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The Witchtower 01/2010 1
WITCHTOWER THE
J A N U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 0
EXPOSING JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
The
Three Magiand their modern
antitype
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The Witchtower 01/2010 2
The Witchtower
Downloadable in 194 countries
3 The Three Magi and Their Modern Antitype
7 How Alcohol Helped Me to Face Hard Times (Part 2)
10 Slavery – A Blessing
15 The Bible’s Viewpoint: Are Furnaces for Christians?
16 Who is Outside?
This publication is provided as part of a worldwide
mocking work not supported by voluntary donations.
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Do you want further information? Do
not write to Jehovah’s Witnesses, but
visit:
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The Witchtower 01/2010
Everyone knows the story of the three Magi
who travelled a long way to pay homage to baby
Jesus two thousand years ago. But this is not
only a nice story. No, like many things in the
Bible, this event was a prophetic preview of a
greater fulfillment that should happen in our
day.
In Germany the three Magi are called “Holy
Three Kings” though they actually were neither
holy nor three nor kings. They came “from east-
ern parts.” (Matthew 2:1) At the very east of the
United States is New York City, and again in
the east of this city is Brooklyn. There too lives a
group of men who consider themselves “the holy
ones of the Supreme One” and future kings.
They say of themselves: “The anointed are
already sanctified in a very special way, being
declared righteous and holy. … The prophet
Daniel speaks of them as „the holy ones of the
Supreme One,‟ who receive the Kingdom under
the „son of man,‟ Christ Jesus.” – The Watchtow-
er, February 1, 2002, page 21.
Also in the book Pay Attention to Daniel’s
Prophecy they write about themselves, under
the headline “Who Will Rule the World?”: “‟The
holy ones of the Supreme One will receive the
kingdom,‟ said the angel. … The other „holy
ones‟ having a share in the rulership are the
144,000 faithful spirit-anointed Christians.”
– page 146.
The original Magi were Kasper, Melchior and Balthasar
Brooklyn is in “eastern parts”
Cooperation with Politics
When King Herod sent for the “Holy Thre
Kings,” they gladly accepted the call. They se
forth their journey to Jerusalem with his sup
port. Likewise the “holy ones” from Brooklyn di
not refuse to cooperate with political organiza
tions. In a letter dated 4 March 2004, the Unite
Nations Department of Public Information (DPI
stated: “The Watchtower Bible and Tract Societ
of New York … applied for association with DP
in 1991 and was granted association in 1992. B
accepting association with DPI, the organizatioagreed to meet criteria for association, includin
support and respect of the principles of th
Charter of the United Nations.”
No Genuine Kings
But in actual fact, the “Holy Three Kings
were no kings at all but astrologers. Astrologer
are characterized by making many prediction
with only few or none of them coming true. Fo
example, German astrologer Kurt Allgeier fore
told that seven million people in Stuttgart are(in Germany) would be killed by a nuclear blas
in 2002. His Romanian colleague Radu Moisoi
predicted that George W. Bush would die a
August 19, 2004. Antonio Vazquez Alba predict
ed the suicide of Britney Spears for 2008. No
even the prophecy of Nikki Pezaro that a gian
rabbit would be discovered in England in 200
has come true.
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The Witchtower 01/2010
The same feature – unfulfilled prophecies –
characterizes the “anointed Christians” from
Brooklyn as the antitypical astrologers. They
even considered “it an established truth that the
final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the
full establishment of the Kingdom of God, will
be accomplished by the end of A. D. 1914.” (Mil-
lennial Dawn, volume II, The Time is at Hand,1889 edition, page 99) Based on Bible verse
constellations, they predicted: “With the end of
A. D. 1914, what God calls Babylon, and what
men call Christendom, will be passed away.”
– Millennial Dawn, volume III, Thy Kingdom
Come, 1891 edition, page 153.
Like real astrologers, unfulfilled predictions
did not keep them from making new ones.
Hence they wrote some years later: “We should,
therefore, expect shortly after 1925 to see the
awakening of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham,Isaac, Jacob, Melchisedec, Job, Moses, Samuel,
David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, John
the Baptist, and others mentioned in the elev-
enth chapter of Hebrews. These will form a
nucleus of the new kingdom on earth. One of the
first things necessary will be to put Jerusalem
in condition to be the capital of the world.” (The
Way to Paradise, 1925 edition, page 224) Sup-
posedly “the year 1925 … [was] a date definitely
and clearly marked in Scriptures, even more
clearly than that of 1914.” – The Watchtower,July 15, 1924, page 211.
Decades later, they asked if “the battle of
Armageddon will be all over by the autumn of
1975, and the long-looked-for thousand-year
reign of Christ will begin by then” and added: “It
may involve only a difference of weeks or
months, not years.” (The Watchtower, August
15, 1968, page 499) But while the year 1975 was
described as an established fact in public talks,
it was rather described as a probability in the
magazines.
