EACH ONE MUST WATCH HIMSELF
Shortly after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven he formed the Christian congregation, on Pentecost day of the year 33 C.E. There the "faithful and discreet slave" class, with Jesus’ apostles taking the lead, began to feed the individuals in God’s newly formed ‘household of faith’ with spiritual food. (Acts 2:1, 14, 46, 47) This "slave" class, the spirit-anointed Christian congregation, would remain loyal right down to the time of Christ’s coming to destroy the present wicked system of things.—Matt. 28:18-20.
Nevertheless, Jesus gave a warning to them with respect to loyalty. Why? Well, as a class, God’s congregation would remain faithful. The Bible shows that the foreordained number of 144,000 would be completed. That number would eventually be "sealed" as faithful. (Rev. 7:1-8; 14:1-5) Thus ‘all [spiritual] Israel [or, the Israel of God] would be saved.’ (Rom. 11:26; compare Galatians 6:16.) But as to individuals who would make up that body, or that "slave" class, each one was to be tried, tested and required to prove his integrity and loyalty. "He that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved," Jesus said.—Matt. 24:13; Jas. 1:3; Rev. 14:12.
Accordingly, after speaking of the "faithful and discreet slave" that would be loyal till his coming, Jesus went on to say: "But if that evil slave should say in his heart, ‘My master is delaying,’ and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards [literally, the (ones) getting drunk], the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will punish him with the greatest severity (literally, he will cut asunder him] and will assign him his part with the hypocrites."—Matt. 24:48-51; Luke 12:45, 46, Kingdom Interlinear Translation.
We note that Jesus did not say that the "faithful and discreet slave" would turn disloyal. But, as to the individual members of that "slave" class, Jesus merely indicated the possibility that not all would be loyal, just as one of the twelve, Judas, after a right start, had turned out bad. Jehovah God will have only loyal, tested ones as inheritors of the Kingdom. (2 Pet. 1:10, 11) Jesus therefore warned each one of his spirit-begotten, anointed followers to watch himself. He said to all his disciples: "Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that you may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man."—Luke 21:36.