Watchtower Study, Week 8 to April 14, 2024, “I will never abandon you,” Underlined Answers.

Watchtower Study, April 8-14, 2024, “I will never abandon you,” Underlined Responses.

Yellow: Direct Response.

Dark Yellow: Additional Response.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

“He has said, 'I will never leave you and I will never forsake you'” (HEB. 13:5b).

1. When will all the anointed be in heaven?

 Years ago, we servants of Jehovah asked ourselves: “When will the last anointed Christians be taken to heaven?” There was a time when we thought that perhaps some of the anointed would survive Armageddon and be in Paradise for a time. But in The Watchtower of July 15, 2013, we learned that all the anointed ones left on Earth will be taken to heaven before Armageddon breaks out (Matt. 24:31).

2. What question may arise? And what are we going to analyze in this article?

2 But a question may arise: What will happen during the “great tribulation” to Christ’s “other sheep” who are serving Jehovah on earth? (Matt. 24:21; John 10:16). Some may fear that they will feel lost or abandoned when their beloved anointed brothers are no longer on Earth. Let's look at two stories that may have led them to think that. We will also see that there are enough reasons not to worry.

WHAT WILL NOT HAPPEN

3, 4. What may some be wondering, and why?

3 Some may wonder if the other sheep will stray from the truth when members of the Governing Body are no longer on Earth to guide them. Because? Let's look at a couple of stories that may have led them to think this way. The first has to do with the high priest Jehoiada, a good servant of God. He and his wife, Jehosabeat, took care of a boy named Jehoash and helped him become a faithful and good king. While Jehoiada was alive, this king remained close to Jehovah. But as soon as he died, Jehoash began to do bad things. He allowed himself to be advised by evil princes and abandoned Jehovah (2 Chron. 24:2, 15-19).

4 The second example has to do with the Christians of the second century. John, the last apostle to die , had been a very good influence on many Christians. He had helped them to be loyal to Jehovah (3 John 4). And, like Jesus' other faithful apostles, he had been fighting hard against apostasy (1 John 2:18). But after John died, the apostasy spread like a virus, and within a few decades the Christian congregation was completely infected.

5. What conclusions should we not draw from these two stories?

5 Will the same thing happen to Christ's other sheep when the anointed are taken to heaven ? Will they do like Jehoash and leave Jehovah ? Will it happen to them like many Christians of the second century and they will fall into apostasy ? Of course not! We are sure that even if there are no anointed ones on Earth, the other sheep will continue to serve Jehovah faithfully and will be well cared for. How do we know?

PURE WORSHIP WILL NOT BE CONTAMINATED

6. What three time periods are we going to analyze?

6 Why are we sure that pure worship will not be contaminated despite the difficult times that await us? Because the Bible teaches that the time we are living in is very different from that of the Israelites and the Christians of the second century. Therefore, let us analyze these three periods in detail: 1) the time of ancient Israel, 2) the period after the death of the apostles and 3) “the times of the restoration of all things”, that is, our days ( Acts 3:21).

7. Why should faithful Israelites not be discouraged when the nation of Israel and its kings did bad things?

7 The time of ancient Israel. Shortly before his death, Moses told the Israelites : “I know that after my death you will act wickedly and deviate from the path that I have commanded you to follow” (Deut. 31:29). He also warned them that the consequence of rebelling would be exile (Deut. 28:35, 36). Was what Moses said fulfilled ? Yes. For centuries many kings decided to disobey Jehovah, and the people followed in his footsteps. For this reason, Jehovah punished the disobedient and did not allow any more Israelite kings (Ezek. 21:25-27). But seeing the fulfillment of all these things greatly encouraged the faithful Israelites (Isa. 55:10, 11).

8. Why should we not be surprised that the second century Christian congregation became corrupt?

8 The period after the death of the apostles. We should not be surprised that the Christian congregation of the second century became corrupt. Because? Because Jesus had predicted that there would be a great apostasy (Matt. 7:21-23; 13:24-30, 36-43). Already in the first century, the apostles Paul, Peter, and John confirmed that the apostasy predicted by Jesus had begun (2 Thess. 2:3, 7; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 2:18). Shortly after the death of the last apostle, apostate Christians became part of Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion. Once again what had been predicted was fulfilled.