Awake, May 22, 1969
Their predictions are as reliable as those of astrologers
But the “Holy Kings” from Brooklyn em
ployed a similar strategy as astrologers to sav
their reputation: woolly predictions. Rather tha
stating an exact year, they wrote: “Within ou
twentieth century, the „battle in the day of Jeho
vah‟ will begin against the modern antitype o
Jerusalem, Christendom.” (“The Nations Sha
Know That I Am Jehovah” – How?, page 217Some years earlier, in the February 22, 196
Awake! issue, they stated: “The kingdom of Go
… will, within the twentieth century, cleans
the entire earth of wickedness” and even added
“Armageddon … will come in the twentiet
century.” (pages 7, 8) Even the January 1, 198
Watchtower still said that the preaching wor
“would be completed in our 20th century
– page 12.*
But that didn‟t help; these prophecies to
have definitely failed. But as the people do nostop trusting literal astrologers, as do millions o
people continue to trust the antitypical astrolo
gers from Brooklyn.
Oxen
One reason for that is related to the kind o
people that these self-proclaimed kings draw t
their organization. According to traditiona
descriptions, the original three Magi came to
shed where, besides baby Jesus, there were ox
donkey and sheep. Likewise the WatchtoweSociety looks for antitypical oxen, donkeys an
sheep.
The German edition of Encyclopaedia Wik
ipedia says: “The ox is indulgent and can b
used as a draft and work animal in agriculture
In a similar way, the “kings” from Brooklyn loo
for people who – like oxen – put up with every
thing and are not about any work. With regar
to themselves and their oxenlike followers, the
wrote in the July 15, 1990 Watchtower: “Th
anointed know they must eventually finish theiearthly course in death as Jesus did, but the
have companions to share with them the glori
ous treasure of service, to help them by doin
the bulk of the work of the preaching of the goo
news of the Kingdom.” – page 20.
* In the Watchtower Library on CD-ROM, the expression i
our 20th century“ has been changed to in our day.“ In th
German edition, it still reads in the 20th century.“
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Actually the oxenlike “publishers” sacrificed
more than 1,500,000,000 hours for the purposes
of the “holy ones” from Brooklyn during the past
year. They relinquished any pay and bore any
arising cost by themselves! Not for nothing, the
word “horn-ox” is a German “swearword for a
stupid human.” – Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm,
German Dictionary, volume X.
Donkeys
Which feature characterizes donkeys? The
German edition of Encyclopaedia Wikipedia
says: “Horses tend to flee in stress situations. …
Donkeys often stop dead in their tracks. Addi-
tional stress, e. g. by beating or yelling, rather
adds to the stiffness, what is the cause for the
donkey‟s reputation as an especially stubborn or
stupid animal.” For Jehovah‟s Witnesses, “stress
situations” arise when doctrines are changed,such as 1995 the one regarding the “generation.”
The increasing number of “anointed” which
contradicts the doctrine of the 144,000 can also
lead to stress situations.
While horselike people “flee” – that is, leave
the Watchtower organization – in such situa-
tions, donkeylike people “stop dead in their
tracks.” The “holy ones” from Brooklyn increase
the stress by „beating‟ the publishers with addi-
tional tasks or higher requirements. (Matthew
24:49) Instead of running away, donkeylikepublishers stubbornly stick to the organization,
saying: “But after all it is the truth!” They follow
the instruction from an old Kingdom Song:
“Keep to the way, and there ever stay.” – Sing
Praises to Jehovah, Song 111.
Oxen are good plodders
Like stubborn donkeys, the publishers don’t run away
Sheep
Finally, the wannabe kings are also lookin
for “sheeplike people [who] are willing to sacri
fice time, energy, and material resources.” (Th
Watchtower, May 1, 1989, page 19) Why? Th
German edition of Encyclopaedia Wikipedi
says: “In common parlance the sheep is usuall
considered as epitome of … stupidity, an
scholars often follow this evaluation.” Jeho
vah‟s Witnesses look for stupid people as pub
lishers. That‟s why they advise youths: “If yo
pursue secular education beyond what is re
quired by law, wisely examine your reason fo
doing so.” (The Watchtower, December 1, 1996
page 19) They even tell their followers: “Some
thing useful that can become a valueless thin
is secular education.” – The Watchtower, Apr
15, 2008, page 4.
Uneducated and stupid people can easily bmanipulated and used as plodders like oxen
They‟re afraid of running away even when the
notice that they have been cheated. And even i
they want to run away, they don‟t know where
Hence the self-assumed “holy ones” from
Brooklyn resemble the astrologers who visite
baby Jesus in the first century.
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Presents
The astrologers offered presents to baby Je-
sus – gold, myrrh and incense. The Governing
Body of Jehovah‟s Witnesses – which was fore-
shadowed by them – sacrifices gold too. “The
truths in the Bible may be likened to gold.”
