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We know that after his resurrection, Jesus entered heaven to present the value of his ransom sacrifice to God. Thus, at that point he began to officiate as a High Priest. Since, as you have pointed out, Jehovah has not yet installed him as king and the first resurrection has not begun yet, are we to understand that he is officiating alone as a High Priest? Does he not have others with him officiating as under-priests yet? Following the pattern in ancient Israel, does it not make sense that at least some are already functioning as priests, as represented by the twenty-four elders in the book of revelation? Does that not indicate that there are at least a handful of them already in heaven with Jesus, as he officiates at the sacrificial altar? |
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Revelation is a series of visions reserved for the Lord's day. At Revelation 1:10, John wrote: "By inspiration I came to be in the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a strong voice like that of a trumpet…" The Lord's day commences when Jesus takes up his kingship during the period immediately prior to the 1,000-year reign called the Parousia, or presence. That means that the 24 elders, representing the anointed, do not really exist prior to the Lord's day, even though they are participating in the vision prior to Jesus' coronation. That's because according to 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16, the resurrection of the 144,000 does not begin until shortly after Jesus' presence begins. Revelation 20:5-6 refers to the first resurrection and indicates that the resurrected anointed do not begin ruling as kings or priests until the kingdom of 1,000 years actually begins. "This is the first resurrection. Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years." Prior to that time Jesus serves as a mediator and high priest in behalf of the 144,000 only. However, the prophetic Psalms foretold that the Messiah would be a priest "according to the manner of Melchizedek"—not in the manner of the Levitical priests. Paul quoted the 110th Psalm and applied it to Jesus, writing at Hebrews 5:8: "because he has been specifically called by God a high priest according to the manner of Melchizedek." Melchizedek lived before Israel was even a nation—being a contemporary of Abraham. As the king of Salem (Jerusalem) he received his appointment directly from God, not from a tribal inheritance. Obviously, Melchizedek did not have any associate underpriests either. So, if Christ is to serve in behalf of the anointed "according to the manner of Melchizedek," we would not expect him to have an organization of underpriests until such time as spiritual Israel begins to function as an actual kingdom. Once the 144,000 have been perfected though, meaning that the nation of spiritual Israel and heavenly Zion will have fully come to power, then we may expect the pattern to be fulfilled whereby Jesus functions like the Aaronic High priest and the 144,000 fill the pattern of the Levitical underpriests. The 24 elders symbolize the 144,000 divided into 24 divisions of priests—as were the Levites after their return from Babylon. Together, Jesus and the 144,000 will serve as kings and priests in behalf of mankind during the Millennium. |
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It seems that I am having more and more of a problem keeping a positive attitude towards the meetings. Recent events, both personal and with the Society, have left me feeling a bit alienated and distrustful of what is said from the platform. I have never prayed more about anything else than about the way things are now, not even my dedication or marriage. I don't know what I'm missing or how to fix it. I feel that Jehovah's spirit has left me. Is there something I am missing? |
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It is not unusual that Christians might feel disconnected, discouraged and even abandoned by God at times. Even the apostle Paul felt perplexed and discouraged. That's why he wrote to the Corinthians, saying: "We are pressed in every way, but not cramped beyond movement; we are perplexed, but not absolutely with no way out; we are persecuted, but not left in the lurch; we are thrown down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 As Jehovah's Witnesses, we must not lose sight of the Big Picture—the great over-riding issues involving Jehovah's sovereignty and our personal faith and integrity towards God. Being one of Jehovah's Witnesses involves much more than merely going out in service and preaching the Watchtower's message. Being a witness for Jehovah in the truest sense means that we must be willing to suffer for God's righteous Cause; in every circumstance or situation that confronts us. At times our suffering and perplexity may be due to the actions or inactions of our own brothers and sisters. The Watchtower's hypocrisy and double-dealing can be a source of our feeling alienated. It is as if the organization has left us "in the lurch" to deal with perplexing issues on our own. Most Christians will likely agree that the sufferings that come upon us from within the congregation are much harder to deal with than the persecutions that come from without. That's because we must usually suffer alone—without the support of the congregation. In that respect it is as if we "are thrown down" and "cramped" for movement. But, if Jehovah allows these things to occur, we may be sure it suits his purpose for doing so. If we are determined to do His will, and not our own, we will press on in that knowledge—knowing he will not allow us to be completely destroyed. Do we give up in our race for life because the brothers have placed stumbling blocks before us? Not if we keep close in mind the great issues before us. That's why Paul went on to say in the verse cited above: "Always we endure everywhere in our body the death-dealing treatment given to Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be made manifest in our body." If we are convinced that it is Jehovah's will for us to suffer in order that we may prove our love and faith in Him, it should make it much easier for us to endure whatever we are facing. And we are assured that he will not completely abandon us—even though it may seem as if he has. Another thing to remember: "Love never fails." If we practice the art of loving our brothers and sisters it makes it much easier to overlook their many flaws. Love will also help allay our suspicions about others' motives. If we take a loving interest in the welfare of others we will become less concerned about our own state of mind and our own discouragement. The importance of love cannot be understated, especially in view of the apostle John's writing at 1 John 3:14: "We know we have passed over from death to life, because we love the brothers. He who does not love remains in death." |
