Prayers of the Holy Ones

In vision, John sees the “lamb that seemed to have been slaughtered” take the scroll in order to open its seals. When the Lamb did so, “the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, and each one had a harp and golden bowls that were full of incense. (The incense means the prayers of the holy ones)”.

Who are these “holy ones”? How does the incense in the golden bowls of the 24 elders symbolize their prayers? What meaning does this have for us?

THE HOLY ONES OF THE SUPREME ONE

“The incense means the prayers of the holy ones”. Who are these “holy ones”?

Let’s look at the context. When the 24 elders who have the bowls full of incense and who fall down before the Lamb, they then say: “You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought people for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth”.

So in context, the holy ones are connected to those who have been bought with the Lamb’s blood to serve as priest to Jehovah and as kings over the earth. Is this thought reflected elsewhere in the scriptures?

Paul tells the Corinthians: “Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to try very trivial matters? Do you not know that we will judge angels? Then why not matters of this life?”

So the holy ones will have authority to judge the world, as well as spirit creatures.

Paul also wrote “to the holy ones who are in Ephesus and are faithful in union with Christ Jesus”. To them he wrote: “Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in union with Christ, as he chose us to be in union with him before the founding of the world, that we should be holy and unblemished before him in love. For he foreordained us to be adopted as his own sons through Jesus Christ, according to his good pleasure and will, in praise of his glorious undeserved kindness that he kindly bestowed on us by means of his beloved one. By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his undeserved kindness”.

This tells us another detail. The holy ones have been adopted as Jehovah’s sons through Jesus Christ.

Concerning this adoption as sons of God, Paul says: “The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. If, then, we are children, we are also heirs—heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ—provided we suffer together so that we may also be glorified together”.

So these holy ones are sons and heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ. And so John says that he saw “the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who have his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads”.

Likewise, Daniel’s vision says this: “And the kingdom and the rulership and the grandeur of the kingdoms under all the heavens were given to the people who are the holy ones of the Supreme One. Their kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all rulerships will serve and obey them.”

Yes, we spirit-anointed Christian’s are “the holy ones”. And we shall become “the holy ones of the supreme one” who will inherit and rule in the Kingdom of God as his heirs.

As “the holy ones”, the bowls of incense in the hands of the 24 elders mean our prayers.

Why does incense mean our prayers? Why is incense a fitting symbol of our prayers? What can we learn from understanding that our prayers are like incense before Jehovah?

Paul said concerning the priests who served in the tabernacle, that “these men are offering sacred service in a typical representation and a shadow of the heavenly things; just as Moses, when about to construct the tent, was given the divine command: For He says: ‘See that you make all things after their pattern that was shown to you in the mountain.’”

So the scriptures directly say that the activity of the priests in the tabernacle under the Mosaic Law is a pattern and typical representation of greater spiritual things taking place in Paul’s day with regard to the anointed, and also our day in regard to us as fellow anointed ones.

So looking at the use of incense by the priests in their service to Jehovah will help us to see how we ourselves can benefit from a discussion of incense.

Additionally, David said: “May my prayer be as incense prepared before you”. Now David was not a priest, and so he was not authorized to present incense in the Holy of the tabernacle. In fact, what would have happened if he tried?

Regarding King Uzziah, Ezra writes in Second Chronicles: “However, as soon as he was strong, his heart became haughty to his own ruin, and he acted unfaithfully against Jehovah his God by entering the temple of Jehovah to burn incense on the altar of incense. Immediately Azariah the priest and 80 other courageous priests of Jehovah went in after him. They confronted King Uzziah and said to him: ‘It is not proper for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Jehovah! It is only the priests who should burn incense, for they are the descendants of Aaron, those who have been sanctified. Go out from the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully and you will receive no glory from Jehovah God for this.’ But Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand to burn incense, became enraged; and during his rage against the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of Jehovah next to the altar of incense. When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned toward him, they saw that he had been stricken with leprosy in his forehead! So they rushed him out of there, and he himself hurried out, because Jehovah had struck him. King Uzziah remained a leper until the day of his death, and he kept staying in a separate house as a leper, for he had been excluded from the house of Jehovah. His son Jotham was in charge of the king’s house, judging the people of the land”, and “then Uzziah was laid to rest with his forefathers, and they buried him with his forefathers, but in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said: ‘He is a leper.’”

Yes, David would have sinned greatly if he had attempted to offer incense to Jehovah. Nonetheless, he meditated deeply and learned an important lesson regarding his prayers from the arrangement of offering incense. Likewise, the typical representation of the activity of the priest in the tabernacle finds fulfillment in us, not in those with an earthly hope. And indeed, Jehovah would be upset if someone with an earthly hope attempted to usurp the responsibilities of the anointed. However, like David, those with an earthly hope may learn important lessons regarding their own prayers by meditating deeply on what Jehovah’s Word says to the anointed about prayers.

A PLACE FOR BURNING INCENSE

Let’s take some time and consider the arrangement of the tabernacle and the service of the priest in “the first compartment”, called “The Holy”.

Paul says: “For a first tent compartment was constructed, in which were the lampstand and the table and the display of the loaves of presentation; and it is called the Holy Place”. So let’s discuss this, particularly as it relates to the responsibility of the priests to offer incense on the altar of incense.

To do this, we need to go back to the commands on offering incense found in the Law of Moses. We read Jehovah’s words to Moses: “You are to make an altar as a place for burning incense”. Then Jehovah says: “You are to put it before the curtain that is near the ark of the Testimony, before the cover that is over the Testimony, where I will present myself to you. Aaron will burn perfumed incense on it, making it smoke on the altar when he maintains the lamps each morning. Also, when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he will burn the incense. It is a regular incense offering before Jehovah throughout your generations. You must not offer on it unauthorized incense or a burnt offering or a grain offering, and you must not pour a drink offering on it”. Then he says: “You are to anoint the . . . altar of incense“.

After this, Jehovah tells Moses of the work that is supposed to go into making the incense. “Then Jehovah said to Moses: ‘Take equal portions of these perfumes: stacte drops, onycha, perfumed galbanum, and pure frankincense. Make it into an incense; the spice mixture should be skillfully blended, salted, pure, and holy. You are to pound some of it into fine powder and put some of it before the Testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will present myself to you. It should be most holy to you. You must not make for your own use the incense that you make with this composition. You are to regard it as something holy to Jehovah. Whoever makes any like it to enjoy its smell must be cut off from his people.’”

As for its location within the tabernacle, we read: “you are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. Place the ark of the Testimony in it, and screen off the Ark with the curtain”. Thus the Most Holy was set up. Then turning his attention to the Holy, Jehovah says: “You are to bring the table in and arrange the things that belong on it and bring in the lampstand and light its lamps. Then put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the Testimony and put the screen for the entrance of the tabernacle in place”.

So the alter of incense was in the Holy, but also before the Ark. How is that possible? When Moses was following through on Jehovah’s instructions above and setting up the tabernacle, we read that “he next placed the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the curtain, in order to make perfumed incense smoke on it, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. Then he put the screen for the entrance of the tabernacle in place”.

So the alter of incense was placed before the curtain that separated the Holy from the Most Holy, but also placed in such a way that it was considered before the Ark as well, placed in the middle before the curtain, in such a way that standing before the golden altar was also like standing in a straight line before the Ark, with just the curtain in the way. So that when incense was offered on the golden alter of incense, it was as if it was raising up before the presence of Jehovah.

We also learn from the scriptures above that there was a screen that separated the Holy from the courtyard. We also read that Moses “set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar and put up the screen for the entrance of the courtyard”. And so there was a screen that separated the courtyard from the entrance to the Holy.

And so, the sons of Israel that were outside the courtyard and not allowed to enter, could not see into the courtyard and the activity of the Levites there. And they certainly could not see into the Holy and the activity of the priests inside.

Regarding the curtain separating the Holy from the Most Holy, we read: “You are to make a curtain of blue thread, purple wool, scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. It will be made with cherubs embroidered on it. You will hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold. Their hooks are to be of gold. The pillars are set on four socket pedestals of silver. You will hang the curtain under the clasps and bring the ark of the Testimony there within the curtain. The curtain will make a division for you between the Holy and the Most Holy. You must put the cover on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy. You will place the table outside the curtain, with the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle; and the table you will put on the north side”.

And regarding the screen separating the Holy from the courtyard, we read: “You will make a screen for the entrance of the tent out of blue thread, purple wool, scarlet material, and fine twisted linen woven together. You will make five pillars of acacia for the screen and overlay them with gold. Their hooks are to be of gold, and you will cast five socket pedestals of copper for them”.

Also, concerning the courtyard: “You will make the courtyard of the tabernacle. For the south side, facing south, the courtyard will have hanging curtains … 100 cubits long … the hanging curtains on the north side will also be 100 cubits long … there will also be hanging curtains on the west side for 50 cubits across the width of the courtyard … the width of the courtyard on the east side toward the sunrise is 50 cubits. There will be 15 cubits of hanging curtains on the one side … and for the other side, there will be 15 cubits of hanging curtains … the entrance of the courtyard should have a screen 20 cubits long”.

And so the courtyard was surrounded by curtains and separated from the sons of Israel, with the entranced screened of as well.

Also, once a year, on the day of atonement, we find the following direction to the high priest: “He will then take the fire holder full of burning coals from the altar before Jehovah and two handfuls of fine perfumed incense, and he will bring them inside the curtain. He will also put the incense on the fire before Jehovah, and the cloud of the incense will envelop the Ark cover, which is on the Testimony, so that he may not die”

During this day of atonement, we also read concerning the alter of incense: “Aaron must make atonement on its horns once a year. With some of the blood of the sin offering of the atonement, he will make atonement for it once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to Jehovah.”

We also read this: “If the anointed priest sins and brings guilt on the people, then he must present a sound young bull to Jehovah as a sin offering for the sin he committed”. And after the bull was slaughtered, we read: “Then the anointed priest will take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the tent of meeting; and the priest will dip his finger in the blood and spatter some of the blood seven times before Jehovah in front of the curtain of the holy place. The priest will also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of perfumed incense, which is before Jehovah in the tent of meeting; and he will pour all the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.”.

From this review of the arrangement of burning incense in the tabernacle, we learn the following:

1. The inner most compartment of the tabernacle, the second compartment, was the location of the Ark. And it was called The Most Holy.

2. The first compartment, called The Holy, was the location of the golden altar of incense, the table of showbread, and the golden lampstand.

3. There was a beautiful curtain with figures of cherubs on it that separated the Holy from the Most Holy.

4. The altar of incense was located in the middle before the curtain, in front of the Ark of Jehovah.

5. The preparation for offering the incense involved using 4 main ingredients. These ingredients were to be:

• Skillfully blended

• Salted

• Pure

• Holy

• Pounded into a fine powder.

1. The incense was to be offered twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, as “a regular incense offering before Jehovah”.

2. Once a year, on the day of atonement, the high priest would take coals from the golden altar in a fire holder, and two handfuls of incense. He would take them past the curtain and into the Most Holy and burn incense before Jehovah.

3. If a priest sinned, he would take some of the blood of his offering and put it on the horns of the golden altar of incense.

4. There was a screen separating the entrance to the Holy from the courtyard.

5. The courtyard was surrounded by curtains, with a screen covering the entrance.

Paul speaks of the different fixtures in the Holy and the Most Holy. He talks about “a first tent compartment was constructed, in which were the lampstand and the table and the display of the loaves of presentation; and it is called the Holy Place. But behind the second curtain was the tent compartment called the Most Holy. This had a golden censer and the ark of the covenant completely overlaid with gold, in which were the golden jar containing the manna and Aaron’s rod that budded and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the glorious cherubs overshadowing the propitiatory cover”.

So here we see him talking about the Holy and the lampstand and the table of showbread. Then he talks about the Most Holy and the Ark as well as a golden censer, which is a reference to the “fire holder full of burning coals from the altar” of incense that the high priest would take into the Most Holy, along with two handfuls of incense on the day of atonement, and burn the incense there before Jehovah.

But after describing these fixtures, he says: “But now is not the time to speak of these things in detail”. No, it was not the time in Paul’s day to talk about the fixtures of the tabernacle and the spiritual realities of such things. Paul does go on to discuss in detail some of the activity of the priests, and especially the activity of the high priest on the day of atonement in detail. As well as the altar of burnt offering and the spiritual reality of Jesus presenting himself on the altar of “Jehovah’s Will”.

It was time to talk about such things. The Hebrew Christian’s needed to build their faith in the high priest and the mediator of the new covenant. Which is why Paul spoke in detail about Jesus activity when he returned to heaven and presented the value of his perfect human life, as well as comparing Jesus to Moses, the mediator of the Law Covenant, and how Jesus “is counted worthy of more glory than Moses”.

Notice that Paul did not say that the fixtures in the Holy and Most Holy do not have spiritual realities. He only said it was not time to talk about such things “in detail”. The implication is that these things do have spiritual realities, it just wasn’t time to talk about them.

Also, Paul says: “Yes, according to the Law nearly all things are cleansed with blood, and unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place. Therefore, it was necessary for the typical representations of the things in the heavens to be cleansed by these means, but the heavenly things require far better sacrifices”. Indeed, once a year the golden altar of incense was also atoned for by the placing of sacrificial blood upon its horns. Other occasions on which it was so treated were when the sin offerings were made for members of the priesthood”. Yes, these things are “typical representations”.

Additionally, the golden altar of incense is expressly related to the prayers of the anointed when some 35 years after Paul’s words, John sees “another angel, holding a golden incense vessel, arrived and stood at the altar, and a large quantity of incense was given him to offer it with the prayers of all the holy ones on the golden altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense from the hand of the angel ascended with the prayers of the holy ones before God”.

No, now is also not the time to talk about the table of showbread, the golden lampstand, nor the Ark in detail.

However, now is the time to talk about the incense and what we can learn about our prayers from the arrangement for offering incense. This is important for us as God’s children, and it’s important for those with an earthly hope to understand the spiritual realities of these things. Understanding the spiritual realities of all these things that pertain to Jehovah’s dealings with his anointed children will impress upon them how much effort Jehovah has put in, and the lengths he has gone to, in order to make their hope sure.

THE INCENSE MEANS THE PRAYERS OF THE HOLY ONES

The inner most compartment of the tabernacle, the second compartment, was the location of the Ark. And it was called The Most Holy.

Jehovah said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he may not come at just any time into the holy place inside the curtain, in front of the cover on the Ark, so that he may not die, for I will appear over the cover in a cloud”.

In this instance, the Most Holy was also simply called by Jehovah “the holy place inside the curtain”. In context, it’s clear that Jehovah is talking about “The Most Holy”, where the Ark was and where Jehovah would appear in a cloud over the cover of the Ark, not “The Holy”.

Jehovah also tells Moses to “put the cover on the Ark, and in the Ark you will place the Testimony that I will give you. I will present myself to you there and speak with you from above the cover. From between the two cherubs that are on the ark of the Testimony, I will make known to you all that I will command you for the Israelites”.

Also, the scripture tells us that “whenever Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with God, he would hear the voice conversing with him from above the cover of the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubs; and God would speak to him”.