– The Watchtower, September 15, 1990, page 3.
They sacrificed these Bible truths by adher-
ing to false doctrines out of a desire to retain
their power, such as the doctrine of the year
1914 or of a “Governing Body” in the first cen-
tury. Instead of Bible truths, they tout “the
gradual developments involving God‟s earthly
organizational arrangement” as “gold” to their
followers, as explained in the June 1, 2001
Watchtower issue under the title “Moving
Ahead to Final Victory!”
Another gift of the astrologers was myrrh.
According to the German edition of Encyclo-
paedia Wikipedia, myrrh was “used as aphro-
disiac” in ancient times, and “beds had been
sprinkled with it before sexual intercourse.”
But this is not the purpose for which the
Watchtower Society uses myrrh, of course.
They explain it themselves: “Myrrh … had a
narcotic and stupefying effect.” – The Watch-
tower, March 15, 1978, page 32.
In a similar way, the Watchtower Society
keeps their followers busy with meetings, as-
semblies, field ministry and with a neverend-
ing spate of “literature” which must be read,
studied and distributed. The monotonous voice
of many speakers and the repeating topics
together have “a narcotic and stupefying effect”
on the publishers, so that they do not notice at
all how they are cheated and exploited.
As a third present, the ancient astrologers
offered frankincense. In a transferred sense,
the Governing Body of Jehovah‟s Witnesses –
alledgedly representing the “faithful and dis-
creet slave” – too provides incense to their
followers with statements like: “We have sound
reasons to be grateful for „the faithful and dis-
creet slave.‟” – The Watchtower, July 15, 2006,
page 20.
An earlier issue said: “We should be thank
ful for the abundant spiritual food we are re
ceiving through the „faithful and discree
slave.‟” (The Watchtower, August 1, 1980, pag
20) And the February 1, 2007 issue said: “Wha
a contrast we see between the spiritual pros
perity of God‟s people and the religious confu
sion of Babylon the Great!” (page 23) Suc
statements make the publishers adulate o
cense the “faithful and discreet slave.”
Though the astrologers promised Herod t
tell him where the child could be found, the
finally “withdrew to their country by anothe
way,” and Herod noticed that “he had bee
outwitted by the astrologers.” (Matthew 2:12
16) Likewise the Watchtower Society declare
itself ready to comply with the United Nationsgoals for the sake of benefits. But in actual fac
its leaders wouldn‟t dream of it.
Rather they wrote in the December 15
1929 Watchtower issue: “The whole tendency o
the League of Nations is to turn the peopl
away from God and from Christ, and it i
therefore a desolating thing, the product o
Satan, and an abomination in the sight o
God.” (page 374) The May 1, 1999 issue quote
the above statement and added: “In time, thLeague gave way to the United Nations. Jeho
vah‟s Witnesses have long exposed these hu
man peace organizations as disgusting in God‟
sight.” – page 15.
Who is behind it?
Who is actually behind the Watchtower So
ciety? Is it really God, as they claim? Th
church father Jerome wrote that the thre
Magi were “instructed by demons.” Regardin
the star that led them to Jesus, the Watchtowe
wrote: “That star was actually a scheme o
Satan the Devil.” – December 15, 1982, page 9.
Hence we can conclude that the Governin
Body of Jehovah‟s Witnesses too is “instructe
by demons” and that not God, but “Satan th
Devil” is behind it.
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HOW ALCOHOL HELPED ME TO FACE HARD TIMES (2)
As told by Jeshua ben Joseph
Continued from The Witchtower, December 2009
Few days later, an old acquaintance calledJairus sent for me. He thought that his daugh-
ter would have died. Of course he could not
know that she had been out with me all night in
Zadok’s dance bar and was simply sleeping.
At once I went to Jairus and told him: “The
young child has not died, but is sleeping.” I went
to her and said: “Maiden, I say to you, Get up!”
Immediately she rose, and we had breakfast
together. I instructed Jairus to not broadcast
that his daughter would have been dead.
When I left the house, two blind men fol-
lowed behind and shouted: “Have mercy on us,
Son of David!” I asked them: “Do you have faith
that I can give you something?” “Yes, Lord,”
they answered. I told them: “According to your
faith let it happen to you” and gave them a sil-
ver coin. Then I sternly charged them: “See that
nobody gets to know it,” because I was afraid
that all other beggars of the area might come to
me too.
Carpenters were not well-paid in Israel, but
due to my career as a prophet, I had gained
some wealth. Hence, when I came home to Naz-
areth, the people said with regard to me: “Is this
not the carpenter‟s son? Is not his mother called
Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and
Simon and Judas? And his sisters, are they not
all with us? Where, then, did this man get all
these things?” They always thought that one
could not earn much as a prophet.
