this is the full study
The
SeedEndures17 In his parable of the wheat and the weeds, Jesus foretold the time of darkness that would exist while Christendom reigned supreme. Nevertheless, through all the centuries of apostasy, there would exist individual wheatlike Christians, genuine anointed ones. (Matthew 13:24-29, 36-43) Thus, when the Lord’s day dawned in October 1914, there were still true Christians on earth. (Revelation 1:10) It appears that Jehovah came to his spiritual temple for judgment about three and a half years later, in 1918, accompanied by Jesus as his "messenger of the covenant." (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 13:47-50) It was time for the Master to reject finally the false Christians and to appoint ‘the faithful and discreet slave over all his belongings.’—Matthew 7:22, 23; 24:45-47.
18 It was also time for this slave to give special attention to the things written in Jesus’ messages to the seven congregations, as we see from what is stated therein. For example, Jesus refers to his coming to judge the congregations, which judgment began in 1918. (Revelation 2:5, 16, 22, 23; 3:3) He speaks of protecting the Philadelphia congregation from "the hour of test, which is to come upon the whole inhabited earth." (Revelation 3:10, 11) This "hour of test" arrives only with the dawning of the Lord’s day in 1914, after which Christians were tested as to their loyalty to the established Kingdom of God.—Compare Matthew 24:3, 9-13.
19 For this reason, Jesus’ words to the congregations have had their major application since 1914. In this setting, the seven congregations picture all the congregations of anointed Christians during the Lord’s day. Moreover, during the past 70 years and more, the anointed Christians pictured by John have been joined by large numbers of believers whose hope is to live forever in Paradise on earth. The counsel of the glorified Jesus Christ and the conditions he found in the seven congregations as a result of his inspection apply with equal force to these, since there is only one standard of righteousness and faithfulness for all of Jehovah’s servants. (Exodus 12:49; Colossians 3:11) Thus, Jesus’ messages to the seven first-century congregations in Asia Minor are not mere historical curiosities. They mean life or death to each one of us. Let us, then, listen carefully to Jesus’ words.
[Footnotes]
In the original Hebrew at Isaiah 44:6, there is no definite article with the words "first" and "last," whereas in Jesus’ description of himself in the original Greek at Revelation 1:17, the definite article is found. So, grammatically, Revelation 1:17 indicates a title, whereas Isaiah 44:6 describes Jehovah’s Godship.
The Greek word ag´ge·los (pronounced "an´ge·los") means "messenger" as well as "angel." At Malachi 2:7, a Levite priest is referred to as a "messenger" (Hebrew, mal·’akh´).—See NewWorldTranslationReferenceBible, footnote.
[Study
Questions]17. (a) What did Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the weeds foretell? (b) What took place in 1918, resulting in what rejection and what appointment?
18. What "hour" came in 1914, and what was it time for the slave to do?
19. (a) What do the seven congregations picture today? (b) Who have associated in large numbers with the anointed Christians, and why do Jesus’ counsel and the conditions he describes apply to them also? (c) How should we view Jesus’ messages to the seven first-century congregations?
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TimeofTestingandJudgingJesus was baptized and anointed as King-Designate at the Jordan River about October 29 C.E. Three and a half years later, in 33 C.E., he came to Jerusalem’s temple and threw out those who were making it a cave of robbers. There appears to be a parallel to this in the three-and-a-half-year period from Jesus’ enthronement in the heavens in October 1914 until his coming to inspect professed Christians as judgment began with the house of God. (Matthew 21:12, 13; 1 Peter 4:17) Early in 1918 the Kingdom activity of Jehovah’s people met with great opposition. It was a time of testing earth wide, and fearful ones were sifted out. In May 1918 Christendom’s clergy instigated the imprisonment of officials of the Watch Tower Society, but nine months later these were released. Later, the false charges against them were dropped. From 1919 the organization of God’s people, tried and refined, moved zealously forward to proclaim Jehovah’s Kingdom by Christ Jesus as the hope for mankind.—Malachi 3:1-3.
As Jesus began his inspection in 1918, the clergy of Christendom no doubt received an adverse judgment. Not only had they raised up persecution against God’s people but they had also incurred heavy bloodguilt by supporting the contending nations during the first world war. (Revelation 18:21, 24) Those clergymen then placed their hope in the man-made League of Nations. Along with the entire world empire of false religion, Christendom had fallen completely from God’s favor by 1919.