Thus, the Ark was closely associated with the presence and voice of Jehovah. And just as Aaron went into the typical representation of “holy place inside the curtain” and Jehovah appeared before him there, “Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, so that he now appears before God on our behalf”. Yes, Jesus entered heaven itself, with his own blood, and appeared before the face of Jehovah and obtained an everlasting deliverance for us. Because of this, “we have boldness for the way of entry into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, which he opened up for us as a new and living way through the curtain, that is, his flesh”. And “it is by one sacrificial offering that he has made those who are being sanctified perfect for all time”.

The first compartment, called The Holy, was the location of the golden altar of incense, the table of showbread, and the golden lampstand.

In the Holy, the priests would enter and the screen would close off view of them from the outside. The altar of incense was directly before the Ark, on the Holy side of the curtain.

And so it is when we approach Jehovah in our personal prayers as spirit anointed holy ones, sons of our father in heaven, serving in the Holy. For Jesus said “you must accordingly be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”, and Paul refers to us as those “who have been sanctified in union with Christ Jesus, called to be holy ones”.

The preparation for offering the incense involved using 4 main ingredients. These ingredients were to be:

• Skillfully blended

• Salted

• Pure

• Holy

• Pounded into a fine powder

What lessons can we learn about our prayers from the preparation of the incense?

Paul tells us “by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God”. This gives us three ingredients to our prayers. Supplication, thanksgiving and petitions.

Supplication is begging for something from Jehovah earnestly and humbly. Petition is a formal request made to Jehovah. Both are important ingredients to our prayers. Jesus himself “offered up supplications and also petitions, with strong outcries and tears” while he was on earth.

And we should not forget to show ourselves thankful in our prayers to Jehovah. For Jesus told the 10 men with leprosy: “Go and show yourselves to the priests”. And “one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. And he fell facedown at Jesus’ feet, thanking him. Furthermore, he was a Sa·marʹi·tan”. And so, Jesus asked: “All ten were cleansed, were they not? Where, then, are the other nine? Did no one else turn back to give glory to God except this man of another nation?”. Yes, Jesus was disappointed at the unthankfulness of the other 9.

We are also told, “O house of Israel, praise Jehovah. O house of Aaron, praise Jehovah. O house of Leʹvi, praise Jehovah. You who fear Jehovah, praise Jehovah. May Jehovah be praised from Zion”. And Jesus tells us to pray this way: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified”. Yes, another ingredient to our prayers is praise to Jehovah.

And so we have first, praise to Jehovah. Second, supplications. Third, thanksgiving. Fourth, petitions.

These ingredients are to be “skillfully blended”. Take the time to think about these ingredients and the personal prayer you’re about to offer to Jehovah. Mix them all together and spread them throughout your prayer.

The incense was also to be salted. We are told: “Let your words always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should answer each person”. If we are to speak in such a way “toward those on the outside”, how much more so are we to use gracious speech when speaking to Jehovah? Speaking in such a way so as to ensure our relationship with Jehovah is preserved and strengthened. Yes, “Salt, to be sure, is fine. But if the salt loses its strength, with what will it be seasoned? It is not suitable for soil or for manure. People throw it away”. If the salt is removed from this mixture, only a tasteless, useless residue remains.

Our prayers as incense are to be pure. We are to ask for pure things, and our prayers must come from a pure source. For we will be like Jehovah when we get to heaven, “because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as that one is pure”. We must be pure.

The incense was also to be holy, set aside for a special purpose to Jehovah. Yes, as holy ones we are sacred, sanctified, set aside for a special purpose. For as anointed ones, we are “a holy nation, a people for special possession”. Yes, our prayers are unique and set aside as holy. Thus, we should approach our prayers in such a way. Viewing our privilege of praying to Jehovah as sacred and unique.

The incense was also to be pounded into a fine powder. Yes, we should put effort into personal prayers. Take them seriously and work toward their acceptance to Jehovah and to the success of our prayers.

The incense was to be offered twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, as “a regular incense offering before Jehovah”

Yes, “pray constantly”. Yes, “persevere in prayer”. Yes, Jesus “went on to tell them an illustration about the need for them always to pray and not to give up”. Yes, Jesus said: “keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you”. Yes, “persevere in prayer, remaining awake in it with thanksgiving”. Yes, “with every form of prayer and supplication you carry on prayer on every occasion in spirit. And to that end stay awake, constantly making supplication in behalf of all the holy ones”.

Referring to the construction of the tabernacle, Paul’s says: “After these things were constructed this way, the priests enter the first tent compartment regularly to perform the sacred services”, and “This tent is an illustration for the present time, and according to this arrangement, both gifts and sacrifices are offered”.

Once a year, on the day of atonement, the high priest would take coals from the golden altar in a fire holder, and two handfuls of incense. He would take them past the curtain and into the Most Holy and burn incense before Jehovah.

What lesson can we learn from this?

Concerning the typical representation, we read: “the high priest enters alone into the second compartment once a year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins that the people committed in ignorance”. However, regarding the reality, we read: “when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have already taken place, he passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. He entered into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and of young bulls, but with his own blood, once for all time, and obtained an everlasting deliverance for us. For if the blood of goats and of bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who have been defiled sanctifies for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Christ, who through an everlasting spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we may render sacred service to the living God?”

Yes, the reality is that Jesus entered into the true Most Holy of the true tent, heaven itself, and appeared before the presence and face of the Almighty and offered the value of his perfect human sacrifice. But are there other things that Jesus does in heaven as high priest in addition to having offered the value of his sacrifice to Jehovah?

Yes.

“The former commandment is set aside because it is weak and ineffective. For the Law made nothing perfect, but the introduction of a better hope did, through which we are drawing near to God.” Yes, when our better hope of heavenly life was introduced, we began drawing near to God as beloved children, because this “better hope” is based on “a better covenant, for we read that “Jesus has accordingly become the guarantee of a better covenant. Furthermore, many had to become priests in succession because death prevented them from continuing as such, but because he continues alive forever, his priesthood has no successors. So he is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them”.

And so we come to the lesson we learn from the high priest taking incense and burning before the presence of Jehovah. Jesus is always alive to plead for us.

Though counted as perfect, and acquitted of sin, we still live on in the imperfect flesh and still sin. Thus, as imperfect humans we cannot approach Jehovah directly. Yes, Jehovah is “the hearer of prayer”, and so he personally hears our prayers. Yet, we must approach on the basis of Jesus sacrifice. And so, although Jehovah directly hears our prayers, we cannot approach him directly. Jesus told us: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me”. And Paul says: “Therefore, now that we have been declared righteous as a result of faith, let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained access by faith into this undeserved kindness in which we now stand; and let us rejoice, based on hope of the glory of God”. Yes, by means of Jesus we have gained access by faith into this undeserved kindness in which we now stand.

So, we learn that our access to our relationship with Jehovah as beloved sons in though Jesus, and our approach to Jehovah in prayer is through Jesus. And Jesus lovingly pleads in our behalf, becoming our advocate before God. And concerning Jesus, the inspired word says: “Since he himself has suffered when being put to the test, he is able to come to the aid of those who are being put to the test”. We can always approach God in Jesus’ name, knowing that Christ stands ready to help us.

Of course, Paul is not here suggesting that God is reluctant to hear our prayers and requires that Jesus beg him to show mercy. Jehovah is compassionate and ready to forgive. In fact, God is the one who provided Jesus as the advocate through whom we can approach Him in prayer to obtain mercy and help.

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tested in all respects as we have, but without sin. Let us, then, approach the throne of undeserved kindness with freeness of speech, so that we may receive mercy and find undeserved kindness to help us at the right time”.

Indeed, incense is offered up before the presence of Jehovah and ascends “with the prayers of the holy ones”.

If a priest sinned, he would take some of the blood of his offering and put it on the horns of the golden altar of incense.

John, our kind but also straightforward brother, tells us in a fatherly way: “My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one”.

Yes, we can approach Jehovah in prayer through Jesus name. In this regard, John records the words of Jesus this way: “In that day you will ask me no question at all. Most truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything, he will give it to you in my name. Until now you have not asked for a single thing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. I have spoken these things to you in comparisons. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in comparisons, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will make request of the Father in my name; in saying this, I do not mean that I will make request for you. For the Father himself has affection for you, because you have had affection for me and have believed that I came as God’s representative. I came as the Father’s representative and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.” And also, “you did not choose me, but I chose you, and I appointed you to go and keep bearing fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that no matter what you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you”.

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold on to our public declaration of him. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tested in all respects as we have, but without sin. Let us, then, approach the throne of undeserved kindness with freeness of speech, so that we may receive mercy and find undeserved kindness to help us at the right time.”

There was a screen separating the entrance to the Holy from the courtyard.

So those in the courtyard could not see into the holy and the activity there. What lesson is there in this for us?

All those serving in the courtyard of the true tent are anointed ones. But when an individual anointed one serves inside the holy of the true tent, refers to our personal relationship with Jehovah as an anointed son. Not visible activity to others. So let us burn pure incense in our personal prayers to Jehovah.

The courtyard was surrounded by curtains, with a screen covering the entrance.

The lesson here is a reminder that our service as “ministers of a new covenant” is for those “called and chosen”. Those allowed to enter the courtyard of the true tent need special approval from Jehovah. Serving in the courtyard of the true tent is truly an undeserved kindness.

The reminder here is that serving Jehovah on earth as anointed ones is a very precious privilege, but “if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare” us. So do not take this privilege for granted. Do not treat it as of ordinary value and do not “turn the undeserved kindness of our God into an excuse for brazen conduct”.

By keeping our service in the true tent and all our sacrifices, including our offering of incense, pure and holy, and by remaining busy and active, we are able to become a sweet smelling fragrance to Jehovah.

Yes, “thanks be to God, who always leads us in a triumphal procession in company with the Christ and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him in every place! For to God we are a sweet fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the latter ones an odor of death leading to death, to the former ones a fragrance of life leading to life. And who is adequately qualified for these things? We are, for we are not peddlers of the word of God as many men are, but we speak in all sincerity as sent from God, yes, in the sight of God and in company with Christ”.

SUFFERING FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD

We are told that we are heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ, “provided we suffer together so that we may also be glorified together”. By saying that we suffer together “so that” we may be glorified together, we learn that suffering comes first and faithfulness through suffering results in glorification. For us, suffering will happen. And each of us suffers in our own way based on our own circumstances.

Why does suffering exist? Why do we as sons of God in particular suffer? And how does suffering benefit us and others?

THE ROOT CAUSE OF SUFFERING

The reasons why we suffer are truly very simple. There are in fact, three reasons for our suffering today. But before considering the causes of suffering, we have to consider the origin of suffering. When we understand where suffering began, and why, we will be better able to understand the reasons why we suffer.

We are told that “with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone”. Therefore, Jehovah is not the source or cause of our suffering. Further, Jehovah said to Moses: “Now write down this song for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites. Have them learn it in order that this song may serve as my witness against the people of Israel”. So this song is directed to those who are already Jehovah’s servants and in a covenant relationship with him. And so, “in the hearing of the entire congregation of Israel, Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end”. Within this song, we read: “For I will declare the name of Jehovah. Tell about the greatness of our God! The Rock, perfect is his activity, For all his ways are justice.  A God of faithfulness who is never unjust; Righteous and upright is he”. Yes, our God is great, and all he does and everything he creates is perfect. So when mankind was created, he was perfect. So what happened? The song continues: “They are the ones who have acted corruptly. They are not his children, the defect is their own. They are a crooked and twisted generation”. So we see that the Israelites, though servants of Jehovah, were corrupt and defective. If everything Jehovah does is perfect, how did his perfect creation become defective?

We read that it was “through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned”. So the corruption of sin and its result of death, entered into the world through one man. Yes, “by one man’s trespass many died” and “the judgment after one trespass was condemnation” and “by the trespass of the one man death ruled as king through that one”. So we go back to the first man, Adam, and his sin. His act of disobedience when he ate of the fruit of the one tree out of all the trees in the garden, that Jehovah had warned him not eat.

Sin is anything that is contrary to Jehovah’s commands, ways, purpose and personality. Anything that damages someone’s relationship with Jehovah. And sin entered into the world because God’s word credits the man as the source of human life. For the woman was made out of the man, and Eve was created “for the sake of the man”. Thus, as Adam was the source of human life, so too Adam was the source of sin. It is his fault that we have inherited sin, not Jehovah’s. Jehovah’s creation was perfect. It was Jehovah who lovingly warned Adam that the consequence of sin would be death when he said that Adam and Eve would “certainly die” if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. Therefore, it is Adam’s fault that sin has spread to all of us and caused defects, imperfections and “every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity”.

So, now that we understand that “through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners”, we see that the source of suffering is found in the rebellion against God in the Garden of Eden.

Now, understanding the source of suffering, we can discuss the reasons we suffering.

THE REASONS WE SUFFER

As mentioned, there are three main causes of suffering. Let’s discuss these one at a time.

First, our own imperfect nature is a source of suffering. Sin is our hereditary inheritance from Adam. And so, all the negative consequences of being sinful and therefore imperfect have been passed on from Adam to us. For the Psalmist David said: “Look! I was born guilty of error, And my mother conceived me in sin”. And Paul says: “I am fleshly, sold under sin”. Yes, Adam has sold all of us to sin and death.

So what are the negative consequences of sin? Paul refers to “the weakness of your flesh” when talking to the Romans. Yes, imperfection causes weakness in the flesh. What does this mean? Paul also says to the Romans: “For I do not understand what I am doing. For I do not practice what I wish, but I do what I hate”, and he continues: “now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that resides in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, there dwells nothing good; for I have the desire to do what is fine but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good that I wish, but the bad that I do not wish is what I practice. If, then, I do what I do not wish, I am no longer the one carrying it out, but it is the sin dwelling in me”.

This helps us see the power sin has over us, for Paul concludes this thought with the words: “I find, then, this law in my case: When I wish to do what is right, what is bad is present with me. I really delight in the law of God according to the man I am within, but I see in my body another law warring against the law of my mind and leading me captive to sin’s law that is in my body. Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death? Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, then, with my mind I myself am a slave to God’s law, but with my flesh to sin’s law”.

Sin, then, has a law. And the “law” of sin continually works in our flesh, in effect trying to control our course, to make us its subjects and cause us to act out of harmony with God. Therefore, it can be our own choices, decisions and actions that cause our suffering. For example, Jehovah told Cain: “If you turn to doing good, will you not be restored to favor? But if you do not turn to doing good, sin is crouching at the door, and its craving is to dominate you; but will you get the mastery over it?” Yes, sin led Cain to cause terrible suffering through his actions in murdering his brother.

And after James tells us that “with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone”, he continues by explain one cause of evil things, and thus suffering, when he says: “But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death”.

And so, we ourselves, through bad decisions and poor actions, often cause our own suffering.

But the suffering we experience through the imperfection of our flesh is not always our own fault.

