Pay attention to Brothers‘ Grimm prophecy!

Who today does not long for a solution to the problems plaguing humanity? We have not been left without hope, for about 200 years ago God inspired two brothers in Germany to utter several prophecies that are of particular relevance to our day.

Their harmonious correspondence with books of the Bible provides clear evidence of their divine inspiration. These messages are recorded in a book that bears the name of those prophets: Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Their prophecy contains light for all people today.

This article is the first of a series. In each article, one book of their prophecy will be discussed. The beginning will be the book Little Red Riding Hood.

The Grandmother Class Identified

Quite early we read, „Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here you have a piece of cake and a bottle of wine; take this out to the grandmother; she is sick and weak“ (Little Red Riding Hood 1:1).[*] Here we see a clear parallel to the teachings of Jesus, who said, „You gave me something to eat; … you gave me something to drink. … I became sick, and you looked after me. … As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me“ (Mat. 25:35-40).

This verse already gives us the first clue to the identity of the grandmother class. It obviously corresponds to the „brothers“ of Jesus. Does the further course of the prophecy confirm this? Little Red Riding Hood is instructed, „Do not go astray!“ (Little Red Riding Hood 1:1). Similarly, the anointed grandmother class has provided admonition. Thus, in the book Sing Songs of Praise to Jehovah, it says, „Keep to the way,
and there ever stay!“ (Song 111). The prophecy from the Book of Little Red Riding Hood introduces us to the importance of following the path set by the ‚faithful and understanding slave‘ – the present grandmother class.

Warning against the wolf class

The importance of the admonition can be seen from the following words: „Now as Little Red Riding Hood was coming into the forest, the wolf met him. But Little Red Riding Hood knew not what wicked beast it was, and was not afraid of him“ (Little Red Riding Hood 1:2). Similarly, it happens that Christians inadvertently come into contact with apostates, whether through television programs, the Internet, or some other means. Some are unaware of the dangers posed by the Wolf class and ‚do not fear them‘.

The tactics of the Wolf class are described in the prophecy as follows: „The young tender thing, that is a fat morsel. … You must start it cunningly“ (Little Red Riding Hood 1:2). Like the wolf, today’s apostates primarily target young Christians who have little life experience. In doing so, they imitate the „crafty acts of the devil“ (Eph. 6:5, footnote).

These include all the temptations of the world ruled by Satan.[†] The wolf said, „Little Red Riding Hood, see the beautiful flowers that are all around“ (Little Red Riding Hood 1:3). The „beautiful flowers“ today include material temptations and the immorality common in the world, which can be attractive to young people.

The Little Red Riding Hood Class Today

Normally, wolves eat sheep. Therefore, Little Red Riding Hood represents the „other sheep.“ Christians with earthly hope – who make up the Little Red Riding Hood class today – may be ‚deceived by false reasoning‘ (Jas. 1:22).[‡] The prophecy quotes Little Red Riding Hood as saying, „It is so early in the day that I arrive in due time after all.“ After that, [Little Red Riding Hood] „ran away from the path into the forest“ (Little Red Riding Hood 2:1). Christians today could practically say, „It is so early in the ‚Day of the Lord‘; it is still until Armageddon comes.“

Just as Little Red Riding Hood „went into the woods,“ so young Christians might become involved in worldly pursuits, such as vocational training or even university studies. Eventually, [Little Red Riding Hood] „got deeper and deeper into the forest“ (Little Red Riding Hood 2:1). A secular educational path can be the first step ‚deeper into the world.‘

In this, the Little Red Riding Hood class is desperately needed. A great preaching work needs to be done, but many members of the grandmother class are already old and say, „I am too weak and cannot get up“ (Little Red Riding Hood 2:2).

Others have already died, as indicated in the prophecy, „The wolf … without speaking a word, went straight to the grandmother’s bed and swallowed her“ (Little Red Riding Hood 2:2). Although these faithful servants of God were not directly killed by human apostates, the supreme apostate, Satan, was responsible for their deaths.

Finally, „he [the wolf] put on her clothes [and] put on her hood“ (Little Red Riding Hood 2:3). He disguised himself as a grandmother to deceive the inexperienced Red Riding Hood. Similarly, the renegade wolf class today uses journals that look very similar to those of the grandmother class, but contain poisonous ideas.

Little Red Riding Hood was so busy with the flowers in the forest that he forgot about his grandmother. The prophecy continues: „When it … could carry no more, the grandmother remembered him again, and he went on the way to her. It was surprised that the door was open“ (Little Red Riding Hood 3:1). Fortunately, many young Christians who had become involved in worldly pursuits take a similar path. They eventually realize that they ‚can no longer bear‘ their worldly ways and remember their mission to assist the grandmother class in preaching the good news.

The door is ‚open‘ to them, too, for Jehovah is „ready to forgive“ (Ps. 86:5). The inspired account continues, „The hunter … took a pair of scissors and began to cut open the belly of the sleeping wolf. … And then the old grandmother … came out alive“ (Little Red Riding Hood 3:2-5). Eventually, the already resurrected anointed ones – the hunter class – will raise their deceased brethren, bringing them out of the devil’s „belly,“ so to speak.

What future awaits the renegade wolf class? „But Little Red Riding Hood quickly fetched large stones, with which they filled the wolf’s womb, and when he awoke he wanted to leap away, but the stones were so heavy that he immediately sank down and fell dead“ (Little Red Riding Hood 3:6). The „stones“ represent the preachers of the good news, for as Jesus said, God would use stones to spread the message (Luke 19:40). Their messages are already heavy on the stomachs of the apostates. And in a short time, the heavenly hunter class will execute final judgment on the wolf class. The apostates will ’suffer the judicial penalty of eternal destruction‘ (2 Th. 1:9).

What do we learn from the inspired account of Little Red Riding Hood? Let us wholeheartedly support the grandmother class in the worldwide preaching work. Let us beware of the evil wolf class, their websites and their magazines. Yes, the message of the Brothers Grimm really contains divine light for our time.

[*] The quotations in this article are taken from Kinder- und Hausmärchen, Complete Edition 1894, unless otherwise noted.

[†] In the original German language of prophecy, the word Wald, meaning „forest,“ is very similar to the word Welt, which translates as „world.“ This shows that today’s dangers do not lurk in the forest, but in the world.

[‡] Little Red Riding Hood was a young woman with a large basket. Such Christian women, therefore, constitute the primary Little Red Riding Hood class, but in a broader sense, all Christians with earthly hope belong to it.

Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Questions from Readers: Can Christians Use a Broom?

Reprint from The Witchtower, 8/2009

In many places people use brooms to keep their houses and yards clean. Can Christians use a broom with a clear conscience? – B. B., Germany

In fact, brooms have been in use for thousands of years. Their origin dates back far into the pre-Christian era. Even in ancient China the people worshipped a broom goddess which shows that there was already a close relation between the broom and pagan mythology back then.

The Romans too attributed a magic function to the broom. An internet forum says that in Rome “the midwifes swept the threshold with a broom to expel the evil before a child was born in a house.” The book The Magical Household by Scott Cunningham and David Harrington says that „the Aztecs worshiped the Witch-Goddess Tlazolteotl, who was usually depicted carrying or riding a broom.“ – page 113.

But that was long ago. Does the link between broom and magic still exist today? The Encyclopaedia Wikipedia says: “Brooms have long been connected with witchcraft … and associated with female witches. … Today the broom is included in lists of ritual tools in many pagan guide books, where it is often referred to as a besom. A broom is … used to sweep ritual circles clean of negative energy.” Still today you can make a witches’ broom license in Germany’s Harz region.

Jesus too cautioned against the danger that comes from using a broom. He described an unclean spirit who inspected a house, looking for a place to live: “On arriving it finds it swept clean. … Then it goes its way and takes along seven different spirits more wicked than itself, and, after getting inside, they dwell there.” – Luke 11:25, 26.

We clearly see that the broom is a pagan symbol and is closely linked to false religion, even to magic and the occult. The use of a broom can attract demons. So as true Christians we surely will spare no effort to beware of brooms!

Bearing Children in a Dangerous World

Reprint from The Witchtower, 09/2010

“They did not leave children behind, but died.” – Luke 20:31.

Even back in Biblical times, women bore children. (Genesis 4:1, 17, 18, 20; 5:3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 19, 21, 25, 28, 32) But only because something is widespread, it must not necessarily be right. What does the Bible say about the question whether women should bear children? And if someone has children, how should he bring them up?

Evidence suggests bearing children is acceptable to God. After all, he himself instructed Adam and Eve: “Be fruitful and become many.” (Genesis 1:28) This is a divine commandment. Some Christians even believe that everyone who is capable is obliged to follow this instruction, even if he is not married.

Who Are Qualified as Mothers?

Granted, “fornication can … result in an unwanted pregnancy.” (The Watchtower, October 1, 1971, page 594) But considering the command from Genesis 1:28, it would indeed be a sin not to want pregnancy. According to a Xinhua report from 1997, “most youths use contraceptives.” Such “fornicators … will [not] inherit God’s kingdom.” – 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.

The apostle Paul who warned about this form of fornication knew that increase is important for the congregation’s existence. That’s why he wrote: “Therefore I desire the younger widows … to bear children.” (1 Timothy 5:14) To the present day, the lion’s share of the worldwide increase is produced in this way.

Family Life That Tires the Heart

God instructed Abraham: “Take, please, your son … and make a trip to the land of Moriah and there offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the mountains.” (Genesis 22:2) Of course, Christians today do not offer their children “as a burnt offering” but rather as “a sacrifice of praise.” (Hebrews 13:15) Instead of going into the ministry themselves, they report the Bible Study with their children and send these into the house-to-house ministry. –Our Kingdom Ministry, September 2008, page 3.

Certainly Jehovah’s Witnesses do not offer their children “on [any]one of the mountains” but on “the mountain of the house of Jehovah.” (2 Chronicles 33:15) They withhold from them “education beyond what is required by law.” (The Watchtower, December 1, 1996, page 19) That their children walk “upon the mountains … bringing good news” is important to them, not that they get reasonable vocational training. – Isaiah 52:7.

The sociologist spacedrummer wrote in a comment to the TV program Panorama: “What do you think how many people get children only for the child benefit?” Even though this shouldn’t be the major reason for Christian women to bear children, God’s word clearly says that “money is for a protection.” (Ecclesiastes 7:12) Indeed, generous donations can help a Christian to gain the elders’ approval, for example when he is heading for a judicial committee.

Father, Mother and Child – Are They Part of a Trinity?

Wise King Solomon mentioned another reason why it is good to have children: “Two are better than one … If two lie down together, they also will certainly get warm; but how can just one keep warm? … And a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn in two. Better is a needy but wise child than an old but stupid” husband. – Ecclesiastes 4:9, 11-13.

In fact, “a threefold cord” – a family with a child – “cannot quickly be torn in two.” The Awake! issue of December 8, 1997 describes the experience of many Jehovah’s Witnesses: “Unhappily married parents usually stayed together for the sake of the children.” (page 3) And even if a couple gets separated, they usually continue to have some contact with each other because of the children.

According to The Times, “women always feel colder than men.” (November 8, 2008) But in most cases, a child stays with its mother after a divorce, and so the two “will certainly get warm.” Likely that was the reason why a person in Jesus’ parable said: “My young children are with me in bed.” – Luke 11:7.

Pregnancy – Proper and Improper

There are, however, few passages in God’s word that discourage from getting pregnant. Jesus said, for example: “Woe to the pregnant women and those suckling a baby!” (Matthew 24:19) But did he really want to say that pregnancy is something bad? He also said: “Woe to you who are rich … Woe to you who are well fed … Woe to you who laugh!” (Luke 6:24, 25, NIV) And it is not bad to be rich, well fed or laughing, is it?

The Prophet Jeremiah commented similarly on the issue of childbearing when he mentioned the following persons in the same breath: “The blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and the one giving birth, all together.” (Jeremiah 31:8) And the psalmist mentioned someone “that is pregnant with what is hurtful.” (Psalm 7:14) In fact, children are hurtful; the expert Haribo wrote in the publication Simsforum: “Children break everything.”

Some Christians argue that Children are linked to pagan ceremonies. Moses wrote regarding the Canaanites: “Their sons and their daughters they regularly burn in the fire to their gods.” (Deuteronomy 12:31) Hence child-bearing is closely connected to demon worship.

The psalmist brought up another detail that is sometimes mentioned to show that Christian women should not have children: “Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the sons of youth.” (Psalm 127:7) Arrows are arms, and “true Christians … do not arm themselves.” (Awake!, September 22, 1995, page 14) Admittedly, children are not literal arms made of metal but “weapons” of flesh and blood. However, “true Christians are no part of the world; therefore, they do not resort to carnal weapons.” – Our Kingdom Ministry, December 1994, page 6.

Do You Share God’s View of Mate Selection?

If a Christian woman decides to have a child, she needs a mate. It is true, 1941 J. F. Rutherford directed a speech especially to children and youths from 5 to 18 years of age. He told them to wait until Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be resurrected, since these faithful men could help them find an appropriate mate.

As we know today, though, these men will only rise after Armageddon. But then “neither … outcry nor pain [will] be anymore” – so there will be no births anymore. (Revelation 21:4) Does that mean that a Christian woman should look for a partner by herself?

No. The reference work Your Youth – Getting the Best out of It advises young people: “If you live where dating and courtship are accepted as normal, the absence of these customs in certain lands may seem hard to understand. But people living in those lands may be equally puzzled by the customs where you live. They may view dating and courtship as unwise, or even somewhat offensive. A girl from India explained to a well-known Western marriage counselor: ‘How would we be able to judge the character of a boy we met and got friendly with? We are young and inexperienced … It’s so important that the man I marry should be the right one. I could so easily make a mistake if I had to find him for myself.’”

