The city of Jerusalem was not only the capital of the Judean kingdom, it was also the exclusive center for the worship of Jehovah God; Solomon’s temple being located on the highest outcropping of the mound upon which Jerusalem was situated. Because the sacred name of Jehovah was intimately associated with Jerusalem and its temple, Jehovah was moved by zeal for his own name to punish those who disrespected and reproached his name by worshipping false gods.
True to his word through Zephaniah, the destruction Jehovah wrought upon the city by the Babylonians finished off, once and for all, the degraded worship of Baal and Malcam. Never again would Jehovah tolerate in his rebuilt temple the likes of the disgusting Canaanite god, Baal; or Malcam (Molech)—“the disgusting thing of the Ammonites.”
As for any modern application, the Watchtower assumes that Christendom is the antitype of unfaithful Jerusalem. However, we might naturally wonder how the clergy and parishioners of Christendom could be guilty of “making sworn oaths to Jehovah and making sworn oaths by Malcam.” Since Christendom has never embraced the name or person of Jehovah, preferring instead to worship the Christianized version of the mythical babylonish Trinity—with Jesus as the most prominent part of the triad—those who are “drawing back from following Jehovah” (apostatizing) must be those Christians, who, at one time actually worshipped and followed Jehovah—such as Jehovah’s Witnesses. But, if that is true, then how could any Christian witness of Jehovah possibly worship Baal or Molech?
In this regard the February 15th, 2001, Watchtower published a series of study articles on Zephaniah. Commenting on the verse above, the Watchtower states:
“Jehovah’s hand was stretched out against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. He was determined to cut off in death the worshipers of the Canaanite fertility god Baal…Divine wrath would also be unleashed upon those trying to mix true worship with false religion by ‘making sworn oaths to Jehovah and by Malcam.’ Malcam is possibly another name for Molech, the chief god of the Ammonites. The worship of Molech included child sacrifice…
“All of this may well remind us of Christendom, steeped in false worship and astrology. And her role in the sacrificing of millions of lives on the altar of clergy-supported warfare is disgusting indeed! Let us never be like the unfaithful ones of Judah, who ‘drew back from following Jehovah,’ becoming indifferent and no longer searching for him or seeking his guidance. Instead, let us maintain our integrity to God.”
Likening the devilish practice of child sacrifice to Christendom’s participation in the bloodletting of war is not really an apt comparison. After all, the Israelites also fought wars that were sanctioned by God—often against the very worshippers of Baal and Molech, and other heathen deities. And, at times Jehovah even sanctioned the execution of women and children as those devoted to destruction. Besides, soldiers of war are hardly comparable to the helpless babes who were cruelly sacrificed on the altar to Molech.
A more apt comparison to the demonic ritual of child sacrifice is the pedophilia practiced by some of the clergy of Christendom—particularly Catholic priests. Although child victims are not literally sacrificed to the demons, as were the poor unfortunates of the past, it is as though their childhood innocence is.
After all, the demons were originally righteous angels that forsook their proper place in heaven in order to have sexual relations with creatures of another sort. The unnatural sexual act between an adult and a child mimics those demonic perversions of a greater dominating a lesser.
Surely, the satanic spirit that once promoted the sacrifice of innocent children to Molech and Baal is the same evil influence behind the scourge of pedophilia in modern times. The damage done to the innocent victim of sexual abuse is in some ways more heartrending, and certainly longer-lasting, than had they actually been killed and offered up to the flames of Molech’s altar. Many victims of child sexual abuse suffer a lifetime of emotional and psychological problems. Some victims even commit suicide after enduring years of mental anguish. In that respect, the end result is the same as had they actually been devoted to the fire.
But while the churches of Christendom have certainly had their child abuse scandals, the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses has also been seduced into tolerating the sacrifice of the sexual innocence and purity of many of our young children to the demons. (See Silentlambs) Likely many of Jehovah’s Witnesses will be offended by such a statement, but first consider Jehovah’s view of the matter:
The Israelites were introduced to the worship of Baal even before they entered into the Promised Land. This came about on the Plains of Moab by the cunning of Balaam, “the diviner,” who counseled King Balak to use Moabite women as prostitutes to seduce the Israelite men into sexual immorality and idolatry.
Tragically, it worked.
The historical account at Numbers 25:1-3 says: “Then the people started to have immoral relations with the daughters of Moab. And the women came calling the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people began to eat and to bow down to their gods. So Israel attached itself to the Baal of Peor; and the anger of Jehovah began to blaze against Israel.”
