The Seed Endures

In his parable of the wheat and the weeds, Jesus foretold the time of darkness that would exist while Christendom reigned supreme. Nevertheless, through all the centuries of apostasy, there would exist individual wheat like Christians, genuine anointed ones. (Matthew 13:24-29, 36-43) Thus, when the Lord's day dawned in October 1914, there were still true Christians on earth. (Revelation 1:10) It appears that Jehovah came to his spiritual temple for judgment about three and a half years later, in 1918, accompanied by Jesus as his "messenger of the covenant." (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 13:47-50) It was time for the Master to reject finally the false Christians and to appoint 'the faithful and discreet salve over all his belongings.'- Matthew 7:22, 23; 24:45-47.

It was also time for this slave to give special attention to the things written in Jesus' messages to the seven congregations, as we see from what is stated therein. For example, Jesus refers to his coming to judge the congregations, which judgment began in 1918. (revelation 2:5, 16, 22, 23; 3:3) He speaks of protecting the Philadelphia congregation from "the hour of test, which is to come upon the whole inhabited earth." (Revelation 3:10, 11) This "hour of test" arrives only with the drawing of the Lord's day in 1914, after which Christians were tested as to their loyalty to the established Kingdom of God.- Compare Matthew 24:3, 9-13.

For this reason, Jesus' words to the congregations have had their major application since 1914. In this setting, the seven congregations picture all the congregations of anointed Christians during the Lord's day. Moreover, during the past 50 years and more, the anointed Christians pictured by John have been joined by large numbers of believers whose hope is to live forever in Paradise on earth. The counsel of the glorified Jesus Christ and the conditions he found in the seven congregations as a result of his inspection apply with equal force to these, since there is only one standard of righteousness and faithfulness for all of Jehovah's servants. (Exodus 12:49; Colossians 3:11) Thus, Jesus' messages to the seven first-century congregations in Asia Minor are not mere historical curiosities. They mean life or death to each one of us. Let us, then, listen carefully to Jesus' words.

Next time: A Time Of Testing And Judging