by RubaDub 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Issue ...
I've never gotton a good answer about King Solomon's later life in which the Bible says he married "foreign" wifes and worshipped their gods.
From my dub perspective, this always sounded like plain, clear, unadulterated apostacy. I mean, if I begin attending the Catholic church I would be DA'd in a minute and branded as being an apostate. But we never hear Solomon referred to as an apostate. WHY?
Am I missing something or what?
***** Rub a Dub
He wasn't in the wt, and his piers didn't talk like that?
RE: FWIW -Solomon - if I recall the WT has flip flopped a few times whether Solomon would be resurrected in the new system. Current is that he will be resurrected.
Makena1
I think you are right. I do recall a flip-flop by the WT.
But with worshiping another god at the bottom of the spiritual food chain, I still don't understand why Solomon is not referred to as an apostate.
***** Rub a Dub
Actually, the WTS publications refer to Solomon being apostate several times.
(it-1, Insight Book Volume 1, it-2, Insight Book Volume 2)
*** it-1 94 Ammonites ***
*** it-1 856 Foreknowledge, Foreordination ***
*** it-1 947 Divided Kingdom ***
*** it-1 1108 High Places ***
*** it-2 126 Judah ***
*** w87 7/15 19 Prayers Require Works ***
*** w70 8/1 474 Things Foreknown by God ***
Hello RubDub
Thanks for the very, very interesting question.
Blondie thanks for the WTBS quotes.
I would ike to add these:
*** it-1 pp. 126-127 Apostasy ***
Apostasy in Israel. The first two commandments of the Law condemned all apostasy. (Ex 20:3-6) And before Israel’s entry into the Promised Land, they were warned against the grave danger of apostasy resulting from marriages with the people of the land. (De 7:3, 4) Even though a person who was inciting others to apostasy was a close relative or a marriage mate, he was to be put to death for having “spoken of revolt against Jehovah your God.” (De 13:1-15) The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh were quick to exonerate themselves of a charge of apostasy that arose because of their construction of an altar.—Jos 22:21-29.
Many of the kings of Israel and of Judah followed an apostate course —for example, Saul (1Sa 15:11; 28:6, 7), Jeroboam (1Ki 12:28-32), Ahab (1Ki 16:30-33), Ahaziah (1Ki 22:51-53), Jehoram (2Ch 21:6-15), Ahaz (2Ch 28:1-4), and Amon (2Ch 33:22, 23). In due time a nation of apostates developed because the people listened to apostate priests and prophets (Jer 23:11, 15) and other unprincipled men who, by smooth words and false sayings, led them into loose conduct, immorality, and desertion of Jehovah, “the source of living water.” (Isa 10:6; 32:6, 7; Jer 3:1; 17:13) According to Isaiah 24:5, the very land became “polluted [cha·nephah´] under its inhabitants, for they have bypassed the laws, changed the regulation, broken the indefinitely lasting covenant.” No mercy was to be granted them in the predicted destruction.—Isa 9:17; 33:11-14; Zep 1:4-6.
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*** it-1 p. 1164 Hypocrite ***
Although words from the Hebrew root cha·neph´ are rendered “hypocrite” or “hypocrisy” in some translations, such as the King James Version, Douay, and Leeser, other translators have variously rendered these words “profane” (Yg), “impious” (Ro), “godless” (RS), and “apostate” (NW). According to A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament by Brown, Driver, and Briggs (1980, pp. 337, 338), cha·neph´, when used as an adjective, may be defined as “profane, irreligious . . . , godless”; or, as a verb, “be polluted, profane . . . , inclining away from right.” In the Scriptures cha·neph´ appears in parallel with those forgetting God (Job 8:13), the wicked (Job 20:5), evildoers (Isa 9:17), and it is used in contrast with the upright and innocent ones.—Job 17:8; see APOSTASY.
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*** it-1 p. 621 Deuteronomy ***
Warnings and Laws. Deuteronomy is filled with warnings against false worship and unfaithfulness as well as instructions on how to deal with it so that pure worship might be preserved. The exhortation to holiness was an outstanding thing in Deuteronomy. The Israelites were admonished not to intermarry with the nations round about, because this would present a threat to pure worship and loyalty to Jehovah. (De 7:3, 4) They were warned against materialism and self-righteousness. (8:11-18; 9:4-6) Strong laws were made regarding apostasy. They were to watch themselves so that they would not turn to other gods. (11:16, 17) They were warned against false prophets. Instructions were given in two places as to how to identify a false prophet and how he should be dealt with. (13:1-5; 18:20-22) Even if a member of one’s own family should become apostate, the family was not to have pity but was to share in stoning such a one to death.—13:6-11.
Cities of Israel that turned apostate were to be devoted to destruction, and nothing was to be preserved for personal benefit by anyone. The city was never to be rebuilt. (De 13:12-17) Delinquents whose parents could not control them were to be stoned to death.—21:18-21.