In the Law that Jehovah gave to the Israelites, he said concerning the one experiencing the disease of leprosy: “This is to be the law of the leper on the day his purification is established, when he is to be brought to the priest”. During this purification process, it is said: “The priest will take the one young ram and offer it as a guilt offering”. And also we read: “The priest will sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one cleansing himself from his impurity, and afterward he will slaughter the burnt offering. And the priest will offer up the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar, and the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be clean”.

Why does it refer to the guilt offering, and sacrificing the sin offering, and making atonement for the leper? Especially if the person contracted leprosy through no fault of their own? Paul explains one purpose of Law when he says: “Why, then, the Law? It was added to make transgressions manifest”. So one point of the Law was to draw attention to the fact that mankind is imperfect and has inherited sin and all its negative effects. We therefore learn that diseases and sicknesses are a result of being sinful and imperfect. A perfect person, then, would never become sick. And when mankind becomes perfect again, the scripture will be fulfilled where it says: “And no resident will say: ‘I am sick.’ The people dwelling in the land will be pardoned for their error”. Yes, we experience suffering caused by sickness, diseases, and infirmities because we are imperfect. Often, the sufferings we experience from such things are no fault of our own. But a result of being sinful, imperfect humans.

Jesus himself associated sickness and infirmities with sin when Matthew writes: “And look! they were bringing him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. On seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic: ‘Take courage, child! Your sins are forgiven.’” And so, when certain scribes complained in their hearts about Jesus saying this, it is further said: “‘in order for you to know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins—‘ then he said to the paralytic: ‘Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go to your home.’ And he got up and went to his home”.

And to show that it does not necessarily have to be a specific sin that causes a specific sickness or infirmity, we read: “And his disciples asked him: ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, so that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered: ‘Neither this man sinned nor his parents, but it was so that the works of God might be made manifest in his case.’” No, in this blind man’s case, it wasn’t anyone’s specific mistake that caused this man’s blindness from birth, but simply the result of the sinful nature of mankind.

With that being said, it must also be mentioned that at times, we suffer because of the actions of others. Such as Abel’s suffering because of the sinful actions of Cain. And how Naboth suffered from the terrible actions of Jezebel and those two good-for-nothing men. In fact, Jehovah says to Moses regarding himself that he is “pardoning error and transgression and sin, but he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons and upon grandsons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation.”

Of course, we’ve considered how Jehovah is not the cause of suffering. And within the Law Jehovah says: “Fathers should not be put to death for what their children do, and children should not be put to death for what their fathers do. A person should be put to death only for his own sin”. So when Jehovah says he is “bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons and upon grandsons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation”, he is making clear the he does not prevent the mistakes of parents from affecting their children. Yes, at times we suffer because of the decisions and actions of others.

So the first cause of suffering is the sinful and imperfect nature of mankind. Sometimes, we cause our own suffering through our own decisions and actions. And this is especially true when we reject applying Bible principles in our choices. Sometimes, we suffer because of the decisions and actions of others. At times, it’s no one’s fault that we suffer other than Adam’s. He spread sin and all its negatives results to us. Imperfection is the root cause of sickness, disease and disabilities. Sometimes we suffer just because we have inherited imperfection from Adam.

This is true even for us as heirs of God. Yes, the scripture says: “those in union with Christ Jesus have no condemnation. For the law of the spirit that gives life in union with Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death”. So sin does not condemn us, and we have been “declared righteous for life”. However, John warns us: “If we make the statement, ‘We have no sin,’ we are misleading ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we make the statement, ‘We have not sinned,’ we are making him a liar, and his word is not in us”.

So even though we have been justified and had perfection implied to us, the fact is that we still exist in the sinful flesh, and thus suffer all the consequences of sinful and imperfect nature. This is why Paul says: “Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death? Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Yes, we have been set free from the condemnation of sin and death thanks to Jehovah through Jesus. But we still live on in the sinful, imperfect flesh.

The second reason we suffer is seen in the words: “Man’s way does not belong to him. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step”. What does this mean? We must compare those words with what the Psalmist says about Jehovah’s direction, when he said: “I do not turn aside from your judgments, for you have instructed me”, and “your word is a lamp to my foot, and a light for my path”.

When it says “it does not belong”, it’s clear that Jehovah did not design mankind to direct his own step independently of Jehovah’s guidance. And when it says that Jehovah’s “word is a lamp to my foot, and a light for my path”, Jehovah is telling us that he has kept it within his own jurisdiction to direct our steps, as well as our path, or our life course.

In fact, it is when Adam and Eve chose to reject Jehovah’s instruction and make their own choices against his will, that suffer began for us. And now, the world in general attempts to guide itself independently of Jehovah’s guidance. And men and women have risen up to try to rule others. At times, such ones may accomplish some minor and temporary good that benefits some. But often, what little good that is done by the world’s rulers for some people, results in suffering for others. And so, what has been the overall result of mankind trying to govern themselves independently of Jehovah? God’s word tells us “that man has dominated man to his harm”.

Yes, whatever personal benefit we may receive from the choices of rulers is rare, temporary, and fleeting, and often results in causing suffering for others.

So we see the truth in John’s words about the world’s relationship with Jehovah, when he says that the world “has not come to know him”.

Indeed, the second main source of suffering comes from the world of mankind alienated from Jehovah, and especially from those in authority who try to rule over others. Yes, the Psalmist warns us: “Do not put your trust in princes nor in a son of man, who cannot bring salvation”.

Closely related to that is the third main cause of suffering. Jesus said that “there is a judging of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” And he says: “I will not speak with you much more, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has no hold on me”.

Why did Jesus refer to the ruler of the world as needing to be “cast out”, and that the world’s ruler “has no hold” on him? The matter becomes clearer when we consider John’s words that “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one”. So now it is clear that the world’s ruler is someone wicked, someone evil. And it was John, who saw in vision, “the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth”.

Yes, Satan rules the world of mankind alienated from Jehovah. And it is Satan and his demons that cause us a tremendous amount of suffering.

Now, the whole world is in the power of the wicked one. It is clear then, that the world is under the influence of Satan. And his influence causes much suffering. Yes, he is “the ruler of the authority of the air”, the ruler of the overall “spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience”.

Further, Jesus implies Satan has a system of rulership. When “some of them said: ‘He expels the demons by means of Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons’”, Jesus responded: “Every kingdom divided against itself comes to ruin, and a house divided against itself falls. In the same way, if Satan is also divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I expel the demons by means of Beelzebub”.

And so Jesus implies that Satan has a house, or kingdom, that the demons belong to. And this matter is also emphasized in Daniel. When Daniel sees the angel, he describes the angel this way: “I looked up and saw a man clothed in linen, and around his waist was a belt of gold from Uphaz. His body was like chrysolite, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like fiery torches, his arms and his feet looked like burnished copper, and the sound of his words was like the sound of a multitude”. And the angel says that he came because of Daniel’s prayers to Jehovah. And that he would have arrived earlier, but the angel says this: “But the prince of the royal realm of Persia stood in opposition to me for 21 days. But then Michael, one of the foremost princes, came to help me; and I remained there beside the kings of Persia”. And when he was about to depart from Daniel, he says: “Now I will go back to fight with the prince of Persia. When I leave, the prince of Greece will come”.

Why was this angel hindered by the prince of the royal realm of Persia for 3 weeks, and could only continue because the archangel Michael arrived and offered his support? How could the prince of Greece hinder an angel?

Paul makes the matter clear by saying: “we have a struggle, not against blood and flesh, but against the governments, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places”. So, our spiritual struggle is “not against blood and flesh”. No, our struggle is really against the authorities, world rulers of darkness, yes against the wicked spirits forces. Satan and his demons.

So we learn the third reason we suffer is because of Satan and his demons, who rule the world and the world’s governments, influencing them and causing suffering.

So, the three primary sources of suffering are:

1 Our sinful, imperfect flesh

2 The world of mankind

3 Satan and his demons

But now let’s discuss something very important to us heirs of the kingdom. And that is the fact that endurance and faith through suffering leads to us “being counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which” we are indeed suffering.

How does suffering lead to us being counted worthy of the kingdom of God? Why do we as anointed ones in particular suffer? What are the benefits of suffering, for us and for others?

SUFFERING AS A SON OF GOD

Paul, Silvanus and Timothy told the Thessalonians that: “we ourselves take pride in you among the congregations of God because of your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the hardships that you are suffering. This is a proof of the righteous judgment of God, leading to your being counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you are indeed suffering”. Yes, endurance and faith through suffering is proof that Jehovah was righteous in calling and choosing such ones, and us, for the heavenly calling. And our endurance and faith through suffering, with its resulting proof of Jehovah’s righteous judgment, leads to us being counted worthy of the Kingdom of God.

But why is such proof of Jehovah’s righteous judgement necessary for us to be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God?

To answer that, let’s consider some events in Paul’s life and what he said about his own life course.

Paul tells our Philippian brothers and sisters: “Not that I have already received it or am already made perfect, but I am pressing on to see if I may also lay hold on that for which Christ Jesus selected me. Brothers, I do not yet consider myself as having taken hold of it; but one thing is certain: Forgetting the things behind and stretching forward to the things ahead”.

Paul said that he was not already made perfect. Yes, he had been justified, had perfection implied toward him and had been declared righteous for life. But he had not been made perfect yet. He still needed to completed his earthly life course of integrity to Jehovah, and from Jehovah’s view, Paul’s life course of integrity had not been completed yet. So he had not been made perfect yet, and had not received his reward yet. And so, because he hadn’t laid hold of his hope, he was continuing to forget the things he had left behind and stretching forward to the heavenly things ahead. The things for which he had been selected.

Around the same time Paul wrote to the Philippians, he also wrote to the Colossians. And to the Colossians, he says: “I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and I am undergoing the tribulations of the Christ that are yet lacking in my flesh in behalf of his body, which is the congregation”. Paul considered his course of integrity incomplete. As he said, there were tribulations in his flesh that where lacking. Though he had suffered a tremendous amount, he had not proved his integrity to completeness yet.

Several years earlier, Paul had mentioned some of his sufferings to the Corinthians, saying he had: “been imprisoned more often, suffered countless beatings, and experienced many near-deaths. Five times I received 40 strokes less one from the Jews, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I experienced shipwreck, a night and a day I have spent in the open sea; in journeys often, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my own people, in dangers from the nations, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers among false brothers, in labor and toil, in sleepless nights often, in hunger and thirst, frequently without food, in cold and lacking clothing”.

Several years later, while suffering house arrest in Rome, Paul tells the Colossians and Philippians that his sufferings are still incomplete. His tribulations still lacking.

But notice the change in his words a few years after that, when writing to Timothy for the second time. Paul tells him: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my releasing is imminent. I have fought the fine fight, I have run the race to the finish, I have observed the faith. From this time on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me as a reward in that day, yet not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his manifestation”.

Paul there makes clear that he had faithfully completed his life course of integrity. This is true even though he was still in the flesh, and still was to face death. But he had reached a point through his endurance and faith through his suffering that his faithfulness was proved to the limit and under inspiration he stated that “from this time on, there is reserved for” him his heavenly reward. His heavenly reward was now reserved for him; it was set aside, or certain.

Many years earlier he had told the Corinthians that Jehovah “has also put his seal on us and has given us the token of what is to come, that is, the spirit, in our hearts”. Yes, as anointed ones, we have already received Jehovah’s seal by means of his spirit in our hearts. Paul made clear that he already had that seal. However, when he wrote those words to the Corinthians, he had not yet received the seal in his forehead. Yet, when he wrote the above words to Timothy, he made clear that he had proved his integrity to the limit. Paul wrote under inspiration. Thus it was made clear to him by means of Jehovah’s Holy Spirit, that he had received his sealing in his forehead.

At some point, all faithful anointed ones receive this sealing in their foreheads. And at Jehovah’s determined time, just before the winds of destruction are released, all of us remaining on earth will receive this sealing in our forehead, for John tells us his vision when he says: “I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding tight the four winds of the earth, so that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the sunrise, having a seal of the living God; and he called with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying: ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until after we have sealed the slaves of our God in their foreheads’”.

What is the difference between the sealing by means of Jehovah’s spirit in our hearts, and the sealing in our foreheads?

Having Jehovah’s seal on us and having Jehovah’s spirit in our hearts as a “token of what is to come” occurs when Jehovah anoints us with Holy Spirit, quickening our minds and hearts to the heavenly hope, thus giving “us a new birth to a living hope”, as Peter explains it.

This also happens when Jehovah’s spirit begins to bear “witness with our spirit that we are God’s children”. Yes, Jehovah’s spirit works with our minds and hearts, in union with his inspired word, to inform us of our heavenly hope. And so, at our anointing, Jehovah initially places his seal upon us.

However, this seal does not mean that we have no sin and are infallible. Nor does it mean that we are incapable of loosing out on our heavenly reward. Jesus said that “no man who has put his hand to a plow and looks at the things behind is well-suited for the Kingdom of God”. And Paul tells us: “You were called to freedom, brothers; only do not use this freedom as an opportunity to pursue fleshly desires, but through love slave for one another”, and to those who were treating fellow worshippers harshly, he says: “If, though, you keep on biting and devouring one another, look out that you do not get annihilated by one another”. And then he explains to us anointed ones that the works of the flesh “are sexual immorality, uncleanness, brazen conduct, idolatry, spiritism, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, dissensions, divisions, sects, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and things like these”. Then he tells us anointed “that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom”.

So we see that even though Jehovah has placed his seal on us when he initially anointed us for his good purpose, we can still “fall short of it”, and loose out on our heavenly reward.

However, the sealing in our forehead is different. For most of us, like Paul, we will receive this type of sealing just before we finish our earthly course and die a sacrificial death. For some of us, we will be sealed in our forehead just before the great tribulation begins. The sealing in our forehead indicates that Jehovah is fully satisfied with our course of integrity, and we are guaranteed the fulfillment of our reward. This type of sealing means that Jehovah has determined we will be everlasting loyal to him and that our heavenly reward is now reserved for us; it is set aside, or certain. For the remainder of our earthly life, our heavenly hope is guaranteed. When an anointed one receives this type of sealing, it is impossible that he or she will loose out on the heavenly reward. Jehovah is, in effect, giving them his final judgment as righteous ones and promising that the individual sealed in the forehead will be raised to immortality.

Clearly, Jehovah would want to be absolutely certain of an anointed one’s integrity before he seals that one in their forehead. The one who receives this seal will have already given “proof of the righteous judgment of God” in selecting them for his kingdom. They have proven that they should be “counted worthy of the Kingdom of God”. This is why such proof is necessary. And this sealing in our forehead is what we are striving diligently for. Yes, this is why we are “pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God by means of Christ Jesus”.

But what does all of this have to do with suffering?

It is “endurance and faith” through suffering that furnishes the “proof of the righteous judgment of God”. It is faithful endurance through suffering that proves our unbreakable loyalty to Jehovah and gives him the confidence in us to seal us in the forehead. Yes, even though Jehovah does not cause our suffering, the fact is we have to suffer, and endure faithfully, in order to get our reward. That is why Paul tells us that we are heirs, “provided we suffer together so that we may also be glorified together”. Yes, we must suffer and endure it, in order to give Jehovah the absolute proof of our integrity so that we may be sealed in our forehead and ultimately glorified together.