To further increase my income, I was alsoacting as a management consultant. A rich land-
owner engaged my services to help him optimize
the harvest. Previously, the gathering in of the
harvest had taken so long that some of the crop
rotted in the meantime. I analyzed the situation,
and in my final report I told him: “The harvest
is great, but the workers are few.” I recommend-
ed sending out more workers into his harvest.
A little later, I came to know that some of m
disciples kept donations and commodity contri
butions for themselves. I reminded them: “D
not procure gold or silver or copper for you
girdle purses, or a food pouch for the trip, or tw
undergarments, or sandals or a staff, but han
all receipts over to me!” We were in Bethlehem
on that day, and I asked around where we coul
go out in the evening. When the people told m
that there was no such thing as nightlife, I wa
horrified and said: “It will be more endurable fo
the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for tha
city.”
Some say that we would have been “object
of hatred by all people,” but that is a bit exag
gerated. But with my increasing wealth, ther
were more and more people who were not well
disposed towards us. Thus I decided to learn t
shoot, and we joined a local shooting association
My disciples were afraid of the rifles, but I reas
sured them: “Do not become fearful of thos
weapons who only hurt the body but cannot kil
it; but rather be in fear of those that can bothhurt and kill.”
Bethlehem’s nightlife was quite boring
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At the shooting exam we had to fire at spar-
rows. A cage with 50 sparrows was opened, and
each of us had to bring down at least 10 of them.
My disciples could not imagine that the exam
was monitored accurately; they were afraid that
passing depends solely on the examiner‟s favor.
I calmed them, saying: “Not one of the sparrows
will fall to the ground without the examiner‟s
knowledge. But the very bullets in your rifles
are all numbered. Therefore have no fear: the
exam is fair.”
A bit later, we were in fact raided at night.
As we had partied with plenty of wine until
early morning, we were unable to fight back.
Fortunately, we didn‟t have much cash with us,
but this was now gone. What should we eat
during the journey home – after all, three day‟s
journey? Luckily, nearby the day before there
had been a donkey race with more than 5,000
spectators. We went there and found not only
lots of fragments but even complete barley
loaves and fishes – more than enough provisions
for our journey home. Each of us took five loaves
and two fishes; if we had gathered together
everything, we surely could have filled twelve
baskets.
After we came home and rested from the ex-
hausting journey, we went to Lake Galilee to
relax. But there was pretty hard wind on that
day, so it wasn‟t as comfortable as expected at
the beach. So I made a bet with Andreas, claim-
ing that despite the wind, his fishing boat would
not be fast enough to keep me afloat on two
planks. (I heard that this concept has been de-
veloped further and is now called “water ski.”)
Anyway, I lost the bet, as the boat reached
an incredible speed in the severe wind, and I
could glide over the water for several minutes.
Some people at the beach saw me, and later
claimed that I would have walked over the wa-
ters. Peter wanted to attempt it too, but after a
short time, he started to sink. I‟m not sure
whether it happened because of the calming
down wind or because of Peter‟s overweight.
For a while, I dabbled in grocery. I offere
beef and self-made wine, which I called “Blood
because of his dark red color. My shop was deco
rated with a large sign that read: “If anyone i
thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He tha
does not feed on my flesh and does not drink m
„Blood‟ misses something!” Unfortunately, som
passersby misunderstood this slogan, and thbusiness didn‟t work well.
I closed the shop and roamed the land again
preaching everywhere. Once a woman followe
us and begged: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son o
David. My daughter is badly demonized.” In th
first place, I didn‟t react at all, for I knew tha
diseases are not caused by demons. But afte
some time, the disciples told me: “Send he
away; because she keeps crying out after us.” S
we stopped, and I asked the woman about he
daughter‟s problem. She replied that her daughter was much too thin for her age. I advised he
to stop taking the bread of her children an
throwing it to little dogs instead.
Some days later, we met a drunkard wh
had partied too long in Elijah’s Tavern the nigh
before. He told us: “I observe what seem to b
trees, but they are walking about.” We brough
him home and told his wife to bring him to bed
The next day, he had slept it off and could se
clearly again.
Then I had a new business idea. I wanted t
develop the Lake Galilee region into a touris
area and build a viewing tower in the wilder
ness. Hence I began searching for a suitabl
location together with Peter. Finally we found
decent rock, and I said to Peter: “On this rock
mass I will build my viewing tower!” But findin
investors was difficult. Many remembered th
tower in Siloam that had collapsed shortly be
fore, killing 18 passersby.
In the end I sat down and calculated the expense, to see if I had enough to complete th
tower. Otherwise, I might lay the foundation bu
not be able to finish it, and the onlookers coul
start to ridicule me, saying, “This man started t
build but was not able to finish.” Unfortunately
there was never enough money, and we had t
abandon the project.
