Idolatry has always been a snare for God's people.  That is why early in Bible history we read about Aaron making a golden calf to represent Jehovah before the idolaters. In spite of Jehovah's clear command, not long after the Jews entered into the Promised Land they began to worship Baal images and sacred poles. The wisest man of his day, Solomon, toward the end of his life foolishly built temples for his transplanted foreign wives to worship their deities. After Israel became divided into two nations, idolatry became institutionalized in the Northern Kingdom when Jeroboam set up calf worship at two locations for the convenience of his subjects so that they didn't feel compelled to travel to Jerusalem to worship. In time, however, even Jehovah's temple in Jerusalem became defiled with all sorts of idolatrous images.

The early Christians were similarly commanded to abstain from idolatry; however, idolatry can take on very subtle forms.  For example, Paul wrote to the Colossians and exhorted them to deaden their body members in order to abstain from immoral sexual appetites and covetousness, which as Paul said, was idolatry. Christianity has enlightened us to the fact that idolatry is not necessarily groveling before an image of some sort, but instead it can be merely putting human desires ahead of God's will. For a Christian, anything that comes between them and their absolute devotion to God is idolatry.

At times, the apostles and other prominent ministers became the object of reverence. Because of the miraculous powers the apostles at time employed, they were, on occasion, hailed as gods. Following men can be a form of idolatry. Paul had to counsel the Corinthian congregation because they were placing too much emphasis upon men. Some claimed to belong to Paul; others to Apollos; still others claimed to belong to Peter.

Even to this day the worship of the saints is prominent in Christendom. Christians have failed to give heed to the closing verse in the letter of First John. It reads: "Little children, guard yourselves from idols." Ironically, even the writer of that inspired warning, John himself, attempted to bow down and worship an angel after receiving the Revelation. The angel strongly cautioned him not to do so.

By just a brief overview of a few Bible accounts, it should be apparent that idolatry is a snare that Christians can very easily fall into. It seems to be, in fact, that because of our sinful condition that we are naturally inclined towards idolatry.

Has the practice of idolatry been eradicated in the modern history of Jehovah's Witnesses? No, we can not make such a boast. While the Bible Students rejected the overt adoration of Christendom's familiar saints and images (except for the use of the crucifix early on as part of Bible Students' worship), the charismatic founder of the Watchtower became a cult figure to many. Although he never personally made the claim, it was the opinion of many of the early Bible Students that Charles Russell was "the faithful and discreet slave." Consequently, upon Russell's sudden death in 1916, approximately half of those associated with the Watchtower refused to recognize the leadership of J.F. Rutherford. To this day, there are those who claim to belong to Charles Russell.

No figure has cast such an imposing shadow over Jehovah's Witnesses since the death of Charles Russell---not even the combative "Judge" Rutherford. Since the death of the scholarly Fred Franz in 1992, the Watchtower Society has been distinguished by the absence of any dominating figure. It looks as if the cult of personality has at last been conquered.

But, in view of the inclination that we all have towards idolatry, can we honestly claim to have conquered such tendencies? While there is no charismatic-leading figure, as in the past, it seems as if the tendency to admire men has merely been transformed into a more insidious and subtler form of idolatry. Instead of a recognizable human face, it appears now as if the Watchtower Society itself has gradually come to occupy a more prominent place in the hearts and minds of Jehovah's Witnesses than Jehovah himself does. That constitutes idolatry.

It is undeniable that the Watchtower determines all aspects of our faith. Equally undeniable, is that over the years, conformity to a growing body of organizational policies and procedures have become the measure of our worship. And while the Bible's teachings are the foundation of our faith, the Watchtower has the sole prerogative to determine how God's Word is to be understood by all of Jehovah's Witnesses. Individual matters of conscience seem to be a little-understood concept.

While the faithful and discreet slave is responsible for feeding God's household with spiritual food at the proper time, it appears as if the institution of the Watchtower has gone far beyond the simple mandate that Christ gave his slaves. When Pastor Russell started the Watchtower back in 1879, it was merely a publication that tried to give thinking Christians some food for thought. The congregations that sprung up in the United States, and elsewhere, were only loosely associated with each other, being tied together spiritually, as were the first century congregations. Now, the organization has become a multi-billion dollar institution with vast property holdings and a small army of lawyers deployed to protect the Society's interests around the globe. In recent years, the Watchtower's Brooklyn Bethel headquarters and other branches around the world have become like Meccas, where the faithful make their pilgrimage.

Consider this, for example, as to how faith in the organization is considered to be paramount: If one of Jehovah's Witnesses were to confess to an elder that he had lost faith in God and the Bible, likely every effort would be made to restore that person's faith. If, however, that same person were to admit that they no longer believed that the Watchtower is Jehovah's organization, or that they do not believe some teaching of the faithful slave, even though they may still believe the Bible, such a person would likely be accused of apostasy and perhaps expelled from the congregation.