This is why we are encouraged with the inspired words saying that “though the tribulation is momentary and light, it works out for us a glory that is of more and more surpassing greatness and is everlasting”. Yes, it is the tribulation we experience, and our endurance through it, that works out for our glory.

This is why James tells us: “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet with various trials, knowing as you do that this tested quality of your faith produces endurance. But let endurance complete its work, so that you may be complete and sound in all respects, not lacking in anything”. Therefore, endurance must complete is work, so that we may complete the “tribulations of the Christ that are yet lacking in” our flesh, resulting in us “not lacking anything”, and thus proving our integrity.

But some of us may say: “I’ve endured a trial like this before. Why should I have to endure it again?”.

It is truly heartbreaking that many of us have suffered multiple experiences of the same type of trial. But we must remember that when under trial with evil things, “God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone”. No, we must remember that these evil things are not Jehovah’s fault. But that is easier said then done. At times, we do have hurt feelings toward Jehovah, especially when he allows us to endure multiple instances of the same trial. At times, we may feel like David who said: “Why, O Jehovah, do you stand at a distance? Why do you hide yourself in times of distress?”. Or the sons of Korah who said of Jehovah: “You sell your people for next to nothing; You make no profit from the sale”, and “Our heart has not deviated; Our footsteps do not stray from your path. But you have crushed us where the jackals dwell; You have covered us with deep shadow”, and “Rouse yourself. Why do you keep sleeping, O Jehovah? Awake! Do not keep casting us off forever. Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and our oppression?”.

So, why does Jehovah allow us to experience multiple instances of the same trial?

To answer that question, let’s again consider Paul’s example. He said: “Five times I received 40 strokes less one from the Jews”. Wasn’t enduring one time enough? Why did Jehovah allow him to endure such a terrible trial 4 more times? Paul says: “three times I was beaten with rods”, but then says that only “once I was stoned”. He says “three times I experienced shipwreck”. Wasn’t that enough, why did he have to endure a 4th shipwreck on his way to Rome as a prisoner? And regarding being a prisoner, Paul said that he had “been imprisoned more often” than some others. Why did Jehovah allow him to experience multiple imprisonments? Why didn’t Jehovah step in to prevent it?

The fact is, every time we have experience a trial, it is a new test of loyalty. Even if the trial is of the same type as one we’ve endured before. And trials often do not become easier to endure the more we experience them. In fact, depending on the trial, it is often far more difficult to endure multiple instances of the same trial than it is to endure just once. And we must give absolute proof of our loyalty through suffering. The more difficult it is to endure, the greater the “proof of the righteous judgement of God”.

And we must have faith that in the new heavens that we will inherit “righteousness in to dwell”. Yes, in the new heavens, “the former things will not be called to mind, nor will they come up into the heart.”. We must have faith that the painful experiences in our life will not hurt our minds, nor our entire person, including our emotions. Yes, Jehovah will not only fix all of our pain, he will completely reverse it. To the point that even if we do remember the trials we’ve endured, it won’t hurt our minds, won’t hurt our emotions, won’t robe us of strength, nor have any negative effect on us at all. We must have faith this will happen for us. That is why the inspired word says that it is our “endurance and faith” that gives “proof of the righteous judgement of God”.

Now that we know why we as anointed ones must suffer, where does our suffering as anointed ones in particular come from?

SOURCE OF SUFFERING FOR THE SONS OF GOD

Similar to what we considered earlier, the sources of our sufferings are first, imperfection. Our own and those of others.

It must also be honestly mentioned that at times, the way fellow believers treat us is a source of suffering. Especially when we are treated poorly because of our heavenly hope. Yes, it is true that some, including those with great authority in the earthly part of Jehovah’s organization, treat us as “the foolish”, “the weak”, “the insignificant things of the world” and as “the things looked down on” because of our heavenly hope. At times we are dismissed because of our hope. We are treated as lesser servants of Jehovah, and we are treated as if our heavenly hope is inferior to their earthly hope. And with such ones, we cannot say anything openly about our hope for fear of being mocked and ridiculed, and making such ones uncomfortable. For we know such ones are “being whisperers, backbiters” and “schemers of what is bad”. And some of them are “haughty, boastful”, for they treat us as if our right to “rejoice in the hope” depends on their comfort level. And such treatment can cause us great emotional suffering.

Although it may be true that the worst among such ones are “false brothers brought in quietly, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we enjoy in union with Christ Jesus, so that they may completely enslave us”, the vast majority of such ones who treat us that way are simply mislead by their own reasoning. The fact is, we love them. We will work for 1,000 years to fix them, to rid them of sin and bring them into a perfect relationship with Jehovah. And because we love them, we adhere to Paul’s counsel that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”.

Yes, because we love them, we bear the injustice of their treatment, believing that it is not intentional but we give them the benefit of the doubt, hoping that as they respond to our efforts and grow to perfection they will realize their treatment of us. In the meantime, we endure such treatment. And as we continue “pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God by means of Christ Jesus”, we trust that if any of us “are mentally inclined otherwise in any respect, God will reveal the above attitude to you”. And we trust that those with an earthly hope who may not truly appreciate what we will do for them at that time, or may have a negative attitude about it now, will have “the above attitude” revealed to them.

And it must also be mentioned that there are many true friends of the anointed among those with an earthly hope. Those who trust us and allow us to “rejoice in the hope” for which God called us. Ones that encourage us to remain faithful and that love us. For many of us, the most precious ones among them are our marriage mates. Ones we love more than anyone else on earth. And for many of us, we may also think of our beautiful children, wonderful parents, valuable siblings, and others. Yes, these are the ones that we continue to endure for and we will have in mind when we ride to defend our family and friends at Armageddon.

Now, the second source of sufferings for us as anointed ones is the world of mankind alienated from Jehovah.

Jesus told us: “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you”. So we have been chosen out of the world. And regarding Jesus, we will be “those with him who are called and chosen and faithful” who will battle the “ten kings” and “the wild beast”, and in this way we “will shepherd the people with an iron rod so that they will be broken to pieces like clay vessels”. Thus, we will replace the governments of mankind as the ones who will “rule as kings over the earth.” And so, just as Jesus is “no part of the world” and his “Kingdom is no part of this world”, we also “are no part of the world” and our “Kingdom is no part of this world”. Also, because we do “not continue running with them in the same decadent course of debauchery, so they speak abusively of”.

No wonder the world hates us.

Now, when the apostles had been threatened and told to no longer speak in Jesus name, and they prayed to Jehovah for help to continue to speak Jehovah’s word, they referred to the prophetic words concerning Jesus that said: “The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers gathered together as one against Jehovah and against his anointed one”.

Just as the kings and rulers of the earth united against Jesus, so too the world opposed the apostles, and so too will they oppose all of us as the body of the Christ. This is why John tells us to “not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates” us.

And it is truly regarding this world that Paul says concerning us: “For you see his calling of you, brothers, that there are not many wise in a fleshly way, not many powerful, not many of noble birth, but God chose the foolish things of the world to put the wise men to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world to put the strong things to shame; and God chose the insignificant things of the world and the things looked down on, the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are”.

Yes, the second source of our suffering is the opposition and trials placed upon us by this wicked world that is opposed to the rulership of Jehovah.

The third primary source of suffering for us as the anointed, is Satan.

Satan’s attitude toward us is seen when he is prophetically described as having “went off to wage war with the remaining ones of her offspring”. Yes, Satan hates us. And he will try his best to hurt us.

Now, it was Jehovah who said to Satan: “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He will crush your head, and you will strike him in the heel.”

So, there is enmity between Satan and his offspring, and the woman and us. Yes, primarily it is true that Satan did in fact have a role is Jesus sufferings and his death. But Paul makes clear that these words also apply to us as the woman’s offspring when he says: “the God who gives peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.” We will share in crushing the serpents head. And so too, Satan will work to bruise us.

For there is enmity between Satan and the Christ. Now, primarily this means Jesus. But just as Jesus is the head, so too we are one body under his direction. For we are told that “just as we have in one body many members, but the members do not all have the same function, so we, although many, are one body in union with Christ, but individually we are members belonging to one another”. Yes, even though we are individual members, we are still “one body in union with Christ”. Further, it is stated: “For just as the body is one but has many members, and all the members of that body, although many, are one body, so too is the Christ. For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink one spirit”.  So in this context, “the Christ” is one body, and we together, though many, are that body. So the inspired word holds true that said: “the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘and to your descendants,’ in the sense of many. Rather, it says, ‘and to your offspring,’ in the sense of one, who is Christ”. “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”, and “if you belong to Christ, you are really Abraham’s offspring, heirs with reference to a promise”.

Thus, it is us “heirs with reference to a promise” that Satan has focused on. So for us too, Jesus words apply when he said: “look! Satan has demanded to have all of you to sift you as wheat”. And it is to us that Peter says: “Keep your senses, be watchful! Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone. But take your stand against him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by the entire association of your brothers in the world. But after you have suffered a little while, the God of all undeserved kindness, who called you to his everlasting glory in union with Christ, will himself finish your training. He will make you firm, he will make you strong, he will firmly ground you”.

“Now you are Christ’s body, and each of you individually is a member”. And “if one member suffers, all the other members suffer with it; or if a member is glorified, all the other members rejoice with it”. So it is now that “we suffer together so that we may also be glorified together”. For it is after we “have suffered a little while” that Jehovah, who called us “to his everlasting glory in union with Christ, will himself finish” our training.

But what is this training for? This is where we discuss the benefits of suffering. For us, and for others.

THE BENEFITS OF SUFFERING

Did Jesus benefit from his suffering? Yes! For “although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. And after he had been made perfect, he became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him, because he has been designated by God a high priest in the manner of Melchizedek”. And Jehovah, “in bringing many sons to glory, should make the Chief Agent of their salvation perfect through sufferings”.

Now, did Jesus suffer before he came to earth? Certainly he did. He suffered seeing his father slandered. He suffered when he watched as some of his spirit brothers “forsook their own proper dwelling place”. And he suffered as mankind, whom he “was especially fond” of, “dominated man to his harm”.

But these sufferings did not prepare him to serve as high priest of “the good things to come”. So Jesus was not yet qualified to serve as the high priest. “No, but he emptied himself and took a slave’s form and became human. More than that, when he came as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, yes, death on a torture stake”.

But now “we do see Jesus, who was made a little lower than angels, now crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death, so that by God’s undeserved kindness he might taste death for everyone”. So now “we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tested in all respects as we have, but without sin”. Yes, Jesus “had to become like his ‘brothers’ in all respects, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, in order to offer a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the people. Since he himself has suffered when being put to the test, he is able to come to the aid of those who are being put to the test”.

So Jesus learned “obedience from the things he suffered”. And now he is qualified to serve as our compassionate and empathetic high priest and was qualified to obtain “an everlasting deliverance for us” and is now “able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them”.

Now, what suffering did for Jesus it also does for us. As discussed earlier, “endurance and faith” through suffering qualifies us to be sealed “in the forehead”. But another benefit for us is that, like Jesus, suffering qualifies us to be merciful and faithful priests “in things pertaining to God”. That we may be “able to come to the aid of those” who shall live forever on earth. As compassionate priests, we shall strongly desire the work of erasing man’s sins and removing imperfection and “curing every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity”.

And we suffer so that we may be wise and forgiving kings and judges.

For this reason Peter says: “In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely”. To what “course” are we called? It is to the course of suffering that we are called. Yes, we suffer as Jesus did, for the same reasons Jesus did.

And so, another benefit to suffering for us “heirs of the promise” and “heirs of the kingdom” is that the things we suffer result in us being made perfect for our future assignment as kings and priests. Just as it did for our model, Jesus.

And this of course leads us to the benefit our suffering has for others. Yes, our suffering benefits those we shall rule over as kings, as well as represent before Jehovah as priests.

Yes, because our fellow servants of Jehovah with the earthly hope have joined us in service to Jehovah, they also suffer the same things we suffer due to being servants of the only true God.

And those who do not currently serve Jehovah suffer as well. They suffer from their imperfection, from the world and its rulers, and from Satan and his demons. And after the great tribulation begins, it is hoped that many take “hold of the robe of” “a Jew who is one on the inside”. These one will have also suffered.

Additionally, many who never served Jehovah will be restored to life. All these will have suffered in some way. Many of them in truly horrible ways.

And with us, there will be thousands upon thousands who have suffered in every way. So all on earth will have some among the kings of the earth and priests of God who will be able to sympathize with the ways in which they have suffered, and know exactly how to administer the benefits of the Ransom in a way that will address their specific and individual needs.

Yes, sin and imperfection affects all of us. But it does not affect all of us in exactly the same way. On a spiritual level, we all have our own specific weaknesses due to the influence of sin. And we are all uniquely affected in our physical, mental and emotional health because of sin and imperfection. And we have our own experiences with suffering. The benefits of the Ransom then, will not be applied without thought as a blanket provision. No, it will be applied in a specific way by the priests of God to each individual, in a way that addresses their individual needs. And we, the priests of God, will be able to do so because everyone alive on earth will have some from among us who can sympathize with their weaknesses.

Yes, we suffer now. And our suffering is certainly not enjoyable. But there are benefits to it. Both for us, and for those on earth whom we will minister to and represent. Yes, “praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for according to his great mercy he gave us a new birth to a living hope”. Because of this living hope, “you are greatly rejoicing, though for a short time, if it must be, you have been distressed by various trials, in order that the tested quality of your faith, of much greater value than gold that perishes despite its being tested by fire, may be found a cause for praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ”. Like the apostles who went away “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy to be dishonored in behalf of his name”, so may we do likewise.

In fact, the compassion Peter feels for all of us is seen when he was inspired to write these words: “Beloved ones, do not be surprised about the fiery trials that you are experiencing, as though something strange were happening to you. On the contrary, go on rejoicing over the extent to which you are sharers in the sufferings of the Christ, so that you may rejoice and be overjoyed also during the revelation of his glory. If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy, because the spirit of glory, yes, the spirit of God, is resting upon you”.

So “do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer”. These things are happening to you “so that you may be fully put to the test”. “On the contrary, go on rejoicing over the extent to which you are sharers in the sufferings of the Christ, so that you may rejoice and be overjoyed also during the revelation of his glory”.

And remember the words of Jesus when he said: “Prove yourself faithful even to death, and I will give you the crown of life”. Yes, “put up a hard fight for the faith that was once for all time delivered to the holy ones” and thus conquer the world. For “this is the conquest that has conquered the world, our faith”, and “the one who conquers will by no means be harmed by the second death”.

The Real Life

“The original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan”, lied to Eve. He told her she “certainly will not die”, if she ate of the “fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden”. Thus, “the woman was thoroughly deceived and became a transgressor”. Since then, Satan has been “misleading the entire inhabited earth”.

Why did he do this? What was his goal?

He exposed himself when he again tempted a perfect human. With the last of his three temptations, he showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory”. He then told Jesus: “All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.”