9. How is our era different from the two we have seen in the previous paragraphs?

 9 “The times of the restoration of all things.” Our time is very different from that of ancient Israel and from the second century, when apostasy took hold of the Christian congregation. What is the name of the era we live in? We normally call it “the last days” of this evil system (2 Tim. 3:1). But the Bible shows that at the same moment another longer and more important period of time began. It is called “the times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). It began in 1914 and will end when humanity reaches perfection and the Earth becomes a paradise under the Messianic Kingdom. And what things did Jehovah restore in 1914? Jesus began to reign in heaven, and Jehovah once again had a ruler to represent him, an heir to faithful King David. But that was not all. Soon after, pure worship finally began to be restored (Isa. 2:2-4; Ezek. 11:17-20). Now, will it be contaminated again?

10. a) What does the Bible predict about pure worship today? (Isaiah 54:17). b) Why are we encouraged by what is predicted in Isaiah?

10 (Read a). Isaiah 54:17 ). Let's notice that this prophecy says: “No weapon that they make against you will work.” This verse is being fulfilled today. The following words are also being fulfilled: “All your children will be taught by Jehovah, and the peace of your children will be abundant. You will be firmly established in righteousness. […] Nothing will make you afraid nor will you have reason to be terrified, because it will not come near you” (Is. 54:13, 14). b). Not even “the god of this system,” Satan, has the power to stop the work of Bible education being carried out by Jehovah’s people. (2 Cor. 4:4) Pure worship has been restored. It will never be contaminated again! No weapon they make against us will work.

WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN

11. Why are we sure that the great crowd will not be abandoned when all the anointed are in heaven?

11 What will happen when the anointed are taken to heaven? Let us remember that Jesus is our Shepherd and the head of the Christian congregation. In fact, he himself said, “His Leader is one, the Christ” (Matt. 23:10). Our King will never neglect his responsibility to take care of us. So, with him at the helm, Christians on Earth will have nothing to fear. Of course, we do not know exactly what Christ is going to do for Jehovah's people at that time. But there are some biblical examples that can put us at ease. Let's see them.

12. a) How did Jehovah care for his people after the death of Moses? b) How did he do it after Elijah left to serve somewhere else? (See also the drawing).

12 Moses died before Israel entered the Promised Land. What then happened to God's people? Without the guidance of that faithful man, were they left alone and helpless? No, because Jehovah was by his side as long as they were loyal. For example, before Moses died, Jehovah told him that the next leader of the nation would be Joshua, a man whom Moses had been training for many years.​—Ex. 33:11; Deut. 34:9. In addition, there were many other men of experience who led the nation: the leaders of 1,000, of 100, of 50, and even of 10 (Deut. 1:15). Of course, God's people were well taken care of. We also have the example of Elijah. For many years, he helped the Israelites worship Jehovah. But at one point, Jehovah sent him further south to Judah (2 Kings 2:1; 2 Chron. 21:12). Were Jehovah's servants from the 10 tribes of the kingdom of Israel abandoned? No, because Elijah had been training Elisha for years. In addition, they had the help of “the sons of the prophets,” who apparently were organized into schools of some kind (2 Kings 2:7). As we see, there were always many faithful men who helped lead God's people. So Jehovah continued to fulfill his purpose and take care of his loyal servants.

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. Moses names Joshua leader in front of a group of Israelites. 2. Elijah is about to hit the Jordan River with his garment. Elisha watches from close up and other prophets watch from a distance. Both Moses (left drawing) and Elijah (right drawing) trained someone to take their place. (See paragraph 12).