Since Abraham and the other faithful of old are not available, we could ask our parents, our grandparents, an elder or the mayor to choose an appropriate partner for us. If you live in a country where it is forbidden to have someone else select a mate for you, you’ll have to do it by yourself, if you want or not. But in that case you should heed the advice from the book Young People Bask in Their Success: “We should always be aware of the fact that it comes down to appearance. In ancient Israel, it was only required to bring the mandatory sacrifices; the attitude did not matter. Likewise, characteristics only play a minor role in a relationship. Rather, appearance, bodily charms and appropriate dress are really important.” – page 6, see also box on page 10.

Do You Have the Evangelizing Smell?

Though the Bible is no guidebook for mate selection, it gives some precious hints what worshippers of God should watch out for when looking for a mate. For example, it says of most faithful men of old that they had large flocks of sheep, goats, and cattle. Also in that time there was no shower and no antiperspirant. We surely can imagine that one could recognize such faithful men from afar by their smell. Likewise Christian women of our day should select a partner that can be smelled from a distance.

Something that has destroyed many relationships is “the desire of the eyes.” (1 John 2:16) We can prevent this danger by choosing a mate with poor eyesight. A Christian woman should ask for an attestation by the ophthalmologist to make sure that her potential mate is immune against “the desire of the eyes.”

Wise Solomon warned: “A report that is good makes the bones fat.” (Proverbs 15:30) And a fat man is not suitable if you want to have children. According to Dr. Kamau Kinyenje, “being overweight can cause hormonal changes that lead to male infertility.” (Sunday Nation, July 20, 2010) So be careful not to choose a man with a good field service report.

Children – From What Source?

According to Awake! magazine, “some youths seemingly do not grasp the connection between sex and pregnancy.” (October 8, 2004, page 5) Indeed, some women think that when they want to have a child, they only have to live together with a man, attend the congregation meetings and have a share in the preaching work.

But a Christian woman who wants to become pregnant should by all means heed the counsel given in the March 2007 Awake! issue: “Sex is no casual matter to Jehovah God; neither should it be to you.” (page 29) A couple in Germany that was raised in a Christian fundamentalist organization wanted to have children, but they did not get any for a long time. Finally in 2004, after eight years, they contacted a doctor who suggested giving sex a try. Shortly thereafter, the woman became pregnant.

Happy Though Pregnant – How Can It Be?

When a Christian woman is pregnant, she must watch out for certain dangers and avoid them. The prophet Isaiah provides a hint regarding what could cause harm to the child. He reports of someone who “came into the house of Jehovah.” (Isaiah 37:1) What were the consequences? “This day is a day of distress … and there is no power to give birth.” (Isaiah 37:3) Hence pregnant woman should give “the house of Jehovah” – depicting the modern Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s witnesses – a wide berth.

The mother’s diet is also of great importance for the well-being of the unborn child. Jehovah says to women worshipping him: “You will certainly become pregnant … And now watch yourself, please, and do not drink wine or intoxicating liquor, and do not eat anything unclean.” (Judges 13:3, 4) We must consider though that the Mosaic Law has been nailed to the torture stake together with Jesus. (Colossians 2:14) The command “do not drink wine” has been replaced by “the law of the Christ” that makes winedrinking the obligation of every Christian. – Galatians 6:2; 1 Timothy 6:23; John 15:1.

Maintain Your Confidence Firm to the Birth

The instruction ‘not to eat anything unclean’ is still valid, however, since Paul wrote: “God called us, not with allowance for uncleanness.” (1 Timothy 4:7) The animals that Christians may not eat under any circumstances include “the pig … It is unclean for you. You [pregnant ones] must not eat any of their flesh.” – Leviticus 11:7, 8.

The women are not the only ones who must be on the guard against unclean animals. Their mates too must heed the following advice: “And the hare … she is unclean unto you.” (Leviticus 11:6, ASV) Interestingly “the hare” is called a “she,” so the statement must refer to a symbolic ‘hare’ or a so-called “bunny” – according to The Urban Dictionary “a likeable female who is cute and sort of dumb,” often pictured in men’s magazines. If a man would be concerned with such material, he would be at risk of leaving his mate even before the birth of his child.

Birth – A Time of Fear or Hope?

In fact, a man has the right to leave his mate, but only after the birth of his child. The psalmist wrote: “Sons are an inheritance.” (Psalm 127:3) And “within six weeks after gaining knowledge of the inheritance, the heir can relinquish the inheritance.” (Wikipedia, German edition) Within this time, the father can decide to leave his son to the mother and go his own way. If he chooses to relinquish his inheritance, it is said regarding the children: “They are not his children.” – Deuteronomy 32:5.

But usually the fathers decide to stay with their sons. That’s why an angel said regarding a woman giving birth to a son: “You will have joy and great gladness, and many will rejoice over his birth.” (Lukas 1:14) However, even back in Biblical times it could happen that someone “proved to have, not sons, but daughters.” (Joshua 17:3) In such a case, how much time does the father have to decide whether he wants to stay with his daughter and the mother?

The Bible doesn’t say that directly, but it provides an important hint: “When a woman gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean for seven days … Then she must stay at home for 33 days … When a woman gives birth to a girl, she will be unclean … for two weeks. Then she must stay at home for 66 days.” (Leviticus 12:1-5, GWT) The uncleanness after a son’s birth lasted 40 days – almost six weeks. Shortly after that period, the father had to make his decision. We can conclude that the same applied to the birth of a daughter; that means that in such a case the father has twelve weeks to decide.

Besides, in ancient Israel no unclean person was allowed to “come into the congregation of Jehovah.” (Deuteronomy 23:1, 2) Hence parents are not allowed to enter a Kingdom Hall within six resp. twelve weeks after a birth.

Parents – Are You Feeding With the Right Materials?

The apostle Paul told his spiritual children: “I fed you milk, not something to eat.” (1 Corinthians 3:2) Accordingly parents have the obligation to feed their children milk. They have to be careful though, for God said to a child of god-fearing parents: “You will drink milk from other nations.” – Isaiah 60:16, GWT.

Due to international food labeling regulations it is relatively easy to recognize and avoid domestic milk when shopping. Only foreign dairy goods are suitable for children of Jehovah’s worshippers.

Children’s Screaming – When Will It End?

According to Awake! magazine, “babies cry for more reasons than being hungry.” (April 8, 1976, page 5) One of this “reasons” was mentioned by the prophet Isaiah: “There is an outcry … for lack of wine.” (Isaiah 24:11, ESV) As already mentioned, every Christian – regardless of his age – is obliged to drink wine. (1 Timothy 5:23) That’s why Jehovah instructs parents: “Buy wine and milk!” (Isaiah 55:1) The Shulammite’s boyfriend remembered his carefree childhood and related: “I have drunk my wine along with my milk.” – Song of Solomon 5:1.

The book Sing Praises to Jehovah says regarding children: “They are gifts from God; he says: ‘Use the rod.’” (song 164) When should a Christian “use the rod?” A report, not appearing in The Buffalo News, demonstrated that the presence of magazines with even mild religious content in the home could lower the thinking ability of children and endanger them. Such laxity would run counter to thinking for oneself. Parents should instruct their children to stay clear of anyone who offers to show them religious magazines and to report these incidents to them promptly.” (compare The Watchtower, September 15, 1984, page 21) Thus parents should immediately use “the rod of discipline” if their children secretly start to read the Watchtower. – Proverbs 22:15.

An Uneducated Congregation Under the “Faithful and Discreet Slave’s” Leadership

After some years, Christian parents will wonder what kind of education would be suitable for their child. According to the February 1, 2006 Watchtower, “a balanced education” has four objectives: “(1) to read well, (2) to write clearly, (3) to develop mentally and morally, and (4) to acquire the practical training needed for day-to-day living.” – page 10.

If your child can fluently read a Watchtower paragraph and can clearly fill in the field service report slip, you don’t have to worry about the first two items. Besides, the congregation meetings are the best place to “develop mentally and morally.” In actual fact, many a child can say: “I have more understanding than the elders.” (Psalm 119:100, NIV) But what about “practical training needed for day-to-day living?”

According to the October 1, 1998 Watchtower “the normal theocratic routine” of a Christian is “sharing in the ministry, attending the meetings … [and] studying the Bible.” (page 30) Hence the only school that is suitable for children of true Christians is the Theocratic Ministry School. With good reason Our Kingdom Ministry said that Christians “are receiving the best training available” in their meetings. – August 1996, page 2.

Deliverance from a World of Education

If you live in a country where the law requires attending a secular school, you must limit your child’s “secular education … [to] what is required by law.” (The Watchtower, December 1, 1996, page 19) Though “not everyone who goes to university loses his Christian faith or dies of a drug overdose,” such education “can become a valueless thing.” – The Watchtower, July 15, 1982, page 14; April 15, 2008, page 4.

Many parents think that they would have to explain the facts of life to their children. But according to the book The Secret of Family Happiness, as Christian parents you should “not review with your son or daughter the section ‘Sex and Morals’ in the book Questions Young People Ask – Answers That Work.” (page 68) The brochure School and Jehovah’s Witnesses rather points out that “many schools are … providing explicit education in sexual matters.” (page 27) This may cause disconcertment to you as a loving father or mother, but remember that you must “not be the one to decide just when you want your child to learn about sex, pregnancy and abortion.” (Awake!, March 22, 1978, page 20)

Upbringing a child is a lengthy project. When it is finalized – that is, when the child leaves either the Christian congregation or the parents’ home or both – God will speak regarding the parents: “Let them rest from their labors.” (Revelation 14:13) Then they can ‘enter into God’s rest’ and “get a firm hold on the real life.” – Hebrews 4:10; 1 Timothy 6:19.

How can you find the false religion?

Reprint from The Witchtower, 2/2010

There so many religions. How can you, among all those, find the one that is false without fail? Joseph F. Rutherford, an American lawyer and deputy judge, knew about religion. As he wrote in his book Preparation, he received some of his insights from angels. He clearly explained how we can identify the false religion:

So “the Devil’s religion,” characterized by “hypocrisy,” is an “organization,” the members of which “call themselves by the name of the Lord.”

Do we know such an organization? Jehovah’s Witnesses “not only call upon the divine name but also bear that name as Jehovah’s Witnesses.” (The Watchtower, November 1, 1983, page 7) “They are having the name of Jehovah … called upon them.” – The Watchtower, September 15, 1974, page 559.

Food Poisoning – God Overlooks Expiration Date!

Revised reprint from The Witchtower, 3/2010

Is the spiritual food harmless to health?

A spiritual rotten meat scandal of unprecedented proportions is shocking God’s organization. To maintain physical health, we need food that is wholesome. “Likewise, we need wholesome spiritual food to maintain our spiritual health.” (Mankind’s Search for God, page 28) To people who want to maintain spiritual health, Jehovah’s Witnesses say: “We have what they need: the nourishing spiritual food.” – Come Be My Follower, page 159.

But does this claim bear critical examination? Or has the best-before date of the spiritual food already expired? May we pay attention to what the book The Harp of God said even back in 1922: “Jesus said with reference to his second presence: ‘For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together’. (Matthew 24:28) And so it is. The carcass here refers to the spiritual food provided for the household of faith.” – page 240.

Pastor Russell had a similar opinion. He mentioned Jesus’ words “Wheresoever the body [the carcass, the food] is, thither will the eagles be gathered together” and explained that “the Lord … will attract them [his ‘elect’] as eagles are attracted, by food, for which they have a keenness of vision and appetite.” Regarding his doctrines published in the Watchtower and the Bible Students he added: “The food of ‘present truth’ now provided by our Lord, and the gathering of his saints by and to it, fits the description of this prophecy exactly.” – Millennial Dawn, volume IV, The Day of Vengeance, page 610.

So Russell and Rutherford, the first two presidents of the Watchtower Society, clearly pointed out that their writings were spiritual rotten carcass. According to the German edition of Encyclopaedia Wikipedia, carcass is “the rotting corpses of animals … Due to the decay of the corpse, cadaveric poisons and strong odor of decomposition evolve … In addition, due to bacterial toxins, the carcass becomes more and more toxic over time.”

Unlike so many others, this doctrine has not been replaced by “brighter light” yet. Rather it was reaffirmed more than 50 years later in the Watchtower: “The ‘chosen ones,’ Jesus said, would not be deceived and disappointed by false Christs. They are symbolically like ‘eagles’ in having sharp spiritual insight. As an eagle knows where the carcass on which he is to feed is to be found, so the farsighted ‘chosen ones’ would gather together to the looked-for Messiah, Jesus, to feed on the spiritual food.” (December 15, 1974, page 750) Chapter 11 of the book The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived applies Matthew 24:28 to the “true spiritual food” too.

Hence there can be no doubt that the anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses – the alleged “chosen ones” – are spiritual scavengers, distributing seedy food to their followers. This was confirmed by Joseph F. Rutherford, who wrote: “The beginning of the ‘pouring out of the third bowl’ dates from July 25, 1824 … These ‘water fountains’ are effusions, talk, palaver … sent forth … by those who claim that they have power to make the earth a fit place in which to live … As to the effect upon these ‘rivers and fountains of waters’, ‘they became blood,’ that is to say, as dead rot.” – Light, volume II, page 25.

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that they would cultivate “an earthly paradise” after Armageddon, so that the earth would become “a fit place in which to live forever.” (Awake!, April 2007, page 10; Good News to Make You Happy, page 94) Indeed do their “effusions” fill whole libraries, and their “palaver” is bothering homeowners all over the world. As foretold, all their publications are “dead rot” or “carcass.” Like literal carrion, their writings become “more and more poisonous over time,” so that not even their followers dare to read in their older books. Actually these contain many claims which seem ridiculous and absurd now, but were beyond any doubt based on the Scriptures back then. Nevertheless, “meat” that is decades old and long rotten is simply repackaged (that is, equipped with a new cover page) and printed with a new date.

