To all Jehovah's Witnesses, here is an easy question you can answer... When did Jesus begin ruling as King?
Watch Tower Answers:
Following his resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven and waited at God’s right hand until 1914 to begin ruling as King. During that time, Jesus ruled over his anointed followers, guiding them in their preaching and disciple-making work as well as preparing them to rule with him in his Kingdom. (w06 9/1 p. 13 par. 6)
Prophetically referring to Jesus as “Lord,” King David said: “The utterance of Jehovah to my Lord is: ‘Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.’” (Psalm 110:1; compare Acts 2:34-36.) This prophecy indicates that Jesus’ rulership would not begin immediately after his ascension to heaven. Rather, he would wait at God’s right hand. (kl chap. 10 p. 96 par. 15)
And Jesus Christ has ruled as King of kings and Lord of lords over his congregation since Pentecost 33 C.E. But now, since 1914, he has been given kingly authority to rule in that capacity with his enemies placed as a ‘stool for his feet.’ (w94 6/1 p. 29)
Following his resurrection, Jesus likewise knew that he could rely on Jehovah’s utterance to ‘place his enemies as a stool for his feet.’ (Psalm 110:1) That time arrived in 1914, at the end of “the appointed times of the nations,” with the establishing of the Kingdom in the heavens. (w90 8/15 p. 11 par. 5)
As we see, the organization teaches that this sitting at God’s right hand is an extended period of time that exists until Jesus becomes King. According to this teaching, Jesus ascended to heaven to sit at God’s right hand and await his enthronement as king 1,881 years later in the year 1914. Then in 1914, Christ became King and Jehovah placed his enemies as a stool for his feet.
What the Bible Really Teaches:
The utterance of Jehovah to my Lord is: “Sit at my right hand Until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.” (Psalm 110:1)
For he must rule as king until [God] has put all enemies under his feet. As the last enemy, death is to be brought to nothing. (1 Corinthians 15:25, 26)
... with which he has operated in the case of the Christ when he raised him up from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above every government and authority and power and lordship and every name named, not only in this system of things, but also in that to come. (Ephesians 1:20, 21)
First, according to the psalmist, Jesus would sit at God’s right hand until Jehovah placed his enemies as a stool for his feet. Paul then explains to the Corinthians that Christ would be ruling as king until God placed all his enemies under his feet. Therefore, since both occur until all enemies are subdued, the time period when Jesus sits at God’s right hand is the same time period when he is ruling as king. They are not separate events!
Next, note that one of the “enemies” is death itself. Therefore, Jesus would sit at God’s right hand until even death, the last enemy, has been placed under his feet. Likewise, he would rule as king until death is brought to nothing. Since death still exists, Jesus is still sitting at God's right hand. Clearly, sitting at God’s right hand is not a temporary time period where Jesus sits “on-deck”, awaiting his rulership to begin.
Finally, according to Paul words to the Ephesians, Christ’s sitting at God’s right hand began when he was raised from the dead. By these words, Jesus did not have to wait nearly 19 centuries to become king; rather, he was made king upon his resurrection. Hence, this is why he told his disciples, “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth.” (Matthew 28:18) Those are the words of a king -not of someone waiting to become king.
Watch Tower's teaching outright contradicts the Bible. Watch Tower tries to reconcile this paradox by saying that Jesus “has ruled as King of kings and Lord of lords over his congregation since Pentecost 33 C.E”. (w94 6/1 p.29) If this is true, who are the “kings” and “lords” in the congregation over whom Jesus rules as King and Lord? There couldn’t be kings and lords in the congregation, for Jesus told his followers, “The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those having authority over them are called Benefactors. You, though, are not to be that way. But let him that is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the one acting as chief as the one ministering.” (Luke 22:25, 26) He also said, “Neither be called ‘leaders,’ for your Leader is one, the Christ.” (Matthew 23:10) There are no kings or lords in the congregation; therefore, these kings and lords must be those outside the congregation who rule on the earth. (And the kings can't be "anointed" Christians since they were not made kings yet in the first century.)
In conclusion, with three simple scriptures, Jehovah's Witnesses must acknowledge that Jesus did not have to wait until 1914 to become king, but he was made king upon sitting at God’s right hand after his resurrection, and will remain as such until all enemies –including death –will be brought to nothing. Jesus was made King and Lord in the first century over all heavenly and earthly authority – not just congregational authority.
What does this mean? For starters, rather than harmonize itself with the Scriptures, the Watch Tower organization remains stiff-necked, twisting the Scriptures to match its ludicrous 1914 teaching. In propagating this lie, the organization limits the true extent of Christ’s rulership over the world.
Witnesses must now make a choice: trust the Bible, or trust the organization.
(Hint: "Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs." -Psalm 146:3)