And there we have it. Satan’s true goal. He greedily wants the worship of mankind. We also see part of Satan’s goal when Jesus referred to him as “the ruler of this world”. Satan wants to rule the world and receive the worship of mankind.

Did this angel who became Satan think he would be able to steal rulership over the earth and the worship due to Jehovah and continue to live indefinitely without any adverse consequences?  Perhaps, but the Bible doesn’t say.

But if so, imagine the wonderful humiliation Satan must feel over Jehovah choosing to give us what Satan wanted. Rulership over the earth and mankind. And although Jehovah is the only one who should be worshiped, mankind will be required to obey us as their kings. And we will forever be honored and have the gratitude of all mankind for our efforts to raise them to perfection.

And we will have immortality. Imagine that! Completely independent life, without needing to rely on anyone or anything, including Jehovah himself, to sustain our life.

And an incorruptible spirit body. A body that is completely beyond the ability of anyone or anything to harm in any way.

How wonderful it is to be “children of God”! How wonderful it is to be so blessed by him!

Satan wanted to use us as tools to steal glory for himself. But Jehovah will use us to embarrass and humiliate Satan. Freely giving us what Satan so desperately wanted. And we accept this glory, with Jehovah’s blessing. Yes, “the God who gives peace will crush Satan under” our feet. Indeed, regarding Jesus, Jehovah told Satan: “He will crush your head”. And when Jehovah’s word tells us that Jehovah “will crush Satan under” our feet, he is making clear that we will share in the fulfillment of this first prophecy. We will join Jesus in humiliating, embarrassing, and ultimately destroying Satan.

How miserable our existence is to Satan! We are the thorn in his side, and a source of great irritation to him. Jehovah will give us all that Satan wanted and more. He will give us weak and fleshly creatures immortality and incorruption, rulership over the earth, and the adoration of all mankind.

Satan knows this and it causes him to grind and gnash his teeth. How happy we are to know that our blessings from Jehovah causes Satan such anguish and turmoil! How we enjoy to rub it in his face.

To that end, let’s enjoy our discussion of immortality and incorruption. What is immortality? What is incorruption? How are they different, and how do they work together? And finally, why are they such precious gifts?

WHAT IS MORTAL MUST PUT ON IMMORTALITY

What is immortality?

It is endlessness. A quality of life that is indestructible. Put simply, it is deathlessness. A person that is immortal cannot die. It is not simply a matter of never dying, it is not being able to die. It is not that an immortal person will never die, it is that they cannot die.

An immortal person is not dependent on any outside source to sustain their life. We will be self-sustaining. Thus, upon our resurrection to heavenly life, Jehovah will grant us the ability to live without needing to rely even on him to sustain our life.

Jehovah himself has such a life, for the inspired word says that Jehovah is “from everlasting to everlasting”. And it says concerning us that “we will be like him”.

It is also clear that upon his resurrection, Jesus was granted “the power of an indestructible life”. “For we know that Christ, now that he has been raised up from the dead, dies no more; death is no longer master over him.” And this will apply to us because “we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection”. And so upon our resurrection, like Jesus, over us “the second death has no authority”.

What an amazing blessing we will have to be granted immortality! Like Jehovah and Jesus, death will be impossible for us.

But our blessings do not end with being granted immortality. We will also be given incorruption. What is that?

WHAT IS CORRUPTIBLE MUST PUT ON INCORRUPTION

Incorruption is the quality of a body that is not subject to decay, ruin, or destruction.

Corruptible means, “capable of being corrupted”. So just because something is not corrupt, does not mean that it is not corruptible.

We see this in the messianic prophecy concerning Jesus. David says in the Psalm: “For you will not leave me in the Grave. You will not allow your loyal one to see the pit”. Peter applies David’s word to Jesus when he says: “Jesus the Nazarene’ was a man publicly show to you by God”, and “David says about him . . . ‘you will not leave me in the Grave nor will you allow your loyal one to see corruption’”. Peter further makes the application, stating that David “foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he forsaken in the Grave nor did his flesh see corruption”.

And so we see that the scriptures make a connection between corruption and the decay, decomposition, and disintegration of the body. Thus, Jehovah disposed of Jesus fleshly body before it began to decay. So it proved true that Jehovah did not allow Jesus flesh to see corruption.

With this knowledge, we understand that incorruption involves having a body that is incapable of decay, or being destroyed in any way. Yes, the spirit body we will have will be indestructible. Jehovah even limits himself by giving us a body that he promises to never destroy. And so, by his own word, he makes it impossible for even himself to destroy our spirit bodies.

But corruption and corruptibility may relate to immaterial things as well. It is not just our fleshly bodies that are deteriorating toward death, and can see destruction after our death. Good habits can be corrupted, or spoiled. Paul warns us that “bad associations spoil useful habits”, or “corrupt good morals”. Thus there is moral corruption.

Minds can be corrupted away from Jehovah. Paul said that just “as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, your minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ”. And Paul tells Timothy that if anyone “teaches another doctrine and does not agree with the wholesome instruction, which is from our Lord Jesus Christ, nor with the teaching that is in harmony with godly devotion”, it can lead to, among other things, “constant disputes about minor matters by men who are corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth, thinking that godly devotion is a means of gain”. Paul goes on to tell Timothy regarding the same kind of individuals, that “in the way that Jan’nes and Jam’bres opposed Moses, so these also go on opposing the truth. Such men are completely corrupted in mind, disapproved as regards the faith”. And so there is mental corruption.

This can lead to our entire personality being corrupted. The Ephesians were told: “You were taught to put away the old personality that conforms to your former course of conduct and that is being corrupted according to its deceptive desires”. And Jude warns us: “These men are speaking abusively about all the things they really do not understand. And in all the things that they do understand by instinct like unreasoning animals, they go on corrupting themselves”.

Even a perfect human body is corruptible. Meaning it is still subject to ruin or decay, thus not beyond such things. Paul said the after Jesus resurrection, he was “never again to return to corruption”. How could Paul say this when Peter made clear Jesus flesh never saw corruption? Because Jesus body, though perfect, was still a corruptible human body. The only reason it did not see corruption in the grave is because Jehovah acted to miraculously dispose of the body.

But what about us, upon whom Jesus has “shed light upon life and incorruption through the good news”?

We have a measure of moral incorruption even now. We are told the Jehovah’s “divine power has granted us all the things that contribute to life and godly devotion through the accurate knowledge of the One who called us by his own glory and virtue. Through these things he has granted us the precious and very grand promises, so that through these you may become sharers in divine nature, having escaped from the world’s corruption produced by wrong desire”. So we see that because we have “escaped from the world’s corruption” and have been “granted us all the things that contribute to life and godly devotion through the accurate knowledge of the One who called us”, we can thus have the hope of becoming “sharers in divine nature”. So even now we have “escaped from the world’s corruption”. And together we are “loving our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruptness” even now.

And at this time, we have been set free from the “enslavement to corruption”, or enslavement to sin.

However, even though we have escaped corruption and have not been spiritually corrupted, we still have not become incorruptible. Being incorruptible means that we cannot be corrupted. And yet, while living on in the flesh as anointed ones, we are told that it is possible for anointed ones to experience the “the shipwreck of their faith”. And so it is clear that our faith can be corrupted. And for this reason, Paul told our Corinthian brothers and sisters: “I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, your minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ”.

No, we are not now incorruptible. That is why we are “seeking glory and honor and incorruptibleness by endurance in work that is good”. Yes, this kind of incorruptibleness that we seek by faithful endurance relates to our glorification at the time of our resurrection as actual spirit sons of God. At that time, we will be incorruptible in morality, and thus incapable of sinning.

But more than that, and primarily what Paul means when he says: “this which is corruptible puts on incorruption”, is that at our glorification, we will possess a spirit body that cannot be harmed, damaged or destroyed. We shall possess a spirit body that is indestructible.

And so we see what great blessings we shall have in that we will be granted immortality and incorruption.

But what are the differences between the two, and how do they work together?

SHARERS IN DIVINE NATURE

Immortality refers to the quality of the life we will enjoy, its endlessness and indestructibility. Incorruption relates to the spirit body that Jehovah will give us, a spirit body that is inherently beyond decay, ruin, or destruction. This is how they are different.

But what does the two of them working together accomplish for us?

By being granted an immortal life and an incorruptible body, Jehovah thus grants us the power to be self-sustaining, not dependent upon outside sources of energy as are Jehovah’s other creatures, both fleshly and spirit. This is a stirring evidence of Jehovah’s confidence in us.

Yes, it is through being immortal and incorruptible that we become “sharers in divine nature”. What does “divine nature” mean?

Paul says “we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, like something sculptured by the art and design of humans”. In saying “the Divine Being”, it is clear that Paul is referring to Jehovah. And certainly, Jehovah is the Divine Being. Thus we learn that “divine nature” pertains to Jehovah.

We learn something else about “divine nature” from Paul, when he says that Jehovah’s “invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable”. The term “Godship” refers to the rank, character, or personality of a god. It means deity, or divine. And refers to the quality of being a god. And so we learn that “divine nature” involves godship.

True “divine nature” therefore, pertains to Jehovah and involves godship. And as we have considered, Jehovah has immortality and incorruption. And these are things that only Jehovah himself can bestow on others.

And from an eternity into the past, until just around 2,000 years ago, Jehovah alone possessed this “divine nature”. However, 2,000 years ago, a remarkable change occurred. Jehovah resurrected Jesus with the blessing of “divine nature”.

It is true that before Jesus came to earth, he “was a god”, though not “the only true God” that we worship. But as we have seen, he did not possess immortality and incorruption.

Yes, it was upon his resurrection that he was given “divine nature” by Jehovah. And he has come to be called “Mighty God”. For a fact, it is concerning Jesus when Paul says: “it is in him that all the fullness of the divine quality dwells bodily”.

And so, although we do not worship Jesus like we do Jehovah, the “Almighty God”, we understand and acknowledge the divinity of Jesus. Yes, Jesus now possesses immortality, incorruption and has godship bestowed upon him.

And to us who shall be raised up in the likeness of Jesus, Peter, who was given the same hope as us, says that Jehovah’s “divine power has granted us all the things that contribute to life and godly devotion through the accurate knowledge of the One who called us by his own glory and virtue. Through these things he has granted us the precious and very grand promises, so that through these you may become sharers in divine nature”.

How amazing! Perfect humans will have the hope of ever-lasting life. But will nonetheless remain mortal, requiring outside sources to maintain their lives, and will still remain in corruptible human bodies. But not us! Immortality and incorruption will be ours if we remain faithful while we are in the corruptible flesh.

And even angels are not “divine beings” like we shall be. Yes, even angels are corruptible, as seen from the fact that some of them sinned. And even the angels are mortal, as seen from the fact that those that sinned will be completely destroyed by us, for “we will judge angels”.

Yes, like Jesus, our “divine nature” will become clear to all those who will dwell on earth. We shall be grated immortality and incorruption. And so we shall each become “sharers in divine nature”, thanks to “the Divine Being”, Jehovah our God. This is for us, “the real life” that we are reaching out for. Yes! “Divine nature” is within your reach.

What a precious prospect! If we remain faithful and hold fast to our happy hope, we will all be given the crown of immortal life, and shall dwell together in incorruptibility. And we shall bring misery and death to Satan and all his demons.

The Lamb

What is Jehovah’s purpose for mankind and the earth?

Jehovah stated his three fold purpose when he said to the first man and woman: “Be fruitful and become many, fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving on the earth.”

First, Jehovah says: “Be fruitful and become many”, and “fill the earth”. So his purpose was for the earth to be filled with the perfect children of Adam and Eve.

Second, he says when talking about the earth: “subdue it”. So the children of Adam and  Eve were to tame the entire earth and “to cultivate it and to take care of it” like the Garden of Eden.

Third, he says: “have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving on the earth”. And so mankind was to exercise loving dominion over the entire earth.

Nowhere in Jehovah’s stated purpose for mankind did he mention death as part of his purpose for them. So then, was death part of Jehovah’s purpose for mankind?

Notice the additional instructions Jehovah gave to Adam. He says: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will certainly die”. Jehovah here makes clear that death is the consequence of disobedience. And disobedience against Jehovah is sin. Thus the consequence of sin is death. It follows then, that for perfect Adam and Eve, the consequence of obedience is the opposite of death, it is life without end. Yes, death is not part of Jehovah’s will for mankind, but is a consequence of disobedience.

So what happened when Adam disobeyed?

Jehovah says to him: “In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.” This is the death sentence. Jehovah explained to Adam that death would be the result of disobedience. And on the day Adam disobeyed, Jehovah passed the death sentence on him. Adam and Eve now fell under the condemnation of sin and death.

It’s important to note that although Jehovah passed this judgment, death is not God's fault. It's Adam’s. Death was not part of God's original purpose for mankind. Death is a result of Adam's disobedience.

So what does that mean for us, the children of Adam and Eve?

SIN ENTERED INTO THE WORLD

Paul says that it was “through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned”.

Yes, when Adam sinned he lost perfection. And so he could not pass onto us what he himself did not possess. But he could pass onto us sin and its consequence of death.

Just as some diseases and health issues can be passed on from parent to child, the  scripture tells us, when it says “death spread to all men”, that sin became so ingrained into the human condition that we've all inherited it from Adam. So just as Adam and Eve fell under the condemnation of sin and death, so to all of us as children of Adam and Eve, have fallen under the condemnation to sin and death.

So how have we escaped from this condemnation?

WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH

Paul says concerning us, that “those in union with Christ Jesus have no condemnation”. How is it the we “have no condemnation”?

He also says: “What the Law was incapable of doing because it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, condemning sin in the flesh.” Yes, Jesus condemned sin. And Paul says that “the gift is not like the trespass. For if by one man’s trespass many died, how much more did the undeserved kindness of God and his free gift by the undeserved kindness of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to many!”

Yes, through one man’s trespass many died. But Jehovah shows us his undeserved kindness through Jesus. This is a reference to the gift of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus.

The gift that sets us anointed ones free from the condemnation of sin and death is the Ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. How does the ransom work?

It is true that the Ransom is a gift based on love. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life”.

But it also had to be in harmony with Jehovah’s justice. What was required to satisfy Jehovah’s justice?

It’s explained with the words: “So, then, as through one trespass the result to men of all sorts was condemnation, so too through one act of justification the result to men of all sorts is their being declared righteous for life. For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one person many will be made righteous.”

Notice that the Ransom is referred to as an act of justification. It was an act of justice and it satisfied Jehovah's just requirements. Jehovah’s justice is based on equivalency, for he says: “But if a fatality does occur, then you must give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, blow for blow”. So since Adam’s disobedience as a perfect man resulted in the removal of perfect human life from mankind, the perfectly obedient life of an equivalent perfect man needed to be given to buy it back. This is why the Ransom is referred to as “a corresponding ransom”. As a perfect man, Jesus corresponded perfectly, or was the perfect equivalent, to Adam.

So do we see how Jehovah’s love, justice, wisdom and power are seen in the Ransom? What great love Jehovah has so that he should be moved to provide a ransom for mankind! But to do so, it had to meet his righteous standards of justice. And yet, with his great wisdom Jehovah found a way. And with his great power he brought the Ransom into reality, despite the terrible opposition of the murderer of mankind, Satan.