No wonder that whoever eats from the spiritual food for some time becomes spiritually ill. Which normal human has “appetite” for carcass, like Russell wrote? Many affected people isolate themselves more and more and are hardly responsive to the outside world. Hence may we beware of the rotten spiritual meat that Jehovah’s Witnesses distribute all over the world!

Not only spiritual carrion

The “eagles”, the anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses, eat not only spiritual carrion. Jehovah himself said regarding the eagle: “Where the slain are, there it is.” (Job 30:30) Accordingly Judge Rutherford wrote: “The remnant on the earth are ‘the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven’ … The gathering is to ‘the supper of the great God’ … These birds are invited to feed upon the fallen hosts of the enemy’s organization; therefore they must represent the Lord’s remnant on the earth … The faithful are likened unto eagles … Eagles feed upon the flesh of dead animals. ‘For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered.’ (Matt. 24:28) … All these Scriptural illustrations fit the faithful servant class on earth … Jehovah, by his mighty Field Marshal, does the fighting and fills the earth with dead bodies … It will be a feast to those who are on the Lord’s side.” – Light, volume II, pages 172, 173.

Another Watchtower book confirms this view. It explains that the “birds” from Revelation 8:17 are the “eagles” from Matthew 24:28 and adds: “These passages will have a literal and terrible fulfilment in a deluge of actual bloodshed.” Regarding the “kings” or human rulers, the book says: “They are there to be eaten.” – The Finished Mystery, 1918 edition, page 296.

Hence the anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses are looking forward to the day when God will slaughter all humans except Jehovah’s Witnesses. Their carcasses will lie about everywhere and will “be a feast to those who are on the Lord’s side.” Which side will we be on?

Micah – Advocate of Truth

Reprint from The Witchtower, 8/2009

“Therefore you will come to have no one … in the congregation.” (Micah 2:5)

The prophet Micah lived in the eighth century B.C.E. in Israel. According to the book Insight on the Scriptures, he “prophesied during very turbulent times when false worship and moral corruption flourished in Israel and Judah, also when King Hezekiah instituted religious reforms.” His words can also be applied to our time when false worship flourishes among Jehovah’s organization, and when the Watchtower Society institutes religious reforms.

Like Jehovah, Micah is “telling from the beginning the finale,” revealing right at the outset what the future holds for the Watchtower Society. (Isaiah 46:10) “God’s organization of intelligent persons is likened to a woman,” and likewise the Watchtower Society is depicted as a woman in Micah’s prophecy. (1981 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 3) Micah says about the Bethel buildings in Brooklyn, Patterson, and elsewhere: “I will pour down into the valley her stones, and her foundations I shall lay bare.” (Micah 1:6) In the end, nothing will remain of these buildings which are blasphemously called “Bethel” or “House of God.”

Also their “graven images will all be crushed to pieces.” (Micah 1:7) In Micah’s day, images were not printed but graven. The Watchtower Society has truly flooded the world with its ‘printed images’ which awaken illusionary hope for a future paradise in gullible people.

But Micah also foretold: “All the gifts made to her as her hire will be burned in the fire.” (Micah 1:7) The fact that the Watchtower Society is adopting cost cuts everywhere indicates that part of it assets “burned in the fire” of the worldwide financial crisis. Its leaders may expect to get off cheaply because their followers will surely continue to make donations. But “the stroke upon her is unhealable.” – Micah 1:9.

Field service

Micah says regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses: “Woe to those who are scheming what is harmful, and to those practicing what is bad! … By the light of the morning they proceed to do it.” (Micah 2:1) In fact, most Jehovah’s Witnesses go to field service “by the light of the morning.” And they do not proceed randomly, rather they are “scheming” or “planning” their “harmful” work: “To share effectively in field service, good planning is necessary” – Our Kingdom Ministry, 11/1975, page 3.

Of course, many people in the field service territories have more beautiful houses than the publishers. That is why it is an open secret that many Jehovah’s Witnesses privately anticipate the annihilation of all worldlings, so that they can inherit their houses after Armageddon. This attitude is actually in harmony with Watchtower literature. The book Insight on the Scriptures says: “The possessions of the wicked will go to the righteous, as the proverb states: ‘The wealth of the sinner is something treasured up for the righteous one.’ – Pr 13:22; 21:18.” But Micah exposed this selfish attitude already 2800 years ago: “They have desired fields and … houses, and have taken them.” – Micah 2:2.

Micah further says that Jehovah’s Witnesses “have defrauded an able-bodied man and his household, a man and his hereditary possession.” (Micah 2:2) Indeed, the 1995 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses admits that “entire families often share together in Jehovah’s service.” (page 228) With regard to a family which accepted the so-called “truth” together, the prophecy says: “This is what Jehovah has said: ‘Here I am thinking up against this family a calamity.’” (Micah 2:3) Of course Jehovah does not cause the calamity, but he allows his alleged witnesses to bring it upon this family.

Apostasy begins

But some families do not allow themselves to be taken for fools forever. At some point they notice that they had fallen for a dangerous cult and notice: “It is a time of calamity.” (Micah 2:3) Truly, “in that day one will … certainly lament a lamentation, even a lamentation. One will have to say: ‘We have positively been despoiled!’” (Micah 2:4) In many cases, information provided by apostates through the Internet contributes to this development.

The elders do not like that, of course. They lament: “The very portion of my people he alters. How he removes it from me! To the unfaithful one he apportions out our own fields.” (Micah 2:4) They wonder why Jehovah permits that some of ‘their people’ turn away from the allegedly only true religion. They view their field service territory as ‘their own fields’ and are appalled by “unfaithful” apostates reaching the people there through the Internet.

Downfall begins

Micah says to them: “Therefore you will come to have no one … in the congregation.” (Micah 2:5) The elders are concerned about this development, but they do not want to talk about it. “They let words drop. They will not let words drop concerning these things.” (Micah 2:6) Indeed, at people’s doors, “they let” many “words drop.” But “concerning these things” – the ideas of the apostates and their influence – they make no words. This subject is taboo for them. Even in the congregation, sometimes voices are being raised saying that there might be some truth in the ideas of the apostates. But the elders advise such persons: “Don’t say such things!” – Micah 2:6, NLT.

On behalf of Jehovah, Micah says to the elders and to the Governing Body: “The women of my people you drive out from the house in which a woman has exquisite delight.” (Micah 2:9) How do they do that? On the one hand by regularly lowering the pioneer hour goal. 1977 it was changed from 100 to 90 hours, 1999 to 70 hours. Rumors say that a reduction to 50 hours might be imminent.

Hence the shoes of the pioneers and their preaching companions do not wear out so fast, so that they spend less time at the shoe store – “the house in which a woman has exquisite delight.” On the other hand, many sisters do not even have money for new shoes because they heeded the Watchtower counsel, so that their husbands learned only a simple profession and they themselves none at all.

Jehovah continues to accuse the Watchtower organization: “You make victims of the children.” (Micah 2:9, MSG) In fact, most children of Jehovah’s Witnesses are doomed to become social outcasts. Others must move with their family to another area because of the “kingdom interests,” or their parents send them to Bethel. Also, many Jehovah’s Witnesses withhold a good education from their children.

Micah further declares: “The only prophet you want is a liar.” (Micah 2:11, CEV) True, even if former false teachings were called “present truth” back then, they actually were lies. That the annihilation of all human governments and the churches would be completed in 1914, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be raised in 1925 and take over the rule over Palestine, that Armageddon would come in 1975 – all that were lies, no “present truth.” No single one of these prophecies has fulfilled, though there had supposedly been “clear evidence” back then. Many Jehovah’s Witnesses do not even know of these doctrines.

The End

No wonder that Jehovah urges all Jehovah’s Witnesses through his prophet Micah: “Get up and go!” (Micah 2:10) He says: “Get up, go away! … One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out.” (Micah 2:10, 13, NIV) Hence, everyone should leave the Watchtower organization – the sooner the better. The one “who breaks open the way” in the first place was Raymond Franz, whose book Crisis of Conscience has opened many Jehovah’s Witnesses’ eyes for the first time. In the meantime there are numerous other books and websites that belong to the open-breaker class. They all helped many Jehovah’s Witnesses to “break through the gate” of mind control and “go out” into freedom.

Severe judgment awaits the elders. Jehovah says to them: “You are supposed to know right from wrong, but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh from their bones. Yes, you eat my people’s flesh, strip off their skin, and break their bones. You chop them up like meat for the cooking pot. Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble! Do you really expect him to answer? After all the evil you have done, he won’t even look at you!” (Micah 3:1-4, NLT) Instead of lovingly caring for their fellow Christians, they sting them into accomplishing more field service hours and talk them into feelings of guilt. Whoever does not perform as expected is abandoned. Granted, this is not true of all elders. Some of them have retained their humanity, as there were some sincere men among the Pharisees. (John 3:1) But as a group, these elders have fully deserved God’s judgment.

“You lying prophets promise security for anyone who gives you food, but disaster for anyone who refuses to feed you.” (Micah 3:5, CEV) The Watchtower leaders are “lying prophets” who keep their followers busy with studying their so-called “literature.” But how do they ‘promise security for anyone who gives them food?’

Jesus also said: “You gave me food.” (Matthew 25:35, MSG) The February 1, 2002 Watchtower explains what Jesus meant with these words: “Christ’s anointed brothers on earth in this time of the end have particularly received the active support of the other sheep in carrying out the God-given commission to ‘preach this good news of the kingdom in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.’” (page 22) Hence those who ‘give food’ to the elders are publishers who give sufficient contributions and have enough hours on their field service report slip. “They look forward to living forever in peace and security on a paradise earth.” – The Watchtower, December 1, 2007, page 29.

They ‘promise disaster for anyone who refuses to feed them.’ Accordingly the August 1, 1988 Watchtower says: “Very soon now, all those who profane God’s holy name will be destroyed.” (page 7) And by this they mean all who do not belong to their organization and do not comply to its rules. (compare You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, page 255) But they think that Jehovah’s Witnesses with too little field service hours also belong to the ones who will be annihilated. According to the brochure From Kurukshetra to Armageddon – and Your Survival “there will be wholesale slaughter. … ‘Those slain by Jehovah will certainly come to be in that day from one end of the earth clear to the other end of the earth.’” – page 7.

No more “brighter light”

Jehovah announces to these false prophets: “Therefore you men will have night, so that there will be no vision; and darkness you will have, so as not to practice divination.” (Micah 3:6) There will be no more “brighter light” but rather “darkness.” So “there will be no [fallacious] vision” for the Watchtower prophets, allowing them to publish new dates for Armageddon as they did in the past. Though “they’ll hide behind their reputations and make lame excuses to cover up their God-ignorance,” God explains to them: “You seers will be put to shame, and you fortune-tellers will be disgraced. And you will cover your faces.” – Micah 3:7, MSG, NLT.

Luckily many have already left the Watchtower organization, and others will follow. But a large number of their supporters will follow them into destruction: “Upon Jehovah they keep supporting themselves, saying: ‘Is not Jehovah in the midst of us? There will come upon us no calamity.’” (Micah 3:11) They really think that “there will be only one organization – God’s visible organization [the Watchtower organization] – that will survive the fast-approaching ‘great tribulation.’” (You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, page 255) According to their imagination, “only lovers of God and of his family, his organization, will survive.” – The Watchtower, December 15, 1982, page 27.

Through his Prophet Micah, Jehovah further announces: “Therefore on account of you men Zion will be plowed up as a mere field, and Jerusalem herself will become mere heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the house will be as the high places of a forest.” (Micah 3:12) According to the March 15, 1972 Watchtower it is “the visible earthly [Watchtower] organization that represents Zion.” (page 183; compare Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for All Mankind, vol. I, page 364) The Watchtower Society, the connected organizations, and their headquarter in Brooklyn “will be plowed up as a mere field,” so that after some time nothing will remain of it.

According to the January 1, 1984 Watchtower Jehovah’s Witnesses are “the earthly representatives of ‘Jerusalem above.’” (page 26) Their kingdom halls “will become mere heaps of ruins.” No one will want to purchase a building that belonged to Jehovah’s Witnesses before, so that demolition will be the only option.

“The mountain of the house” represents the many mountains at which the Watchtower Society has their facilities, such as the Cranberry Mountain in Patterson, New York, USA, where the Watchtower Educational Center is located, or the Steinfels in Selters, Germany, with its large Bethel complex. All these mountains and the nearby Watchtower facilities “will be as the high places of a forest.” Likely the Watchtower buildings will have to make way for a forest that is used as a recreation area for cult victims. Some inconvincible ones “will certainly go and say: ‘Come, you people, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah,’” but they will only find “high places of a forest.” – Micah 4:2.

Peace for mankind

Jehovah will “set matters straight … They will not lift up sword … neither will they learn war anymore.” (Micah 4:3) What is the “sword” that Jehovah’s Witnesses “will not lift up” anymore? “When N. H. Knorr spoke … back in 1942 at the New World Theocratic Assembly … he identified the Bible as the greatest offensive weapon, the ‘sword of the spirit.’ … In essence, he expressed the thoughts of Jehovah’s servants in general: ‘If we could only find the text we want, we could hold off our opponents.’” – 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 218.

So no one will bother his fellow men anymore with the Bible in his hand. “The warfare Jehovah’s Witnesses wage is strictly spiritual,” says the October 1, 1999 Watchtower. (page 11) They will not learn this kind of “war anymore.” They also will no more try to proselytize other people. The people “will actually sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, and there will be no one making them tremble,” not even on Saturday morning. – Micah 4:4.

Jehovah announced long time ago: “I will bring together those who were sent away, those whom I caused to have trouble.” (Micah 4:6, NCV) Jehovah’s Witnesses “were sent away” many times when they tried to talk to people about God’s kingdom. Now, Jehovah will ‘cause them to have trouble’ by bringing them to the brink of ruin.