True, there is no mention of child sacrifice on that particular occasion; however, the significance of Israel’s fall into the worship of Baal is found in the book of Revelation. There, Jesus’ inspired letter to the congregation of anointed Christians in Pergamum reveals that Balaam has a spiritual counterpart who is alive and well within Christ’s congregation during the Lord’s day.
At Revelation 2:14, the Lord Jesus speaks to the congregation, saying: “You have there those holding fast the teaching of Balaam, who went teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication.”
The historical Balaam was no ordinary man. He was a great man. On several occasions he conversed with Jehovah God himself! For example, we read: “Then God came to Balaam and said: ‘Who are these men with you?’ So Balaam said to the true God…” (Numbers 22:9-10)
And again in the 22nd verse: “Then God came to Balaam by night and said to him…”
And again at Numbers 23:16: “Subsequently Jehovah got in touch with Balaam and put a word in his mouth…”
Balaam was even blessed with God’s holy spirit at one point, as it says at Numbers 24:2-3: “When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel tabernacling by his tribes, then the spirit of God came to be upon him. Hence he took up his proverbial utterance…”
Balaam was even inspired to say of himself: “The utterance of the one hearing the sayings of God, and the one knowing the knowledge of the Most High— A vision of the Almighty he got to see while falling down with the eyes uncovered…”
The point is that, Balaam knew Jehovah. At least he knew that Jehovah would not tolerate Baal worship among his people. So after failing to curse the Israelites, Balaam cunningly counseled Balak to induce God’s people into unfaithfulness, knowing that Jehovah would become offended. However, the teaching of Balaam was not particularly intended to lure every single Israelite male into fornication. That was not necessary to provoke Jehovah into venting his wrath upon the nation. In his cunning, Balaam apparently knew that Jehovah’s anger could be kindled if even only a relatively small number of Israelite men actually engaged in the Bacchanalia—just as long as the leadership passively tolerated the sin. That is evident by the fact that the scourge upon Israel was halted only after a priest named Phinehas took action and executed two fornicators.
Just as Jesus spoke of those in the Pergamum congregation who were “holding fast the teaching of Balaam,” the Christian writers, Peter and Jude, warned believers to be on guard against those false teachers who “have rushed into the erroneous course of Balaam for reward.” Such men lurk like “rocks hidden below water”—their treachery concealed from the unsuspecting. The reason they pose such a spiritual danger to Christians is because the Balaam-like agents are trusted elders and leaders who feast together with God’s people. That is apparent by Jude’s further comments, which identify them as “shepherds that feed themselves without fear; waterless clouds carried this way and that by winds; trees in late autumn, but fruitless, having died twice, having been uprooted; wild waves of the sea that foam up their own causes for shame; stars with no set course, for which the blackness of darkness stands reserved forever.”
“Shepherds that feed themselves” are obviously self-serving elders in the congregation—perhaps even posing as the anointed faithful slave. Their being likened to “stars with no set course” would seem to suggest that they pose as spiritual guides, but their “guidance” is as unreliable as navigating by following a wandering star in the sky. Just as Jesus asked the Pharisees how they thought they were going to escape the judgment of Gehenna, the odd description of their “having died twice” must mean that their course of treachery has already brought upon them the judgment of the second death. Since that very judgment is also reserved for the evil slaves of Christ’s illustrations, “the teachings of Balaam” must ultimately emanate from them.
“YOU TOLERATE THAT WOMAN JEZEBEL”
Another notorious Baal worshipper was Queen Jezebel. And she, too, is mentioned by Jesus as being an evil influence in the congregation during the Lord’s day. At Revelation 2:20, the Lord Jesus addresses his congregation, saying: “Nevertheless, I do hold this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols.”
In commenting on the meaning of the verse, the Watchtower freely admits that every year tens of thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses are expelled from the congregations for practicing various forms of sexual immorality. That, though, is in keeping with what Paul advised congregations to do to unrepentant fornicators in their midst; when he said “remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” So, it is not likely that Jesus would condemn Jehovah’s Witnesses for tolerating that particular aspect of immorality. Be that as it may, what about the way child abusing pedophiles have been dealt with? Can the Watchtower boast of having purged wicked pedophiles from the organization with the same zeal as it has disfellowshipped tens of thousands of young adults and teenage fornicators?