But how does the Ransom actually work? How does Jehovah use the Ransom?

JESUS, THE “ETERNAL FATHER”

Notice the scripture says that through the “obedience of the one person many will be made righteous”. This was perfect obedience on Jesus part. Jesus was not born a sinner. And Jesus never sinned. Thus, he did not die because of being condemned to death through sin. No, but his life was taken from him by others. So he never sinned and died a perfect man with the right to a perfect human life. Thus when he died he still retained the right to a perfect human life and the value of a perfect human life. So, at his resurrection, he was brought back to life as a spirit person. Now he finds himself a spirit, with the value of a perfect human life. So what did he do with it?

The inspired word tells us: “He entered into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and of young bulls, but with his own blood, once for all time, and obtained an everlasting deliverance for us”. Paul applies his own words when he says: “For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, so that he now appears before God on our behalf”.

Imagine this scene. And as you do so, imagine how your own entrance into heaven will be. Imagine Jesus entering heaven itself with his own blood, imagine as he “passed through the heavens”, and imagine as he appears before Jehovah with his own blood in our behalf, in order to obtain an everlasting deliverance for us.

Now, regarding our resurrection in the likeness of Jesus to heavenly life, we are told that “it is sown a physical body; it is raised up a spiritual body” for “flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom”. And so Jesus could not enter heaven with his literal blood. So then, when it says that he entered heaven “with his own blood”, it must mean that he entered heaven with what was represented by blood. What is that?

Jehovah tells us: “the life of the flesh is in the blood”, and “it is the blood that makes atonement by means of the life in it”. Thus, Jesus entered heaven with what his blood represented. Which was his perfect human life. And so now we see Jesus, standing before Jehovah and presenting to him the value of his perfect human life, so that he may obtain an everlasting deliverance for us.

Now Jehovah has presented to him the value of a perfect human life. What does he do with it? He replaces the life Adam lost with the perfect human life of Jesus. In effect, replacing Adam. This is why Jesus is referred to as “the last Adam”. He replaces Adam. So as far as Jehovah is concerned, mankind has a perfect father who never sinned. That's why Jesus is also referred to as “eternal father”. He will forever be the father of mankind in place of Adam.

Yes, Jehovah moved the failure Adam out of the way and replaced him with Jesus. So just as sin and death filtered into the human family through Adam, righteousness and life can filter into the human family through Jesus.

Yes, it is the Ransom that allows for us to be set free from the condemnation of sin, have human perfection implied toward us, and “declared righteous for life” thus being granted the right to life. And it is this same blood of the Ransom that validates the New Covenant, allowing for the legal basis for us to be resurrected to heaven. And so it is that John sees in vision “the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000”. Yes, it is through Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb that we are able to join him in his kingdom. For it is certainly true that Jesus is “the Lamb of God” that takes our sin away.

As Peter says: “For you know that it was not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, that you were set free from your futile way of life handed down to you by your forefathers. But it was with precious blood, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, that of Christ”.

And as Paul tells Titus: “we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the great God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to set us free from every sort of lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people who are his own special possession, zealous for fine works”. Yes, our heavenly hope is “the happy hope”, and it is only possible through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Yes, Jehovah “rescued us from the authority of the darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, by means of whom we have our release by ransom, the forgiveness of our sins”.

And what is more, just as it is by “the trespass of the one man death ruled as king through” Adam, “how much more will those who receive the abundance of the undeserved kindness and of the free gift of righteousness rule as kings in life through the one person, Jesus Christ”!

Yes, we have been set free from the condemnation of sin and death by mean of Jesus. And it is with Jesus that we will rule as kings in heaven.

But we shall be even more. We “will be priests of God and of the Christ” in heaven. And as such, we will have authority over the Ransom sacrifice, to apply its benefits to mankind.

OUR PRIESTLY SERVICE

A priest is someone who officially represents Jehovah God to the people, and serves to instruct people about Jehovah. In turn, the priest also represents the people before Jehovah, officiating in administering the sacrifice as well as interceding and pleading for the people.

We will serve these same functions when we get to heaven. For we are told that at that time, we “will shine as brightly as the expanse of heaven, and those bringing the many to righteousness like the stars, forever and ever”. Yes, we will be the ones “bringing the many to righteousness”. How will we do that?

Jehovah tells us “the lips of a priest should safeguard knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth, because he is the messenger of Jehovah of armies”, and the priests “should instruct my people about the difference between what is holy and what is common; and they will teach them the difference between what is unclean and what is clean”.

Yes, as priest we will primarily be the ones teaching righteousness and representing Jehovah himself to mankind. And those that listen to us and follow our guidance will understand the righteous requirements of Jehovah, and be brought to righteousness by our hands and by our words.

And there is more.

John tells us that Jesus’ sacrifice is “for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s.” John was writing to us, the anointed. So when he says that Jesus’ sacrifice is “for our sins”, he is saying that Jesus sacrifice is for the anointed. But Jesus’ sacrifice is not only for us anointed and our sins, “but also for the whole world’s” sins.

But will those who reject Jehovah and refuse to accept Jesus’ sacrifice benefit from it? Certainly not. So then, who does the term “whole world’s” refer to?

“The world” as used in this context, refers to all those who will live forever on earth. Yes, including all those with an earthly hope who serve Jehovah faithfully even now. Indeed, they are the “world” that benefits from Jesus’ sacrifice.

But how will the benefits of the Ransom come upon them? They receive forgiveness for their sins now, and a friendly relationship with Jehovah. But that is the extend of how they benefit from the Ransom at this time. Greater benefits await them in the future. How will that happen, and what role will we play in administering those benefits?

Paul says: “For I consider that the sufferings of the present time do not amount to anything in comparison with the glory that is going to be revealed in us. For the creation is waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but through the one who subjected it, on the basis of hope that the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God”. Yes, our glory will be revealed to those with an earthly hope. And when our glory is revealed, their hope will begin to be fulfilled through us.

What is their hope? Their hope is that they also will eventually be set free from enslavement to sin and death and be brought into sonship with Jehovah. Thus we learn that although those with an earthly hope can obtain forgiveness of sins, they have not been set free from the condemnation of sin and death. This is why they are not children of God now. Jehovah is perfect, as are all his actions. Thus, he can only accept as sons those who are perfect. Those with an earthly hope have not had perfection imputed to them like we have. And so, they are not children of God like we are.

And as we have been set free from the condemnation of sin and death based on the Ransom, so too their hope is to one day “also be set free from this enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God” based on the Ransom.

And yet, their hope is connected to our glorious revealing. We are therefore clearly informed that we will be central to the fulfillment of their hope based on the Ransom. Indeed, we will act as priests and apply the value and benefits of the Ransom toward them. Yes, their hope depends upon us and our efforts in applying the Ransom.

For this reason, those with an earthly hope are “waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God”. And when we are revealed, those with an earthly hope will have to come to deeply appreciate our glorious and central role in the fulfillment of Jehovah’s purpose toward them and the earth.

So do you see what great glory Jehovah will place upon us? Do you see what a great responsibility Jehovah will give us? How important we will be to Jehovah, and the fulfillment of his good purpose? We receive our benefits of the Ransom from Jehovah, through the Lamb, Jesus. Mankind will receive their benefits of the Ransom through us. Yes, with what great glory and with what a great work Jehovah will bless us!

Yes, as priests we will teach mankind about Jehovah and guide mankind toward perfect righteousness. We will use the Ransom to eradicate sin and will stand before Jehovah himself for the benefit of those on earth. And in order for those with an earthly hope to realize the fulfillment of their hope, they will need to respect and appreciate our glory and respond to our efforts in their behalf.

So brothers and sisters. Appreciate what the Ransom has done for you now. For because of the Ransom, you are now children of God. Yes, “see what sort of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are. That is why the world does not know us, because it has not come to know him”.

And yet, do not stop there. Appreciate the hope Jehovah has given you in connection with the Ransom. That upon receiving your reward, you will be granted authority over the Ransom. To apply its benefits to mankind. Indeed “beloved ones, we are now children of God, but it has not yet been made manifest what we will be. We do know that when he is made manifest we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as that one is pure”.

The New Covenant

What is the old covenant? If there is a New Covenant, there must also be an old covenant. To truly understand this New Covenant, we must first understand what covenant it replaces.

However, even before that, we must understand what a covenant is, and what the purpose of a covenant is. Also, we must understand what the purpose and function of the mediator of a covenant is. Once we understand these things, we will be equipped to understand both the covenant that has been replaced, and the New Covenant that exists now. We will also be able to understand and appreciate the mediators of these covenants, and the parties to each covenant. We will also be in an excellent position to understand how vastly superior the New Covenant is over the previous covenant.

WHAT IS A COVENANT?

A covenant is a legal term that refers to a legally binding contract. It involves two or more parties. As part of the covenant, the parties agree that certain activities will or will not be carried out. This legally binds the parties to fulfill their agreed upon obligations. If a party fails to live up to their side of the covenant, there will usually be negative consequences.

As an example, a home mortgage is a type of covenant. In very basic terms, a bank will purchase a home and the borrower will agree to pay the bank back the purchase price, plus interest, in accord with the agreed upon payment plan. If the borrower fails to make these payments, the bank may exercise its authority granted by the covenant to foreclose on the home.

Perhaps a more relatable example is the marriage covenant. Many places throughout the earth have their own customs with regard to the wedding ceremony. In the US, a minister legally authorized (usually by the State where the wedding is being performed) will administer the wedding vows. Then, after the vows are said by each party, the minister will make the following statement: “Forasmuch as [man’s name] and [woman’s name] have covenanted before Jehovah God and these witnesses to accept each other in wedlock, I, as an ordained minister and by the authority conferred upon me by the Holy Scriptures and the State (Province) of ․․․․․․, pronounce that they are husband and wife together. What God has yoked together, let no man put apart.”

Hence, the husband and wife have entered into a legal covenant. With each party agreeing to be faithful and loyal to each other, and to love and respect each other.

According to Jesus, if either party fails to live up to their legally binding marriage agreement by committing adultery, the innocent party may choose to exercise their right to pursue a legal divorce and sever the marriage covenant.

Covenants, though always involving two or more parties, can be unilateral. A unilateral covenant is one in which only one of the parties involved would be responsible for carrying out the terms of the covenant.

A covenant is in force as long as the terms of the covenant requires and are being met.

With a basic understanding of what a covenant is, we can move on to another important topic.

WHAT IS A MEDIATOR?

A legally appointed person who is responsible for acting as an intermediary between parties in disagreement for the purpose of finding a solution. Many areas require mediators to go through a training and certification process. Usually, part of a mediator's job is to help the parties to understand and recognize their underlying needs, overlapping interests and areas of agreement.

A mediator is different than an attorney in the sense that a mediator is a neutral party. Meaning they represent both sides of an issue and assist both sides to come to an agreement. The agreements of a covenant that both parties come to under the assistance of a mediator are legally binding. Although not all covenants require a mediator, as can be seen in the above example of the marriage covenant.

Now that we understand the legal nature of a covenant and a mediator, we’re in excellent position to understand how “covenant” and “mediator” are used in scripture with regard to how they apply to those in a special relationship with Jehovah.

THE COVENANT REPLACED BY THE NEW COVENANT

Our brother Paul said that Jesus “is a mediator of a new covenant”, and that Jesus death “has occurred for their release by ransom from the transgressions under the former covenant”. By saying this, Paul is making clear that the new covenant did away with, and replaced, the “former covenant”.

What was this “former covenant”? Transgressions occurred by those under this covenant. Paul said that the Law was added to the promise made to Abraham in order “to make transgressions manifest”.

Yes, it was the Law Covenant that was done away with by the New Covenant. So then, who were the parties to the Law Covenant? What were the terms of the Law Covenant? Who mediated the Law Covenant? Finally, what was the purpose of the Law Covenant?

• Parties to the Law Covenant

Again, Paul says, “neither was the former covenant put into effect without blood. For when Moses had spoken every commandment of the Law to all the people, he took the blood of the young bulls and of the goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the book and all the people, saying: ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep.’”

Therefore, when Moses says “the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep”, it is clear that Jehovah is one party to the Law Covenant, and the Israelites are the other party.

This is emphasized when Jehovah said “if you will strictly obey my voice and keep my covenant”. By saying “my voice” and “my covenant”, he is making known that not only is he party to this covenant, he is also the one taking the initiative to form this covenant. And when Jehovah says to Moses: “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and to tell the Israelites”, Jehovah is presenting the covenant to the Israelites, thus making them the other party.

Further, when Moses related to the Israelites all the words of Jehovah and all his judicial decisions, and they said: “All that Jehovah has spoken, we are willing to do”, they thus agreed to the terms of the covenant.

So what are the terms of the Law Covenant?

• Terms of the Law Covenant

First, what were the terms for the Israelites? Jehovah said “strictly obey my voice” and “keep my covenant”. So the terms for the Israelites were for them as a people to strictly obey all the words of the Law. Thus, Jehovah rightly expected the Israelites to be “strictly” faithful to him.

What about Jehovah? Within the Law, Jehovah made provision for forgiveness of sin. Jehovah agreed that if anyone sinned and followed the directions outlined in the Law regarding sacrifices, then his sin would “be forgiven him”. Thus, Jehovah obligated himself to forgive the sins of the people who returned to him and followed his Laws. Jehovah also told the Israelites that if they “strictly” obeyed him, they would become his “special property” and “a kingdom of priests”. And so, if the Israelites as a people were “strictly” obedient to their terms of the Law Covenant, then Jehovah promised to use natural descendants of Abraham to fill the full number of the body of the offspring; the body of Christ.

• Mediator of The Law Covenant

Paul says that the Law “was transmitted through angels by the hand of a mediator”. And John likewise says “the Law was given through Moses”. So it is Moses who served as the mediator of the Law Covenant. What were his responsibilities as a mediator?

When he was on the mountain, for the scripture says that he “went up to the true God”, Jehovah himself said to him: “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and to tell the Israelites”. And after he relayed Jehovah’s words to the people and they responded, it says: “Moses immediately took the people’s response to Jehovah”.

And for several more times Moses “went up to the true God”, and then “went down from the mountain to the people”. So Moses served as a representative of the people before Jehovah, as well as coming down from on high as a representative of Jehovah before the people.

And again it says that “Moses came and related to the people all the words of Jehovah and all the judicial decisions, and all the people answered with one voice: “‘All the words that Jehovah has spoken, we are willing to do’”. And so Moses presented “all” the Law and its terms to the people, who agreed. Moses thus fulfilled his role as mediator, and Jehovah and the natural descendants of Abraham came to terms.

But for what reasons did Jehovah bring forth the Law Covenant?

• The Purpose of the Law Covenant

Paul said the Law “was added to make transgressions manifest, until the offspring should arrive to whom the promise had been made”. He thus identifies two reasons for the Law. One was “to make transgressions manifest”.

And when he says “until”, he indicates that the Law would be added until the following purpose is met. And the purpose stated is “the offspring should arrive”. So the other reason for the Law was to make the way toward the arrival of the offspring.