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*** ip-1 chap. 25 pp. 336-337 The King and His Princes ***
13 Many such senseless ones come to hate those who champion God’s truth. “His very heart will work at what is hurtful, to work at apostasy and to speak against Jehovah what is wayward.” (Isaiah 32:6b) How true this is of modern-day apostates! In a number of countries in Europe and Asia, apostates have joined forces with other opponents of truth, speaking outright lies to the authorities, with a view to having Jehovah’s Witnesses banned or restricted. They manifest the spirit of the “evil slave,” of whom Jesus prophesied: “If ever that evil slave should say in his heart, ‘My master is delaying,’ and should start to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his part with the hypocrites. There is where his weeping and the gnashing of his teeth will be.”—Matthew 24:48-51.
14 In the meantime, the apostate causes “the soul of the hungry one to go empty, and he causes even the thirsty one to go without drink itself.” (Isaiah 32:6c) Enemies of truth try to deprive truth-hungry people of spiritual food, and they try to keep thirsty ones from drinking the refreshing waters of the Kingdom message. But the final outcome will be what Jehovah declares to his people through another of his prophets: “They will be certain to fight against you, but they will not prevail against you, for ‘I am with you,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘to deliver you.’”—Jeremiah 1:19; Isaiah 54:17.
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*** w87 11/1 pp. 19-20 Are You Remaining Clean in Every Respect? ***
15 Apostates often appeal to the ego, claiming that we have been deprived of our freedoms, including the freedom to interpret the Bible for ourselves. (Compare Genesis 3:1-5.) In reality, these would-be defilers offer nothing more than a return to the nauseating teachings of “Babylon the Great.” (Revelation 17:5; 2 Peter 2:19-22) Others appeal to the flesh, urging former associates to “take it easy” because the humble work of witnessing from house to house is “unnecessary” or “unscriptural.” (Compare Matthew 16:22, 23.) True, such smooth talkers may look outwardly clean in a physical and moral way. But inside they are spiritually unclean, having given in to prideful, independent thinking. They have forgotten all that they learned about Jehovah, his holy name and attributes. They no longer acknowledge that all they learned about Bible truth—the glorious hope of the Kingdom and a paradise earth and the overturning of false doctrines, such as the Trinity, the immortal human soul, eternal torment, and purgatory—yes, all of this came to them through “the faithful and discreet slave.”—Matthew 24:45-47.
16 Interestingly, a circuit overseer in France observes: “Some brothers are deceived because they lack accurate knowledge.” That is why Proverbs 11:9 states: “By knowledge are the righteous rescued.” This does not mean giving apostates a hearing ear or delving into their writings. Rather, it means coming to “an accurate knowledge of the sacred secret of God” through diligent personal study of the Bible and the Society’s Bible-based publications. Having this accurate knowledge, who would become so curious as to pay any attention to apostate mouthings? May no man “delude you with persuasive arguments”! (Colossians 2:2-4) False religious propaganda from any source should be avoided like poison! Really, since our Lord has used “the faithful and discreet slave” to convey to us “sayings of everlasting life,” why should we ever want to look anywhere else?—John 6:68
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*** w00 5/1 pp. 9-10 Firmly Uphold Godly Teaching ***
Enemies of the Truth
8 Apostates can present yet another threat to our spirituality. The apostle Paul foretold that apostasy would arise among professed Christians. (Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Thessalonians 2:3) In fulfillment of his words, after the death of the apostles, a great apostasy led to the development of Christendom. Today, there is no great apostasy taking place among God’s people. Still, a few individuals have left our ranks, and some among them are bent on defaming Jehovah’s Witnesses by spreading lies and misinformation. A few work with other groups in organized resistance to pure worship. In doing so, they side with the very first apostate, Satan.
9 Some apostates are increasingly using various forms of mass communication, including the Internet, to spread false information about Jehovah’s Witnesses. As a result, when sincere individuals do research on our beliefs, they may stumble across apostate propaganda. Even some Witnesses have unwittingly exposed themselves to this harmful material. In addition, apostates occasionally take part in television or radio programs. What is the wise course to follow in view of this?
10 The apostle John directed Christians not to accept apostates into their homes. He wrote: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him. For he that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.” (2 John 10, 11) Avoiding all contact with these opponents will protect us from their corrupt thinking. Exposing ourselves to apostate teachings through the various means of modern communication is just as harmful as receiving the apostate himself into our homes. Never should we allow curiosity to lure us into such a calamitous course!—Proverbs 22:3.