Messages of woe

The bothersome messages of woe in the Watchtower are jarring Jehovah on the nerves even today: “O watch-tower … why do you cry out in a loud voice? … Has your wise man died?” (Micah 4:8, 9, NLB) The times when interesting articles – mostly written by Fred W. Franz, the “wise man” – could be read in the Watchtower are long gone. And back then, the “brighter light” was interesting but yet wrong. The Watchtower writers “have not come to know the thoughts of Jehovah, and they have not come to understand his counsel.” – Micah 4:12.

Jehovah’s judgment is already fixed: “Be in severe pains … You will have to come as far as to Babylon.” (Micah 4:11) Indeed, the Watchtower Society has made itself a part of Babylon the Great by its cooperation with the UN and the OSCE and its involvement in World War I. Hence they must “be in severe pains” before their final destruction. Jehovah will only let this organization exist “until the time that she who is giving birth actually gives birth.” (Micah 5:3) Since the birth of a child happens about three times every second, it can be only a short time.

Current situation

Now Micah is transferred back to the near future. Though the judgment for the Watchtower Society will have begun, there will still be many Jehovah’s Witnesses. With regard to them Micah says: “Those who are left … will be among the nations, among many people, like a lion among the animals in the woods, like a young lion among flocks of sheep. When he passes through, he crushes them and tears them to pieces.” (Micah 5:8, NLB) Jehovah’s Witnesses really behave like a lion. They say: “Many will not listen, but we do not get upset. We are looking for sheeplike ones.” (Our Kingdom Ministry, September 1979, page 4) When they found someone who shows interest in their message, they ‘crush him and tear him to pieces’ by imposing a totally new way of life on him. In many cases, only ruins of his former life, friends, and family remain.

In the meantime they pray to God: “Raise your fist in victory over your enemies, and all your enemies will be destroyed!” (Micah 5:9, NCV) Even in the October 1, 1952 Watchtower Jehovah’s Witnesses declared: “We pray with intensity and cry out this prayer for Jehovah to delay no longer, and plead that his anger be made manifest. Bring forth your arm and let the enemies see it, and use it for their hurt and destruction.” (page 600) But they have no clue that Jehovah will answer their prayer by bringing destruction upon Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves. Micah said to Jehovah: “All enemies of yours will be cut off,” and he warned his alleged witnesses: “It must occur in that day … that I will cut off your horses from the midst of you and destroy your chariots.” (Micah 5:9, 10) Regardless of their horsepower, Jehovah will defang the cars of the remaining Jehovah’s Witnesses, so that they will not be able to drive to their field service assignments. Indeed, “Jehovah has a legal case with his people.” – Micah 6:2.

Many Jehovah’s Witnesses realize that the tightly organized “sacred service” does not bring them closer to God. They notice like Micah: “With what shall I bow myself to God on high? Shall I confront him with whole burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams? … Shall I give my firstborn son for my revolt?” (Micah 6:6, 7) They quasi say: “Shall I confront him with home bible studies lasting a year? Will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of field service hours? Shall I send my firstborn son to Bethel?”

They understand what suffering has been caused by articles like “Should Children Be Spanked?” or “Disciplining Children for Life.” They heed Micah’s advice: “Hear the rod and who it was that designated it.” (Micah 6:9) Actually it was not Jehovah who ‘designated the rod’ as a method of education but the self-proclaimed “faithful and discreet slave.”

Bethel’s future

As Jehovah explains through the prophet “do there yet exist in the house of a wicked one the treasures of wickedness.” (Micah 6:10) The “house of a wicked one” is the Bethel home that also accommodates the writing department. Jehovah’s Witnesses view their doctrine “as a precious treasure.” During the years many “treasures of wickedness” have been brought forth in the writing department’s buildings. (compare The Watchtower, August 1, 1995, page 23) Bethel’s “own inhabitants have spoken falsehood, and their tongue is tricky in their mouth.” (Micah 6:12) In fact, all prophecies uttered by the Watchtower have turned out wrong. Among the members of the writing department “there is no upright one.” – Micah 7:2.

The prophet Micah says to the publishers: “You, for your part, will sow seed, but you will not reap.” (Micah 6:15) There is no doubt about what is meant with this “seed.” The April 1970 issue of Our Kingdom Ministry explained to the reader: “You have opportunity to sow seeds of truth by leaving the magazines for them to read.” (page 3) And according to the June 15, 1992 Watchtower, Jehovah’s Witnesses yield a “rich harvest of souls.” (page 15) Thus Micah’s prophecy means that Jehovah’s Witnesses will print and place many magazines but not gather men.

No one will want to listen to them. Rather they will become “an object of astonishment and … something to be whistled at.” (Micah 6:16) Even today Jehovah’s Witnesses are now and again whistled at; in 1937 Francisco Zortea and other publishers “were greeted by laughter, catcalls and derision” in Italy. (1982 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 148) Before long no one will take them seriously anymore.

Good company

When someone refuses to continue the meaningless life course of a Jehovah’s Witness, he is disfellowshipped. He is then shunned even by his relatives. The September 15, 1981 Watchtower issue says: “Christians related to such a disfellowshiped person living outside the home should strive to avoid needless association, even keeping business dealings to a minimum.” (page 29) This development was foretold by the prophet Micah: “A son is despising a father; a daughter is rising up against her mother; a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his household.” – Micah 7:6.

It happens sometimes that relatives do not completely shun an expelled person, though they would be obliged to according to Watchtower doctrine. But anyway Jehovah gives to all disfellowshipped persons the following advice: “Do not put your faith in a companion. Do not put your trust in a confidential friend” if he is still a Jehovah’s Witness. – Micah 7:5.

Jehovah promises a sincere person to bring him out of the congregation and “forth to the light.” (Micah 7:9) Regarding the remaining Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jehovah promises him: “They will be afraid of you.” (Micah 7:17) Indeed, apostates have no need to be afraid of Jehovah’s Witnesses – rather these have fear of apostates. Finally the prophet prays to Jehovah: “You will throw into the depths of the sea all their sins.” (Micah 7:19) The “sins” of the Watchtower Society are mainly their false teachings and treacherous prophecies which are printed in their countless publications. Jehovah will “throw into the depths of the sea” all the Watchtower publications, so that they will never again harm innocent readers.

How God Cares for Us

Reprint from The Witchtower, 7/2010

“Never be anxious!” – Matthew 6:31

The Watchtower regularly urges Christians to “cut back on employment.” (The Watchtower, January 15, 2008, page 18) Every now and then it also recommends to ‘quit one’s job and become a minister.’ (The Watchtower, September 1, 1989, page 25). Of course, whoever heeds this counsel reduces his income and has less money, or none at all, to purchase food and clothes.

In such a situation, one could be anxious, but Jesus exhorted all Christians: “Never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’” (Matthew 6:31) At first sight, that seems to be impossible. But Jesus also explained why Christians should not be anxious: “Observe intently the birds of heaven, because they do not sow seed or reap or gather into storehouses; still your heavenly Father feeds them.” (Matthew 6:26) Indeed, “if Jehovah cares for birds … how much more will he care for humans.” – “Come Be My Follower”, page 115.

The key to understanding this Bible verse was revealed by the October 15, 2007 Watchtower. It said regarding Christians that “God would provide for them just as he provides for ‘the birds of heaven.’” (page 6) This means that God provides for Christians the same way as he does for the birds.

How does he care for the birds? Does he have them accept a secular job, so that they earn money and can purchase food at supermarkets? Does he let them farm worms and grow fruit? No, rather he contrived matters for the birds as Gerd Winterfeld describes on his website: “In Germany they swipe the cherries, and in the Philippines they eat up our bananas!” Awake! magazine reported that tomtits and “eleven other species of birds” raided milk wagons; “on a consignment of milk to a school … more than 50 out of 300 milk bottles were opened [by the tomtits] before the schoolkeeper could get to them.” – March 22, 1972, page 20.

So God provides for the birds by allowing them to steal food from humans. Exactly the same way he provides for Christians heeding the advice given by his channel of communication and quitting or reducing their secular job. The house-to-house ministry offers enough opportunities for stealing fruits and vegetables from the homeowners’ gardens, especially at those who are not at home. If the garden doors are locked, we can imitate the tomtits and force entry; hence it is recommended to always have proper tools in our witnessing case.

There are some countries where stealing food from infidels is prohibited by the secular law. But may we never forget: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) Should we actually be arrested and brought before court – as foretold by Jesus – we can refer to religious freedom which is protected by the constitution in most countries. – Matthew 10:17.

Don’t we recognize Jehovah’s wisdom in this arrangement? The worldlings “will soon be destroyed” anyway; one way or the other, their property belongs to Jehovah’s Witnesses then. (The Watchtower, May 15, 2006, page 5) That’s why Jehovah allows us even now, so to speak, to receive an advance of our prey. Are we not grateful for this wonderful provision?

 

Zechariah’s Prophecy – Light for All Jehovah’s Witnesses

Reprint from The Witchtower, 6/2010

“As for your fathers, where are they? And as for the prophets, was it to time indefinite that they continued to live?”  – Zechariah 1:5

Explorers of the Bible have always been fascinated by prophecies. Such a prophecy is the book of Zechariah, written in the sixth century BCE. It is special because it is fulfilled right before our eyes but does also foretell the near future.

Right at the beginning, it points out which group of people is its main topic. An angel says regarding the protagonists: “These are the ones whom Jehovah has sent forth to walk about in the earth.” (Zechariah 1:10) They confirm this and say: “We have walked about in the earth.” (Zechariah 1:11) Clearly they are people who “walk about in the earth” on behalf of Jehovah – Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Public Ministry

Indeed, their public ministry is the major feature of Jehovah’s Witnesses. (1998 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 108) Zechariah describes their proceeding: “Look! there were four chariots … In the first chariot there were red horses; and in the second chariot, black horses. And in the third chariot there were white horses; and in the fourth chariot, horses speckled, parti-colored.” (Zechariah 6:1, 2) Most Jehovah’s Witnesses drive into their territories by car; though horse chariots are no more in use, the power of car motors is still measured in “horsepower.” In former times, people rode different-colored horses; today they are driving different-colored cars.

The publishers work in different territories: “The chariot with black horses goes toward the north, the chariot with white horses goes toward the west, and the one with spotted horses goes toward the south.” (Zechariah 6:6, CEV) The prophet fittingly describes the publishers driving to their assignments after the field service meeting.

One group though distinguishes itself: “As for the parti-colored ones, they must go forth and keep seeking where to go, in order to walk about in the earth … And they began walking about in the earth.” (Zechariah 6:7) These publishers do not go into the ministry only once a week; rather they “keep seeking where to go.” Obviously they are the pioneers and missionaries, for whom public ministry is a full-time job. Usually they have little money and have to drive old, botched cars, reminding a bit of parti-colored horses.

Many people are still asleep when Jehovah’s Witnesses ring their bell. The same happened to Zechariah; he reports: “The … [person] who was speaking with me proceeded to come back and wake me up, like a man that is awakened from his sleep” (Zechariah 4:1) But not enough that he woke the homeowner up, the publisher continues: “I will awaken your sons!” (Zechariah 9:13) Indeed a fitting description of Jehovah’s Witnesses who offer the magazine “Awake!” of all things at these morning visits.

Organizational Structure

The hierarchical structure of Jehovah’s Witnesses is exactly depicted in the prophecy too. First, Zechariah mentions the lowest level: “Look! there were four horns” (Zechariah 1:18) Sheep have two horns; hence the “four horns” resemble two “other sheep.” (John 10:16) They stand for the total number of Jehovah’s Witnesses who are counted as part of the “great crowd.” – Revelation 7:9.

The other group of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which is superior to the “other sheep,” is also mentioned. Zechariah explains: “What do these two olive trees on the right side of the lampstand and on its left side mean? … These are the two anointed ones.” (Zechariah 4:11, 14) The “anointed ones” who form the “faithful and discreet slave” stand on the right side and on the left side of “the lampstand” – the place where the “brighter light” and the other “spiritual food” emerges. – The Watchtower, March 1, 2004, page 10.

Why are the anointed likened to olive trees? The prophet Joel “used olive oil in describing … prosperity.” (The Watchtower, March 1, 1993, page 24) Though many of the “anointed” are seemingly poor, they are cherished by the “other sheep” and generously supported with donations. But “olive trees” were also a major source of fat in Israel; hence the verse indicates that many anointed are overweight.

Besides the “other sheep” and the “anointed,” there is someone else playing a role in the Watchtower organization. Zechariah reports regarding the angel who showed him the vision: “He proceeded to show me Joshua the high priest … and Satan standing at his right hand.” (Zechariah 3:1) In ancient Israel, the priest was the mediator between God and men; hence “Joshua the high priest” represents the Governing Body who claims to be the representative of the “faithful and discreet slave” and “God’s channel of communication.” In actual fact they are guided by Satan the Devil, as Zechariah’s prophecy clearly reveals.

Building of Kingdom Halls

The worldwide building activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses has been foretold by Zechariah too. He stated: “Furthermore, Jehovah showed me four craftsmen.” (Zechariah 1:20) Since the Watchtower organization has no regard for its followers and continues building during bad weather, Zechariah said about the construction workers: “They must become like mighty men stamping down in the mire.” – Zechariah 10:5.

Only God’s spirit could enable Zechariah to foresee even the working conditions at Jehovah’s Witnesses’ construction sites. He said, in “those days there were no wages for mankind made to exist … there was no such thing.” (Zechariah 8:10) The workers really get no wages, though the Kingdom Halls belong to the Watchtower Society or one of its corporations when they are completed.

Since responsibility is usually delegated according to “spirit-mindedness” or gender, but not according to skills, quarrels at the construction sites are bound to occur. Thus Zechariah adds: “To the one going out and to the one coming in there was no peace.” – Zechariah 8:10.

There were no fluorescent tubes in Zechariah’s day; yet God’s spirit made him prophesy about the Kingdom Halls built by Jehovah’s Witnesses: “Its seven lamps are upon it, even seven; and the lamps that are at the top of it have seven pipes.” (Zechariah 4:2) Indeed most Kingdom Halls are equipped with fluorescent tubes which remind of “pipes.” The number seven represents the total number of lamps in the building.