So, let’s take the first one; “to make transgressions manifest”. Paul says that “the Scripture handed all things over to the custody of sin”. How so? The Scripture has made clear that mankind in sinful. The Law, which is part of the Scripture, emphasized to the Israelites that they were sinful, and that forgiveness required sacrifices.

Now within the Law, Jehovah revealed his sense of justice is based on equivalency when he said: “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, blow for blow.” And elsewhere in the Law, it says: “the life of the flesh is in the blood”, and “it is the blood that makes atonement by means of the life in it”.

Now Adam, because of his sin, took perfection away from mankind. And based on Jehovah’s justice of equivalency, a perfect life was needed to make atonement for the murder of perfect man. And since life is in the blood, the blood of a perfect man was needed.

Thus, “it is not possible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take sins away” for their blood will never be equivalent in value to the blood of a perfect man.

And it is the Psalmist who said “He declares his word to Jacob, His regulations and judgments to Israel. He has not done so with any other nation; They know nothing about his judgments”. Between Adam’s deflection and the giving of the Law covenant in 1513 B.C.E., God had not given mankind any law that specifically defined sin in all its ramifications and forms.

So the Law Covenant made evident to the Israelites what sin was and that they were sinful, and the Law Covenant had no provision to fully escape from sin, and death through sin.

In addition, the Law stated: “Cursed is the one who will not uphold the words of this Law by carrying them out”. The Israelites agreed to “strictly” obey Jehovah, but they proved incapable of perfectly obeying the Law. Thus, the Law cursed them and in effect condemned them to death as sinners. Paul says as much when he writes: “All those who depend on works of law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not remain in all the things written in the scroll of the Law by doing them.’ Moreover, it is evident that by law no one is declared righteous with God”. And again, “Christ purchased us, releasing us from the curse of the Law”. Paul there acknowledging that as a natural Jew, he himself was under the curse of the Law Covenant until Jesus Ransom sacrifice. And for natural Jews, it was Jesus’ manner of death that released them from the curse of the Law. Paul said concerning the Jews: “Christ purchased us, releasing us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse instead of us, because it is written: “Accursed is every man hung upon a stake”. The Law did not curse Jesus because he never broke any part of the Law. And yet, the Law curses him because he was hung on a stake. However, because he accepted the curse of the Law and yet perfectly upheld the Law, he nullified the curse of the Law, thereby releasing the Jews from that curse.

So to summarize, how did the Law make transgressions manifest?

It taught the Israelites what sin was and that they were sinful. And though it provided a means for forgiveness, it did not provide a way out of sin and death. Instead, it cursed and condemned the Israelites as sinners deserving of death.

The other purpose of the Law Covenant was to make the way toward the arrival of the offspring.

Once again we turn to Paul who said about the Israelites: “We were being guarded under law, being handed over into custody, looking to the faith that was about to be revealed. So the Law became our guardian leading to Christ”.

The Law Covenant was not “the faith” or “the promise”. Instead, it was the guardian that would teach and guard the Israelites toward “the faith” and “the promise” that was to be revealed in the Christ.

The Law Covenant “strictly” upheld Jehovah’s righteousness, exposed the sinfulness of the Israelites, cursed them as sinners deserving of death, disciplined the disobedient and revealed that it would not be possible for them to keep Jehovah’s covenant perfectly.

Discerning ones among the Israelites would see that “good news of something better” would be needed. And thus in this way the Israelites were directed toward “something better”, “the faith” and “the promise” in connection with the Christ. And indeed, “God had foreseen something better for us, so that they might not be made perfect apart from us”. This is why Paul said regarding pre-Christian faithful ones: “In faith all of these died, although they did not receive the fulfillment of the promises; but they saw them from a distance”. Yet, he says regarding you: “For you need endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the fulfillment of the promise”.

So it is true that when Jesus was baptized, the Christ arrived and the Law Covenant fulfilled it’s purpose.  For the prophetic word says: “And he will keep the covenant in force for the many for one week; and at the half of the week, he will cause sacrifice and gift offering to cease”. Yes, the Law Covenant fulfilled its purpose when Jesus was baptized, and yet, because of Jehovah’s abundant loyal-love for the natural descendants of Abraham, he continued to focus primarily on the Jews for another 7 years until Jehovah “turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name”.

Thus, the Law Covenant was successful. So what Jehovah said regarding his word is always true when he says: “it will have sure success in what I send it to do”.

However, since the legal arrangement of the Law Covenant did not provide a legal basis to achieve these “better promises” that it pointed toward, a New Covenant would be necessary. And in fact, our brother Paul once again is inspired to give us the answer when he says that Jesus is “the mediator of a correspondingly better covenant, which has been legally established on better promises”.

So then, what was the main point in considering the Law Covenant? The main point is this: To show that the Law Covenant is vastly inferior to the New Covenant in every way. This will help us to build appreciation for the New Covenant that we are party to. It is the covenant that results in the greatest glory for those among mankind who are part of it.

So now we come to the New Covenant. And we shall spend most of this article focusing on it. The New Covenant is so important that Jehovah’s original purpose for the earth and mankind will be fulfilled based in what the New Covenant accomplishes.

And this New Covenant is especially important to us, because it directly affects us as Jehovah’s sons. The truth is, we are the most blessed of all Jehovah’s earthly servants and none have risen up that will be greater than us. Jesus himself said that of all those born of women, none were greater than John the Baptist. And yet, all of us will be greater than him.

It is through the New Covenant and what it accomplishes that we will be brought into such a highly favored condition.

So let’s focus all our thoughts on the New Covenant. The one Jehovah will use to bring his purpose to full completion.

THE NEW COVENANT

It is this covenant that we wish to pay particular attention to. Because, as Jehovah’s anointed ones, we have a special relationship with Jehovah, and it is this New Covenant that provides the legal basis for our hope. So, brothers and sisters, fellow members of the body of Christ: Who are the parties to the New Covenant? What are the terms of the New Covenant? Who mediated the New Covenant? Finally, what is the purpose of the New Covenant?

• The Parties To The New Covenant

In the days of Jeremiah, the Israelites had already proven that they could not “strictly” obey Jehovah perfectly. In fact, Jehovah had already determined to destroy the “holy city” upon which he placed his name.

Thus, it was to Jeremiah that Jehovah revealed his intention to make a New Covenant. In doing so, he revealed the parties to this New Covenant when he says: “Look! The days are coming, when I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant”.

When Jehovah says “I will make”, its clear that he is not only party to the New Covenant, but he is its source and that he is the one that will take the initiative to bring the New Covenant forth.

So who is the other party to the New Covenant?

We are.

Jehovah says he “will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant”. And Paul says “Consequently, holy brothers, partakers of the heavenly calling…We are His house if, indeed, we hold on firmly to our freeness of speech and the hope of which we boast down to the end”. So we partakes of the heavenly calling are Jehovah’s house.

How are we “the house of Israel” and the “house of Judah” that Jehovah makes a covenant with?

The humility of Paul is seen when he, as a natural Israelite says: “In this manner all Israel will be saved”. In what manner? Paul had just said regarding the Israelites: “some of the branches were broken off”. And toward anointed ones from the nations he said: “you, although being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became a sharer of the richness of the olive’s root.” So people of the nations were brought in as “heirs with reference to a promise” and is this way we “are really Abraham’s offspring”. And so we are truly “the Israel of God”, and we are Jews “on the inside”. Yes, we are “the house of Israel” that Jehovah makes the New Covenant with, and “in this manner all Israel will be saved”.

And Jehovah adds to it by saying he makes a New Covenant “with the house of Judah”. This was necessary at the time Jehovah revealed this to Jeremiah because the kingdom had been divided in two with the kingdom of Israel being no more and the kingdom of Judah was soon to be no more. But by saying he would make a New Covenant with both houses, he was assuring that his people would be one people under one covenant and that the “The scepter will not depart from Judah”. Yes, we are Jehovah’s house and we “will rule as kings forever and ever”.

So we understand that we are party to the New Covenant with Jehovah. But what is our responsibility toward the New Covenant, and what is Jehovah’s?

• The Terms Of The New Covenant

Some of us may say regarding Jehovah’s rejection of the natural branches: “‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ That is true! For their lack of faith, they were broken off, but you are standing by faith. Do not be haughty, but be in fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you”. So then, what is our responsibility toward the New Covenant? Consider this: “There is severity toward those who fell, but toward you there is God’s kindness, provided you remain in his kindness; otherwise, you too will be lopped off”. So our responsibility is to “remain in his kindness”. What does that mean?

As discussed, Jehovah revealed that he offered to natural Jews the opportunity to fill the full number of the body of Christ. This was certainly a kindness they did not deserve. If they had remain loyal and obedient, if they had remained in his kindness, they would not have been lopped off. Now that the natural branches have been lopped off and Jehovah has grafted in people of the nations, it is abundantly true that Jehovah’s choosing and calling depends not upon natural descent, but upon undeserved kindness.

Now, seeing that through undeserved kindness “we have been declared righteous as a result of faith, let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained access by faith into this undeserved kindness in which we now stand; and let us rejoice, based on hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but let us rejoice while in tribulations, since we know that tribulation produces endurance; endurance, in turn, an approved condition; the approved condition, in turn, hope, and the hope does not lead to disappointment; because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy spirit, which was given to us”.

So we see that Jesus has opened the way for us to access this underserved kindness and it is through faith in him that we can access it. We remain in kindness by exercising that faith and by enduring in faithful loyalty to Jehovah and his direction upon us as revealed in His word. By doing such, we are approved by Him and are thus approved as “branches” of his “garden olive tree”. This approval leads to our hope of heavenly life with Jehovah and Jesus. And yes, this is all assurance that Jehovah loves you as his children.

And so the reality is that Jehovah’s word is directed to all of us as anointed ones and Jews “on the inside” when it says that Paul and Barnabas “urged them to remain in the undeserved kindness of God”.

Also it is stated that Jehovah “has indeed adequately qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant”. Thus, our responsibility is to be ministers of this New Covenant. So all of us as brothers of Christ must not let up in humbly rendering service in behalf of fellow anointed ones. We must direct attention to the New Covenant. We must help each other to understand and appreciate it and to appreciate its benefits. It is also true that the New Covenant will accomplish its purpose of raising all anointed to heaven. And so, although those with an earthly hope are not party to the New Covenant, it is through you that they will be raised to human perfection. So what the New Covenant accomplishes will mean blessing for them, through you. As ministers of the New Covenant, it is our responsibility to even help those with an earthly hope respect what Jehovah is doing with us through the New Covenant.

Additionally, Paul tells the Ephesians that Jesus, through his sacrifice “abolished the enmity, the Law of commandments consisting in decrees”. And he tells all of us as anointed ones the we “are members of the household of God, and you have been built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone”. Yes, we are Jehovah’s house, and our responsibility as party to the New Covenant is to allow ourselves to be built up by following all the direction Jehovah has given to us through Jesus and his apostles and prophets as revealed in His inspired word.

Therefore, our terms of the New Covenant are to endure as loyal ones to Jehovah, serve as ministers of the New Covenant, and to obey all Jehovah’s instructions and guidance directed to us, his anointed ones, as found in his word.

And yet, there is one more requirement that must be mentioned. Paul touches on it when he tells us “every priest takes his station day after day to offer holy service and to make the same sacrifices often”. We learn from this that a priest’s responsibility is to present sacrifices. And again, Paul tells us “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”. Thus, we present ourselves as sacrifices. This is like our Lord when it says about him: “Sacrifice and offering you did not want, but you prepared a body for me”. Also, it says: “Look! I have come to do your will”, and “By this ‘will’ we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time”.

This is why it says that “all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death”. Jesus referred to this baptism when he asked: “Can you drink the cup that I am drinking or be baptized with the baptism with which I am being baptized?”. This baptism was his sacrificial life course that ended at his death. Jesus indicated we will share in this baptism when he said: “with the baptism with which I am being baptized, you will be baptized”. For us, like for our model Jesus, this baptism continues throughout our life course of faithfulness and sacrifice, and is completed when we die a sacrificial death like Christ. For we shall “become united with him in the likeness of his death”.

Yes, although only the death of the Christ himself has sin atoning value, all the body of Christ must follow him in this sacrificial death. That is why Peter said “if you endure suffering because of doing good, this is an agreeable thing to God. In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely”. This course is the course of presenting ourselves as sacrifices and ultimately sacrificing ourselves on the alter of Jehovah’s “will” like Jesus. This is also why Paul said that if “we suffer together”, we will “also be glorified together”. This also is our responsibility toward our terms of the New Covenant.

However, to truly understand the depth and richness of this requirement, we must understand the terms Jehovah agreed to when the New Covenant was being made.

So, what terms did Jehovah agree to as party to the New Covenant?

When Jesus was instituting the memorial of his death, did he say the cup of red wine meant his blood? No, he did not. He said: “This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in your behalf”. Thus, the cup does not represent Jesus blood as a ransom for all mankind, but refers to his blood being used in a specific way to validate the New Covenant between Jehovah and the anointed.

Two other gospels quote Jesus as saying the cup means his “blood of the covenant”. And under inspiration, Paul quotes Jesus as saying: “This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood”. So we see that the cup means what Jesus said it means. And when he says his blood “is to be poured out in your behalf”, he next says to the same ones: “I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and sit on thrones to judge the 12 tribes of Israel”.

And when Jesus is elsewhere quoted as saying the cup represents his: “‘blood of the covenant,’ which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins”, this “many” are also the ones he is talking to when he is quoted as saying on the same occasion: “This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in your behalf”. This is in “behalf” of those he next makes a covenant for a kingdom with. Thus we see that the “many” is the entire 144,000.

And so the New Covenant makes provision for the forgiveness of sins for the anointed. If an anointed individual fulfills his terms of the New Covenant, then Jehovah has obligated himself to forgive that one’s sins.

But the forgiveness that anointed ones receive through the legal basis of the New Covenant is grander than the forgiveness Jehovah offered the Israelites through the Law Covenant, or the forgiveness Jehovah offers to those with an earthly hope today. The Ransom sacrifice of Jesus covers their sins. And thus they can obtain forgiveness of their sins through faith in that Ransom.

But the blood of Jesus that validates the New Covenant is used in a special way toward those in the New Covenant. Our forgiveness goes deeper and is more thorough. And Jehovah forgives us in this way in order to accomplish a specific purpose. What is that purpose? And how grand is our forgiveness?

Paul says “the one who has died has been acquitted from his sin”. Who was Paul referring to? Who was he saying has died? Paul says next: “Moreover, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him”.

Yes, we anointed brothers and sisters have died. How have we died? Paul says that at our anointing, “us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death”. And thus, at our anointing and baptism into Christ Jesus “we were buried with him through our baptism into his death”. And he continues, “For we know that our old personality was nailed to the stake along with him in order for our sinful body to be made powerless, so that we should no longer go on being slaves to sin. For the one who has died has been acquitted from his sin”.

