SERVING WITH THE WATCHMAN

 A Nation of Witnesses

About 500 years after Nimrod's time, Jehovah organized the descendants of faithful Abraham into the nation of Israel to serve as His witnesses on earth.  (Isaiah 43:10, 12)  many individuals of that nation served Jehovah loyally.  Over the centuries, however, the false beliefs  of neighboring nations corrupted Israel, and Jehovah's covenant people turned away from him to worship of false gods.  Hence, King Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed Jerusalem and its temple and carried off most of the Jews off into exile in Babylon.

What a triumph that was for false religion! However, Babylon's ascendancy was short lived.  Some 2,000 years before the event, Jehovah commanded:  "Go, post a lookout that he may tell just what he sees."   What news did this watchman have to announce?  "She has fallen!  Babylon has fallen, and all the graven images of her gods he has broken to the earth!"  (Isaiah 21:6, 9)  Sure enough, in 539 B.C.E., the prophetic declaration came true.  Mighty Babylon fell, and God's covenant people were soon able to return to  their homeland. 

The returning Jews had learned enough to abandon idolatry and spiritistic religion.  However, over the  years, they fell into other traps.  Some were ensnared by Greek philosophy.  Others came to stress human tradition over God's Word.  Still others were seduced by nationalism.  (Mark 7:13; Acts 5:37)  By the time Jesus was born, the nation had again turned away from pure worship.  While individual Jews responded to the good news declared by Jesus, the nation as a whole rejected him and was thus rejected by God.  (John 1:9-12; Acts 2:36) Israel was no longer God's witness, and in the year 70 C.E., Jerusalem and its temple were again devastated, this time by the Roman army. -Matthew 21:43.

Meanwhile, a Christian "Israel of God" had been born, and this now served as God's witness to the nations.  (Galatians 6:16)  Very quickly, Satan schemed to corrupt this new spiritual nation.  By the end of the first century, sectarian influences were seen in the congregations.  (Revelation 2:6, 14, 20) Paul's warning was timely:  "Look out:  perhaps there may be someone who will carry  you off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ." - Colossians 2:8.

Eventually, Greek philosophy, Babylonian religious ideas, and later such human "wisdom"  as the theory of evolution and higher criticism contaminated the religion of many who claimed to be Christian.  It was as Paul had foretold:  "I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves."  (Acts 20:29, 30) As a result of this apostasy, Christendom came into existence.

Next time: The conclusion of A Nation of Witnesses

Watchtower, 2000