Page 5: Yet, this same group of men saw nothing wrong with spending money to buy the betrayal of God's Son!
Note: The phrase "God's Son" does not exist in Scripture.
Page 5: Then we can experience the outworking of Jehovah's prophecy through Isaiah, which states: "Your eyes must become eyes seeing your Grand Instructor. And your own ears will hear a word behind you saying: 'This is the way. Walk in it, you people,' in case you people should go to the right or in case you should go to the left." - Isaiah 30:20, 21; 48:17.
Note: Are you walking in Jesus Christ?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, " I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Page 6: Jehovah promises those trusting in him: "I shall make you have insight and instruct you in the way you should go. I will give advice with my eye upon you." - Psalm 32:8.
Page 14: How can a human organization be ruled by Jehovah, who dwells in the invisible heavens? (Psalm 103:19) In that those associated with it follow the inspired counsel: "Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding." (Proverbs 2:6; 3:5)
Note: Have you put your trust into Jesus Christ?
Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
Page 8: A statement in the December 1, 1922, issue of The Watchtower suggested the answer: "We are now in the evil day. The fight is on between Satan's organization and God's organization. It is a desperate fight." In this conflict, God's organization is a place of spiritual safety.
Page 11: Since this protection is available to those who are part of God's organization, whom does this include?
Correction: Jesus Christ is not an organization.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Page 8: With that in mind, we understand that because the apostles organized first-century Christians into local congregations under the oversight of a governing body in Jerusalem, it is proper to speak of that "association of brothers" as an organization. (1 Peter 2:17)
Note: Paul confronted Peter for his error in following the governing body directives.
Galatians 2:11-12 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.
Page 9: And what a joy to look forward to the time when all living creatures, heavenly and earthly, will be organized to praise Jehovah God in unity! (Revelation 5:13, 14)
Note: Don't forget Jesus Christ!
Revelation 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
Page 9: God's organization can help to guard us against Satan and his wiles. (Ephesians 6:11)
Correction: Jesus Christ is not an organization.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Page 10: How does God's organization provide this protection? First, we have the unfailing support of Jehovah's spirit servants.
Correction: The Father Himself will guard you through the Son.
Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Page 10: Jehovah's visible organization is also a protection. How? At Proverbs 18:10, we read: "The name of Jehovah is a strong tower. Into it the righteous runs and is given protection." This does not imply that merely repeating God's name provides protection. Rather, our taking refuge in God's name signifies that we trust in Jehovah himself. (Psalm 20:1; 122:4)
Note: The Father wants everyone to take refuge in the name of Jesus.
Acts 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Page 10: It includes giving Jehovah exclusive devotion. Only those who worship Jehovah in this way can say with the psalmist: "In (Jehovah) our heart rejoices; for in his holy name we have put our trust." - Psalm 33:21; 124:8.
Note: The Father wants everyone to put Jesus Christ first place in everything.
Colossians 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Page 10: Now all in God's visible organization say with Micah: "We, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever." (Micah 4:5)
Note: The Father wants you to glorify the name of Jesus.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Page 10: The modern-day organization is gathered around "the Israel of God," which is called in the Bible "a people for his name." (Galatians 6:16; Acts 15:14; Isaiah 43:6, 7; 1 Peter 2:17)
Page 12: However, James was writing to first-century members of "the Israel of God," prospective heavenly 'priests and kings.' (Revelation 20:6)
Page 14: They are the remaining ones of "the Israel of God" and their more than five and a half million Christian companions. (Isaiah 66:8; Galatians 6:16)
Correction: Believing Jews comprise "the Israel of God."
Galatians 6:15-16 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them (believing Gentiles), and upon the Israel of God (believing Jews).
Note: Are you into Jesus Christ?
Page 10: Hence, to be part of Jehovah's organization means to be part of a people who seek, and receive, protection in God's name.
Note: The Father commands us to place our trust into the name of Jesus.
1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
Pages 10-11: "The faithful and discreet slave" provides "food at the proper time" through the organization. (Matthew 24:45)
Correction: The Watchtower is not looking for the physical return of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 24:44 "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
Page 11: That "slave," made up of anointed Christians, provides the very best of spiritually good things - accurate, Bible-based knowledge that can lead to everlasting life. (John 17:3)
Correction: True anointed Christians will recognize Jesus Christ as the source of understanding.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Page 11: The apostle John saw that during the last days, "the Lamb," the cherubs ("the four living creatures"), and "many angels" would be in close proximity to God's throne.
Correction: Jesus Christ is standing in the middle of the throne of God.
Revelation 5:6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Page 11: Hence, to be part of God's organization - of which "the kingdom of the heavens" is the central part - one has to be doing God's will.