Further Details

Zechariah foretold further details about the Watchtower organization’s methods. For example, he explained: “Look! the stone that I have put before Joshua! Upon the one stone there are seven eyes … These seven are the eyes of Jehovah. They are roving about in all the earth.” (Zechariah 3:9; 4:10) Eyes are symbols of observation or surveillance; hence the “seven eyes” mean that Jehovah’s professed organization monitors the whole life of its followers. Of course they put great emphasis on the commitment in public service; in this regard they collect reports from literally “all the earth.” – The Watchtower, June 15, 1990, page 29.

In present times, these reports are usually no more sent by post but submitted through the Internet. Thereby they are also transmitted through copper cables, and Zechariah foretold even that as he saw “copper mountains” near the publishers. (Zechariah 6:1) More and more, the Internet with its copper cables is also used to distribute the magazines.

“Approved association with Jehovah’s Witnesses requires accepting … beliefs that are unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses.” (The Watchtower, April 1, 1986, page 31) One such teaching that is “unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses” was also predicted by Zechariah: “In that day Jehovah will prove to be one.” (Zechariah 14:9) People of former centuries considered Jehovah a triune God, but Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that he is only “one.” As they don’t want to be linked with Jehovah’s Witnesses, most Christians stopped to use the name “Jehovah.” Now, when people hear the name “Jehovah” they do no more think about the triune God of Christianity but about the non-triune God of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Exploiting followers

Zechariah tells us how members of the Governing Body and other “anointed” announce themselves when mixing with ordinary “other sheep” at conventions: “Look! Your king himself comes to you. He is righteous, yes, saved; humble.” (Zechariah 9:9) In fact, the “anointed” claim that they are “destined to ‘rule as kings over the earth.’” (The Watchtower, April 15, 1992, page 17) They also assert that, contrary to the “other sheep,” they have already been “declared righteous” and thus are quasi “saved.” (The Watchtower, January 15, 2008, page 21) Finally they pretend being “humble” by calling themselves “slave” (though they actually act like a master).

Zechariah continues to say about the “anointed” ones, they would be “riding upon an ass, even upon … the son of a she-ass.” (Zechariah 9:9) In fact, most anointed ones, especially those in executive positions, take their ease in their Bethel homes, while they have the asslike “other sheep” perform the painstaking public ministry. Many of these ‘asses’ did not become Jehovah’s Witnesses as adults; rather their parents already belonged to this organization – thus they are, so to speak, ‘sons of she-asses.’ Not for nothing, the Watchtower Society wonders: “What would we do without donkeys?” – Awake!, December 2006, page 26.

The “donkeys” or “asses” – the “other sheep” – also have financial losses. “The wealth of all the nations round about will certainly be gathered, gold and silver and garments in excessive abundance.” (Zechariah 14:14) Indeed, the asslike publishers donate money – the modern “gold and silver” – to the Watchtower Society; their publications particularly mention “the generous gifts of Jehovah’s witnesses around the world.” – 1970 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 48.

But Jehovah’s Witnesses have other expenses besides donations. In fact, all of Jehovah’s Witnesses have “garments in excessive abundance” in their wardrobes, so that “at all meetings” they can “be neatly and appropriately dressed.” (The Watchtower, June 1, 1989, page 20) The Australian writer Jan Groenveld said: “You are likely a Jehovah’s Witness if you earn your living by window cleaning and yet have five suits hanging in your wardrobe.” Another writer said that the demand of a female Jehovah’s Witness to express her belonging to God’s “chosen people” through her clothes can “even dwindle into stress and rivalry.” – Die Kleiderordnung der Zeugen Jehovas.

Sometimes this situation leads to bizarre sights. Zechariah prophesied about a Jehovah’s Witness: “He happened to be clothed in befouled garments.” (Zechariah 3:3) Indeed, in many congregations some publishers formally observe the dress code – that is, men wear ties, women skirts or dresses – but they do not notice that their garments are dirty or damaged, don’t fit or don’t match in terms of color. The elders add to this behavior by accepting every brother as long as he wears a tie (regardless of how dirty or messy his clothing is otherwise), but trouncing every sister wearing a pantsuit (regardless of how neat it is).

Not all followers of the Watchtower Society may donate money, but the dress code and related expenses have effect on “all Witnesses of Jehovah.” (The Watchtower, November 15, 1989, page 14) Zechariah calls the abnormal striving after “well-arranged dress” a “scourge” and states: “The scourge of the horse, the mule, the camel, and the male ass … will prove to be, like this scourge.” (Zechariah 14:15) It really befalls all publishers who can be called ‘horses, mules, camels, and asses’ according to their character.

Water of Life?

Now Zechariah explains the impact of the Watchtower Society’s scribblings on the people: “It will not be day, neither will it be night; and it must occur that at evening time it will become light. And it must occur in that day that living waters will go forth from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. In summer and in winter it will occur.” – Zechariah 14:7, 8.

Here Zechariah likens the so-called “water of life” which is distributed by Jehovah’s Witnesses with the literal ‘living water’ or “water of life.” This term is usually applied to Vodka, and “in summer and in winter” large amounts of Vodka are exported from Russia “to the eastern sea … and to the western sea,” that is, in all directions. A part of Russia is north of the Arctic Circle where it “will not be day” in winter, but in summer it will not be “night” but “at evening time it will become light.”

In a transferred sense, spiritual Vodka is exported from Brooklyn, the antitypical “Jerusalem,” to the entire world. The publications of the Watchtower Society make their readers spiritually drunk; this spiritual alcohol “deadens the senses so that one’s judgment is impaired, and one loses control of one’s mind.” (The Watchtower, August 1, 1975, page 468) Whoever consumes too much of it might eventually accept a “Bible Study” with Jehovah’s Witnesses and hence be befallen by the “scourge.” – Zechariah 14:15.

Zechariah confirms this idea; he sees “a flying scroll” and explains: “This is the curse that is going forth over the surface of all the earth.” (Zechariah 5:3) Like ‘flying scrolls,’ new Watchtower issues spread with lightning speed “over the surface of all the earth” and become a “curse” for everyone believing in their content.

Wickedness

In another vision Zechariah saw an additional feature of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He reports: “It is a basket … the heavy lead cover was lifted off the basket, and there was a woman sitting inside it.” (Zechariah 5:6, 7, NLT) Who is this mysterious woman in the basket? An angel explained: “This is their aspect in all the earth … This is Wickedness.” – Zechariah 5:6, 8.

Why is “wickedness” depicted as a “woman?” Throughout history, God’s worshippers considered women to be the source of evil. The Apocrypha say: “From garments cometh a moth, and from women wickedness. Better is the churlishness of a man than a courteous woman.” (Ecclesiasticus 42:13, 14, KJV) Centuries later Pope Pius II wrote: “When you see a woman, consider it the devil! She is a kind of hell!”

Jehovah’s Witnesses also hold the view that wickedness basically emanates from women. For example, they wrote: “The congregation in Thyatira was tolerating idolatry, false teaching, and sexual immorality. In their midst was ‘that woman Jezebel’ – perhaps a group of women with traits like those of wicked Queen Jezebel … Let no self-appointed prophetess seek to manipulate others in the present-day Christian congregation!” (The Watchtower, May 15, 2003, page 18) On another occasion they advised women: “Godly women avoid being like Jezebel or any of her kind.” – The Watchtower, September 15, 1997, page 18.

Everyone who spent some time with Jehovah’s Witnesses knows that “wickedness” is abounding in their congregations. Of course this is not only due to women – but the Watchtower literature is written or at least checked by men. That is why their magazines continue to picture women as the origin of evil: “Christian women were to be in subjection to their husbands … They were also to respect the elders appointed within the congregation, all of whom were men … Christian women were to leave public teaching in the congregation to such appointed ‘older men’ and refrain from publicly contradicting such teachers … Any improper feminine influence within a congregation would incur Christ’s unfavorable judgment.” – The Watchtower, September 1, 1986, page 16.

Zechariah prophesied regarding the “king,” the “anointed” managerial elite of Jehovah’s Witnesses: “He will actually speak peace to the nations; and his rulership will be from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:10) Granted, Jehovah’s Witnesses “speak peace to the nations” – they keep talking of a “peaceful new world.” (Life in a Peaceful New World, cover page) But in actual fact they are ruling “from sea to sea,” and “the wicked are … the sea.” (Isaiah 57:20) Hence they are ruling over “the wicked” in their congregations.

The “rulership” of the Governing Body is also “from the River to the ends of the earth” – what does that mean? The “River” is without doubt the Euphrates in Babylonia, which proves that the Watchtower Society is part of “Babylon the Great.” (Revelation 14:8) Joseph F. Rutherford, a famous judge, pointed out who is behind this “River” when he said: “Satan the Devil, represented by the great Dragon … said: ‘My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.’” – Light, volume I, page 291.

The Watchtower Society’s rule reaches “to the ends of the earth,” and the Bible says: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) Hence the “faithful and discreet slave” himself is “the wicked one,” collaborating with Satan and ruling over a nation of wicked ones.

Would there ever be an end to wickedness in the congregation? Zechariah “saw two women flying … gliding on the wind … They picked up the basket and flew into the sky. ‘Where are they taking the basket?’ … ‘To the land of Babylonia, where they will build a temple for the basket. And when the temple is ready, they will set the basket there on its pedestal.’” (Zechariah 5:9-11, NLT) Hence “wickedness” would not cease, but even an own temple for it would be established in “Babylonia” – the dwelling place of “Babylon the Great.” Indeed, all false religions – including Jehovah’s Witnesses – would excel in yielding wickedness.

The Condition Exposed

The Watchtower organization’s poor spiritual condition does not remain concealed. God says: “I will send your prisoners out of the pit in which there is no water … you prisoners of the hope.” (Zechariah 9:11, 12) Jehovah’s Witnesses are indeed “prisoners of the hope” for a new world that never comes. But since so far all of the Watchtower Society’s predictions have failed to fulfill, some Jehovah’s Witnesses become “disillusioned or tired of waiting for Armageddon.” (The Watchtower, January 1, 1998, page 9) They realize that the “other sheep” (which they belong to) are a “flock meant for the killing,” that is, they will die before Armageddon “although they are not held guilty.” – Zechariah 11:4, 5.

Individuals understand that in a spiritual sense “there is no water” in the Watchtower but Vodka, making its readers drunk. (Zechariah 14:7) Through Zechariah God tells them: “Run! … Hey there! Hey there! Flee, then, you people! … Make your escape, you who are dwelling with the daughter of Babylon! … Keep silence.” (Zechariah 2:4, 6, 7, 13) By their unbiblical doctrines as well as their collaboration with the United Nations and other political organizations, Jehovah’s Witnesses made themselves a part of “Babylon the Great.” (Revelation 14:8) Everyone who grasped that should no longer be “dwelling with the daughter of Babylon” by remaining in the Watchtower organization but rather ‘run, flee and escape.’ He should ‘keep silence’ instead of preaching the “Good News” of an upcoming annihilation.

Zechariah then encourages such persons: “The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth month, and the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the tenth month will become … an exultation and a rejoicing and good festal seasons.” (Zechariah 8:18) Of course this statement does not refer to literal fasting; it rather encourages people to stop reading the Watchtower and listening to the boring speeches at meetings and conventions. Whoever starts spiritual fasting will soon ‘rejoice’ and realize what a burden is gone from him!

Forefathers

Among those realizing the truth about the “truth” are many children of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Zechariah addresses them: “Jehovah grew indignant at your fathers – very much so … Do not become like your fathers to whom the former prophets called, saying: ‘This is what Jehovah of armies has said …’” (Zechariah 1:2, 4) Their fathers listened to “the former prophets” – the Watchtower Society’s writers who foretold Armageddon for 1914 and 1975 as well as the resurrection of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for 1925. God “grew indignant” at them because they allowed such lying prophets to delude them and didn’t notice at all that it was not “Jehovah of armies” who “has said” what the Watchtower printed.

Then the prophet hits the nail right on the head, asking: “As for your fathers, where are they? And as for the prophets, was it to time indefinite that they continued to live?” (Zechariah 1:5) Indeed, where are the earlier Bible Students and Jehovah’s Witnesses now? In the paradise that was established on earth in 1914, 1925, the 1940s, 1975, before 1995, the 20^th century? And “as for the prophets” – Charles Taze Russell, Joseph F. Rutherford, Nathan H. Knorr (and his ghostwriter F. W. Franz) – where are they today? Are they ruling over mankind from heaven? Do people at least still read and cherish their books?

 

 

God urges children of Jehovah’s Witnesses: “Don’t be like your parents! … Leave!” (Zechariah 1:3, MSG) “Paul himself had changed his religion … when he found that the ‘traditions of his forefathers’ were not in harmony with the Scriptures.” (The Watchtower, October 1, 1970, page 581) Everyone who has been raised as a Jehovah’s Witness should do the same.

At another occasion, Zechariah reminds again of the numerous false forecasts by the Watchtower prophets: “The practicers of divination, for their part, have visioned falsehood, and valueless dreams are what they keep speaking, and in vain they try to comfort … Against the goatlike leaders I shall hold an accounting.” – Zechariah 10:2, 3.

Indeed, all the prophecies in the countless publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses – “falsehood and valueless dreams” they have proved to be. “In vain” the elders “try to comfort” those who are disappointed for that reason. But Zechariah predicted regarding these: “They will certainly depart.” (Zechariah 10:2) Many are unsatisfied with the flimsy excuses and leave the organization.

Discussing with Elders

Some realize immediately that the Watchtower organization is based on lies and leave right away. Others though are only bothered about individual issues and try to talk to the elders about their doubts. Some of them read old Watchtower publications, such as the books by Charles Taze Russell and Joseph F. Rutherford or the Golden Age. They are appalled by the doctrine about the Great Pyramid, the attitude towards war, the expectations for 1925, or the medical advice that God’s channel of communication propagated at that time, and say to the elders: “Don’t you know the message which Jehovah proclaimed through the former prophets?” – Zechariah 7:7, Luther.