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Some weeks later, I had to go to Jerusalem
to file my application for the annual adjustment
of prophet tax. On that occasion, I wanted to
visit a friend who lived nearby, so that I would
be away from home for about ten days. As Mary
and Martha were also not at home, I called Pe-
ter and told him: “I will give you the keys of my
house. Can you take care of the flowers while
I‟m away?” Unfortunately he wasn‟t attentive,
so that most flowers died. When I returned and
saw what happened, I was really upset and
yelled at Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are
a stumbling block to me, because you thought,
not about my flowers, but only about your fish!”
In Jerusalem I had come to know that some
of the Pharisees and Sadducees questioned my
authority as a prophet. I thought about how to
counteract. Finally I had an idea, which we put
into action the next day: Andrew dressed up as
Moses, and Philip disguised as Elijah. Then I
ascended a mountain with Peter, James and
John along with “Moses” and “Elijah,” while the
remaining disciples went to the nearby villages,
asking the people to follow us onto the moun-
tain. From then on, virtually no one questioned
my authority any longer.
Some days later, my disciples argued about
who really was the greatest of them. I didn‟t
want to watch that any longer, so I went to the
marketplace and purchased a measuring tape.
I measured every disciple and found that Thom-
as was the greatest of them with 1.82 meters.
The same day, someone told me of a nearby
shepherd who had lost one of his hundred sheep.
Rather than staying with the 99 remaining
sheep and at least keeping an eye on these, he
went searching for the lost one. He didn‟t find it
though, and when he returned, from the 99other sheep there were only 70 left.
During the next months we preached every-
where in Judaea and Galilee and Samaria.
Then, shortly before the Festival of Tabernacles,
I went down with flu. Hence I said to my disci-
ples: “You go up to the festival; I am not yet
going up to this festival.” Three days later, I felt
better and hit the road too. I came to a Samari
tan village and wanted to stay overnight. Unfor
tunately, there was no vacancy in the hotels, s
I decided to continue to walk all night. I saw
some meteors which the uneducated Samaritan
called “fire from heaven.”
At the Festival of Tabernacles we purchasean innovative fishing net, with which we coul
harvest fish from the lower realms of the lake
We checked it out right after our return an
indeed took a good catch. At our stall we told th
people: “The other fish are from the realm
above; our fish are from the realms below.”
After we had sold all fish, we went preachin
again. On the road we met a man who wanted t
follow us, but he was very dirty and smelled o
cowshed. That‟s why we told him: “Go wash inthe pool of Siloam, and then follow us!” Howev
er, we didn‟t see him again. That was not so bad
as we were 70 persons in the meantime, and i
was difficult enough to keep such a crowd to
gether. From time to time someone stepped on
serpent or a scorpion and had to be treated by
physician.
Once, when we were on our way from Jeru
salem to Jericho, we went past a Samaritan wh
lay unconsciously by the wayside. Likely he habeen raided and battered by highwaymen. Sinc
we were Jews, were not allowed to help him
though. Anyway, sooner or later a Samaritan
would come around, and he could take care o
his compatriot. However, we decided to keep an
eye on our wallets.
Fortunately, I always had enough wine with
me, so that I could stand all difficult situations
In the months to come, I should have to mak
use if it many times.
What happened when he met Martha an
Mary again after a long time? How did the Phar
isees react on his growing popularity, and how
did Alcohol always prove to be a support to him
in difficult times? These questions will be an
swered in the next issue.
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“ Would you be surprised to know that a certain form of slavery is recommended
in God’s Word the Bible?” (The Watchtower, January 15, 1970, page 61)
Under the influence of apostate Christiani-
ty, slavery has largely disappeared. But is this
development in harmony with God‟s will? Un-
der the title “ A Happy, Prosperous Nation
Under God‟s Law,” the Watchtower wrote even
decades ago: “There was the matter of slavery.
… When we examine the laws regarding it, we
find that it was a blessing to Israel.” – June 15,
1970, page 373.
Slavery in Israel
Indeed, slavery was explicitly arranged in
the law that God gave to the Israelites. Jeho-
vah explained to his servants: “ As for your
slave man and your slave girl who become
yours from the nations that are round about
you people, from them you may buy a slave
man and a slave girl. And also from the sons of
the settlers who are residing as aliens with
you, from them you may buy, and from their
families that are with you whom they had born
to them in your land; and they must become
your possession. And you must pass them on as
an inheritance to your sons after you to inherit
as a possession to time indefinite. You may use
them as workers.” – Leviticus 25:44-46.
The Israelites were not only allowed to pur-
chase foreigners. Regarding Israelite slaves,
Jehovah instructed them: “In case you should
buy a Hebrew slave, he will be a slave six
years. … If his master should give him a wife
and she does bear him sons or daughters, the
wife and her children will become her mas-
ter‟s.” (Exodus 21:2, 4) Unlike foreigners, male
Jewish slaves were not handed on from genera-
tion to generation. They could be released if
they were willing to leave their wife and chil-
dren behind.