Jesus went on to say of Jezebel: “And I gave her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her fornication. Look! I am about to throw her into a sickbed, and those committing adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And her children I will kill with deadly plague, so that all the congregations will know that I am he who searches the kidneys and hearts, and I will give to you individually according to your deeds.”
Take note of the fact that Jesus puts up with “Jezebel” and her lovers all the way up until throwing her and her children “into great tribulation”; obviously, during the great tribulation. It is apparent, then, that an immoral Jezebelian influence exists in God’s household up until the very moment when Christ removes it—permanently. No doubt that will be when Christ cleanses his Father’s spiritual temple.
The point is, though, Jesus does not merely rebuke the fornicators themselves. Christ rebukes those who “tolerate that woman, Jezebel” and the teachings of Balaam. Because both Balaam and Jezebel factions within the congregations promote some form of idolatry among the true disciples of Christ, evidently with some measure of success, could it be that the sort of idolatry they promote is the idolatry of the Watchtower organization itself? Consider a few relevant facts:
It is an undeniable fact that in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways the Watchtower’s policies have always sought to muzzle the victims of pedophilia and their families, so as not to scandalize the congregation or organization. The reasoning has always been that no one should know about such ugliness so as not to ‘bring reproach on Jehovah’s name.’ So, there is a strong inclination towards secrecy—which obviously serves the interests of the perpetrators of crimes against children. It is also a fact that the Society discourages elders from notifying the congregation when a suspected or even known sexual predator is in their midst—thus putting more children at risk of becoming victims. Even when a pedophile is disfellowshipped, the congregation is not told why. (By contrast, the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians and explicitly described the nature of fornication a man was practicing, which the congregation was tolerating.)
While each congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses have the authority to have meeting parts specifically devoted to “Local Needs of the Congregation,” rarely do the elders take such opportunities to warn the congregation when a suspected pedophile is in their midst. Unquestionably, the image of the organization as a “spiritual paradise” is more important to maintain than the welfare and safety of our own children.
It is not at all uncommon for the victims of child abuse to be told to “wait on Jehovah,” while the victimizer goes unpunished for lack of two witnesses to their crimes. Worse than the lack of any punishment upon the victimizer, other innocent children are put at risk due to such policies—all for the sake of not wanting to “bring reproach on Jehovah”!
Such wicked reasonings have ensnared the congregations into tolerating a form of baalism. By invoking the name of Jehovah in such a way, telling the victims to “wait on Jehovah” for justice to be done, it is as if the congregations sanctify the sacrifice of the child to the demonic practice of pedophilia. Can it not be said that such men are making sworn oaths to both Jehovah and Malcam (Molech), as described in Zephaniah 1:5?
Ironically, the actual scandal of child abuse has not brought nearly the level of reproach on Jehovah’s name as has the deplorable way in which the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses has (mis)handled the problem. Perhaps the greatest irony, though, is that those who have brushed aside abuse victims with empty platitudes such as “wait on Jehovah,” will find themselves under God’s judgment when the wait is over.
The judgment that Jehovah finally executed against Jerusalem was in keeping with what was stated in the Law at Leviticus 20:3-5: “And as for me, I shall set my face against that man, and I will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech for the purpose of defiling my holy place and to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land should deliberately hide their eyes from that man when he gives any of his offspring to Molech by not putting him to death, then I, for my part, shall certainly fix my face against that man and his family, and I shall indeed cut him and all those who have immoral intercourse along with him in having immoral intercourse with Molech off from among their people.”
In the days of Zephaniah, apparently the people deliberately ignored the child sacrifice that was taking place. But their failure to uphold the law moved Almighty Jehovah to act in his own behalf. Jehovah’s sense of justice obligated him to perform a human sacrifice of his own by annihilating the priests of Baal. Zephaniah 1:7-9 reads: “Keep silence before the Sovereign Lord Jehovah; for the day of Jehovah is near, for Jehovah has prepared a sacrifice; he has sanctified his invited ones. And it must occur on the day of Jehovah’s sacrifice that I will give attention to the princes, and to the sons of the king, and to all those wearing foreign attire. And I will give attention to everyone that is climbing upon the platform in that day, those who are filling the house of their masters with violence and deception.”
The princes and priests of Baal in “foreign attire” must correspond to the Balaam and Jezebel faction that exists in the congregation during the Lord’s day. We may be sure that Jehovah will similarly take action against the agents of Baal within the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses in order to sanctify his own name from being profaned by them.
Copyright © 2005, by Robert King
All Rights Reserved.