Tuesday, October 26
Against you —you above all— I have sinned. —Ps. 51:4.
If you commit a serious sin, do not try to cover the error. Instead, openly confess your sin to Jehovah in prayer. You will then begin to feel some relief from the anxiety caused by a guilty conscience. But if you want to restore your friendship with Jehovah, you need to do more than pray. You need to accept discipline. When Jehovah sent the prophet Nathan to expose King David’s sin with Bath-sheba, David did not justify himself or try to minimize the sin. He immediately acknowledged that he had sinned not only against Bath-sheba’s husband but, above all, against Jehovah. David accepted the discipline from Jehovah, and Jehovah forgave him. (2 Sam. 12:10-14) If we have committed a serious sin, we need to talk to those whom Jehovah has appointed to shepherd us. (Jas. 5:14, 15) And we must avoid the urge to justify ourselves. The sooner we accept and apply whatever discipline we receive, the sooner we will regain our peace and joy. w20.02 24-25 ¶17-18
In the instance of David Jehovah forgave him, but not unconditionally. The axiom is true: God may forgive but Jehovah will by no means give exemption from punishment. David paid for his sins the rest of his life from the strife that God allowed to develop within his own household, including the rape of one of his daughters by one of his sons who was subsequently murdered by another son. Absalom even fomented a coup against his father’s throne and forced him to vacate the palace for some time. And toward the end of his life, Adonijah attempted to usurp the throne as well.
David’s sin took place in secret. No one knew what he had done. Jehovah revealed the matter to Nathan the prophet, who then fearlessly confronted the king. True, David could have become enraged and had Nathan thrown into prison or even executed, but he humbly acknowledged his sin.
According to the Mosaic Law David should have been stoned to death as an adulterer and a murderer. However, Jehovah personally intervened to pass judgment on David. Why? Because David had been loyal to God up to that point and Jehovah had made a covenant with him for an everlasting kingdom. Bath-sheba’s second son was Solomon, whose lineage extends to Jesus. So, Jehovah had the bigger picture in view.
While David’s adultery and murder of Urijah were bad, the nation as a whole was not impacted directly. That was not the case with David’s ill-advised census. While it is not readily apparent why God became so incensed, even David’s chief of the army tried to dissuade David from his determined course. It is most noteworthy, though, that Satan was involved. Moreover, the account of the census is one of the few places in the entire Hebrew collection that even speaks of Satan. Other than the book of Job and the prophecy of Zechariah the history contained in the book of Chronicles is the only other mention of the creature Jesus called the wicked one.
“Then Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and the chiefs of the people: “Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan; then report to me so that I may know their number.” But Joab said: “May Jehovah multiply his people 100 times! My lord the king, are not all of them already servants of my lord? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he become a cause of guilt to Israel?” — 1 Chronicles 21:2-3
Notice that Satan’s machinations were against the nation of Israel. The only thing the Devil had to do was influence one man—the king, David. In that, the Devil’s scheme succeeded. In response, Jehovah inspired another prophet to go confront the erring king. This time it was the visionary Gad, who said to David: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Take your pick, whether for three years there is to be a famine; or for three months there is to be a sweeping away from before your adversaries and for the sword of your enemies to overtake you, or for three days there is to be the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence, in the land, with Jehovah’s angel bringing ruin in all the territory of Israel.’ And now see what I should reply to the One sending me.” — 1 Chronicles 21:10-12
David chose the three days of pestilence. Within that 72 hour timeframe, 70,000 Israelites perished from some sort of plague. But it was not over. Jehovah’s angel with sword in hand moved toward Jerusalem with orders to bring David’s city to ruin. Then something extraordinary happened. The account says: “When David raised his eyes, he got to see Jehovah’s angel standing between the earth and the heavens with his drawn sword in his hand extended toward Jerusalem; and David and the older men, covered with sackcloth, at once fell down upon their faces. And David proceeded to say to the [true] God: “Was it not I that said to make a numbering of the people, and is it not I that have sinned and have unquestionably done bad? As for these sheep, what have they done? O Jehovah my God, let your hand, please, come to be upon me and my father’s house; but not upon your people, for a scourge.”” (21:16-17)
Again, Gad was sent to David with a message instructing him to build an altar at a specific location. David obeyed and purchased the site and prepared the sacrifice. Then, as in the instance of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, fire came down from heaven. The account states: “Then David built there an altar to Jehovah and offered up burnt sacrifices and communion sacrifices, and he proceeded to call upon Jehovah, who now answered him with fire from the heavens upon the altar of burnt offering. Moreover, Jehovah said the word to the angel, who accordingly returned his sword to its sheath.” — (21:26-27)
The site where God consumed David’s sacrifice was where Solomon built the magnificent temple.
