It has only been eight months since the Hamburg mass killing of Jehovah’s Witnesses in a Kingdom Hall, and now another attack has occurred, this time in Kerala India. According to the Watchtower’s news release, two sisters were killed outright and 55 were injured when two small bombs exploded right after the opening prayer convened the Watchtower-sponsored convention.
The inevitable question, whether voiced or unspoken is: What is going on?
When Christians formally meet together and invoke the name of Jehovah and petition God for his holy spirit there is an expectation of divine blessing and protection. Why shouldn’t there be? Since Jesus has assured his followers that when they meet together he is in their midst it only amplifies the question—How could a mass killing happen in a Kingdom Hall or convention?
The unavoidable conclusion is that there is no divine protection. And that raises another unsettling question: Why not?
Jehovah’s Witnesses have had to endure government bans and persecution. That is nothing new. But even when under a ban the police do not barge in and start killing people. There is at least a veneer of legality involved. But deranged ex-JWs becoming mass killers is an entirely new experience. Cannot God at least be depended upon to intervene to prevent demonized, psychopaths from attacking unarmed Christians in their meetings?
Are Jehovah’s Witnesses going to be forced to install metal detectors and hire armed security guards with bomb-sniffing canines at their conventions from now on because Jehovah cannot be relied upon to provide protection for his servants while they gather together for worship?
The 127th Psalm states an important axiom: “Unless Jehovah builds the house, it is in vain that its builders work hard on it. Unless Jehovah guards the city, it is in vain that the guard stays awake.”
Could we not apply that principle to meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses? Unless Jehovah guards the convention it is in vain that the attendants stand guard.
And that gets to the real question: Why isn’t Jehovah guarding his people from murderous lunatics, especially since every meeting begins with a request for God’s blessing? It is true that unforeseen occurrences befall us all and God does not always protect us from unexpected calamity. But, as already stated, when Jehovah’s Witnesses meet together in obedience to the apostolic command and Christ is in their midst, ought we not expect to be protected?
As pointed out in Kingdom Bulletin #24 when Achan secretly took what had been devoted to destruction he stole from God and there were dire consequences for his thievery that impacted the entire nation. The Watchtower has similarly stolen from Jehovah, except on a much grander scale.
Every Kingdom Hall is formally devoted to Jehovah. There is a dedication ceremony at every newly constructed Kingdom Hall and branch facility. When Christians dedicate themselves to God through water baptism can they ever un-dedicate themselves? The Watchtower doesn’t accept such a thing. That is why thousands upon thousands of JWs are disfellowshipped every year because the Watchtower considers everyone’s formal dedication to God to be valid and breaking the obligation of our dedication has consequences.
How is it then that the Governing Body and the Society’s board of directors have approved of the confiscation of hundreds of Kingdom Halls that were devoted to the exclusive service of God?
All Jehovah’s Witnesses surely know that common, ordinary activities are not allowed in a Kingdom Hall—not even wedding receptions, or special get-to-gathers; no witness can be married to an un-baptized person in a Kingdom Hall. It is considered sacrilegious. And yet the leadership of the Watchtower has put nearly one thousand Kingdom Halls up for sale. The sellers of Jehovah’s property claim that they want to make sure the seating capacity is being used efficiently. But what about the fact that Kingdom Halls do not really belong to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society?
It is true, according to human laws every Kingdom Hall is owned by the Watchtower corporation. The Watchtower has a legal department and you may be certain that their stable of lawyers would be deployed against any congregation that laid claim to a Kingdom Hall. However, if dedicating a physical property to the exclusive use of Jehovah God is more than just an empty religious ceremony, then ultimately God owns every Kingdom Hall and branch office. Otherwise, dedication means nothing. But how can one sell something that belongs to someone else? Isn’t that a form of stealing?
Is it not the case that the faithful and discreet slave has acted unfaithfully and has been grossly indiscreet? Speaking of the wayward priests of Jerusalem prior to their being swept away, Jehovah said: “There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her, like the roaring lion, tearing prey. A soul they actually devour. Treasure and precious things they keep taking. Her widows they have multiplied in the midst of her. Her priests themselves have done violence to my law, and they keep profaning my holy places. Between the holy thing and the common they have made no distinction, and between the unclean thing and the clean they have made nothing known…” —Ez 22:25,26
Is it not true that in the eyes of most of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Kingdom Hall is a special place? It is not a common building, but devoted to the holy work of God. How is it then, that the priests of Bethel have made no distinction between a holy thing and a common thing? Surely, there will be consequences for flipping hundreds of places of worship like common real estate. According to the word of Jehovah the Governing Body has profaned what is holy. But it’s really worse than that.
The Watchtower has partnered with thieves and murders. Their Wall Street consultants have advised them how to maximize, not seating capacity, but profits by selling into the red-hot real estate market. And the anecdotal evidence is there that the Watchtower accepted money to promote the vaccine, profiting from the deaths of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
And ought God now protect his people from the consequences of the enormity of the sins of their leaders? You should know the answer. If not, here is what Jehovah has said: “And when you spread out your palms, I hide my eyes from you. Although you offer many prayers, I am not listening; your hands are filled with blood.” — Isaiah 1:15