Correction: Doing God's will is placing your sincere faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
John 6:40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
Page 11: What is his will? Paul identified a vital aspect of it when he said: "(God's) will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth." (1 Timothy 2:4)
Note: The accurate knowledge of truth is about Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 2:5-7 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle; I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying; a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Page 13: Thanks to the help of God's holy spirit and the support of faithful Christian brothers, and through the merit of Jesus' ransom sacrifice, faithful Christians are not conquered by the weaknesses of their flesh. (Romans 7:24, 25) They are safe in God's organization, friends of God, not of the world.
Correction: True Christians will suffer tribulation for Jesus Christ.
John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Romans 8:35-37 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Page 13: If we are truly part of Jehovah's modern-day "nation," his visible organization, we will share in the strength that he gives and enjoy the peace with which he blesses his people.
Correction: You not a organization is strengthened by Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Correction: You not a organization receives peace from Jesus Christ.
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
Page 14: Although the Israelites came to have a visible king, their real ruler was Jehovah. The Israelite prophet Isaiah said: "Jehovah is our Judge, Jehovah is our Statute-giver, Jehovah is our King." - Isaiah 33:22.
Note: Jesus Christ is the Judge, Statute-giver, and King in the New Testament.
John 5:22-23 "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. "
John 15:14 "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you."
Revelation 19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Page 14: True theocracy, however, is not government by priests. It really is God rule, government by the Creator of the universe, Jehovah God.
Note: The Hebrew behind Jehovah God is Yahweh 'elohim which means Jehovah is God in the plural sense.
Note: Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe according to the New Testament.
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
Pages 14-15: To do this, they have to be Bible students. (Psalm 1:1-3) Like the "noble-minded" Beroeans of old, they do not follow humans but constantly verify in the Bible the things that they are learning. (Acts 17:10, 11; Psalm 119:33-36)
Note: A cartoon magazine or book from the Watchtower is not the Holy Bible.
Page 15: These make up the composite "faithful and discreet slave." Christians show their submission to Jesus, and therefore to Jesus' head, Jehovah, by accepting the oversight of that "slave." (Matthew 24:45-47; 25:40)
Correction: You need to be a servant of Jesus Christ not of a organization.
Romans 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
Page 15: Nevertheless, he told the Jews: "The Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, but only what he beholds the Father doing." (John 5:19)
Note: Jesus Christ does only the work of God not of angels.
John 5:21 "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will."
Page 15: In a similar way, those with an earthly hope are not jealous of those with a heavenly hope.
Correction: There is only one hope.
Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Page 16: The same is true today. During this century, Jehovah's Witnesses have suffered greatly at the hands of despotic rulers - just as Jesus foretold. (Matthew 24:9, 13)
Note: They suffered needlessly since it was not for the name of Jesus.
Matthew 24:9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake."
Page 16: When possible, they present their case to officials and before the courts of the land so as to demonstrate their innocence of wrongdoing. They use whatever avenues are open to them to make a public defense of the good news. (Philippians 1:7)
Note: The good news is Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:16-18 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the good news. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
Page 16: When Jesus taught his followers to pray, the first thing he mentioned was the sanctification of Jehovah's name. (Matthew 6:9)
Note: The Son prayed to the Father never using the corporate name of God which is YAHWEH.
Matthew 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name."
John 17:1-2 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: " Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. "
Page 17: In contrast, Solomon modestly downplayed his accomplishment, saying: "Will God truly dwell with mankind upon the earth? Look! Heaven, yes, the heaven of the heavens themselves, cannot contain you; how much less, then, this house that I have built?"
Note: An attribute of God is His omnipresence.
Psalm 139:7-10 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.
Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Page 17: Christian elders similarly exalt Jehovah, not themselves. They follow Peter's counsel: "If anyone ministers, let him minister as dependent on the strength that God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 4:11)
Note: Jesus Christ should be exalted.
1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Page 18: Those subjecting themselves to theocracy try to be as much like God as is possible for imperfect humans. For example, the Bible says of Jehovah: "The Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice."
Note: Jesus Christ is the Rock.
1 Cor 10:4 For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
Page 18: Because Jehovah's servants follow divine, not human standards, his organization is theocratic, clean, and wholesome.
Note: Has anyone confronted the Governing Body for error like Paul did with Peter?
Galatians 2:14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?"
Page 18: What a glorious time that will be! May we all make our place in that future paradise sure by staying close now to the theocracy.
Correction: True Christians follow Jesus Christ not a organization.
1 Peter 2:21-22 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth."
Page 19: Which would you put first: the extra secular work, the ironing, the homework, or the congregation meeting? What does it mean, spiritually speaking, to put first things first? What is Jehovah's view?
Answer: 1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.