It does not at all seem far-fetched that Satan has incited the Governing Body to order that Jehovah’s Witnesses must be vaccinated in order to set foot in a Kingdom Hall, that is, assuming the pilot project is successful and is fully implemented worldwide. It might seem like the prudent thing to do given that the Covid pestilence has killed hundreds of thousands of people. (In reality, many of the deaths attributed to Covid have been caused by hospitals using deadly treatments and disallowing known remedies.)
But as in the case of David’s disastrous census, which was apparently a numbering of his armies rather than the general population, what right does the Governing Body have to attach any conditions to those who wish to practice what the Bible commands?
The satanic nature of the Watchtower’s mandate should be obvious, in that, it is in complete alliance with the UN’s universal vaccination program, which had been in the works long before the pandemic. Under the guise of obeying Caesar and saving lives, the Watchtower has committed the entire organization to a dangerous, untested, highly experimental procedure that is killing and maiming hundreds of thousands around the world.
Why is this vaccination mandatory? No one can give an answer as to why vaccinated persons need to be protected from those who are unvaccinated. Why must people who have recovered from Covid be vaccinated to protect them from Covid? Why is natural immunity discounted, which has been scientifically proven to be at least a dozen times more powerful than the vaccine? Why are young people and even children and babes being injected with a serum that is far more deadly to them than the virus? No one ever answers these questions. It is just tyranny. Take the jab or else be punished. And the Governing Body is right there with the tyrants.
It is not out of the question that the 70,000 deaths that resulted from David’s folly might have an actual fulfillment among Jehovah’s Witnesses. Of course, it is not going to happen in the course of three days, but no one knows the long-term effects.
We should not suppose that Jehovah will allow the Governing Body to go unpunished for having foolishly imposed upon the flock their mandate to submit to these dangerous injections in order to maintain unity. Already there are reports of deaths and injuries occurring as a result of the vaccine. I have just received an unverified report that a longtime member of the Dutch branch, brother Gournon, has suffered severe, neurotic facial paralysis after having been jabbed. (Brother Gouron was featured in this JW Broadcast)
It is most noteworthy in the account after the three days of pestilence the angel came to lay waste to Jerusalem. The desolation of Jerusalem is the focus of Jesus’ extensive prophecy concerning his return and the culmination of everything. As mentioned above, besides the books of Chronicles and Job the only other Hebrew book that mentions Satan is Zechariah. And it is most relevant as it also pertains to Jerusalem.
“And he proceeded to show me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand in order to resist him. Then the angel of Jehovah said to Satan: “Jehovah rebuke you, O Satan, yes, Jehovah rebuke you, he who is choosing Jerusalem! Is this one not a log snatched out of the fire?” — Zechariah 3:1-2
While the prophecy ostensibly applies to the restoration of true worship in Jerusalem after the Jews returned from Babylon, the context reveals a much deeper significance. On the surface Joshua may appear to symbolize Christ, the High Priest; however, that is not the case. How do we know? Because Joshua is wearing defiled garments and is in need of forgiveness. The account goes on to say: “Now as for Joshua, he happened to be clothed in befouled garments and standing before the angel. Then he answered and said to those standing before him: “Remove the befouled garments from upon him.” And he went on to say to him: “See, I have caused your error to pass away from upon you, and there is a clothing of you with robes of state.” — Zechariah 3:3-4
What is the significance of Joshua being clothed with the official robe of the high priest? The prophecy goes on to reveal certain features of the soon-to-be-rebuilt temple, among which are two olive trees on each side of a golden lampstand: The prophet inquired what this means and the angel responded: “These are the two anointed ones who are standing alongside the Lord of the whole earth.”
The 11th chapter of Revelation cites the prophecy of Zechariah in identifying the two witnesses dressed in sackcloth as the two anointed ones standing alongside the Lord of the earth. Conversely, that means the Lord of the earth is alongside them, which is what the Greek word “parousia” literally means, to come alongside.
An interesting parallel: like the two witnesses the older men with David were covering themselves in sackcloth when standing before the angel that had been dispatched to destroy Jerusalem. Whereas in that instance no temple existed in Jerusalem and even the portable tabernacle was located at a different site at that time, the Second Coming of Christ will accomplish the establishment of a spiritual temple devoid of all defilements.
Of course, we cannot expect the Governing Body to ever admit an error or take responsibility for anything bad. However, when the angel of Jehovah unsheathes his sword, along with famine and pestilence, just as David and the older men with him trembled before the killer angel and pleaded for mercy, we may expect the coming terror to finally bring the haughty to their knees. Perhaps God may have mercy on some.
In the end, the remnant will be snatched out of the fire and their befouled garments will be stripped off of them and they will be cloaked with the robes of priests.