Truly, at our anointing and baptism into Christ Jesus and into his death, we died figuratively to our former course of life as imperfect humans and we have had our sins forgiven by God. And Jehovah forgives us to such an extent that we have been justified. This means we have had human perfection imputed to us. As Paul also says: “For it is by one sacrificial offering that he has made those who are being sanctified perfect for all time”.

We are thus freed from the condemnation of sin. The inspired word says to us: “you were set free from sin”. And again: “those in union with Christ Jesus have no condemnation”. It follows that we have been set “free from the law of sin and of death”.

So then, since we have been set free from sin and acquitted of sin, sin does not condemn us. Therefore, we are not under the condemnation of Adamic sin.

But the question may be asked, “if we have died, how is it that we continue to live in the flesh?”.

Paul answers: “If, now, the spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his spirit that resides in you”. Yes, Jehovah causes us to live on in the flesh. For what purpose?

Peter say: “Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for according to his great mercy he gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance. It is reserved in the heavens for you, who are being safeguarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last period of time.” This protection from Jehovah by means of our faith and the resulting hope of incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance is as source of great joy.

However, as Peter continues, “though for a short time, if it must be, you have been distressed by various trials, in order that the tested quality of your faith, of much greater value than gold that perishes despite its being tested by fire, may be found a cause for praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you never saw him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, yet you exercise faith in him and are greatly rejoicing with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, your salvation”.

Yes, Jehovah allows us to remain in the flesh so as to prove our integrity. He also allows us to remain in the flesh so that we may serve as “ministers of a new covenant”.

Now, once we have been set free from the condemnation of sin and death, Jehovah obligates himself to take another step in our behalf.

We read: “those whom he called are the ones he also declared to be righteous. Finally those whom he declared righteous are the ones he also glorified”. This thought is carried further when we read that Jesus’ “act of justification” resulted in “men of all sorts is their being declared righteous for life”.

Yes, we have been “declared righteous for life”. This means that we, as perfect humans in Jehovah’s eyes, have been given the right to life as perfect humans. Why? Because Jehovah is perfect and holy; hence, in harmony with his holiness, those whom he accepts as his sons must be perfect”. That is why those resurrected back to the earth are said to not “come to life until the 1,000 years were ended”. They do not come to life until then, because Jehovah does not declare them righteous for life until then. And so, they are not accepted as perfect earthly sons of God until then.

But we have been counted as perfect now. We have been declared righteous for life now. We have been accepted as God’s sons now. We have been granted the right to perfect life now.

This declaring of us righteous for life goes much farther than in the case of Abraham. Indicating the scope of Abraham’s justification, our brother James wrote: “‘Abraham put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness,’ and he came to be called ‘Jehovah’s friend.’”

It must be acknowledged however, that in view of our prospect of heavenly life literal perfection in the flesh now is not actually needed. Being credited with human perfection and being declared righteous for life is enough.

Now, this is where our sacrificial death comes in. A sacrificial death is when someone has the right to life, but sacrifices their life for the benefit of others. We are viewed as perfect and we’ve been given the right to life through our being declared righteous for life, yet we willingly sacrifice our life for the benefit of others. Thus, it can be said that when we die, we do not die the Adamic death due to Adamic sin. Jesus did not die the Adamic death as a result of Adamic sin, and so in this way we “become united with him in the likeness of his death”.

Yes, though our death will not have sin atoning value, we die a death like Jesus in that we sacrifice our life as perfect humans for the benefit of others.

And is it not truly for the benefit of others? It will be through our work as king-priests that we will assist Jesus in raising mankind to perfection and making this earth a paradise. This is Jehovah’s stated purpose, and as such, the hope of all those who will inherit life on earth depend upon us as a whole and our faithfulness and our sacrifice as a whole as the body of Christ. Yes, the body of Christ will follow the head of Christ into the “likeness of his death”. And it is this unselfish self-sacrifice that it beautiful to Jehovah. It is indeed the ultimate self-sacrifice anyone can make and is the very epitome of that term.

Now, even though we sacrifice our life, that doesn’t mean we have sacrificed our right to life. No, we retain our right to life. Therefore, we would have the right to life, but not actually alive.

So what is to happen? Jehovah’s justice cannot allow us to be dead if we have the right to life. But we have sacrificed our human life.

So for this reason, among others, Jehovah has promised in regard to being like Christ Jesus, that just as we “become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection”.

Yes, Jehovah has obligated himself as to his terms of the New Covenant to raise us up like Jesus. Jehovah will take our life and transfer it into an incorruptible spirit body that he has prepared for each of us , and shall grant an immortality quality to our life. Thus it will be impossible for us to ever die again, and impossible for our spirit bodies to suffer any harm. Yes, the words about Christ will apply to us as the body of Christ, where it says: “For we know that Christ, now that he has been raised up from the dead, dies no more; death is no longer master over him”.

And so we come to understand the terms of the New Covenant for both parties.

• We agree to remain faithful and loyal to Jehovah and maintain faith in the Christ.

• We agree to be zealous “ministers of the New Covenant”.

• We agree to follow all the commands of Jehovah and Jesus as directed to us in Jehovah’s inspired word.

• If we remain faithful, Jehovah agrees to forgive our sins to such an extent that he justifies us fully, and applies perfection to us.

• Jehovah agrees to declare us “righteous for life”, granting us the right to life.

• We agree to sacrifice our life to do Jehovah’s will. Thus presenting ourselves as sacrifices on the altar of Jehovah’s “will”, like our model Christ Jesus.

• Since, because of our faithfulness, we retain the right to life, Jehovah agrees to resurrect us to life in heaven as spirits.

And as we have come to know, Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant.

THE MEDIATOR

“There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus”.

But let us not confuse Jesus role as Mediator, with his role as High Priest. It is true that Jesus said “no one comes to the Father except through me”. And he said that we must ask of the Father “in my name”. However, these are functions of Jesus role as High Priest. So we do not pray to Jehovah in the name of our mediator. We pray to Jehovah in the name of our High Priest. When some end their prayers with the phrase, “in the name of our mediator”, this is wrong.

It is also true that it is through Jesus’ role as High Priest that we can receive forgiveness of sins based on his sacrifice. Paul says: “when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have already taken place, he passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. He entered into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and of young bulls, but with his own blood, once for all time, and obtained an everlasting deliverance for us.” Yes, he does this in his role as High Priest. Those with the earthly hope benefit from this function of Jesus’ service as High Priest.

Jesus’ role as a mediator is strictly a legal role as the one who represents the anointed and Jehovah and mediates for a legally binding peaceful agreement that is the New Covenant.

Therefore, Jesus is not the mediator for those with an earthly hope, since they are not a party to the New Covenant.

This New Covenant is validated by the blood of Jesus. Paul says: “where there is a covenant, the death of the human covenanter needs to be established, because a covenant is valid at death, since it is not in force as long as the human covenanter is living. Consequently, neither was the former covenant put into effect without blood. For when Moses had spoken every commandment of the Law to all the people, he took the blood of the young bulls and of the goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the book and all the people, saying: ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep.’ He likewise sprinkled the tent and all the vessels of the holy service with the blood. Yes, according to the Law nearly all things are cleansed with blood, and unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place”.

So too, the New Covenant was required to be based on the pouring out of blood. Yes, “that is why he is a mediator of a new covenant, in order that because a death has occurred for their release by ransom from the transgressions under the former covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the everlasting inheritance”.

True, Jesus’ role as High Priest in presenting his sacrifice to Jehovah has obtained forgiveness of sins for us. But it is his role as mediator of the New Covenant based on that same blood, that provides the legal basis for Jehovah to go further with us with regard to forgiveness as we discussed earlier. And that only applies to us, Jehovah’s sons.

Yes, it is Jesus’ “‘blood of the covenant’” that validates the New Covenant and allows us to be brought in as sons of God and viewed as perfect now, even while remaining in the imperfect flesh.

For this reason the inspired word speaks of “Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood, which speaks in a better way than Abel’s blood”.

We can thus appreciate the words of Paul that says “Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry” than Moses, the mediator of the Law Covenant. “Because he is also the mediator of a correspondingly better covenant, which has been legally established on better promises” than the “former covenant”.

THE PURPOSE OF THE NEW COVENANT

And with this, we also understand the purpose of the New Covenant. The purpose is to provide a legal basis, in harmony with Jehovah’s justice, that will accomplish the bringing of 144,000 humans to heaven. Putting us in a position to be used by Jehovah to grant mankind perfection and make the earth into a paradise. All so we, under the lead of the head of the Christ, can present to Jehovah the kind of earth and mankind that he always wanted to have.

And meditate on how incredible this is! Paul says regarding Jesus: “And after he had made a purification for our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So he has become better than the angels to the extent that he has inherited a name more excellent than theirs”. This “name” stood for the great authority that Jehovah gave him. Jehovah appointed his Son —not any of the angels —to be a king, an apostle, and a high priest in the manner of Melchizedek. And does not Jesus say to you, that if you conquer the world through your faith: “I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that descends out of heaven from my God, and my own new name”. So Jesus will write his new name on you. Yes, this new name he inherited that made him better than the angels. So too, you, if you remain faithful will also be made better than the angels.

And to Jesus, Jehovah says: “God is your throne forever and ever”. Jehovah God is Jesus’ throne in the sense that Jehovah is the Source of Jesus’ royal office or authority. Jehovah gave his Son “rulership, honor, and a kingdom.” And also to you, if you conquer, it is said, “And the kingdom and the rulership and the grandeur of the kingdoms under all the heavens were given to the people who are the holy ones of the Supreme One”. Yes, you too will receive royal office from Jehovah. In fact, Jesus said to us: “To the one who conquers I will grant to sit down with me on my throne, just as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne”. And we just learned that God is Jesus’ throne. So, if you conquer, it can be said of you too, “God is your throne forever and ever”.

So, you will become better than the angels and will inherit a name more excellent than theirs. And God will be your throne, forever and ever. This is what the New Covenant will accomplish for you.

But let’s consider one more thing. What does it mean when it says regarding the New Covenant: “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,’ says Jehovah. ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds I will write them”?

HAVING THE LAW OF THE NEW COVENANT WRITTEN IN OUR HEARTS

God’s word says regarding an anointed one that he is a: “Jew who is one on the inside, and his circumcision is that of the heart by spirit and not by a written code. That person’s praise comes from God, not from people”. So again we see a contrast and the superiority of the covenant we belong to. The Law was written on perishable material. In fact, the mediator of the Law Covenant shattered the first set of laws written on stone tablets. Thus the temporary nature of that Law was made clear from the very beginning. But for us, the law of the New Covenant has been written in our hearts. What does this mean?

Here we once again see how incredibly blessed we are of Jehovah. In fact, the most blessed of all mankind. The law of the New Covenant has been written in our hearts, thus making clear the enduring nature of this law. In fact, we shall have immortality. As such, it is not only that we will never die after receiving our reward, it is that we cannot die. And so, although the New Covenant itself will reach an end when we all receive our heavenly reward, what is in our hearts will remain forever.

The fact that it is in our hearts also emphasizes how precious the law of the New Covenant is to us.

Now what is involved in having this law of the New Covenant written in our hearts? Paul connects in to being circumcised in heart “by spirit and not by a written code”. It is true that Jehovah told the Israelites that they should be circumcised in heart. But even those Israelites who did not truly circumcise their hearts may be in line for an earthly resurrection, if it is Jehovah’s will. However, this is far more of a requirement for us. In order for us to receive the fulfillment of the promise, we must have our hearts circumcised. Not doing so would mean our doom.

So how can we have our hearts circumcised? We have to get rid of anything in our thinking, affections, or motives that is displeasing and unclean in Jehovah’s eyes and that makes our heart unresponsive to his direction by spirit. For our circumcision of heart is “by spirit”.

Another one of our brothers, Stephen, said to the religious leaders of the Jews: “Obstinate men and uncircumcised in hearts and ears, you are always resisting the holy spirit; as your forefathers did, so you do”. So we see that an uncircumcised heart is connected to being obstinate and resisting the spirit. Yes, to have an uncircumcised heart would make us like Satan. To do so is far more serious for us than for any of Jehovah’s servants who have an earthly hope.

Now included in this law of the New Covenant in our heart is the “law of the Christ”, and Paul tells us to “fulfill the law of the Christ”. How are we to do that? Well, Jesus tells his anointed brothers: “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also love one another”. And Paul connects this command to love to the law of the Christ when he says: “Go on carrying the burdens of one another, and in this way you will fulfill the law of the Christ”.

In fact, this “law of the Christ” includes all that Jesus taught, as well as what God’s spirit directed to be written to His anointed ones. But Jesus said something special when he said: “The things I say to you I do not speak of my own originality, but the Father who remains in union with me is doing his works”. Therefore, this “law of the Christ” is really from Jehovah. And it is Jehovah that says: “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I will write it”.

Imagine that for a moment. Our calling depends on Jehovah. Yes, each of us have been personally selected by him. So as one of Jehovah’s anointed ones, you have been personally chosen by Jehovah to have his law written in your heart.

Jehovah himself continues when he says: “they will no longer teach each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Jehovah!’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them”.

John also writes: “I write you these things about those who are trying to mislead you. And as for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to be teaching you; but the anointing from him is teaching you about all things and is true and is no lie. Just as it has taught you, remain in union with him”.

Even this article is not meant to teach anyone about Jehovah, but to gather information about the New Covenant and put it here so that Jehovah’s anointed children may find encouragement and may take what is written here to strengthen their own relationship with Jehovah.

And the fact is true that we all are looking forward to the day when we can sit together, with no one having any measure of authority over the other, and learn directly from the mouth of Jehovah himself. For we know that “we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as that one is pure”.

Yes, brothers and sisters. We will each have a major role in the outworking of Jehovah’s purpose!

Truly the “former covenant” is obsolete. Yes, “if the code administering condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious would be the administering of righteousness! In fact, even what had once been made glorious has been stripped of glory because of the glory that excels it. For if what was to be done away with was brought in with glory, how much greater would be the glory of what remains!”

The glory of our covenant far excels the glory of the old covenant. And, with the exception of Christ Jesus, our personal glory will far excel the glory of all other servants of Jehovah both in heaven and upon the earth. Yes, we are “sharer of the glory that is to be revealed”, and we “consider that the sufferings of the present time do not amount to anything in comparison with the glory that is going to be revealed in us”. Again, “the glory of Jehovah will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of Jehovah has spoken”. Indeed, “the creation is waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God”.

Therefore, fellow children of the Most High God. We encourage you to remain faithful to the “One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”. Fulfill your terms of the New Covenant!

We know that at this time the sons of God are having trouble. But take courage! Jehovah has not forgotten you. From this discussion we learn that it is really to us anointed ones who have Jehovah’s law written in our hearts that he says: “Listen to me, you who know righteousness, The people with my law in their heart.  Do not be afraid of the taunts of mortal men, And do not be terrified because of their insults. For a moth will eat them up just like a garment; The clothes moth will devour them like wool.  But my righteousness will last forever, And my salvation for all generations.”

So may such knowledge, and the hope in which you boast, grant you peace. So that we can all arrive at the day in which we sit shoulder to shoulder in the presence of our Father.