she will become a place of trampling." 

The Watchtower has written many articles that explain what Jehovah's purpose is for the earth. Here is a link to one such article. Here is another.