This special provision did not apply t
women though. “In case a man should sell hi
daughter as a slave girl, she will not go out in
the way that the slave men go out.” (Exodu
21:7) After all, women were not considere
independent persons at that time. Unmarrie
women were viewed as the possession of thei
fathers, married women as the possession o
their husbands. Hence the owner of a slave gir
could not simply set her “free,” as free womehad no place in the Israelite society. The owne
of a slave girl either had to take her for a con
cubine or sell her to a Jew. – Exodus 21:8.
If an Israelite wanted to marry a woman
who was not already his slave, he had to buy
her from her owner. According to God‟s perfec
law he had to “to obtain her … as his wife fo
the purchase price,” and he was “to pay ove
the money at the rate of purchase money fo
virgins.” (Exodus 22:16, 17) So the price for virgin was determined by law, similar to th
food prices in communism.
Simply Employees?
Some believe that the slaves in Israel wer
no real slaves but a kind of employees. But th
Bible does not support this claim. The Ten
Commandments say: “ You must not desir
your fellowman‟s house. You must not desir
your fellowman‟s wife, nor his slave man nohis slave girl nor his bull nor his ass nor any
thing that belongs to your fellowman.” (Exodu
20:17) Wives and slaves were on a par with
houses, bulls, asses and other belongings.
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A businessman who beats his employees so
that they die the next day would be sentenced
for manslaughter in our time. But for the Isra-
elites, Jehovah had another provision: “If a
slave owner hits a slave, male or female, with a
stick and the slave dies on the spot, the slave
must be avenged.” (Exodus 21:20, MSG) He
added: “If the slave lives a few days after the
beating, you are not to be punished. After all,
you have already lost the services of that slave
who was your property.” (Exodus 21:21, CEV )
Someone who abused his slave girl so that she
died the next day was considered completely
innocent. This arrangement too shows that the
slaves in Israel could not be compared to em-
ployees.
Slavery disestablished by Christ?
Some may argue that the Mosaic Law was
disestablished by Jesus and is no longer valid.
That is true, but was slavery abolished togeth-
er with it? No, for as the prohibition of blood,
as did slavery already exist before the Law
covenant. Even Abraham, a man of faith,
owned “slaves born in his household.” (Genesis
14:14) Slavery did not come into existence with
the Mosaic Law; thus it was also not abolished
along with it.
Slaves and wives weighed as much as donkeys in Israel
When an Israelite wanted to marry, he had to buy the
woman either from her father or from her owner
According to German philosopher Joachim
Kahl, even around 200 B.C. “a slave-free man
kind was considered possible in some Greek
social utopias.” ( Das Elend des Christentums
page 22) But Jesus Christ, the son of God, di
not mention such an idea at all. He called him
self “more than Solomon.” (Luke 11:31) Higreat exemplar, King Solomon, “kept levying …
[people] for slavish forced labor.” – 1 King
9:21.
Therefore, Jesus too supported slavery an
taught his disciples: “Who of you is there tha
has a slave plowing or minding the flock wh
will say to him when he gets in from the field
„Come here at once and recline at the table‟
Rather, will he not say to him, „Get somethin
ready for me to have my evening meal, and puon an apron and minister to me until I am
through eating and drinking, and afterwar
you can eat and drink‟? He will not feel grati
tude to the slave because he did the thing
assigned, will he?” – Luke 17:7-9.
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Like other rulers of his time, Solomon
constrained people to forced labor
Christians and Slavery
So Jesus agreed with his disciples owning
and exploiting slaves. Some years later, the
apostle Paul confirmed this attitude when the
eloped slave Onesimus came to him. Though
his owner was a Christian, Onesimus ran away
from him – maybe he was ill-treated by Phile-mon. Maybe he hoped for Paul speaking out
against slavery.
But Paul knew that God himself has slaves.
(Revelation 1:1; Matthew 21:35) And he ad-
vised Christians: “Become imitators of God.”
(Ephesians 5:1) Thus he made Onesimus a
Christian and sent him back to his owner. The
Watchtower says: “Onesimus had become very
useful to the imprisoned apostle. In fact, Paul
would have kept him there, but apart frombeing against the law, this would have been an
infringement on the rights of Philemon.” (Jan-
uary 15, 1998, page 30) Paul respected the
divine arrangement of slavery and Philemon‟s
proprietary right in Onesimus.
The previously mentioned philosopher Joa
chim Kahl outlines the first Christian‟s attitud
towards slavery as follows: “Indeed, the New
Testament polemicizes in barbed words agains
copulation without license, against homosexua
ity, against short hair for women. However, tha
countless humans are exploited as living imple
ments by few others and hawked as goods is no
named and shamed or even banned. Not even
the idea that slavery is in principle reprehensi
ble and only because of the power relation
cannot be abolished yet appears.” – Das Elen
des Christentums, page 22.
