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856.
WHAT THE WRITINGS OF NUMBERS Ch.16
AND THE BOOK OF JUDE HAVE IN
COMMON WITH SPIRITUAL "ISRAEL".
NUMBERS CHAPTER 16.
Korah a great-grandson of Le'vi,
and others with him, congregated against Moses and Aaron the high priest and
said: "That is enough of you, because the whole assembly are all
of them holy and Jehovah is in their midst. Why, then, should you lift
yourselves up above the congregation of Jehovah?" (Num 16:3).
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THE IMPORTANT FACTS: |
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(1) |
Korah and other like-minded ones proved
that they had had enough of God,
for though just a man in other respects, Jehovah had
appointed Aaron as His high priest. (16:11). |
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(2) |
By refusing the authority of God,
declared to them through Aaron His high priest,
they were merely seeking their own
desire, proving they were not holy. (16:21-35).
If
they had been holy, why were they brought to the wilderness for
correction? (16:13). |
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(3) |
Korah and his kind were lifting
themselves above the congregation of Jehovah so as to
"secure the priesthood" for themselves,
and accusing Moses and Aaron of this grave offence. (16:10). |
EVIDENCE OF
THESE OFFENCES TODAY.
Congregations of JWs received instruction
that all baptized men 20 years old and upward were to be considered for an
appointment to the priestly position of
'elder'
or
'ministerial servant'.
(See 1975 JW Yearbook. Pg. 248). However, the Scriptures clearly state that the
priesthood is a "chosen race" of God according to an anointing by
Holy Spirit. (1 Peter
2:9 & 5:1-4. 1 John 2:27). The
followers of spiritual "Jews" (Romans 2:28,29) should be as those
described in Zechariah 8:23, willingly accepting that "God is with you
people". But many who should have been followers have instead rebelled
against God and are acting as priests ("Jews"),
thereby claiming their whole assembly are holy! (Rev 3:9).
THE BOOK OF JUDE.
The reason for Jude's letter to
"called" anointed sons of God was that "certain men"
had slipped in, turning the undeserved kindness of God into an excuse for loose
conduct. Korah was used as an example of "certain men" who pervert
the undeserved kindness of our God. (V.4). But to what end? To "secure
the priesthood" for themselves. But such ones will suffer the same fate
as Korah and perish in their rebellion! (V.11). Just like Korah, they are
"murmurers, complainers at fate". Because they do not have
"an inheritance of field and vineyard", things are not going
"according to the desires of them going their way". (V.16 Greek T.)
(Num 16:12-14). So today they are guilty of the same rebellion against
anointed priests of God, in effect saying: "That is enough of you"
and "proceeding according to their own desires", "standing in a
holy place", while "their mouths speak swelling things",
and "admiring personalities for the sake of their own benefit." (V.16. Matt 24:15).
IN CONCLUSION.
The consequences of apostate JWs twisting
such scriptures as 1 Timothy 3:1-13 to teach that any man, without an anointing
from God, may become an elder or overseer,
is that they are all appointed by the
Scriptures to the Judgement of Jude V.4 and 15. If, as Korah claimed, the
whole assembly were holy, why did He only appoint Moses as His prophet and Aaron
as His high priest? By the same token today, why would Jehovah anoint few by
Holy Spirit if all the assembly worldwide are to be considered
holy ones? Unsealed
'elders' of the sect falsely calling
themselves Jehovah's Witnesses cannot lay claim to a Spirit anointing from God.
7/10/78.
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