The prevailing attitude that the Society can do no wrong was expressed by a sister in conversation once, who expressed disgust that someone had dared to question a particular teaching of the Watchtower. She was overheard to say: "Why, to question the Watchtower is like questioning Jehovah!" Obviously, she didn't realize that her seemingly innocent remark was not merely equating the Watchtower with Jehovah, she was exalting it above God. How so? Well, Jehovah allows himself to be questioned by his worshippers. We might recall one occasion when Abraham questioned the appropriateness of God's judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah. Also, Jesus Christ allowed himself to be constantly questioned by both his disciples and the Pharisees. Is the Watchtower more exalted than Jehovah and Christ?

The opinion that has been cultivated among Jehovah's Witnesses is that the Watchtower will explain to us whatever Jehovah wants us to know. We have come to trust the Watchtower to such an extent that we assume that by following the program laid out by the Society we are worshipping Jehovah God with all of our whole heart, mind, and soul. Thus, the attitude that has developed is that anything that may tarnish the image of the Watchtower is to be avoided at all costs. That prevailing sensibility has, for instance, led the Watchtower to conceal and downplay the extent of child abuse in order to protect the organization's image as being a spiritual paradise. The brothers have shown themselves more than willing to resort to deception in other areas in order to present the Watchtower as an unfailing beacon of light. Consequently, private web sites such as e-watchman are considered inappropriate, not because of publishing some untruth, but because it may detract from the Watchtower's glory in the eyes of Jehovah's Witnesses. Instead of rejoicing that Jehovah has revealed something to one of his servants, some might find it disturbing that new truths were not channeled through the Watchtower Society.

What would seem to be an odd, if not disturbing fact, though, is that while the Watchtower has been so vigorous in exposing the idolatries of Christendom, and has informed us as to the spiritual dangers of venerating national emblems and such, we have never once been cautioned about placing too much importance upon the Watchtower itself. It seems that the die has already been cast for the final judgment to challenge all of Jehovah's Witnesses to more directly demonstrate our loyalty to Jehovah God.

When Jehovah himself says that before his glory is revealed that every lofty thing must become low, what are we to conclude as regards the future of the all-imposing Watchtower organization? Or, expressed another way: What would happen to the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses if the Watchtower were to be exposed to public disgrace and even destroyed? How would each Witness respond if it becomes apparent that the Watchtower has misled us in some way? Will our faith in Jehovah be devastated? These are very real tests that lay ahead, for which the Watchtower has not specifically prepared us. The tests that must inevitably confront us cannot be surmounted by our adhering to mere organizational policies, but only by an individual demonstration of each one's unbreakable faith in the saving power of Jehovah and Christ Jesus.

Unfortunately, idolatry is still very much prevalent among Jehovah's people up to the present time. However, Jehovah has foretold in Scripture how he intends to cure the age-old problem of idolatry once and for all.

Isaiah, the 48th chapter, explains that Jehovah has concealed a considerable body of Scriptural truth from his spiritual nation until a future time. Isaiah 48:6-7 speaks to us at a future time when God reveals, as if from a time capsule, what he has kept on reserve up until then. It reads: "You have heard. Behold it all. As for you people, will you not tell it? I have made you hear new things from the present time, even things kept in reserve, that you have not known. At the present time they must be created, and not from that time, even things that before today you have not heard, that you may not say, 'Look! I have already known them.'"

What purpose could possibly be served by Jehovah's concealing matters from his servants? The 5th verse explains that it is in order "that you might not say, 'My own idol has done them, and my own carved image and my own molten image have commanded them."'

Since it can be reasoned that the above judgments of Isaiah have not occurred yet, for they come during the time of Jehovah's anger when His servants are thrown into the smelting furnace of affliction, the idol that Jehovah makes reference to must be the Watchtower Society.  Since the Watchtower presumes to reveal all of God's truth to Jehovah's household, that's why God has seen fit to withhold vital revelations. During the period of distress and affliction, Jehovah then becomes God and King in the fullest sense by repurchasing his humiliated servants and revealing the things held in reserve directly to them.

That Jehovah withholds light from his people in order to discredit our Watchtower idol is evident from the 11th verse, which goes on to say: "For my own sake, for my own sake shall I act, for how could one let oneself be profaned? And to no one else shall I give my own glory."

The 30th chapter of Isaiah explains in greater detail the judgments of Jehovah in this regard. That is what will be discussed in Part Two, entitled: "The Coming Collapse of the Watchtower."

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Copyright © 2002, by Robert King
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