Zechariah also predicted how the elders would react to such questions: “The prophets will become ashamed, each one of his vision when he prophesies … for the purpose of deceiving. And he will certainly say, ‘I am no prophet.’” (Zechariah 13:4, 5) The same excuse, which is surely cited by the elders in such a situation, is used by the faithful and discreet slave: “Today, Jehovah does not inspire prophets as in the past; instead, he has commissioned a faithful slave class … How important, therefore, that we have an obedient attitude toward that ‘slave!’” – The Watchtower, October 1, 2002, page 17.

God jibes at the elders and instructs them through Zechariah: “Take yet for yourself the implements of a useless shepherd.” (Zechariah 11:15) As many elders do not have a strong inner conviction but are merely good heelers, they are usually lacking arguments when discussing with doubters. Then they consult “the implements of a useless shepherd,” likely their books and the Watchtower Society’s letters which contain detailed instructions for all possible situations.

It could be though that the “implements of a useless shepherd” refer to the threat which many elders utter during such discussions. They threaten the doubter with the spiritual (and later literal) death by disfellowshipping if he dares to talk to anyone about his doubts. Indeed a “useless” sanction – which loving shepherd would kill one of his sheep or ban it from the flock?

Now at the latest, many Jehovah’s Witnesses grasp that the Watchtower Society is a false prophet and that they have wasted their previous life to a lie. God foretold through Zechariah: “In that day … I shall strike every horse with bewilderment and its rider with madness.” (Zechariah 12:4) Indeed some are ‘bewildered’ when they become aware of the truth about the “truth.” They don’t really know what to do now. Others go ‘mad’ when they realize that they squandered their whole life to a group of senile liars.

The End is near

Zechariah foretold: “There will no more prove to be a Canaanite in the house of Jehovah.” (Zechariah 14:21) The name “Canaan” means “Merchant Land” or “Land of the Tradesman;” hence the ‘Canaanites’ are merchants, tradesmen, and other educated people. (Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, page 399) Soon they all will no more be “in the house of Jehovah,” that is, the Kingdom Hall, but they will have left the Watchtower organization.

Before long, the Kingdom Halls will look like prophesied by Zechariah: “Very old people with walking sticks will … sit around.” (Zechariah 8:4, CEV) All young and smart people will have disassociated themselves. The remaining elderly ones too may have realized that they have been misled, but they don’t want to start a new life. They prefer to be lulled by the latest Armageddon forecasts week after week until they pass away peacefully.

Last Try

The Governing Body will get worried about this development. The old geezers will refuse to believe that their writing is on the wall, but rather they will comfort each other: “It will yet be that peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will come … saying: ‘Let us earnestly go to soften the face of Jehovah and to seek Jehovah.’” (Zechariah 8:20, 21) They will still believe in a large increase.

They will wonder what they did wrong, so that the increase fails to appear. Finally they will come across the following Bible verse: “It will be in those days that ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold, yes, they will actually take hold of the skirt of a man who is a Jew.” (Zechariah 8:23) They have always applied this prophecy to themselves: “[This] man who is a Jew … represents the remnant of spirit-anointed Christians” – The Watchtower, February 15, 2009, page 27.

In one of their meetings, the scales will fall from their eyes: How should the people “take hold of the skirt of a man” who is a Jehovah’s Witness while we forbid men to wear skirts? Immediately they will commission a Watchtower article that introduces a new dress code based on Zechariah 8:23. All brothers will have to wear skirts in public service, so that the homeowners have an occasion to fulfill the prophecy.

“Then the end will come”

God foretold through Zechariah: “I shall certainly gather all the nations against Jerusalem for the war; and the city will actually be captured and the houses be pillaged, and the women themselves will be raped.” (Zechariah 14:2) Indeed, “all nations” will take action against the cult leaders from Brooklyn, the antitypical “Jerusalem,” and their followers in the different countries. They will ban this organization; their “houses” – the Bethel homes, Kingdom Halls and other facilities – will be “pillaged” and made available for charitable purposes.

How will “the women … be raped?” Not literally. But “since the Bible puts abstaining from blood on the same moral level as avoiding fornication, to force blood on a Christian would be … rape.” (How Can Blood Save Your Life?, page 20) Zechariah’s statement means that no one will have to fear reprisals for accepting a blood transfusion.

The printing plants of Jehovah’s Witnesses will cease their activities, too. “On that day there will be no light.” (Zechariah 14:6, NIV) There won’t be a writing department making up “brighter light” anymore. Zechariah also prophesied regarding God’s executioner: “The hoofs of the sheep he will tear off.” (Zechariah 11:16) The “hoofs of the sheep” represent the shoes worn by the “other sheep” in public service. But then, public service will be no more.

Jehovah instructs his executioner: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” (Zechariah 13:7, NIV) Punishment will come only over the “shepherd,” the leaders of the Watchtower Society. The “[other] sheep will be scattered” and take control of their own lives. “In that day there will come to be a well opened … to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for an abhorrent thing.” (Zechariah 13:1) The former cult victims are now free to organize their life by their own standards. They even can do things that Jehovah’s Witnesses called “sin” or “an abhorrent thing,” such as celebrating birthdays, reading Lord of the Rings, or buying a ticket from a charity lottery.

What will become of “the spiritual estate inhabited by God’s [professed] people” after the Watchtower organization’s destruction? Zechariah foretold: “The whole land will be changed like the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon.” (Zechariah 14:10) Mistakenly, the words in this verse have been translated as personal names; the correct rendering would be: “The whole land will be changed into a desert plain, from the hill to the pomegranate tree.” (see Insight on the Scriptures) The fertile “land” that had sustained the Watchtower leaders with donations and conveniences for more than hundred years will become “a desert plain” with nothing for them.

Mourning

These remaining cult leaders will remember the profit that they are missing now, “and they’ll weep – oh, how they’ll weep! Deep mourning as of a parent grieving the loss of the firstborn child. The lamentation in Jerusalem that day will be massive.” (Zechariah 12:10, MSG) Now they have to earn their living by themselves, something they had not done for decades.

The annihilation of Jehovah’s Witnesses will be permanent. Zechariah prophesied: “They will no more be remembered; and also the prophets … I shall cause to pass out of the land. And it must occur that in case a man should prophesy anymore, his father and his mother … must also say to him, ‘You will not live, because … you have spoken in the name of Jehovah.’ And his father and his mother … must pierce him through because of his prophesying.” – Zechariah 13:2, 3.

Indeed, whoever may try to revive the Watchtower religion will be put to death immediately. What splendid prospects!

Is eating for Christians? If so, which food is suitable?

Reprint from The Witchtower, 04/2010

“They are like the bread … all those eating it will defile themselves.” – Hosea 9:4

Some believe that Christians should not eat at all. They base their opinion, among others, on the July 22, 2001 Awake! issue. It says: “A Gallup Youth Survey of 13- to 17-year-olds in the United States revealed that 56 percent of them say a prayer before dinner.” (page 13) Jonathan, a young man from Germany, indicated: “Most people pray to false gods before their meals. Since true Christians must abstain from everything that is connected to false religion, for me it is out of the question that a servant of God would defile himself by eating.”

In the first century, some worshippers of God had the same attitude. The Bible says: “The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat.” (Mark 7:3) But is this approach based on the Bible? Obviously not, since the Pharisees and Scribes told Jesus: “The disciples of John fast … and so do those of the Pharisees, but yours eat.” (Luke 5:33) Indeed, Christians “have authority to eat,” as Paul wrote later. – 1 Corinthians 9:4.

Hence it is out of the question that Christians may eat. But can they voluntarily abandon eating? Or are they obliged to eat? It is interesting what Jesus did when he raised the daughter of Jairus. The account says: “Her spirit returned, and she rose instantly, and he ordered something to be given her to eat.” (Luke 8:55) So he considered eating the most important thing of all.

Jesus imitated his heavenly father in this regard. Moses advised the Israelites against the gods of the neighboring peoples and called these “the product of the hands of man, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.” (Deuteronomy 4:28) Doubtless he would not have pointed out that these gods ‘cannot eat’ if the true God could not do that either. Hence Jehovah can eat, and as Christians we must be “imitators of God.” – Ephesians 5:1.

A divine mission

In fact, eating is a divine command, since according to the prophet Isaiah “this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: ‘Look! My own servants will eat.’” (Isaiah 65:13) On another occasion he instructed his readers: “Let there be … an eating!” – Isaiah 21:5.

Some may object that they are already overweight and would better make a diet. But according to Isaiah 11:6 also “the well-fed animal” would be among God’s people, and this verse applies to “beastlike men.” (Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for All Mankind, volume I, page 164) Indeed a diet would be contradictory to God’s righteous principles, for he said: “All the fat ones of the earth shall eat.” (Psalm 22:29) God appreciates when his worshippers eat, be they slim or fat.

The prophet Zechariah said: “Every … cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah must become something holy belonging to Jehovah of armies, and all … must do boiling in them.” (Zechariah 14:21) Eating is a sacred duty for worshippers of Jehovah. Indeed, “he who eats, eats to Jehovah.” (Romans 14:6) Thus the question is not if but what God’s servants should eat.

In the past, Jehovah provided uncommon food from time to time. Likely the prophet Ezekiel was in the bathroom when God instructed him: “Son of man, what you find, eat. Eat this roll.” (Ezekiel 3:1) We can imitate Ezekiel in hard times, but there is yet another food that is suitable for Christians.

Meat

Christians must be “imitators of God,” and God ate meat when he visited his friend Abraham. (Ephesians 5:1; Genesis 18:3, 8) His son Isaac ate meat, too; he said to Jacob (whom he thought was Esau): “Bring me some game and make me a tasty dish and, ah, let me eat!” – Genesis 27:7.

Later eating was regulated in the law. Jehovah told the Israelites through Moses: “As for the flesh, everybody … may eat the flesh.” (Leviticus 7:19) Later he added: “Because your soul craves to eat meat, whenever your soul craves it you may eat meat.” (Deuteronomy 12:20) Was this only a recommendation? No, God commanded specifically: “You must eat meat.” (Deuteronomy 12:15) Vegetarians would have transgressed against God’s law, and whoever did that had to be stoned.

Jehovah reinforced this instruction when he commanded through Jeremiah: “Eat flesh!” (Jeremiah 7:21) Even later, Jesus mentioned a king who said: “I have prepared my dinner, my bulls and fattened animals are slaughtered.” (Matthew 22:4) Indeed, “flesh is true food.” – John 6:55.

In paradise, meat will be the common food. Jesus foretold how a father in paradise will react to the resurrection of his son: “Bring the fattened young bull, slaughter it and let us eat and enjoy ourselves, because this my son was dead and came to life again.” – Luke 15:23, 24.

Bread

Hence there can be no doubt that meat is suitable food for Christians. But what about bread? Note how king Saul reacted when a witch tried to induce him to eat bread. She told him: “’Let me set before you a piece of bread, and you eat, that power may come to be in you, because you will go on your way.’ But he refused and said: ‘I am not going to eat.’” (1 Samuel 28:22, 23) Since he insisted on not eating bread, the hag knew only one alternative: “The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once … Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate.” – 1 Samuel 28:24, 25, NIV.

Saul followed his own rules, for he had commanded: “Cursed is the man that eats bread.” (1 Samuel 14:24) With this, however, he only repeated a principle from the Mosaic Law. Even there Jehovah had ordered: “You must eat no bread.” (Leviticus 23:14) Moses himself “ate no bread.” (Exodus 34:28) The Israelites followed his example and therefore were blessed by God, so that he could tell them: “While I kept guiding you forty years in the wilderness, your garments did not wear out upon you, and your sandal did not wear out upon your foot. Bread you did not eat.” – Deuteronomy 29:5, 6.

Granted, in a moment of weakness, even David “ate the loaves … which it is not lawful for anybody to eat.” (Mark 2:26) But he knew that God’s servants did usually not eat bread; at old age he wrote: “A young man I used to be, I have also grown old, and yet I have not seen anyone righteous left entirely, nor his offspring looking for bread.” (Psalm 37:25) Righteous people looked for meat at the market, not for bread. A capable woman described by the mother of king Lemuel heeded this divine principle: “She is watching over the goings-on of her household, and the bread … she does not eat.” – Proverbs 31:27.

Temptations

Some years later, the apostate king Jeroboam tried to entice a prophet of God to commit a deed because he had caught Jeroboam at worshipping a golden calf. “But the man of the true God said to the king: ‘If you gave me half of your house I would not come with you and eat bread’ … For that is the way he commanded me by the word of Jehovah, saying, ‘You must not eat bread.’” (1 Kings 13:8, 9) Later, however, he was fooled into bread eating and was put to death by divine intervention. – 1 Kings 13:23-26.

The prophet Ezekiel too was instructed by Jehovah: “Bread … you should not eat.” (Ezekiel 24:17) Finally, Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil himself. Satan asked him: “If you are a son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” (Luke 4:3) But Jesus pointed out the divine principle and replied: “It is written, ‘Man must not live by bread.’” (Luke 4:3) Later he instructed his disciples to carry “no bread” for their trips. (Luke 9:4, NIV) The disciples confirmed “that they had no loaves.” – Mark 8:16.

Some worshippers of God tried to eat bread secretly. During Solomon’s reign, a woman said: “Bread eaten in secrecy – it is pleasant.” (Proverbs 9:17) Later some Israelites smuggled bread into their villages and said: “At the risk of our soul we bring in our bread.” (Lamentations 5:9) But they did not go unpunished. The Bible says with regard to such people: “They did not put faith in God … Men ate the very bread … They had not turned aside from their desire … when God’s wrath itself ascended against them.” (Psalm 78:22-31) Indeed, “bread … is pleasurable to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” – Proverbs 20:17.

