This is the WTBTS outline for the Circuit Assembly symposium "Do not be contaminated by..."
I'll be posting the 2nd & 3rd parts shortly. I would post this as a download but I have seen the problems YKnot has had with the WTBTS very quickly getting the host to remove the file.
From my experience having given talks at assemblies for 30 years - the WTBTS used to provide outlines but nowadays the outline is virtually a manuscript , with even the illustration given word for word. Much tigher control. Is it just me , or is the demo incredibly corny? How many young brothers do you think would say “we can beat them because our country’s culture is the best in the whole world”?
60 min.—Local elders to handle this three-part symposium)
“The Wild Beast” (19 min.) [Talk and demonstration.] [Note to speaker: For a cohesive presentation of the symposium, the newspaper illustration should be used for each of the three parts]
Imagine a front-page newspaper headline: “Community Warned of Contamination Threats!” In effect, the writer of the book of Revelation conveyed similar information. Our publications have long indicated three principal facets of this world. For millenniums these elements have been constants in every
ruling system. As Christians, we know how each aspect is used by Satan to contaminate the minds of the world. (2 Cor. 4:4) But this symposium will expose subtle ways in which these elements threaten to affect us.
The first potential contaminant is identified as “the wild beast.” It has seven heads and ten horns. [Read Revelation 13:1, 2.] If such a freakish beast were loose in our community, we would be vigilant and alert. What is this symbolic wild beast? Daniel described four beasts similar to that one, identifying
them as “four kings,” or political powers. (Dan. 7:4-7, 17; w04 4/1 4) Remnants of these ancient empires exist today and are included along with other nations that form one grotesque beast, complete with ten horns. It is named with “a man’s number,” relegating it to something on earth. (Rev. 13:18) The
wild beast represents the gigantic worldwide political system of Satan. ( re 196 par. 34) It is a ravenous, brute beast and will not be kind to the Christian congregation. (Rev. 13:7; re 187 par. 5) In fact, most on earth are coerced into being marked or branded, as if owned, by the wild beast. [Read Revelation
13:16, 17.] Christians must accept their Christian duty to show respect for governments but not accept the mark of the wild beast. (Rom. 13:1, 6, 7; re 191 par. 20) Since the hand represents our actions and the forehead represents our thinking, accepting such a mark would indicate that someone or something
else controls our actions or thoughts. ( re 197 par. 35) Early Christians would die before accepting the mark.
How might we as Christians become contaminated by the mark of the wild beast?
(1) Although we may have chosen to obey the principle set forth at Isaiah 2:4, might not our thinking have been subtly tainted if we make such expressions as “our side,” “our troops,” or “our president”?
(2) We may refuse to use our hand to vote for political candidates. (John 18:33, 36) Does our thinking, though, tacitly mark us during election campaigns? For example, would we voice opinions about the candidates or preferences for the platform of a particular political party?
(3) Young ones in school respectfully refuse to salute the national idol. (Deut. 5:8, 9) Yet, are their minds
tempted to become involved in school politics?
(4) Similarly,when a sports team from the land of our birth is competing with the team of a foreign nation, with whom are we passionately and pridefully siding inwardly or perhaps even outwardly? What if the team is simply a better team, with better players? Siding with the better team is not a sign of nationalism.
However, if we take sides because we pridefully believe that one country is better in all things than all others, might nationalism move us passionately to identify with one national side or the other?
[Demonstration: (2 min.) Two brothers in their late teens or early 20’s are animatedly discussing an international sports event. In his excitement, the first brother personalizes the event by using expressions such as “we can beat them because our country’s culture is the best in the whole world” and he
pridefully speaks of the superior skill of “our” country. Second brother is agreeing until it finally dawns on him. He stops and, including himself, says: “We are getting way too intense about this. Do you realize what you have been saying?” First brother did not realize that he had identified with the country
too personally, in a nationalistic manner, giving prideful patriotic comments. Second brother says: “Our problem began when we believed that one team is superior simply because ofits national origins and not because of the skill of the players.” He remembers James 4:4, quotes it, and comments that
this is serious because the apostle John said: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) First brother agrees, noting that Satan is “the ruler of the world.” (John 14:30) He says: “So no matter what international team a person sides with, he may secretly believe that one country
is politically superior to the other. If so, then whose control is he really under?” Second brother says: “I cannot imagine the early Christians giving prideful patriotic worship to anypart of the wild beast, for this would amount to worshippingthe dragon—the source of authority of the beast.” Brothers agree to be more careful to avoid contaminating their true loyalty over petty worldly issues.]
The wild beast will continue to be a threat until one day when the news will be that this menace is destroyed forever. (Rev. 19:19, 20) So be determined to be no part of the world and to resist the contamination of your Christian neutrality. In the meantime, there is another threat to our Christian
community. The second newsworthy event from the book of Revelation is: “Do Not Be Contaminated by ‘the Great Harlot.’ ” It will be reported on by Brother __________________.