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A while back, I sent you scanned files of 2 letters that the watchtower sent to me replying to my inquiries to the UN issue. Is there any feedback you can give me? Did I take the message the wrong way or did they say what I thought they said? Did I over-react or did they cross the line? I would like an objective reply so I can try to put this behind me. Any suggestions? Thanks. |
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When people use the e-watchman mailbag question box, they can send a question to me without using their return email address. As I recall, that is what you did originally, as now. So, I had no way to respond to you personally. I made a special request through the Paradise Café Forum for you to contact me personally, as I wanted some sort of verification that the Watchtower did in fact accuse you of being either 'ignorant of the facts or deliberately malicious.' I would still like to see some sort of scanned copy or some facsimile. If you can provide me with a copy of those letters I would greatly appreciate it. But, as you can appreciate, it would not be wise for me to take up an accusation against the Watchtower without the evidence supporting your allegations. Honestly, it is hard to believe the Watchtower would say such a thing to one of Jehovah's Witnesses who innocently inquires about their NGO affair. At any rate, if the Watchtower has in fact berated you in such a way, you have every reason to take offense. However, keep in mind the Society has never published any details in any of their publications concerning their 10-year affiliation with the United Nations as an NGO. They have only responded to select branches and specific inquiries. We may be sure that only the highest ranking Watchtower officials are even aware of all the facts. No doubt even most Bethel elders are unaware that the Watchtower has acted in such a disgusting and hypocritical manner. Ironically, more than likely the elder who was assigned to respond to your letter is himself 'ignorant of the facts.' Taking that into consideration may help you to have some empathy for the awkward position the Watchtower has put the elders in. They are charged with defending the Watchtower's position while being kept in the dark by the Watchtower. Perhaps having fellow feeling for the elders may help you to put things behind you personally. Keeping in mind that Jehovah is going to hold an accounting with the Society can certainly help to put things in perspective too. |
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Is it possible that JWs have entered, or soon will enter, into some kind of organizational "next level", whereby the WT is totally rejected by Jehovah God, and the true worshippers will—with eyes of faith—recognize the call to move on to whatever that "next level" is? (Please note the word possible). |
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Yes. That is the message e-watchman has been trying to get across. The Watchtower has often said that Bible prophecy cannot be fully understood until after it is fulfilled. But is that really true? Isn't that really an admission of a lack of insight on their part? After all, the purpose of Bible prophecies is to tell in advance the things that are coming in the future. The Watchtower frequently even quotes Amos 3:7, which says: "For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets." But, the Watchtower seems preoccupied with trying to assign the fulfillment of a large portion of the prophetic word to the past—specifically to the 1914-1919 era. Either that or the Watchtower applies the negative prophecies of one verse to Christendom and the next verse to themselves. The result of the Watchtower's method of prophetic interpretation resembles the futility of trying to cram the proverbial square peg into a round hole. As an example, consider the Watchtower Society's long-held interpretation of Matthew 24:15-17, which reads: "Therefore, when you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place, (let the reader use discernment,) then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains. Let the man on the housetop not come down to take the goods out of his house…" As we can well appreciate, the desolation of the "holy place" by the "disgusting thing" is a significant feature of the conclusion of the system. But what exactly is the holy place? The Watchtower's interpretation says the "holy place" is Christendom—but is it? Not according to the Hebrew prophecies. Several essays on e-watchman make the case that the holy place represents the earthly organization associated with Christ's congregation. Just as Jerusalem fulfilled a vital role in God's purpose, but was afterwards discarded; in the same manner the Watchtower has served God's purpose up until this moment, but will become expendable once the actual harvest of the Dragnet is hauled in—so to speak. There are numerous prophecies that foretell a final outpouring of God's spirit will come upon the faithful who endure the collapse of the Watchtower. For example, in harmony with Jesus' instructions for Christians to abandon the antitypical Jerusalem when once it is surrounded by the political "disgusting thing," the 32nd chapter of Isaiah is a messianic prophecy that similarly foretells that Jehovah's holy city will be abandoned; but that afterwards the spirit of God will come down from on high and a spiritual paradise will come into existence. Isaiah 32:14-15 foretells: "For the dwelling tower itself has been forsaken, the very hubbub of the city has been abandoned; Ophel and the watchtower themselves have become bare fields, for time indefinite the exultation of zebras, the pasture of droves; until upon us the spirit is poured out from on high, and the wilderness will have become an orchard, and the orchard itself is accounted as a real forest." |