Beware of bread

Furthermore the Bible uses bread as a symbol of wickedness. Wise Solomon called the food of the wicked ones “the bread of wickedness.” (Proverbs 4:17) The prophet Isaiah warned the Israelites against “bread in the form of distress.” (Isaiah 30:20) Finally Jesus advised his disciples: “Watch out for the leaven!” (Luke 12:1) The Bible usually mentions bread in a negative context and even calls it “contemptible bread.” – Numbers 21:5.

Hence eating bread is out of the question for worshippers of God. But “in all the land of Egypt there was found bread,” and “in the Bible, Egypt often symbolizes Satan’s world.” (Genesis 41:54; Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for All Mankind, volume I, page 201) For worldlings bread is suitable, and to them we can offer it.

The prophet Hosea said regarding apostates: “They are like the bread … all those eating it will defile themselves.” (Hosea 9:4) Jesus called Judas Iscariot, his traitor, the one “that used to feed on … bread.” (John 13:18) That is why the Bible counsels us: “If the one hating you is hungry, give him bread to eat.” (Proverbs 25:21) With regard to the apostate Israelites who should soon be killed at the destruction of Jerusalem, Jehovah said: “They will have to eat bread.” – Ezekiel 4:16.

Soon, after the last worldling has been annihilated in Armageddon, bread will not be anymore. Jehovah then “will send hunger on the land; not hunger for bread.” (Amos 8:11, Postmodern Bible) The prophet Jeremiah foretold regarding the New Jerusalem, the future capital: “There is no bread anymore in the city.” – Jeremiah 38:9.

Cake

Can the same principles as for bread be applied to cake? Granted, the prophet Ezekiel ate cake. He did this, however, as a prophetic example for the apostate Israelites. Jehovah instructed him: “And as a round cake of barley you will eat it … upon dung cakes of the excrement of mankind you will bake it.” (Ezekiel 4:12) It was a onetime event by which Jehovah wanted to teach the Israelites a lesson.

Apart from that, the Bible speaks of cake in the same way as of bread. On one occasion, Tamar wanted to induce her brother Amnon to cake eating: “Then she took the flour dough and kneaded it and made the cakes under his eyes and cooked the heart-shaped cakes. Finally she took the deep pan and poured it out before him.” (2 Samuel 13:8, 9) But obviously he knew the divine principles: “Amnon refused to eat.” – 2 Samuel 13:9.

Later the prophet Elijah suspected a widow of eating cake in secrecy. She was innocent though, and she professed: “As Jehovah your God is living, I have no round cake.” (1 Kings 17:12) She also knew which consequences the eating of cake would have: “Then my son and I will die.” (1 Kings 17:12, NLT) The psalmist wrote that only apostates are concerned with cake. – Psalm 35:16.

In actual fact, cake is even connected with false religion. Jeremiah reports that idolatresses offered “sacrificial cakes” to the “queen of the heavens” with the consent of their husbands. (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:19) For sure, it was not for nothing that God had this account included in his word. Cake surely is no suitable food for worshippers of Jehovah.

Fruits and vegetables

Since bread, cake, and other types of pastry are out of the question: What about fruits and vegetables? Interestingly, Jehovah God commanded even the first human couple: “You must not eat from the tree.” (Genesis 2:17, NIV) God later repeated this principle and forbid his people to eat field crops by themselves. He said: “The fruitage of your ground … a people will eat whom you have not known.” (Deuteronomy 28:33) As with bread, the Israelites could sell fruits and vegetables to foreigners.

In the Mosaic Law, God aptly summarized what the food chain should be like among his people: “I shall certainly give vegetation in your field for your domestic animals, and you will indeed eat and be satisfied.” (Deuteronomy 11:15) Jehovah provided the “vegetation” not for humans but for their “domestic animals;” the humans should then “eat” the flesh of these animals “and be satisfied.”

This fact was confirmed by the experience of king Nebuchadnezzar. If it would have been common back then that humans ate fruits and vegetables, God would not have told him: “The vegetation is what they will give even to you to eat just like bulls.” (Daniel 4:25) This pagan ruler who had walked in opposition to Jehovah had to eat vegetables as a punishment. Even today, children who see a cow ask their parents: “I am thinking of mad King Nebuchadnezzar … Do you think he also chewed the cud?” – Awake!, January 8, 1983, page 26.

Fruits and vegetables were made for animals, not for humans. In Elisha’s time, his attendant made a disastrous mistake. Elisha instructed him: “Put the large cooking pot on and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” (2 Kings 4:38) Obviously this man lacked correct knowledge of God’s law, since he “went picking wild gourds … and sliced them into the stewpot.” (2 Kings 4:39) Fortunately, the “sons of the prophets” knew that eating vegetables was forbidden under penalty of death according to God’s law: “As soon as they ate from the stew, they themselves cried out and began saying: ‘There is death in the pot’ … And they were not able to eat.” (2 Kings 4:40) Elisha understood the gravity of the situation, and immediately he advised the cook: “Pour it out!”
– 2 Kings 4:41, NASB.

Apostates

The apostate king Ahab who was married to wicked Jezebel ignored God’s principles regarding vegetables intentionally. He “spoke to Naboth, saying: ‘Do give me your vineyard, that it may serve as a garden of vegetables to me, for it is close by my house.’” (1 Kings 41:2) Naboth obeyed God and used his garden to grow wine, which was designated by God as the appropriate beverage for his worshippers. (John 15:1; 1 Timothy 5:23) Wicked Ahab though wanted to turn the vineyard into “a garden of vegetables.”

Naboth knew that this would be a sin against God, and so he rejected Ahab’s offer: “It is unthinkable on my part, from Jehovah’s standpoint.” (1 Kings 21:3) Hence Jezebel had him put to death by means of false accusations, so that Ahab could conclude his illegal project. (1 Kings 21:11-16) Because of him and other fruit eaters, Jehovah had to bring judgment upon Israel. Jeremiah described it like the following: “I saw, and, look! the orchard itself was a wilderness … It was because of Jehovah, because of his burning anger.” – Jeremiah 4:26.

So it stirred Jehovah’s wrath when the Israelites ate fruits and vegetables. Jesus imitated his heavenly father in that regard. When he passed a fig tree and came to know that Jews had eaten from it, he cursed it and said: “Let no one eat fruit from you anymore forever!” (Mark 11:14) Hence there can be no doubt that Christians must abstain from fruits and vegetables.

The right food

Thus meat is the only food that is appropriate for worshippers of Jehovah. Before someone became a Jehovah’s Witness, he was part of the world, the antitypical Egypt, and may have eaten fruits and vegetables. He has to change his diet in order to meet Jehovah’s requirements. Thereby he has to avoid a complaining attitude and must not imitate certain Israelites who complained about the obligation to eat only meat: “In Egypt … there were cucumbers, melons, onions, and garlic.” (Numbers 11:5, CEV) But as a holy people for Jehovah, they were not allowed to defile themselves with fruits and vegetables anymore.

That he chose flesh as the appropriate food for his people is an impressing proof of Jehovah’s wisdom and kindness. Many people dislike vegetables, others are allergic to fruits. But “no man ever hated … flesh.” (Ephesians 5:29) Granted, some worldly scientists claim that eating too much meat would be hazardous to health. But David, a faithful servant of God, knew that consuming flesh is not dangerous. He sung under inspiration: “What can flesh do to me?” – Psalm 56:4.

A diet that consists only of meat is not necessarily monotonous. The apostle Paul hinted the Corinthians at this fact when he wrote: “Not all flesh is the same flesh.” (1 Corinthians 15:39) Apart from beef, pork, and poultry, there is lamb and ostrich meat. Also there are different ways of cooking, so that a varied diet is possible. In any case let us imitate faithful Israelites of Moses’ time who said: “Do give us meat, and let us eat!” – Numbers 11:13.

Meat – the right way

How should meat be cooked? Jehovah God instructed the prophet Ezekiel: “Make the logs many. Kindle the fire. Boil the flesh thoroughly. And empty out the broth, and let the bones themselves become piping hot.” (Ezekiel 24:10) Ezekiel should boil his meat in a pot on a log fire. In the Mosaic Law too, God commanded his people: “Boil the flesh.” – Leviticus 8:31.

Hence boiling is the classic way of cooking meat, and surely it is acceptable to God. Other methods however, like grilling of frying, are not specifically mentioned in the Bible. So we can assume that it is not important for God how we cook our meat, as long as we observe his prompt: “Get up, eat much flesh!” – Daniel 7:5.

When shopping, we have to heed the following principle though: “You must not eat any fat of a bull or a young ram or a goat.” (Leviticus 7:23) Actually, the Mosaic Law does no more apply to us, but God has not changed. (Malachi 3:6) Therefore we should only choose lean pieces when we purchase beef, lamb, or chevon. As regards pork, we can also eat fatty pieces, since the Mosaic Law did not specifically mention the fat of pigs.

Where should we eat?

It seems that eating in public is was uncommon in Israel. Uriah the Hittite asked: “Shall I go into my own house to eat?” (2 Samuel 11:11) Many centuries later, some Christians had a false attitude and ate in public. The apostle Paul trounced them and said: “Certainly you do have houses for eating.” (1 Corinthians 11:22) Worshippers of God should eat only at home.

The current world that is ruled by Satan offers many temptations. These include snack stalls which could induce a Christian to eat in public. May we not be distracted by such lures, but let us imitate Uriah who wanted to eat only in his own house.

Remaining faithful to God

What we subsist on has direct influence on our relationship to God. The apostle Paul wrote regarding followers of false religions: “Some think it is all right to eat anything, while those whose faith is weak will eat … vegetables.” (Romans 14:2, CEV) Some Christians in the first century mistakenly thought they could “eat anything” without losing their righteous stand before God. Others were weak in faith and were fooled into eating fruits and vegetables. Both groups along with others “who do not know God [and his principles regarding food] … will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9.

If we remain faithful to Jehovah God and keep abstaining from fruits, vegetables, bread, cake, and other vegetarian food, we will be allowed to live forever in a paradise. God will then carry out his original purpose, according to which animals are “born naturally to be caught and destroyed.” (2 Peter 2:12) Satan’s world along with its animal welfare organizations trying to detain people from eating flesh will then be a thing of the past. Are we not happy about these wonderful prospects?

Is eating for Christians? If so, which food is suitable?

Reprint from The Witchtower, 04/2010

“They are like the bread … all those eating it will defile themselves.” – Hosea 9:4

Some believe that Christians should not eat at all. They base their opinion, among others, on the July 22, 2001 Awake! issue. It says: “A Gallup Youth Survey of 13- to 17-year-olds in the United States revealed that 56 percent of them say a prayer before dinner.” (page 13) Jonathan, a young man from Germany, indicated: “Most people pray to false gods before their meals. Since true Christians must abstain from everything that is connected to false religion, for me it is out of the question that a servant of God would defile himself by eating.”

In the first century, some worshippers of God had the same attitude. The Bible says: “The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat.” (Mark 7:3) But is this approach based on the Bible? Obviously not, since the Pharisees and Scribes told Jesus: “The disciples of John fast … and so do those of the Pharisees, but yours eat.” (Luke 5:33) Indeed, Christians “have authority to eat,” as Paul wrote later. – 1 Corinthians 9:4.

Hence it is out of the question that Christians may eat. But can they voluntarily abandon eating? Or are they obliged to eat? It is interesting what Jesus did when he raised the daughter of Jairus. The account says: “Her spirit returned, and she rose instantly, and he ordered something to be given her to eat.” (Luke 8:55) So he considered eating the most important thing of all.

Jesus imitated his heavenly father in this regard. Moses advised the Israelites against the gods of the neighboring peoples and called these “the product of the hands of man, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.” (Deuteronomy 4:28) Doubtless he would not have pointed out that these gods ‘cannot eat’ if the true God could not do that either. Hence Jehovah can eat, and as Christians we must be “imitators of God.” – Ephesians 5:1.

A divine mission

In fact, eating is a divine command, since according to the prophet Isaiah “this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: ‘Look! My own servants will eat.’” (Isaiah 65:13) On another occasion he instructed his readers: “Let there be … an eating!” – Isaiah 21:5.

Some may object that they are already overweight and would better make a diet. But according to Isaiah 11:6 also “the well-fed animal” would be among God’s people, and this verse applies to “beastlike men.” (Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for All Mankind, volume I, page 164) Indeed a diet would be contradictory to God’s righteous principles, for he said: “All the fat ones of the earth shall eat.” (Psalm 22:29) God appreciates when his worshippers eat, be they slim or fat.

The prophet Zechariah said: “Every … cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah must become something holy belonging to Jehovah of armies, and all … must do boiling in them.” (Zechariah 14:21) Eating is a sacred duty for worshippers of Jehovah. Indeed, “he who eats, eats to Jehovah.” (Romans 14:6) Thus the question is not if but what God’s servants should eat.

In the past, Jehovah provided uncommon food from time to time. Likely the prophet Ezekiel was in the bathroom when God instructed him: “Son of man, what you find, eat. Eat this roll.” (Ezekiel 3:1) We can imitate Ezekiel in hard times, but there is yet another food that is suitable for Christians.

Meat

Christians must be “imitators of God,” and God ate meat when he visited his friend Abraham. (Ephesians 5:1; Genesis 18:3, 8) His son Isaac ate meat, too; he said to Jacob (whom he thought was Esau): “Bring me some game and make me a tasty dish and, ah, let me eat!” – Genesis 27:7.

Later eating was regulated in the law. Jehovah told the Israelites through Moses: “As for the flesh, everybody … may eat the flesh.” (Leviticus 7:19) Later he added: “Because your soul craves to eat meat, whenever your soul craves it you may eat meat.” (Deuteronomy 12:20) Was this only a recommendation? No, God commanded specifically: “You must eat meat.” (Deuteronomy 12:15) Vegetarians would have transgressed against God’s law, and whoever did that had to be stoned.

