witchtower_01_2010

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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

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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pines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia,

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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 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.

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