That shows that slavery is an eterna
arrangement from Jehovah which existe
before and during the Law covenant, persist
in Christianity and will also have a place in
the new world. As the book of Revelation
shows, Jehovah will then disestablish death
mourning, outcry and pain, but not slavery
Even in the New Jerusalem, God‟s “slaves wi
render him sacred service.” – Revelation 22:3.
Saint Martin owned 20,000 slaves
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Before the great apostasy began, faithful
Christians carefully complied with the divine
provision of slavery. Saint Martin of Tours (in
compliment to whom St. Martins Day is still
celebrated) owned 20,000 slaves. Later popes
issued a number of laws according to which
certain peoples became “church slaves.” Pope
Nicolas V assigned the Kings of Spain and
Portugal “to invade, search out, capture, and
subjugate the … pagans and any other unbe-
lievers … and to reduce their persons into per-
petual slavery.” (Papal bull Dum diversas from
June 18, 1452) But in the 19th century, when
the apostate clerics „advanced from bad to
worse,‟ they abolished slavery.
After prayerful considerations, fathers
could sell their daughters as slave girls
The United Nations have conspired
against God and banned slavery
The United Nations organization which “iactually a worldly confederacy against Jehova
God and his dedicated Witnesses on earth” an
“an enemy of God” even claimed 1948 in a so
called Universal Declaration of Human Rights
“No one shall be held in slavery or servitude
slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibite
in all their forms.” – The Watchtower, Septem
ber 1, 1987, page 20; God’s Kingdom of a Thou
sand Years Has Approached, page 311.
The Lesson for Us
Awake! magazine noted: “ Abusive slavery i
incompatible with the Bible.” (September 8
2002, page 15) We should bear in mind tha
“abusive slavery” is involved. “Normal” slaver
though, as shown above, is not only compatibl
with the Bible but even an eternal divine ar
rangement. That‟s why, under the title “Chris
tian Slavery Provides True Friends,” the Watch
tower asked: “Would you be surprised to know
that a certain form of slavery is recommended i
God‟s Word the Bible?” – January 15, 1970, pag
61.
In most countries, slavery is banned, bu
may we never forget: “We must obey God a
ruler rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) How can w
stick to divine principles and cultivate slavery
in this devil-controlled world?
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Slavery within the Congregation
It would be a good opportunity to start
within the congregation. Family heads could
sell their daughters to the elders. (Exodus 21:7)
They could use the money to reduce their work
and start pioneering. A detailed price list for
slaves, grouped by age, sex, virginity and field
service hours, will shortly be sent to the elders,
so that “all things [can] take place decently and
by arrangement.” – 1 Corinthians 14:40; com-
pare Exodus 22:17.
We could specifically look for foreigners and
unbelievers in our territory, lure them into the
kingdom hall and lead them as slaves. (Leviti-
cus 25:44-46) The apostle Paul called one of his
bond slaves “my body” and explained: “I buffet
my body (handle it roughly, discipline it by
hardships) and subdue it.” (1 Corinthians 9:27,
MSG) Publishers in Russian-speaking congre-gations could ask their relatives at home to
establish contact with the Mafia. We could also
import slaves from Sudan.
What could we utilize our slaves for? In Is-
rael they were used, among others, as “gather-
ers of wood and drawers of water.” (Joshua
9:21) Abraham used his slaves to conduct war.
(Genesis 14:14) We could instruct our slaves to
gather wood on the off chance that the public
burning of apostates becomes allowed again.
They could perform the preaching ministry forus or underline our Watchtower. Slave girls in
Israel often became concubines and were forced
to help fulfill the divine assignment from Gen-
esis 1:28; Abraham used his slave girl Hagar
for this purpose too. (Genesis 16:4) Since a
brother is less likely to kill his slave girl when
she is pregnant from him, Paul wrote that a
woman would “be kept safe through childbear-
ing.” – 1 Timothy 2:15.
May we never forget: Slavery is a universa
arrangement from Jehovah. That Satan nearl
managed to eradicate it from his world doe
not absolve us from the obligation to cultivat
it. When we love Jehovah God and Jesu
Christ, we will keep a sharp lookout for oppor
tunities to apply the divine principles regard
ing slavery in our lives!
When a Christian doesn’t find an appropriate wife,
his mother could purchase a slave girl for him
Child slaves can be utilized for the witnessing work
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THE BIBLE’S VIEWPOINT: ARE FURNACES FOR CHRISTIANS?