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rechap.7pp.33-35RekindleThatFirstLove!***Chapter
7Rekindle
ThatFirstLove!EPHESUS
JESUS’ first message is to the congregation in Ephesus, at that time a thriving coastal city of Asia Minor close to the isle of Patmos. He commands John: "TotheangelofthecongregationinEphesuswrite:Thesearethethingsthathesayswhoholdsthesevenstarsinhisrighthand,hewhowalksinthemidstofthesevengoldenlampstands."(Revelation2:1) As in the other six messages, Jesus here draws attention to a feature denoting his authoritative position. He reminds the overseers in Ephesus that all elders are under his own protective oversight and that he is inspecting all the congregations. Down into our own time, he has continued to exercise this loving headship, watching over the elders and kindly shepherding all associated with the congregation. From time to time, he adjusts congregational arrangements so that the light can shine more brightly. Yes, Jesus is the Chief Shepherd over the flock of God.—Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Peter 5:2-4.
2 Jesus then sets a pattern for all but two of his seven messages by opening with warm words of commendation. For the Ephesians, he has this message: "Iknowyourdeeds,andyourlaborandendurance,andthatyoucannotbearbadmen,andthatyouputthosetothetestwhosaytheyareapostles,buttheyarenot,andyoufoundthemliars.Youarealsoshowingendurance,andyouhaveborneupformyname’ssakeandhavenotgrownweary."(Revelation2:2, 3) Years before, the apostle Paul had warned the Ephesian elders about "oppressive wolves," apostate disturbers of the flock, and had told those elders to "keep awake," following his own tireless example. (Acts 20:29, 31) Since Jesus now commends them for their labor and endurance and for not growing weary, they must have applied that counsel.
3 During the Lord’s day, too, there have appeared "false apostles" who "speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves." (2 Corinthians 11:13; Acts 20:30; Revelation 1:10) They see good in all the conflicting sectarian religions, claim that God does not have an organization, and deny that Jesus received Kingdom power in 1914. They fulfill the prophecy at 2 Peter 3:3, 4: "In the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: ‘Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning.’"
4 These ridiculers rebel at the thought of making public declaration of their faith. (Romans 10:10) They have enlisted the support of Christendom’s clergy and the aid of news journals and TV stations to spread lying reports about their former associates. Faithful ones soon find that the speech and conduct of these deceivers do not ring true. Like the Ephesians, Christians today "cannot bear bad men," so they disfellowship them from their congregations.
5 Now, however, as he does with five of the seven congregations, Jesus singles out a serious problem. He says to the Ephesians: "Nevertheless,Iholdthisagainstyou,thatyouhavelefttheloveyouhadatfirst."(Revelation2:4) They should not have failed in this respect, for Paul had written them 35 years earlier referring to God’s "great love with which he loved us," and he had urged them: "Become imitators of God, as beloved children, and go on walking in love, just as the Christ also loved you." (Ephesians 2:4; 5:1, 2) Further, Jesus’ words should have been inscribed indelibly on their hearts: "Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength." (Mark 12:29-31) The Ephesians had lost that first love.
6 Whether we are old-timers or new associates in the congregation, we must guard against losing our first love for Jehovah. How can this loss come about? We could allow attachment to our secular work, the desire to make a lot of money, or the pursuit of pleasure to become the big thing in our lives. Thus we could become fleshly minded rather than spiritually minded. (Romans 8:5-8; 1 Timothy 4:8; 6:9, 10) Our love for Jehovah should impel us to correct any such tendencies and to ‘keep on seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness,’ so as to ‘store up for ourselves treasures in heaven.’—Matthew 6:19-21, 31-33.
7 Let our service to Jehovah be motivated always by a deep-seated love for him. Let us have a fervent appreciation for all that Jehovah and Christ have done for us. As John himself wrote later: "The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent forth his Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins." John goes on to tell us: "God is love, and he that remains in love remains in union with God and God remains in union with him." May we never let fade our love for Jehovah, for the Lord Jesus Christ, and for the living Word of God! This love we can express not only in zealous service to God but also by obedience to "this commandment we have from him, that the one who loves God should be loving his brother also."—1 John 4:10, 16, 21; Hebrews 4:12; see also 1 Peter 4:8; Colossians 3:10-14; Ephesians 4:15.
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rechap.7RekindleThatFirstLove!***[Study
Questions]1. To which congregation is Jesus’ first message directed, and of what does he remind the overseers?
2. (a) For what fine things did Jesus commend the Ephesian congregation? (b) What counsel of the apostle Paul had the Ephesian elders evidently obeyed?
3. (a) How have "false apostles" sought to deceive faithful ones in our days? (b) What warning about apostates did Peter give?
4. (a) How is the pride and rebelliousness of ridiculers manifested? (b) Christians today show that they are like the Ephesians by taking what action against lying opposers?
5. (a) What weakness did Jesus say the Ephesians had? (b) What words should the Ephesians have remembered?
6. (a) Whether we are old-timers or new associates in the congregation, against what danger and tendencies must we guard? (b) What should our love for God impel us to do?
7. (a) By what should our service to Jehovah be motivated? (b) What did John say in regard to love?