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*** w98 5/1 pp. 21-22 Judgment Executed in the Low Plain of Decision ***
7 Our Bible-based faith will strengthen us to stand firm against hate campaigns stirred up by those who manifest the spirit of the “evil slave” of Matthew 24:48-51. Fulfilling this prophecy in a remarkable way, apostates are actively sowing lies and propaganda in many lands today, even conniving with some in positions of authority among the nations. Where appropriate, Jehovah’s Witnesses have responded, as described at Philippians 1:7, by ‘defending and legally establishing the good news.’ For example, on September 26, 1996, in a case from Greece, the nine judges of the European Court of Human Rights, at Strasbourg, unanimously reaffirmed that “Jehovah’s Witnesses come within the definition of ‘known religion,’” entitled to enjoy freedom of thought, conscience, and belief, and the right to make known their faith. As for apostates, God’s judgment states: “The saying of the true proverb has happened to them: ‘The dog has returned to its own vomit, and the sow that was bathed to rolling in the mire.’”—2 Peter 2:22.
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*** w86 10/15 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***
Questions From Readers
· What is the fitting response of the congregation if someone leaves the true Christian faith and joins another religion?
Such a thing sometimes occurred in the first century. Thus it is understandable that it happens on occasion today. When it does, the congregation appropriately responds to protect the spiritual cleanness of the loyal Christians in it.
One dictionary defines apostasy as “renunciation of one’s religion, principles, political party, etc.” Another says: “Apostasy . . . 1 : renunciation of a religious faith 2 : abandonment of a previous loyalty.” Accordingly, Judas Iscariot was guilty of a form of apostasy when he abandoned the worship of Jehovah God by betraying Jesus. Later, others became apostates by deserting the true faith even while the apostle John and other early disciples were alive. John wrote: “They went out from among us, but they were not of our sort; for if they had been of our sort, they would have remained with us.”—1 John 2:19.
What is to be done when a similar thing happens today? The elders, or shepherds, of the congregation might learn of a baptized Christian who has ceased associating with Jehovah’s people and who has apparently become associated with another religion. In harmony with Jesus’ words about being concerned about any stray sheep, the spiritual shepherds should be interested in helping such a person. (Matthew 18:12-14; compare 1 John 5:16.) But what if the shepherds designated to look into the matter determine that the person no longer wants to have anything to do with Jehovah’s people and is determined to remain in a false religion?
They would then simply announce to the congregation that such one has disassociated himself and thus is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Such a person would have ‘abandoned his previous loyalty,’ but it is not necessary for any formal disfellowshipping action to be taken. Why? Because he has already disassociated himself from the congregation. Likely he is not trying to maintain contact with his former brothers so as to persuade them to follow him. For their part, the loyal brothers are not seeking fellowship with him, since ‘he went out from them, for he was not of their sort.’ (1 John 2:19) Such a disassociated person who ‘has gone out from us’ might begin to send letters or literature promoting false religion or apostasy. That would underscore that the individual definitely ‘is not of our sort.’
The Scriptures warn, though, that some would try to remain among God’s people and there attempt to mislead others. The apostle Paul advised: “From among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts 20:30) He pointedly warned Christians ‘to keep their eye on those who cause divisions and occasions for stumbling contrary to the teaching that they had learned, and avoid them.’—Romans 16:17, 18.
So if someone became a false teacher among true Christians, as did Hymenaeus and Philetus in Paul’s day, the shepherds of the flock would have to take protective steps. If the person rejected their loving admonition and continued to promote a sect, a committee of elders could disfellowship, or expel, such one for apostasy. (2 Timothy 2:17; Titus 3:10, 11) The individual brothers and sisters in the congregation would follow Paul’s direction to “avoid” the one who tried to “cause divisions.” John counseled similarly: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him.”—2 John 10.
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*** w93 11/1 p. 16 A King Profanes Jehovah’s Sanctuary ***
The King and the Covenant
15 The angel now says: “Those who are acting wickedly against the covenant, he will lead into apostasy by means of smooth words.” (Daniel 11:32a) Who are these ones acting wickedly against the covenant? Again, they can only be the leaders of Christendom, who claim to be Christian but by their actions profane the very name of Christianity. During the second world war, “the Soviet Government made an effort to enlist the material and moral assistance of the Churches for the defence of the motherland.” (Religion in the Soviet Union, by Walter Kolarz) After the war, church leaders tried to maintain that friendship despite the atheistic policy of the power that was now king of the north. Thus, Christendom became more than ever a part of this world—a disgusting apostasy in Jehovah’s eyes.—John 17:14; James 4:4.
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*** w93 11/1 pp. 17-18 A King Profanes Jehovah’s Sanctuary ***
A Cleansing for God’s People
19 Not all who manifested an interest in serving God during this time had good motives. The angel warned: “Many will certainly join themselves to them by means of smoothness. And some of those having insight will be made to stumble, in order to do a refining work because of them and to do a cleansing and to do a whitening, until the time of the end; because it is yet for the time appointed.” (Daniel 11:34b, 35) Some showed an interest in the truth but were not willing to make a genuine dedication to serve God. Others who seemed to accept the good news were really spies for the authorities. A report from one land reads: “Some of these unscrupulous characters were avowed Communists who had crept into the Lord’s organization, made a great display of zeal, and had even been appointed to high positions of service.”