Jehovah reinforced this instruction when he commanded through Jeremiah: “Eat flesh!” (Jeremiah 7:21) Even later, Jesus mentioned a king who said: “I have prepared my dinner, my bulls and fattened animals are slaughtered.” (Matthew 22:4) Indeed, “flesh is true food.” – John 6:55.

In paradise, meat will be the common food. Jesus foretold how a father in paradise will react to the resurrection of his son: “Bring the fattened young bull, slaughter it and let us eat and enjoy ourselves, because this my son was dead and came to life again.” – Luke 15:23, 24.

Bread

Hence there can be no doubt that meat is suitable food for Christians. But what about bread? Note how king Saul reacted when a witch tried to induce him to eat bread. She told him: “’Let me set before you a piece of bread, and you eat, that power may come to be in you, because you will go on your way.’ But he refused and said: ‘I am not going to eat.’” (1 Samuel 28:22, 23) Since he insisted on not eating bread, the hag knew only one alternative: “The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once … Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate.” – 1 Samuel 28:24, 25, NIV.

Saul followed his own rules, for he had commanded: “Cursed is the man that eats bread.” (1 Samuel 14:24) With this, however, he only repeated a principle from the Mosaic Law. Even there Jehovah had ordered: “You must eat no bread.” (Leviticus 23:14) Moses himself “ate no bread.” (Exodus 34:28) The Israelites followed his example and therefore were blessed by God, so that he could tell them: “While I kept guiding you forty years in the wilderness, your garments did not wear out upon you, and your sandal did not wear out upon your foot. Bread you did not eat.” – Deuteronomy 29:5, 6.

Granted, in a moment of weakness, even David “ate the loaves … which it is not lawful for anybody to eat.” (Mark 2:26) But he knew that God’s servants did usually not eat bread; at old age he wrote: “A young man I used to be, I have also grown old, and yet I have not seen anyone righteous left entirely, nor his offspring looking for bread.” (Psalm 37:25) Righteous people looked for meat at the market, not for bread. A capable woman described by the mother of king Lemuel heeded this divine principle: “She is watching over the goings-on of her household, and the bread … she does not eat.” – Proverbs 31:27.

Temptations

Some years later, the apostate king Jeroboam tried to entice a prophet of God to commit a deed because he had caught Jeroboam at worshipping a golden calf. “But the man of the true God said to the king: ‘If you gave me half of your house I would not come with you and eat bread’ … For that is the way he commanded me by the word of Jehovah, saying, ‘You must not eat bread.’” (1 Kings 13:8, 9) Later, however, he was fooled into bread eating and was put to death by divine intervention. – 1 Kings 13:23-26.

The prophet Ezekiel too was instructed by Jehovah: “Bread … you should not eat.” (Ezekiel 24:17) Finally, Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil himself. Satan asked him: “If you are a son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” (Luke 4:3) But Jesus pointed out the divine principle and replied: “It is written, ‘Man must not live by bread.’” (Luke 4:3) Later he instructed his disciples to carry “no bread” for their trips. (Luke 9:4, NIV) The disciples confirmed “that they had no loaves.” – Mark 8:16.

Some worshippers of God tried to eat bread secretly. During Solomon’s reign, a woman said: “Bread eaten in secrecy – it is pleasant.” (Proverbs 9:17) Later some Israelites smuggled bread into their villages and said: “At the risk of our soul we bring in our bread.” (Lamentations 5:9) But they did not go unpunished. The Bible says with regard to such people: “They did not put faith in God … Men ate the very bread … They had not turned aside from their desire … when God’s wrath itself ascended against them.” (Psalm 78:22-31) Indeed, “bread … is pleasurable to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” – Proverbs 20:17.

Beware of bread

Furthermore the Bible uses bread as a symbol of wickedness. Wise Solomon called the food of the wicked ones “the bread of wickedness.” (Proverbs 4:17) The prophet Isaiah warned the Israelites against “bread in the form of distress.” (Isaiah 30:20) Finally Jesus advised his disciples: “Watch out for the leaven!” (Luke 12:1) The Bible usually mentions bread in a negative context and even calls it “contemptible bread.” – Numbers 21:5.

Hence eating bread is out of the question for worshippers of God. But “in all the land of Egypt there was found bread,” and “in the Bible, Egypt often symbolizes Satan’s world.” (Genesis 41:54; Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for All Mankind, volume I, page 201) For worldlings bread is suitable, and to them we can offer it.

The prophet Hosea said regarding apostates: “They are like the bread … all those eating it will defile themselves.” (Hosea 9:4) Jesus called Judas Iscariot, his traitor, the one “that used to feed on … bread.” (John 13:18) That is why the Bible counsels us: “If the one hating you is hungry, give him bread to eat.” (Proverbs 25:21) With regard to the apostate Israelites who should soon be killed at the destruction of Jerusalem, Jehovah said: “They will have to eat bread.” – Ezekiel 4:16.

Soon, after the last worldling has been annihilated in Armageddon, bread will not be anymore. Jehovah then “will send hunger on the land; not hunger for bread.” (Amos 8:11, Postmodern Bible) The prophet Jeremiah foretold regarding the New Jerusalem, the future capital: “There is no bread anymore in the city.” – Jeremiah 38:9.

Cake

Can the same principles as for bread be applied to cake? Granted, the prophet Ezekiel ate cake. He did this, however, as a prophetic example for the apostate Israelites. Jehovah instructed him: “And as a round cake of barley you will eat it … upon dung cakes of the excrement of mankind you will bake it.” (Ezekiel 4:12) It was a onetime event by which Jehovah wanted to teach the Israelites a lesson.

Apart from that, the Bible speaks of cake in the same way as of bread. On one occasion, Tamar wanted to induce her brother Amnon to cake eating: “Then she took the flour dough and kneaded it and made the cakes under his eyes and cooked the heart-shaped cakes. Finally she took the deep pan and poured it out before him.” (2 Samuel 13:8, 9) But obviously he knew the divine principles: “Amnon refused to eat.” – 2 Samuel 13:9.

Later the prophet Elijah suspected a widow of eating cake in secrecy. She was innocent though, and she professed: “As Jehovah your God is living, I have no round cake.” (1 Kings 17:12) She also knew which consequences the eating of cake would have: “Then my son and I will die.” (1 Kings 17:12, NLT) The psalmist wrote that only apostates are concerned with cake. – Psalm 35:16.

In actual fact, cake is even connected with false religion. Jeremiah reports that idolatresses offered “sacrificial cakes” to the “queen of the heavens” with the consent of their husbands. (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:19) For sure, it was not for nothing that God had this account included in his word. Cake surely is no suitable food for worshippers of Jehovah.

Fruits and vegetables

Since bread, cake, and other types of pastry are out of the question: What about fruits and vegetables? Interestingly, Jehovah God commanded even the first human couple: “You must not eat from the tree.” (Genesis 2:17, NIV) God later repeated this principle and forbid his people to eat field crops by themselves. He said: “The fruitage of your ground … a people will eat whom you have not known.” (Deuteronomy 28:33) As with bread, the Israelites could sell fruits and vegetables to foreigners.

In the Mosaic Law, God aptly summarized what the food chain should be like among his people: “I shall certainly give vegetation in your field for your domestic animals, and you will indeed eat and be satisfied.” (Deuteronomy 11:15) Jehovah provided the “vegetation” not for humans but for their “domestic animals;” the humans should then “eat” the flesh of these animals “and be satisfied.”

This fact was confirmed by the experience of king Nebuchadnezzar. If it would have been common back then that humans ate fruits and vegetables, God would not have told him: “The vegetation is what they will give even to you to eat just like bulls.” (Daniel 4:25) This pagan ruler who had walked in opposition to Jehovah had to eat vegetables as a punishment. Even today, children who see a cow ask their parents: “I am thinking of mad King Nebuchadnezzar … Do you think he also chewed the cud?” – Awake!, January 8, 1983, page 26.

Fruits and vegetables were made for animals, not for humans. In Elisha’s time, his attendant made a disastrous mistake. Elisha instructed him: “Put the large cooking pot on and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”
(2 Kings 4:38) Obviously this man lacked correct knowledge of God’s law, since he “went picking wild gourds … and sliced them into the stewpot.” (2 Kings 4:39) Fortunately, the “sons of the prophets” knew that eating vegetables was forbidden under penalty of death according to God’s law: “As soon as they ate from the stew, they themselves cried out and began saying: ‘There is death in the pot’ … And they were not able to eat.” (2 Kings 4:40) Elisha understood the gravity of the situation, and immediately he advised the cook: “Pour it out!”
– 2 Kings 4:41, NASB.

Apostates

The apostate king Ahab who was married to wicked Jezebel ignored God’s principles regarding vegetables intentionally. He “spoke to Naboth, saying: ‘Do give me your vineyard, that it may serve as a garden of vegetables to me, for it is close by my house.’” (1 Kings 41:2) Naboth obeyed God and used his garden to grow wine, which was designated by God as the appropriate beverage for his worshippers. (John 15:1; 1 Timothy 5:23) Wicked Ahab though wanted to turn the vineyard into “a garden of vegetables.”

Naboth knew that this would be a sin against God, and so he rejected Ahab’s offer: “It is unthinkable on my part, from Jehovah’s standpoint.” (1 Kings 21:3) Hence Jezebel had him put to death by means of false accusations, so that Ahab could conclude his illegal project. (1 Kings 21:11-16) Because of him and other fruit eaters, Jehovah had to bring judgment upon Israel. Jeremiah described it like the following: “I saw, and, look! the orchard itself was a wilderness … It was because of Jehovah, because of his burning anger.” – Jeremiah 4:26.

So it stirred Jehovah’s wrath when the Israelites ate fruits and vegetables. Jesus imitated his heavenly father in that regard. When he passed a fig tree and came to know that Jews had eaten from it, he cursed it and said: “Let no one eat fruit from you anymore forever!” (Mark 11:14) Hence there can be no doubt that Christians must abstain from fruits and vegetables.

The right food

Thus meat is the only food that is appropriate for worshippers of Jehovah. Before someone became a Jehovah’s Witness, he was part of the world, the antitypical Egypt, and may have eaten fruits and vegetables. He has to change his diet in order to meet Jehovah’s requirements. Thereby he has to avoid a complaining attitude and must not imitate certain Israelites who complained about the obligation to eat only meat: “In Egypt … there were cucumbers, melons, onions, and garlic.” (Numbers 11:5, CEV) But as a holy people for Jehovah, they were not allowed to defile themselves with fruits and vegetables anymore.

That he chose flesh as the appropriate food for his people is an impressing proof of Jehovah’s wisdom and kindness. Many people dislike vegetables, others are allergic to fruits. But “no man ever hated … flesh.” (Ephesians 5:29) Granted, some worldly scientists claim that eating too much meat would be hazardous to health. But David, a faithful servant of God, knew that consuming flesh is not dangerous. He sung under inspiration: “What can flesh do to me?” – Psalm 56:4.

A diet that consists only of meat is not necessarily monotonous. The apostle Paul hinted the Corinthians at this fact when he wrote: “Not all flesh is the same flesh.” (1 Corinthians 15:39) Apart from beef, pork, and poultry, there is lamb and ostrich meat. Also there are different ways of cooking, so that a varied diet is possible. In any case let us imitate faithful Israelites of Moses’ time who said: “Do give us meat, and let us eat!” – Numbers 11:13.

Meat – the right way

How should meat be cooked? Jehovah God instructed the prophet Ezekiel: “Make the logs many. Kindle the fire. Boil the flesh thoroughly. And empty out the broth, and let the bones themselves become piping hot.” (Ezekiel 24:10) Ezekiel should boil his meat in a pot on a log fire. In the Mosaic Law too, God commanded his people: “Boil the flesh.” – Leviticus 8:31.

Hence boiling is the classic way of cooking meat, and surely it is acceptable to God. Other methods however, like grilling of frying, are not specifically mentioned in the Bible. So we can assume that it is not important for God how we cook our meat, as long as we observe his prompt: “Get up, eat much flesh!” – Daniel 7:5.

When shopping, we have to heed the following principle though: “You must not eat any fat of a bull or a young ram or a goat.” (Leviticus 7:23) Actually, the Mosaic Law does no more apply to us, but God has not changed. (Malachi 3:6) Therefore we should only choose lean pieces when we purchase beef, lamb, or chevon. As regards pork, we can also eat fatty pieces, since the Mosaic Law did not specifically mention the fat of pigs.

Where should we eat?

It seems that eating in public is was uncommon in Israel. Uriah the Hittite asked: “Shall I go into my own house to eat?” (2 Samuel 11:11) Many centuries later, some Christians had a false attitude and ate in public. The apostle Paul trounced them and said: “Certainly you do have houses for eating.” (1 Corinthians 11:22) Worshippers of God should eat only at home.

The current world that is ruled by Satan offers many temptations. These include snack stalls which could induce a Christian to eat in public. May we not be distracted by such lures, but let us imitate Uriah who wanted to eat only in his own house.

Remaining faithful to God

What we subsist on has direct influence on our relationship to God. The apostle Paul wrote regarding followers of false religions: “Some think it is all right to eat anything, while those whose faith is weak will eat … vegetables.” (Romans 14:2, CEV) Some Christians in the first century mistakenly thought they could “eat anything” without losing their righteous stand before God. Others were weak in faith and were fooled into eating fruits and vegetables. Both groups along with others “who do not know God [and his principles regarding food] … will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9.

If we remain faithful to Jehovah God and keep abstaining from fruits, vegetables, bread, cake, and other vegetarian food, we will be allowed to live forever in a paradise. God will then carry out his original purpose, according to which animals are “born naturally to be caught and destroyed.” (2 Peter 2:12) Satan’s world along with its animal welfare organizations trying to detain people from eating flesh will then be a thing of the past. Are we not happy about these wonderful prospects?