13. What does Hebrews 13:5b assure us? (See also images).

13 Thinking about these Bible examples, what do you think will happen to Jehovah's servants left on Earth when all the anointed are taken to heaven? There is no need to think about it too much: the Bible assures us that Jehovah will never abandon them. (Read Hebrews 13:5b.) As in the case of Moses and Elijah, the small group of anointed Christians who lead Jehovah's people today know that it is important to train others. For years, members of the Governing Body have been training men from the other sheep to direct the work. For example, schools have been created to train elders, circuit overseers, Branch Committee members, Bethel overseers, etc. Additionally, members of the Governing Body have been personally training brothers to serve as helpers on their committees. In fact, these helpers are already handling many responsibilities well. There is no doubt that they are well prepared to take charge of Christ's sheep.

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. A member of the Governing Body teaching a group of brothers and sisters in a classroom. 2. Several brothers and sisters taking notes in a classroom. 3. A Bible school teacher and a student discuss Hebrews chapters 8 and 9 together in front of the class. Behind them is an illustration of the tabernacle and in front of them is a model of the tabernacle. The Governing Body has put great effort into training its helpers and organizing schools throughout the world to train elders, circuit overseers, Branch Committee members, Bethel overseers, and missionaries. (See paragraph 13).

14. What important conclusion did we reach?

14 All of this brings us to the most important conclusion of this article: when the anointed are taken to heaven, towards the end of the great tribulation, God's people will continue to worship Him faithfully here on Earth. With Jesus Christ as Leader, God's servants will not take a step back. It is true that at that time they will be attacked by a group of hostile nations, which the Bible calls Gog of Magog (Ezek. 38:18-20). But that attack will be short-lived and will fail. He will not get God's people to stop worshiping Him. Without a doubt, Jehovah will rescue them. In a vision, the apostle John saw the “great crowd” of Christ's other sheep, and was further told that this “great crowd” was coming out of “the great tribulation.” So it is clear that they will be safe (Rev. 7:9, 14).

15, 16. According to Revelation 17:14, what will the anointed Christians do during the battle of Armageddon, and why is it encouraging to know this?

15 But perhaps another question remains in the air: What about the anointed? What are they going to do when they are all in heaven? Well, the Bible clearly explains that the political elements of this world “will fight against the Lamb,” but that “the Lamb will overcome them.” And who will help him achieve victory? The verse indicates: “Those who are called, chosen and faithful,” that is, the resurrected anointed Christians (read Revelation 17:14). This means that when all the anointed are in heaven, one of the first assignments they will receive will be to fight. What an impressive task! Some anointed ones liked to fight before they became Witnesses. Some were even in the army. But they became Christians, left all that violence behind and learned to be peaceful (Gal. 5:22; 2 Thes. 3:16). However, when they are in heaven, they will participate alongside Christ and his holy angels in the final war against the enemies of God.

16 Let us think about this: some of the anointed who are on Earth are very old and do not have much strength. But when they live in heaven, they will become immortal and powerful spiritual beings who will fight alongside the warrior King Jesus Christ. After the war of Armageddon, they will help humanity achieve perfection. There is no doubt, they will do more for their beloved brothers from heaven than they could achieve as imperfect humans on Earth.

17. How do we know that all of God's servants will be safe during the war of Armageddon?

17 Are you one of the other sheep? So what will he have to do during the war of Armageddon , that momentous moment? Just this: trust in Jehovah and follow his instructions. That may include obeying Isaiah 26:20: “Go into your inner rooms and shut the doors behind you. Hide for a brief moment until the fury has passed.” How reassuring it is to know that all of God's servants, in heaven and on Earth, will be safe during that time. Like the apostle Paul, we are convinced that “neither governments, nor present things, nor future things” will be able to “separate us from the love of God” (Rom. 8:38, 39). Never forget: Jehovah loves you and will never abandon you.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What is not going to happen when all the anointed are already in heaven?

When these Christians are in heaven, the other sheep will not stray from the truth. Those on earth will remain loyal. 

Why are we sure that pure worship will not be defiled?

Because Jehovah predicts that no weapon made against us will have any results, and not even the god of this system, Satan, will be able to stop this educational work that the people of God are carrying out.

Why do we know that Jehovah will take care of his people?

Because Jehovah continues to strengthen his servants, training mature brothers, through schools for elders, superintendents, so that in this way they continue to strengthen the congregations throughout the Earth, until Jehovah brings the destruction of this system.