The question has always been, primarily: Is Jehovah really God? Secondarily, the question has been: Are Jehovah’s Witnesses really Jehovah’s witnesses? Or, perhaps worded differently: Is the Watchtower really the voice of Christ’s appointed faithful and discreet slave of prophecy? Those are the so-called bottom-line debated questions and as-of-yet-unresolved issues. As it stands, there is simply no way that these hotly debated issues can be resolved with finality. Each must simply decide for themselves what is true and what is not. Those who believe that Jehovah is God and that Jehovah’s Witnesses are the true religion must in the end live by faith. Nothing is absolute at this point; and, as is demonstrated by the apostate movement from within the organization---faith can be broken. Yet, that of itself does not determine what is true and what is false.
What is taking place today is nothing new. During the time of Christ the same forces lined up in opposition to each other. There were those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and there were those who refused to accept it. If popular opinion was to determine what was true in the case of Jesus, than Christ was not the Son of God as he claimed, that’s because the leaders of the people did not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. Yet, measured in mere terms of the sheer opposition to him was no indication that he was not who he claimed to be. On the contrary, the many relevant Psalms and prophecies indicated that Christ would not be received by the majority of the Jews. The only way the issue could be resolved at that time was for God to intervene, for Jehovah to weigh in with his decision as to whether Jesus was really his Son. And that, of course, is exactly what Jehovah did by displaying the miraculous phenomenon at Jesus death, whereby the sun went black for three hours and the earth shook violently. Ultimately he resurrected the man whom popular opinion had condemned as a common criminal and charlatan.
Interestingly, many of the Psalms refer directly to circumstances that were fulfilled in the life of Christ while he was upon the earth. Some of the Psalms, like the 22nd, for example, project words that much later actually came out of Jesus’ mouth. Yet, many of those very same so-called messianic Psalms, that have a direct connection to Jesus, also refer to him as being overtaken by his own errors. That’s because those Psalms have an application to the body of Christ, through whom he vicariously lives. Psalms 41:9, for instance, refers to Christ’s betrayal by Judas, it reads:
“The man at peace with me, in whom I trusted,
Who was eating my bread, has magnified his heel against me.”
The thing is, though, that a few verses up the Messiah says: “Do heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.” Obviously, that aspect of prophecy was not fulfilled in Jesus the man. It does, however, make the connection with Jesus’ anointed brothers who are burdened with error and who fill up the measure of Christ’s persecution in the body of believers. The next span of verses speak to developments among our apostate enemies who focus upon the limping servant of God and come in for the kill.
And if one does see me untruth is what his heart will speak;
He will gather up for himself something hurtful;
He will go out; on the outside he will speak of it.
Unitedly against me all those hating me whisper to one another;
Against me they keep scheming something bad for me: (saying)
“A good-for-nothing thing is poured out upon him;
Now that he has lain down, he will not get up again.”
Jehovah’s word is simply amazing. True to the Psalm, the enemies of Jehovah’s anointed have come from within our ranks, and as insiders they use the intimate knowledge of our errors against us, gathering up hurtful things with which to make public accusations, and as it says “on the outside he will speak of it.”
From the standpoint of our vicious apostate enemies, it will appear as though we are finally defeated. That is the way it appeared to Jesus’ enemies as well. The 40th Psalm follows this same prophetic messianic theme. Verse 12 says:
For calamities encircled me until there was no numbering of them.
More errors of mine overtook me than I was able to see;
They became more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my own heart has left me.
A few verses up in the Psalm is the verse that the apostles attributed to Christ were the roll of the book foretold he would offer himself; yet, in the ongoing conversation that the messiah is having with his God, he says that he has been overtaken by his numerous errors.
As in the case of Christ, only Jehovah can save his anointed sons from the calamity that is due to overtake them. That is how it should be. As in the case of Christ, as he was on the torture stake his enemies taunted him that if Jehovah was really his Father that he should come down and save him. Which, of course, is exactly what happened, just not before his death as the Jews erroneously imagined he should have been rescued. So, as the controversy regarding the Watchtower Society and the faithful slave comes to a head, we may similarly expect that Jehovah’s organization is going to be laid low by a culmination of unseen overwhelming calamities, of such distressing magnitude, that only Jehovah will be able to save us from our hapless predicament.
Apparently then, for awhile at least, it will appear as if our apostate enemies have finally gotten their vengeance upon us. This child abuse case certainly appears to have the potential to inflict a heavy blow upon us, and unquestionably, there is the scent of blood in the water that is certain to result in a feeding frenzy upon those described in Scripture as “ungodly buffoons.” At the public revelation of scandal in the hallowed halls of Bethel, it is as if the haters of Jehovah’s anointed ones are saying among themselves: “Aha! Now, at last, we got those no-good bastards.”
The Psalms then stand as pre-recorded prayers that will at that time be activated as curses that Jehovah will act upon in our behalf. Hence the 40th Psalm goes on the speak for Jehovah’s embattled sons who cry out to him:
Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me.
O Jehovah, to my assistance do make haste.
May those turn back and be humiliated
Who are seeking my soul to sweep it away.
May those turn back and be humiliated
who are delighting in my calamity.
Let those stare in amazement in consequence of their shame
Who are saying to me: “Aha! Aha!"
The 35th Psalm also speaks to the situation that results when their intimate companions, the “apostate mockers,” (Vs 16) betray the brothers of Christ. Verse 21 says:
And they open wide their mouth even against me.
They have said: “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it.”
You have seen, O Jehovah. Do not keep silent.
O Jehovah, do not keep yourself far from me.
Do arouse yourself and awake to my judgment,
O my God, even Jehovah, to my case at law.
Judge me according to your righteousness, O Jehovah my God,
And may they not rejoice over me.
O may they not say in their heart: “Aha!, our soul!”
May they not say: “We have swallowed him up.”
Let those be ashamed and abashed altogether
Who are joyful at my calamity.
Let those be clothed with shame and humiliation
Who are assuming great airs against me.
So with the glimpse into the future that God’s prophetic word offers those who accept it, the issue will only be settled after it becomes obvious that Jehovah has issued his judicial ruling in the legal case against us. During the interval when the anointed are laid low by the impending calamity, including the collapse of the present system, while Jehovah remains silent, as in the case of Christ’s execution; when it appears that we are not who we have claimed to be, each person that calls himself or herself one of Jehovah’s Witnesses will have their loyalty tested to the max. Loyalty to Christ’s then besieged spiritual brothers is what will ultimately separate the sheep from the goats and determine each one’s everlasting destiny.
Case Closed / You Know