20 The infiltrators caused some faithful ones to fall into the hands of the authorities. Why did Jehovah allow such things to happen? For a refining, a cleansing. Just as Jesus “learned obedience from the things he suffered,” so these faithful souls learned endurance from the testing of their faith. (Hebrews 5:8; James 1:2, 3; compare Malachi 3:3.) They are thus ‘refined, cleansed, and whitened.’ Great rejoicing awaits such faithful ones when the appointed time arrives for their endurance to be rewarded. This will be seen when we discuss more of Daniel’s prophecy.
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*** w96 2/1 p. 24 Trust in Jehovah and His Word ***
It is of interest that many who have become victims of apostasy got started in the wrong direction by first complaining about how they felt they were being treated in Jehovah’s organization. (Jude 16) Finding fault with beliefs came later. Just as a surgeon acts quickly to cut out gangrene, act quickly to rout out of the mind any tendency to complain, to be dissatisfied with the way things are done in the Christian congregation. (Colossians 3:13, 14) Cut off anything that feeds such doubts.—Mark 9:43.
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*** w93 10/1 p. 19 “Search Through Me, O God” ***
15 Regarding them, the psalmist said: “Do I not hate those who are intensely hating you, O Jehovah, and do I not feel a loathing for those revolting against you? With a complete hatred I do hate them. They have become to me real enemies.” (Psalm 139:21, 22) It was because they intensely hated Jehovah that David looked on them with abhorrence. Apostates are included among those who show their hatred of Jehovah by revolting against him. Apostasy is, in reality, a rebellion against Jehovah.
Some apostates profess to know and serve God, but they reject teachings or requirements set out in his Word.
Others claim to believe the Bible, but they reject Jehovah’s organization and actively try to hinder its work.
When they deliberately choose such badness after knowing what is right, when the bad becomes so ingrained that it is an inseparable part of their makeup, then a Christian must hate (in the Biblical sense of the word) those who have inseparably attached themselves to the badness.
True Christians share Jehovah’s feelings toward such apostates; they are not curious about apostate ideas. On the contrary, they “feel a loathing” toward those who have made themselves God’s enemies, but they leave it to Jehovah to execute vengeance.—Job 13:16; Romans 12:19; 2 John 9, 10.
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In final analysis, why so much difference concerning King Solomon’s apostasy
and other apostates in Israel and during the 1 st century C.E. ??
Why was is not stoned to death? Why all his concubines, mistresses, wifes were
allowed to pursue their own – personal – form of worship, without any problem??
As for today, concerning most of the “ apostates” , by the WTBS ‘ own definition,
their “real sin” is to be in disagreement with one or more of the “ particular teachings”
that the WTBS has taught, modified, reinvented, nullified and changed again and again during her history of the last 120 years or if you prefere since the early 1870’s from the beginning of the activity of the late Charles Taze Russell.
Many who today are committing the atrocious and horrible crime of – pedophilia – are even
covered, protected…hidden by the mighty WTBS Inc. but all those that are ‘unmasking’ the
pack of lies taught in the past and taught still today , in the name of Jehovah and Jesus Christ
are labelled ‘ apostates’ and worthy of – eternal destruction -!!!
I think it’s all for now.
Greetings, J.C.MacHislopp
Rub-a dub...Let it go. The Solomon stories are origin legends (created history to cement a sense of solidarity in a modern audience)that typified the priestly mind of the post Babylonian period. The story was a moral treatise about the dangers of self glorification and arrogant wisdom. IF there ever was a man named Solomon (unlikely) he most certainly did not have the power, luxury and wealth ascribed to him in these legends. This has been explained here before. History has absolutely no room for such a King of a kingdom that did not exist at the time attributed to him.
It's quite possible that solomon never existed, but that doesn't stop commentary. One non jw christian commentary claimed that he wrote after his apostacy/playboy days. That he came back to the jewish god in his later yrs.
SS
I appreciate the value of discussion even if it is about allegory and mythology. Myths can have power, that is why civilization has persisted in the thru the ages. However logical anlysis will only result in frustration. Myths must be appreciated for what they are. By the way, the Cabalistic Jews hailed Solomon as the founder of the magical arts. Why even the use of his name expelled demons! Legends associated Solomon with books of spells and incanations to thwart the devil.
This question is not asked often, and I would guess because it causes a person to look inside themselves to see how they would be judged. Revelation 20:12 says "And I saw the dead, small, and great, stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things that was written in the books, according to their works." Everyone should be more concerned with their own eternal state and let God do the acts of judgement.
God Bless!