As true Christians we must always be on our
guard to remain clean from Babylonian and pagan
rites. Some ask with good reason whether it is
advisable for Christians to use a furnace. They
mention three faithful servants of Jehovah who
“were thrown into the burning fiery furnace.” (Dan-
iel 3:21) Actually, furnaces were used as an in-
strument of execution in ancient Babylon; a letter
reads: “Thus says Rîm-Sin your lord: Because he
has cast the slave-lad into the oven, do you cast the
slave into the furnace.” (quoted from All Scripture
Is Inspired of God and Beneficial, page 139) How
do we appraise the issue in the light of the Bible?
At first, we have to notice that God‟s word often
speaks of furnaces or ovens in a negative context.
For example, the prophet Hosea said: “All of them
are adulterers, like a furnace.” (Hosea 7:4) So
furnaces are compared to adulterers, and adultery
is a detestable thing to God. (Leviticus 20:10) Does
that mean that Christians may not use furnaces on
any terms?
Some Christians may think so. Anja, a zealous
publisher from Austria, reports: “When I draw
near the furnace, I always felt an unusual and
vicious heat. I prayed to Jehovah and decided to
abandon the use of the furnace. Even after a short
time, the unexplainable heat that always had
existed near the furnace disappeared. I am very
grateful to Jehovah that he supported me during
those troublous times.”
There are also indications that seem to show
that Christians may use furnaces under certain
circumstances. For example, the Bible also men-
tions “Jehovah … whose furnace is in Jerusalem”
(Isaiah 31:9) The question arises though which fuel
is appropriate for Christians. Interestingly, the
Bible mentions heating by coal almost exclusively
in a negative context. The prophet Isaiah said
regarding the manufacturing of idols: “As for the
carver of iron with the billhook, he has been busy
at it with the coals. ... Also, he has become hungry,
and so without power. He has not drunk water; sohe gets tired.” (Isaiah 44:12) Indeed, coal-fired
furnaces were used to produce false gods.
The prophet Jeremiah too gained negative ex-
perience with coal furnaces. “The king [the apos-
tate Jehoiakim] was sitting in the winter house, in
the ninth month, with a brazier [a metal pan for
holding burning coals] burning before him. Then it
came about that as soon as Jehudi had read three
or four page-columns [from Jeremiah‟s scroll], h
proceeded to tear it apart with the secretary‟
knife, pitching it also into the fire that was in the
brazier until all the roll ended up in the fire tha
was in the brazier.” (Jeremiah 36:22, 23) Thi
enemy of true worship used a coal fire to burn th
words that Jeremiah sent to him in Jehovah‟
name.
In the night of Jesus‟ detention “they had buil
a charcoal fire” – not his disciples, but the slave
and officers in the courtyard of the high priest
(John 18:18) Indeed, it were usually enemies o
Jehovah who used coal for heating and fire light
ing. We can be confident that he did not for nothin
include those accounts into his word.
Jehovah himself uses coal only to annihilate in
fidels. The psalmist asked: “What will one give tyou, and what will one add to you, O you tricky
tongue? Sharpened arrows of a mighty man, alon
with burning coals.” (Psalm 120:3, 4) And David
prayed to God: “Do not grant, O Jehovah, the crav
ings of the wicked one. … May the trouble of thei
own lips cover them. May burning coals be droppe
upon them.” – Psalm 140:8-10.
Which fuel is appropriate for Christians then
Jesus provided an important clue when he men
tioned “the vegetation of the field, which is her
today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven.
(Matthew 6:30) Hence, plants – including trees –are acceptable fuel. Accordingly the reference book
Insight on the Scriptures says: “Wood … was likel
the main fuel of the Israelites.” (volume I, pag
875) The prophet Ezekiel had been instructed by
God to bake his bread “upon dung cakes of the
excrement of mankind,” but he refused and used
“cattle manure instead.” – Ezekiel 4:12, 15.
Consequently, if at all, only herbal and anima
fuel, such as wood, cowpat or rape oil, is suitabl
for the furnaces of Christians. The use of coal how
ever is a pagan custom and not acceptable to God
If we have electric heating, we should ask ouelectricity provider for a statement that the elec
tricity does not come from coal power stations.
May we never allow Satan the devil to lead u
into temptation at cooking! If our Bible-educated
conscience allows us to use a furnace, we mus
under all circumstances avoid heating it with coal
In that case we won‟t be annihilated by Jehovah a
“the day … that is burning like the furnace.
– Malachi 4:1.
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WHO IS OUTSIDE?Not only dogs are known for going outside in all weathers. “Jehovah’s
witnesses … go out in the rain, the cold,” too. (The Watchtower , June 15,
1970, page 369) They “go from house to house in all kinds of weather.”
– The Watchtower , August 15, 1970, page 498.
Even back in the 1940’s, George Fredianelli, a Jehovah’s Witness in Italy,
prompted the audience at a meeting: “Those for the truth and Jehovah’s
Witnesses follow me outside! Those against the truth can remain.”
– quoted according to 1982 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses , page 189.
“Outside are the dogs …”
… and Jehovah’s Witnesses.